(Pothana)                                                               (Tyagaraja)                                                                   (Goparaju)

In the Andhra country, there were three ‘Rajus’ - Potharaju, Tyagaraju and Goparaju. All the three were spiritual giants.

Potharaju is Pothana, the great author of the Telugu Bhagavatam. Seeing the extreme poverty of Pothana, his brother-in-law, Srinatha, appealed to him to dedicate his Bhagavatam to some ruler who will reward him with material riches. Srinatha said that by dedicating his work to Shri Rama, Pothana was getting no visible benefit and was steeped in poverty. Pothana felt that rather than seek material rewards from petty earthly rulers, it was far better to dedicate his work to God even if it meant living a life of penury. He declared that he would not choose to live on the largesse of proud and unrighteous rulers. He preferred to lead a godly life as a farmer living on the fruits of his toil. Because Pothana chose to dedicate his work to the Lord, his Bhagavatam has earned undying fame. From the moment he started composing the Bhagavatam, Pothana recognised that it was entirely the work of Shri Rama and should be dedicated to Him as a pious offering. He regarded Rama as the inspirer, the writer and enjoyer of the poem. Pothana told Srinadha that God was the Lord of everything in creation-the creator, the protector and destroyer. ‘Instead of offering the work to the Supreme Lord, it is not fitting to dedicate it to worldly men clothed in pomp and pride,’ he said.

Coming to Tyagaraja: Seeing the plight of the saint-composer, the Raja of Tanjore sent him many valuables in a palanquin. Looking at these presents, Tyagaraja smiled and prayed to his mind to declare truly whether these treasures would bring him real happiness or the constant vision of Shri Rama. He felt that proximity to Rama was his greatest wealth and turned back the presents sent by the Raja. Tyagaraja lived up to his name by renouncing all worldly things. He declared that God alone was all that he needed and he sought nothing from anybody.

The third devotee is Goparaju (Kancharla Gopanna or Bhadrachala Ramadasu), who worshipped Shri Rama installed in the Bhadrachalam temple. He offered all his earnings and possessions to Shri Rama. He devoted even the dues collected by him as a revenue official to constructing the temple for Rama and making ornaments for the deities in the temple. When the Tani Shah harassed him, he declared that he had offered everything to Rama and nourished no desires of his own. ‘I have surrendered to Rama totally,’ he declared.

These three saints had recognised the omnipresence of God. They firmly believed that God is the supreme protector of all. They are verily Bhagavatas, devotees of God. Many who claim to be devotees today are not real devotees at all. The so-called devotees are only seeking external security-security from the authorities, from marauders, and similar external dangers. These are mercenary devotees and not genuine devotees.

The Bhagavatas of the old days lived a care-free life, placing their full trust in God as the supreme protector. Because of this faith, they were fully competent to declare that God is omnipresent. Those who use that epithet today are simply mouthing what seems expedient for the occasion. You can find God everywhere today, but you can find few true devotees of God. Today’s devotees are not devotees who have totally surrendered to God. (SSS Vol.22, pp. 94-96)