DEDICATED

TO
MY PARENTS OF REVERED MEMORY

Smt. R. PADMASINI (1918-1985)

And
Prof. S. RANGACHAR (1908-1995)

WHO INSTILLED IN ME A DEEP SENSE OF

LOVE FOR OUR
SPIRITUAL
AND
CULTURAL HERITAGE

R.Narayana Iyengar
 TEACHINGS OF
SRI RADHAKRISHNA SWAMIJI
IN HIS OWN WORDS

Prof R Narayana Iyengar

Raja Ramanna Fellow, IISc
Dean, Division of Yoga and Humanities, SVYASA

Swami Vivekananda Yoga Prakashana

#19, Eknath Bhavan, Gavipuram Circle,
Kempegowda Nagar, Bangalore - 560 018.
Teachings of Sri Radhakrishna Swamiji: A book on spiritual
and cultural heritage of India written by Prof R Narayana Iyengar,
published by Swami Vivekananda Yoga Prakashana, #19, Eknath
Bhavan, Gavipuram Circle, Bangalore - 560 019. pp 334 + xii,
pb, 1/8th Demy.

© Reserved

First Edition : April 2007

Print : 1000 copies
Price : Rs. 120/-

PUBLISHED BY:
SWAMI VIVEKANANDA YOGA PRAKASHANA
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Kempegowda Nagar, Bangalore - 560 019
Ph. : (080) 26612669, Telefax : (080) 26608645
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ii
 FOREWORD
Among many saints and yoga masters, Prof A Satyanarayana Shastry and I met
during our combined search for Reality, Radhakrishna Swamiji was found to be a
most unique sthitaprajna right in our neighborhood. This fact fascinated us. We
visited him several times and had with him more than just discussions. His
simplicity was the hallmark of his elevated state of consciousness. His loving
serenity and periodic spells of deep silence (seemingly going into samādhi of
immaculate bliss) featured a life akin to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa whom we
had no opportunity to meet. If Sri Ramakrishna would slip into Bhāva samādhi
each time he heard the name of Rāma or Krishna or Kālī, Radhakrishna Swamiji
went into samādhi of silence with beaming serenity and bliss whenever he was
alone or completed the Vishnu Sahasranāma chanting or after his brief talks.
The life of Swamiji shows that he imbibed all the requisite qualities of not just a
Jīvanmukta but also of a teacher par excellence. A great guru in the path of
spirituality is described as Shrotriyam Brahmanistham. Swamiji was both Shrotriya
and Brahmanishtha. His satsang portrayed his depth of knowledge on one hand
and attunement with divinity on the other. Every such satsang took a small group
of his devotees to higher levels of calmness, serenity and silence. He knew the
secret that Vishnu-sahasranāma chanting can systematically calm the mind (even
the most rājasic brilliant mind) and lead it to deep silence. He also understood that
mantras such as Lalitā-sahasranāma stimulate rajas and could increase prāna
shakti. But this shakti, if not properly harnessed, can endanger the devotee. One
has to exercise great caution while using such mantras.
We had heard that Ramana Maharshi spread the serenity of jnāna around him.
Similarly an aura of silent devotional bliss pervaded Swamiji’s nice āshram when
we first entered it in 1968. His bhakti was sāttvic and it defused all stresses and
tensions in persons around him. This was an illustration of Patanjali’s saying
ahimsāyām pratishthāyām tatsannidhau vairatyāgah; a person established in non-
violence creates an atmosphere free of all enmity. He was the typical person
described in the Bhagavadgīta as

yah sarvatrānabhisnehah tattatprāpyashubhāshubham|

nābhinandati na dveshti tasya prajnā pratishthitā||
Radhakrishna Swamiji in that trpta sthiti rightly promoted simplicity and universal
love, inspiring in devotees selflessness and self-satisfaction.
Saibaba of Shirdi the Great Master was his inspiration and guide. His vision of
Dattātreya infused in him the spirit of learning from one and all. Though he
iii
professed the teachings of Saibaba of Shirdi he was magnanimous in looking at
other paths and devotees with equal respect. Simple stories from the Bhāgavata,
epics, Purānas and Upanishads were used by him to illustrate a point or to bring
out a change in the understanding of the devotees. He effectively used stories to
cleanse the devotees from the bondages of kāma, krodha, lobha, moha, mada
and mātsarya and further to infuse in them shraddhā. Highlighting how to
discriminate sat from asat through simple examples, he developed in his listeners
the power to decipher good from bad, right from wrong, dharma from adharma.
Yet he taught that all opposites are manifestations of the same divine and hence
we should accept them in others without hate or nausea.
His teachings encompassed a wide gamut of topics ranging from Hanumān, Guru,
Avatāra, Dattātreya, Baba, pilgrimage, temples, festivals, women, children to
antarindriyas, shama-damādi sādhana, Jnāna, Bhakti, Kundalinī, Mantra,
Prānāyāma, Dhyāna and Samādhi. He also covered topics such as selfless
service, right politics for right governance, social work, nation building and heaven
on earth. It was a rewarding learning experience each time I met Swamiji. And I
marveled at his simplicity of expressions and actions which can be a solution to
problems of the modern society.
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna by M has been a great inspiration to all devotees of
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Great are the people who have that grit to keep
recording day after day the happenings in the lives of such great saints. Prof.
Narayana Iyengar has to be congratulated for presenting us this wonderful Gospel
of Radhakrishna Swamiji. It is fascinating to see the author bring out a lively
picture of Swamiji with several dimensions of his day-to-day life. The author is a
faculty at our University SVYASA. This is his first book and we are happy to bring
this out as a publication under SVYP. I believe such documents would go a long
way in illustrating the concept of sthitaprajna and also inspire aspirants in the path
divine. Students would find in this book a practical application of Bhakti Yoga and
Nāda Yoga in daily life as propounded by our ancients.

H.R. Nagendra
Vice Chancellor, SVYASA University
Prashanti Kutiram, Bangalore

iv
 PREFACE

Bhārata, our motherland is famous for its ancient Rishis and sages as well as
for its modern saints and philosophers. It is no exaggeration to say that Sri
Radhakrishna Swamiji was a saint of the first order that India in general and
Bangalore in particular has seen in recent decades. The present book is an
attempt to record the teachings of Swamiji in his own words. This disciple was
fortunate to have had close association with Swamiji during 1974-1980, which
happened to be the last six years of Swamiji’s earthly life. This book is based
on the diary and notes maintained by the present writer as a witness to the
happenings around Swamiji during the above period. It is difficult to describe
Swamiji, his lifestyle and his way of doing things; simple as they were, their
inner meanings remained hidden from our eyes. His world view was different
from the one we get from the westernized news media and university-based
education widely prevalent in India. Not that he was against modern thoughts
and innovations. On the other hand he welcomed scientific progress but had no
great regard for intellectual interpretation of human experience exclusively
based on the five senses. For him the ageless, genderless, imperishable ātman
in associative relation with the human body was the basis for cognizing the
experiential existence of the external world. This was not a mere article of faith,
but a reality, which he invited others also to experiment, experience and enjoy.
To write about such a person is a daunting task, prone to errors of omission
and commission. To avoid possible subjective elements creeping in, an attempt
is made in this book to present Swamiji in terms of what he said and did, as
heard and seen by the author.

A brief life sketch of Swamiji may not be out of place here. If nothing else this
would help the reader to understand the contents of this book in a historical and
cultural context.

Swamiji was born on 15th April 1906 in a village called Poyyamozhi or

Poyyamani near Tiruchi. His parents were Lakshmi and Venkatarama Iyer. He
was born with a silver spoon as the saying goes. Immediately after his birth, his
grand parents adopted him and he automatically became the heir apparent to a
vast amount of landed property in Ooty (Udakamandalam) and other places.
He was a millionaire by birth. We do not know much about his childhood and
youth other than what he revealed now and then. He was brought up in a
v
traditional family with an all-pervasive ambience of orthodoxy. He had his early
school education at Tiruchi. As far as it is known he did not complete his
college graduation. But he had a good command over English and was well-
informed in several modern subjects. Also he was trained in Sanskrit and was
well-read in the Shāstras. Once he told this writer that he had toyed with the
idea of going to Kashi to pursue Vedanta studies. He was a good musician and
could play on the violin. He was fond of acting and took part in dramas. He
wore fashionable western style dress and lived in Ooty in a spacious house
near the palace of the Maharaja of Mysore, whom he knew personally. He
moved in elite circles, played tennis and also worked at the Race Club for
sometime. At the insistence of his elders he got married but remained a
celibate by choice.

All through his childhood and youth, thirst for spiritual enlightenment nagged
him continuously. This probably was not always an enjoyable experience. He
himself once mentioned that the depression of having not understood the
meaning of life was so unbearable he had planned to end his life. It is evident,
an unseen divine hand shaped Swamiji towards a higher life. Some- time in
1922, when he was still in his teens, he was travelling by train from Poona to
Bombay. He had heard about the caves near Kharjat and impulsively got down
at that station. Once he saw the caves he had an urge to remain there for forty-
eight days in penance. He lived there in seclusion with no contact with his
relatives and friends. He sustained himself on the roti and milk, the nearby
villagers brought voluntarily. It appears Swamiji had thought that he would
leave his body in the caves on the 46th day sitting in meditation. But his destiny
was different. Lord Dattātreya appeared in front of Swamiji and asked him to
live in this world helping others. This link to Dattātreya remained with Swamiji
all through his life in various shapes and forms. Five years later in 1927, Sri Bet
Narayana Maharaj, a well-known saint of yester-years, initiated our Swamiji into
Datta Mantra.

Details in the life of Swamiji till 1942, when a turning point occurred, are not
known. In 1942 he was destined to meet his Guru Narasimha Swami in a
dramatic fashion. Sri B.V. Narasimha Iyer (1874-1956) was a famous lawyer in
Salem. Sri Iyer, a colleague of Rajaji, was a staunch follower of Bal Gangadhar
Tilak and an active participant in the Home Rule movement of Annie Besant.
He was one of the representatives sent to England in 1917 to argue for Home
Rule, when the Imperial British interned him and his two colleagues at Gibraltar

vi
during the First World War. Twice elected by popular vote to the Madras
legislature, his bio-data was already extraordinary in the early decades of the
twentieth century. But his pinnacle of glory was after he renounced his home in
1921 triggered by a personal tragedy. He went out on a spiritual voyage first to
Ramana Maharshi and later all over India. As per his own statement he found
the ultimate truth for his satisfaction at Shirdi in 1936, as he sat meditating on
the Samadhi of Sri Sai Baba the mystic saint who had passed away in 1918.
Narasimha Swami took up broadcasting Sai Baba’s life and teachings as his
aim and went about establishing Sai-mandirs, which, culminated in founding
the All India Sai Samaj (AISS) Madras, in 1941. The eventful meeting between
the Guru, and the disciple took place when Narasimha Swami visited Ooty on
his Sai mission. Radhakrishna, dressed up to the neck in his suit with a tie, was
going to see the adventure film David Livingstone. As he was going to the
theatre some of his friends on the road requested him to stay at the venue, till
they could bring Narasimha Swami from the bus stand. As providence would
have it Narasimha Swami came from a side street to the school and found only
a lone person there. A stickler to punctuality he asked our Swamiji whether he
was ready. Radhakrishna did not know what to reply other than diplomatically
saying yes. Narasimha Swami took out Baba’s photo from his bag, kept it on a
chair and asked Radhakrishna to do pūjā. The future disciple was in a fix. Not
that he was against doing the pūjā, but befitting his orthodox Brahmin
upbringing he thought he should have been at least wearing a dhoti instead of
presenting himself in a western suit. Narasimha Swami laughed away the
situation and said ‘Baba never looks at the external cover; what he wants is
your mind. You do the pūjā.’ This is how the first meeting between the two
Swamis got initiated. While Narasimha Swami walked out of the school to
board a bus to his next destination, Radhakrishna followed his future Guru to
put the question: what could be the reason why I am named Radhakrishna?
Narasimha Swami thought for a moment and said, ‘If you come to Madras I will
let you know the meaning.’

Radhakrishna gave up his job at the Race Club. He accepted Narasimha

Swami as his Guru and got immersed in intense sādhanā, in the form of Japa,
Pārāyana, Dhyāna and Bhajan. Swamiji was asked by his Guru to participate in
Divya-nāma-sankīrtans to develop his devotional nature to its fullest extent. He
was introduced to Sai Baba by his Guru, so much so he could realize the inner
essence of Baba. Several spiritual experiences, the details of which are too
long to be mentioned here, convinced Swamiji that he had found his mission

vii
and goal in life. He travelled far and wide with Narasimha Swami in spreading
the message of Sai Baba. In 1952, as per the wishes of his Guru, he came to
Bangalore to look after the already set up Sai-mandir at Ulsoor. The cultural
ambience of south Bangalore, where there were already quite a few Sai
devotees, made him shift his residence to a small room in NR Colony near the
Rama-mandir. He was a member of the Managing Committee of Shirdi
Sansthan and had to travel to Bombay once a month. This brought him in
contact with a large number of Sai devotees as also a few direct disciples of
Sai Baba.

In 1953 he started a satsang group at the residence of Sri M. Subbaramiah on

South End Road that eventually became the Sai Spiritual Centre. This was
initially a loose congregation of a few like-minded people, but quickly gained
strength under the spiritual dynamo that Swamiji was. Way back in 1943, a
certain Domlur Krishnamurthy, who worked as Asst. Comptroller of Finance in
the erstwhile Mysore State, had earmarked a part of his lands for the specific
purpose of propagating the life and teachings of Sai Baba of Shirdi. In 1962 Sri
V.S. Shastry, an Income Tax Officer holding this land in trust, was more than
happy to gift the same to Swamiji for Baba’s work. From 1965, a small room on
this land became Swamiji’s āshram. The Sai Spiritual Center with a large hall
and a shrine for Baba became a registered body in 1970, with Swamiji as its
Founder President. At this time, his admirers and devotees in Chennai
(Madras) prevailed upon him to become the President of AISS, which was
without proper leadership after the passing away of Sri Narasimha Swami in
1956. Thus, in the last ten years of his life, Swamiji spent his time roughly
equally between Chennai and Bangalore. Till his last breath on 14th January
1980, Swamiji toiled to spread the message of his Guru. This was nothing
other than the Shubhra-mārga, the clean path of Sai Baba of Shirdi. As per his
own narration, Baba asked him in 1954, in a vision, to propagate the three
aksharas; Aa, U, Ma which together form Om, the Brahman. At the worldly level
these were explained as the Bhagavadgīta, the Vishnu-sahasranāma and
Satsang respectively. Swamiji took interest in the construction and
consecration of temples in many parts of the country. Within Bangalore, he was
the inspiration behind the Anjaneya temple at Ragi-gudda. He laid the
foundation stone for the Devagiri Venkateshwara temple. Swamiji was
responsible for the Rama temple at Vivekanagar.

viii
Swamiji was the embodiment of simplicity and compassion. He disliked
exhibitionism in all forms. In his earlier days in Bangalore he would wear a long
dhoti and a long shirt. In his later years he gave up this for a coarse khādi dhoti
as a wrap around and a top cloth. In inclement weather he would after some
coaxing agree to put on a shawl. He had been presented with a set of ochre
robes, to be worn by a sanyāsi, by no less a person than Sri Chandrashekhara
Bhārati, the Head of the Sringeri Shāradā Pītham. But like his Guru, he
preferred white to saffron. He was of short build with a supple body. He had a
broad forehead, a prominent nose and bright, but somewhat, withdrawn eyes.
His long flowing hair and beard made him every bit an ancient Rishi out of the
Upanishads. For all practical purposes he ate only once in the morning. This
was a frugal meal sent by one of his devotees. In the night he would take one
or two idlis or a dose sent by another devotee. He had taste for good coffee,
which he took in small amounts twice, occasionally thrice. He had exquisite
taste in maintaining the small garden at his āshram, which he tended
personally. In line with his subtle taste he named the place Parandhām and
called his dwelling Hamsaniketan. The main hall in which he took great
pleasure in chanting the Vishnu-sahasranāma continuously was named Nāma-
yajna-vaibhava mantapam.

For people near him every day was a joyful celebration. He was never serious.
Occasionally he would crack harmless jokes at close devotees and make
everyone laugh. All types of people came to him seeking solutions to their
mundane and spiritual problems. Everyone irrespective of his or her religion,
caste, creed and social status received equal attention from Swamiji. There
were no secretaries, no managers and no appointments to be fixed up. Anyone
could simply walk into his presence and bask in his divinity. The simple children
of the nearby school would come to shake hands with him or to touch his beard
out of curiosity. The rich and the powerful came in limousines with costly gifts
seeking his blessings for success in their business or elections. He was neither
pro-rich nor pro-poor. He was naturally neutral. His approach was to put people
at ease by talking to them, consoling them. When someone with a highly
agitated mind came to him, he would invariably close his eyes and chant the
sahasranāma, which would easily take twenty minutes. Many a disturbed soul
would calm down and voluntarily chant the great mantra with him. But it
happened; some visitors seeing his closed eyes would go away. He was not
bothered in attracting such people to him. Devotees came on their own or as
Baba used to say, if they belonged to him, he dragged them somehow.

ix
His life was his teaching. He wrote two books, one on his Guru and another, a
booklet of stories for children. He wrote his inspired thoughts as ‘Spiritual
Recipes’ serially published in Sai Sudha, the official monthly journal of AISS,
Chennai. His poems, songs, messages and translations of some Upanishads
are yet to be published.
The present book contains mainly conversations, this disciple had with Swamiji
during 1974-1977. This also includes some public lectures of Swamiji and
dialogues others had with Swamiji. Swamiji generally spoke in Tamil with a
heavy mixture of Sanskrit words and verses. Whatever was discussed, heard
and seen was written down from memory on the same night or the next day. It
was easier to recollect and write the talks in Kannada than in English. However,
large parts of the writings were translated into English during the lifetime of
Swamiji for his reading and approval. Swamiji used numerous technical words
and quoted extensively from the Bhagavadgīta. To make the reading of the text
easy an appendix listing the quoted verses with meaning and a glossary of
technical words are provided at the end of the book. About the diacritical signs,
only the long vowels are indicated. It would not be difficult for the reader to
know the correct pronunciation of the Sanskrit words from the context.

The author owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. H. R. Nagendra, who introduced

Swamiji to him way back in 1972. Dr. Nagendra kindly consented to write a
foreword and also volunteered to get the book published under the banner of
Swami Vivekananda Yoga Prakashana (SVYP). The untiring zeal of
Dr. Nagendra to spread the cultural and spiritual heritage of India has made the
publication of this book possible. It is a pleasure to acknowledge the
cooperation the author has received from Sri Natesh Babu, Sri Nogendra Jain
and Kum. Rukmini Shastry in bringing out this book on time.
This happens to be the centenary year of Swamiji’s birth. It is hoped that the
present book would be welcomed not only by those who personally knew
Swamiji but also by aspirants desirous of knowing how a modern day
stitha-prajna lived, talked and walked amongst us.
Tvadīyam Vastu Svāmīji Tubhyameva Samarpaye

R. Narayana Iyengar
2203/N, 24th Cross, BSK 2nd stage
Bangalore 560 070
email: aareni@yahoo.com
x
 CONTENTS

Foreword
Preface

1. Divya-nāma-sankīrtana 1
2. Shraddhā and Satsanga 15
3. Rama Temple, Vivekanagar 33
4. Sat-Asat Vastu Viveka 39
5. Childhood Reminiscence 49
6. Rādhā-kalyāna 54
7. Mysore Visit 60
8. Trip to Madurai 79
9. Sri Rangam and Gunashekharam 103
10. Seshadri Swami 116
11. Deha, Buddhi, Chidākāsha 121
12. Social Work, the Three Gunas 135
13. Real Wealth 142
14. Women and Bhakti 154
15. Narasimha Swamiji and Sai Baba 160
16. Vaikuntha Ekādaśī 167
17. Māruthi Temple, Ragigudda 172
18. Baba Holds an Enquiry 178
19. Dattātreya Jayanti 181
20. Ānjaneya, Love, Ānanda 189

xi
21. Visit to Alambagiri and Kaiwara 205
22. At IIT, Bombay 215
23. A Function at the Ganapathi Temple 220
24. You Look at Me, I Look at You 225
25. Manas the Horse, Buddhi the Dog 238
26. Avatāra 245
27. Advice to a Professor of Philosophy 251
28. Guru-pūrnimā Inauguration 264
29. Bhakti and Prapatti 273
30. Bhakti is Jnāna 282
31. Navarātri and Baba Mahāsamādhi Day 291
32. Recollection of Previous Births 295
33. Who am I? 305
34. Epilogue 310

Appendix 314
Glossary 325

xii
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xiii