Conduct of Avadhuta

In this chapter you shall read about life style of Sri Swamy, his dispassion and how closely he follows the principles of Avadhuta.

At the age of 20 he had a title "mad Venkaiah". He was with a worn dhovathi above his knees and a torn shirt on his body, and an earthen pot(muntha) in his hand and a "Y" shaped stick in the other hand. He used to wander in the lonely places. He would run away from the sight of young women like a cow runs away at the sight of tiger. He used to run in the streets crying aloud "Dhobiyogam, Barber yogam, Dubtuck, Dubtuck". He disappeared from his village for a period of 5 yrs. During this period he became a Swamy. After that, for some time he wandered on the banks of the river Pennar near Somasila and Penna Badvel with a torn dhothi on his waist above his knees and a piece of fire lit rope in one hand and muntha and "Y" shaped stick in the other hand. He carried a bundle of old rope bits on his head. He used to wander in the lonely places.

After some time when Chalamanaidu came into his service he put up a hut on the hillock near Penna Badwel. He put an oil lamp in it and Sri Swamy went on playing his Yekatara (single stringed instrument) day and night. Chalamanaidu used to bring him biksha from the near by villages. The farmers from those villages approached Sri Swamy for the relief of their diseases and also the diseases of the cattle. By Swamyji's blessings and the sacred thread and Udhi given by Sri Swamyji, they were relieved of all such suffereings. He used to tell the people the ways of getting out of their troubles and solving their problems, and the method of relief to their unuttered problems(prasnas) also. But the method was very peculiar. If we approach Sri Swamy while seeking alliance to our children, Sri Swamy asks to keep a stone for each alliance. If we keep three or four stones in a row, he will tell us the third stone from the right side is good and you can decide." At times all of them may not be worth consideration, By experience we will know that Sri Swamy's words were cent percent true.

There were no proof for the failure of Sri Swamy's words. If there is any such case, the defect would have been in the proper understanding of the word of Sri Swamy and the implementation of his directions.

After Penna Badwel, Sri Swamy lived for some years at Eswar temple at Kotitheertham village. Here, Sri Swamy, with closed eyes used to play on his yekatara with date sticks in each hand, chanting the Mahamantra, "Om Narayana Adi Narayana". He had no other work to do except that. Even when the strings of his yekatara were broken, he could not notice that. He will go on playing on it changing the mantra. When he opened eyes and see the broken strings then he stopped beating and would join strings and again go on playing the yekatara. At times he used to continue playing the yekatara in front of the burning fire. Servants like Chalamanaidu used to get him biksha.

After this he began to wander wearing a long shirt with long hands. This shirt was full of ink spots. On some shirts big size letters of 'Rama Rama' in Telugu script were also written. These shirts were offered to him by his devotees. He used to play on his yekatara for some time. In the rest of the time he used to put his thumb impressions on papers and give these papers to the devotees saying that they would be very very valuble in future and that their worth would be in lakhs(Rs or monds or seers we dont know). Even when he was immersed in the thumb impression work he kept on the fire burning incessantly. Every day he was in need of reams of papers and pots of ink. The devotees who were benefitted by Sri Swamy used to supply him bags of news papers as well as white papers and ink tablets.

After some years he reduced thumb impression work and he used to spend most of the time in silence before the sacred fire. He tried to raise very big flames by offering cart loads of fire wood in to the fire. Sitting before the fire, day and night, he used to speak some mysterious words from which we cannot make out any thing. At times he dictated such words and asked his servants to write those things on paper and gave these papers to devotees. He used to burn three or four cart loads of fire wood in a day. At certain places people thought it would be difficult to maintain Sri Swamy as there was scarcity of fire wood. But even there by the grace of Sri Swamy they were able to secure the required fire wood.

How hot the sun may be or how cold the weather may be, how much pouring the rain may be, he ever got up from the sacred fire. He never got up from his sacred fire until he completed his accounts. No body knew what that account was. At times it may be one day, the other time it may be four days or half day. We could not say the duration for his accounting. During such periods he will neither take food and drink nor attend nature's calls for days together. In these areas there is a term called "Venkaiah Swamy pandal". At 10 AM he will put up a pole in the earth and get a palmyrah leaf tied to the pole, so that the sun rays might not fall on him. Even when the Sun went up and the shadow moved a long distance, he would neither move aside nor speak to us. He will be speaking to himself and counting some thing within himself with the help of his fingers and raising his voice now and then, just like a real dialogue. Sri Sai also used to talk to himself in some cryptic language which is not understood by people around him.

Once Sri Swamy came to Golagamudi and kept his sacred burning fire continously for eight years, day and night. Daily he used to offer 4 or 5 cart loads of fire wood to his sacred fire.

Mopur Dasaiah, Venkataiah and some others used to cut down the trees in the near by forest. Ramanaiah the owner of a buffalo cart used to bring the fire wood from the forest in his cart. Even today, this Ramanaiah is in the service of the Sri Swamy at Golagamudi. During day time Sri Swamy also went to the forest with them and spent some time there. Here Sri Swamy used to wander alone at a certain distance from his servants, For some years Sri Swamy used to show particular trees for cutting. After some years one day Sri Swamy gave fhem full permission to cut any tree of their own choice. Due to this continous sacred fire for eight years, almost all the forest near Golagamudi was cut down. "All this place will turn out to be fields. There will be a village here in future and we cannot get even a little place here said Sri Swamy. Today all these words became true. Now there came up a beautiful Samadhi Mandir at the place where Sri Swamy had his sacred fire for eight years.

After some years, Sri Swamy once again started his wanderings. There were no regular programme for Sri Swamy's wanderings. He moved from place to place as per his will. During 1960-65 Sri Swamy's legs were affected with a disease. He could not strech his legs. The knee joints of both the legs were clamped tightly. Sri Swamy refused the request of the devotees to take Medicine to get his legs cured. Sri Swamy said "In previous births I have broken legs of a cow. So I must suffer the fruits of that sin and get relieved of that bad karma". Now Sri Swamy used to sit at a place as he could not walk or move. One day he asked Rosireddy "please take me on a palmyrah leaf for some distance". He did so. After that, Rosireddy used to pull Sri Swamy sitting on a palmyrah leaf even up to Nellore which is at a distance of 8 KM. At times when palmyrah leaf fell in a pit Sri Swamy was left over the ground. Rosireddy would notice that, only aftergoing few yards away. He used to pull the palmyrah leaf as if in a trance, unmindful of the surroundings. So he could not observe Sri Swamy slipping down the palmyrah leaf. He would come back, and keeping Sri Swamy on the leaf he continued the journey.

Yeepuru Sundararami Reddy of Talupur village offered Sri Swamy a small cart of four wheels of 6 inches height(just as small cart used by lepers). He used to travel from village to village on that cart. The servants used to drag the cart wherever Sri Swamy wanted to go. It was very trouble some and difficult journey. Due to the uneven roads, the body of Sri Swamy was terribly shaken and gave him a lot of muscular pain. Some intelligent devotees suggested the method of carrying Sri Swamy in a doli, which could be carried by two people. Doli was very very comfortable to Sri Swamy and very light and very easy for the servants to carry. Till the end Sri Swamy used the doli for his journey. In long journeys he travelled in buses and trains also. He used the doli from the bus stand to the destination. He visited all most all the places in and around Nellore.

When Sri Swamy was wandering saint many people tried to follow him and find out what he would do in the forest. If he scented that some body was following him, he would walk hither and thither in a crisscross way along the thorny places. The followers could not walk on the thorns. So they ran back.

He never brushed his teeth or washed his mouth. He will spit out the chewing tobacco, drink the gruel in the palmyrah leaf plate(Reka).

Sri Swamy is Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent spirit, kept his fame and occult powers hidden very secretly. His methods of accomplishing the things were always very rare and not in the range of human intelligence. As he was the soul dwelling universal spirit, in all the things he accomplished the work with in the individual. P Subbaramiah had excellent experience with Sri Swamy even in the first meeting. As per the advise of Acharya E Bharadwaja he prayed in his mind "Swamy if you are god on earth, even without me asking you should allow me to massage oil to your feet. If you do this with in 5 minutes I will believe Sri Bharadwaja's words that you are God on earth". Merciful Swamy fulfilled all his conditions and hence he became a Staunch devotee. Within few days he collected many strange experiences of devotees and put them on paper. During these days he used to be haridas of Sri Swamy. One day Sri Swamy shut his mouth in a amazing way. On that day Sri Swamy said "why do you speak as you like". Actually he did not open my mouth for the last one hour. They were only two people there. Sri Swamy did not answer any more questions. It was only comment to him to keep quiet at visitors. Hence forth he was silent.

In the same way Sri Swamy used to tell a native of Golagamudi "Ayya! people speak stories and stories about me. Is it not fault?"

Thus Sri Swamy kept his fame and power strictly confidential. It was only Bharadwaja garu the Atmagnnani has ventured to violate this directions of Swamyji. Sri Bharadwaja garu was the first spiritual stalwart in the country who preached the greatness of Sri Swamy with his photos while Sri Swamy was in flesh and blood. He published a four page articles both in English and Telugu in the Souvenir released on the occasion of the inauguration of the Saibaba temple at Vidyanagar. Thus 1984, that is 2 yrs of Mahasamadhi, Sri Swamy was behind the curtains and he himself came out on 14/8/84.

In order to keep his spritual powers and fame in secret he acted more than any actor. He used kotulu, Manugulu, Padagalu, Mashanalu, Patala loka etc like words in his dictations of blessings. He will be shouting meaningless words when there was no body to hear. He asks to pour water to put off the fire, when there is no fire at all, He sows earth and dung cakes and says "this is all gold". Once he showed flames of a house on fire and went on saying "that is all gold". Such of his actions made the strangers and the doubting devotees, at times to mistake him for a lunatic. He avoided crowding of people around him.

From one yr before his Mahasamadhi he closed both palms tightly and would not open his fist. Even at the time of the ill health he never passed urine or stool on bed.

Rosireddy lost his eye-sight and did not take food except liquid diet - Sugar water. He never left his sacred duty and Guru's order of bringing bhiksha food from the village of Anikepalli, till his last breath in 1985.

While devoted servants served Sri Swamy , Rosi reddy served those servants of Sri Swamy. In this manner his unflinching faith was his strength. Sri Swamy had no definite regular routine activities. At times, for 2 or 3 nights and days he continued shouting loudly "stop the cart, stop the cart" or some such meaningless words, and sat completely immersed in Brahmananda". What ever he utters, one of his servants must repeat it with the same intonation and pitch of the voice. Whenever they repeated in a low voice he asked them to say loud. When he slept for 1 or 2 days he will be lying in the asana without any movement of the body. Ignorant people thought that, due to old age Sri Swamy was lying like that and he would not be on earth for a longer period. But they do not know that he is immersed in Nirvikalpa or Savikalpa Samadhi. I can prove that it is Nirvikalpa or Savikalpa samadhi because I saw him responding to unuttered thought of real devotees in the middle of that spell of 3 or 5 days. For example, once in 1978 Sri Swamy was lying in such a yoga sleep from the previous evening. P Subbaramaiah went for Sri Swamy's darshan at 3 PM. No sooner did he go there then Sri Swamy removed his bed sheet from his face and sat erect and got his blessings written on a piece of paper and gave that paper to me and once again he covered his bed sheet and lay on his bed. He did not respond to the repeated requests of his servants to take his usual gruel or water because he was on fasting for last 24 hrs. Within few minutes a messenger came for P Subaramaiah that his great grand mother was about to die within 1 hr. He took pada theertha of Sri Swamy preserved by his servants and went home. His great grand mother took his pada theertha and Udhi and shed off her physical body. She did not open her mouth after drinking pada theertham. We tried to give her medicine but in vain. In the last days, for 1yr, due to her body pains she used to chant the holy name of Sainath day and night withoug break. So, in the form of Sri Swamy Sainath gave liberation or Moksha to her spirit.
In the above instance even though Sri Swamy was sleeping, his sleep is not like that of our sleep. Even in that state, he knew that Subbaramaiah was coming on foot from three miles. He also knew that within a few hours my great grand mother was going to die. He also knew that a man was coming to take me from Sri Swamy. He also knew her devotion and his responsibility to liberate her spirit by giving his blessings and patha theertha in time. So he at once got up from his bed and after giving the blessings on a piece of paper he continued his yoga sleep without taking gruel inspite of requests of his servants.

"A real yogi has no day and night" Says sastras. How aptly this statement is suited in the case of Sri Swamy.

On another ocasion, Sri Swamy blessed and gave darshan to a lady devotee from kavali in the middle of his Yogic sleep of 3 days. Once on the 3rd day of yogic sleep, one poor woman devotee came for Sri Swamy's darshan as per the advise of Sri Bharadwaja garu. But on the way she got information that Sri Swamy was on bed and there is no darshan. Her grief knew no bounds. Some how she came to Golagamudi. By the time she came Sri Swamy took his bath and put on white clothes and was sitting on a white bed with smiles. After 10 mins darsan, he once again went to sleep without taking any food. There are many such occasions.

In his earlier days people were dumb stuck on seeing his dispassion. If we offer him laddu, when he was hungry, he would accept it but mix a little of chilly powder and eat, Occasionally Sri Swamy used to ask for jageri. He would chew a little of it. Rosireddy prepared a mixture of horse gram pulses, jagery, dried coconut etc made into a powder and kept ready within Sri Swamy's reach. Sri Swamy would take and chew when ever he wanted. One day servants by mistake kept a tin containing Shikakai a kind of powder used for oil bath. It will be bitter to taste. But the tin was empty by the morning. When he swallowed a glass of chilly powder, this powder is after all nothing for him.

Quite Strangely, at times, he would not eat certain things. One day Guravaiah gave raw garlic made into a paste. Sri Swamy atonce spit it out, as soon as it touched his palate. He did not drink cold water for last 15 yrs. When ever he asks, we have to supply boiling water mixed with sugar. He never allowed others to touch his body or his feet except one or two of his selected servants. He never allowed people worship him or take pradakshinas(Circumambulations) around him. If they want to do Circumambulations he used to say "one is enough".

Palmyrah leaf was his seat or throne, earthen pot was his golden vessel. Gunny bag was his bed. The bare earth was hs cradle. Ragi gruel, garlic chutney, chilly powder were his daintiest dishes. Torn clothes were his pattu peethambaras(Silk clothes). What a great dispassion.

All through his life, even or before the time when he was considered a mad man or after that event, till the end, he never commented on any body, either good or bad comments. In the same way he never praised any one. "Na Abhinandhati Na dwesti". He has no likes or dislikes. Even though the servants around him were always immersed in worldly talk he never asked them why they behaved that way or that was not the proper conduct.

He never asked for any curry or ordered in advance to prepare any such dish of his choice. What ever Allah gave him for the day, he took it as God's prasadam with great relish and satisfaction. When there was no gruel and he was served some sweets, he mixed with some chilly powder and killed its taste and ate. He never advised or commanded any work to be done in a particular fashion. Without minding the external situations and conditions, striving on towards the goal was the only aim of Sri Swamy. He never cared for the head of the sun or the cold of the rain or the chill of the wind while conducting the perpetual fire.

Mr Devudla Venkataiah describes Sri Swamy's method of eating food. Rice must be served in the leaf plate in full quantity. Leaving a little in middle, he will make a wall or bund with rice around the edge of the leaf plate. He will eat that little portion left in the middle and then if served for the second time he will finish the meal with butter milk or rasam. The rice kept like a bund at the edge of the leaf plate was brushed aside on all sides with his finger tips.

When he was eating rice or solid food he wanted three leaf plates full of rice for each meal. The entire thing was not for his consumption. More over, we should not serve him with spoon or hastam. We must bring the rice in basin and the basin should be inverted in his leaf plate, so that all the rice would fall on the leaf plate like a heap. He will touch the rice with his ink smeared palm and give that rice to the host as prasadam. We must serve him in the same fashion second time also. He will make rice into small morsels and arrange them around the edge of the leaf plate. At times he will arange them around the edge of the leaf plate. At times he will arrange a second row of the small lumps of rice around the leaf plate. Then he took the rest of the rice. Usually he never asked for the second round of eating. Some people say that he never allowed to remove the leaf plate after his meal. He himself threw it away with the left over portions. He will not eat in anybody's presence. He will ask us to leave him alone while taking his food. So even when he took gruel some such curtain like arrangements were usually made.

At time he will ask "Ayya! give me a little savoury and chilly powder. If we give chilies, salt and garlic he will mix the three in his palm adding some water and mix itin the rice and eat. During the times of stomach disorders he asks for Karrivepaku(corriander) and garlic mixture.

One day he asked his servants to cook food. They prepared it and served Sri Swamy. He touched his head with his palm and then the rice heap in the leaf plate. He repeated it thrice. But he did not eat even a little. He gave it to a devotee and asked him to distribute it to all . He also said that they will get rid of the diseases by taking that prasadam. This order was carried out.

At certain times he would ask "give me urgently betal and nut". He would keep on asking him till it is given. He will eat it. "Add little more Chunam and give me some more," he would say. But he will finish the first given lump. Next time if given with little more chunam. "Ma! eat, eat Ma eat. It is good to eat Ma eat" says he as if he was asking some invisible person. After some time he will ask. "Ayya ask her to go, I will see every thing". How can we know who that invisible person or spirit is to whom Sri Swamy is bestowing his blessings?

In Anjaneya temple, one day, he asked to stop singing the tatvalu and he asked them to repeat the Mantra "Om Narayana Adi Narayana" as he went on saying the mantra. He did it for a long time. During the period when he was taking only the gruel, he would ask for some boiled garlic and fried garlic. He chewed them with the gruel.

This serving of gruel was entrusted to Rosireddy. One day he went for fire wood. Some other servants offered the gruel to Sri Swamy. Sri Swamy refused. In mean time Rosireddy came from the forest and as usual he was mixing the gruel to serve Sri Swamy. The servants obstructed him saying. "just now Sri Swamy refused the gruel. Why should you serve him again?" He did not give up his attempt and offered the gruel to Sri Swamy. At once Sri Swamy said "As you have brought it, I will drink". He drank the whole lot without any hesitation. The servants should not change their duties without the permission of Sri Swamy. That is the secret.

While Sri Swamy was taking solid food, Rosireddy was entrusted with bringing bhiksha and serving the food to Sri Swamy. One day a servant to do that service to Sri Swamy and asked Rosireddy to stay away. That servant brought food and asked Sri Swamy to come and eat. After a few minutes he called for Rosireddy and said in a furious tone "Serve, if you want to serve. Otherwise drag me out of the ashram". From that day onwards no servant came forward to prevent Reddy from doing that service.

One day Sri Swamy ordered Rosireddy "Go and drink water twice with your right palm". From that day his thirst for water disappeared. In every thing which Sri Swamy asks us to do there will be hidden benefit for us. We should just surrender ourselves to Sri Swamy and pray him to make us carry out his order quite efficiently.

Generally when the servants adjusted the fuel in the sacred fire Sri Swamy did not object. But at times he will not allow any body to come near the fire. Tulasamma used to offer some incense both morning and evening and offer her respects to the fire. One day Sri Swamy kept his arm across the fire and did not allow her to come near. Most probably at that time some unseen seers and rishis or some gods might be present at the sacred fire. One day Rosireddy tried to adjust fire wood. Sri Swamy shouted "Abbo, abbo can we touch now?"

At times he speaks very humorously. Sri Swamy "Ayya! are there sufficient logs of wood?" Servant:- There are enough of them Swamy. Sri Swamy :- If so, no worry. He cried some jumbling words which we cannot makeout any sense. Servant :- Why do you shout Swamy? Sri Swamy :- I did not shout Swamy! When Sri Swamy addressed the servant "Swamy" all the others laughed aloud.

At times he used to put some wet shurbs in the fire. To make them burn, he would put some hay on them and go on laughing aloud. When the servants asked the reason for his laughing, Swamy used to say "The wet shurbs are fighting Ayya!"

Daily in the evening Sri Swamy distributed all the money he received, to his servants. He never kept any balance with him for the next day. During festival season all the sweets and other dishes that were offered to him were distributed among the visitors and his servants. Dasaiah, Ramanaiah, Rosireddy and some others were doing more work than the others. So he kept aside some of the sweets and gave them separately. Rosireddy used to sit awake along with Sri Swamy separately. Rosireddy used to sit awake along with Sri Swamy all through the night; At midnight, Sri Swamy called Rosireddy and gave him the sweets hidden under his mat and asked him "Ayya go to the back side of the house and eat them".

At the time of the Maha Samadhi Sri Swamy's age would not be less than hundred years and above. During the last twelve years he lived only on liquid diet. But we could not find on his body the symptoms of old age; that is wrinkles on his skin. His skin was always attached to his bones with smooth texture and bright twinkling shades. The enlightened sould like Acharya E Bharadwaja at once recognised Swamy as great Yogi and that, that was the yogic skin.

The serenity and profundity were quite conspicuous in his eyes. The shining and glittering eyes are natural ornaments for that Mahatma. During the last days Guruvaiah used to sit awake near Sri Swamy's head day and night. He used to repeat the same sounds spoken out by Sri Swamy. Sri Swamy used to hold his pillow under his head and kept on gazing at the sky and lie on the bed, motionless. During those rare periods, Guravaiah sat motionless with his eyes on Swamy's face and enjoyed an eternal bliss, he had no desire to leave Sri Swamy.

Guravaiah says that in such moments he experienced a "light" flowing from Sri Swamy's body into his body. From three years before Mahasamadhi Sri Swamy was always in Samadhi nista. So when we arranged a cotton bed, he did not object. He even pulled Guravaiah and made him to sit on his bed. Bed of Sri Swamy:- They spread a date mat on the hay, which was spread on the floor. A palmyrah leaf was placed on the mat .Then it was covered with a gunny bag. That was Swamy's bed. Vakkamma collected some husk, while doing the namajapa. Servants made a bed with that husk. Sri Swamy accepted. After that, they used cotton stuffed beds. When ever Sri Swamy went to a village he stayed there for a day or two and moved to other place or to some other place in the same village.

Servant:- When you leave this world who will look after us?
Swamy:- Ayya, where do I go? I will be here till that sun and moon exist. Please note, "Venkaiah is in all creatures".
From tha day before Mahasamadhi Sri Swamy was continously shouting "Sampannatwam Sadharanatwam, Sadguru seva." Perhaps that might be his sacred advice to his devotees.

One day Sri Swamy was in Narayanadas Ashram at Talupur.
Sri Swamy :- Ayya which village is this?
Servant :- Is it not Talupur, Swamy?
Sri Swamy :- Alright OK

Natabhasayathe suryo nasasanko napaakaha
yadgatwa nanivartante thardharma paramam mama

which means Sri Swamy is in that state which could not brightened by sun and moon and Agni and after obtaining that state, the man will never return again into the state of ignorance.

One day Sri Swamy, Even in future, all of you continue to do the same services which you are doing now. I am present in those services. Some days prior to Mahasamadhi. Sri Swamy counted all the coad pieces, bed sheets and towels and gave them to Guravaiah and asked him "preserve all these with great care".

At times Sri Swamy would be sitting before his sacred fire day and night for days together without food and water. Even though he was awake he will not be in our consciousness. He would ask "which place is this?" His ignorant servants laughed at him and said "Is it not talupur Swamy?"
At another time, it was 10'O clock in the night. The kerosene lanterns were glowing bright in the dark background. Sri Swamy asked "Is it day or night Ayya?"
His ignorant servants not knowing his state, laughed about that. They could not understand that it was highest state of existence named "Nirvikalpa Samadhi" Even though he was with wide open eyes, he was not in our Mundane world. Sri Swamy was in such a greate state. From three years before Mahasamadhi, on the advice of a doctor, he was given arrow root-biscuit powder, sugar mixed in very hot milk. Even in his last days, tremendous control over his palate could be seen clearly. At times he drinks all the gruel without sparing a drop. At other times he takes the gruel leaving out the thick liquid at the end. Generally that thick liquid was more tastier than the rest because most of the insoluble sugar and biscuit powder will be in it. We the normal people, will generally like to eat it with great relish. But Sri Swamy, inspite of pressures and persuasions, will never take a drop or touch it. He will simply throw it on the floor. He, being the kingliest of yogis, alone knew the exact minimum quantity of his diet (not a drop less nor more) he takes.

By 1978 he was unable to walk. So he collected his urine in an earthen pot and servants removed it. If Sri Swamy wants to go for stools, we have to carry him in a doli to a perfect lonely place not previously infested or used by the people. He inevitably, he takes bath after he finishes his stools. If the heat of the water for his bath was a degree less he will cry aloud "chill chill, chill". If the temperature is a degree higher, he would cry "Abba Abba, abba". If the water was of correct temperature, "Addi, addi addi aha aha " says Sri Swamy. At times while we were washing his body he went into his samadhi state. At such times servants would finish his bath abruptly and dry his body with towels, change the coad piece and carry him on hands and keep him in lying position on the fresh bed prepared by some other servants. The water from his coad piece was taken as his Pathatheertha by the devotees. Some people used that water of the coad piece for their eye and other diseases. When Sri Swamy was in our consciousness he did not allow the use of soap for his bath. So they used shikai powder and Manga Chekka powder, Bengal gram powder to clean his body. He never cared for the quality of the powders. Only during the last days, as he was in Samadhi state, the servants used Mysore sandal soap for his bath.

At times when he is in our consciousness he asked us to massage his body with gingily oil. As per the strong desires of his true devotees, at such times, now and then they were given the opportunity to touch his body, that too with his permission. At certain times with a pretext to remove a thorn in his foot, he will give his foot to such devotees who have been longing very much to touch his sacred body. No body except one or two was allowed to touch his body, even among his retinue of servants.

In the months of December, January and Feburary the atmosphere will be full of mist and fog during night. At that time Sri Swamy will always be suffering with cold. So some of the servants would put up a pandal over his fire place. At once he would leave the pandal and change the venue to an open air place in the fog and mist. During some seasons there will be great trouble of mosquitos. When they bite, he would say "Ayya! police people are poking a lot. Ayya scratch a little. His body was scratched with a comb. To protect the Sri Swamy from mosquito bite, devotees put up a mosquito net. Immediately Sri Swamy pulled it down and threw it in the dust. Only in the last days of his life a year before his mahasamadhi, devotees succeed in their attempt to set up a mosquito net to Sri Swamy's body. These two acts bring to our mind the leelas of Sri Saibaba.
Usually Sri Swamy ordered his servants that they sleep at a distance of 5 feet from him. But during the winter all the servants slept very near to Sri Swamy around his sacred fire for the sake of the comfortable warmth from the chill wind around them. Sri Swamy never objected them in such odd times.