SATHGURU GNANANANDA GIRI SWAMIGAL. - The Ageless Sage


Known as the ageless sage of Sidhalingamatam, Thirukoilur he blessed the village of Sidhalingamatam with his effulgent presence for fifty long years in the early part of the last century before going over to establish Gnanananda Thapovanam on the northern banks of Dakshina Pinakini river three kilometers away from the temple town of Thirukoilur, Tamilnadu to stay there for the last fifteen years of his physical sojourn shedding his mortal coil on the full moon day of January 1974.
The sage seldom referred to His pre-renunciate life and eager devotees gathered information from chance remarks he made at rare intervals, to put together the picture that, born of orthodox Brahmin parentage at Mangalapuri in Karnataka district of south India he had, after the early demise of his parents wandered forth at the tender age of eight years following a divine light that led him to the famous shrine of Pandarpur in Maharashtra where he met his Guru.
Many a time in later years the sage would remember his revered Guru with choked throat and specifically refer to himself as the disciple of his Guru, the revered Swami Sivaratna Giri, Shankaracharya of Kashmir Jyotir mutt belonging to the lineage of the great Adi Shankaracharya through one of his main disciples Shri Totakacharya. The Kashmir Jyotir mutt flourished about 500 years ago as one of the main upa-amnaya mutts-branches of the main northern Shankara peet of Badrikashram Jyotir mutt, to slowly disintegrate with the invasions of Kashmir and be abandoned by the last inmates after the 1948 invasion. Today what remains of the once glorious mutt may be seen as Durga Nag by Dal Jeel at the foot of the Shankacharya hill in Kashmir.
The compassionate Guru, Shri Swami Sivaratna Giri took the little brahmachari back with him to Kashmir where for 20 odd years he was given intensive training after which the great Guru anointed him as his worthy successor and pontiff. Two years later, on chaitra Pournima day the Guru merged in the Supreme at a ripe old age leaving the newly ordained Swami Gnanananda Giri in charge. The young swami looked after the mutt for a couple of years and then leaving his brother disciple Swami Ananda Giri in charge, wandered high into the snow capped hills of Kashmir first, then Nepal and all over the Himalayan range to practice severe austerities. Wandering far beyond what is today known as the Macmohan line he went through Burma and Tibet up to China and again to Russia staying with ancient recluses practising spiritual discipline in their company. In the Himalayan ranges the Swami stayed with great souls who were physically beyond 500 years of age and there at some point , some of these great ones had performed a rare kayakalp where a special herb was inserted into a vein on the innerside of his fore arm, a now nearly obsolete method of preserving the body in health and vigor for more than 100 years to weather the intense severity of the higher altitudes while performing extreme spiritual penance. (The scar of this operation more or less like a small knot Swami retained on the inside of his forearm untill the end). The knowledge of herbs that the sage possessed was phenomenal. He had evidently gained this knowledge beginning from the Himalayas.
God knows how many years were spent thus in spiritual discipline, meditation and Samadhi before the Swami, now a perfected sage came down to the plains to bless and guide devotees and seekers wandering all over Bharath and the neighboring lands where it is known he stayed in the famous Shri Lankan Shrine of Kathirgamam for 60 years. (He obtained his special knowledge of Tamil here) interacting with the siddha parampara there, having special contact with the great Kadayit Swamigal and Yogar Swamigal of Northern Lanka during his frequent trips there in the late 19 and early twentieth centuries. Starting from the famous saint Kabirdas to Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa at Dakshineshwar and Shri Aurobindo Gosh, Shri Ramana Maharishi and Shri Kaviyogi Shudhananda Bharati of more recent times in the south he had moved closely with most great spiritual luminaries of the ages.
In Tamilnadu itself the sage had stayed for more than a hundred and seventy years when he arrived at Siddhalingamatam during the early part of this century. He had stayed in various places - Kalpattu (present Dalmiapuram, Kolli Malai hills, Polur etc).
Subsequently, after one of his intermittent trips out of Siddhalingamatam he returned with long matted locks shorn, and gradually the sage's form started taking on the look of age, specially during the last twenty years of his earthly sojourn. Those in need of cure for physical ills and those seeking spiritual solace flocked to him and found relief.
An awe inspiring figure with matted locks piled high on his head, an aura of effulgence surrounding his form a face alight with divine compassion, nectarine words of love and wisdom emanating therefrom, eyes that conveyed unfathomable peace, love forgiveness, encouragement, reassurance and divine Grace, a presence that engulfed one in the comfort of protection and fearlessness! This was the Sage Sri Gnanananda Giri Swamigal.
He was a child with children, a companion with women folk, an elder counsellor with men, a refuge in times of danger and despair: He was one with them, one of them, their companion guide and refuge all in one.
To householders, according to their spiritual maturity and inclination he extended guidance in the path of devotion (bhakthi) and right action (Karmayoga) also guiding those who had attained mental readiness to proceed on the path of enquiry. To his renunciate disciples he showed the path wisdom (Gnanamarga), but not before they had attained the required mental purity(Chittashuddhi) through action and devotion. He claimed his own and does so to this day, to guard check and guide them to the ultimate goal of spiritual peace and Bliss.
The sage a perfected soul, or sidha never sought nor needed publicity for as bees seek honey filled flowers, so also did those in need of solace and guidance flock to him as they do even now.
* Footnote : The Kashmir Jyotir mutt flourished about 500 years ago as one of the main upa-amnaya mutts-branches of the main northern Shankara peet of Badrikashram Jyotir mutt, to slowly disintergrate with the invasions of Kashmir and be abandoned by the last inmates after the 1948 invasion. Today what remains of the once glorious mutt may be seen as Durga Nag by Dal Jeel at the foot of the Shankacharya hill in Kashmir