This series chronicles sweet experiences recounted by the devotees of HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji as well as some divine experiences of Sri Swamiji himself. These articles are translations from the Madhurasmaranam series that is published every month in Madhuramurali Tamil monthly magazine.
Rasikasekara the Child
When a friend asks us, “Could you please introduce your family members to me?” most of us will mention our parents, children, siblings, and spouse. Some of us may even include our pets as a part of the family. However, almost all of us will fail to mention our favorite deities and Guru. The thought that He is the head of our family and a part of our family is not rooted in us; that is why they are not included in the list, says Sri Swamiji.
God and Guru will reflect the same attitude (bhaavam) that we have towards them. If we have the attitude that the One who has descended in the form of an archavatara murthy is All-knowing, that He is ‘chinmaya murthy’ full of living Consciousness, then He will also talk with us, play with us, interact with us, and also reveal that He is indeed All-knowing! On the other hand, in our heart of hearts if we only consider Him to be a mere image, then He too will remain that way.
It was a time when Sri Swamiji was staying in Madhuramurali Bhavanam in Alapakkam, Chennai. Early that morning, when he opened his door and walked out, it was obvious that he was in some distress. He walked restlessly up and down. I was also afraid to ask what the matter was. After some time, Sri Swamiji gestured and said that he was having trouble breathing and was feeling suffocated. Observing him closely, it was clear that Sri Swamiji was breathing with difficulty. Sri Swamiji ordered to open all the windows in the room, but it did not improve his condition. I became very worried. I began to wonder if we should consider any medical treatment.
“Are you also feeling suffocated?” enquired Sri Swamiji. I responded that I felt fine. When I hesitantly asked him if he wanted to take any medication, he majestically waved me away.
“Go down and check on our Rasikasekaran,” Swamiji instructed me (Rasikasekaran is the same Krishna who adorns the GOD India banners. At that time, Rasikasekaran resided in Madhuramurali Bhavanam). When I went to check the pooja room downstairs, I was shocked; Rasikasekaran was missing! Immediately, I asked my father where Bhagavan was. My father informed me that, in order to clean the pooja room, he had safely moved Rasikasekaran into a box.
I rushed upstairs to inform Sri Swamiji of this. Immediately Sri Swamiji said, “Rasikasekaran is a little child. He became very scared on being moved into a box. He is also having difficulty breathing due to a lack of ventilation in the box.” Saying so, Sri Swamiji rushed downstairs, opened the box, lifted Rasikasekaran and embraced Him. Sri Swamiji then consoled Him and sang His favorite kirtans. Rasikasekaran calmed down. Saying that the child was now free of fear, Sri Swamiji took Rasikasekaran into his room.
We too now clearly understood the cause of Sri Swamiji’s earlier shortness of breath.
Article originally chronicled by Dr. A Bhagyanathan, personal secretary to Sri Swamiji, in Tamil Madhuramurali Magazine May 2023 issue, Madhurasmaranam section.
Translated into English by Harish Raman, Richmond, VA
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