J. Udayabhaskara Sastry, 69, is a documentary and short-film maker, accredited independent journalist, Vedic astrology researcher and associate member of the Telugu Cine Writers’ Association based at Hyderabad, Telangana State, India.
His latest project, documentary on Arunachalam Hill, titled Antipode of Arunachalam Hill, deals with the unexplored part of the spiritual teachings of Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi who most of the Indians consider as an incarnation of Lord Shiva.
Sastry’s first documentary film, made in vernacular language Telugu, deals with Sri Ramanujacharya, Indian spiritual Guru and philosopher of the 11th and 12th centuries, who tried hard to drive away the stigma of untouchability from the then Indian society.
Born in a traditional agricultural family at Itikampadu village in the Guntur district of undivided Andhra Pradesh, Sastry cultivated the habit of exploring things of the spiritual world and of the most fascinating subject of Vedic Astrology, while continuing his career as a journalist.
Sastry’s other varied interests include exploring spiritual personalities of the globe and their teachings, script writing for documentaries in English and Telugu, besides providing scripts for short and feature films and creating consciousness among people about the oceanic Indian astrology.
Known as J U B Sastry in journalistic circles, he worked as sub-editor for various vernacular dailies including those belonging to the widely known Indian Express Group.
He also worked as content developer for more than two decades for English news portals besides taking up the most coveted job of Media Coordinator in the national media section in the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s Office between October 2022 and May 2024.
With India’s most venerable spiritual teacher Sri Ramana Maharshi being a household name across the length and breadth of the country since 1950s, Sastry used to think of the spiritual Guru akin to his family elders who had high regards for the master.
During his days as columnist to the Chennai-based astrology magazine The Express Star Teller, Sastry was fascinated to read articles about Ramana Maharshi contributed by his co-columnists off and on. His urge to probe the teachings of the spiritual Guru grew wider and he left no stone unturned in unearthing the hidden.
A few months ago, while browsing for information about Ramana Maharshi’s teachings, the journalist-turned documentary film maker fumbled on the scantly-appreciated point, as elucidated by the Maharshi, of the existence of a possible antipode for the Arunachalam Hill.
Before Ramana Maharshi, no other spiritual teacher of the world ever thought of the spiritual angle that has been binding the mankind together in one form or the other since time immemorial.
Ramana Maharshi has several disciples across the world. Major AW Chadwick, the first European disciple of the internationally acclaimed spiritual teacher, spent the rest of his life as Sadhu Arunachala at the Ramana Maharshi Asram at Arunachalam, after retiring as a Major from the British Army.
During his spiritual interactions with Major Chadwick and others, the Maharshi spoke of the antipode of the Arunachalam Hill on the other side of the Earth.
The Guru was of firm opinion that both the hills, the Arunachalam Hill in India and its antipode in the West, are holding the world together spiritually like the North and South Pole holding the globe together physically.
This had prompted the documentary maker to probe the issue further and he got what he wanted. Sadhu Arunachala’s Book A Sadhu’s Reminiscences of Ramana Maharshi, talked of the subject in detail.
In his book, Sadhu Arunachala describes the greatness of the hill saying that it gives inspiration for all seeking spiritual strength. He talks of the Giri Pradakshinams (circumambulations around the sacred hill) extending to a distance of nearly 14 km from which the devotees draw the strength.
He also further says Ramana Maharshi used to stress on the fact that Lord Shiva pervades the Arunachalam Hill as Arunagiri Yogi and its antipode exists in the hill ranges, at a place somewhere near to its equivalent geographical coordinates, in the West.
Before reading Sadhu Arunachala’s book, I visited Arunachalam in Tamil Nadu and went round the hill in a moving vehicle, like many others who are perhaps ignorant of the strength of the barefoot walking.
Sincerely speaking, I failed to experience any spiritual flavor mentioned by Sadhu Arunachala. However, after reading the book, I visited the temple town once again along with my journalist-friend P. Pawan Kunar.
After having Darshan of the temple deity, we trekked up the hill under the guidance of the guide Mountain Mani in the morning hours and went round the hill on the same evening barefoot thinking of Lord Shiva, Arunachalam Hill and its antipode. There were no symptoms of fatigue on either of us.
Rather, the experience was amazing and I was thrilled to feel the spiritual vibrations through my body and soul. My friend also had similar experience. The feeling was something that I couldn’t explain here in words. One has to experience it to feel it.
That was the moment I made up my mind on making the documentary on the subject. But I knew very well that I couldn’t do it in a single day. I waited for the right time and acted on it when I got the opportunity.
Antipode of Arunachalam Hill, with a bearable length of 15 minute plus, talks about the spiritual strength of the pilgrim town Arunachalam, Arunachalam Hill and its antipode Machu Picchu Hill in Peru in the West.
I strongly feel that the spiritual strength of any person on this Earth lies in his / her emotional thinking and films like Antipode of Arunachalam Hill only serve the purpose of educating about the existence of the sources that consolidate such emotions.
As Ramana Maharshi says, it is true that thoughts come and go and feelings too come and go but we have to find out what it is that remains with us. Is there any doubt that it is only the spiritual strength that we draw in our lives that remains with us even if our physical bodies perish at the will of destiny?
