SWAMI SRI VEERABRAHMENDRA

A Monograph on Pothuluru Veerabrahmendra Swamy

One day as usual crowds of devotees were gather¬ing round the Master to listen to his teachings. The Master was explaining the path of Yoga and the system of Shatchakras, the six wheels in the human body. “Gods are not in Heaven alone; but to those who could see them They are in our body too”. Exactly at that point of discourse Kakkayya the village Talari, a servant of the village officer cams there to collect contribution for the annual celebration of the village diety. He happened to listen to the teachings of Brahmam. Unfortunately he did not listen to them till the end. With half knowledge he got inspired. In his anxiety to see the gods inside the human body, he went home straight to experiment the Swamy’s words on his own wife. She was asleep at that time. He took a long knife and cut open her stomach while she was still asleep. Gods were not found, but his own sinless and innocent wife was found dead. Reeling with a mixed feeling of grief and anger, Kakkayya rushed up to Brahmam, with his bloody hands. The Swamy understood the situation. With a smiling fate he followed Kakkayya to his hut, and to the surprise of all brought his wife back to life. The Swamy explained to him the dangers of half knowledge. Kakkayya, a Madiga by caste, became another faithful desciple of Brahmam.

The Swamy’s popularity as a pioneer of common brotherhood was spreading rapidly. The fact that Siddayya, a Muslim boy, turned into a faithful disciple of Hindu Guru roused the religious spirits of the Nawab of Cuddapah. In his religious wrath he gave orders that Siddayya should be brought to his court and be crushed under a big black stone. The Nawb’s order was executed; but most miraculously the hugs black stone was broken to small pieces, while Siddayya stood smiling in the Nawab’s court. Looking at Siddayya, the Nawab began to gauge the superhuman powers of his Guru, Veerabrahmam. The Nawab was, eager to see the Guru.

The Guru, again set out for a trip to Cuddapah, Banaganapalle and other places. The Nawab of Cuddapah gave a warm welcome to Swamy and asked him whether his pregnant mare would be delivered of a male child or female child. The Swamy showed to the Nawab and his courtiers the male child which was in the womb of the mare. The Nawab felt shy of his foolish question and honoured the swamy with utmost devotion.

The Swamy proceeded to Banaganapalle. The Nawab of the place invited him with the malicious intension of vesting his religious tolerance. Knowing fully will that Swamy was a strict vegetarian, he offe¬red only non-vegetarian dishes. To the utmost sur¬prise of the Nawab, all the dishes turned out vegetarian. The Nawab learnt a lesson from the Swamy and suitably honoured him.

During the course of his tour, the Swamy along with his disciples was passing through Pushpagiri, an agraharam of S’ankara Mutt. The mutt was under the priestcraft of Brahmins. Siddayya, the Muslim disciple of Brahmam was chanting the Vedic hymns while following his Guru. The residents of the Brahmin agraharam got angry with the Swamy and his desciples. The story goes- that they pelted stones at the revolutionary Saint who taught Vedas to undeserving desciples. The stones, it was said, turned into flames and burnt the agraharam to ashes. The scholars at the S’ankara mutt realised the psychic powers of the Swamy and bowed before him. Nevertheless they had prolonged discussions and arguments with the Swamy on the point or imparting Vedic knowledge to the people belonging to lower castes, particularly to Muslims and Madigas. Brahmam suitably replied and convinced them to the point that the doors of Vedic knowledge should be kept open to all, irrespective of their caste and creed. Thus the Swamy reformed the S’ankara mutt of pushpagiri. Similar Incidents could further be quoted from the life story of the Swamy. At Nandyal, people belonging to his own community attacked, him with humiliating words. The Swamy did not leave them, until they realised their mistake.