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Dear Bhagavatas,,

 

Sri Sundararajan in his above article, referred to Prativadi Bhayankaram

Swami as " a Prathah Smaraniyah" (one to remember at sunrise) to anyone who

had had the fortune to meet him, or even to look at him from a way off, or

had read any of his works, or attended his discourse."

 

This is absolutely true. As a School boy in the 1930s and later as a College

student in the 1940s

I had the good fortune to attend his discourses. The majesty (Gaambhiryam) of

his voice, the magnitude of his diction, and the torrential flow of his

delivery can only issue forth from the heart of one who had unshakable

conviction of what one was saying.

 

Besides other places, he used to deliver his discourses at Ramanuja Koodams

and Bhajana Koodams where members of Chettiar and other Non brahmin

communities thronged. By the force of his arguments, he transformed them into

staunch and unremitting Vaishnavites- who could recite the Arulicheyals of

Alwars with greater felicity and ease and their devotion to Sriman Narayana

grew deeper than even some of the established Srivaishnavas.

 

He was indeed, " Prativadi Bhayankaram"- One who struck terror in the hearts

of his opponents in arguments. I vividly remember how Rajaji clashed with him

by saying that Nammalwar himself equated Lord Narayana with other

Devatantaras (I forget the actual verse quoted). When refuted by PBA, Rajaji

explained that he wrote not for great scholars like Sri PBA but to ordinary

folk. Sri PBA retorted that his refutation was not meant for the Chief

Minister cum Governor cum Governor General (that Rajaji was) but for the lay

folk who were likely to be misled (by virtue of Rajaji's position)- if a

proper and timely caveat was not entered against the remarks. And, if I

remember right, Rajaji admitted that he wrote to be 'Janaranjakam' not

because he was convinced. A strategic withdrawal indeed !.

 

Even those who differed from his views would think a hundred times before

giving expression to their viewpoints lest they should meet with a

devastating repartee from Sri PBA.

 

Apart from Sri PBA, I have attended the Tiruppavai Kalakshepams of Sri

KARAPPANKADU SWAMI at the SRKM High School (Main), A doyen of Tennacharya

Sampradaya, he took special care never to offend anyone. Though firm and

decisive in his views, he would couch his delivery in such sweet and soft

expressions that he endeared all shades of Srivaishnavas. His son-in-law, Sri

Venkatapathi, was my classmate in Sribashyam classes at the feet of Purisai

Swami.

 

Much more recently, I had the good luck to attend the discourses of an

equally talented and a really noble personage of Tennacharya Sampradaya viz.,

Sri VELUKKUDI SWAMI. He combined the majesty of Sri PBA and the mellowness of

Karappankadu Swami and was a great Anushtatha. After Tiruppaan Alwar and Sri

Aandaal, he is the one who attained the Lord's feet immediately before the

Sannidhi of Periya Piraatti at Srirangam after having renderied "Ganta Seva"

at the Sannidhi of Periya Perumal. Our Jeeyar used to go rapturous about

this great personality, whenever a reference to him came up during the

Kalakshepams.

 

I am indeed blessed to have had the good fortune of listening to these noble

personages. As such,

I could feel the full import of the statement of Sri Sundararajan ," It is a

memory that purifies".

I thank him for arousing in me nostalgic remembrances of those glorious days.

 

Dasoham

Anbil Ramaswamy