It was in 1977 Guruji had gone to Zambia on deputation, to work as a professor of nuclear physics at Lusaka University. Guruji’s family accompanied him, and they stayed in Zambia for 2 years. Though far away from his motherland, Guruji continued his spiritual journey even in Lusaka with chanting Lalita Sahasranamam, Navavarana pujas, etc. on a regular basis. If Guruji came to know that there was a Lalita Sahasranamam parayanam going on, he would join along with his wife and kids.
It was here in Lusaka that he met Professor Ramanathan, Sri Balasubramanyam, and Sri Wijayaharan. There were many South Asian families residing in Zambia those days, and these families wanted to ensure their kith and kin did not lose touch with their culture and traditions.
These Indian families had the utmost devotion and had celebrated every Hindu festival religiously, but some were limited by their knowledge of rituals. To ensure continuity, they would meet either weekly or monthly and chant Lalita Sahasranamam and Vishnu Sahasranamam without fail.
Sai Baba bhajans were a common event during such regular gatherings. In addition, those with some knowledgeable background in scriptures and Vedas conducted religious discourses. In this fashion, those Indians living in Zambia continued to keep in touch with their religious roots and Hindu culture.
Sri Balasubramanyam took an active part in all religious activities. He had Guruji by his side whenever he attended such festival functions. Since all these functions were in the evenings Guruji’s family accompanied him. Though Indians in Zambia chanted Sahasranamam on a regular basis, they were unaware of its diction and pronunciation. Guruji explained in detail the finer aspects of chanting Sahasranamam to others. Gradually, they started liking Guruji and were eager to learn about religion, customs, traditions, and about Hindu culture from him. Over a period of time, the South Asians in Lusaka started looking up to Guruji for counsel and guidance. The daughter of one Gujarati family residing in Lusaka was ready to get married.
Unfortunately, there was no Hindu priest to conduct the wedding, so the Gujarati family approached Guruji to do it. Guruji said, “I do not know how to conduct a Hindu marriage. All I know is Lalita Sahasranamam.
How do you expect me to perform the marriage?” The girl’s father responded, “Please chant Lalita Sahasranamam and conduct the wedding. All that we want is you to perform the wedding. What mantras you chant is immaterial.” So, Guruji went ahead and performed the wedding by chanting Lalita Sahasranamam. This blessed Gujarati couple has remained “happily ever after” to this day!
Gujaratis are generally very devout. The Gujaratis in Zambia had converted one house into a temple. Daily rituals were sincerely performed to a few photos of gods and goddesses in that shrine. Sri Gananathan thought it would be more appropriate to have an idol in place of the photographs to worship and perform daily rituals, so he successfully managed to get the idolof Lalita Devi from India.
The next important question came up—who will consecrate the Lalita Devi idol now? Naturally, they looked to Guruji for answers. Guruji said, “I have never consecrated any idol to this day. I do not know how to!” The unanimous response was, “Please don’t say so! We look to you for guidance. Only you can perform this holy task. Kindly accept our humble request.” Guruji was speechless. He did not know what to do.
He meditated that night. By the time he got up, he was fully aware of all the consecration rituals and all associated holy chantings by heart. It was Devi herself who taught Guruji everything to do with idol consecration. Devi’s wonders were countless! Guruji picked an auspicious day and time for Lalita Devi idol consecration. He performed this event on a very grand scale following all necessary rituals, and Vedic chantings. Lalita Devi’s idol was consecrated in a small suburb of Lusaka called Kavyoowe. This Lalita Devi Temple has become the main center of worship for all Hindus in Lusaka even to this day!
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| Guruji and Vijayaharan |
Sri Wijayaharan was a close friend of Sri Balasubramanyam and they had been living close to each other in Zambia for a very long time. Sri Wijayaharan was a Sri Lankan Tamil and an architect by profession. He was extremely devout and highly spiritual in his endeavors, and he was initiated at a very young age by a disciple of Swami Sivananda.
Sri Wijayaharan had taken on these initiated mantras very seriously, and these became his way of life. Whether it was the power of these mantras, or it was his inbuilt will power, he was always aiming to reach the highest peaks of spirituality. This desire in him grew stronger day by day. Sri Wijayaharan
attended all functions, festivals, and all programs of spirituality that were celebrated in Zambia. His prized possessions were a tabla and a harmonium that enabled him to perform bhajans with utmost devotion. He was the people’s favorite for devotional bhajans.
It was his long unfulfilled wish that someone would teach and guide him through the principles of Vedic worship. He was always on the lookout for such a noble soul. Since his initiation by Mataji, he was on the lookout for a guru that could lead him to higher levels in spirituality.
Instead, people discouraged him saying, “Why learn these mantras? Why do these pujas? Being non-Brahmins, in case we make any mistake knowingly or unknowingly, these can destroy a person completely. Better stay away from it.” Sri Wijayaharan felt that he could never realize his unfulfilled dream to attain high levels of spirituality in this lifetime.
During one of his conversations with Sri Balasubramanyam, Sri Wijayaharan wondered whether Guruji initiated people into Devi worship. Sri Balasubramanyam responded, “He has initiated many. As long as one’s intention is sincere, he does initiate.”
In addition, he said, “My wife went to India to get initiated. She met Kanchi Kamakoti Peetadhipathi Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, and expressed her desire to get initiated. He said I am not your guru. Your guru is in Africa. His name is Amritananda Saraswathi. Go and request him to give you manthropadesam.”
Hearing this Sri Wijayaharan got a glimmer of hope. This conversation continued. “Will he initiate me?” Sri Wijayaharan asked. “I see no reason why he will not initiate you,” Sri Balasubramanyam replied. “As you know, I am not a Brahmin,” Sri Wijayaharan said. “He does not differentiate,” Sri Balasubramanyam assured him. “He will surely give you manthropadesam.”
“So, can we go and ask him tomorrow?” Sri Wijayaharan suggested. “If he agrees, well and good! If he doesn’t, I will consider him one of the many who declined.”
It was one of the days during Navarathri. Sri Wijayaharan and Sri Balasubramanyam went together to meet Guruji and make their humble request.
“Why won’t I?” Guruji said. “I will give it to you! These are the days of Navarathri. These are really auspicious days. Panchami is even better. I will initiate you on that day!”
As promised, Guruji went to Sri Wijayaharan’s house on the auspicious day of Panchami and performed Sri Chakra Puja and gave him and his wife the manthropadesam.
Sri Wijayaharan’s joy knew no bounds. Whether it was the effect of Guruji’s manthropadesam or Sri Wijayaharan’s dedication or both coming together, Sri Wijayaharan reached greater spiritual heights. Since then, he had established himself very well in the USA and consecrated his own temple, the Sri Rajarajeswari Peetam in Rush, New York Within four or five months since being initiated by Guruji, Sri Wijayaharan migrated to the USA. It just seems like he may have spent such a long time in Zambia only to meet Guruji and get initiated.
Detachment from common life
While in Zambia itself, Sri Balatripurasundari appeared in many forms to impart spiritual knowledge to Guruji. Along with this, his inbuilt urge to share the knowledge of Sri Vidya, and thereby help others on the righteous path was a huge motivation.
During almost every one of Guruji’s interactions with the Divine Mother, she said, “Why do you need this job? Just stay with me. I will give you everything.” “That sounds too good!” Guruji replied to Her. “You have imbibed spirituality in me. You taught me all sacred scriptures. You have shown me the world. I am giving manthropadesam to all those who seek it from me. Performing pujas and bhajans has become my way of life.
“At this stage, in this state of ecstasy, fulfilling my professional obligations has become a big test on its own. Under such circumstances, if I quit my only livelihood, what will I do? How can I feed my wife and chil dren? I am not rich either!”
“This job is no big deal!” the Divine Mother responded. “You have attained high levels of spirituality, which cannot be confined by your professional status. Please quit your job.” “I am not alone,” Guruji said. “I have a wife and three kids to take care of.” “Is it just your wife and kids?” the Mother asked. “Is you who is feeding them? Is it you who is bearing the responsibility on your shoulders?” “Then who is it?” Guruji asked. “It is me who brought everyone into existence,” the Mother explained. “It is me who is bearing everyone’s responsibility. It is me who is taking care of everyone.” “So what is happening to me?” Guruji asked. Understanding Guruji’s predicament, the Divine Mother smiled and said, “Nothing is happening to you. You are safe and sound in my arms.”
During the early days, Guruji was always worried that these divine interventions and divine experiences were taking away his time and energy, and was not sure if he was allocating the necessary attention to his family and job. But, at the same time, he was enjoying his spiritual journey and all the exhilarating experiences along the way! Guruji’s life continued peacefully and happily in Zambia.
The Divine Mother showered Her grace on him in the form of a home, car, prestige, wealth, and a professorship at a university. It was in 1980 that Guruji’s deputation came to an end, and he returned to Mumbai to take up his old job.
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