[Rajarajeshwari_Kalpataru] The Umbrella Man

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Dear Shreeram ji I thank you for the posting on detailing about Mahavatar Babaji on 4th may which I had requested you . You should be wondering why I am acknowledging it now.Actually this posting never reached me .....the reasons are known to Babaji only...... Today I was looking for pictures of RajaRajeshwari(the various goddess forms from new moon to full moon & the reverse.) in our group web pages photos since I didn't find it there I recalled about these picture on the series of articles you had written about Rajagopala swamygal,when I was searching that I saw this posting.....infact I did wait for your reply as posting regarding Babaji since it didn't happen at all ,I thought you must be busy & not bother your time for me. Your experience with umbrella man is v interesting ,Shreeramji you are a blessed person I do think of you when I finish my prayer(not every day

but very often )because you have helped me to get inducted into daily pooja rituals well as Srividya may your excellent work reach many like me & better their worldly & spiritual life. Do let me know when you are in Chennai next. regards Rajiv para_anuloma <para_anuloma wrote: Dear All,I keep harping about my temple. I call it my temple because my Divine mother lives in it.It is my house.My temple here refers to Nanganallur

Sarvamangala Rajarajeshwari temple.I have taken permission of my Gurunatha to reel out one of my experiences in the temple.It was when I was first initiated into Srividya mantras and puja kramam when I was in School. I was studying in Padma Sheshadri School in Chennai and used to rush to the temple to see my Beloved mother.That day I bunked school! to see Divine mother. Though I had to pay for it by writing school notes for two days after school hours.I get these sudden desires to see Divine mother. Sometimes even at 12:30 pm I get a desire to see divinemother and I take a train and go to the temple directly and see the gopuram,as seeing the gopuram in some texts is equivalent to seeing Amba's sahasraara. This is because the temple closes by 8:30pm or so.This being my lunatic state of mind, I suddenly got an urge one day to visit the tmeple in the hotsun of chennai summer. No one goes to

the temple in the hotsun and the temple really looks desolate. Sometimes even thwe priest does not sit there for long near the Amba's statue and goe to his home to drink water or go to the washroom.I felt sad that my Mother was being neglected and cried a bit in the morning and said to Mother "Dont worry I will give you company at the cost of my stupid Inorganic chemistry classes.You are my chemsitry and Iam your child. I will come to the temple as your devotee and I will be the "temple ruch"" I said these words precisely and started off as a one-man army to the temple.Mid-way I really felt I made a mistake as the sun was scorching its heat like neverbefore on me. The train got delayed and the slippers I was wearing was also very hot. To top it the slippers were PVC slippers!(as I dont wear leather for animal-love reasons). The slippers were like burning charcoals, the road was fire and the green

shrubs on the side of the road had thorns. I used to alternate between removing slippers for sometime, walking on the road and then jumping on to the green shrubs for coolness(eventhough my feet were blistered by the thorns and the heat)....variety in pain atleast reduces the pain!Then after some minutes of walking I cried out!"Amma Amma Iam not able to bear this torture, there is not even one tree in sight to rest but I will not dissapoitn you. Even if I drop dead on the way IAM GOING TO FULFILL THE PROMISE."I then started finally walking to Thillaiganga nagar street where the temple was situated.I do not take anything (not even water) before I go the temple and so my last meal was last night.I fell down exhausted!I did not what happened for afew minutes as I saw only blackness in my eyes. Then suddenly when I woke up I saw I was near the temple and one umbrella-man(one who repairs umbrellas)

was smiling at me with his broken teeth.I had never seen him in the area. He told me "Ayya neenga mayangi anga vizhudeega naa inguttu kootiyaandhe"(Sir you fainted there I brought you here).I smiled and replied back "Onnum illai appa koncham sorvaaga irundhadhu"(Nothing to worry, I was a bit weak).Then he smiled and said" Ennaku ellam theriyum"(I know all)Then he said "I will take care of your slippers"I said "Thats alright I will fidn the person who is incharge of keeping the slippers"But the woman escaped the heat of Chennai that day by taking a day's leave.I then finally said to him "OK Take care. These are new slippers"He smiled and said "I too provide shelter to all who come to me and take care of their needs like Amba and I wear elephant skin"I laughed at the joke(though I felt like drinking water out of his small pouch).Then I turned to Him and said

quizzically" Elephant skin? Aaanai tholaa? Ennappa pesare?"(Elephant skin? what are you blabbering?)He smiled and said "Enna Bhairavannu solluvaango. Naan Aaanaithollu potturuppen saami. Ennakku oru naai kooda undu".(Iam called Bhairava and I wear elephant skin and have a dog too)I then joked"aaama nee Appppidiyee' isaaan paaru..aaanai tholu pottukuvaara"(Yes, you are Shiva and wear elephant skin)He then shoed me an elephant skin from his torn bag and asked me "Enna saami sollugaa?"(what do you say now?)I thought he must be some tribal and left to see the deity lest they close the temple for the noon.I had darshan of my Mother and said "I have fulfilled my promise. I will stay here till the tmple closes"After sometime my mind went to that "Umbrella-man", whether he took my new PVC slippers and went away.But I controlled my faktering mind and said "Ok if he takes let him take. I

dont care. I will walk back in the hotsun and somehow manage why think about my slippers here in the sannidhi?"Then after having the darshan to my heart's content I came out. I did not find the umbrella man. I said "Oh oh here comes trouble! Murphy's law at work..if anything wrong can happen...it will"But then I mentally decided to run after eating the kalkandu prasadam in the temple for strength atleast by running I can reduce the intensity.I ran a few steps and the umbrella man shouted from nowhere and said "Ayya saami enn ottam udugaa! Enna ayya unga serrupa marandhuttiya? Koille idha patthidhaane nencheenga?Idhukku daan alutheengalaa kalaile?"(Oh Swami what a sprint you are running.You were thinking about the slippers in the temple dint you?Is this why you cried in the morning for Amba?, he asked me with a sly smile.I replied back "Ada serruppu kodppa indha rottu en kaala

koluthudhu"(Please give me my slippers this road is burning my feet).He smiled again and gave me the slippers and blessed me with his right palm on my head.I was looking at him in askance. "What is this guy upto? Has he gone out of his mind?"Thus thinking I placed a few steps.And suddenly thought to myself "Ok how did he know I thought about the slippers in the sannidhi?...Maybe that was a good guess...but how did he know I cried in the morning for Amba?"I turned back and he was nowhere in sight. I ran in the hotsun here and there, I knew every street in Thillaiganga nagar. I found him nowhere. I asked a shopkeepER"Did you see the umbrella-man sitting there?""what umbrellaman? I have been here from morning and all I saw was you talking strangely to the air!" replied back the shopkeeper.So the "umbrella-man" was not visible to the shopkeeper.The situation looked something

out of a ghost film!But then ghosts dont act and do good! But Lord Kalabhiarva, the gatekeeper of Rajarajeshwari Amba does!I had a vision of the great Bhairava disguised!I just came home dazed that day and next day I met swami and he said smiling and mockingly at me " How dare you give your slippers to Bhairava?" Jagadeka Matha Namasthubhyam!Yours yogicallyShreeram Balijepalli

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