Sri G Venkannaiah గారు

[ShastriX]

Qk.ly: http://bit.ly/bsxGVen

“The one important thing I have learned over the years is the difference between taking one's work seriously and taking one's self seriously. The first is imperative and the second is disastrous.”-Margot Fonteyn

Recently got this photo in a Brahmachaitanya post:

Poojya Tatya Saheb Ketkar Maharaj with Poojya G "GV" Venkannaiah

Was very impressed with the lack of ego of Sri G "GV" Venkannaiah గారు.

His long hands are almost that of an AjAnubAhu!

We see a similar a++itude in his demeanor in the Prathistapana function in June, 1949.

Prathistapana Mahothsav on 13.JUN.1949

He's seated at the right foot of Ketkar Maharaj.

His humility reminds me of Balaram Bose, one of the "providers" of Sri Ramakrishna, who would go and request folks to come along with him (in his conveyance, at his cost) to see the Master.

Without knowing the local language, Sri Venkannaiah spent three months at Jaipur getting the extremely sweet deities and moving them to Chintamani:

Sri Brahmachaitanya Sri Rama Mandir, Chintamani

When the folks from Gondavali came for the Diamond Jubilee of the Chintamani Mandir in 2009, they were stunned by the sheer beauty of these deities.

Here's another photo from my visit to Chintamani with my father-in-law last November:

Deities at Sri Brahmachaitanya Sri Rama Mandira, Chintamani

Lots of folks are very surprised to see a temple to Maharaj in, of all places, Chintamani.

That was because Sri Venkannaiah had a vision of the Maharaj:

Sri G Venkannaiah being blessed and called to Gondavale, by Sri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj

This is a drawing by Sri G.S. Surya Prakash. From A time to remember a Divine incident - November:

November 1913. Sri G.Venkannaiah (Founder of Sri Brahmachaitanya Sri Rama Mandir, Chintamani) who was working as a Sub-Oversier in the Public works Dept of the then Mysore State, was called to Gondavale by Sri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj who revealed himself for a moment . Sri G. Venkannaiah who was supervising the construction of a tank in Malligere, a village near Chikkanayakana halli, was sitting meditating during the lunch period near the tank.

Thinking of such inspirational persons makes me cry.

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Posted By Blogger to A musing of రామ ShastriX at 1/23/2013 10:22:00 PM