Master E. K.: A Phenomenon

It was with profound dismay that one received the news of the passing away of Dr. Ekkirala Krishnamacharya on 17th March. Of course, for the thousands of his admirers and followers, the word “death” could not be associated with one who was not yet sixty and one who was profoundly alive and active in several disciplines: Yoga, Vedic studies, Astronomy, Homoeopathy, Creative writing, Palmistry and exegetical labours were but a few of the Master’s many-splendoured genius. Indeed, there is no doubt that he would continue to guide them whenever the need arises.

Dr. Ekkirala Krishnamacharya was born on 11th August, 1926 in Bapatla. Significantly it was the 95th (Rqssian Calendar) birth­day of Madame H. P. Blavatsky. His father, Dr. Anantacharya, was a noted Vedic scholar, and hence the Master received early initiation in our traditional lore. On the academic side, he received the M. A., and Ph. D. degrees of the Andhra University and entered the teaching profession. Simultaneously he began to work for world goodwill by bringing the East and the West together. Madame H. P. Blavatsky’s The Secret Doctrine had a profound effect upon him, and led him to establish the World Teacher Trust. He was guided by the Masters in many ways. Master C. V. V., in particular, seems to have been his main light in this spiritual adventure.

The main thrust of Dr. Ekkirala’s message was, of course, the unity of mankind, a unity that beyonds space and time. His aim was to link the modern man purposefully with the Masters of Ancient Wisdom so that his genius could blossom fully. No man is a zero and even as each individual strives to become perfect in his chosen profession with the help of the Masters, he would be contributing to the upliftment and unification of mankind.

There was no miraculism in this theory of the Masters which Dr. Bkkirala had derived from Madame Blavatsky’s significant contribution: The Secret Doctrine. (In his room at Radha­madhavam, Visakhapatnam, one could not fail to be influenced by the large portrait of Madame Blavatsky who gazed at you from her deep, determined, mesmerising eyes.) Faith in the existence of great leaders – “the scouts of evolution” – was the only thing needed. A pure, simple life of Karma Yoga, good thoughts and incandescent faith attracts the contact of the Masters. That is how Dr. Ekkirala himself gained direct association with the Masters one of whom gave him several precious volumes of Pythogoras and another taught him the proper way to read The Secret Doctrine. However, the contact is only like the lighting of a lamp. Afterwards, the flame burns by itself, fulfilling its given place in the scheme of things. The Masters do not care to spoon-feed, for the individual must have his independent existence in self-development. Dr. Ekkirala denounced the cling­ing to the Masters idea in season and out of season and citing them for each trivial action of ours. Such Tamasic ignorance was but “astral self-stupefaction.” He said:

“The Masters have clearly indicated at every step, that unless the emotional nature is completely filtered off and until the pure intelligence is distilled out of the emotional nature, we cannot dream of meeting any Master. This should not be a point of discouragement, but it should be a stimulation point for us topurify ourselves.”

The method of “purifying ourselves” in the light of tradition must be based on sturdy common-sense. Dr. Ekkirala went to the heart of the matter when dealing with the traditions established by India’s Sanatana Dharma. While retaining the essential habili­ments like the Upanayana, Gurubhakti and the Caste-system, he pleaded for using them in their true sense. Thus, Upanayima was “sending the disciple to live at the Master’s residence ... Even the child of a wealthy householder used to follow the teacher wearing a coarse waist-cloth and an upper cloth with a belt of rope and a stick in hand.” The boy went to acquire knowledge, learn self-control and discipline himself under the stern but loving eyes of the Guru. But today the Upanayana has become a mockery with silk clothes, rich presentations, a silver begging-­bowl and a grand reception while the Mantropadesa is a formality forgotten in a trice.

The caste-system, again, was originally conceived as so many rights, duties and privileges for the welfare of the society. The functions may differ but there was no distinction of higher and lower among the orders. The four orders were to live and con­tribute to their best in a spirit of Dharma. Universal well-being was the ultimate aim.

Dr. Ekkirala felt that “small is beautiful” and also purpose­ful. He called for a village reconstruction programme and initiated work in the Srikakulam district to revive the Arsha Dharma. He believed that words unsupported by practice have no vital power. A true Karma Yogi, he directed the World Teacher Trust to take up several important activities. These activities include the running of homeo clinics, classes and symposia on Veda-vidya and traditional literature, fullmoon meditations, Balabhanu Vidyalayams, a residential school at Hyderabad and New Era Healing Classes. Homoeo Brotherhood, My Light and Naa Vani are some of the journals published by the Trust. The chief aim propagated by the Trust is social reconstruction, national integration and human unity.

But Dr. Ekkirala contained many worlds. Tirelessly moving through the villages of India and often visiting foreign countries to guide his followers, he also found time to teach and write scholarly works in English, Telugu and Sanskrit. He began as a poet in Telugu. Ritu Ganam won early appreciation from Dr. C. R Reddy himself:

“Even absolutely the book is noteworthy; but when one considers the youth of the poet, it must be regarded as a work of remarkable merit and of yet more remarkable promise for the future...The style is engagingly classic. It is a matter of gratification that he has not become a victim of slovenly modernisms in language or in thought. He has the gift of similes and metaphors, and of pathetic fallacy (Utpreksha) with occasional recourse to Slesha.”

KavisamraatVisvanadha Satyanarayana in his foreword to the volume has unqualified praise for this “young (Chinnavadu, Pillavadu) Krishnamacharya” whom he described as the worthy son of a great father, E. Anantacharya. He referred to the Vedic antecedents in the description of the seasons and found some of the verses describing the Hemantaritu to be as forceful as Vedic Riks though they were couched in modern Telugu.

His Goda Vaibhavam is a Kavya on the life-story of Andal. Dr. Ekkirala’s life-long admiration for the Krishna-bhakti in Potana’s classic as well as in Krishnadeva Raya’s Amukta Malyada resulted in this imaginative recreation of Goda Devi’s love for Krishna and her entering the spiritual blaze of Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam. The thirty cantos symbolising the thirty days of Goda Devi’s Margasirshavrata were written at one stretch in the closing months of 1971, following a dream-vision, which itself came after his completion of the Parayana of the Dasama Skandha where Krishna’s flute-playing is described. He saw Goda Devi garlanding Sri Krishna with blue lotuses. As he began composing the Kavya, there descended upon him the devotional aesthesis treasured in the Veda Samhitas, especially the Suktas relating to Purusha, Vishnu, Sri, Bhu and Neela ; there were also the intima­tions of Bhakti suggested by Parasara, Narada, Sub and the Alwars.

In the Divya Prabandham of the Alwars, Goda Devi’s Madhura bhakti has a special place, and her Tiruppavaiis a unique document. With the thirty verses of Tiruppavaiin mind, Dr. Ekkirala detailed the spiritual experiences of Goda Devi. He introduced quite a few unconventional changes in the story. Thus the reclining form of Vatapatrasayi at Srivilliputtur is transformed into the Flute-Player image which plays hide-and-seek with the young Goda. We watch the idol’s eyes come alive and Venugopala comes out to steal from her tresses a marigold blossom. Titles of the cantos like Sanchalanamu (movement), Mugdhata (innocence) and Upalambanamu (irony) signify the progress of an individual soul through the mystic states of aspiration, vision, self-doubt, pining, the dark night of the soul, despair and illumina­tion. The touch of the Supreme makes Goda Devi’s devotional heart explode into a million ecstasies and she can have no more peace till she finds her identity with God. Dr. Ekkirala lavishes a shower of similes with a prodigal hand when describing the eternal wedding of Lord Ranganatha and Goda Devi. Anandamaya consciousness envelopes everybody on the occasion. The Lord is the King of Actors (Ranga Raja); the stage is Srirangam; the Mover the Lakshmi; the devotees don the dress of Goda Devi in this drama of divine love. We are assured by the Lord:

“Ranga naayika godayai rahi vahimpa
Ranga mangala moorthiyai naama dalirpa
Ranga varnamu neelayai raanamincha
Ranga moorthiga ne nundu rangamandu.”

Dr. Ekkirala also authored several books of prose. There were the puranic novels Puranapurushudu, Mandrajalamu and Purushamedhamuand the puranic playlets Subhadraand Aswaddhama. His commentary on Potana’s Bhagavatamknown as Rahasya Prakasamu is justly famous. It is sad that the eminent scholar was not given time to bring this project to a triumphant conclusion. Detailed explanations of each situation and character in the light of the Vedic tradition as well as the Theosophical Way initiated by Madame Blavatsky make Rahasya Prakasamu a spiritual and literary treasure for the Bhakta and the Sahridayas. The explanations are in the spoken language and hence easily assimilable for the common man eager to learn and follow the unique Sanatana Dharma propagated in India several centuries ago. Fortunately, Dr. Ekkirala was also an ideal teacher and had been imparting training to his students by involving them actively in this exegetic commentary. It is hoped that a few of them would complete the project as a fitting tribute to one who did so much for us, without asking for anything in return. Dr. Ekklrala indeed lived as per the rule enunciated by the Master Spirit Bhagavan Krishna on the Kurukshetra field:

“Thy right is to work only; but never to the fruits thereof. Be thou not the producer of the fruits of (thy) actions; neither let thy attachment be towards inaction.”