LIFE HISTORY OF BHAGAVAN SRI VENKAIAH SWAMY

Talupur - Cherlopalli is one of the villages in Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh (India). There was not a single drop of rain that year. The village irrigation water tank dried up completely. Securing drinking water was the major problem of the village. An uncertain dismal situation overwhelmed the villagers. If seasons fail, who else can come to the rescue of human beings, except GOD!

In that desperate village, one day there was uproar from the hillarious villagers. Many people were rushing to a place crying, "Swamy has come, and Swamy has come". An old lean man was sitting on a palmyrah leaf before the gathering ofbhaktas. A fire made of logs of wood was blazing between the old man and the gathering of bhaktas. The old man was not ostentatious with such attractive symbols like the ochre robe, rosary, staff, triden etc. He was so very simple that we could not believe him to be the Swamy. He was enjoying in his own world just like a child immersed in a play. It appeared that he was not aware of the crowd around him. He was muttering something to himself and counting something with the help of his fingers. Just at that time, some of the village elders were anxious to tell something to the old man. But they dared not speak to him in that state. So they stood silently looking at him. Suddenly the sight of the old man fell on the cattle at a distance eating waste papers. He keenly observed the cattle for a few minutes and shouted loudly "Ayyaa". In response to it, one or two of his -servants  came near him. The old man ordered, "We have to go to the tank, let us go". The servants enquired "what for, in to the tank, Swamy?"

Swamy said, "They commanded us to go there. So let us go at once". The servants looked at each other in surprise. As there was no other alternative for the servants, they carried the old man in a dolly in to the village tank. When they reached the tank, he asked them to stop at a spot and sat there and asked them to make a fire there. Within a few minutes his servants made a fire there. He spent a few hours there in front of this fire and came back to the village in his dolly. As soon as he reached his place, it began to rain heavily and it continued till the next morning. All the tanks were full. The merriment of the villagers was resounded with the crying of the frogs all through the night. Every one hailed him profusely for his command on the elements of nature. Mother nature hailed her flags of green fields as a mark of her gratitude towards the merciful swamy.

But will he enjoy their stotras and praises? He left the village along with his servants unmindful of their praises.

The wheel of time (kalachakra) turned quickly. Just as he left Talupur village on that day silently, on the 24th day of August 1982 the merciful swamy left this world.

This sad news spread all over the country like a wild fire. Everyone shed tears for this separation of Sri Swamy from them. But his promise "I will continue to exist till the sun and the moon are there" is a support for the grief stricken souls. In 1982 the area of Gopaaram was suffering with famine due to lack of rain. The Cattle were suffering a lot for fodder and water. Palakonda Subbareddy one of the servants of Swamy who was travelling in a bus prayed, "Swamy when you were in the flesh and blood you were relieving our troubles. But now, to whom should we appeal in our grief! Due to the failure of rains the cattle are dying for fodder and water". The merciful Swamy appeared before his mental eye and said "Ayyaa your grief is for the sake of the world and not for your personal ends. So there will be rain within three days". Swamy's words came true. From that day itself it began to rain. Even though it was the only single rain for that year all the tanks were completely filled and there was a good crop.

Physically he may not be among us. Yet He is available at every call of his devotees as Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent spirit at any place and at any time. He is the bridge between God and Man.

He was born to a pious couple Smt. Sompalli Pitchamma and Sri Penchalaiah as their eldest son at Nagulavellatur - a small village in Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, India. He had two brothers and a sister. No body is alive at present. The exact date of birth of Sri Swamiji is not available. Swamy said that he was thirteen years old at the time of great famine in the year DATU (name of telugu year). So by 1982 his age was more than one hundred years (according to the narration of an old lawyer at Nellore).

In his boyhood, he was just like any other boy of his age. For a few days he went for private tution, during nights, to Sri Siddiraju Ramaiah. After one or two months due to  poverty he discontinued his studies at his tutor. From the age of five he was a lover of loneliness. When his playmates invited him to play he used to tell them "brother! I have committed a theft; now the police will come and arrest me. If you are with me you will also be arrested. Please go away from me". When the children went away he used to sit behind a door for meditation, (says Komarigiri Ramaiah a servant who had served Swamiji nearly for thirty years).

Swamy used to go into the jungle to collect date fruits etc., along with his friends. He will sit behind a bush and carry on meditation. If any of his friends disturb him he will tell the same words and send them away. His sister Mangamma ' who died, in the year 1989 at Golagamudi narrated his boyhood in this manner.

At the age of sixteen he used to cut firewood and take it to Nellore on bullock cart and sell it there. He also took the banyan leaves that were used for the preparation of leaf plates and sold them at Nellore. He learned ploughing at the age of twelve whicli is impossible at that age. He performed all sorts of agricultural work to the best satisfaction of elders. He did every work with so much of interest that the on lookers could not but praise the precision of the work. The furrows were so straight that an egg kept at one end of the line could be seen from the other end. They were like the lines drawn on a piece of paper with the help of a ruler. He cut the crop so neatly that it resembles the machine cutting. The entire crop was cut at the same height. All the heaps were of equal bulk and not a single plant was scattered. Probably he would have wanted to demonstrate to us that doing even a small piece of  work assiduously, was yoga itself. He used to work in the fields for daily wages also. His parents treated him with great regard. So they would not allow him to carry on his head the heap of grains, that he got as wages for his work like other labourers. They sent Swamy's sister or brother with a small basket to bring the grain given for his daily wages. When he was a child of five he sowed some seeds of tamarind, margosa etc., around his house. Even though they did not take proper care of them, they grew up into big trees. At that time we could not know that they are the miraculous hands of a yogi.

Even from his childhood he was very intelligent and was respected. Even though I was quite younger to him he never addressed me in a singular person. He always called me by my full name. I used to call him "Venkanna" just like his playmates. But he corrected me saying "you should not call me Venkanna like the other boys, sister! You should call me "brother" you should not call me by name "He was the leader of his play males. They came to him to settle their disputes. By the time of my marriage he was not considered a lunatic. My mother wanted to give me in marriage at a far off village, Rajapadmapuram. He was not willing to send me (The only sister) to such a distant place. So he quarrelled with my mother on this issue. But my mother was adamant and settled the same alliance. He did not attend the marriage function and slept in the fields expressing his dissatisfaction.

One day they were preparing to take the grain from the granary, A beggar came for alms. His mother said that there was no grain in the house. At once Sri Swamy sharply asked  the beggar to come after an hour and take the grain. He did not like to speak falsehood.

MADNESS (LUNACY) - A MISCONCEPTION

At the age of twenty, he was struck down by severe fever for a week. In those days there were no hospitals and medicines as to day. Fasting was the only remedy in those days. He ate a few groundnut peas and was in bed. One day, surprisingly he began to speak insane words. He asked his parents "our house is going to be auctioned, where will you live?" There were no debts to his family. How could it be -auctioned? And by whom? So they concluded that he was off his brain due to severe fever. So they started doing all sorts of tantric and quack treatments. After a month he began to run round the streets shouting "Mangal Yoga" (Mangal means barber) Chakala yoga (chakala means dhobey (washer man)) "Zakkala yoga (zakkala - a tribe of people) Dubuduck, Dubuduck" He used to move only in the lonely places. He did not take food and water for two or three days. He did not come to the house. His parents used to send food tied in a piece of cloth through a cooli. Swamy used to follow the cooli and come home. After taking his meal, he used to run out hurriedly.

He used to snatch morsels of food from the dhoby, barbers, harijans and other low caste people and eat. Caste feeling in those days was highly prevalent. So the village elders branded his tongue with gold (say some people, but some others deny this). Due to endless wanderings in the forest without food and drink for days together, all his clothe? Were toren to rags? When he came home his mother  gave him sumptuous feeding and kept new clothes ready for him. He put on the new clothes and ran out into the forest. At this stage all people called him mad Venkaiah. The village urchans asked, "For whom is the dhoby yoga, Venkanna?" Swamy used to tell the surname of his maternal uncle.

His parents some times tied him to a pole by foot and hand and gave him treatments but it had no effect. When tied to the pole he gave the least resistance and sat calmly for any length of time. As there was no improvement in his condition his mother set him free, as she could not bear the sight of her son being bound- to a pole like a bull.

During this period he lived at Rajapadmapuram for some time taking his food at his sister Mangamma's house. One day the village children asked Swamy "Venkanna, please tell us a story, we will give you Sankati" (a semi solid made from the powder of Ragi). Swamy's crisp reply was "If rice is given, sight will be lost, so give sankati only". They came to a conclusion that he was not at all mad. He neither abhorred nor bet anybody. He would never use impolite language. He would ask only those who would give him food. The only thing was that he would be wandering lonely without any rest.

His occult powers: One day Sri Swamy came to Mangamma to take her to his native place, Nagula Vellatur to see his mother who was ill. She thought "If I go with this mad boy he may leave me some where in the middle. Now what to do". At once this Omniscient boy crisply replied to her unuttered thought "what sister! I am not such a mad boy to leave you in the middle of the way". This is a proof of his super human powers in the childhood.  One-day Managamma's son was seriously ill. She was crying in fear. At once Swamy waved his palm on the face of the child and said "Sister! You need not fear. The child will be all right. Strangely, from that moment, the child began to recover gradually.

There were a number of incidents to prove that he. Was endowed with occult powers even from his childhood. But the pity was no body could believe his powers. They thought that it happened by chance.

Yogic sadanas: During the period of lunacy he used -to hang his head downwards by twisting his legs to the branches of a tree that projected into the wells (kapila bavi) When he lost the grip of the twist he would fall head long into the well. He will swim out of the well and again hang in the same fashion.

This type of sadana was given to Saibaba by his spiritual teacher and was also practiced by many saints (Sai Leelamrutham). Swamy's younger brother narrates some such habits of Swamiji, which he had witnessed. If any double bullock cart were going on the road Swamy would sleek behind the can and hung head downwards twisting his legs to the cart. If anybody noticed it he would sit right nicely.

He was wandering freely in his village for two or more years. One day he disappeared from the village. Nobody knew his whereabouts. His parents searched for him in the nearby forest and villages but in vein. They lost hope and gave up their trials. At this time he was aged twenty years.

After four or five years he again appeared in the near by villages. But by this time he was no more a mad  person. He was called Sri Venkaiah Swamy. Everybody treated him with great respect and reverence. By this time he was able to cure any incurable disease only with a word or by giving a piece of thread or incense.

Sri Swamy's younger brother narrates - Swamiji used to sit at a distance of four inches from his sacred fire. We cannot tolerate the heat of the fire from such a close distance.

The farmers would dig a pit near their fields and fill the pit with the water of the river Pennar. They will lift the water with a liver (yetam - a device to lift water) and irrigate their fields. Sri Swamy would let off half of the water to the river. The remaining half of the water was so plenty that it needed two people to water the fields instead of one person.

On hearing the sad news of his mothers's death, he said that "Mother is there; She is not dead." In the same way when his brother died he said that "he did not die. He is; He will come again". Death is only for physical body made of the five elements (earth, water, light, air and space). The jeeva is beyond birth and death. All bom creatures will die and the dead creatures will come to live. People who know this truth do not weep. - (Bhagavadgeetha).

At the time of lunatic wanderings, Sri Swamy was suspected by the police and was kept in the police station. He sat in the police station silently. He was released after two days. He directly went to Managamma, his sister at Rajapadmapuram. He told the episode to Managamma and began to cry. On seeing Sri Swamy crying, Managamma also began to cry. The onlookers could not understand anything. Some how they extracted the matter and they consoled Sri Swamy saying that they would punish those who took him to police station. Then Sri Swamy kept quiet like a small child.

After his day's ramblings he would come to his sister for food. If he noticed that his brothers-in-law were zeering at him that he was eating wastefully, he would not stay there any further. Whenever he came home if we silently serve him food and come out of the room he would eat. If we stand there he would ask us to give him privacy.

After his wanderings in the forest and fields he would gather and bring two kilos of groundnuts and give them to his sister and eat food in their house. Perhaps he would have thought that he should not be indebted to them.

After his departure from his native place Nagulavellatur, he nevercame to that village again. One day his brother brought him to their village. But he did not enter in to the village. At that time his family was cutting maize crop. He began to cut the crop shouting his usual slogan chakala yogam and mangalayogam and had done double the work, four days work was completed within two days.

When he became famous with the title "Swamy", one day his mother went to him and offered some eatables. Swamy asked her to distribute them to the devotees around him and took a little at the end. He made them into a powder and offered to ants. He took only a little from it.

One day, soon after his supper he returned to his brother-in-law and complained that his sister Mangamma has mixed some medicine in his food and as a result of it all his body-suffered 'poking' and burning pains. So he asked them food. As it was a late hour in the night, there was no food in the house. They asked him to come in the morning. So he took some ragi (Ragulu, a type of grain) from them and offered them to ants. Perhaps if the hunger of the ants is appeased, then his hunger is fully satisfied.

The width of the river Pennar is only twenty feet at Pennabadwel. Sri Swamy used to erect a sand bund across the flowing river carrying sand with his own hands. At that time Jayarama Raju, Vengaiah helped Swamy in erecting the sand bund. When the water stops flowing, he would make a canal and make the water flow in the opposite direction of the river for a few yards and divert the water into the river. He put some wasteful dried twigs on the water and lit fire with the burning rope. When the twigs were burning he used to pour water with his munta (a small pot) on either side of the fire. He used to say "Ayyaa do you know the value of this water? One Tula of water is three hundred crores. Even after spending for the days expenditure of the whole world there is some more balance in our account". The servants asked, "Why for all this, Swamy"? He would reply, "It was all to eradicate small pox, cholara and other diseases from the world" While he was immersed in this work, he never allowed anybody to come near. As he was days together immersed in sand bund work his hands and feet were terribly affected by fungal infection. It is a wonder - how he worked all through the day in the wet sand with such a terrible fungal infection in his hands and feet!    

At Kotitheertham village once a very big log of wood came to the banks of the river because of the flood in the river. Many young men tried to take it home but in vain, because it was very heavy. But the next morning this log was burning in the sacred fire of Sri Swamiji. Everybody wondered how could he bring such a heavy log. The villagers reproached Swamy for burning such a useful log of wood. One of the villagers slapped Swamy. By the time that fellow went home, his house was on flames. All the villagers begged pardon and prayed Swamy to protect them from the havoc. Merciful Swamy blessed them saying "It will bum the sinners and the rest will behaved" Only the house of the reprobate was burnt to ashes and all otherhouses were safe and intact. The reprobate prostrated at the feet of Swamy and begged pardon".

Sajjana Vandita

In those days the number of visitors forSwamy's darsan was very few. On seeing his fire, palmyrah leaves, gunny bags, aluminum utensils, dust ladden clothes, ordinary people took him for a lunatic and did not approach him any more. Only people with personal experience came to the darsan of Sri Swamy "the God on earth".

Sri Chidananda Swamy, Devananda Swamy and Madhavananda Swamy from Rushikesh- Sivananda ashramam were coming for the darsan of Sri Swamy. On hearing the news thousands of people came to Golagamudi to take the darsan of the Swamiji from Rushikesh. Even though it was 4.30 PM (the scheduled time) these holy men did not turn up. The mob was very very anxious to see them and was very much disappointed. Swamy said "Ayyaa! They are coming still there is a little time" Really within a few minutes those Swamijis came in a taxi. When they arrived they were immersed in chanting the devine nama "Narayana, Narayana". At once they prostrated at the feet of Sri Venkaiah Swamy. The place resounded with Narayana Mantra. The mob was wonder struck and said "My God! Our Swamy is greater than these holy men from Rushikesh". Their ignorant eyes were opened. The Swamijis offered some sweets and requested Swamy to eat them. Swamy said "Ayyaa! Eating the sweet is equal to eating poison. Here are so many people. If you give them then I am satisfied. On hearing these words Sri Chidananda Swamy expressed his sorrow for his mistake.

Swamy blessed them and said that Sri Chidananda swamy will cross the ocean on a tour. To his utter amazement when the Swamiji returned to Rishikesh an invitation was waiting for his American trip.

One day two famous magicians came to Golagamudi. They sat under a tree in front of the ashram at 10 AM. They did not move upto 4 PM. They did not speak with any one in the ashramam. During that period Swamy added more fuel to his fire and raised the flames of the fire. At4PM., Sri Swamiji ordered his men to give them food and two rupees each as they were very much tired with the days work. Swamy's servants carried out the orders. At the time of their departure they said "we were jealous of Swamy's fame and wanted to do some witch-craft on Swamy. It is quite strange that we have forgotten the purpose of our visit and sat like this. It  is due to the greatness ofSwamy. Even though we have come here with a sinister motive, the merciful Swamy has treated us with compassion and love. We are not worthy enough to receive his love". They prostrated before Swamy with wholehearted repentance for their misdeeds.

One day Swamy was suffering with severe asthma. As a remedy the servants gave swamy a small cup (one hundred ml.) of garlic essence. With that, the pulse came down (almost to zero) and they could not read the pulse. Thinking that Sri Swamiji was going to shed off his physical frame, they began to weep with grief stricken hearts; all the devotees were dozing at midnight. When they woke up they found that Sri Swamy -was not there. They searched every nook and comer of the place. After some time Sri Swamy was coming afresh with smiles after a bath in the river. On seeing Swamy so healthy, they could not decide whether the previous suffering of Swamy was real or their illusion.

One day it was pouring down heavily. Sri Swamy was protecting his scared fire under a tree. Drops of water fell from the leaves of the tree and the fire was extinguishing. But with a strong determination and pains Sri Swamy was making fire by dropping thin dried twigs in to the fire. The devotees requested Sri Swamy to shift his fire into the temple and over come the problem. "Ayyaa it will lead to a hole" Sri Swamy answered briefly. Devotees could not understand these words. Swamy's meaning may be like this "On account of the difficulty, if we break our principle the roof of the temple called Swadharma (ones own duty) will be broken. His ever-blazing Dharma nistha will also be put out like the fire in the rain. If it is the decision of God to extinguish his fire, even though he shifted the fire in to the temple, it will certainly be put out by a leakage in the roof of the temple. So it is better to continue as it is without changing its place.

One day a rich man left a costly bed sheet for Swamy even though Swamy refused to accept it. Sri Swamy's servants kept it with them. During that hot summer, at 1PM Sri Swamy wanted to come down from Siddalaiah hill. On the way Sri Swamy stopped them at a place and asked for a new bed sheet. The servants were very happy to offer the new bed sheet of the rich man to Sri Swamy. Sri Swamy asked them to make it into small pieces of six inches width. When they cut it into small pieces he asked them to give the pieces of bed sheet to patients. It would relieve them from the suffering.

He always used gunny bags palmyrah plates and mats, earthen pots and utensils made of aluminum. He never allowed his servants to keep costly articles with them. One day a rich man, even after the direction of Swamiji, left a costly zip bag near Swamy. One of the servants took it and kept his clothes in it. At mid night when all were asleep, Sri Swamy put the zip bag into the fire with the help of a stick. When the servants woke up the place was filled with thick smoke. As a punishment for receiving the bag, the servant lost his clothes.

Lived by Biksha

Without Sradda and devotion, if rich people offered money he refused it and would not give his blessings. Even without any offerings, people with sincere devotion and sradda got his blessings written on a piece of paper. He always depended on (the begged food) the food offered by his earnest devotees. When the wishes of the people were fulfilled with the blessings of Sri Swamy, they conducted Annasantarpana (feast) in the presence of Sri Swamy. Some other people conducted such feasts during festivals. Even during such occasions his servants must inevitably go out and collect food from the villagers. Swamy used to say "Ayyaa! Today if we do not go for biksha because of these people who are conducting feasts, tomorrow the villagers will not give us biksha".

One day Sri Swamy wanted his servants to take him to the top'of the siddalaiah hill in his dooli. The way was full of bushes and boulders without any path to step on. One of the servants carried Swamy on his back and shoulders. Sri Swamy said "Ayyaa! For every "moora" (distance of one and half a foot) write three thousands". Sn Swamy had bestowed immense punya on the servant who had carried him to the top of the hill.

Assurances: Servants requested Sri Swamy to bless them to serve his Samadhi and also to live by begging. Merciful Swamy told, "you need not beg. You will get food even if you were in forest".

On another occasion, when the servants asked the same question, Swamy said, "every thing will go on well as though I am here. So you need not go any where for your food".

On some other occasion the servants asked Swamy "Swamy! What is our fate after your departure!" The merciful Swamy assured "I will not go any where. I will be available  till the sun and the moon exist. These words of Sri Swamy resemble the words of Sri Shirdi Sai who said "My Matti (earth) or dust will answer and my tomb will speak and move".

One day some body blamed the servants of Sri Swamy as fake sadhus begging food. One of the servants was about to manhandle the fellow. At once Sri Swamy interfered and said, "Look, if we tolerate such abuse then only we will be considered as true sadhus". Indirectly Sri Swamy chided the servant 'as you have no tolerance you are a fake Sadhu'.

Sri Swamy never discriminated the poor from the rich. He loved all alike. He liked the virtuous people very much. He showed special regard for them. He visited the houses of real devotees even though they are poor and did not invite him. Even though the people are ready to offer gold he never stepped in their houses, as they are egoistic and proud of wealth.

He never accepted the services of his servants when their minds were polluted with bad thoughts, anger, abuse etc. One day Guravaiah heard his colleagues criticising others. When that servant went to Swamy to serve gruel to him, he said, "You have come here after listening some comments. I cannot take gruel from you".

Upto 1978 Sri Swamy never accepted new clothes from any one. He was always satisfied with his rags and torn out bed sheets, which were got by begging. Also he never allowed his servants to receive new clothes from others.

At times Sri Swamy used to ask his servants to take him straight to certain place. However, difficult the path may be. It may be thorny or full of boulders or bushes - his journey must be, straightmeans straight. His servants never used shoes. B arigela Nagaiah says about this: - On his command we uttered omkar loudly and walked straight stepping on thorns and rocks. By the grace of Sri Swamy not even a single thorn had pricked our feet. Even though we carried Sri Swamy from 12 noon to 3 PM., without any rest and food, across such rugged paths and at times on the burning sand, we never got tired and fatigued. Sri Swamy used to bless them "Ayyaa Gods from heaven have paid thirty crores and took receipt".

One day Sri Swamy pointed to his sacred fire and said "Ayyaa, here the worship of a crore lingas is being carried "out". One day the servants referred to a yagna at Tirupathi. Sri Swamy said "the fruit which they achieve in forty days is got within four hours (of time) in our Gundam (fire place)".

One day Sri Swamy said "Ayyaa ! do you believe all that you see as true"

Palakonda Subba Reddy says : "Once Sri Swamy was staying at Mudigedu village. Daily, when he returned from a bath in the river, Sri Swamy asked me to bring a bundle of chaff of dried gingilly oil plants. Within a month the compound of A.Venkata Rami Reddy was filled with the bundles of dried gingilly oilplants. One day. I asked Swamy, "What for are these Swamy? "Swamy replied "Ayyo! after a month there will be continuous pouring for days together. At that time this chaff will be the only source to our fire". Actually there was continuous down pour. Logs of wood were laid on the floor under a thatched shelter. These dry  gingilly oil twigswere placed on the logs and the fire continued to burn. The rain water flowed under the logs of wood!

On the 20th of June 1974 Sri Swamy was very very weak. Devudia Venkataiah thought that Sri Swamy will not survive long. At once Omniscient Swamy answered his doubts; "Ayyaa! I am not going just now. I should be here for a period of eight years, two months and four days". Exactly on that day Sri Swamy had his Mahasamadhi.

From one year before the Mahasamadhi Sri Swamy used to frequently ask for chappals. He never used chappals in his lifetime. So he might have wanted to establish his padukas as his representatives for his devotees. His servants wanted to get padukas made of sandalwood. But they could not get them in time. One day he was continuously shouting "chappals, chappals". The omnipotent swamy mysteriously impelled Rosi Reddy's son to offer a pair of padukas made of wood and he was bringing them on me same day. Sri Swamy took them into his hands and hugged them to his chest and did not leave them for a few hours. Those padukas are at present worshipped at the thatched shed where Sri Swamy left his mortal coil and entered his Mahasamadhi.

In the month of April 1982 on Sree Rama Navami day Sri Guravaiah, his close servant had a dream. In that dream Sree Rama came with Seetha and Lakshmana and requested Sri Swamy "Your time is over, shed off your body and come along with us".

On that Sree Rama Navami day Sri Swamy was laid up with ill health. Devotees thought that he was going to leave  this world on that auspicious day. He also suffered a lot of body pains. But by next day he was in perfect health.