SriSwami felt a desire to spend his last days in Mantralaya. He constructed a temple dedicated to Sri Venkateshwara his family deity at Manchale. Diwan
Venkanna also used to come in on and off to enquire about the good health of SriSwami. When SriSwami told him that the days of his avatar were now numbered, Venkanna felt very sad.
In 1671 A.D. it was Virodhikrit Samvatsara. The lunar month of Ashadha had just passed in the chaturmasa period and Sravana had set in. SriSwami decided to step into his Vrindavana on Sravana Krishna Dwitiya after completing all his tasks in this world before everybody’s eyes. He advised everybody on how to behave after him. He invited over all his kith and kin. He also called over his elder brother, from the earlier ashram, Gururaja- charya’s grandson Venkannacharya and since he showed enough detachment and expertise in the scriptures ordained him into sanyasashram and named him “Sri Yogindratirtha’. He ordered everybody to extend the same cooperation and respect to him too as they used to offer him.
Diwan Venkanna located a good spot on.the bank of lake of the good village Madhwar and the stone slab on which SriRama had rested awhile on his way searching for Sita. From this he got an idol of Maruti sculpted and used the remaining stones to build a vrindavana. But SriSwami called Venkanna and told him that he did not approve of that location. He indicated another spot and asked Venkanna to have another vrindavana made. He also said that the earlier vrindavana could be later used for his great grandson from his earlier ashram. One day SriSwami and Venkanna dug out a spot on the bank of Tunga-Bhadra. There were signs of a homa having been
Anusalva in spite of a long battle. Arjuna was surprised and asked SriKrishna the reason for this problem. SriKrishna changed the location of their chariot and took it a little distance away. After that they could defeat Anusalva who surrendered to them. When Arjun asked for an explanation, SriKrishna told him the importance of that location. ‘This is the homakunda where Prah- ladraja had conducted a yajna in the Kritayuga. We could not defeat Anusalva because he was standing at this auspicious location’.” Thus SriSwami recollected the yajna he had himself conducted in the earlier birth and also mentioned what had happened in the Dwaparyuga. He also expressed his desire to be seated at the spot of the homakunda. So Diwan Venkanna got another vrindavana made there from the smaller stones that were left over from the construction of the earlier vrindavana at the spot where it stands today.
The day of bodily entering the vrindavana arrived. From this day on the devotees would not have the good fortune of SriSwami’s darshana. All the devotees were unable to contain their grief. The faint smile and the bright and compassionate eyes would not be available to anybody henceforth. That occasion of SriSwami’s entry into the vrindavana was to be a very tragic one. It was the decision of SriHari with no relation to the like or dislike of all the devotees. SriGururaj was going to follow that decision without changing it in any way. The Friday of the second fortnight of the lunar month of Sravana in Virodhikrit Samvatsara, 1671 A.D. arrived. That morning SriSwami woke up in the Brahmi muhurta and went
vrindavana alive and staying there; it is SriHari’s desire that he should be watching over the welfare of everybody from there; although he would become invisible after entering the vrindavana, his heartfelt blessings would always be showered on all.
He performed SriMoolaramachandra’s puja with keen concentration and blessed everybody with the tirtha and mantra-akshata. He called Diwan Venkanna aside and asked him to place 1,200 Lakshm inaray ana saligrams inside the vrindavana. He sat inside the vrindavana, stopped breathing and went into meditation. As he was moving towards the asampragnyat Samadhi the rosary’ in his hand slipped down. The last gap in the vrindavana from where the slipping rosary was visible, was closed by Diwan Venkanna himself according to the Guru’s wishes. Haridasas were singing bhajans, Vedapathaks were loudly chanting from the Vedas. Time seemed to stretch a moment into an era. Everybody was choked with sorrow and on the verge of tears. No one was able to utter a word. It appeared as if sorrow and silence were ruling there at that moment. I, who am writing this book to say the words, ‘The supreme sage Sri Raghavendra entered the vrindavana’, am feeling so very uneasy. But who is responsible for the decisions of the destiny? Who can change SriHari’s plan? SriHari’s desire whs SriSwami’s desire.
It is hundreds of years since SriSwami entered the Vrindavana. That second day of the second half of Sravana is even today observed by his devotees and disciples as the Mahasamaradhana day. Sri Yogindratirtha was sorrowful in the mind, yet had to follow the Guru’s orders and comply with the usual observances such as offerings to Brahmanas etc. He praised his guru SriRaghavendra with this supreme shloka:
He specially decorated the vrindavana and offered pujas. The shloka means: ‘My salutations to that Guru Sri Raghavendra who is like the Sun which destroys darkness, like the Vaishnava Moon, and who i£ like an ocean of compassion for the people’.
