Tulas Amma – Vairagya Moorti.

 

SHREE TULAS AMMA

The Apistole of Bhagavan Nityananda

Bhagavan Nityananda of Kanhangad and Ganeshpuri had several devotees. Once he was asked about who would be heir to his legacy and teaching, he categorically declared “‘This one’ is beyond all desires. Only those with desires leave behind heirs. It is an Avadhuut State. ‘This One’ has no religion, sect, pant, creed or cult. No abbot, ashram, mutt, or abode. There is no Guru or disciple to ‘This One’. It is the seat of spiritual fire that can burn anyone daring to occupy.” Bhagavan Nityananda thus declared that he had no Guru and no disciples. He belonged to no school of philosophy. All scripture found their origin in Him. A Mahayogi like Nityananda is so connected with the Universe that although they may have not read any scriptures if they desire, they can recall any scripture the moment they want them. They do not talk from their memory, they talk from the present and hence what they say is wisdom.

Bhagavan Nityananda had many devotees who were assigned a specific purpose to guide spiritual aspirants of different needs and inclinations. Thus Swami Janananda was the epitome of Karma Yoga. All his life he dedicated all his actions to his Guru, Shree Bhagavan Nityananda, and thus lived like a Karma Yogi. He always maintained Swami Nityananda was his Master and that he was at His command. Bhagavan ordered him to look after the Kanhangad ashram and guide all. Swami Janananda managed the ashram as if he were the caretaker of his Master’s property and dedicated his life to serving devotees. Bhagavan, in turn, declared that Swami Janananda was a reincarnation of Lord Dattatreya. Janananda Swami lived in Kanhangad ashram and his Samadhi temple is in this ashram.

Shaligram Swami was a Hatha Yogi who was selected by Bhagavan to demonstrate to spiritual aspirants how, through Sadhana, they can transform themselves from “Nar (man) to Narayan (God).” Through his own life, Shaligram Swami demonstrated how it is possible and the need to transform into God from a state human being. He guided devotees to that goal. He was spiritually very powerful and had a very pleasing personality. Bhagavan recognized the spiritual flame in him and often called him Agni-God of Fire. Once Bhagavan declared, “Shaligram is so powerful that even ‘This One’ cannot undo what has been ordained by him.” Bhagavan gave Shree Shaligram Swami the status of Lord Shiva and called him ‘Neelkant’. Shaligram Swami had an ashram at Mahul. His Samadhi is at Ganeshpuri, behind Kailash Bhuvan. To Shree Muktananda Swami, Bhagavan said that Goddess Saraswati resides on his tongue. He was full of Knowledge and Wisdom and was guided by Bhagavan to spread the message of Love & Care across the globe.

To demonstrate ‘Vairag and Niskam Bhakti’ Bhagavan Nityananda chose Tulas Amma. She was the epitome of renunciation and selfless unconditional devotion so much so that later in her life she reached the state of ‘nityananda’. Although each devotee of Bhagavan Nityananda was unique and with a specific purpose, Tulas Amma was class apart. Bhagavan declared on her Mahasamadhi “Tulas Amma has merged with the Sun.” Here ‘Sun’ signifies Self and thus he meant that she reached the state of Satchidananda, the eternal bliss.

It was Tulas Amma who collected and recorded the teachings of Bhagavan Nityananda and compiled them into a book which is known as Chidaksha Geeta. She originally published it in Kannada and later it got translated into Marathi. and English Chidaksha Geeta highlighted the principle of Self-realization and Tulas Amma being a highly advanced aspirant, could decipher Bhagavan’s teaching to make it simple for common aspirants to understand. The preface to Chidaksha Geeta was composed by Bhagavan himself. However, Tulas Amma who was a confluence of Dwait (Dichotomy) and Adwait (Monism), Jyan (Wisdom / Knowledge), and Bhakti (Devotion) wanted to offer Bhakti Marg to the aspirants who were inclined to devotion. She therefore, also composed and compiled hymns in praise of her Guru (Sadgurusthavan) and Devotional Bhajan (songs) in a book titled ‘Atmaspuran’. Atmaspuran is written in praise of the Eternal Self and as inspired by the soul. It is a collection of bhajans by Tulas Amma and four other disciples of hers who were inspired by her.

Tulas Amma was from an era where copyright and possessing as private properties of wisdom and knowledge received from God or Guru was unknown in Indian culture. Everything was by God, for God, and of God. There was nothing ‘mine’ to possess. Even the great saint Kabir said, “ Mera Mujmein Kuch Nahi, Jho Kuch so hai Tera. Tera Tujhko Somp de tho kya Lage Mera.” (Nothing is in me; whatever is there is all Yours. When I have surrendered everything to you, there remains nothing to call mine). Such was the feeling of a disciple towards his Guru. Disciple surrendered unconditionally so much so that he dissolved in the Consciousness and there remained nothing to possess for he owned everything. Thus the concept of copyright was not very prominent among true devotees. Moreover, the devotees looked upon their contributions and compositions more as Seva, service rather than work which can be claimed as their exclusive right. Spirituality was a gift of Guru and was open and free of all. Just as God gives nature’s bounty unconditionally without ever claiming any right over nature, so also a devotee gave what he got from Consciousness to all without any expectation. Thus most of Tulas Amma’s Seva did not have her name on them as author or publisher. She did not include any reference to herself or her biography in her book. There was no way to know that it was she who was the author.

Suvarna Paduka

Tulas Amma did not look upon her works as a source of revenue. Although she had an Ashram called Anand Mutt in Mangalore, she was never worried about financial demands for running the organization. Her trust in her Guru was such that she relied on her Guru’s grace to run the Mutt. Entering into any financial transaction would make her no different from a typical businessman and thus wean her away from spirituality. The faith and trust in her God, in her Master, ensured that Mutt’s activities were all self-sustaining without any sycophancy or need of any sort of patronizing.

Thus it was very natural that very little is known of Tulas Amma. It was only because few know her contribution that today we have Nityananda Tattva is available to all of us as a rich legacy. Thus, whatever is known about Tulas Amma’s life is more from hearsay and there is no known documentation. We, from the Shenoy family, were very adherent devotees of Tulas Amma as we were not only biologically related to her but also because Swami Nityananda recommended us to sing Bhajans composed by her. We had her picture on our family altar along with Bhagavan Nityananda and she was part of our daily worship, a practice followed even today. She often visited our house and we joined her in her visits to Ganeshpuri. Whatever is shared about her here is what was learned from word of mouth from elders in our family. I also met the late Smt Saraswatibai Kamath and her daughter Sunanda when they visited Kanhangad Ashram in the early 1980s. Smt Saraswatibai who was a direct disciple of Tulas Amma was a stepmother of Mangalore Sanjeeva Kamath who translated Chidakasha Geeta in English for the first time. He used to be my neighbour as he lived in the same building where we had our house too. Even he did not claim authorship by giving his name to the English translation of Chidakasha Geeta, a practice, followed in the lineage of Tulas Amma. There was no documentation on the life and works of Tulas Amma except for whatever could be gathered from people known to her.

Tulas Amma with Shmt Saraswatibai and other devotees

The life of Tulas Amma as a biography given here may be a bit vague, chronologically not perfect and the record may be a bit different from facts. However it can give a fair idea of her childhood, the turmoil she suffered as a child widow, her encounter with her Master, her becoming a spiritual guide to initiate many women, her works and finally her attaining the supreme state of Consciousness.

Tulas Amma was born in South Karnataka Zilla, Udupi Taluka in a village called Katpadi. She was born in the family of Nayaks. Her father’s name was Ram Nayak(Timappa Nayak). He was a devotee of his Dharma Guru. Coming from the Gowda Saraswat Brahmin community, he was very devoted to their Kashi Mutt Swamiji Shree Bhuvanendra Swami. He was a knowledgeable and well-read Pandit. He was well proficient in Ayurvedic  Medicines and had established an Ayurvedic Clinic named after his Dharma Guru as “Bhunendra Enterprises”.

Tulas Amma must have been born in the year 1882 in the month of Kartik and it was Sudha Dashami. This must be around 22^nd October 1882. She was the first child of her parents. They did not have any male children. 16 years after she was born they had another daughter. Her father, therefore, brought her up like a boy and she was thus like a tomboy in her behavior. Her father Ram Nayak used to regularly study Ramayan and he used to narrate Ram Leela and inculcate in her the regular practice of chanting the holy name of Lord Rama by explaining to her the importance of Namasmaran as one of the spiritual practices. He advised her “In this world, only the holy name of Lord Rama bestows eternal joy to one who chants his name and there is no other spiritual practice superior to chanting. Hence you must always chant Lord Rama’s holy name.” This advice was engraved on the young mind of little Tulas Amma. She was thus brought up in the divine environment. In those days, child marriage was very common in India. Accordingly, Tulas Amma was married at the age of twelve. The boy was from the neighbouring village called Kundapur and he was the only son of a very rich father. His name was Dass Kamath and as he was the only son of rich parents it was not essential for him to do anything for his living. He got into the company of local vagabonds and blew his money as he got into bad habits. He got attracted to sensual attractions. Since Tulas Amma was brought up in a rich Hindu culture where the exemplary lives of noble ladies like Anusuya and Savitri were held in high esteem, she underwent the pain and agony silently. True to her ideals, Anusaya and Savitri, she continued to serve her husband irrespective of his behaviour. The family’s wealth soon vanished because of the irresponsible and rogue-like behaviour of her husband. Not only family wealth but her husband also sold all her gold that her father had given as a wedding gift. In this emotional turmoil, she kept steadfast to the chanting name of Lord Rama as advised by her father that of all the wealth in the world, the name of Lord Rama is far superior. Soon her husband became very sick and at the early age of nineteen, he died leaving Tulas Amma a widow. The state of Indian Hindu child widows, in those days, was very pathetic. Tulas Amma wore a white saree and covered her head which was clean-shaven as per the custom in those days applicable for a widow. They were treated as an ill omen and not allowed to be part of the family and society. Knowing this, her father immediately took her to his home. Being a man of wisdom, he gradually healed her emotionally and guided her to focus on spiritual practices and at the same time look for a career path and purpose for her life. He put her on chanting the holy name of Lord Rama and engaged in various rituals. She used to perform Sandyavandan three times a day.

Shree Tulas Amma

On 14^th June 1896 in Pune, Shree Dr. Dhondo Keshav Karve, popularly known as Maharshi Karve, started “Home for widows’ along with a school for widows in a small village Hingne which was later called Maharshi Karve Stree Shikshan Samstha. Mr. Rama Nayak, being well-read, came to know about this school for widows. He got Tulas Amma admitted to this school to study Marathi and Sanskrit. This was in the year 1906 when Tulas Amma must have been about 24 years old. She stayed in the hostel for five years and got a certificate in Matriculation and returned to Mangalore in 1912. For her living, she started teaching girl students. During this period her father passed away.

Shri Karva honoured with Bharat Ratna by the President of India

Below is a brief introduction to Shri Maharishi Karve

*Bharat Ratna Maharshi Karve was a social reformer and educator from India who is known for his contributions towards women’s education and empowerment. * One of his famous quotes is:

“Equal education for both sexes is not only a question of human rights but, in present-day circumstances, a practical necessity.”

This quote emphasizes the importance of providing education to both men and women, not only as a matter of equality but also as a practical requirement for the progress of society. It highlights the fact that education is a fundamental right of every individual, regardless of their gender, and that denying education to any section of society can have negative consequences for the entire community.

Tulas Amma studied in the institute opened by him for widow education in Pune. That’s how she learned Marathi. After her husband’s death, her father brought as a child widow to Pune as he did not wish to see his daughter life of a typical Hindu widow of deprivation

Tulas Amma’s sister had settled in Mangalore and she gave shelter to her. Tulas Amma looked after the children of her sister and also gave them tuition. Her regular spiritual practices as taught her by father created an intense longing to dedicate her life in search of liberation. Now that she was proficient in Marathi and Sanskrit, she regularly read various scriptures like Dasbodh, Atmaram, Dnyanreshwari, Yogvashistha, etc. She concluded that if she has progressed spiritually, she has to receive the grace of a Sadguru.  This made her long to meet the right spiritual Master and she was always on the lookout for him. Somewhere in 1921, Bhagavan Nityananda visited Mangalore. He was a lanky-looking youth who was called Kala Sadhu. He was in Avadhuut state and roamed around the streets of Mangalore like a mad person. He did not remain long at a single place but moved from place to place like a vagabond. He often distributed sweets to small children, was often found on trees, and moved from one place to another like the wind. His divinity, however, spread like wildfire, and people thronged around him. Soon the news reached Tulas Amma of this Kala Sadhu.

The news of a divine soul roaming on the streets of Mangalore gave some hope to Tulas Amma for finding a Guru. Although many discouraged her, she set up along with a few ladies in search of Kala Sadu. When she saw him sitting in the home of a devotee she was struck by his bright face which shone with divinity. He was speaking which sounded like whatever she had learned from the various scriptures. His impressive personality, his bright but piercing eyes, the words of rare wisdom and the divine aura around him convinced her that the madman was far from being mad. He was like the Self-realized man as described by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad Gita. She remembered the signs of the rue Guru told to her by her learned father. Her father used to invite to their house various monks, saints, and men of wisdom who visited their village. Tulas Amma, therefore, had firsthand experience with men who dedicated their lives in search of the truth. It was thus very easy for her to recognize young Nityananda as a divine person. She also concluded that he was her Guru. Her father had said to her “To attain the ultimate truth, you should meet a realized Master, and having met him, you must surrender unconditionally.” She was certain that the person in front of her was not an ordinary person but a saint of a very high spiritual order, a Mahatma. Her heart was full of joy having finally met her Master. She convinced the ladies who had accompanied her that Kala Sadhu was a true spiritual Guru.

Kala Sadhu – Bhagavan Nityananda

Kala Sadhu soon acquired fame in and around Mangalore along the coastal belt of Karnataka. People gathered around him for divine help, holistic healing, and spiritual guidance. Many became his devotees. He soon became known as Swami of Swami Nityananda. Tulas Amma and her friends became his devotees. Swami Nityananda was not found at the same place and hence it was very difficult to keep track of him. Tulas Amma was staying in a rented house owned by a rich person called Basti Shanbaugh as instructed by Bhagavan. One day Swami visited Mr. Shanbaugh’s place and there he initiated Tulas Amma by Netra Diksha and gave her Bodh-spiritual instructions. In Tulas Amma, renunciation had already taken root, Namasmaran-chanting of Lord Rama’s holy name was firmly established and her ability to surrender unconditionally to her Master provided the right ambience for spirituality to grow rapidly. Master’s grace and spiritual instructions gave impetus to her endeavour. Thus with unconditional devotion, she surrendered to Bhagavan Nityananda and under his guidance, she progressed. All this was happening although they did not meet frequently. Bhagavan being a Mahavatar, spiritual awakening could be done by him without any physical contact with an aspirant. The common religious practice accepted in those days was visiting a temple and participating in the various rituals held there. But a woman approaching a saint to receive his grace was not widely accepted and various meaning was given to Tulas Amma’s obsession for her Master. Moreover, her being a widow made people talk against her behind her back. Her relatives too harassed her for her ‘wayward’ behavior. Despite the strong opposition, Tulas Amma was very firm in her determination and dedication to her spiritual practices. She had a very strong faith in her Guru and looked upon Swami Nityananda as her saviour who would ferry her across the worldly ocean.

Tulas Amma gathered a few like-minded women who showed an inclination for spiritual practices and initiated them on this path. Looking at her advanced state of renunciation and immense devotion, Bhagavan had authorized her to accept disciples and initiate them. Among the monk devotees of Bhagavan, only Tulas Amma was permitted to accept disciples and give initiation. Many household women became her followers and the group grew in size. She approached Swami Nityananda for permission to set up an abbot exclusively for lady monks and disciples. Initially, Bhagavan tried to discourage her from doing so. He warned her “Setting up an abbot is like having lice in your head. It will become so irritating that you will be kept busy scratching your head with both hands throughout the day”. She expressed “For you men, it is not so embarrassing. But for us, women it is very difficult to wonder and stay in open. We need shelter and privacy. So please give us sanction to set up an ashram.” Bhagavan finally relented and ordered her to set up a small abbot at Managudda hill and asked her to call it Anand Mutt. This was a dilapidated house of a businessman dealing in vermilion. Bhagavan acquainted her with Ashram Dharma, the terms and conditions of running and maintaining an ashram. He asked her to conduct Yogabhyas, reading of various scriptures, holding Satsangh to share and teach spiritual practices. For the first year, he asked her to maintain a owe of silence. She, therefore, did not speak to anyone and spent much of her time in meditation and deep introspection making her manifold strong to run the Mutt as per Ashram Dharma. She started writing on various spiritual experiences, poems, bhajans, and compilation of Chidaksha Geeta. In this period she followed severe austerity. There was a lady devotee who looked after Tulas Amma’s comfort. Many times it required to feed her like a small child. Gradually Tulas Amma began to evolve spiritually. By the prowess of Yoga, Bhagavan Nityananda guided Kundalini Shakti of Tulas Amma to the highest stage where the Shakti merges with Shiva and Supreme Consciousness dawns upon the aspirant. He gave a new name to Tulas Amma as Anandi. This was the highest state that any aspirant of a very high order could reach by the grace of his Guru. Tulas Amma was now a full-fledged spiritual guide. She could transfer her shakti to other seekers and thus guide them spiritually. Yet, she always remained submissive spiritually to her Guru. Day and night she engaged in serving her Guru by imparting to other seekers the various forms of devotional practices. The rest of the time she remained in a trance with her prana held in Sahasrara. Whenever she came down a little she engaged in praising her Guru and composing hymns describing the spiritual state and prowess of her Guru.

During her lifetime she composed several hymns in praise of her Guru Nityananda. It was a unique collection of hymns where she compared Bhagavan Nityananda to Nityananda.  She composed several Arathi in honour of her Master, where she again described Nityananda as Supreme Consciousness, Universal Self, Atmaram, and nityananda – a state of eternal joy. She did not compare him to any other saints. He was simply He, incomparable, a standalone personality who was second to none. To Shenoys, Bhagavan recommended that we must sing Bhajans composed by Tulas Amma as her compositions outpour as an expression of her own divine experience and intense Bhakti.  The collections of bhajans are known as “Atmaspuran”-Spontaneously from the Soul. Later in her life, several householder ladies became devotees of Tulas Amma and Bhagavan Nityananda. They formed a small group and five lady devotees together compiled the Bhajans and finally published the book called Atmaspuran. None of them however revealed their name or contribution. Tulas Amma used ‘Anandi’ as her pen name at the end of poems composed by her. Tulas Amma gave Diksha to Subhadra, Saraswatibai, and other ladies and initiated them into the Shakti path. Of these devotees, I had met late Saraswatibai and her daughter Sunananda. Saraswatibai was initiated directly by Tulas Amma. Sunanda was initiated by her mother. She described this spiritual practice as Raj Yoga and had to do with control of Prana-the breath which moved internally and was held between the eyebrows. Normally in Kundalini Yoga, the Kundalini is pulled up into Sushmana from the bottom of the spine. There is a danger that an aspirant while practicing may get trapped while he is drawing the Prana from the bottom of the spine. What I could understand from Sunanda is that Tulas Amma taught her mother to draw Prana by stationing at Ajna Chakra and pulling Prana up from Muladhara just as one is drawing water from a well using a rope, a bucket, and a pulley. The rope is breath, the pulley is Ajna Chakra and Prana is the bucket. It is safer to draw water from a well than to get into the well. Just as there are chakras below the Ajna Chakra to Muladhara Chakra there are six Chakras from Ajna to Sarasar Chakra. When by this practice of Raj Yoga technique Kundalini is aroused and brought to Ajna Chakra, it can easily move to Sarasar Chakra by the grace of a Sadguru. It is here that Guru Krupa becomes very important, both for the success and safety of an aspirant.

The greatest contribution of Tulas Amma was her collection of teachings of Bhagavan Nityananda.  Bhagawan Nityananda was an avatar, a Janma Siddha, one who is born as a God-Realized being. His Grace and his spiritual and healing power became known all over South Karnataka, and many became his devotees. Wherever he went, there was a huge crowd of people who went to him to seek relief from their troubles or pain. Although it appeared that it was Bhagwan Nityananda was in a deep trance, the curing was simply happening when a person was in the presence of Him or intensely prayed to Him. He gave them some grass from the ground or leaves from any nearby trees that the afflicted person took and was cured. The Shakti was, in His Words, in His blessings.

Bhagavan was often found talking to Himself. He spoke in parables, short sentences which were crisp, sometimes in a semi-coherent fashion, using metaphors and comparisons with day-to-day living. However, what he said was not always easily understood by the listener. Yet two Konkani-speaking young boys followed Bhagavan and noted down whatever they could gather. One of them was called Gopal Bhel and the other was Dr. Bhail During such divine experiences, he would speak out, “Uncle Arjuna, come here. Listen to what Grandfather Krishna has to say.” He would repeat these words again and again. This was as if to indicate that the word of wisdom would follow. He spoke in chaste Kannada. However, Bhagavan never gave any organized lectures or discourses. It was mostly spontaneous and unorganized. He was not particular whether anybody was listening to him. It had no limit of time and place. It was anywhere and anytime that the fountain of wisdom just spilt over. His words, full of Yoga-Vedantic and spiritual wisdom, the young boys could hardly understand in totality. Tulas Amma gathered all the notes from them, including what she had made and compiled them in an orderly manner. She had already reached a very advanced spiritual stage and hence could decipher what Bhagavan said in his trance. She thus gave commentary to each of his aphorisms. She then presented it to Bhagavan who gave her permission to publish. He suggested the name “Chidaksha Geeta” and there could not have been a better name than this for the pearls of wisdom which had their origin in Self that is Sat Chit Anand. They were not from any scriptures or books but from a direct experience. Bhagavan also guided Tulas Amma on the preface of this book. Finally, the book came into being and the authentic teachings of Swami Nityananda became available to the world. The devotees of Bhagavan Nityananda are thus eternally obliged to Tulas Amma for making them available. This was somewhere in the late twenties

Tulas Amma had reached an advanced stage of spiritual evolution. She started moving from one place to another giving discourses and initiating women devotees. For fifteen long years, she moved from place to place. She had now reached the final destination where Jeeva and Shiva were merging to become one. In that state, she lost all her control and she remained in a trance twenty-four hours a day. She found all animate and inanimate objects as Nityananda. Bhagavan had moved to Ganeshpuri and she often visited him. Finally, in 1944 she took Mahasamadhi. Bhagavan who was in Ganeshpuri suddenly declared “ Tulas Amma has merged in the Sun.” He meant that she had reached the highest state of the awakening of Kundalini. Later, Bhagavan while talking about Tulas Amma said to Raghunath Shenoy, “Tulas Amma has seen the sun” meaning that she has attained the spiritual heights which only a few can attain.

From my childhood days, I used to hear my father reciting bhajans composed by Tulas Amma and in our homes, these bhajans were daily sung. Bhagavan Nityananda had recommended to us that we must sing the bhajans composed by Tulas Amma as they have emerged from her devotion full heart. I always wanted these bhajans to be translated into English so that English-speaking devotees would get a feel of Guru Bhakti and Guru Seva. After much search for the right person to get to do this Seva, by the grace of Bhagavan Nityananda I came in contact with Smt. Hemlata Sudhakar Joshi is lovingly called Hematai. She immediately took this Seva upon and finally, we offered the English Translation at the Lotus Feet of Gurudeva. It was possible to do this Seva because of the active participation of Smt Hemlata Joshi. On 1st October 2016, Smt Hemlata Joshi merged into Shree Sadguru.

She comes from an illustrious family of Nimonkar and their name is mentioned in Sai Sat Charitra, the official biography of Shree Sai Baba. Her grandfather was a direct disciple of Shree Sai Baba and her father was offered a shawl when he was a small child. Later, Baba ordered her grandfather to hoist the flag on Dwarkamai on Ram Navami day.

This honour, even to these days,is given to the Nimonkar family, and her brothers attend this ceremony every Ramnavami.

Hematai, as she was widely called, lived in Pune along with her husband. She was very proficient in Marathi, Sanskrit, and English. She wrote several books, articles, poems, and bhajans and translated several books from English to Marathi and vice versa. She wrote on Shree Swami Samartha, Shree Shankar Maharaj, Shree Mahavatar Babaji, Shree Sai Baba, and Shree Paramhansa Yogananda.

The English translation of hymns and bhajans written by Tulas Amma is available as an eBook, whose link is given below

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