An Introduction to the Life and Works of

Vāsiṣṭha Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni

Vāsiṣṭha Kavyakantha Ganapati Muni (1878-1936) belongs to the rare race of intellectual and spiritual giants who crowded into the narrow corridors of the last quarter of 19th and first four decades of the 20th century to endow life, letters and all endeavours with meaning, purpose and altitude. He was a valiant soldier in the cause of Truth and Divinity. For communing with the Divine, certainly he was well-endowed, gifted as he was with marvellous powers of mind, intellect and soul. Even highly learned people of our time wonder at his indubitable versatile genius, keenness of perception and understanding of our modern problems, though he had never been to school all his life. His powers of intellect and intuition had solved and untied many mystic knots. His wide scholarship and studies in religious lore harmonized in him all religions and schools of philosophy. He was a master of metaphysics and his gift transported him into regions whence he could see the entire manifestation. In fact, he belonged to the order of the Rig Vedic seers who were gods among men.

The Muni’s life story is sweet and all-absorbing and has been beautifully rendered in the famous biography Vāsiṣṭha Vaibhavam by his foremost disciple, Sri Kapali Śāstṛiar. Ganapati Muni was born in Kalavarayi near Bobbilithis town now appears to be called Kalavarai, about 5 Km northeast of Bobbili,
(click to see on a map) in Andhra Pradesh on 17th November1878. He belonged to a family of Śri Vidya initiates (in vāsiṣṭha gotram), which had actually migrated from a village near Kumbakonam in Tamiḷ Nadu in the late 16th or early 17th century (later the family was well-known as the “Ayyalasomayajulu” family). His parents, Narasimha Sastry and Narasamamba, had three sons, Ganapati being the middle one. Nearly a year before his birth, on the holy day of rathasaptamī, his mother had been to the famous Sūrya (Sun) temple at Arasavalli (near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh) to offer her prayers and worship. She stayed overnight in the temple after the traditional worship to the Lord. In the next early morning she had a dream in which a beautiful woman with golden divine radiance emerged from the corridors of the temple, approached her with a shining pot of fire and giving it in her hands vanished. To her utter astonishment, the moment the fire pitcher came into contact with her, it entered her womb and assumed the form of a child. Soon after her return to home from Arasavalli, she showed signs of pregnancy. She believed that her child was a divine gift of God Agni (fire). While she was waiting to deliver the child, her husband, Narasimha Sastry, had gone to the holy city of Kashi (Benares in Uttar Pradesh) in November 1878, where he also had a unique experience. When he was performing tapas in the ḍhuṇḍigaṇapati temple (near Visweswara Ghat) he had the vision of a little child emanating from the Deity and coming near him. After these wonderful experiences by both parents, Ganapati was born in the parental home of his mother on 17th November 1878. The father appropriately named his second son Ganapati, rooted in his conviction that the child was an emanation of God Ganapati himself. It may be noted that the Vedic deity Agni (Fire) is none other than gaṇapati described in the purāṇas and worshipped in the tantras. Ganapati himself was conscious of his divinity. He has expressed this in his most famous poem Umāsahasram and has said that he was born as an aṁsa (portion) of God Ganapati. He has also expressed his conviction about the identity between him and God Ganapati, the guiding spirit of his corporeal existence, in his work Herambopasthānam (Glory of Ganapati).

Ganapati was educated entirely at home. His father, Narasimha Sastry, like his ancestors, was an expert and well-versed in mantra śāstra, astrology and āyurveda. With this traditional family background, proficiency in these subjects came naturally to Ganapati. When he was only 10 years old, he was able to prepare the pañcāṅgam (almanac). He finished studying the classical Sanskrit poems and then devoted himself to the study of grammar and poetics. At the same time he delved deep into the writings of Vyasa and Valmiki. Again and again he read the Mahabharata. His horizon widened and his intellect mellowed with an ever-deepening perception. Like the ancient Rishis, Ganapati wanted to experience immense strength and power by the practice of tapasyā through mantra japa and meditation. Although married at an early age to Srimati Vishalakshi, he started visiting one sacred place after another for his tapas when he was 18 years old. He used to stay in one place for a few days or even months. In one such visit to Bhubaneswar (in Orissa, where the famous “Lingaraj” temple of Lord Siva is located), during his tapas, Ganapati had a vision, in which Goddess lalitāmbikā (bhuvaneśvarī) appeared before him, offering divine nectar. As Ganapati tasted this heavenly nectar, the Goddess watched him with a sweet smile, full of grace. From then onwards, the sweetness of the nectar became an integral part of him. After this incident, Ganapati’s intellect developed a rare sharpness and he attained complete mastery over poetry. Indeed, the literary work composed after this incident is endowed with a distinct sweetness and grace.

When Ganapati was staying in Kashi, he came to know that an assembly of scholars (harisabhā) would be held in the famous city of Navadwipa in Bengal. On the advice of his friends he got a letter of introduction and went to Navadwipa. There he excelled in all the difficult tests that he was put to with an effortless ease that stunned his examiners, who unanimously conferred the title kāvyakaṇṇṭha (one who has poetry in his throat – voice of poetry) on him forthwith. He was only 22 years old then (details are in Volume 11).

Ganapati repaired to the south of the country in his 25th year. From Kanchipuram he came to Arunachala (Thiruvannamalai) in 1903 to perform tapas. He visited twice Sri Brahmana Swamy (who was later named as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi by Kavyakantha himself) before he accepted a teacher’s job at Vellore in 1904. Later in 1907, he resigned his job at Vellore and returned to Arunachala. It was at this stage that he sought and gained the grace of Sri Brahmana Swamy (Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi). An intellectual and spiritual giant who had high achievements to his credit and a host of followers as well, Kavyakantha still felt that his life’s purpose was not fulfilled. He remembered Brahmana Swamy whom he had met earlier and approached him for his grace and gain inner realization, peace and true import of tapas that he still lacked. On 18.11.1907 Kavyakantha approached Brahmana Swamy, who was staying in the Virupaksha cave, and prostrating himself at his feet said in a trembling voice: “All that has to be read I have read, even Vedanta Sastra I have fully understood. I have performed japa and puja to my heart’s content. Yet I have not up to this time understood what tapas is. Hence have I sought refuge at thy feet, pray enlighten me about the nature of tapas.” For quite sometime Brahmana Swamy gazed silently at Kavyakantha. He broke his 11 years of long silence and spoke gently, “If one watches where his notion of ‘I’ springs, the mind will be absorbed into that. That is tapas. If a mantra is repeated and attention is directed to the source where the mantra sound is produced, the mind will be absorbed in that. That is tapas.” The scholar-poet was filled with joy to have found his guru, and announced that the upadeśa (teaching) was original, and that Brahmana Swamy was indeed a maharshi and should be called so thereafter. He gave the full name Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi to Brahmana Swamy, whose original name was Venkataraman. Thus, the meeting was of profound significance not only for Kavyakantha but also for the world at large, which could learn from such a high authority about the real stature of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, the Silent Sage of Arunachala. Following this momentous meeting, Ganapati composed his great devotional poem, Umāsahasram, a thousand verses in praise of Umā, the Divine Mother, as a part of his tapas in gratitude to the great Goddess for having given him the Maharshi as his Guru (Master). This work is the magnum opus of Śri Vāsiṣṭha Ganapati Muni.

The Muni had the unique experience of kapālabheda. In the summer of 1922 at the Mango cave of the Arunachala hills, the Muni had several yogic experiences, arising from deeper parts of his being and invading his physical consciousness (resulting in great physical pain). During this, he visited his Master and told him of his inner and physical experience. His most compassionate Master, Sri Maharshi, comforted him by placing his lotus hands on his head. On the very night, he had the experience of the culmination of kuṇḍalinī sādhanā, resulting in the most unique experience of kapālabheda. His cranium was broken into two parts; a distinct sound caused by the breaking arose from the passage, which joins the two holes of the ears. A line of smoke going out of the head was perceived there. The Muni later spoke to his disciples about this yogic experience and that this has been mentioned in the sixth chapter of the taittīriyopaniṣad, quoting vyapohya śirṣakapāle bhūrityagnau prati tiṣṭhati (“having separated the two parts of the cranium, he stands established in Fire as Bhūḥ, the earth element”) and mentioned several great effects of the power of yoga experienced at this time with their secrets. It is usually believed that the physical effects of this great experience are such that the body cannot sustain long following this event. However, in his case, with the strength of his own tapasyā and the Grace of his most compassionate Master, he lived for fourteen long years (although he had to observe certain physical restrictions, such as that he could not shave his head nor could put his bare feet on the ground) after this experience. This event speaks volumes on the extraordinary nature of his tapasyā and the fact that he was perhaps the greatest Master of tantra born on this earth. In fact, the final revision of his magnum opus Umāsahasram after this experience, remains, testimony not only to his supreme mastery over the tantras but also his ability to find the reconciliation and concordance between the Vedic, Upanishadic and the Tantric schools of thoughts. The kapālabheda experience also reconfirms the conviction that he was the direct aṁśa (portion) of the Vedic deity Agni (who resides as the power of kuṇdalinī in the mulādhāra of human beings).