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Saba Sara Sangraha of Sri Sri 1008 Sri Sathyadhyana Swamiji, Pontiff of Uttaradhi Mutt - Part 2

English Translation by G Rajesh

Q) Swaimiji! One group of people are telling that there is no soul (atma) different than the body and there is no concept of re-birth. Being at this stage, will good activities bring any fruit? What will be convincing answer?

A) When an animal takes birth, it will start drinking mother's milk immediately without any teaching or instructions. It's doing this activity because of the knowledge "stanya panam madhista sadanam" - mother's milk will give happiness to me. This knowledge will be obtained while drinking the mother's milk very first time. The experience of drinking mother's milk is being reflected from the previous birth. This knowledge has not been obtained freshly in this birth. This indicates that 1) something different than body exists, 2) that one obtains the samkara by the actities performed in the previous birth, 3) a living thing (chetana) to carry forward the samskara. This true knowledge can be obtained by logical thinking (anumana pramana).

Q) You have establised that the knowledge "stanya panam madhista sadanam" (mother's milk gives happiness to me) has been received from the previous birth. But as per Theory of evolution child gets knowledge from the father as in the same way the body has been received by shukla shronita of father and mother. What's the need for the imagination of samskar and previous birth?

A) It is possible to tell in general that the knowledge can be obtained from the parents. But it's necessary to tell that the knowledge is getting originated from the sense organs (karana of indriya). Therefore if father realises that drinking mother's milk is happiest thing, that knowledge cannot be transfered to the child. In order to obtain knowledge everyone has to use their own sense organs. (In order to get the taste of the milk we have to boil it and drink it. If someonelse drink we will not get that knowledge. Our tounge should taste the milk. Taste is a relative term, everyone will experience different taste. Therefore if one tastes the milk, others will not get it. Father had drink the mother's milk 25 years back afterwhich it is not possible to say that the child can obtain the knowledge. Knowledge is nothing but the result of action done together by karmendriyas (hands etc), jyananendriyas (tounge etc).) Through the sense organs (and also knowledge) of father, child cannot obtain knowledge. The knowledge of "stanya panam madhista sadanam" cannot be obtained by the child in the womb neither by perception nor by logic nor by preaching any words. Therefore the child experiences the knowledge of "stanya panam madhista sadanam" through the sense organs of his or her own body obtained in the previous birth. Only for that reason a fools child may become brilliant, a blinds son may have vision (If it is evoluntion only brilliant's son can become brilliant and only pandits son can become pandit). Therefore we should conclude that child is drinking the mothers milk first time due to the samskara of the previous birth. Therefore heriditary theory can be accepted in such a way that the power of mind probably obtained from the father or mother which is also useful to obtain the knowledge.

In the service of Sri Hari
G Rajesh

Life and HIstory of Sri Madhwacharya - Part 2

By Late M Rama Rao, Kumbakonam

Vasudeva grew day by day working many a miracle even while a babe and boy.

The next door neighbour on the east,gifted a milch cow for the babe. This gift to the worthiest recipient, Sri Vayu,made him be born of his own son in the next birth and attain Moksha at last. The father Sri Madhyageha Bhatta,went to Udupi for dedicating the babe to his Lord, Ananteshwara, and returned home with his family and followers, rather late at night. On the way, an evil sprit which was haunting that place, attacked one of the party aho began to vomit blood. Some one wondered that luckily the babe didn't fall a prey to it. The ghost possessed one of them and remarked that the babe was no other than Sri Vayu,the Jivottama, and had it not been for its presnce, it would have killed them all on the spot.

Once the mother went out on some business leaving the child to the care of her daughter. The child began to cry and burst into tears. Any amount of her coaxing and consoling was of no avail. She was at her wit's end. The mother did not turn up. At longlast, she fed him with the boiled horse-gram kept ready for the household cattle. Little by little the child exhausted the whole stock. Now the mother was on the scene and learning the whole affair, took the girl to task and coursed herself for her undue delay.Though she, as well as others,were very anxious about the child's health, it was as hale and healthy as before. Poor people! they did not know that this child drank and digested the whole poison, which emanated during the churning of the milky ocean, after giving a drop to Sri Siva.(Vide my article thereon, in the Hindu, Oct, 2, 1965).

Now Vasudeva was a year old. One fine morning he stole into the woods clinging to the tail of a bull of his household, ahen it was letout for grazing at sunrise. A vigorous search for him all round proved futile and he was given up for lost. But every cloud has a silver lining. The report of a forester about a child clinging to the bull's tail was confirmed at sunset, when they beheld him on his homward march. All of them poured out their hearty praises to the Lord for the safe restoration of their darling. One day Vasudeva invited his father for supper after his play was over. The latter declined, since he was being hardpressed by a creditor for his dues and he might have his supper. Now Vasudeva took the creditor to the shade of a tamarind tree nearby and with his sportive hand offered him a handful of tamarind seeds. The creditor accepted them with great fervour and went away fully satisfied. Later, when the father went to pray him his dues, he said he had already got them from his son, verily, under the pre-text of the tamarind seeds.Vasudeva had given him the moksha.

In the service of Sri Hari
M Rama Rao