" Under the spell of UG, I overcame self imposed inhibitions" - Satya

UG and Major 

UG’s impact is truly amazing on all those who he touched!

You shall find many stories in these blogs but there shall be a common thread running through all of them - UG!

Every one of these stories will be seen interwoven with and revolving around the story of UG, the protagonist!

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Among UG friends, a countable few were chosen for ‘special’ treatment by the ‘raging sage’! They had to face the ‘fire test’, walk through the toughest ordeals and stormiest encounters.

Major Dakshinamurti and his nephew Dr. Sreedhav belong to this group.

Major’s sojourn makes for a compelling narrative. UG’s impact on Major’s life was total!

The candid, lively Major shares and bares his life with friends who call on him at his farmhouse. He is affable and enjoys narrating his encounters with UG and Puttur Ajja, two remarkable souls with who he was associated intimately.

Major was married but could never enjoy conjugal happiness as tragedy struck immediately after the marriage. His wife met with a freakish accident soon after the marriage and suffered a terrible spinal injury and became an invalid. She spent rest of her life confined to a wheel chair. The kind and stoic Major took exceptional care of the lady, serving her and attending to her personal needs for decades, till her premature death in the early ’90s.

Major was stationed at Delhi when he first chanced upon UG in a TV interview!

Even though it was only a telecast, UG’s simplicity, authenticity and certainty came through with such intensity that Major was instantly touched. He immediately decided to seek and meet this extraordinary man, come what may!

 

Shortly afterwards, Major managed to get in touch with Chandrasekhar Babu , UG’s host in Bangalore and through him arranged a meeting with UG who was in India at the time. On the morning of the visit however there was a sudden change in UG’s program as he had to travel to some place. Unaware of these developments, Major reached Bangalore on the appointed day with his wife only to discover that UG had already left the city early that morning. The kindhearted Babu took care of the Major couple with his renowned hospitality and also treated them to a couple of UG videos to mollify Major.

Disappointed at the sudden turn of events, hapless Major started back to his home town with his wife. Tragedy struck once again!  His wife developed sudden medical complications on the return journey. Major rushed her to a hospital en route, that did not help, soon she breathed her last.

Major was completely shattered!

His resolve to meet UG redoubled!

Within a fortnight, after the funeral and the ceremonies got over, a determined Major once again set out on a trip to Bangalore to be with UG!

It was a successful meeting that had a lasting impact on Major's life. 

Major’s initial years with UG were stormy, full of turbulence. He was torn between his unfulfilled libido on the one hand and his conscience and high values on the other. His sexual desires had not found fulfillment in his tragic marital life. But Major was a man of strong character and refused to succumb to these temptations. He was able to overcome all kinds of urges and temptations. He yearned to lead an ascetic life, a life of ‘sadhana’ (a life of truth and austerity), in the footsteps of revered sages like Sri Ramana Maharshi, Anandamayi Ma and others. 

He yearned for a life of quiet solitude, his ideal of ‘Vanaprastha’, a life of retirement from society, a peaceful life in tune with nature!

UG blasted all kinds of seekers and all manner of seeking, he ruthlessly lambasted the (egoistic) sadhakas and their (selfish) sadhanas. On the other hand, Major single-mindedly insisted that UG grant approval for pursuing his ‘sadhana’. They soon locked horns! 

UG did not spare the Major! He turned on heat in full blast! He would even chide him by addressing him as 'Major Disaster'!

UG tested Major, he teased, ridiculed and tempted Major at every juncture. He pushed Major in umpteen ways to seek a new life partner. Major was stubborn, with his monstrous determination, he refused to budge an inch and stuck to his credo of carrying on his ‘sadhana.’

The wheedling and needling by UG reached a climax when UG personally flew down to Australia seeking a match for Major. The girl turned out to be an air hostess working for Qantas. UG personally called Major to push for the marriage. This was the boiling point! Major openly dissented and threatened UG that he would stop seeing him if he invoked the 'm-word' again!

The comical stand0ff finally ended! 

UG  relented and gave his nod to Major to follow the dictates of his heart and carry on with his sadhana, a rare occurence in the saga of UG! 

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UG reiterated that any pursuit beyond and above that of food, clothing and shelter was neurotic. Major embraced this tenet with his heart. Abandoning a decent career in the army, he settled down into a life of solitude far away from the din of society. Even the lease of the farmhouse for the Major was arranged and supervised by UG!

The lives of dear Major, his devout elder brother Dr. Subba Rao and Major’s brilliant nephew Dr. Sreedhav are full of remarkable anecdotes and exchanges that bring to light hitherto unknown facets of UG's enigmatic personality.

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Bringing to you a beautiful write-up on Major by our dear friend Satya, a reticent techie from Bangalore. 

Satya and his homemaker wife Sridevi (their marriage was solemnized by UG!) were closely associated with UG especially during the final years. UG visited them often and helped them to overcome several challenges and trials that they faced at the time. They found tremendous strength and guidance in his sagely company.

Over to Satya…

The first time Sreedevi and I met Major Garu, it was at Sri UG Chandrasekhar Garu's place on a December 2001 evening ; This time period was the most unexpected, unanticipated moment of our lives - without the faintest expectation or slightest idea of how our lives would never be the same from then on ... We had gone to meet Sri UG Krishnamurti, a great sage, who we learnt from a remote relative's voice on the phone, was unconventional, explosive and even dangerous!

During the subsequent days, when we hung around UG Garu, basking in irreverence, I found a deeply devoted person, with a barrel mustache that was attached to a most enchanting smile, ever ready to break into simple laughter that was prompted by constant and sincere self deprecation - This laughter at once conveyed the depth of self abandonment as an inevitable and yet cheerful response to life's most difficult tests ; Little did we know then that this man would be our guiding influence and personal gateway to discover the fortune that we stumbled into during our association with Sri UG Krishnamurti. 

On the 3rd day of our hanging around someone in the crowd mentioned that UG Krishnamurti was now going to stay at the Major's Farm House for a couple of days ; "Major's Farm House ?" I recall inquiring ... with some uneasiness ... I had quaint disdain about rich and famous people holding spiritual teachers hostage in their opulent surroundings - The marketplace of spirituality had plenty of such examples that mesmerized the gullible into cozy comfort traps of a supposedly higher existence, which was a mere excuse for luxury. He was a Major from the Army ? And then he had a Farm House ?? I was already doubly disinclined to go there!!

Under the spell of UG Krishnamurti, I overcame self imposed inhibitions to make the first trip to the Farm house in the spirit of adventure - I now discovered what in reality was an anti-stereotype experience of my wild imagination!! YES, he was a Major who retired from the Army ; And NO, he was not filthy rich or anything like that! .. There was not even a hint of ostentatiousness  in the way he lived ; This place was not even his own, he was merely renting it and he was renting it to see the trees, wild grass and green bamboos to aid his meditation !

Actually, to call this place a farm house was an exaggeration - The 600 sft house was made up of one hall, two bedrooms and a kitchen ; All of them had something in common - They were bare, as bare as an army barrack - functional to the core ; The kitchen had a very finite number of spoons, glasses, plates and vessels - meticulously arranged and separated on open cement shelves, as though for taking an audit, if only to account the reasons for their very existence at short notice. One could quickly count and conclude that the kitchen possessions were in place to entertain no more than 5 guests at the maximum - And the basic design constraint was restricted to serving green tea and some cookies for those lucky 5 people - Nothing much else was on offer, perhaps even at gun point (considering that he was from the Army!)

We were to learn that the second bedroom was the sage UG's room - a hard bed, an old steel cupboard and an equally bare Indian toilet made that made it the definition of luxury - something that was bandied about with great gusto in every conversation of UG ... This sort of a description wantonly led fertile imaginations to believe these descriptions as immense possessions, of a life that toiled ceaselessly to gain them against great odds. Over the years, this description was to be a common theme which would describe the Major, his convictions and his way of life - something *so basic* - that it was enjoyed to the point of guiltful indulgence ; An Indulgence that stood on the principle and precipice of differentiating needs from wants.

It was here and at various chance meetings at Sri UG Chandrasekhar's house that the Major regaled us with unforgettable stories of greatness of Sri UG Krishnamurti,  his life and his journey into Sadhana. A Sadhana, that he came upon, on his own, by an earnest inner voice that listened to the Guru's guidance, in squaring out truth by living it in practice, every single moment - and carefully avoiding the danger and pitfalls of mental musings, lest it become mere theory. 

The Major had multiple Gurus, each of who offered him something that he gratefully made his own ; Sri Paramahamsa Yogananda, Sri Ramana Maharishi, Sri Anandamayi Ma, Sri UG Krishnamurti, Sri Puttur Ajja ..... and many many more. The common core in all his various sadhanas was the courage to face himself, unafraid of facing his internal contradictions while ceaselessly discovering and pursuing the goal of extinguishing the "Arishad Vargalu" of Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Mada, Moha,  Matsaryam within himself, and under all circumstances of conscious living. 

As many of us who have known the Major can helplessly accept, his Sadhana was arduous and desirably avoidable for any one less or more ordinary. The ingredients were explosive - Utter personal tragedy (from the viewpoint of the casual listener) of intimately witnessing the personal suffering caused by disability and loss of a loved one ; The restless demands of an unfulfilled sex drive and the never ending personal struggle to overcome it with an uncompromising moral code and spiritual way of life ; The sheer discomfort of facing the truth of one's own shortcomings that simply demolished years of many painstakingly built ideas of life and "how to live" .... The many unfulfilled desires to be like "everybody else" ... These were the same ingredients that make up each of our lives, but differently.

Really the list was formidable. It was a list that could have been for any of us, an opportunity to make life meaningful, purposeful and worthwhile - If only we were destined and blessed with such self-awareness, courage and fortitude to face similar circumstances. And yet, this very list defined and forced his life's circumstances - leaving him little choice on what to make of it. And this was his life's challenge, a challenge in which he simply converted circumstances of adversity into attitude and approach - and discovered life's secret mantra of complete unburdening and unquestioned happiness; 

During the course of his many Sadhanas and experiments, the Major invited circumstances of his own life based on inspirational readings of the lives of Sadhakas ; He chose never to remarry in-order to live a life all alone, and pursue Sadhana with solitude as his sole guide and companion ... His only deep desire was to live amidst nature so that he could entertain himself with mother nature's creations and to serve a living spiritual master in his limited capacity - something that happened as soon as he wished for it ; He was to be Sri UG Krishnamurti's driver and host till he passed away. From then on, life was itself a miracle, as he puts it ; He decided to give up his only source of livelihood as a District Sainik Welfare Officer that offered him a princely pension of 850 Rupees per month to pursue a full time pursuit of his Sadhana .... Unmindful of his means of livelihood, never to look back, ever. 

He found great pleasure in giving up - money, possessions, habits and ideas believing them to be absolute pre-requisites, to begin a journey on the spiritual path ; He experimented giving up varieties of food as he enjoyed good taste, He gave up  listening to Radio as he was fascinated by happenings of far away places, Gave up reading newspapers as he enjoyed gossip, Shunned auto magazines as he was fascinated by cars, and vowed never to travel since he longed for it all his life ... All these with great zeal and passion, never prompted by nostalgia or reminded of regret ... 

Infact, I am yet to recollect any single instance of a conversation wherein he paused or searched for a response when asked "How are you doing Major Garu ?" - Pat comes the response and always with great enthusiasm - "Excellent, couldn't be better!" .... And he means every word, every single time in all these years we have known him ... so much so that such an answer becomes your own, even after a brief conversation! Such is the infectiousness of this man's attitude and ordinariness ... of a life so beautifully lived .... that one has to meet him in person to know that it is even possible.

Respectful Namastes,

Satya

( Foot Note: 'Garu'  as in 'Major Garu', 'Babu Garu' is a way of endearingly addressing the elderly in the vernacular Telugu!) 

“What he (UG) says doesn’t matter! I see Jesus there sitting in front of me!” – Larry Morris

Larry Morris and UG

There were many among UG friends who just hopped on to the first available flight on the slightest pretext to be with UG, even if it meant that it was a red-eye, long-haul, trans-oceanic voyage! 

Larry Morris, ‘the pastor’ was one of them!

In UG portals, there were people who made their presence felt through relentless chatter and incessant questioning but on the other hand there were those who made a mark with their non-obtrusive, non-invasive, benign presence soaked in peace and silence.

You would invariably find Larry with his huge girth filling out the entire profile of a sofa,  spread out next to UG, sporting a benign countenance, apparently lost in a ‘trance’. 

Larry, the wise man, perhaps feigned sleep to keep away unnecessary, needless conversations most of the time. He seemed to enjoy the exchanges people had with UG day in and day out. Under the hood of siesta, he was ever alert to UG’s presence and would respond immediately as soon as UG called out his name, eager to oblige the master!  

Larry’s biography, “U.G. Krishnamurti: Dangerous Friend” is a rare gem, a dedication straight from the heart, to his true friend, philosopher and guide, UG. 

Larry adored and revered UG silently and immensely!  

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Larry describes what UG meant for him in these words:

 " With me, it was all or nothing with U.G. Once about halfway into my relationship with him, U.G. called me and told me to come immediately to California. I explained I had a family commitment and I could come in a few days. He simply said, "One less" and it was obvious this was not a matter of negotiation. I got on a plane that day and subsequently lost that family relationship."

From the book, Morris, Larry. U.G. Krishnamurti:  Dangerous Friend (p. 143). 

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On that day in Bangalore, UG was in a murderous mood bashing up Jesus Christ who he called ‘the misguided Jew’ and even offered to explain his 'mysterious' antecedents, his vicious attack appeared unstoppable! 

Right in the middle of this verbal storm, I queried Larry as to how he being a Christian, and that too being a minister in a chapel, could stomach this blasphemous tirade against the sagely Jesus?

Pat came Larry’s reply, “What he says doesn’t matter! I see Jesus there sitting in front of me!”

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UG used to narrate (rather repeat) a small story about Larry and Jesus, familiar to many UG friends.

Seems Larry once confessed to UG about his delicate financial situation. His chips were down! The confession happened during one of his numerous visits to Switzerland. They were at the time travelling in a car. UG asked Larry to immediately pull the car to a stop by the roadside. The road formed a bend near a small valley. 

UG then directed Larry to walk down the valley in a certain direction saying that he would find a certain church there. UG further suggested that Larry should pray to Lord Jesus alone there seeking his intervention in the matter and that Jesus would certainly help him!

Clueless about this unseen chapel, Larry began his trek down the valley and very soon found an old chapel!

After accomplishing his mission, Larry ambled back towards the car. As he reached the car, UG had a surprise waiting for Larry, “ Do you know, after you left, your Jesus came here and said, ‘ your friend wants some dollars , tell me how I can find them here, that too in this ‘godforsaken’ place?”

The story finally had its happy ending!

Upon his return to the US, on reaching home, Larry had a task waiting for him - the funeral service for an old lady who had just passed away in the village. Surprise of surprises - the old kind lady, for some unknown reason bequeathed a considerable amount of money to Larry, our pastor!

Who really came to Larry's rescue, Jesus or UG ?

Jury is still out on that one!

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Strange but true!

Many friends of UG found help when they sincerely besought UG’s ‘intervention’! Many anecdotes!

What made people seek such things from UG still remains a mystery, especially from one who always said, “I have no powers, I would rather be known as a con man than a Godman!”

Major Dakshinamurthy recalls UG’s ‘boon’ to an old man who wanted to extend his life span. 

Seems once an old man of eighty years approached UG and pleaded that he wanted to live for five more years as he had to fulfill some tasks. UG said, “OK, so be it! You shall live for another five years!” 

The old man disappeared and again resurfaced after exactly five years with yet another application for extension, this time a lease of life for another five years! 

This was again repeated once more!

Major who was a witness to the occasion says that the man was very earnest and sincere about what he was asking and from whom! 

On both occasions, UG did not disappoint him.

Finally the man returned to UG , now all of ninety-five years, he pleaded with UG, 

“Sir, I now wish to die peacefully! I have nothing more to seek. I am ready to go!”

 “So be it!” was UG’s reply and that is exactly what happened! He died shortly afterwards.

Chandrasekar Babu recalls that UG's friend Brahmachari Shivarama Sharma (or Swamiji, to his friends) who was suffering from cancer, once besought UG, “ Sir, grant me that I die painlessly in my sleep”, UG assured him, “ Yes sir, you will be gone before my next visit (to India) !”

True to UG’s words, Brahmachari who hailed from Mysore and was on a visit to Bangalore to attend some family wedding,  went to bed after the ceremony and never woke up!

UG dismissed all such incidents as pure coincidences and declared that he had absolutely no part to play in these natural events!

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“You can’t lose a friend you don't have!” -UG

“You can’t lose a friend you don't have!” -UG

Another hoax....Friendship Day 2017 driven by Commercial interests!

Difference between relationship and friendship?

“All relationships are mutual exploitations”, explained UG, a great friend indeed to all those who knew him!

Friendship....perhaps is the only interaction where we are not concerned, bothered or afraid to be our true selves.....where there is no agenda or axe to grind....no crippling or harmful expectations or obligations to fulfil.....where we can express ourselves unhindered, uninhibited!

Friendship means no pretensions, no fears, no need for hiding behind a mask or subjecting ourselves to ‘compulsive hypocrisy’.... a norm in society.

All greetings, cards, wishes ring hollow….they have become platitudes!

In a friend's company....you just chill....there is no burden of the past or future....no need to cover up silence with manufactured words…WHERE SILENCE IS PEACEFUL.

We just enjoy LIFE AS IT UNFOLDS IN A FRIEND’S COMPANY!

Note: The caption has been amended in light of feedback from UG friends. The blogger stands corrected!