"About Sri Nannagaru" - Dr. Usha (an article shared with a Kerala magazine)

Nannagaru which in Telugu means Revered father is an epitome of Love, light, compassion & solace to seekers of all kinds. He was realized through Extreme love for Bhagavan Ramana at a very young age., From whence people started flocking to him in huge numbers. Not only truth seekers but people of all categories came to him. Few for financial help,few for health issues,marriage issues,kids issues,job issues & every other issues. He would receive all of them with the same warmth & compassion & guide them in a way that everyone went home with hope & contentment.

He was a pillar of support to thousands of families & was more like a God father guiding them smoothly through life’s difficulties. When it came to spirituality, he was a class of his own. He would capture the hearts of all Devotees with grace & divinity. Many experienced glimpses of enlightenment in his presence. Always clad in pure white clothes & ordinary footwear, he traveled far & wide spreading the light & teachings of Bhagavan in a way that even layman & illiterates understood his message.

Unlike many modern saints & sages he never had any restrictions or Privacy. He was available to all at all times.He served society in a way that is unimaginable to people of present times. As Jesus said ’Let not the left hand know what the right hand has served’, he spent every penny of what he received to uplift humanity from need & suffering. His goal was to bring humanity out of suffering. There were many instances where he literally absorbed the sorrow of people in pain & loss.

His very look would calm many hungry souls & his words healed their hearts. His teachings were extraordinary & holistic. There was not a topic he hasn’t covered nor left any path unattended. He gave importance to all faiths & all religions & guided them all within to attain the oneness which is the essence of all religions!

In a nutshell Nannagaru was the guiding light in the form of Loving father,mother,friend., closest relative & Guru who guided Devotees to an inner life with ease, washing out all troubles to each one of them making their effort effortless & filled their hearts with peace eternal!

Everything happens as per Gods will

You must possess neither too much nor too less of money

A Collector's wife said to Sri Nannagaru: "My husband has a great honour in the society but he has not saved much money." Sri Nannagaru replied: "Don't you have sufficient savings? What will you do by earning more money? Your daughter's marriage is already completed. They are already employees of a bank. Even you will get pension on retiring from your job. Though you don't have surplus money, the money you possess is sufficient. If you have excess money, you will be constantly afraid of the Income tax raids. Also excess money will slowly pollute your mind. Possessing money is equivalent to wearing slippers. The slippers should be neither too small nor too big. If they are too small, you will get prickled by the thorns. If they are too big, you may slip down. Similarly you must possess neither too much nor too less of money."

Keep your 'I intact but make it as servant of God

A devotee said: "Nannagaru! These days I am being subject to fear. However, Bhagavan had asked us to get rid of 'i'(ego). I am habituated to chant the name of Ramana. But whenever I chant his name, I am reminded that Bhagavan has asked us to get rid of the 'i' ie ego. Once I am reminded of that, I am being subject to fear. I am afraid what will happen to me once I lose the 'i'?" Sri Nannagaru replied: "Don't lose anything. Keep your 'i' intact and make it as servant of God. Whatever has to happen will happen. As Hanuman always stayed at the feet of Lord Rama, even you place your 'i' at the feet of Lord Rama. Hanuman used to carry out the task assigned to him. Again He used to return back to the feet of Lord Rama. Similarly, even you carry out your task and put back your'i' at the feet of God." The devotee said: "Nannagaru! Your reply has been very satisfactory. I will act according to your instruction." Sri Nannagaru said: "Now, you will not be subject to fear anymore."

All your sorrow will be converted into Bliss when you experience that everything happens as per God's will

A devotee asked Sri Nannagaru: "Nannagaru! It is said that everything is happening as per God's will. It is alright as long as we read it or hear it. But when the situation demands, we are unable to digest it." Sri Nannagaru replied: "Even after performing spiritual practices for 100 births, you may or may not understand the above sentence. If you are able to bring it into experience, even a heap of sorrow will get converted into a heap of Bliss."

You resemble the fish caught in a net if you are happy due to external circumstances

Once, Sri Nannagaru asked a college principal: "How are you?" The principal replied: "I am alright. All my sons, daughters, daughters-in-law and grandchildren are alright. All of them are doing well. I am doing well only because they are doing well." Referring to this principal, Sri Nannagaru said: "All of you resemble the fish caught in a fisherman's net. The Master of the net has thrown the net into water. All of you are caught in that net. When the master of the net arrives and pulls out the net from water, unable to find water, you will become breathless and then die. Until the arrival of the death god, enjoy that blissful ignorance. There is nothing worthwhile of being proud in this entire Universe. What is man's life when compared to eternity?"

Being completely devoid of tendencies is much more difficult than attaining Self Knowledge

A devotee asked Sri Nannagaru: "Some people state that until all the tendencies are annihilated, Self Knowledge cannot be attained. However some people state that it is easy to attain Self Knowledge but it is very difficult to become completely devoid of tendencies. Is it true that tendencies exist even after attaining Self Knowledge?" Sri Nannagaru replied: "We can infer that sometimes tendencies do exist even after attaining Self Knowledge. For instance, in spite of attaining Self Knowledge, Sage Vishwamitra built the Trishanku heaven and got ruined. To take another instance, in order to test Vyasa Maharishi, Mother Annapoorna ensured that he didn't get food for 4 days. Then in a great rage Vyasa Maharishi became ready to curse the city of Kashi. Instantly Mother Annapoorna appeared before him and said: "You have become ready to curse the city of Kashi! I will not curse you but will order you to live in the outskirts of Kashi. Therefore Vyasa Maharishi lived in the Vyasa Kashi and continued with his writings. Thus it is possible that one may get ruined in spite of attaining Self Knowledge. Hence being completely devoid of tendencies is much more difficult than attaining Self Knowledge"


You need not give up chanting the name of Lord in the name of Self enquiry

Sri Nannagaru asked a devotee: "Which God's name are you chanting?" The devotee replied: "I am chanting neither Rama's name nor Krishna's name nor Shiva's name. I am doing the Self enquiry as prescribed by Bhagavan." Referring to her Sri Nannagaru said: "She got a good hold over Bhagavan's preaching. Hence self enquiry is enough for her. But we need not give up chanting the name of Lord taking her as an ideal."

Your doer-ship alone is the cause of your sorrow

A devotee came to Sri Nannagaru and said: "I have been doing medical practice along with my son-in-law. But recently we had a dispute. I had a slip of my tongue and said to him: 'It is all due to our hard work that today you and your wife are able to roam in a car.' My son-in-law became angry and replied: 'Now we will not use that car anymore.' He didn't stop there. He further said: "We will leave this place and set up our own medical practice.' Nannagaru! This is subjecting me to an intense grief and anxiety." Sri Nannagaru replied: "Why should you become so anxious? Let him set up his own medical practice. Till now he has been dependent. Now he will become independent." Then the devotee said: "Their departure is not making me sorrowful. But I am subject to sorrow when I remember that they are leaving only because of me". Sri Nannagaru said: "It is only called as doer-ship. Why do you consider yourselves responsible of their departure? It happened thus as God has ordained the same. Your doer-ship alone is the cause of your sorrow. Until the doer-ship is annihilated, sorrow becomes inevitable."

Adopt the harmonizing path

A devotee narrated the following to Sri Nannagaru: "Someone asked me: 'Which path is prescribed by your Guru? Is it the path of Karma or Bhakti or Dhyana or that of Jnana?' I could not give him an apt answer." Sri Nannagaru replied: "Tell them: 'My Guru prescribes the path that harmonizes all the above paths.' Not only now but if you are asked the same question anytime in future, tell them: 'My Guru's path is the Harmonizing path'."

Joy is different from Enjoy. That which emanates from God is Joy

Sri Nannagaru asked a devotee: 'How are you?' The devotee replied: 'I am alright. I am killing my time in some form or the other.' Sri Nannagaru felt :" In spite of being a very rich man, he has spoken thus. It may be due to an unknown sorrow and un-fulfillment. As long as one enjoys the worldly things, they are bound to become sorrowful. Joy is different from Enjoy. That which emanates from God is Joy. It will gradually lead them to the sorrow less state through constant remembrance of God and performance of spiritual practices."

To see wrong in others is one's own wrong

Sri Nannagaru said to one of the devotees: "Gandhiji and Kanchi Paramacharya have mentioned several things regarding 'What life has taught me.' Narrate to me any lessons that you have learnt from your life." The devotee said: "One should stop finding faults with others; rather one should find one's own faults." Sri Nannagaru replied: "Bhagavan has mentioned this more wonderfully. He said: 'To see wrong in others is one's own wrong.' Whatever flaw you see in others exists even within you. If you are not able to see any flaw in others, it implies that you are completely flawless. If you are flawless, you can't see any flaw in others though they may possess a particular flaw." Then the devotee again said: "I have realized that the wealth of Divine Qualities is the true wealth." Sri Nannagaru said: "Divine Qualities refer to those qualities which lead us towards the Divine. If you possess at least one good quality amongst those Divine Qualities, you will be decorated with the other Divine Qualities automatically."

"Don't differentiate between material life and spiritual life" (By Dr.Mithin)

A father brought his son to Sri Nannagaru. He complained that his son didnot want to marry and wanted to give up his abroad job so that he can spend his full time in meditation.

On hearing this, Sri Nannagaru said:

"Donot differentiate between the material life and the spiritual life. Even the materialistic work must be considered as spiritual work. In the Vishnu sahasranama (the 1000 names of Lord Vishnu), there is there is a name called Vishwam meaning the Universe ie the Lord implied that: 'the one who exists in the very form of Universe is Me only'. In the Gita, the Lord said:' One can attain Self Knowledge only through the effort of several births.' Buddha said: " I have attained the state of Nirvana today only due to the endless good deeds done in my previous births." Therefore Jnana (Knowledge) and Karma(Work) represent the two wings of a bird. A bird needs both the wings to fly. Similarly we must utilize both the aspects of Jnana and Karma and attain liberation.
Most of the people who want to give up their jobs for the sake of spiritual evolution turn out to be escapists. They gain neither materially nor spiritually. Therefore you must not give up your work for atleast 20 more years."

Then Sri Nannagaru asked the boy: " Is your path based on dvaita or advaita? Do you want another birth? I dont think you will get Jivanmukti. Perhaps you can try for kramamukti." Thus Sri Nannagaru examined him in several aspects and tested his perseverance in achieving his goal. Though the boy initially became nervous, he later on answered confidently. Then Sri Nannagaru Graciously gave him the following spiritual advices:

1) Donot give up your job for the next 20 years. That country is a very peaceful and rich nation. Therefore stay in that country only and save your money. Do some charity but not to the ineligible people. When I advised an American resident to purchase lands, he replied: " Since whatever we possess is all white money, we have to guard the lands that we purhcase in America. Therefore I bought lands in India only." Therefore plan your savings accordingly.

2) It is better to marry than to burn. However as you have made God as your goal, you can give up marriage if you are not willing.

3)Always read the books of those people who have the energy to bestow their Grace. I will give you the book 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna'. In that book, the answers of Sri Ramakrishna have been marked in red. Read that book atleast for half an hour or an hour before you sleep. If you read the book 'The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna', you will get the required foundation for leading a spiritual life. Your craving to enjoy the world will automatically get reduced. You can also read the books of Bhagavan Ramana like 'Who am I?' or 'Talks with Ramana Maharishi' or 'Be as you are'.

4) Buddha said: " Dont consider that some other person has committed a mistake and that you will not do the same. If you are careless, even you can do the same mistake."

5) Sri Ramakrishna said: " You are now saying 'i', 'i'. Realizing that you are not that which you are referring to (ie body and mind) is only Self Knowledge."

6) There are two main causes for rebirth: filthy tendencies and filthy deeds. If you are able to eliminate them even before the death of your body, you will not get another body. You need to have an opposition party to eliminate them. Holy Company is very useful for this purpose.

7)
Japa and meditation are for the purpose of concentration and introversion of mind. In the Gita, the Lord said: " Rather than giving up the work in entirety, the one who works and offers the fruit of his action to the society will reach Me soon. It is better to sacrifice the fruits of your actions than sacrificing your actions."

8) First do Japa very well. It is Japa which leads you towards Dhyana(Meditation). Meditation is not something to be done. It has to happen automatically for which you will require a background.Not that you should not meditate. You can meditate in fixed timings either in the morning or in the evening.

9) You must harmonize all the four yogas ie Karma, Bhakti, Dhyana and Jnana and attain spiritual evolution. Going forward by Harmonizing all the four paths is the safest path.
You will not be aware of your weaknesses until and unless you donot start working.

10) Don't hate others inspite of being hated by them.Forgetting is very difficult. Everything will be ended if you can forget. Forgetting is much more difficult than Japa and Meditation.

11) If you identify yourselves with the Truth, you will view both the men and women as Truth only. You must attain such a standard and level of Consciousness. Spirituality implies fighting with yourself.


12) Beware of your friendships. One boy told me that he got reformed due to the company of an intelligent friend.(Sri Nannagaru said that the boy will get Noble prize in future).

13) Visit Arunachala. You can recharge your battery.Keep watching our website. It contains our teaching.

14) Donot give up your work. Work will elevate and purify you. It is only while working you will come to know of your positive and negative attributes. They are not known in meditation. Only after knowing them, you make an effort to eliminate them. Only when you become aware of the disease, you make an effort to get it cured.

15) Donot neglect your materialistic work. Whatever small thing you may do for the benefit of this world, God will certainly become happy with it.

16) This world is like a training ground for us. It resembles a mirror. It points out the faults within us but doesnot eradicate them. We have to get rid of them on our own.

17) Milton said in 'The Paradise Lost': "Desire and anger are better when compared to craving for fame. Desire and anger subside as and when our age advances. But it is not the same with regard to craving for fame. Therefore donot crave for fame.

18) This is the dark age. You may come across different types of people. Some people may deceive you.Though some people are aware of the subject, they may not lead their life according to it and thereby become sorrowful. Therefore currently we cannot trust anyone.Donot get deceived and thereby become a fool in the name of spiritual life.

19) God looks at the intention behind your deed and not at your deed. Even if you are compelled to do some thing against your conscience as part of your official duty, you need not regret as God is more concerned about your heart behind the deed and not the deed itself.

20) Keep working slowly and steadily without forgetting the destination. At some point of time, you will get divine interference. Your Heart will get deepened. You must not have expectation. It will come automatically. If whatever can be done from our end represents 5 paise, whatever has to come from God's end in the form of Grace represents the remnant 95 paise. As you possess mind, you cannot stop making an effort. Do something or the other ie either japa or meditation or work or self enquiry or discrimination.

21)One attraction is sufficient to ruin us. One single attraction can lead us into several births. Though you dont want to get another body, you will get it as long as there are tendencies within you. How long can you stop yourselves when you feel like vomiting? Therefore God's Grace is required to get rid of the tendencies.

Thus Sri Nannagaru educated the boy in all the possible ways. That boy prostrated to Sri Nannagaru. Being completely drenched in the Grace of Sri Nannagaru, he happily left with a great gratitude within His Heart.]