Englishman's episode

[Guest guest]

I have followed the narration of Sri Satakopa Iyengar of Coimbatore and of

others on this subject with great interest and enthusiasm. I claim with pride

my maternal lineage with Maduranthakam where I spent my childhood and boyhood of

impressionable years. Every child of Maduranthakam has been fed with the story

of Eri Katha Ramar along with mother’s milk.

 

I just want to reiterate that the act of Prapatthi rose out of the soul of

people of Maduranthakam at that time and Lord Rama chose to appear in the dream

of the Englishman as the custodian of British Raj to assure him that HE is in

charge of protecting His subjects who surrendered to him for Divine

Intervention. The Englishman became a beneficiary of the Divine Perception as

only a tool of the administration and was awe-stricken by the sight he

experienced in the dream on that wild night. He had no idea as who were those

two mighty towering warriors holding huge bow and arrow striding along the top

of the bank of the swelling lake threatening to break open and submerge the

adjoining temple and the town of Maduranthakam.

 

Except for the few diehards holding the front line along with holy temple

pundits guarding the temple chanting Vedam and Stothram expecting a miracle,

most of the people had evacuated the town under the British order. As the

Englishman in charge of the operation woke up from his mystical dream on the

early morning sweating all over his body, the incessant rain had stopped to his

amazement.

 

As he rushed out and narrated his dream episode to his subordinates, the holy

men at the temple were enthralled with ecstasy and invited the Englishman to the

temple sanctum for Morning Prayer. As the sanctum doors opened, the Englishman

had the glorious vision of the same two mighty warriors of his dream holding bow

and arrow in the Stone form. He was completely shaken and trembling as tears

rolled over his eyes.

 

Despite being a Christian, he was a spiritual person to be awakened by the

Supreme Being of Hindu faith. The chief priest of the temple lamented that how

come the Lord never appeared in his dream even though he has been faithfully

performing Bhagawath kainkaryam all along while the Englishman who never ever

prayed to Lord Rama had the Bhagyam of His Vision in the dream. This is the

paradox.

 

People of Maduranthakam performed Prapatthi in their state of desperation and

Lord Rama came as their Savior. Regrettably, Satakopa Iyengar labels it

Englishman’s Prapatthi which in my opinion is not true. Let us not downplay the

Prapatthi of the people of Maduranthakamt at that time in an attempt to elevate

the Englishman as Prapanna to our Lord.

 

I will never, ever take away the credits of the Englishnan for his outstanding

contributions to Maduranthakam temple with rewards of construction and Manyam

for successful operation. He was a pious man. His inscription in stone

documenting the episode of Eri Katha Ramar is a standing testimony in modern

contemporary history. However, he remains a Christian and master of British

Raj. Our Lord has appeared before Christians and Moslems several times when

they were in Power to rule only to save HIS devotees from punishment, slavery

and exploitation. That is why we regard Him as Universal Lord.

 

 

 

Maduranthakam is a great ktesthram to visit and experience immense Spirituality.

When you stand before Ramar sannadhi, close your eyes and reflect on Eri Katha

Ramar episode, you will quiver with Bakthi. It is automatic as electric current

sweeps through your body. Janakavalli thayar’s grace will amaze you. I have

nothing new to add as many people have provided descriptive specialty of this

temple. The town is a pastoral, agricultural landscape surrounded by many

villages whose irrigation is served by the famous lake with several canals. The

water is holy as it has been sanctified and protected by Lord Rama at the bank,

which makes it equivalent to Ganga and Cauvery. Above all, Ramanuja Acharya was

initialized to Vaishnavism as Grahastha under Vakula tree inside this temple

before setting out to SriRangam to be transformed as Bhagawat Ramanuja

illuminating the torch of Vishistadwaitham The Sanskrit college of Ahobila

Matam next to the temple tank paves the path of Vaishnavite think-tank.

 

My fellow Maduranthakam brothers! Do not feel bad because we are left out of

Divya desam We are a part of unique, unparallel Divine association in several

other respects that can breed us as great vaishnavites.

 

I am probably a senior citizen of Maduranthakam heritage settled in the US for a

long time. However, I cannot match the knowledge and Pandityam of Sriman

Satakopa Iyengar of Coimbatore. Sriman Anbil Ramaswamy as our mentor in the US,

keeps us all well educated in Vaishnavism with his electronic journal,

"". I have learnt a lot more from him and his journal in the US than

I ever did in my youth in India.

 

Let us not be judgmental and critical of each other based on narrow focus and

interpretation of Vaishnavism. We have to evolve with time to adapt and

encompass other view as well. Closed minded dogmatism will not help us to grow

with others. We need to reform, refine and blend in our attitudes and

practices without sacrificing core virtues of our philosophy.

 

Adiyen

 

Srinivasa Raghavan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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