Issue 2

Autobiography - Episode 1

[This is the story of Sathguru Venkataraman's boyhood experiences with his divine teacher, Sri La Sri Idiyaapa Eesa Siddha. It is a twentieth century spiritual odyssey, a modern day Gurukula vaasam. Gurukula vaasam means life with the divine teacher. It is a cornerstone of spiritual life because it is through direct personal experiences that the divine teacher begins the transmission of spiritual knowledge to the disciple. The inward spiritual journey is begun through outward personal life experiences. It is with these direct personal experiences that the great Siddha revealed to Sathguru Venkataraman the ageless spiritual knowledge of the Siddhas.

The world of the spirit is alive and well today as it was many thousands of years ago and as it will be many thousands of years hence. This autobio gives us a glimpse into this world through a retelling of the direct personal experiences of one of the great spiritual teachers of our time. To the skeptics, this work will be a challenge; to the curious, it will be an eye opener, but to the spiritual aspirant, it will be the key which unlocks the doors to the treasure house of God.]

Episode 1: You Must be Ashamed of Yourself, Old Man!

Is there any eight year old out there who enjoys the first few days of school after the summer vacation? No, I didn't think so. I remember that summer day as if it was yesterday. School had just started. How depressing... especially after the freedom of a long vacation. But go to school I must. And I did.

I don't remember what the teachers were saying in class that day; all I could think of was the afternoon bell marking the end of class. How I loved that sound! When I heard it, I took off like a rocket. At that speed, I could have won the 100 meter dash at the Olympics! Free at last if only for the next five or six hours! The reckless abandon of childhood. Did I think anything could stop me? Of course not. Remember I was eight years old. The exhilaration of leaving the school building behind me was cause enough. Moreover I had been doing it ever since my parents put me in school.

However that summer day was different. I could not have imagined what was in store for me that day. I was negotiating the busy streets when something on the ground tripped me up and I fell headlong. Taking a fall at high speed is not an enjoyable experience... particularly if it happens to be on a street covered with sand and gravel. You can imagine the damage. I was bruised pretty much all over. Blood flowed from one knee. My palms burnt like they had been set on fire. And the sand particles which had lodged themselves into the wounds made me writhe in pain. The agony was unbearable. It was awful.

Forget the pain, how was I going to explain this to my father? That thought hurt me even more than my wounds. The thought of his belt buckle sent shivers up my spine. But what could I do? I picked up my books which had fallen down with me and looked around to take stock of the situation. It was then that I heard loud laughter.

An old man was laughing at me. Or was he? I looked around to confirm. Sure he was... and now that I was looking at him with disdain, he started laughing even more. He even clapped his hands as though he was applauding my performance. What gall! And to add insult to injury, he began talking to me! "Fell down, eh? Good! You deserve it." He continued laughing. It was a cacophony that stung me to my soul.

I was livid. Vicious thoughts raced through my head. What was the old geezer's problem? Why pick on me? Didn't he have anything better to do? Why can't he idle away his time like his fellow geezers? How dare he? Has he heard of compassion? He should be ashamed of himself. Talk about getting irritated! I was so angry that I HAD to give him a piece of my mind. That was the least I could do, I felt. I approached him determinedly.

What happened next? Click here to find out.