Efficacy of the SATSANGS of Sri VSR Moorty

Efficacy of the SATSANGS of Sri VSR Moorty By Ravi Valluri It was a desolate sight to see my nonagenarian grandmother Vemavarapu Ganga Bhavani, fondly referred to as Pedda (the venerable elder one) by my daughter and son. A deeply religious person whose life was dedicated to the Almighty, once the proud owner of Farhat Bagh in then Madras at Mylapore, and now afflicted by Alzheimer’s, she was lying in an incapacitated manner in a small nursing home in Bangalore. There was just a nurse to attend to her needs. Ammamma was vacantly looking at the ceiling. Misty-eyed, I entered the room along with Moorty garu and Kishoreda. She was quite unexpectedly injected with vital prana as she stared at us. “Moorty garu aa,” she uttered loudly, much to the astonishment of the nurse. Grandmother had been barely speaking or eating anything. Ganga Bhavani and Moorty garu were then involved in an animated conversation reminiscing the years of their association. “Nenu, Bala satsangalu ki vastamu,” she exclaimed quite animatedly. As we left, Ammamma looked forlorn and Moorty garu blessed her. That was my final interaction with grandmother and is etched in the alcoves of my mind. A somnolent 94-year-old woman abruptly awakening up upon seeing Shri VSR Moorty, obviously meant that the satsangs he rendered were exemplar. We all were a witness to several satsangs rendered in flawless Telugu and most importantly without any script. There was one rendition on the Narada Bhakti sutras at our Capri Towers house in Hyderabad which is etched in my memory bank where he spoke, extempore as usual, on the traditions of Hinduism. The text details the process of devotion, or Bhakti yoga and is thus of particular importance to many of the Bhakti movements within Hinduism and Moorty garu gave an evocative description of many a seeker. The man has been blessed with a remarkable memory and the ability to speak effectively in any forum with remarkable ease. I have heard Moorty garu speak on religious, spiritual, current affairs, political matters and social problems with consummate ease. His trademark crisp, dhoti-kurta attire and pleasant demeanour add value to the delivery. Hush and shush prevail as he spoke. He invariably speaks for an hour without a break, without fumbling and with absolute clarity. This is without any doubt a gift endowed to him by the celestial beings and the benediction of Bhagwan Sathya Sai Baba. *********************** The year was 2014 and it was a crisp and cool morning in early November. The place was Hyderabad. I was then posted as the Chief Traffic Planning Manager, South Central Railway. As I was poring over files, in walked two gentlemen who have been closely connected with Bhagwan Satya Sai Baba. They were Shri VSR Moorty and Shri G Ramaniah. We exchanged pleasantries and Moorty garu focussed his attention on my computer screen. Pictures of H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar were flipping across the monitor. He looked at Gurudev’s photograph quite intently and in an unfazed manner uttered, “Ravi, I would like to have an interaction with H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.” I was taken aback. Moorty garu added further that the interaction would be recorded by SVBC. I was not aware about SVBC and expressed my ignorance. Moorty garu dispelled my doubt and mentioned that SVBC meant Sri Venkateswara Bhakti Channel. Millions of devotees of Gurudev wait to have a glimpse of the Master and I had the onerous task of organising an interaction with the Master himself. But that is a challenge for any seeker. Immediately I contacted Shri Kishore Mukherjee, fondly called Kishoreda. He was excited about the proposal and asked me to send a mail to Gurudev directly, marking a copy to him and the secretariat. While these developments were taking place, Moorty garu made a few quick calls to SVBV authorities, their production team among others. I was amazed at the alacrity with which Sri VSR Moorty acted and his supreme confidence about the execution of the project. He then shared, “Ravi, the sankalpa needs to be pure, rest Almighty God will take ensure that things fall in place, Sai Ram.” The two of them soon left my room. I was in a stupefied and exhilarated state and could only say, “Jai Gurudev.” Meanwhile that evening, I received a call from ABC (the media team of the Art of Living foundation) that dates had been fixed for the interaction between H. H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and the spiritual scientist Sri VSR Moorty. Moorty garu, Kumar and Mani Naidu (also members of the Art of Living family) and yours truly made our peregrination to the Bangalore Ashram of the Art of Living. We were soon joined by the SVBC team led by Srinivas. For three days and three nights we were witness to something above normal and absolutely singular. The interaction ranged on a variety of subjects from ancient Hindu practices, various schools of Hindu philosophy to the present day. It is well-nigh impossible to decode the Divine and pen the interaction. My request to the reader would be to view the interaction on SVBC. It is a visual treat, be it a stock individual or a seeker. A senior teacher of Art of Living, Shri Vinod Menon was to tell Moorty garu, “This is the closest one could unravel divinity, you are fortuitous coming so close to the Divine.” In the amphitheatre on my mind the graphic scene of BR Chopra’s Mahabharata, the television serial played out, where Lord Krishna tells Bhishma, “Arjun woh nar hai jo Narayan ke darshan karwayega.” (That is, Arjuna is the person who will reveal the resplendence of Narayana himself). So Moorty garu was the Arjuna, who during the course of his interactions demystified God or Divinity in its pristine form. We, the audience, perhaps like Sanjaya of Mahabharata were a witness to the grand spectacle. Through the television screens, thousands could watch the proceedings across the swathes of the globe. The landscape of Bangalore Ashram is dotted with scenic and sublime spots like Radha Kunj, Gurukul, the Amphitheatre and the Panchakarma centre where Gurudev and Sri VSR Moorty had interactions on esoteric subjects of Hindu philosophy, Lalitha Sahasranamam, Agni Sooktam, various schools of the pristine Hindu thought among others. We were overwhelmed and were a witness to two more such interactions. So, this was satsang … What does one mean by satsang? (I quote Yogapedia to describe satsang) Satsang is a Sanskrit term derived from two roots: sat meaning “true” and sangha meaning community, company or association. It can be translated as “associating with good people” or simply “being in the company of truth”. It refers to the act of gathering with like-minded, uplifting people, especially those on a spiritual path. Satsang may also refer to a group of people engaged in a spiritual dialogue. Although the term is generally used to highlight the importance of community on spiritual growth, by definition satsang can additionally be considered as a lone relationship with truth. Satsang is associated with the inner quality of sattva (goodness or purity), which is one of the three gunas (natural attributes) alongside rajas (passion) and tamas (inactivity). Sattva manifests as thoughtfulness, wisdom, contemplation and a peaceful demeanor. A sattvic person makes a natural satsangi, or “seeker of truth”. Sri VSR Moorty has been now conducting regular satsangs on Bhagwan Satya Sai Baba, other eminent Hindu philosophers and various tenets of Indian philosophy and spiritual leaders for around four decades. I had the fortune of attending to those satsangs on some occasions, especially when I was passing through most woebegone times in my life, when I was addicted to the Bacchus. My grandmother, my mother, my cousins Jaya and Chinna Jaya had on numerous occasions attended the satsangs. My mother recorded as many as 300 cassettes worth of Moorty Garu’s satsangs which she would play and listen to them fervently every day unflinchingly. My grandmother whenever visiting us in Hyderabad would listen to the renditions. Many a times her hearing aid would fall-off and she would get vexed, but soon listen intently to the satsangs. My grandmother would always gift a white or cream Bush shirt to Moorty garu on his birthday. There has been a very intimate bonding between our family and Moorty garu, which goes beyond satsangs. Perhaps we were Gandharvas in our previous birth and mother and grandmother have been King Sagara and Ganga who resuscitated the Valluri and the Vemavarapu families from various misdemeanours committed in life. Moorty garu would always say that, “Amma and Lakshmi used to prepare a concoction of powder, full of nutrition which they gave me out of love and concern.” He is extremely fond of my wife and guided her to recite the 72nd shloka of the Lalitha Sahasranamam which Moorty garu says is extremely efficacious and brawny. Moorty garu has always encouraged me to write and always reads my works with great span of attention. It has been a very profitable and providential association with the spiritual scientist and I am indeed grateful to my parents on making him a part of our extended family. I would recommend people to read his works and delve into his satsangs. Jai Guru Dev