UG narrating the " Story of Money Maxims" - Bangalore

“There is no such thing as ‘jet lag’ for me!” - UG

My first encounter with UG was on the 10^th of July 1992. As I look back now, I can liken it to a ‘storm’ in my life that hit me hard in the guts and brought about sweeping changes in all aspects of my life!

The immediate impact was the ending of my tumultuous relationship with Rayaru, my erstwhile spiritual guide. In the middle of a chaotic life, I was struggling hard to retain my sanity ! After meeting UG, this saga of conflict and confrontation came to an abrupt halt.

At 29, I was a total wreck drifting along and living dangerously. My chances of getting a decent job were dim and distant! My spiritual pursuit had taken its toll on my career prospects! It had corroded my will or whatever was left of it. I was a misfit of sorts and could not bring myself to compete, strive, struggle and secure a good job on my own in the ruthless job market. I was somehow surviving on a meagre income from my humble faculty position in a college.

From the word go, UG it seems took charge and promptly went about his business of putting sense into my thick head and debunking many of my beliefs and convictions calling their bluff. It hit me hard that it was my own skewed priorities and muddle headed decisions, all in the name of spiritual quest, that had brought about my terrible plight!

At the time I was a firm believer of human follies, flaws and foibles. I considered them as natural, inherent and common. I even attributed my terrible situation fallaciously to the same human flaws and failings. But all this was anathema to UG! UG held a mirror and showed me that rather it was my apathy, sloth and indulgence that were the real culprits that had brought me to the brink of disaster.

UG loathed the very mention of the word ‘human folly’ or ‘human flaw’ or ‘human error’. He would fly into a rage and point out that they were clever excuses for one’s reckless self-indulgence and ‘preoccupation.’ He could see nothing ‘human’ about such blemishes!

UG pointed out time and time again that he functioned exactly like any of us here but with one fundamental difference – we are preoccupied all the time but he was not!

Nonexistent and irrelevant things like yesterday’s losses and tomorrow’s gains and fears grip us most of the time and distract us from living in the moment! Also we are constantly preoccupied with irrelevant and frivolous pursuits that blind us to what is on hand and we fail to give our immediate care and attention.

For UG, preoccupation was the single most culprit behind all our so called human errors or lapses. The more we crave for and the more we yearn for things beyond our needs and necessities, the more we become preoccupied and invite more trouble.

****

Coming back to UG’s role in my life, exactly three months into my association with him, a strange set of events nudged me towards a new career.

On one of my visits to my sister’s place, I was literally coaxed by my brother-in-law, a scientist from the Space Research Organization to apply for an airline job that he had chanced upon in the newspaper that very evening. He was fully aware of my vagabond lifestyle. Somehow he felt that I was cut out for this particular job position. I remonstrated vehemently that this kind of a job was not my cup of tea and usually there were many pulls and pushes to such job positions and that they were rigged! I couldn’t contemplate the job even in my wildest dreams. He wouldn’t listen! He clipped out the job advertisement and literally thrust it into my pocket pleading with me to immediately go and apply for ‘his sake’!

It didn’t end there! Later that day, still reluctant to apply, when I mentioned this to a dear friend of mine, he took it upon himself to pay up the required application fee (Indian Postal Order, IPO) and procured the form and threatened to fill up the form on my behalf and post it, if I refused to do so! I had no choice but to give in to their kind entreaties. I reluctantly complied.

After a series of technical and general tests and interviews that I found surprisingly easy, I finally received a communication saying that I had been shortlisted for the job in the national flag carrier! I was in utter shock and disbelief! Despite the stiff competition, I had made it to a plum job among only a handful of people from across the country! How could this be?

I was reminded of UG’s famous line, “The Age of Miracles is still not over!”

****

When I had initially met up with UG in July ’92, he had told me that he would be leaving India very soon on his world travels and even showed me his travel documents – the passport, visa and the flight tickets. Given his hectic schedule, I thought to myself that I would not get to see him again till the next winter, the following year.

For some inexplicable reason it seems UG decided to skip his journey and extend his stay in India! Back then, I was utterly clueless about these turn of events.

I recently checked with Chandrasekhar Babu about this particular UG's trip and he confirmed to me about UG’s constant change of plans back then. Just a day before his scheduled departure, it seems UG tore up his flight tickets to the surprise of everyone announcing his decision to stay back. In fact, for some reason he kept pushing the date of travel for several months.

During this period, UG kept himself busy shuttling between three places - Bangalore, Chennai and Yercaud, a hill resort in Tamil Nadu. Yercaud became a favourite destination. Major Dakshinamurti, a senior Army veteran and UG friend lived here. 

****

During his extended stay, UG did play a major role in Major’s life! 

Major Dakshinamurti, a ‘tough cookie’ who had recently come under the spell of UG had sought sagely counsel regarding his decision to resign from his senior Army position and retire into solitude. He was an ardent devotee of Sri Ramana and a great votary of ‘sadhana’ or the quest for truth and life’s fulfilment!

Major had always yearned to pursue an independent, unencumbered, harmonious and peaceful life away from the din and clamour of society. He wanted to spend the rest of his life in quiet contemplation pursuing his ‘sadhana.’

A highly disciplined man with an extraordinary determination and unflinching faith in God, the Major managed to secure the impossible from UG - his approval (the only one to do so!) to follow the dictates of his heart and embrace ‘spiritual’ life! 

UG’s nod didn’t come that easy for Major. He had to pass through a series of major trials, what he rightly calls 'fire tests' but he finally triumphed in winning UG’s tough approval. This is a unique story in the annals of UG that finds no parallels! (We really wish that someone will capture this extraordinary saga and bring it to light!)

Finally UG obliged Major and facilitated his retirement and resettlement. He went to the extent of personally supervising the lease of a farmhouse for Major’s solitary life! Now in his seventies, Major still continues to stay all alone in the same farmhouse near Bangalore.

Major’s life is a fascinating tale with many twists and turns that gives us extraordinary glimpses into the hitherto unknown facets of the enigmatic sage, UG.

In those initial and crucial days of Major’s transition to ‘vanaprastha’ (the forest life or the life of withdrawal from society), UG’s extended stay in India, his benign presence and guidance would have proved of immense value and benefit to him.

****

No doubt UG’s extended stay proved immensely beneficial to even a lost soul like me!  

Call it providence or coincidence, whenever I turned up at Poornakuti in those days, to personally pay my respects to Chandrasekhar Babu and Sugunaji, I would inevitably bounce into UG, he would have arrived there a few hours before!

I was told that UG had pushed his travel date further away.

Poornakuti was the abode of UG and the home of the Babus in Bangalore. This kind couple, like the Parekhjis in Bombay, was instrumental in creating, nurturing and maintaining one of the finest and most cordial UG portals anywhere in the world. They facilitated scores of people in meeting and connecting with UG.

****

Like so many others, Poornakuti facilitated my initial interactions with UG. They proved to be of immense help in my struggle to regain normalcy after years of spiritual despondency. I gained tremendous strength to walk alone and become self-reliant, discard crutches, especially of the spiritual kind!

UG brought in clarity, stability and sanity in my otherwise turbulent life and gave me enormous strength to deal with my peculiar situation at the time!

After many months, finally UG left India on his sojourn to the West. This trip of UG had proved to be a golden opportunity for me to meet and interact with a living sage!

****

A few weeks after UG’s departure from India, I received my employment letter from the airline. It was February ’93.

I dutifully rang up Poornakuti. I wanted to convey the news of my employment to UG through Chandrasekhar Babu. Sugunaji was on the line. I promptly informed her about the new job and my relocation plans, requesting her to convey the same to UG whenever possible. 

Sugunaji cut me short, “Suresh, UG is right here! He has just arrived this morning from the US!” I was flabbergasted, “What? UG is already back?”

I was excited and pleaded her to immediately connect me to UG. There was a long pause on the line, Sugunaji was finally back on the line mumbling an apology that UG was busy with a few visitors and suggesting to me to come down personally. I too realised that I was inconveniencing both the lady and UG with my inconsiderate request! I had no right to interrupt UG’s audience or drag him to the phone! 

Even as I was apologizing to her and reassuring her that I would be there, UG had already grabbed the telephone line, “How are you sir? What happened?”

That was typical UG, there for you when you needed him most !

When I broke the news of the airline job and profusely thanked him for the opportunity saying, “UG it is all because of you, surely I couldn’t have made it by myself!” he dismissed me saying, “Forget it sir! Tell me, are you going to be on the technical side or the administrative side?”  

When I expressed my desire to see him later that evening, he asked me why later? I reasoned out that probably he might need to catch up on some rest to recover from his jet lag, especially coming from the US, UG completely floored me saying, 

“Sir! There is no such thing as jet lag for me. You come here right away! In my intercontinental travels, I always adjust my biological clock to match the local time at the destination……Our body clock is different from the wall clock. Our biological clock functions differently, here it is twenty four and a half hours to a day……No, don’t bother! I never suffer from any jet lag whatsoever, please come down, am waiting for you!”

I met UG later that day with my employment letter. He was happy for me. Then and there he made a kind pact that touched me to the bones and humbled me, 

“Look here! I come to Bombay at least twice a year. We shall henceforth meet there regularly. I will be staying in Santa Cruz, close to ‘your’ airport. I am there again in May/ June this year. From now on, we shall be meeting more often in Bombay!”

The strange developments following my meeting with UG brought down the curtains on my vagabond, indulgent lifestyle and put an end to my false spiritual aspirations and misadventures.

My life in the cozy, sleepy city of Bangalore (till the early 90s) too ended very soon and I moved into the bustling, vibrant tinsel town of Bombay which was to become my new home!

For the first time in my life, I was now threatened with the prospect of a daily grind, a punishing ‘9 to 5’ routine and a hectic and demanding lifestyle. Marriage also followed close on the heels.

At the end of a stormy, event-filled twenty four months after meeting the phenomenon called UG, I found myself being firmly anchored, grounded and secured to the mundane world, ‘the only reality’ as he called it!

My new life under UG had changed, and changed irrevocably!

**** 

The Bhagwad Gita - A Philosophical Treatise By Dr. K B Ramakrishna Rao

It was end of 2004! 

I was in for a pleasant surprise when UG mentioned to me about the manuscript of Bhagwad Gita, a Treatise by Dr. K B Ramakrishna Rao. To quote his own words, " Your uncle ( Dr. Rao) has written a book - "Bhagwad Gita In light Of UG's Teachings". We used to discuss Gita and Vedanta during my visits to Mysore ! Am sure the manuscript should be in his personal archives in Mysore. Why can't you try and get hold of the same?"

My uncle had passed away back in 1988. My aunt was still alive at the time of our conversation but she too died soon after in a freakish road accident. 

UG offered to visit Mysore with me in 2004 and to meet my aunt and collect the manuscript but somehow this did not materialise, perhaps due to large influx of people who began to gather around UG during these (final) journeys of UG to India!

After many years, finally the opportunity presented itself last summer. 

My cousin, Vijayalakshmi, Dr. Rao's daughter, had taken special care and painstakingly preserved the manuscript for nearly three decades. Many of Dr. Rao's friends did offer to publish the book but somehow it never saw the light of day! 

Last July (2016), I finally received a call from Vijaya that she wanted me to do the honours. Self, Chandrasekhar Babu and Sugunaji immediately repaired to Mysore. We were thrilled to find that Vijaya had not only preserved Dr. Rao's book in a very good condition but had carefully guarded many of his wonderful oil and water colour paintings.Dr. Rao was very resourceful and creative. He had built a prism shaped 'fridge' of sorts that could preserve food and other perishable items for days without any need for electricity...he had demonstrated to Chandrasekhar Babu that he never had to buy a razor as the prism fridge helped the razor to remain sharp for months on end! (I personally recollect a mechanical clock that he had built using a wooden frame that carried a beautiful carving of Jesus, a master piece by Dr. Rao during one of my visits during school days! - Please see footnote !) He was an excellent sculptor. 

The beautiful sketch of Sri Krishna that adores the cover page is done by the philosopher himself and is indeed a fitting tribute to Dr. Rao's multifaceted talent! It was Vijaya who suggested that this should adore the cover!

Coming back to the book. the immediate challenge that had to be addressed was the crucial and monumental task of editing the script and tying up the loose ends. 

It was not an easy task and required a thorough understanding of both the Eastern philosophy as well as command over the nuances of Sanskrit. This crucial task was graciously embraced by none other than Dr. Narayana Moorty​ , UG's long time friend, author and editor of many of UG's gems. 

Dr. Moorty's sheer love, dedication and extraordinary determination for nearly three months, day after gruelling day finally made the publication possible for a timely launch on Dr. Rao's birthday on the 23rd Dec 2016 in a modest ceremony at his own residence attended by some of his admirers and friends!

Mrs. Wendy Moorty was the one who executed the elegant Cover Design with such finesse. Mrs.Wendy Moorty along with the indefatigable  Julie Clark Thayer​  are both great photographers and have given us some of the most wonderful pictures of UG. 

****

It is a little known fact that Dr. Rao was the first biographer of UG! 

The book is in the vernacular Kannada titled ," ಇಲ್ಲಿ ವಾದವಿಲ್ಲ ಇರುವುದೆಲ್ಲ ವೇದ !" (Illi Vadavilla Iruvudella Veda). Dr.Rao chose the title that loosely translates to ' There is No Wrangle here, only Principle!!' referring to UG's words! 

In this first ever written account on UG, Dr. Rao meticulously records the extraordinary physical changes including the various 'chakras' that he witnessed firsthand on UG's person. He also recounts some significant events during the time. 

Many years later the book saw its second edition. Dear Chandrasekhar Babu made sure that he sent a copy to me through UG when he came to Bombay. I was personally present on the tarmac as the plane landed and taxied to the gate. As UG descended the ramp, I saw him clutching onto a tiny book! With a big smile he handed it over to me saying," Sir, here ! Chandrasekhar has sent the latest edition of your uncle's book!"

Dr. Rao was instrumental in introducing UG to many Mysoreans and Bangaloreans of the era,  the likes of Brahmachari Shivarama Sharma who remained his close associate till the end, others include Kannada doyen Veerakesari Seetharamiah (Vee See) and other luminaries.

Dr. Rao and UG first met each other in Sringeri, right under the nose of the reigning Goddess of the place, Sri Sringeri Sharadamba right in the temple premises, they were to remain friends for decades.

Footnote:

I sincerely wish to corroborate this memory of mine after more than 40 years from my early childhood ...Jesus is a vague recollection.......however this could have been a portrait of Ravindranath Tagore that I saw at his place in my last visit.

Hope to clarify this and carry the edit whenever possible.

Regarding his sculpting skills, Dr. Rao, I vaguely recollect used to build his own clay Ganesha (Elephant God) idols for the famous Ganesha Chaturthi festival...again this I wish to reconfirrn from a suitable source!

 Given the huge time-span ( 40 years or more), the vastness of the subject matter (called UG) and the individual experiences of many UGites that are being cited in the blogs, I do stand corrected for any inadvertent omissions and commissions and reassure the readers that I shall carry erratum as and when there is an opportunity for every blog published in the site.

This is certainly a work in progress!

Thanks & Regards,

Suresh