Jagannatha Daasa Part 2
Encounter
Srinivasaacharya set out for Uthanur in accordance with Vijaya Daasa’s wishes. Upon seeing an unassuming man sweeping the courtyard of the temple, he asked, “Where is Gopala Daasaru’s house?” The man pointed in the direction of the town. Srinivasaacharya reached the house, realised who he had spoken to and hurrying back to the temple courtyard, fell at Gopala Daasaru’s feet.
Gopala Daasa, the “aparoksha gnani”, welcomed Srinivasaacharya while repeating the words spoken by Rayaru and Vijaya Daasa to Srinivasaacharya verbatim (an aparoksha gnani is not bound by rules of the physical world, he can traverse astrally and perceive people’s thoughts and intentions).
After their ablutions and worship, Gopala Daasa asked Srinivasaacharya about his eating preferences owing to his vows regarding food. A mortified Srinivasaacharya said, having failed in his earlier test (excusing himself from Vijaya Daasaru’s lunch) he had suffered enough and was not going to fail the test yet again. He confessed that his oaths were a mark of his arrogance and he no longer defined himself by ritualistic rigidities.
Resurrection
Gopala Daasa used to undertake annual sojourns to Tirupathi. These pilgrimages were physically taxing as they involved a great amount of walking, eating only once a day and came with no assured comforts regarding rest etc. Srinivasaacharya, not having regained physical strength, accompanied Gopala Daasa on this arduous journey.
Upon reaching Tirupathi, an exhausted Srinivasaacharya passed away. When Gopala Daasa blamed himself for this, Vijaya Daasa appeared in an astral form and commanded Gopala Daasa to give 40 years of his lifespan to Srinivasaacharya. Praying to Lord Srinivasa, the reigning deity of Tirupathi, as Dhanwantri, Gopala Daasa performed “ayurdaana” and Srinivasaacharya came back to life.
Epiphany
Srinivasaacharya, coming back to life and unaware of the dramatic events, wondered at the commotion taking place. Guru Gopala Daasa (Gopala Daasa’s younger brother) then told him of the miracle worked upon by the two Daasas, his having gained an extension of life to be spent in “saadhane” (spiritual pursuit).
To provide some nourishment to Srinivasaacharya, Gopala Daasa left him in order to get some prasaada of the temple. A little later when Gopala Daasa arrived with “huggi”, a refreshed Srinivasaacharya expressed astonishment. He said he had already eaten huggi given by Gopala Daasa, and even showed the divine aroma still lingering on his fingertips.
Gopala Daasa exclaimed that Srinivasaacharya had been served food by the Lord himself. The very Lord who a couple of weeks ago had remained resolutely unmoved by Srinivasaacharya’s agony had now chosen to feed him in the guise of Gopala Daasa! Srinivasaacharya had earned the grace of both Hari and the gurus. This was a red-letter day in the history of Haridaasas. After soaking in the fervour of the evening’s singing, which was other worldly, Srinivasaacharya slept. And he witnessed his entire life unfold like a movie, in his dream, and being blessed and placed at the feet of the Daasas, Rayaru and the Lord.
After their return from Tirupathi, Srinivasaacharya was seized by the desire to become a Hari Daasa. Gopala Daasa smilingly said that except Hari himself everyone else was his Daasa! When Srinivasaacharya insisted upon an ankitha, Gopala Daasa asked him to go to Pandharapura and to take a dip in the river Chandrabhaaga.
When Srinivasaacharya did as advised, a stone with the phrase “Jagannatha Vittala” found its way into his hands. Srinivasaacharya recognised his ankitha and composed his first ‘daasara pada’ describing the avataaras of the Lord (Vittala) who now stands on the banks of Bheema (the name of the river that flows in Pandharapura, also called Chandrabhaga as it flows in a crescent shape near the temple town)…
Shatakoormaroopiya kita maanava Hariya Vatu Bhargava Kakuthstha Shatakamsadwishana
Nitalaambaka sahaayya Khalakataari Bheema Tatavaasa Jagannatha Vittala Mooruthiya
Jagannatha Daasa
Even as Jagannatha Daasa, as the world came to know him thenceforth, prayed to the Lord and entered the temple, he was blessed with bimba rupa darshana (vision seen with the inner eye) and bahiranga/paroksha darshana (vision seen with outer eyes) of the Lord, whose resplendence paled a thousand suns into insignificance. This simultaneous vision of God is bestowed on the Lord’s highest devotees, who then become “aparoksha gnaanis”.
Jagannatha Daasa stayed at Pandharapura for twelve days, bereft of company, bereft of attendants, bereft of basic comforts. A stark contrast to his previous life as a scholar in Maanvi. As his stay came to a close, a Brahmin, claiming to have come from Vaikuntapura, accosted him and invited him for lunch after seeking clarification that he was no longer bound by “streepaaka nema”.
At noon, the daasa went to the Rukmini temple, where he was served an innumerable number of delicious items by the most beautiful of women. After he had eaten, there was no trace of either the remnants of the meal or the beautiful women. Jagannatha Daasa went to find the host, who apologised profusely for not enquiring enough, and for the inconveniences experienced during his stay at Pandharapura, and handed over a packet of sweets, snacks and flowers for his onward journey.
Jagannatha Daasa realised that this man was none other than Vittala, the Kapatanaataka Sutradhaari,* the very same horse rider who had said “Aale naahi?”** to Gopala Daasa.