The Fifth Delight
Shri Raghavendra Gurusarvabhauma
20. The Incarnation of the Foremost Devotee
"Kim alabhyaṁ Bhagavati prasanne Śrīniketane?"
What is unattainable when the Lord of Wealth, Bhagavan Sri Srinivasa, is pleased? The boon granted by the Lord manifested swiftly. Just as Aditi bore Mahidasa and the eastern direction bore the moon, and just as the Earth held the nine treasures within her, Gopikamba Devi conceived a son in her womb.
The pregnant Gopamba appeared exceptionally beautiful. Her body glowed with a natural radiance. Those who saw her described her beauty in their own ways. Some said, “She is like the assembly of the moon’s phases.” Others remarked, “She resembles the ocean's shore, illuminated by the soft light of white foam.” Some even suggested, “Perhaps she embodies the virtuous merits of Timmannacharya!” Others wondered, “Could it be the glory of her husband or the fame of the child within her that manifests in her beauty? Or has the moon itself assumed a form and arrived here? Who is the Lord of this radiance?” Thus, the people of the town praised her.
Gopikamba’s body appeared as if it had taken on the complexion of moonlight. The moonlight from the unborn child, the “moon” in her womb, seemed to suffuse her entire being. Just as chakravaka birds naturally separate at nightfall despite the presence of moonlight, her bosom, compared to the chakravaka couple, remained united. This unity was no wonder, as the ascetic-like “sun” growing within her womb naturally caused this union. In the presence of such a great soul, opposites like lions, deer, and other animals renounce enmity and coexist peacefully. Similarly, it was the influence of the mighty ascetic child in her womb that united her “chakravaka” bosom.
Pregnant women typically desire decorations, fragrant baths, and tasty foods. However, the youthful Gopamba exhibited detachment from all these. Why? The reason is simple—within her womb resided a great ascetic, a treasure of renunciation. It was natural that her son’s detachment had already spread throughout her body, causing her to exhibit the same quality.
As Gopamba’s pregnancy progressed, the poetic imagery of her changing body was described in various ways. Normally, women have a triple line (trivali) below their navel. However, as her pregnancy advanced, her trivali disappeared. Poets poetically interpreted this phenomenon, suggesting:
“A Brahmin owes three debts—those to sages, gods, and ancestors. Through celibacy, Timmannacharya fulfilled his debt to the sages. Through marriage and yajnas, he fulfilled his debt to the gods. Now, by having a son, he is about to fulfill his debt to his ancestors. Perhaps Lord Brahma, indicating the fulfillment of these debts, has caused Gopamba’s trivali to disappear.”
Pregnant women are often seen craving red clay (kemmannu). However, Gopikamba’s craving for kemmannu was not ordinary. Within her womb was growing an ascetic destined to be a world-renowned sanyasi. Saffron robes and red clay are essential for sanyasis. To ensure that her son, who would grow up as a sanyasi, developed a natural affinity for red clay and saffron garments, Gopamba might have been instinctively consuming red clay to accumulate it for him from now itself!
At Gopikamba’s house, warm water prepared in a golden vessel was ready, along with a variety of delicious dishes. However, Gopamma rejected all of this, preferring instead to drink the cool water from a river chilled by morning dew. She avoided the prepared delicacies, regardless of their taste, and chose instead to eat foods brought from other households—pickles, chutneys, tamarind-based dishes, gooseberries, raw mangoes, and magali root extracts. She derived great joy from consuming these.
This behavior was not typical for a pregnant woman. There was a specific reason for it—her unborn child was destined to become a sanyasi (ascetic). For sanyasis, consuming food from others’ homes (alms) is prescribed. Therefore, she instinctively consumed food brought from others’ homes to prepare her child, the future ascetic, for this lifestyle.
From her childhood, Gopikamba had been a learned and talented woman, proficient in poetry, drama, literature, and music, and was an accomplished poetess. Now, as a pregnant woman, she spent her time engaging in purposeful activities that relieved her of lethargy and kept her creatively occupied. She would compose and recite many stories of Sri Hari’s glory and various well-known Puranic tales, under the pen name “Garudavahana Lakshminarayana Devara Ankit.” Surrounded by noblewomen of her age, she sat regally in these gatherings, eloquently translating legendary stories and composing her own songs and poems, which she sang melodiously, spreading joy to all around her.
In the seventh month of her pregnancy, Timmannacharya organized a grand Seemantha ceremony, one of the sixteen samskaras, along with the Pumsavana ritual for the unborn child. During the Seemantha, as per the Shashika family tradition, the Vedic mantra “Somaje va no rajetyaha brahmanee prajaḥ aaseenaseerena kapile tava” was played on the veena in a soft and melodious tone by Timmannacharya himself. He ensured the mantra was audible only to the unborn child and not to others. Being a skilled veena player, he gently strummed the veena while reciting the Vedic mantra in a low pitch, allowing the sound to reach the unborn child. Those who witnessed this unique tradition were left astonished.
Afterward, the Pumsavana ritual was conducted. During this ritual, Timmannacharya used fruits of the Ashwagandha plant and chanted the mantra “Yaḥ phaliniryaḥ aphala apuṣpāśca puṣpaṇiḥ | bṛhaspati-prasūtāstāno muñcantu guṁ hasa”. He infused the fruits with the mantra and then crushed them, administering the juice through Gopikamba’s nasal passage to provide nourishment to the unborn child. This act symbolized giving food to the fetus in the form of sacred and blessed nourishment, ensuring the child’s well-being and strength.
This is a practice prescribed by the scriptures and proper customs. Through this ritual, the unborn child is satisfied, and by the power of Vedic mantra recitation and the essence of sacred fruit juice, the child imbibes the essence of all Vedas and scriptures. The ritual, symbolizing the offering of benefits associated with birth to the child, indicates that the child, born as a great soul, will grow into an ascetic with renunciation of worldly desires, living by alms in a satchel and becoming a revered protector of the community of devotees. This is the message conveyed by the ritual of administering the essence of ripened fruit to the unborn child. Those who attended the ceremony understood this as a symbolic teaching practice for ascetics.
After the Seemantha ceremony, the relatives of Timmannacharya, including his in-laws and other family members, departed once the grand celebration concluded. Since Timmannacharya’s father-in-law’s daughter was also nearing the time of her delivery, he left his wife at his son-in-law’s house to assist and returned to his village.
On the auspicious Phalguna Shukla Saptami (seventh day of the bright fortnight in the month of Phalguna) during the Manmatha year of the Shalivahana era 1518, under the Mrigasira Nakshatra and in a propitious time with exalted planets and full blessings of the moon and Jupiter, Gopikamba Devi gave birth to a son. This event, resembling the eastern celestial Ganga giving birth to the moon, marked the arrival of a child revered by all the noble Brahmins.
A divine light that dispels the darkness of ignorance in the world had dawned. The reincarnation of the moon of nectar, Sriman Madhvacharya, had taken place! The savior of the world, the universally revered, and the embodiment of supreme auspiciousness, Sri Raghavendra Guru Sarvabhauma, was born!! The radiant sun of fortune descended to earth, heralding a new era of universal well-being!
At the moment of Gopikamba Devi giving birth to Sri Gururaja, an experience that occurred to Timmannacharya was indicative of the significance and greatness of the newborn son.
From the early hours of the morning, there was festivity in the house of Timmannacharya. Gopamma’s time of delivery was nearing, and she shone with an extraordinary radiance never seen before. Labor pains began for Gopamma. Her mother and elder women relatives brought her to the temple, where she bowed before the Lord. From there, she was taken to another room, where she offered her respects to the oil paintings of Srimad Jayaraja, Sripadaraja, Vyasaraja, and Vijayindra Guru, which were hung there. She also bowed to the other saints present in the room.
Timmannacharya, smiling gently, blessed her, saying, “May you enjoy auspiciousness and prosperity; may you be blessed with a noble son.” The elder women took Gopamma to the labor room, made her lie on the prepared bed, and busied themselves with preparing for her delivery.
Timmannacharya, after completing the morning rituals with Gururaja, left his son at home and went to a nearby temple to offer prayers to the Lord. He then began walking back home. It was about an hour after sunrise. Suddenly, the sky became overcast, and there was a brief downpour lasting about a minute! Surprised by this sudden rain, the Acharya hurried home.
Upon reaching the house, he opened the gate of the compound and stepped into the courtyard. To his astonishment, on the left and right sides of the house, two Parijata trees, twelve feet tall and leaning against the walls, appeared to sway, and their flowers began to shower down like rain, spreading everywhere! At the same time, divine sounds of drums and trumpets (Bhery and Dundubhi) were heard emanating from the temple.
Witnessing and hearing these extraordinary occurrences, the Acharya was overcome with indescribable joy and a sense of wonder. As he stood there, marveling at these auspicious signs, Gururaja ran out excitedly and exclaimed, "Father! I have a younger brother now!"
The Acharya’s face lit up with joy. Immersed in a sea of bliss, he said, “Wonderful, my child! Lord Srinivasa’s boon has been fulfilled. Our lineage has been blessed.” Saying this, he entered the house.
Inside, the Acharya’s aunt, daughter Venkatanba, and two elder women welcomed him with the joyful news of the newborn child. They said, “The child is radiant with extraordinary brilliance and charm! The remarkable thing is that when the child was born, a divine glow, like lightning, flashed through the room and then disappeared. Ah, such an extraordinary light! We cannot describe it fully. Isn’t this truly wondrous?”
The Acharya was filled with awe and devotion. His faith in the fulfillment of the Lord’s boon became even stronger. The miraculous events of that day reflected the exceptional greatness of the newborn child.
In the Puranas, it is often mentioned that when the Lord or His devotees incarnate, showers of flowers fall from the heavens, and divine music of drums and trumpets resounds. A similar occurrence had taken place at the time of the birth of the hero of our story. It is no wonder, for the great devotee Prahlada, now reborn as Sri Raghavendra, had incarnated. He bore the continuous presence of Lord Hari and Vayu within him.
The purpose of his incarnation was the welfare of the world, the upliftment of the downtrodden, the propagation of Bhagavata Dharma, the establishment of righteousness, and the enlightenment of both the learned and the ignorant. The gods, filled with immense joy, marked the occasion with showers of nectar-like rain, divine musical sounds from the temple, and a cascade of Parijata flowers.
These extraordinary events that took place during the birth of Sri Gururaja confirm his greatness and divine mission.
For the welfare of the world, Prahlada, born through the boon of Lord Venkatesha, incarnated as Sri Raghavendra Guru Sarvabhauma. Overjoyed by this, the gods showered nectar-like rain. Auspicious Dundubhi drums resounded. The Kalpavriksha, which adorns the celestial garden of Mahendra, symbolically indicated its joy over the incarnation of Sri Gururaja, who would later be revered as a "Kalpataru" (wish-fulfilling tree) in the mortal world. This joy was expressed through a shower of flowers from the Parijata tree near Acharya’s house.
Immersed in the nectar-like joy of the auspicious news of the birth of his son, Timmannacharya bathed in the river, signifying his immersion in an ocean of bliss. During this sacred and meritorious moment, he also attained freedom from the pitru-rina (debt to ancestors), symbolized as a release from the ocean of mud-like obligations, in accordance with the scriptural declaration, “Prajaya pitrubhih” (through progeny, one fulfills the debt to ancestors). Thus, the birth of the son absolved Acharya of his ancestral debt.
On the eleventh day after the birth, following the ritual customs, women placed the baby in the cradle. The child, in a natural and divine gesture, placed its toe in its mouth, evoking the sentiment of the verse:
"Kararavindena padaravindam, mukharavindena viniveshayantam" (With his lotus-like hands, he brings his lotus-like foot to his lotus-like mouth).
This act seemed to signify: “My devotees and disciples serve my lotus feet. This gesture is not new but has been inherent since now and forever.” The sight of the child placing its toe in its mouth appeared to convey this divine assurance to those who witnessed it.