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 n 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