After obtaining permission and blessings from my Guruji Sri Vikraman Swamiji I am presenting this write up. From the moment one starts breathing to the moment the last breath gets terminated one will come across many ups and downs, thereby enriching him/her with experience. Sri Vikraman Swamiji says, "My experience is my guru". As Swamiji is my Guru I would like to say that my experience is my guide.
Yes. Life is a journey. Starting with parents, it will keep adding:
relations, friends, society etc. In life travel some will stay, some will
part for one reason or other. When something is achieved one will feel
happy and if something is lost will feel bad. In general the human tendency
is to attribute achievements to one’s intelligence and failures to fate.
Why? Basically we forget that God is above all controlling everything right
from the beginning to the end. Let us not forget this at anytime. I am
proud to be born in India, a land of rich spiritual culture and heritage.
Let us love the world, all community people and living things and do only
good and live under the guidance of our Swamiji.
What a sweet word it is! Everybody loves life because it is really
wonderful, joyful and thrilling. It is full of adventures. Life is a drama.
Everyone is an actor. The world is the stage. God is the director. Likewise
in any drama or cinema there are both good and bad characters, which we
come across in our lifetime. The people should change the bad characters
to good by heeding to the advice of divine persons like Sri Vikraman Swamiji.
Our scriptures give many directions and solutions, and character building
exercises.
This will play a major part in one’s life. Though some of them are inborn some can be developed through observation and adoption. What is character? Whether good or bad it is the nature of a person. It is developed mainly depending on the surrounding, relationships and friendships. Character will play a vital role in life. Good character can be built up through good society and schooling. Parents are the first teachers. They should teach their children good things and correct them whenever they go wrong. In that tender age one can be moulded easily.
Character should cover the following qualities:
It starts from the childhood itself. One will start observing parents
first and brothers and sisters and try to do what exactly they are doing.
This includes their habits and behavior. When the child grows and starts
moving out, it will observe outsiders, that is, the society. When the child
go to school, it will have lot of opportunity to observe a wider circle
of people and start developing its own character. So every care should
be taken by parents to bring up the child in a perfect manner. If this
is not monitored properly there is every chance of the child becoming perverted.
A Weak mind and weak character will generate more destitutes and orphans.
I was not cared by my parents either in my early childhood or later on. I was sent to school and college as a matter of routine. I started observing people around me in school and in society and I found that most of them were selfish. They care for themselves or to their children. They do not help others, they do not speak truth, but are harsh to others. Sadistic as they are, they would feel happy if somebody was in trouble. I used to ask myself, "Is this a life?" The experiences that I had prompted me to be different in life. I picked up great names such as:
Harichandra - for speaking truth
Karna - in mahabaratha for nature of charity
Dharmaraja - in mahabaratha for the soft nature
Lord Sriram - for principle and descipline in life
Till now I have been following the principles and virtues championed by them, of course with my own limitations and within my capacity. Like these great men, I also had my quota of problems, and still I am facing problems. Nevertheless, I am confident because I have the conviction that God is with me, to help me out of all troubles.
I have realised this in three or four occasions. When I was a boy of 18 years, one night I was feeding our cow with dry grass. Suddenly a king cobra appeared rising to around 7 feet to attack me. I stood still and I did not even breathe. The distance between us was hardly 2 to 3 feet. After few minutes, it slowly lowered itself and went away without harming me. Actually, I did not have any chance to escape.
On another occasion, my friend and myself were distributing invitation
cards on a two wheeler for his marriage. It was around 2 p.m. when our
scooter was heading for Egmore. Suddenly a lorry came exactly opposite
and collided with the scooter head on. I was on the pillion, and felt it
was our last moment. The whole scene faded out of my mind. I had become
half unconscious and felt being carried away by someone and laid on ground.
My friend too had a similar experience. There comes the miracle. On regaining
consciousness, I found there was no scratch on me and even my sun glass
and wrist watch were intact. It is only God who had come to our rescue.
That is how He saved me twice from death. I have felt His presence on several
occasions when I was in trouble.
Though I was born with a silver spoon, when I grew up all wealth
and richness had disappeared due to the liabilities accumulated by my father.
At that time I had marriage proposals and I was against dowry. I had visualized
that my future would be very difficult. One marriage proposal which had
materialised, the girl was from a poor family and the only earning member
was her brother. I later came to know he was a heart patient too. I observed
the girl for nearly 6 to 8 months and then explained to them how life would
turn out to be. When the reality was placed before them, they appreciated
my frankness and she also expressed similar feelings and assured me to
give her best support as a wife. We got married in 1965 and till now we
have no regrets. She grew into a fully matured lady who at many occasions
guided me and supported me. It was His blessing that I could get a loving
and supportive life partner.
Under the care of parents life is different. Most of us will have enough protection. We live in dreams hoping to enjoy a colourful and pleasant life. For few it may come true. Many will get bitter experiences when they face the reality and it will be very difficult to keep the mind in balance.
Since I knew what was going to happen in future I had started facing
the situation in reality. At a stage I had to sell away my house, a running
company and other things to clear off the accumulated liabilities of my
father. I did so and left Madras with my wife and daughter (8 months old)
in search of a livelihood. While leaving Madras I was having only Rs. 2000
on hand. With the moral support from my uncle, who was a doctor at Bhimavaram
in Andhra Pradesh, my birth place, I chose that place for starting my independent
family life. I was about 23 years that time. The experience I have gained
from then on till now has made me and my wife strong and bold enough to
face any situation. I spent seven years there facing many ups and downs.
Here also God was with me who showed me the right path. I returned to Madras
in January 1974.
He will come in any form to help/save His devotees. According to
me, whoever does good is God. May be He will come in the form of wife,
friend, child or even as a stranger. He will help those who are physically,
morally and mentally good and pious. Whenever I was in extreme problems,
I had help through my close friends. In 1990 when I was working as Deputy
General Manager enjoying all privileges like car, driver, and residential
telephone it became an eyesore for a colleague, who played politics. It
was painful for me because it damaged the team spirit in the company as
well as its business which I had developed over a period of for more than
18 years. I resigned from the company on the spur of the moment. Later
I felt that I had taken a hasty decision. The life after my resignation
was highly disturbing because my busy life had come to a halt all of a
sudden. It was during this period that my son suggested me to meet Sri
Vikraman Swamiji. Here God helped me through my son by showing me the right
path.
He is a great divine person blessed by Sri Hanuman. In Treta Yuga,
Lord Hanuman was Sri Rama's trusted associate. In Kali Yuga Sri Hanuman
is in the form of Sri.Vikraman Swamiji. We forget the problems, pain and
sorrows in the holy presence of Sri Vikraman Swamiji who offers solutions
and mental relief. My first encounter with Swamiji took place in a strange
way. When my son told my wife about Swamiji, she asked me to accompany
her to meet Swamiji. Being in a disturbed stage, I accepted to accompany
her. It was a Tuesday in March 1991. I would like to mention an important
incident in this context which happened some 15 years back when I visited
Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh with my brother in law Mr. Krishnateja and my
wife. There we met an elderly person who happened to be a Hanuman devotee.
He gave me a Hanuman Chalisa booklet and advised me to chant Chalisa every
day morning. He also blessed us that Hanuman will protect us all the time
and be with us like a shadow. I experienced this the very next day when
all of us boarded a bus to go to Annavaram to worship Lord Satyanarayan.
A boy approached us and offered a painting done on glass. I did not show
any inclination to buy it. However, feeling pity on him, I gave him two
rupees asking him to take it for food and asked him to sell the photo to
somebody and make money. But the boy left the photo with me. I was shocked
when I saw the picture. It was a painting of Lord Hanuman. That was the
day I started chanting Hanuman Chalisa and ever since I have been chanting
it every day wherever I am. It has enhanced my will power and self confidence.
Early morning on a Tuesday, we went in search of His residence in
Nanganallur. When we made enquiries near the 32 feet Hanuman temple, we
were told that Swamiji was living in a flat near Raja Rajeswari temple.
We reached His residence around 7 a.m. and pressed the calling bell. The
door was opened and a servant girl came out. When we asked for Swamiji
she informed us that we could meet Swamiji on Saturday or Sunday as puja
is conducted only on those days. But we persisted on meeting Swamiji. Then
came a young man who asked us to come on Saturday to attend puja. I told
him that as I was very much in problems I wanted to see Swamiji very badly
and asked him to inform Swamiji. He then invited us inside and asked us
to sit in the puja room. Reluctantly we both went inside to offer our prayers
to Lord Hanuman. While we were praying the young man came inside and lighted
incense sticks. He asked, "Who is Lakshmikanthi?". We were shocked because
there was no way the young man could have known our daughter’s name. The
second shock soon came when he asked me, "Why did you resign from a good
job, and benefits such as car, driver, telephone etc?" I replied promptly
that it was due to my head weight. He smiled and said,"No, the company
is in trouble and it will call you back again". Asked about my daughter’s
ailment he said she would not get any more attacks. He asked us to come
again on a Saturday. We were astounded by what He had told us and stood
there just looking at Him. We had imagined that Swamiji would be an elderly
person with a white beard and in safaron dress. To our surprise Swamiji
was young and looked just like one among us. That was the beginning. It
did not take long for me to accept Him as my Guru and soon the realisation
dawned on us that we were talking to Lord Hanuman. I believe that I am
in direct communion with God who is helping me in difficult times.
Ever since my first visit, I have been visiting Him on Saturdays or Sundays whenever I had free time.
Every time we meet Swamiji it will be a new experience and one can
learn many things. The greatness is that Swamiji will call people by name,
vehicle number, birth star or the place from where they hail from. The
devotees get thrilled. At times Swamiji would tell how they missed the
route, what they have kept in their refrigerator, the pictures in their
prayer room, and so on. Sometimes the devotees may not remember all those
but when they go back home they would definitely find that what all He
had said was true. He would mention the names of relatives, friends, colleagues
and some of the names even the devotees may not be knowing but the significance
of which they would realise later. Swamiji would not tolerate dishonesty
and falsehood. I have witnessed persons telling lies and occasionally Swamiji
would bring them around. In some cases He would send the person out of
the room and call them in again later to make them understand that He knew
everything. Those who know Swamiji very well will not tell lies before
Him. In case they were wrong, He would advise them accordingly.
Swamiji says that if one is a sincere believer of God and does his/her
duty, God will always help. He is above religion, caste, community, creed,
race, and language. Swamiji says that God can be worshiped in any form.
Hindus, Muslims and Christians come to Swamiji for blessings because for
Him all are equal. He is impartial to rich and poor, educated and the uneducated.
Some times the puja on Saturday and Sunday would end up late night and often devotees would be tensed up because getting a transport would be difficult. He would console such devotees who had come without vehicle and invariably devotees having vehicle would voluntarily offer them a lift on such occasions.
Once a patient was brought to the puja room on a wheel chair as he was unable to stand on his own. His family had lost all hopes of a medical cure. Swamiji blessed Him that he would be alright and walk. After a few months I saw the same person sitting next to me in the puja room. Another devotee was admitted in hospital for a heart treatment. In the first test doctors had advised a surgery. That time Swamiji was in Singapore. The devotee, not financially sound, kept praying to Swamiji. To the utter surprise of the devotee, on the next day Swamiji was on his bedside and said that no surgery was required. He gave him vibhuthi and asked him to apply it on his forehead chanting Sri Ramjayam. The next day the doctors conducted the final test. They were shocked to find that there was no need for a surgery. He was discharged and he is hale and hearty today.
My brother-in-law, a singer and music director, had a problem of piles. He became anemic due to blood loss. He was in Ayappa Vrutham. He was admitted by me in the hospital where doctors said his condition was bad and we had to give six bottles of blood. His blood group is A 1 B positive, a rare group. After admitting him in hospital I went to Swamiji and told him about the condition. Swamiji said with minor operation he would be all right and he will get the required blood from donors. That day Swamiji was to go abroad. Swamiji gave a couple of vibhuthi packets and asked me to apply it on his forehead every two hours. He also visited him in the hospital and blessed him. He even asked him to compose music for songs to be recorded on His return from abroad. He soon recovered and composed music for songs on Lord Hanuman and Swamiji as a mark of his devotion and respect for Swamiji.
During April 1995, I had an acute pain on my left leg, back and the
hip and I had difficulty in walking. I went to an orthopedic surgeon who
after conducting scan and physiotherapy diagnosed it as lumbar spondilytis
and advised a major surgery which would cost Rs.50,000/-. The doctor advised
me not to do heavy work and lead a retired life of sorts after the surgery.
My commitments would not have, however, permitted me to lead a retired
life at that stage. I went to Swamiji accompanied by my son. It was around
9.00 p.m. and it was not a pooja day. Swamiji advised me not to undergo
any surgery and that Hanuman would take care. He gave me Vibhuthi and asked
me to apply it wherever pain was felt. Meanwhile, I was advised by a Christian
friend to consult a neuro specialist, whom I also knew because he had treated
my daughter several years for epilepsy. After a thorough examination he
suggested that surgery was not needed. I was put under traction treatment
for three weeks and slowly I recovered. During the last three years I travelled
thousands of killometers and I have been very active in my profession.
Is it not God who guided me through Swamiji, the neuro surgeon and my Christian
friend. That is the greatness of Swamiji who blesses us very silently.
Sri Vikraman Swamiji is fond of Music. Every year He celebrates Hanumath Jayanthi in January. On that day right from 6.00 a.m. to 10.00 p.m. or till the end of celebration many eminent singers participate and render music programmes. He would, however, never ask anybody for anything. If a devotees gives donation, he would accept it, otherwise He would manage everything by Himself. He is not only a music lover but also a good singer. When he sings one can feel a divine rejuvenation. He has advised us to conduct bhajans on every Thursday which we have carried out till now. Swamiji would also participate singing along with other singers. He renders songs in several languages such as Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Hindi, English, Punjabi and Chinese.
During the early days of my association with Swamiji my brother in
law, my wife, and myself attended the Hanumath Jayanthi function. Swamiji
accepted our request for a chance in the programme next year. Sometimes
I would get an inspiration to write lyrics. I gave one such lyrics to my
brother in law who composed music for it and sang it which was appreciated
by Swamiji and devotees. That day Swamiji asked me to write devotional
songs. He said that Lord Hanuman would render all help. Basically I am
a marketing professional and I had doubts whether I could write devotional
songs. However, Lord Hanuman in the form of Swamiji has encouraged me to
become a song writer. I have written many devotional songs particularly
on Swamiji mainly because I see God in Him. I have tried to convey the
messages from Swamiji in my songs which are all tuned by my brother in
law. Some of these are recorded in audio and in video. The leading light
behind this is my guru-swami Sri Vikraman Swamiji.
The fragrance of a flower cannot be sealed, it will spread wherever
the wind takes it to. Swamiji's name and fame too is spreading over to
other countries such as the U.S.A., the U.A.E., Singapore, the European
countries etc. He is garlanded and admired by people because he is recognised
as a divine person who can tell anything and everything about yesterday,
today and tomorrow. If one cares to spend sometime with Him it will be
a lifetime experience.
Some times Swamiji would mention the date and even the time of certain events which would invariably happen. In some cases he would not reveal the details for obvious reasons. I have had a few such experiences too.
As mentioned earlier Swamiji had prophesied that I would go back to my previous company, but I was adamant that since I came out of the company I would not go back. But He repeated that I would go back to that company and that nobody else would occupy my chair. Four years passed and Swamiji used to repeat what He had told earlier. One day, the Managing Director of the company wanted me to return to the company to look after its business in Tamilnadu. I again joined the company after a gap of five years. The wonder was that the chair on which I used to sit was well packed and kept in godown. When I took charge the same chair was brought back as prophesied by Swamiji. This was a thrilling incident in my life. That is the power of our beloved Swamiji.
Once Swamiji advised a devotee not to resign the white collar job even if situation would appear tense. But the devotee wanted to resign. He was about to leave for the US. He again told the devotee, "Do what your conscience says after three weeks." But the devotee hastily resigned before the period of three weeks. When in job, the devotee was very active, smart and a good speaker. Today the person is in a depressed condition and suffering from ill health. Time plays an important role in life and a person howsoever devoted he/she is should heed to such divine advice. Devotion and blessings act like anesthesia in times of suffering.
A devotee staying in the U.A.E. with her husband, came to India with her husband. Due to some misunderstanding, her in laws started disliking her. She and her parents came to Swamiji for solace and Swamiji said she would fly back to the U.A.E. along with her husband on such and such a date. One day she went to her in law’s house as per Swamiji’s advice. She returned the passports and asked them to do whatever they wanted. She returned home, but to everybody’s surprise her husband purchased air tickets and came to her after few days. They left for abroad on the day mentioned by Swamiji. One day they visited the Puja Mandir and Swamiji blessed them that they will be parents for a divine child.
We were witnesses to many such incidents. Few years back Swamiji
told one lady devotee who had just completed her medicine that she would
meet Him in Singapore, her marriage proposal would come from the U.S.A.
and that she would do higher education in the U.S.A. Last year she wrote
an exam at Singapore and her ticket was arranged by her father by Singapore
Airlines. Exactly on the same day Swamiji landed at Singapore but by Indian
Airlines. The difference was about one hour. The devotee reached Singapore
earlier and waited for Swamiji’s flight and met him at the airport. Recently
she got married to a person working in the U.S.A. and now she is in the
U.S.A. I hope this much is enough to prove the divinity and spiritual power
of Sri Vikraman Swamiji.
Swamiji’s affection has no boundary. He cares for those who are sincere in their duty and faith. My daughter, brother-in-law, grand-daughter and many more come in the list. There are very few devotees who come very regularly to Swamiji’s Puja Mandir whether he is there or not, attend the bhajans, and participate in all divine programmes. In the presence of Swamiji or in his absence we all feel the same atmosphere. He comes in our dreams and speaks to us.
My daughter got married in 1992. But unfortunately till now my daughter
and son-in-law could not lead a happy married life due to lack of proper
understanding. She gave birth to a female child. Swamiji has said that
this baby has to do many things as she is a God blessed child. He also
said that the problems would be solved. I am sure the day would come when
it would all materialise as per the divine decree. Here it is patience
that would win over time.
He can talk on anything from philosophy to space science convincingly.
Hearing his speech our mental agony will be reduced. This is because Swamiji
always gives his advice in open sessions. The idea is that when we hear
others’ problems we would realise that our problems were insignificant.
Sometimes the advice would be meant for others as well. If at all there
was anything specific Swamiji would tell the person concerned. Nobody needs
to say anything, He knows every thing. His knowledge is comparable to ocean
because it would never get dried.
The devotees are swelling day by day and one day it would grow to millions. Many of us would not have seen each other but for our attachment to Swamiji. I have come out of my native place but the songs written by me have reached thousands and similarly the music and voice of my brother in law have reached thousands of devotees in other countries. I am happy my message for universal brother hood reached many and it is my earnest prayer that the world is deprived of poverty, illiteracy, casteism, and such barriers.
Yes Swamiji is our Beacon. The light and guidance given in our life path will lead us to a happy life. His advice is have faith in God, worship Him in any form, but be sincere in prayer.
Whether you go to a temple or worship God in your house it is with the belief that God is there to listen to our grievances. You can not see God, only your belief will make you think so. Like wise when you come to meet Swamiji, He may be there or He may not be there. But remember, even if you are not able to come to the Puja Mandir, and you are at home your sincere prayer would reach him wherever He is. Like we think of Swamiji, He thinks about us and our welfare. We are all very lucky to have such a divine person with whom we are able to associate, talk and listen to. Like the people who lived during the period of Sri Raghavendra and Sri Shirdhi Saibaba, I feel that it is the same Saibaba of 1918 who is with us now in the form of Sri Vikraman Swamiji. It is His desire to bring out Maruti Pramanam which will set examples for honest and good living, and faith in God. There is only one God and one community. All bad will disappear and only good will prevail. Our holy and beloved Sri Vikraman Swamiji and other saints have laid a GOLDEN PATH for us to tread.
K.V.V. Krishna Rao
Madras
India