More on Poppadum

[Guest guest]

om namo bhagavate sri ramanaya

3rd April 1947

When I told Bhagavan that I wanted to send [an] article [about old philosophic

songs] to the Telugu magazine Griha Lakshmi, he asked me to read it out to him.

On hearing it, Bhagavan said, 'There is a big story about this song,' and at my

request he was pleased to narrate it.

'In the early days when mother came to stay with me in Virupaksha cave, there

was no cooking. If Echamma or anybody else brought her any food she used to eat

it, clean the vessels and then go to bed. That was all. One day she thought I

had nothing special to eat and as I was fond of the twin Appalams, she thought

it would be a good idea to make some for me. Being well-experienced, she could

not refrain from making them. Without my knowledge she asked the Mudaliar old

lady, Echamma and some others to get everything ready and one evening she set

out, saying that she was going to the village. I wanted to see where she was

really going, and so when she left, I waited silently under the tree outside.

She thought I did not know anything. She went to several houses, collected all

the required things in a big vessel and returned. I closed my eyes and

pretended complete ignorance. She put them away carefully in the cave till all

the visitors left. After nightfall, I had my usual meal and lay down pretending

to sleep. Leisurely, she took out the wooden roller, wooden seat, loose flour

and the balls of paste and commenced making Appalams. There were about two to

three hundred to be made. She could not prepare them all single-handed. I knew

the job. So she quietly began telling me, 'My boy, please help me with it.' I

got the opportunity I was waiting for. If I were lenient in this, she would

start something else. I wanted to put a timely stop to it. I said, 'You have

renounced everything and have come here, haven't you? Why all this? You should

rest content with whatever is available. I won't help you. I won't eat them if

you prepare them. Make them all for yourself, and eat them yourself.' She was

silent for a while and again started saying, 'What, my dear son, please help me

a little.' I was adamant. She continued to call me again and again. Feeling it

was no use arguing anymore, I said, 'All right. You make these Appalams. I will

make another kind;' and I started singing this 'Appalam' song. She used to sing

a rice song, soup song and other such songs, all with Vedantic meanings. None

appears to have written an Appalam song. So I felt I should compose one. She

was very fond of songs. So she felt she could learn another song. By the time

the preparation of the Appalams was over, my song also was finished. 'I will

eat this Appalam (the song about Appalams) and you eat those that you have

made,' I told her. That happened sometime in 1914 or 1915.'

.....

'Sometime after the Appalam song was composed, we all set out one day on Giri

Pradakshina. Someone said, 'Swamiji! Please tell us the meaning of the Appalam

song'. I started explaining this: 'Take the words 'thangani pancha kosa

kshetramunnadu (in the body of with the five elements)'. There are many

authorities about the 'pancha kosa kshetra' in the Bhagavad Gita and other

Vedantic texts. I quoted them all. Similarly for every word there are many

authorities. I gave them all, explaining their meanings and significance. We

finished our round of the hill, returned to the Virupaksha cave and sat down. I

was still explaining. All the essence of the Vedanta is incorporated in that one

song. If properly commented upon, it would make a big volume by itself.'

I said, 'It would have been good if somebody had recorded all that when Bhagavan

explained. Who can comment upon the song as Bhagavan does.! Why not somebody

record it even now?'

'That is all very well!' he said laughing. After hearing all the commentary, I

said 'I am not satisfied with this article and so I will not send it to Griha

Lakshmi.' Bhagavan said, 'Just as you please, ' and resumed his talk,....

(Letters from Sri Ramanasramam by Suri Nagamma, Tiruvannamalai; 1995)