Udupi Math

Bhagavan Nityananda in Udupi — The Leela Bhoomi of Chidakasha Geeta and the Ninth Math

Bhagavan Nityananda spent a significant portion of His early life in Udupi, the sacred land of Lord Shree Krishna. Often found in deep states of trance near the famed Shree Krishna Temple and on the veranda of the ancient Shree Ananteshwar Temple, Bhagavan radiated a stillness that drew seekers and the curious alike. In this mystic state, He spoke spontaneously on the nature of the Self—Atma Dnyan, revealing timeless truths that emerged from His inner Chidakasha, the infinite space of consciousness.

During this period, two young boys were deeply drawn to this enigmatic figure, then known simply as Kalasadhu — the ascetic in black. Whenever they found Him speaking in a trance, they would quickly jot down fragments of His words. Though they could barely grasp the depth of what they had heard, they intuitively felt the power behind those utterances. Later, they would attempt to reconstruct the talks from memory. These scattered notes eventually found their way to Shree Tulas Amma, a radiant devotee of Bhagavan and a realised being in her own right. With her intuitive insight and devotion, she compiled them into a series of aphoristic teachings now known as the Chidakasha Geeta, a profound scripture that continues to guide seekers on the path of Self-realisation. Chidakasha Geeta is the only documented teachings of Bhagavan Nityananda. The compiled aphorisms were shown by Tulas Amma to Bhagavan Nityananda. He suggested the name Chidaksha Geeta for the book and gave her the idea of what the foreword for the book should be. Accordingly Tulas Amma published the book.

Years later, in the same sacred soil of Udupi, a devout seeker named Shree Situamma — a powerful Devi Upasika — established an ashram under Bhagavan’s inspiration. Though Bhagavan had by then moved to Ganeshpuri, Situamma frequently travelled there, seeking His darshan and divine guidance. I recall meeting her around 1959–1960, when she had been given a small room near the Kunda in Ganeshpuri. Inside, an image of Devi was enshrined — a quiet testimony to her unwavering devotion. She conversed with my mother in Kannada, a language I then could not understand, yet the presence in the room was unmistakably filled with grace and shakti.

Nearly two decades later, in 1978–79, I had the blessing of visiting Situamma at her Udupi Math. She received me with immense love and respect, recognising that I had come from Bhagavan’s place. This time, she spoke in Hindi and offered comforting words that have stayed with me ever since. With serene assurance, she said, “Nityananda will lead your life. You don’t have to worry. He will stand by you every moment.” Her voice carried the weight of direct knowing. I bowed to her and left for Kanhangad, holding her words like a lamp in my heart. Shortly after, I was admitted to my Ph.D. program — a path that unfolded under Bhagavan’s unseen guidance.

Bhagavan had blessed Situamma’s Math, acknowledging her devotion by proclaiming:
“There are eight Maths in Udupi dedicated to Lord Krishna. This will be the Ninth Math.”
Thus, her ashram was sanctified — not merely as a physical structure, but as a spiritual seat rooted in Advaita Bhava, infused with His divine presence.

Recently, the Math of Sityamma was made into a large temple, and the idol of Bhagavan was installed in the Math with grandeur and celebration unlike anything witnessed before. And yet, a quiet part of me missed the serenity of the old Math — the small Dhyana room where a simple Krishna murti rested and where the silence felt intimate and vast. But change, as I’ve come to learn, is not a rupture in truth — it is the very movement of the unchanging. The unchanging principle of life expresses itself through change.

So I accept it, bowing once again to the mystery of Bhagavan’s divine play, where nothing is ever lost, only transformed. His presence — whether in Udupi, Ganeshpuri, or the inner chamber of the heart — remains eternal.

I have shared the picture of the statue installed in this Udupi Math. Whenever I find the photographs of the original Math, I will upload them here.

I wish to share a powerful leela of Bhagavan Nityananda that took place in a small coastal town called Mulki, located between Mangalore and Udupi in Karnataka. This moving incident was narrated by Shri Dev Nadkarni, a well-known writer, storyteller, promoter of the performing arts, and cartoonist. For young children, he had made a picture book narrating the life of Shree Bhagavan Nityananda.

At the heart of this leela is Dev Nadkarni’s maternal family. His grandparents were deeply worried about the health of their second-born child, an infant barely a few months old, who had been suffering from relentless diarrhoea and high fever. The child was severely dehydrated, and despite medical efforts, the doctors had begun to lose hope. In that moment of despair, his grandmother turned wholeheartedly to prayer, placing her faith in the divine.

It was during this difficult time that Bhagavan Nityananda arrived at their home, one of His mysterious and spontaneous visits. When his grandmother poured out her worries, Bhagavan listened silently, while his grandfather, more rational and sceptical by nature, stood by, watching the exchange unfold.

Bhagavan asked to hold the ailing infant. As soon as the child was placed in His arms, he unexpectedly defecated all over Bhagavan’s hands. Without a trace of discomfort, Bhagavan gently laid the child on the floor and, to everyone’s shock, smeared the excrement over His own body. My grandfather stood frozen, utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend this sacred madness. Still wrapped in silence, Bhagavan asked the child’s mother to follow Him to the well in the courtyard. There, He squatted near the wall of the well and instructed her to draw water and pour it over Him. Pot after pot, she obeyed, pouring water over Bhagavan as He bathed in the open courtyard. Once He was satisfied, He calmly told her to return to the child.

Then, in a moment that revealed His uncanny lightness and agility, Bhagavan, a slender, youthful figure, swiftly climbed a nearby tree. He shook a few branches, causing some loose leaves to fall gently to the earth. Descending just as quickly, He gathered the fallen leaves, crushed them between His palms, and handed the crushed herbs to his grandmother, instructing her to prepare a paste and feed it to the infant.

Having done what He came to do, Bhagavan departed as mysteriously as He had arrived.

Miraculously, the baby, Dev Nadkarni’s mother’s eldest brother, recovered rapidly after that day. He would later go on to live a full life, retiring in Bangalore and eventually passing away in September 2007, at the age of 86. The year 2007 was a very significant year for devotees of Bhagavan Nityananda. That year saw the passing away of other senior devotees like Shri Madhav Hegde (known as Engineer Hegde) and Shree Sadnanda Swami (Padiyar Swami) of Kanhangad.

It is stories like these that reveal not just Bhagavan’s divine leelas but also His immense compassion, expressed in the most unexpected and unfathomable ways. For those who witnessed it, it was a moment of transformation. For those of us who hear it, it remains a sacred echo of His grace.