The inspirational life of Singaraju Krishna Kumari
She spent her life in pursuit of spiritual knowledge.
“A life well lived is one which has goals, and integrity, which is chosen and directed by the one who lives it, to the fullest extent possible to a human agent caught in the webs of society and history”.
True to these words was the life of Singaraju Krishna Kumari, teacher, author and orator who had unquenchable thirst for learning and acquiring spiritual knowledge. She left for her heavenly abode on May 29. An unfortunate and untimely demise given the great purpose she was serving in her own silent ways.
I am not writing about a famous or a celebrated personality, but a simple, wonderful, amazingly intellectual yet humble woman who made tremendous difference to people around her in the little corners she lived in and played a part in their lives which is nothing but unforgettable. I was blessed to meet and spend time with her, but her sudden and sad demise left several of her friends and followers in deep shock and grief.
She influenced people around her every day by words, deeds, writings, ever creating and sharing. Her life conveys that the power of a person’s life is the stories they leave behind. The legacy and lessons she left behind are simple yet profound in character building and upholding our values and culture.
Krishna Kumari pursued higher studies out of her sheer interest and inclination since her childhood. She completed M.A (Lit) in Telugu and also obtained a B.Ed degree whilst fulfilling her responsibilities as a young mother, wife and daughter-in-law.
She used to passionately narrate events from her childhood which only reflect and reveal her intense yearning and desire to study, understand and acquire knowledge of every area she chanced to touch upon including Music, language, history, religion, culture, spiritual texts, astrology, the list goes on. She worked as Headmistress, Sisuvidya Mandir, Hyderabad affiliated to Bharatiya Vidyapeeth and also as Founder Principal, Oasis Day School, Hyderabad.
She was extremely dedicated to her duties and used to organise cultural activities and functions for students as she firmly believed that future generations should comprehend and carry forward the richness of our culture, traditions, social and moral values. Her gentle demeanour, soothing words, superior intellect and knowledge instantly won several hearts. At the same time, she was a disciplinarian and was a born leader with gifted administrative and organising abilities and hence could lead teams successfully in all her activities.
She engaged herself in studying various texts, puranas and scriptures and used to discuss with the other learned people for harmonious interpretation of various aspects of spirituality and social values. She was fond of visiting places of religious importance and has written travelogues. She authored books ‘Maa Theertha Yaathralu’, Part 1 and Part 2, ‘Kalyana Vaibhogame’ and ‘Kalacharithra’ (Telugu). Kalacharithra has been recently translated and published in English as ‘Kalacharithra- Our Traditions, Our Festivals’.
Krishna Kumari spent her life in pursuit of spiritual knowledge and delivering spiritual discourses on various topics like Soundarya Lahari, Sivananda Lahari, Ananda Lahari, Mukunda Maala, Ramanayam, Bhagavatam, Thiruppavai, Narayaneeyam etc. She has written several articles on various spiritual aspects, commentaries on Upanishads, Telugu and Sanskrit literature, personalities like Ramana Maharshi, Vemana etc for various magazines.
In her own ways, she was bringing about a silent change in the way people spend their time especially women, elderly and children living in her community. She was also a responsible citizen taking keen interest in matters affecting our day to day lives, be it interacting with local corporators or organising colony residents to undertake welfare activities. She set an example that to contribute to society, one need not hold distinctive positions.
In these times, when all of us find it extremely difficult to lead a balanced and meaningful life, she left a message to all of us with the life she lived. She proved through her simple yet insightful attitude that one need not renounce the world or completely withdraw from society in order to lead a more spiritually fulfilling life. She successfully carried out her duties and responsibilities towards her family and also drove a self-determined purpose of keeping the good culture, practices and traditions alive by engaging people around her in meaningful activities.
She made a statement through the life she lived that the greatest legacy one can pass on to children and grand-children is not money or possessions accumulated in one’s life, but rather a legacy of character and ideals. It is in our hands to make a choice of life we would like to lead and legacy to leave behind, to empower, to enrich ourselves, to learn and acquire knowledge and strive to contribute to society till the last breath.
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