Chapter 2: Childhood & Education

A baby boy was born to a Lakshmipathy and Annamma couple of ‘Karnam’ family (Karanika family that handles village accounts/ clerk) of Peddaharivanam, a village in the Advaani taluk of Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Lakshmipathy was also an astrologer – when the third child was born to them neither the baby cried nor the mother experienced labour pain. As the baby smiled and did not cry, they assumed him to be dumb. The place which suffered eight long years of famine without rains received torrential rains from the birth of this new child, creeks, lakes and rivers overflew with it. The child was named “Jankappa”, his parents and relatives called him out aloud “Jankappa Kuttitta Kurra”.
Lakshmipathy had to vacate that ancestral home after few years, they shifted to a new house – despite being told by people about the goddess of seven children living in that house and nobody ever progressed in life there- they started living in that house.
There were several pillars in the house and a strange pole in the kitchen, if someone bad came into the house, the pillar used to blow fire. They worshipped the pillar every day. Sometimes at night the rays of light used to emanate from the pole – two hands would come out of the pole and take the boy Jankappa near to it. The boy would get absorbed meditating near the pillar – because of the moon light like cool rays from the pole he used to forget the world and meditate. Sometimes when the boy woke up to urinate and went to wake his mother, she would be in a deep slumber, and the pillar goddess would hold the hand and take the boy outside.
Jankappa learned the mantra of the priestly profession (Archaka Vritti) from his brother Narasimha, he seemed adept learning Shastra, Veda and Mantras. Jankappa used to recite the next line even before his brother teaching him the new mantra. His brother Narasimha was surprised at this. Observing the boy’s peculiar genius and behavior they tied him Talisman (energised and blessed threads) thinking that the boy was troubled by Balgraha (demons who delight in teasing/injuring the children), but in vain. Seeing Jankappa chant a mantra that no one taught and no one learnt, when he was asked where he learned it, Jnakappa replied “Ghana Maye (The profound illusion) is the reason for both the worldly bondage (Bhav bandhan) and Self-Realization (Atma Sakshatkar)”. Hearing this response the family realized “he is not from here”
The Jyoti (light) coming out of that sacred pillar seemed to take different forms, it used to delight him coming in different forms as a mother, a friend, a small girl. The boy who was learning the mantras from his brother and astrology, mythology, and scriptures from father, seemed to have no interest in games.When Jankappa reached the age of 9, he had memorized the Vedagama Shastra, Purana as well as the Girija Kalyana. One day Shambhavi Devi came to him in dream and ordered “if you go to Ayodhya village near Gangavati your poverty will go away. Surrender to a Guru for Atmavikas (Evolution of Soul)”

Compiled by Vijayananda Swamiji from the Original Work of S.V. Patil Gundur, ‘Sri Rajayogi Chidanandaavadhootaru’. Translated by Ramya Poojari under the guidance of Swamy VijayanandaNityananda Dhyana Mandir Bevinkoppa