Kaivara Naranappa Tataiyya - Sri Yogi Narayana Yathindra

Local Highlight: Aradhana of Kaivara Narayana Tataiyya, 11-6-2013

Kaivara is a small town in the Chickballapur district, situated in Chintamani taluk, about 75kms from Bangalore. Despite being a small town, Kaivara has religious importance and is historically attached to the epic Mahabharata. The town was known as Ekachakrapura in Dwaparayuga. The Pandavas of India's greatest epic Mahabharata are believed to have lived here during their Vanavasa. Bheema, the brother of Dharmaraja, has established a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva (Bheemalingeswara temple).   In the olden times, it was called a "native state"(daesheeya Samsthana). It is believed to have attracted the attention of the several dynasties such as the Gangas, Bana and Nolamba.

Idol of Naranappa Tataiyya being worshipped - the Samadhi is just behind this idol.

The town is famous for the bilingual poet and Saint Narayanappa, popularly known as Kaivara Thatayya in Kannada and Telugu. He lived there during the later half of the 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. Kaivara has an ashram dedicated to the Thatayya and has become a pilgrimage and a tourist destination because of the cave in which Thatayya meditated and attained the supreme spiritual enlightenment. The ashram, the cave, Amara Narayanaswamy temple, Vaikunta (temple) by the side of the cave and the hillock (on which Bheema is supposed to have killed the Bakasura) are all places worth visiting.

Kaivara – the spiritual abode of all Yugas

In Krithayuga, Devendra himself made the place such a sacred centre that it came to be called Kaivara (a place where devethas offered prayers). In Thretha Yuga, Sri Ramachandra (called Aranya Ramaswami here) with Seetha and Lakshmana rested here on his way to Kishkinda and worshipped Amara Narayana Swami installed, according to sthala Purana, by Devendra. In Dwapara Yuga the mighty Pandava, Bheema, slew Bakasura here and installed a Bheemalinga. Thus the place which had been famous and important in the three earlier Yugas waited, as it were, for Nareyana Yathindra to re-establish its illustrious name in Kali Yuga as well.

The life of Sri Narayana Yathindra

The temple priest offering to Kondappa-Muddamma couple the auspicious flower that fell off the right side of Shri Amara Nareyana Swamy's idol. The couple prayed to Lord Almighty for the gift of a son.

The great seer, visionary, mystic saint and celebrated poet called Naranappa or famously known as Kaivara Tataiyya (Sri Yogi Narayana Yathindra) was born in 1726 A.D. at Kaivara. His father was bangle seller by profession and what he earned probably was just enough to make both ends meet. His mother was of a very religious disposition. Both the parents did exercise considerable influence over the growing boy. His ascetic habits, his deep faith in God and his longing for spiritual knowledge and experience were in all probability inspired by the pure and pious life of his parents.

Naranappa - the Bangle Seller 

  The boy Naranappa in deep meditation in the Temple.

Not much is known about the early life of Sri Narayana Yathindra . He attended the local primary school where he learnt the smatterings of Kannada, Telugu and Sanskrit languages.  However his desire was to know the nature of supreme reality. He was married at a young age and within a couple of years he lost both his parents and the sole responsibility of the family fell on his young shoulders. He took to bangle selling which was the family profession. But to one who was interested in divine vision, this proved to be uninspiring. He did not have also the acumen to be a good salesman nor did he have the ability to dodge and deceive in order to make a comfortable profit out of it. As a consequence his wife who was by nature termagant, turned nagging as she could not make both ends meet. That was the beginning of the cracks in Yathindra's domestic peace.

 The bangle seller Naranappa is vouchsafed a vision of Goddess Mahalakshmi, offering bangles to a pious woman.

Bangle selling took the ingenuous Naranappa to many a strange place and brought him many a memorable experience. In the villages he visited he sat in a central place, usually the village chavadi, with his fragile load of bangles. Scores of woman came there to wear bangles. The God-fearing seller's behavior was impeccable. He fixed the bangles on the extended wrists of women without so much as looking at them and is vouchsafed a vision of Goddess Mahalakshmi. His eyes were on the bangles and fixing them only. He accepted money if it offered, but never demanded if. If some woman pleaded their inability to pay, he muttered, “Sri Krishnarpanamastu” and closed his eyes in pious prayer.

His piety, purity and impeccable ways earned for him the veneration of all the village folk, no doubt. But it won also the wrath of his cantankerous wife. He spent almost all his time in Manasika pooja and Deva Nama Smarana. This way of idling his time angered his wife still more.

Experiences of Naranappa 

On one of his professional trips he went to Chittoor in Andra Pradesh. The sun was about to set when he decided to return home. The sky was heavily overcast and a storm was brewing. He quickened his pace and started even running. But it was all in vain. There was a cloud burst and the poor and famished bangle seller was caught in the thick of storm. Defending thunder, blinding lightening and lashing rain left him completely helpless and dazed in the Mogili Venkatagiri valley. Drenched and shivering with cold the bangle seller began to wonder whether he would ever be able to escape the fury of nature.  He closed his eyes in reverent prayer and surrendered himself to the will of the Almighty. 

The unexpected but extremely beneficial encounter which Naranappa had with Paradeshi Swami in the Mogali Venkatagiri valley of Andra Pradesh. The bangle seller was instructed to do Ashtaksharee Mantra Japa  and told that when a pebble popped into his mouth transformed itself int a sugar candy the mantra siddhi would be reached. 

A little while later when he opened his eyes he discovered that the storm had abated; and in the distance he saw a light. The light seemed to be beckoning him. He dragged his weary steps and when he reached the spot he was beside himself with wonder to discover a hermitage, inside which sat an old Rishi in meditation in the lotus-posture called "SHRI PARADESHA SWAMIJI". Naranappa prostrated himself before the Rishi and begged for his blessings. There was a benevolent smile on the lips of the Rishi as he opened his bright and beautiful eyes. He blessed Naranappa and gave him the "ASHTAKSHAREE UPADESHA".  Although perfectly satisfied, with tear-leaden eyes he prayerfully questioned Shri Paradesha Swamiji when the Maha Manthra would yield siddhi. He told Narayanappa that when a pebble popped into his mouth transformed itself into a sugar candy the mantra siddhi would be reached.

He prostrated himself before the Rishi in respectful veneration. When he got up the day had dawned, the storm had completely ceased. But neither the hermitage nor the hermit was anywhere to be seen. Seized with wonder., he wended his way home contemplating the mysterious experience he had. 

Naranappa becomes a Saint

Wife Muniyamma turns Naranappa out of the house because he came with an empty Mallara (Bangle's Bag) and an empty Purse.

After this return home he spent most of his time in Chinthana & Dhyana. He cultivated Vairagya and desired to be out of whirl-pool of Samsara (family). Bangle-selling he did occasionally, but not with zest. He became increasingly spiritual oriented. His indifference towards domestic responsibilities incensed his wife. The soft-spoken Naranappa who had already grown with spiritual outlook was completely disgusted with life and men, as he saw around him. He did not know how best he could break the bars of the cage of Samsara. One night when he returned home empty handed after a long day his wife turned him out mercilessly shouting at him that he was more fit to be a Sanyasi than a Samsari.

Meditation at Amara Narayana Swamy Cave

The most crucial moment in Naranappa's life when Amara Narayana Swami materialised himself as a cow-herd boy in the presence of the care-worn Naranappa and advised him know thyself , you are the "Lord of Universe".

Having been turned out of his house he decided to put his back on life altogether. He was reminded of the "Astaksharee Manthropadesha” of  Paradesha Swamiji. The light of hope brightened his face even in that moment of dark misfortune. He walked up the near-by Hillock and while resting on a boulder near the Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy cave he saw a bright-faced cow-herd singing  "Know Thyself, Truly Thou Art God" . This was Amara Narayana Swamy himself.

When Naranappa with a spar in his mouth was in deep meditation in the Narasimha cave, poisonous reptiles and wild beasts mounted guard.

By day-break he entered into the Narasimha Swamy Cave (so called because a stone image of that deity is inside the cave even now) popped a pebble into his mouth and sat in Tapas repeating fervently the Ashtaksharee Manthra. For full three years (1776-1779) he performed the rigorous Tapas. At the end of those 3 years the pebble in the mouth had turned into a sugar candy. Interpreted symbolically, it means that as long as man chooses to be engulfed in worldly infatuations he is in no way better than a stone. But the moment he conquers moha (impulse to possess) and tears asunder maya, he grows divine (like a rough stone carved into a deity) and the moment he discovers athma tathwa he becomes sweet as well. Naranappa became Nareyana Yathindra. With that the second stage of his eventful life was reached.

 While engaged in Tapas, Mahayogi Nareyana Yathindra concentrated his attention on the tip of the nose (rasagrae) and attained many supernatural powers. The full grace of God Almighty was on him.

His radiant face and kind words attracted many a cowherd as the Yathindra stood at the mouth of the cave. He distributed pebbles among them saying that they were sugar candy. When the boys popped the pebbles into their mouth they were amazed to discover that they were sugar candy indeed! The news spread pretty quickly that Narayana Yathindra could perform miracles. Many of his old acquaintances and enemies at Kaivara went to the cave on the hillock either to call the bluff or to scoff at him. But those who came to scoff remained to pray.

Narayana Yathindra attained such wonderful powers as to convert spars into candy and offer them to the beseeching boys. Miraculous powers manifest themselves when a Yogi has full command over the five elements.

Kaivara – the spiritual abode of all Yugas

The magnetism of the Yathindra coupled with his newly-endowed spiritual wisdom were such that the erstwhile cynical disbelievers became his ardent admirers and devoted disciples. The sage was invited back to Kaivara where a modest hermitage was put up for him to pursue his tapas and preach Viveka and Jnana to the people. The enlightened Yathindra thus made Kaivara a centre of the highest learning and holy pilgrimageeven in Kaliyuga. In Krithayuga, Devendra himself made the place such a sacred centre that it came to be called Kaivara (a place where devethas offered prayers). In Thretha Yuga, Sri Ramachandra (called Aranya Ramaswami here) with Seetha and Lakshmana rested here on his way to Kishkinda and worshipped Amara Narayana Swami installed, according to sthala Purana, by Devendra. In Dwapara Yuga the mighty Pandava, Bheema, slew Bakasura here and installed a Bheemalinga. Thus the place which had been famous and important in the three earlier Yugas waited, as it were, for Nareyana Yathindra to re-establish its illustrious name in Kali Yuga as well.

Bheemalingeshwara Temple in Kaivara

Work and Final Days of Naranappa

With his settling down in Kaivara, on the outskirts of the village, near the Amara Nararayana Swami Temple, the venerable sage's next significant stage in life was reached. He spent his time either in raising the wretched, enlightening the ignorant, alleviating the sorrow and suffering of the poor (which were termed miracles) or in writing his famous works. 

His work and compassion extended even to animals, tender plants and birds of the air. He was loved by one and all and seekers of wisdom and truth came from far and near to have their doubts resolved or to learn at length the philosophy of adwaitha at his feet. He lived for the full span of 110 years. He announced in 1836 that he would give up his body at midnight on third day of (Triteeya) of the bright fortnight (Shuddha) of the month of Jyeshta. In this context his poem on how a Yogi can give up his body at his will - Iccha Marana (Self Death) acquires additional significance.

 Yogi Narayana Ashram and Math of Sri Narayanappa. Behind the statue of the saint remains his samadhi (last remains). This ashram is maintained by M.S Ramaiah trust. It also provides free food and lodging.

On the day he had chosen for his Maha Samadhi he went about his usual task as if it was like any other normal day. In the evening he sat in deep penance. As the Maha Yogi started the prescribed process for iccha marana(death at will) a bright circle of radiant light-almost like an aura or halo - formed itself around him, and as the hours rolled by the light became brighter and brighter. Exactly at midnight, the hour that he had chosen for his maha samadhi, the maha yogi merged in Para Brahman. Sorrowing disciples, hundreds of whom had gathered round at that mighty moment, burst into fits of uncontrollable tears. The next day when the body was being carried round the village in procession, it is reported that the beads of the perspiration fell to the ground drop by drop. He lies buried in the place that he had chosen to renounce his body. It is a SAJEEVA SAMADHI which can be seen even today. 

Yogis who visit the Samadhi say that the sacred and resonant sound of OM emanates from down below every day. He who helped thousands to tread, the path of Jnana leading to Moksha while alive, continues even after death to alleviate the suffering of many. His celebrated works are for those who seek enlightenment.

WORKS OF NARAYANAPPA ~ Narayanappa prophecised, as well sung Keertanas (poems in praise of the Lord in different forms) in praise of Amara Narayanaswamy, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, both in Kannada and Telugu. The Keertanas are comparable to famous Keertanakaras of Karnataka such as Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa. Thatayya also appears to have influenced Vemana Kavi and Veera Bramhendra Swamy of present-day Andhra Pradesh, and Sarvajna of present-day Karnataka. One of his writings is the Bramanandpuri Shatakka he explains the nuances of Yoga in depth and detail. In another one of his poems, half of each line is in Kannada and the other half in the Telugu. This poem has been sung by Sri Balamurali Krishna, one of the most famous and versatile musicians of the present times.