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Sri Yogi Narayana
Narayanappa was born in 1726 to Kondappa and Mudamma, into a family of bangle sellers (Gajula Balija caste in local dialect) in the village of Kaiwara in Kolar District of the then princely state of Mysore - now Karnataka. The village is about 60 kilometers from Bangalore city.
Narayanappa got married at an early age of about 10 years to a girl named Lakshmamma. His first wife died early of illness. By 16 years he was re-married to his second wife Muniyamma, from whom he begat many children, principally girls. Few survived. This was a period of time prior to the invention of antibiotics, when entire villages would be wiped out by infectious diseases marked by diarrhea and vomiting. The surviving children were: Pedda Kondappa, Chinna Kondappa and Mudamma (named after Narayanappa’s parents). The running of the family was rather difficult with many mouths to feed. Narayanappa continued the family business of agriculture (growing finger millets/ragi and potatoes) and bangle selling. The area around Kaiwara is rather arid, with very little agricultural produce. As a result, the family income was supplemented by the selling of bangles. The village of Kaiwara was the centre of Narayanappa’s activities.
Kaiwara itself dates back millennia and was referred to as Kaiwara Pura. Edicts (hero stones or veeragalu) in the vicinity historically refer to the region as Kaiwara Nadu. The region extended from Chitoor and Palamner (now in Andhra Pradesh); Mulbagal, Bethamangalam, Bangarpet (Kolar Gold Fields), Kolar District, Whitefield, Hosakote up to Doddi Gunta (Frazer Town/Cox Town) of Bangalore, Karnataka.
Since birth, Narayanappa was a recluse. Being kind hearted he always distributed whatever he possessed to the poorer and needy irrespective of caste or creed. His kindness was to the dismay of his second wife Muniyamma, who always believed that charity began at home, and it was more important to think of the upkeep of their biological children rather than help rank outsiders. The difference of opinions among the couple, led to severe marital disputes. Narayanappa often quarreled with Muniyamma on the aspect of food and money.
In 1777, at the age of 50 years, after another severe quarrel with his wife over household matters, Narayanappa took up ascetism to become a monk (sanyasi). Oral history handed down over the ages to family members has that he was initiated personally to become an ascetic by Amara Narayana (Lord Sri Krishna himself), in the form of a young child cowherd – Balakrishna at a cave now called Vaikunta Guhe. Amara Narayana is the chief presiding deity of Kaiwara. The Lord is along with his two consorts Bhu-devi and Sri-devi in the main temple of the village. Some locals also believe he was initiated by another monk Paradeshi Swami from Chitoor at Mogili Venkatagiri, during his traverses around the region, while selling bangles. Narayanappa was initiated into the Advaita philosophy of Adi Sankaracharya.
After Narayanappa turned his back to the world to become an ascetic, he became a total recluse and performed severe austerities/penance to attain enlightenment between 1777 and 1780 on a nearby hillock in a cave referred to today as Cave of Yogi Sri Narasimha Swami (Gavi Sri Yoga Narasimha Swami Sannidhi). Oral history records that during his long penance, he had the company of only a black colored country dog (a local hound) with a white stripe (namam) on its forehead. Food for sustenance to both the master and his best friend was provided by the locals and shepherds who looked up to Narayanappa as an enlightened soul. Three years after deep penance, the locals believed Narayanappa became enlightened and referred to him now as Yathindra Narayana.
The belief started when tigers, bears and domesticated animals in the vicinity would sleep in peaceful harmony near Narayanappa during his deep penance. A cobra is reported to have spread its hood around noon each day to give him shade during the hot months of summer. Further, the Yathindra became an adviser in day-to-day matters to the locals in times of trouble. He started performing good deeds and miracles. An almost blind man is reported to have recovered eye-sight by the grace of the Yogi.
Narayanappa also gave discourses to the local communities and started enriching their lives in the Advaitha philosophy, which led the locals to become spiritually rich and educated. He cautioned the people against blind superstition and the needless ritualistic mode of worship. By now the saint was referred to fondly as Yogi Narayana and Thathaiyya – or gentle grandfather.
Well-wishers then built a thatched hut for him in which he started dwelling. Every morning he would call out the name “Krishna” and a bald eagle – a rarity in this part of the world (Garuda) is reported to fly over the thatched hut high in the sky. Today the spot of the thatched hut has a banyan tree, which is considered as a wish-fulfilling tree. He also advised the locals to seek of the blessings of the presiding deity Amara Narayana.
Yogi Narayanappa wrote two treatises on palm leaves viz., (i) Vedantha Saravalli and (ii) Amara Narayana Shataka. He also compiled a collection of hymns – kirthanas : 149 in Telugu and 19 in Kannada. Some of the kirthanas have been beautifully rendered by a variety of Carnatic musician artists like: (1) the doyen of Carnatic music - late Sri M. Balamuralikrishna; (2) Sree Nedunuri Krishnamurthy (3) Malladi Brothers (4) Chinmaya Sisters (5) G. Balakrishna Prasad - Sri Devi (TTD) and (6) Sri Vidhyabhushan. The poet in Narayanappa uses the nom de plume as Nada Brahmananda Narayana Kavi and/or Ninda Paratatwa Prachanda Narayana Kavi.
In 1813 he wrote a book of prophecy similar to the one written by Nostradamus, which he entitled as Kalajnana. The two most important aspects of the book are the rule of India by the British Empire (who he refers to as red-faced monkeys) and their final overthrow. Thathaiyya predicted the overthrow of the British ca 1810. Looking further into the future, Thathaiyya in his book has also predicted the end of the world in a shower of fiery meteorites, which would bring end of life on Earth. In 1833, he penned the Nada Brahmananda Shatakam.
At the ripe old age of 110 years, Thathaiyya realized that it was time for him to become one with the Universal Spirit, and instructed his followers that his time was coming to an end. He wished Jeeva-Samadhi. His followers performed the highly purifying act on Wednesday, May 18th 1836, at midnight.
Those who are inclined towards spiritualism may visit the Jeeva-Samadhi which is maintained by the Sri Yogi Nareyana Mutt, Sri Kshetra Kaiwara, Chintamani Taluk of Karnataka. The seeker, sitting in deep meditation in front of the Samadhi, is likely to hear the words of the astakshari beej mantra “Om Namo Narayanaya" emanating from the Samadhi.
The yogi’s descendants today have spread far and wide in Karnataka, with many taking residence in Kolar, KGF, Mulbagal and Bangalore. The seventh and eighth generations’ descendants of Thathaiyya who have migrated to other pastures live below the poverty line and live hand-to-mouth lives as menial daily wage workers. The philosophical question then arises: whose path should one follow? (i) That given by Thathaiyya to renounce the world or (ii) follow the principle of his wife Muniyamma who always insisted: family first - since charity begins at home.
References: 1. From Here to Eternity [An expert Yogi’s Scintillating Guide to Salvation] – by Kaiwara Sri Yogi Naraeyana; rendered into English by Prof. N. Nanjunda Sastry, Sri Yogi Nareyana Ashrama Publishers, Kaiwara (2004). 2. A Yogi’s Prophetic Vision – by Kaiwara Sri Yogi Nareyana (A Seer with exceptional Divination Powers); rendered into English by Prof. N. Nanjunda Sastry, Sri Yogi Nareyana Mutt Publishers, Kaiwara (2013). 3. http://bangalorepress.blogspot.com/2013/06/kaivara-naranappa-tataiyya-sri-yogi.html 4. https://www.sriyoginaraeyanamutt.org/early-life/ 5. Compact Discs’ of songs penned by Thathaiyya brought forth by Sri Yogi Nareyana Mutt, Sri Kshetra Kaiwara, Chintamani Taluk, Karnataka. 6. Oral history handed down the generations in the family tree to the descendants of Narayanappa.