No amount of intellect or genius can help as does Guru’s Grace. Guru’s Grace can bestow knowledge on a person in no time.

Nama Article 24th April  2015

Wish you all happy Sankara Jayanthi and Ramanuja Jayanthi

Excerpts from a discourse by our Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji

In Sringeri Sankara was met and served by a deeply devoted disciple Giri who later became Totakachãrya, showing to the world what devotion to the Guru can do. Though dull headed, Giri, loved his Guru Sankara very deeply. He served Sankara with deep love. One day Giri was late in returning from washing his Guru's clothes. Though it was time for the class to begin and all the students had arrived Sankara waited for this lovable disciple of his. When the disciples wondered and questioned about the delay in beginning the class, Sankara said, "Giri has not yet come!" The whole class burst out laughing. The compassionate heart of the Guru melted with deep warmth as the others laughed at his lovable disciple and the Grace sprung forth from him and engulfed Giri who was still on the banks of the river. The class of scholars was wonderstruck when in a few minutes time 'the dull head' came into the hall clapping and singing the praises of his Guru in eight stanzas in Totaka metre. No amount of intellect or genius can help as does Guru's Grace. Guru's Grace can bestow knowledge on a person in no time. Since that day Giri came to be known as Totakacharaya as the hymn was composed in Totaka metre.

Source:

Sri Koorathazhwar was a great disciple of Sri Ramanujacharya. He was a very learned person and a scholar, and although senior to Sri Ramanuja in age, was an epitome of Acharya bhakti and humility. One day, when he and many other disciples were with Sri Ramanuja, a deaf and dumb man came to seek the Acharya's blessings. Sri Ramanuja was intensely moved on seeing the plight of that man who could neither say nor hear the Divine Name of the Lord. Tears filled the eyes of Sri Ramanuja as his compassion poured on a soul who could not attain Vaikunta in that birth simply because of his circumstances. Then Sri Ramanuja asked all his disciples to leave the room immediately and close the door behind them, so that he could be alone with the deaf and dumb man. All the disciples, including Koorathazhwar, left the room. However Koorathazhwar was curious to see what his acharya was going to do. So he peeped in through a window. He saw his acharya place his feet on the head of the deaf and dumb man and bless him, saying that now he would attain Vaikunta. When Koorathazhwar saw this, he broke down and began to cry, lamenting his own fate. Regretting all his learning, scholarship and intellectuality, he cried wishing he had been born deaf, dumb and a simpleton so that he would have had the great fortune of having his Acharya's feet placed on his head, thus attaining life's highest goal so simply and easily!

Please check these: Excerpts from a discourse by our Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji

TO THE UTTER SURPRISE OF EVERYONE, THE BOY WHO HAD NOT SPOKEN A WORD EVER SINCE HE WAS BORN, OPENED HIS MOUTH AND REPEATED AFTER SRI SWAMIJI, 'R A M A' !

Immediately that dumb boy gained divine knowledge and started dancing, singing the Divine Names, `Rama' and `Krishna'

His mother, corrected him saying that, uttering Rama Nama once would do!

The dassi came to have a darshan of Bodhendral and after prostrating to him she left this world through Kabala moksham in front of her guru like how a yogi leave this world

Bhagawan Nama cured plague in a city

Divine Names' are not mere names - Bhagavan Nama Bodhendral

Chant the Mahamantra Nama kirtan :

Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare