Pantulu remembered the prophecy of his daughter, Bharati. As per his promise to her on her deathbed, he planned to create an appropriate philosophical and spiritual atmosphere in his house.
Scholars were appointed to chant the Vedas every day. Early in the morning, Purushasuktam, Namakam and Chamakam were recited. Some Brahmins were assigned the recitation of Vishnu Sahasranamas. Siva Stotram and Verses from Saundaryalahari of Sankaracharya and other classical verses were also recited daily.
Pantulu invited scholars from all over India to take part in philosophical discussions. His house was transformed into a nucleus for dissemination of Vedic philosophy and spirituality. Important gurus, heads of monasteries, preachers, ascetics and such visited the house of Pantulu. Theories of karma, rebirth, birthlessness, Brahman, salvation and Non-Dualism were discussed.
Thus the surrounding atmosphere acted as a preparatory ground for Krishna’s spiritual flowering in his later life. Indeed, he was much happier with this ambience than playing with friends. The spiritual ground had become his playground.
Pantulu devoted himself to the Theosophical Society while molding his own life in accordance with ancient traditions at the same time. He also succeeded in modifying his house as a spiritual and philosophical center for the sake of the development and progress of his grandson. He spent much time and money to achieve these objectives.
***
Until he became conscious Krishna did not know that he was motherless. He had been presuming that his grandmother was his mother. It seemed to him that he had no father either. Everyone had a mother. Why not he? Where had she gone? Why? He asked his grandmother, 'Where is my mother?'
'God took her away' 'When will she return?' 'She won't'
'Why not?'
'God keeps good people with Him.' ‘Then how can I see my mother?' ‘You should pray to God.' 'What happens then?'
'God will be pleased with your devotion. He will appear before you and will grant you whatever you wish. What will you wish?'
'I will ask him to show me my mother'
Then He will immediately show you your mother.' 'Will she stay away with me after that?'
'No.' 'Why not?'
'Because she is an angel.' ‘What did she look like?' 'You imagine her as you wish.’
The boy became thoughtful; but he could not imagine her features. He could not imagine her because she was an angel and angels are invisible.
Krishna inquired about his father. He received the answer that ‘He is living somewhere and working. He will come to see you at his convenience.’ Krishna was not informed of his father's remarriage or of the fact that he had some other offspring besides him. Krishna thought within himself, 'When I grow up, I will pray and please God. I will ask him to show me my mother.' Pantulu worshipped regularly. Krishna began to sit with him and watch the process of worship.
Even in early childhood, Krishna was pious. Pantulu was proud of his grandson; he arranged a separate prayer room for him. Krishna did not allow anyone into his prayer room. A number of pictures and idols of different gods were arranged in the room the way he liked and he worshipped them in his own fashion.
Earlier, Krishna was sleeping with his grandfather on the same bed. But now he was provided with a separate bed. At midnight, however, Krishna would wake up and sneak into his grandfather’s bed. When Krishna woke up in the morning, to his great surprise he would always find himself back on his own bed. He did not know how he got there. Later, he understood that his grandfather carefully and quietly brought him back to his own bed. So, thereafter, when he woke up at midnight, Krishna began to crawl underneath his grandfather’s bed and slept there. What he wanted was the proximity of his grandfather, whether it was under or above the bed, it didn’t matter. Grandfather was everything to him.
By the time he was five-years old, Krishna was mentally sharp and his memory was powerful. He impressed everybody with his ability to memorize anything in a very short time.
In the early hours of each day, his house resounded with the chanting of Vedic verses. Krishna would wake up slowly to the sound of the recitation. Gradually he too began to recite. Sometimes, without knowing what he was doing, Krishna would involuntarily get up from his bed and walk up to the place where the verses were being chanted. He would sit there in a semiconscious state. On days when there was no chanting, he still felt he was listening to it.
In those years, he memorized a number of philosophical works like Panchadasi and Naishkarmyasiddhi. He could recite verses from them just as any scholar would. If someone asked him to quote a particular verse, he would recite it instantly. If he was asked for the context and reference of a certain verse, he could supply them.
***
One day, Pantulu asked Krishna, ‘Kittu, I am going to Madras. Will you come with me?' Krishna was pleasantly surprised and he immediately answered, ‘Yes, I’m ready. Wherever you want to take me, I’ll go with you.' The boy had a fascination for travel. Moreover, the present journey was to be by train.
He did not sleep much that night. Now and then he would look out the window waiting for the day to dawn. Early in the morning, he packed his clothes and got ready to go. Both of them went to Bezawada and then traveled by train to Madras. It was the first time for Krishna to visit the Theosophical Society in Adyar. He was wondering at the persons, buildings and atmosphere all around. He felt as if he stepped into a brave new world.
That evening he was walking alone along the beach collecting interesting-looking shells. From behind him a gentleman approached him and began to collect a few shells for him.
The boy looked at him and wondered for a while at his pure white, perhaps even whiter than jasmine, dress. He held a strange attraction for Krishna. The gentleman walked ahead of him. Krishna stood still, watching him till he was out of sight.
***
Bangalore was Pantulu’s summer resort. He lived in a rented house near Sankara Math in the Basavannagudi Temple area. Children would accompany him. This time, Narasimha Rao, son of Saraswati followed him, along with Minakshi.
In Bangalore, Pantulu arranged the alphabet-learning ceremony for Krishna. According to the Kannada Tradition, the boy was to be dressed in a long coat, a loose pajama and a turban. At an auspicious moment he would be taught the alphabet for the first time.
On returning home from Bangalore, Pantulu sent his grandson to a nearby elementary school. Till then Krishna was like a free bird. But now he did not like to be regimented by the schedule of the school. He began to abhor the very idea of school. But he had to go to school and he did so without much interest. He was often irritated. The facial expressions of teachers and their behavior repelled him. Discipline was considered more important in the school than teaching.
Krishna was classified as a “special case” by virtue of his social status. Even otherwise, he would never go unnoticed wherever he might be. He attracted attention and admiration.
He was a boisterous and blithe little boy full of childish pranks. He was totally carefree; he feared none; he was adventurous, audacious, strong-willed and steadfast. He was kind, humane, considerate and generous. He was talkative and quick-witted. He always had a handful of admirers around him.
Krishna had a number of friends at school. Atluri Venkateswara Rao was his best friend. ‘In complexion Krishna was like a ripe white guava fruit -- he was handsome. He was born in a rich Brahmin family, but he did not care about the distinctions in society. He was highly sociable and friendly,’ he said about Krishna.
On some holidays, all the friends used to assemble at the Mound of Tarts and play there amidst the ruins of the Buddhist aramas14
. The “Mound of Tarts” was a huge area which acted a hub of religious activities in days of yore. Jainism and Buddhism flourished as state religions in ancient Andhra. In course of time, their followers debauched; hence the place was abandoned. But the derogatory name for the place remained.
Now and then these boys would find old copper coins here and there in the ruins of the Mound. Krishna avidly collected the coins and preserved them.
Krishna never went to a restaurant alone. A number of friends always accompanied him and he footed the bill, whatever the amount of it might be. If anyone asked Krishna for a book or any other article, he would give it him freely. He did not care to acquire anything for himself. ‘This article is mine. So I should have it and no one else’ – he never entertained such thoughts.
In those days, Black Bird brand fountain pens were very expensive. Krishna would get his Black Bird pen to school and sometimes stab the top of the desk with its nib. His classmates looked at him aghast. He knew that the pen was rendered useless but he did not care. After a few days, he would bring another pen and spoil it again in the same fashion. When one of his friends, Raghava Rao, asked him, 'Why do you spoil a pen like that?' He would simply smile and reply, ‘just for fun!'
He would freely distribute balloons brought for him from Madras to his friends and then play with the friends. He had a special affection for poor boys.
One day, as usual, Krishna appeared to be inattentive in the class; he was talking to a boy next to him in a low tone of voice. The teacher noticed it. ‘Yes, here is a chance for me to shame Krishna before all his friends!’ he thought. The teacher continued with his lesson and asked him after he finished, ‘Krishna have you understood the lesson?’ Krishna replied immediately, 'Yes, sir!' The teacher then asked him to tell the class what he had learned. Krishna clearly explained the entire lesson to the utter dismay of the teacher and amazement of all his classmates. The teacher was puzzled.
In the arithmetic class, the teacher noticed his inattentiveness and asked him to recite a multiplication table. The teacher was embarrassed when Krishna got up and recited the whole table in a moment without a single mistake. None of the teachers in the school had come across such a student before.
Once Krishna opened a book and started reading, he would feel that he was already familiar with the material. If he casually listened to anything, he would not forget it. He was able to recite tongue-twisting Sanskrit verses easily. His pronunciation also was clear. Elderly scholars appreciated his recitation and considered him a child prodigy. Krishna went to school as a routine but he had no interest in the school curriculum.
***
Of late, Krishna had been coughing and Durgamma started her treatment with home remedies. He was given a decoction of black pepper and dried ginger mixed with brown sugar. Krishna was spitting out phlegm and was exhausted easily. One day a streak of blood was noticed and everyone panicked. Pantulu immediately planned to take Krishna to Madras for treatment. Krishna was happy to learn that he would be making a trip to Madras and did not mind the cough.
Pantulu consulted a number of medical experts in Madras. After some tests, the doctors thought that his condition might lead to tuberculosis. Pantulu was nonplussed. In those days, a tuberculosis patient could eventually die. There was no effective treatment for it in any system of medicine. Naturopathy was the only rescue, but it would take a long time.
Fortunately, Pantulu himself was well versed in naturopathy. His personal library contained a number of Indian as well as Western publications on the subject. Immediately, Pantulu started to treat his grandson with tub bathing, clay bathing and sun bathing, which were important components of naturopathy. Krishna’s diet was changed. Boiled vegetables, fruit juice, goat milk and its products were his daily special diet.
Early in the morning, everyday, Krishna performed special yoga exercises such as “salutations to the sun”. He was also required to do pranayama. Pantulu learned that cod liver oil given daily in small doses would strengthen Krishna’s immune system. Immediately the oil was ordered from Madras. Although he was reluctant to drink it because of its unpleasant taste and odor, he was forced to. He was asked to wear a small
loincloth and stand in the morning sun. Cod liver oil was applied all over his body and he was exposed to sunlight.
Thanks to all these treatments and pranayama, Krishna’s cough gradually abated and finally disappeared. His cardio spasm, however, persisted and he had to fast to overcome it.
***
In addition to playing games such as hide and seek, Krishna invented new games. Closing all the doors and windows of a room, he would stay inside while all his friends were outside. A small hole would be made in the window for his friends to peep in. Inside the room, he would wear the mask of a tiger and make all sorts of gestures and sounds to entertain his friends. The children called it 'shadow play'.
Pantulu’s plans were effective. Krishna developed a deep love for philosophy and spirituality. It probably also gave him a reason to dislike formal schooling. Before he attained even seven years of age, he started to concentrate on the essence of all education, namely, self-knowledge.
Every day, Krishna listened with rapt attention to the Upanishads, Dakshinamurti Stotram, Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad-Gita and other philosophical works, along with commentaries on them. He would be quite thoughtful while trying to understand Vedic philosophy: ‘I must reach the peaks of philosophy and know the Self. I must attain salvation. But how? By meditation? If so, how, when and where? By chanting the sacred mantra incessantly?’ Hitherto he had wanted to ask God to grant him the gift of showing his mother. But now Krishna prayed for ways and means of attaining salvation. Krishna used to read classical stories, biographies of yogis, and legends of Prahlada, Markandeya, Dhruva and other great devotees of God. 'I too should be as great as Prahlada or Dhruva,' he thought. He dreamed that he flew to the Himalayas and meditated there. His sole aim was to acquire knowledge of the Self to attain salvation.
***
There was a temple of Anjaneya (Hanuman) in Gudiwada. Anjaneya is an ardent devotee of Rama. He is well known for his courage. He is a symbol of strength and devotion. Anjaneya is also called “Bhajarangabali” in many parts of India and people believe that if anyone worships him sincerely, saying “Jai bhajarangabali”, he will gain immense strength. All the evil spirits and ghosts will disappear by the mere mention of his name.
Children have a fascination for Anjaneya. Krishna also had faith in him and he was his great devotee. He went to the temple frequently and prayed to Anjaneya petitioning him to fulfill his various desires. He promised him coconuts as payment for his favors. Gradually the number of his promises to the God became too many for him to honor. But if he did not honor them, Anjaneya might be offended! Thereafter, the God might not care for him.
Krishna racked his brains for a solution and suddenly struck upon a plan. Supposing he raised sufficient money to purchase a heap of coconuts; he could offer them to Anjaneya in the temple. The priest patiently would break them all, offer them to the God and return half the number of broken halves to Krishna as consecrated food. But what would he do with so many of them? He would have to collect a number of friends to take them or distribute them from house to house? How would one carry so many coconuts halves from house to house? What is the way out? Should he incur divine wrath? Oh, no!
Suddenly a question flashed in his mind. If Anjaneya is omnipotent, why did he allow his indebtedness grow to such an extent? Did he not know Krishna’s limitations? He must have known them. Then? There seemed to be no solution for his problem.
In 1925, it was announced that the Golden Jubilee celebrations of the Theosophical society would be organized on a large scale in Adyar, Madras. Pantulu planned to attend the celebrations with his family. But delegations were expected to arrive from all over the world. The number of those attending was expected to be quite large. Pantulu hesitated to go; he was of two minds. He discussed the matter with his wife.
Krishna overheard the discussions attentively. As for himself, he wanted very much to attend the celebrations. When he had been in Adyar before, he was fascinated by the ambience there. Krishna’s desire intensified. It took a strange hold of him. His whole desire stood on a single point, suffocating him, as it were. Earlier he would have prayed to Lord Anjaneya for help and his desire would be fulfilled without fail. But now, Krishna was aware of all the myriad dues he owed to the Lord. If requested, the Lord might chide him, ‘You have not kept up so many of your promises; how dare you make a new wish now! First clear the old dues; then I will consider your wish.’
So Krishna dropped the idea of appealing to the Lord. Yet his avid desire to go to Madras persisted. He was helpless. Thus pondering, he fell asleep, dreaming about his possible trip to Adyar.
Next morning, when he got up from bed, he was informed that the trip would be made, after all. He was overjoyed. At last, his desire had materialized. But how did this happen? He did not pray to the Lord. He did not know how his grandfather’s decision was changed overnight. How could this miracle happen?
After prolonged consideration of this miraculous happening, suddenly a new idea unveiled itself before him. Did he stumble upon something fantastic? Yes! It dawned on him that absolutely his own thought force had worked powerfully and swayed the decision of his grandparents. Therefore, hereafter, he could achieve whatever he ardently wished.
In ancient times, saints and other ascetics were able to curse and cast a spell on