Jagadguru Sri Abhinava Vidyatheertha Mahaswamin

Chapter 6 - Everything to God

In the days after His Holiness was initiated into sannyasa, the senior Jagadguru personally familiarized His Holiness with the performance of ahnika (daily rituals) and other duties. He also initiated His Holiness into mantras such as the Srividya. During the initiation of His Holiness into Narasimha mantra, when the Guru was about to start voicing the dhyana-shloka, His Holiness found Himself spontaneously visualizing Narasimha in His heart. As He heard and repeated the dhyana-shloka, He realized with surprise and happiness that the form of Narasimha described therein matched the one He was visualizing.

The senior Jagadguru then uttered the words relating to the ‘panchopachara-puja’ (worship with five homages, done after saying the dhyana sloka) for a few seconds, yet His Holiness without delay, elaborately worshipped the Lord mentally in His heart with offerings of sandal paste, flowers, incense, lamp, food and so on.

After the panchopachara puja when the Guru started to utter the Narasimha-mantra, He placed His right palm on His Holiness’s head. He did not do this when He initiated His Holiness into other mantras. The moment His Holiness repeated the mantra after the Guru chanted it, an amazing event occurred. The Guru withdrew His hand from His disciple’s head, joined His palms and gazed at His Holiness silently with deep reverence. His Holiness began to experience the Lord as His antaryamin (inner controller), refuge and intimate well-wisher as clearly as one could see a fruit in one’s open palm. His Holiness ceased to regard the body, prana, organs, mind and intellect as His; everything was of the Lord. Then the form of Narasimha disappeared and the Guru lowered His hands. After completion of the initiation, the Guru said, “After you had said the mantra once, I saw just Narasimha in your place. That is why I jerked back my hand from your head and offered my salutation to Him. When His form disappeared and you reappeared, I proceeded with the initiation. Dedicate everything to Him.”

Throughout that day, for His Holiness, offering everything to Narasimha became very easy. The next day onwards, His Holiness started consciously practicing to dedicate all His activities and their fruits to Him. He also started spending some time every day just for offering Him mental worship. From the time of initiation, Narasimha became very dear to Him.