Sri Guruji

Sadguru Sri Antarmukhananda, born in the auspicious star of Shravan on the 13th of September, 1951 is the blessed child of Shriman Daali Naidu and Shrimathi Lakshmi Narasamma, with the birth name of Vandana Venkateswara Rao.

Born in a small hamlet Buridi Kancharam in Srikakulam district, the young boy used to walk 6km every day to the nearby Lolugu village for his primary and secondary education.

 


Highly meritorious right from his childhood, after his schooling, with the motivation and support of his teachers, his parents were convinced to join him in P.U.C (present day +2) in the prestigious Andhra Loyola college in Vijayawada and he subsequently studied medicine (M.B.B.S) at the Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam where he earned laurels by securing a first class achieving gold medals in practicals of SURGERY. Highly inclined to service, started his career as a private medical practitioner providing medical care to the Girijans, (hilly tribes) inhabiting the much Naxal infested forest area near Sileru, Visakhapatnam District.

Subsequently, he was appointed as the Government doctor in Vizayanagaram during which time he consented to the desire of his father and tied the knot with Srimati Parvati Devi, our Guru Amma and was blessed with a daughter and a son.

The year 1978 is a turning point in his life when he heard of Sadguru Swami Ramananda Paramahamsa from a friend and had set out to visit him and seek his blessings at the ashram in Kamannavalasa, Vizianagaram District. Sri Guruji was instantly drawn to Swamiji on hearing his sermons & preaching and immediately took to him, with utmost faith and surrender.

Sri Guruji’s faith in Swamiji grew boundless by the day and Swamiji on recognizing his zeal and un-deterring trust took him into his fold and initiated him into the path of Brahmavidya to attain self-realization. Sri Guruji’s life took a different course from that day on and he was always engrossed in spiritual thoughts with no penchant for the worldly affairs. Though his career and work required him to deal with the earthly matters, Sri Guruji performed his duties impeccably yet his soul was always at the feet of his Guru, incessantly in his thoughts. Swamiji recognised this intent devotion of Sri Guruji and as luck would have it, though we choose to believe it was one of the miracles of Swamiji, he was transferred to the nearby village Badangi, from where he served for a period of 15 years, which was a stone's throw away from the ashram thus facilitating Sri Guruji to be in constant association with Swamiji, serving and learning from him.
In Swamiji’s presence, he was engrossed in the preaching and zealously concentrated on the Siddha Yogam taught to him by Swamiji and spent his time analysing the Vedanta, hence becoming his favourite disciple in a short span of time. The bonding and relationship grew intense and the two became inseparable leading to Sri Guruji moving with his spouse Parvati Devi, daughter Jhansi and son Siva Rama Krishna to the ashram which is his home to this very day. The blessed couple's life was incessantly and increasingly dedicated to the service of Swamiji and they had benefitted from this association the blessing and Grace of Swamiji.

Sri Guruji refers to his beloved wife, our Guru Amma's role in serving Swamiji and fondly recollects the many times she took meticulous and diligent care of Swamiji's food, requirements and attended to him. Swamiji was constantly immersed in meditation and deep concentration and it was she who would take great care of his food and needs. It is but a divine coincidence that she shares her name with Swamiji's natural mother.

With the blessings of Swamiji, our Guruji was able to attend to his functions as a doctor and cured many a sick with his treatment and subsequently was recognized for his service and won the award for the Best Medical Officer five times over. Later, he was promoted as the District Medical & Health Officer and was awarded five times consequently for standing as best district in the entire state of Andhra Pradesh from 2003 to 2007 and he retired elevated as the Additional Director in 2008 to stay forever in the ashram.

It is no child's play to stay in the constant presence of great men like Swamiji. Every second is a testing time and a challenge to overcome. Different from and against the principles of the worldly life and materialistic norms, the ways and behaviour of the saints is extremely difficult to comprehend and follow. Many a disciple does exist but rare is the precious gem who completely comprehends the inner meaning and intention of the Guru and religiously follows and practices just what the Guru preaches, the cap that fits our Guruji perfectly.

The primary and foremost aspect of the relationship between the teacher and disciple is utmost and unfettering faith in the Guru. Sri Guruji had this kind of faith that alone had facilitated him to completely inherit Swamiji's state. Sri Guruji won in every test he was subjected to and even in the face of adverse testing times, he would focus on the sole object of self-realization and introspective concentrated meditation to attain the state of Oneness, overcoming many an obstacle hence becoming a living example to other disciples.
Swamiji used to call Guruji as " Doctor" in his conversations with him and many a time with others he would fondly refer to Guruji as " My Doctor, My Doctor " with love and affection exuding from him words. He on several occasions stated "Doctor and I are the same. We are one" citing and emphasising on the oneness Sri Guruji has attained with Him.

Guruji's decisions are very strong and stoic like a carved sculptor. His trade mark trait is his immense concentration and reverence towards any task he decides to set upon and the incessant effort he puts in for its achievement. He exhibited this focused zeal to serve the dual purpose of achieving self-realization and serving Swamiji during his lifetime.

Guru alone is permanent and constant and hence Sri Guruji, who has acquired the traits of a true Guru, often says, he attained the state of self-realization only owing to his unfailing faith in Swamiji and we are temporary and transient and hence, our education, acquired knowledge and fine culture should be put to good use in the service of the Guru for the recognition of these innate qualities in us.

Sri Guruji continues to say that one should never be completely satisfied in serving his Guru; disciples are nothing but the manifestation of the Guru himself; and the state of Oneness, (ADVAITA) is not a Veda to be orally mastered but a state of Supreme consciousness that needs to be attained by constant focused concentration and practice of Siddha Yogam and that practice of introspection alone shall help in the attainment of the state of self-realization.

Sri Guruji is constantly tilling his disciples’ minds with his sermons and initiating them into the path of self-realization to reap a good crop of introspection, weeding out the evil and negative thoughts, thus facilitating them to bear the fruit of spiritual progress.

Being declared "Tvameva Aham" - "You are I" by Swamiji, he is now our Sadguru Antarmukhanada, the 'peetadhipathi' of the ashram, initiating common man at large to the path of "Brahmavidya” through initiation (Upadesam) of Siddha Yogam. He has taken over the responsibility and maintenance of the ashram where he lives with his family.

Sri Guruji, irrespective of the great heights he reached, teaches us the humbleness and humility one needs to possess and the reverence one needs to feel for his mother through his own approach to his mother and guides us in our duties and responsibilities in the myriad roles of life as a son, husband, father and Guru.

Sri Guruji is constantly guiding his disciples and taking care of their welfare setting himself as a living example for us to follow.