G. Narasimhulu Chetty

G. Narasimhulu Chetty was the son of Judge G. Muthuswamy Chetty, brother of G. Soobiah Chetty, and son-in-law of P. Iyaloo Naidu. It was the two brothers who on May 31, 1882, took the Founders, then in Madras, to see a piece of property next to the Adyar River that they recommended as the new headquarters site for the Theosophical Society.

Narasimhulu saw the Mahatmas in a couple of occasions. The first one was even before the founding of the Theosophical Society, when Master M. visited Madras in his physical body, in 1874. G. Soobiah Chetty wrote the following report:

. . . Early one morning a sadhu entered their home unannounced. A strikingly tall man, clothed in a long white dress and white pagri, with black hair falling on his shoulders, and black beard, stood within the door. Narasimhulu and Soobiah drew near to him. He made certain signs which the brothers did not understand, but remembered vividly. He asked for one pice; and when they went to the money-box they found it contained exactly one pice, which they gave to Him. He turned and left the house, followed by the two brothers, and suddenly disappeared, to their great astonishment. They could find no trace of Him in the street. It was this sudden and mysterious disappearance that impressed the visit so deeply upon them that they always remembered it in detail.

A second instance was stated by Damodar K. Mavalankar, who wrote in a letter to Col. Olcott:

Last night was a memorable one. As usual, Narasimhalu Chetty and myself were seated on a chair quite close to Mme. Blavatsky’s bed, fanning her and talking together, so as gradually to induce sleep in her. She said, just two hours before she had seen her Revered Guru, who was displeased with the fact that when, some time ago, He came to your Bungalow, about seven or eight of us had rushed forward on Mme.’s balcony to see Him, as He had gone to your bungalow on business and not to show Himself to any one. Then for a few minutes we were talking about some caves and so on. Suddenly Mme. B. gave a start and exclaimed, "I feel Him." She enjoined on us strictly not to leave our places, nor to get excited, but remain where we were, without moving an inch, one way or the other, and be perfectly calm and quiet. Suddenly she asked for our hands and the right hand of each of us was held by her. Hardly two minutes had elapsed since then, and we saw Him coming from the screen-door of Mme. B.’s bed-room and approaching her. The door is perfectly movable and in an open place, as we ourselves moved it immediately afterwards for more air. His manner of walking was so gentle that not a footstep, not the slightest sound, was audible; nor did He appear to move, by His gestures. It was only the change of position that made us see He had come nearer and nearer. He stood exactly opposite Mme. B. - not quite an arm’s length from us. We were on this side of the bed; He on the other. You know I have seen Him often enough to enable me to recognise Him at once. He then bent over the bed, taller than the curtain-rod of which, He was, when standing erect. His usual long white coat, the peculiar Pagri as in the portrait you have, long black hair flowing over the broad shoulders, and long beard - were as usual striking and picturesque. He was standing near a door the shutters of which were open. Through these the lamp-light, and through the windows which were all open, the moonlight, were full upon Him. And we being in the dark, i.e., having no light on our eyes - we being turned against the windows through which the moonlight came - could see distinctly and clearly. He held and put His hands twice over Mme. B.’s head. She then stretched out her hand which passed through His - a fact proving that what we saw was a Mayavi Rupa, although so vivid and clear as to give one the impression of a material physical body. She immediately took the letter from His hands. It crumpled, as it were, and made a sound. He then waved His hands towards us, walked a few steps, inaudibly and imperceptibly as before, and disappeared! Narasimhalu at once recognised Him, so distinctly and close did he see Him.

Mr. Chetty was a Theosophist initiated by Ramasamiah Garu in 1882 when a branch was opened at Hyderabad, according to the notebooks of his father-in-law, P. Iyaloo Naidu, who was the Deputy Collector of Arni. The same source reported Chetty's death of dropsy [edema] on April 25, 1883.