AJJA—A
PHENOMENON AND A NOUMENON
It was a few years
ago that I visited Ananda Kutira for the first time and met an old,
emaciated bony figure. The eyes were sparkling and the peace and calm
that pervaded the
whole atmosphere was striking. Though not able to communicate with him
on account of
my language barrier, every moment I spent there that day was highly rewarding.
Meditation was happening to me with unusual spontaneity, as I sat there.
A few people
who had come there from Mangalore were asking questions and he was answering
them
with alacrity and ease. Often he would pose counter questions to make
the questioner
realize the very folly of the question. As a vedantic student I could
feel the man right in
front of me serving experiential knowledge and wisdom of the Upanishads,
though he
himself was not initiated by any Guru for all I knew. Though not initiated
thus, the words
he spoke were reflective of the deep meanings of the Upanishad i.e. striking
statements
about Self-knowledge.
After the first visit I made it a practice to go and sit at the holy feet
of this living
Mahatma just to enjoy and experience the great Presence. Every visit was
so fulfilling
and I realized that he had a special fondness for me- the fondness that
spawned a lot of
care and concern and affection for me.
Though in his late eighties he was a fountainhead of energy and enthusiasm.
Going into
the minutest details of every thing that took place in the Ashram- be
it a construction
work or a satsangh or hospitality to visitors, his attention was everywhere
and nothing
escaped his all pervading notice. I often wondered how that frail body
could contain that
irresistible spirit.
I still feel his great Presence as if he has not left his mortal coils.
He came on the horizon,
showered his grace and brilliance on all those who ever had the opportunity
to be in his
presence and then disappeared leaving a glow of unfading brilliance in
the hearts of
many.
Chinmaya Mission and Vidyalaya at Kasargod have been very fortunate to
have his
presence on the campus as many as three times. And each of the three visits
were unique
and in fact, twice he came here taking us by surprise, without any prior
intimation
whatsoever. Once a special satsangh was organized during his visit. That
became an
unforgettable experience for a large number of people who had come to
have his darshan.
Ajja was indeed a phenomenon and a spiritual noumenon, too- both at once.
My Sahtang pranaams to him.
Viviktananda