[Shaktheyem] Vadapazhani Paramjyothi Baba--Part 3

March 22, 2009

Sai Ram,Sri Ram garuThank you for sharing your blessings.I can only see and feel amma's love - personified as these pujyaneeya Saints.Thanks once again for letting us feel amma's love.--- On Sun, 3/22/09, Group Owner <para_anuloma wrote:Group Owner <para_anuloma[shaktheyem] Vadapazhani Paramjyothi Baba--Part 3"shaktheyem " <Shaktheyem >, "dattaatreyem " <Dattaatreyem >Sunday, March 22, 2009, 2:10 AM

Dear All,

I had visited the Baba yet again the next day too, completing a hatrick of sorts.

I visited the saint in the morning with my father and family.My mother couldnot make it dueto some personal health issues.

There was some crowd that day.But the Siddha, allowed us inside and even asked a boy who was meditating before Him to leave.Then He asked Krishnamurthyji incharge of the crowd to close the doors and thus gave us a sequestered audience.

We felt elated.My father took His blessings and then went out as He could not stand for long.But before he went, he asked one personal issue he had and took the Siddha's blessings and sat in the vehicle in which we had come.

I started taking elaborate video footage with my Handy Cam.The images came crisp and clear.I focussed,refocussed ,zoomed-in and out and then took a uber-view of the room.I adjusted the lighting internally and externally.My wife took digicam pictures of the room.

I felt a bit bad taking the footage like a prying press reporter.It seemed like an insult to the Siddha's privacy and His Manodhayana.

How can one capture the rapture in His mind in one footage or a still photograph?

But I resolved today that the videos are going to be in my personal collection, atleast for now, and not going to Youtube or the like.The one video taken by one person is enough, I guess.

After the video was taken and the pictures were taken, a few of His chelas came into the room and the video was also taken of them.

The siddha gave us biscuits and my kids readily grabbed at them and started muching them.I then narrated the health condition of my mother and He asked me,"Is the leg swollen?"

I never mentioned anything to Him.

I said, "Yes, She is doing the work nevertheless like that"

He said, "Sari, Sari"("Ok Ok")

We spent a lot of time, god knows how much but then I realized there was a crowd outside and there was queue and thought, maybe people were waiting with their life crises and here was I chit-chatting with the Siddha.

So, I thought, I should now take His leave and tried to excuse myself.But He raised His voice and said, "No, stay.People do great sins and come and stand here to clear their problems in a jiffy, Am I a Galbavritsham? ('Kalpavruksham' ).I will close their 'files'."

I could not utter a word against this promulgation.

I 'stayed' for longer.The doors were closed and I guess the people outside were cursing me and swearing at me for taking so much of time.

Normally, they just come, kiss His feet and then go away with a busicuit or two if He is in a good mood.

But here was I, going on and on.

The siddha also asked a local attendant to come in and smiled and said, "Indha America payyanikku AC Podu."(Please switch on the AC for this 'American Boy')

I noticed a small AC in the corner, apparently some Marwadi devotee in return for some personal favour had donated it.But it was rarely used.

That was His way of showing affection toward me.

I stopped cranking my camera for one last time after I had taken a footage of His younger days photos and even as a small boy meditating.

Then as I was putting the video and the digicam into the bag.The siddha asked to show the footage.

I opened the handycam video portal and showed on the right side the video which I had taken.I started touching the screens and the screens moved.

He said innocently, "Oh you touch and the screen moves.So much progress man has made.In olden days, we used to clean and dip negatives... "

In the footage, myfirst kid came accidentally in the video while taking Him.

It looked funny and the Siddha, whom I thought had poor eyesight, saw it and laughed at it.

It was the first time I saw Him smiling and laughing.All the while He was so quiet and in another world and constantly mumbling.

I felt elated that I could give Him some earthly pleasure.

Then finally He said cryptically, "It will come correct tommorow"

{We realized the truth of the statement next day: No matter how much we tried we could not open our video cam till next day}

We again took His blessings, touched His feet whch were swollen and with puss.

I have also included portions of the magazine in the below write-up in my own words with other information collected from various sources apart from the Magazine:

Paranjyothi Baba's orginal name is not to be told to the public so I would refrain from telling it openly though I was given privy to His poorvaashrama name.

He had come from a village near Thanjavur to Chennai on some business.He used to do long hours of sadhana as a kid with his Aaradhanamurthy, Hanuman.Then the business for which He came to Chennai failed.He started losing desire in worldly affairs and finally started doing penance on one leg.

He came to Vadapazhani as a fully matured Siddha.No one knows exactly where He got His enlightenement or how old He is.

He started roaming about the temple streets of Vadapazhani Murugan Temple in the scorching heat of the sun wearing just a torn towel and resting now and then on the platform.

No one knew the reason why He did like that.He shooed away people and always looked at the sky.

He had bad temper during His young days and used to abuse people who came to Him verbally and many people were afraid to come near Him.

Some days He used to lie around a dustbin and lick leftovers, other days some grateful devotee used to feed Him Tea and Vada(local spicy doughnut).

For hours on end, He used to stare at 'Vettaveli' and do nirantara tapas and during the rainy season, He used to enter a pit and do tapas and the rain water seeped in the pit till He was neckdeep in it and yet unmindful of it used to go into 'Koormadhyana' .

'Koormadhyana' means 'Turtle dhyana'.Just as a turtle withdraws from outer world and goes into a shell residing in its body an evolved Siddha goes into the recess of the body and transcends it, thus feeling no pain or emotion.

The residents of vadapazhani( in those days) knew His greatness when a cow died before Him and he resureected it by showing a banana to its mouth.The cow greedily gulped the banana He gave.He went on His way with his old tattered towel.

Some days He used to shout thrice inebriated in divine ecstacy:" IAM GOD, IAM GOD, IAM GOD"

For most part He used to just lineup with some beggars(now not to be seen) near the temple and receive some temple prasadam or stay put on the 'platform'(Indian way of calling a "pedestrian" )

Later, as His popularity started growing.He was requested by one person, Krishnamurthy to come and settle in a small room so that He can rest there, do His sadhana or His 'Nishtai'(going into samadhi and then come back after sometime) or His 'Tea or Vada' there.

Initially He resisted and even shouted at Krishnamurthy but undaunted that he was, finally he made the Siddha to relent.

From that day to this day He stays in the small room underneath a staircase with a small bathroom opposite.

It seems he started taking bath twice per day and He did that for 1 hour(or atleast that is what the people say as He closes the door and comes out fresh after 1 hour).He does not use soap but sometimes if there is a soap kept He uses it.

His food is purely vegetarian and nowadays He takes only what Krishnamurthyji cooks from his house and gives and nothing else except an occasional Tea,biscuits or Vada from a local tea shop.

He asked Krishnamurthyji to not reside in Vadapazahani despite pleading hard and long and so he still comes all the way from Korattur to Vadapazhani daily on his vehicle.

Next day:

I went next day late evening with my wife and kids again.My kids took a special liking for the place because teh attendants there used to buy them small toys and used to speak to our kids affectionately.

The attendent outside said, "I think the Siddha took a special liking for you sir.We have never seen Him smile.He always looks very morose or sober but even your mention of your name makes Him light up, what ''sokkupodi' '('spell' ) have you put sir?"

I said, "I dont know,maybe Im lucky.I thought I would get beatings from Him!"

Many miraculous incidents seemed to have taken place in the small room.

There is a small pathway behind the room like an ante-chamber with steps leading up to another room's door.

Sometimes when people come to Him, He asks them to climb the steps up and get down.This strange ritual He asks to repeat many many times for some and many get their problems dissolved by this strange and neverbeforeheard remedy.

He was in 'Nishtai'(from 6 pm) and no one knows when He would come out of it.His door was closed and there was a small glass peep-through hole(much like Intensive care ward rooms, where relatives of the patient can peepthrough a small glass window from outside).

So, I took the opportunity to strike a conversation with an old couple who came there.

She narrated to me that her husband entered into coma five weeks ago and the doctors gave up hope.She somehow came to know of this siddha and came for "madipicchai" (a term used by Tamil women as a symbolism"to save their husbands") from the Siddha.The Siddha did not relent for sometime but later ordered her to keep going up and down the steps of the room behind His room till He said stop.

She said, despite her age, she walked up and down the steps in a desperate bid to save her husband but much to her consternation the siddha did not ask her to stop so she continued climbing up and down till late night when she herself felt she was going to croak.She thought, "Ok if I have to die climbing up and down for my husband, let it be in this Siddhabrindavan before Him"

The moment she thought thus.The siddha said, "Stop, sleep on the verandah and go tommorow to the Hospital"

Sure enough, next day as all of you can guess, His husband was transferred from intensive care to general ward and was discharged by the much-surprised doctors.

The proof of the pudding lay in the smiling husband next to her while she was relating all this.

He showed the dismal hospital reports and said to me emotionally fighting back his tears, "I dont know how to repay this siddha.He seems to not want anything.No gifts or money.Infact, he just gives us biscuits or bread..."

That reminded me.I had brought some freshbaked bread for the siddha and gave it to one person staying outside the room attending upon Him.

I took leave of the couple and then we went to the temple and had darshan of Subramanyanatha to our heart's content.I paid some amount for a special vazhibadu as the asterism was Vishaka and Shasti that day.We were in the midst of the puja when I heard my cellphone ringing.Normally I switch it off but it surprised me that I had it not and that too in a temple.So, I grabbed the phone and tried to silence it and saw that the attendent was frantically calling me.(I had given my number just before I left the temple)

After the puja was over, I noticed 5 missed calls.

I came rushing back to the Siddha's room.

The door was open but the siddha was in 'nishtai' again.

The attendent said, "Ayya came out of dhyana and asked me to give the bread you had brought for him.He ate that with tea and then asked about you.Please believe me, Sir.I never even told about your arrival.Then after waiting for sometime.He told me, "Ok he is in puja" and then went back to dhyana"

SHEESSSSH! I had missed an opportunity to talk with Him.

When He is in 'Nishtai' and the doors are closed,no one comes.I had all the time in the world to talk to Him and yet I missed Him. 'All my praaptham', I thought.

But the door was instructed to be open and I took His padanamaskara.

One woman who used to come there regularly came rushing in and took His padanamaksara by touching His feet.

But the attendent said to Her, "Madam, He has asked only this person to come in and touch His feet.Normally He does not allow anyone to touch His feet while He is in Nishtai.You come here daily and you must be knowing better."

The lady apologized profusely and then went away.

I then took the padanamaskara with my wife.

I had left our children to one more attendent outside the room,lest they disturb the dhyana of the Siddha.

The magazine article does not throw any light on His past but reveals the experiences of some famous people like Drums Shivamani,Neelima Rani,etc.

Ilayaraja said once(quoting this Siddha only):"There resides in Chennai in Vadapazhani, one Siddha who lives with us.Where He resides, what He does will not be revealed by me but He is the source of my strength and my success in film field"

Drums Shivamani,Grammy Award winning musician who is an ardent devotee of Vadapazhani Siddhar.

People call the Siddha--Siddhar, Thaatha,Baba, Paranjyothi Baba,Vadapazhani Siddhar/Baba, etc.

The name Paranjyothi Baba was given by devotees of another Paranjyothi Baba who used to visit this Vadapazhani Baba, who considered Him to be an incarnation of that other Baba.

Drums Shivamani's experience:" Im visiting ''Thaathaa'' for the past 18 years.In those days,He used to roam about in the adjoining streets of Vadapazhani temple.In the beginning He never used to even see me or bother about my presence.I used to stand for hours on end for His darshanam and vachanam but He never gave any audience to me.

One day he saw me directly and said, "Now go and come"

I then went to AVM studios and two French people had come to see me in the studios hearing my prowess in drums.They hired me to play drums in their famous musical band in France.

(This was the first chance He got and there was no turning back in his career.Till then Drums Shivamani was mired in utmost poverty and penury)

I came back from tour and Thaathaa asked me,"Did the two come?"

I horripillated!

One day it was raining cats and dogs.We were all drenched like cats in pool.But the the siddha's clothes were dry.The area where He sat was dry!! He was not drenched by even a small drop of water.He shows His ''siddhuvilayattu' '(Siddhaleelas) thus ocassionally to me.

Some days, He never allows me to go and says, "Just sleep here"

So despite having a car those days(newly got fame,name and money), I used to park the car and sleep with Him on the platform(pedestrian ).

Today if the world knows me as "Drummer Sivamani" it is only the alms of this Siddha that day.

One day, I was in Germany and there was a documentary going on about India.I became homesick a bit and thought about ''Thaathaa'' .

LO BEHOLD! Thaathaa came in the TV for all of us to watch for a few seconds and then vanished.

Im now sure that whereever Im in the world, His presence with me is always there.

The first thing I do when I come to Chennai whenever I come from any part of the world is to visit ''Thaathaa''

I never ask anything in His presence openly.I just think about the same in my mind and it gets done.

To understand ''Thaathaa'' is difficult to understand than God...."

(These were the words of Drummer Sivamani in the article)

The reporter of the magazine who wrote this article took Babaji's blessings.

The attendent came into the room and the Siddhar who eyes were closed was informed..." Ayya one magazine reporter has come to see you"

A magazine was placed on His lap.

The siddhar replied without opening His eyes, "Yes, I know...'Junior Vigadan' right?"

The reporter was surprised to no end.He had not informed anyone beforehand that he was coming to write about this Baba, whose address he had got 'miraculously' .There was no chance to inform too as there was no phone,except the private cellphone of constantly changing volunteers.He also did not have the cellphone number of Krishnamurthy who is present there to serve Baba for most of the time.There was no chance for any recommendations too there.

Immidiately it seems Babaji asked the reporter,"Give me Rs.100."

The reporter and the Junior Vigadan crew of three managed to pool together Rs.100 and give Him.

The Siddha then turned to them and said, "All your rinas are now cut.There is no more births for you all."

Then all of a sudden turned His head away from them.Period.

(This was very strange because He never asks for any money.Krishnamurthy was taken aback when Siddhar asked for money. And later said to me it was very uncharecteristic of Him to do so.He had heard of Shirdi Sai Baba asking money from His disciples but this Siddhar never did and why He did that too to some Magazine reporters whose only intention was to give some coverage about something strange happening in Vadapazhani befuddled Him.)

My guess is, the Sidhar must have initiated into them a process of self-enquiry which would lead them to seek out a spiritual path and attain Mukthi this birth itself and taking Rs.100 is symbolic of taking their karmas and looking after them.

The junior vigadan interview being just a device to lure His people to Him.(The four press guys being 'His people')

The ways of a Yogi are strange and beyond the Ken of normal humans.

Krishnamurthy began his daily ritual of cleaning the festers on the swollen legs of the siddha.The legs became swollen and black.

"He takes upon the sins of people who come to Him and thus this...", he explained.

One, Mr.Kannan of Sengottai,Tamizhnad u, says..."My mother was in critical condition in ICU in the hospital.I came to this saint and He took my hands in His and asked me to stay put the whole night like that...morning he relased my hands and asked me to visit my mother who was discharged without any complaint... "

(The below miracle is not found in the magazine:I interviewed one Mr.Munuswamy, a big moustached gentleman and a Central Bank employee from Gerogetown who comes often.He had this to say:

"Both my kidneys are gone and I have many number of dialyses done on me and for the past 40 years, I have been going on like this by the grace of Baba.When I was first admitted to hospital many many years ago...my young daughter came here and Baba gave her kamalapazham( Orange) and she fed me even while I was in coma forcibly into my mouth.I sat up and in a day or two was discharged.

I again became ill in a few years and the doctors declared that I was a hopeless case and asked me to spend my last days with my family but I had immense faith in Baba and so asked my folks to take me to Baba on a stretcher and came here.

He shouted at my relatives in Tamizh harshly, "Dont be foolish...He commits lots of sins last birth and this birth to he drinks a lot and then he comes to me at the last moment.Does he think Iam God? Aks him to pay for his sins .His file is closed(He used this term often) and bury him in Braindavanam. ..Now all of you F!@@ OFF"

I was unfazed.Death or rebirth it had to be at his feet.So I told my relatives feebly..."I think He is God.He Himself says so sometimes.I will die In this brindavan,even if he beats me to death..."

The relatives did not know what to do and they left me there.Only my wife and daughter who were weeping were near me.

Late night he came to me and said looking at my eyes, "Rascal wont you leave me at peace?"

Then he looked at my eyes deep and clear and then said to my wife,"Rush now, there is a tea stall at this odd hour,he will close soon and bring your husband a vada and some tea."

Then she brought it, the siddha sipped the tea once and bit the vada a bit and then fed me with his own hands.

This incident was years ago.

Now look at me sir.Im still moving, though tkaing dialysis every week for my past birth karmas. My current doctor is surprised and wants to visit this Siddha.

I tell him it is possible only if the Siddha deigns

I come from a longdistance and the doctor resides just 2 streets away from this siddhar and yet has not met Him, what do you say, Sir?

He creates the desire to see Him...He is allpowerful but hates publicity sir....please dont ask prying questions too much Sir,He might get angry....")

One more incident mentioned in the mag article is regarding the union problem between the workers in the film fraternity and the producers.The workers(technical crew) were not being paid their wages.(Apparently lot of people in the film world have beleif in Him because of Drums Sivamani and Ilayaraja spreading the word a bit about Him)

The union members came to Him and wailed,"Ayya we dont have food to even eat and these producers of films dont give us wages"

The siddha who was roaming about in the streets then, suddenly got angry and shoted lookng at the sky" Those who work are suffering here and not able to have a square meal a day and you guys(producers) book an AC room and enjoy with prostitutes and callgirls?"

Then it seemed the Siddhar started abusing using expetives looking at the sky.

Then after He cooled down, He said, "GIVE THEM THEIR MONEY AND WAGES NOW!"

The matter was solved amicably,much to the surprise of the workers, next day itself.

Sure enough, the producers called them the next day and paid them without making any fuss.

Neelima Rani's story

(Tv artiste)

"My father was sick and in hospital.We had no money.I used to stay in Siddhar's room(by then He had the small room) and then He healed my father.I come regularly here and for me everything is Baba.

Ten days ago(from the time of the Junior Vigadan Magazine's interview date) my father expired, yet I consider it to be all the doing of Thaathaa who saved my father in the first place..."

Comedy actor Vivek

Many film personalities came from rags to riches because of His grace.

Vivek(Comedy actor) who comes every Pournami and Amavasya to this day and pays his respects.He believes that He is now 'this big' only because of the 'picchai' of the Siddhar.

Rajini-at the start of His career but now he does not come because it would attract undue attention and disturb the Siddhar's privacy

Ilayaraja--His ardent devotee from 1950s Vincent Selva,Music director Sirpi,etc to name a few.

Baba does not give any Upadesha to anyone.There is no religion He follows.After His enlightenment He stopped His Hanumath Aradhana and His room has only photos of Himself taken by Krishnamurthy or other ardent devotees.It is sometimes to given to people at their request.

'His people' come to Him on His own bidding.

Since, Im supposed to reveal this much only, I stop my parts with this.

I would not entertain any requests for his address or the like unless it is some life and death situation.Even in that case, I would have to take His permission.

May our Vedabhoomy produce many more such Siddhas to bless us.

What can I say except that Im "Darned-damn- lucky" to meet Him!

Yours yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli

Hreem Rajarajeshwari Paradevatha!

Purity, Powers, Parabrahmam...