If man is in search of something, he must make two kinds of journey — external and internal. At the dawn of civilisation, man was nomadic and his journey was for food. Then for war. With the march of civilisation and evolution of religion and culture, he travelled as a trader and a pilgrim. And India, Hindu India, had no dearth for places of pilgrimage that dotted the entire Indian sub - continent.
Tourism is a later concept which includes journey made to explore new places as also visit to pilgrim centres apart from visiting historical, heritage and entertainment places. These are all external journeys of man. The internal journey, however, is in quest of God and peace of mind — spiritual. All journeys in the nature of pilgrimage are intended to enable one to make this internal journey — through prayer and meditation at the altar of a deity or the hallowed place of pilgrimage, many of them located in the womb of nature in idyllic places by the side of a river or in high mountain or in the midst of a forest.
Recently, I made one such spiritual journey to Dharmasthala, the abode of Lord Manjunatha near Mangalore, on the banks of River Nethravathi. It is one of the most sacred pilgrimage centres in our country.
Another one close to it, about 40 kms, is Lord Subrahmanya Temple on the banks of Kumaradhara River, visited specially by those who are supposed to suffer from “Naaga Dosha” as astrologers would call. Problems stemming from harming a serpent in this life or the past one!
This is the holy place where one can propitiate the “Naaga Devata” and redeem oneself from sins. Which is why, many rich and famous visit the place — cricketer Ravi Shastri had visited the temple in 2007 as per an astrologer's advice as even after 18 years of marriage, the couple did not have a child. They were blessed with a child the next year and he visited the temple again in 2008 to fulfill his vows. Sachin Tendulkar had visited Kukke in January last. As we know, Tendulkar's flagging cricket career got a new lease of life rising to greater heights.
Belief is that after you visit this temple, you should not visit any other temple while returning home. Probably, that is the reason why pilgrims first visit Dharmasthala and then the Subrahmanya temple. Let it be. To each his own belief in love, God and superstition.
At Dharmasthala, I was lucky to meet the Chief Trustee, Dharmadhikari who presides over the temple affairs. He was to Dharmasthala what Pope is to Vatican. His word is law — divine law. I had seen him on a number of occasions on the dais, presiding over functions and giving speeches. First time I saw him was in 1993 August, at the Ashoka Hotel in Bangalore. I was recuperating in Ashoka after a heart bypass surgery at Wockhardt Hospital.
While taking a walk in the campus, I saw some people gathered at a place bordering the garden. With natural curiosity, I walked up to the place and was told on enquiry, the speaker was Dr. Veerendra Heggade of Dharmasthala. So I lingered on. Though his voice was not audible as there was no microphone, it was “time pass” for me and my wife. After a while, a person ambled up to me and asked with a sheepish smile: "Are you Heggade's brother?" My wife smiled. I too smiled and nodded a “No”.
This time round, I saw him in his own den dictating a letter to his assistant while I waited with my wife in the company of my friend Vasudev Bhat and his family. It was a chance meeting, not by design. It was Vasu, who had gone there to meet his “contact” man to facilitate our darshan at the temple, who alerted me on phone saying, "Come immediately. You can meet the Dharmadhikari," as if I was not to miss the rare sighting of an extraterrestrial creature! There was urgency in his voice. I jumped out of my vehicle and rushed.
Dr. Heggade was there, seen sitting in profile, dictating. Soon, we trooped in before him. Vasu, who had earlier told me with considerable pride that it was Dr. Heggade who had installed him as the President of Rotary Mysore in 1993, introduced us to the Dharmadhikari, dressed in spotless white temple attire and puffy dry silver hair with strands of black adorning his head.
He acknowledged our greetings with a smile, beseeched us to occupy our seats around the round - table, making courteous enquiry about our journey and visit. At once he was informal, unassuming and transparent, making every one of us, even ladies, at ease and comfortable. "Nice guy," one could say in American slang.
He said, he knew of me and mentioned that he was getting Mysooru Mithra at his house in Mysore regularly. I mentioned of my recent visit to his Management School in Mysore, SDM - IMD, as chief guest at a function, which he said he knew about. Such a minor event and he had the information, I wondered. No wonder, he is presiding over such a vast empire of education, health and other institutions. He spoke of newspapers and the problems related to publishing them, recalling Mungaru, published by late Raghurama Shetty and a few of his colleagues from Prajavani. Sadly, Mungaru soon folded up.
Our conversation, then, veered towards his frequent travelling on invitation or connected to administration of his far - flung institutions. Travelling is difficult, he says, especially with bad roads. He does not like travelling by helicopter; he is averse to it though he often flies by aero planes, he says, when I suggested use of helicopter to escape from bad roads.
The extensive travelling that the Pejawar Mutt Seer Sri Vishveshwara Theertha Swamiji does at his age is amazing, he says. He is always on the move. Honours all invitations, no matter what distance and what the occasion — big or small, in true tradition of a Hindu monk. Travelling seems his way of life so much so, he may feel uncomfortable if he is not travelling and meeting people, spreading his social and spiritual message. "I can't travel like him," admits Dr. Veerendra Heggade, admiring the Sage of Udupi.
I see Dr. Heggade's aide stooping before him humbly and placing a transparent packet with a cloth and a medallion on the table. He takes the packet and gives it to me as a kind of temple honour, along with a booklet titled “Welcome to the glory of Dharmasthala”, suggesting that the meeting was over. The booklet contains the history, legend and details of all the divine and humanitarian work being done by the Dharmadhikari.
And when we realise that for over 800 years an unbroken line of 21 generations of Heggades have guided the growth, goals and destiny of Dharmasthala, we also realise the invisible but perceptible power and glory of God, here with the name Lord Manjunatha, that is Lord Shiva.
