Ramanujacharya – Biography - ebooks - ISKCON desire tree

Yamunacarya was very pleased to hear these words, forat that time he was preparing a campaign against arebellious king and was in great need of money. Knowing whata wonderful person his grandfather had been, he readilybelieved the sadhus words. In great delight he said to RamaMisra, "Sir, you are certainly a most saintly person, beingso renounced that you have not kept this treasure foryourself. Now please tell me where it is to be found."Rama Misra answered, "If you follow me I will takeyou there. It is kept within seven walls, between tworivers, guarded by a great serpent. Every twelve years ademon from the south goes to inspect the treasure, which isguarded by mantra. Through the power of mantra the treasurewill be revealed to you."In fact the treasure that Rama Misra was describingwas the beauty of Lord Ranganatha, the Deity who resideswithin a seven-walled temple on an island in the KaveriRiver. The serpent is the bed of Ananta-Sesa, on whom theLord is reclining. It is said that this Deity was firstinstalled by Vibhisana, the brother of Ravana, and thatevery twelve years he goes to Rangaksetra to worship theLord. The powerful mantra is the holy name of the Lord, forby chanting the holy name one is able to gain thetranscendental vision by which one can appreciate that theDeity is non-different from the Lord Himself.YAMUNACARYA’S CONVERSIONHowever, Alabandara could not understand the realmeaning of Rama Misra's words, and, being anxious to acquirethe treasure, he said, "I am ready to go there immediatelyalong with four divisions of my army. Please be our guide""It is better if we go alone," replied Rama Misra,"for it is not advisable for many people to assemble there."The king accepted this proposal, and, having madearrangements for the management of the kingdom in hisabsence, he prepared to set out with the sadhu. Leaving thecity of Madurai behind them, they traveled in a northerlydirection. At noon, while they were resting from the heat ofthe sun, Rama Misra began to chant the verses of theBhagavad-gita.It was many years since Yamunacarya had read andstudied this great scripture, and while he had ruled as aking the sublime teachings of the Gita had been far from hisheart. But now, as he listened to Rama Misra's sweet voicebringing forth the words of Sri Krsna, he began to realizethe illusory nature of his position as a king and to see howhe was neglecting the real goal of life. When Rama Misra hadfinished chanting all the eighteen chapters, Yamunacaryafell down at his feet and begged, "Please accept me as yourservant, so that I may be able to continually relish thesweet nectar of Sri Krsna's words. Now, as I hear from you,17