Fwd: Greatness of Kanchi Mahaswami - 9.

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, " Dr.B.G.Y Sastry "

<drbgysastry

wrote:

 

9-Paramacharya Stuns a Landowner! 

A Citra full moon day, many years back. An abhishekam was performed in a grand

manner

with mahAnyAsa rudra japam at Sri Mahalingaswami Temple, Tiruvidaimarudur. The

person who conducted it with 11 Vedic pundits was the landowner Narayanaswami

Iyer of

Tiruvarur. The rudrAbhiSekam that started at eight in the morning came to a

completion

around one in the afternoon.

The landowner Narayanaswami Iyer was extremely devoted to Kanchi Maha SwamigaL.

He

decided 'this rudrAbhiSeka prasAdam should be submitted to Periyavaa somehow.'

He

reverentially kept the prasAdam on a banana leaf and folded it inside a new silk

cloth. That

same evening, he boarded the Madurai Madras passenger train at Tiruvidaimarudur

railway station. He got down at Chengleput station in the early morning, took a

bus and

arrived at Kanchipuram.

There was a large crowd at the maTham on that day. Finishing his bath and other

chores,

the landowner waited for Periyavaa's darshan. At about 12 o'clock in the noon,

Maha

SwamigaL came and sat down, after finishing his Chandramouleesvara puja. The

crowd of

devotees rushed forward. The landowner couldn't approach SwamigaL. He showed the

prasAda bag and begged everyone, " All of you please make way! I have brought

Tiruvidaimarudur Mahalingaswamy rudrAbhiSeka prasAdam for Periyavaa. I have to

submit

it to him. "

No one seemed to make way. An employee of the maTham who saw the anxiety and

haste

of the landowner, created a trail for him among the people and brought

Narayanaswami

Iyer near PeriyavaL. When he saw PeriyavaL, the landowner became insensate,

dropped

down heavily for a prostration and got up. Maha SwamigaL looked at him raising

his head.

He raised his brows as if he inquired what the matter was.

With his hands shaking, the landowner babbled, unpacking the prasAdam bag,

" prasAdam,

prasAdu Periyavaa " . " What prasAdam? " asked PeriyavaL and looked at him. In the

meantime, the landowner managed to extract the prasAdam. He kept it on the cane

plate

found there and submitted it to PeriyavaL. On that plate were found in a small

banana leaf,

vibuti, kunkumam, sandal paste together with some bilva dalam, two parts of a

broken

coconut, and some poovan banana fruits.

 

Maha SwamigaL asked, " All these are prasAdam of which kshetra? " and looked at

the

landowner once again. The landowner calmed himself and said with humility,

" Periyavaa! I

performed the rudrAbhiSekam for Mahalingaswami at Tiruvidaimarudur yesterday. It

was

a large abhishekam with mahAnyAsa rudra japam. This is that prasAdam. Since

Periyavaa

would be happy, I have rushed here to bring it, boarding a train; you must

receive it and

bless me. "

 

Looking at that prasAda plate sharply for some time, Periyavaa asked:

" Narayanaswami!

You are a big landowner yourself. Even then you performed this rudrAbhiSekam for

Swami,

teaming up with some other people to meet the expenses? "

 

The landowner replied, " No, Periyavaa! I performed it myself, out of my own

expenses, "

stressing the 'myself' part a little.

 

PeriyavaL smiled to himself. He did not leave it at that. " So you did for loka

kshema at

Madhyaarjuna kshetra " , he added.

 

The landowner replied with some uncertainty, " No, Periyavaa! For the last two or

three

years there was no yield in my fields. Some fields were even barren. I checked

up with

Tiruvidaimarudur Muthu Josyar. He advised me, 'On a Citra full moon day perform

rudrAbhiSekam for Mahalingaswami. That will give you an abundant yield!' Only on

that

belief I performed it, Periyavaa " .

 

The prasAda that was kept before the sage remained untouched. AcharyaL did not

accept

it. Saying, " So it seems that you did not perform this act either for AtmArtam

or for loka

kshemArtam " , he closed his eyes and dropped into meditation.

 

AcharyaL opened his eyes after fifteen minutes. There was such clarity in his

face! And a

knowing look of having understood many things within those fifteen minutes.

Everyone

around was very quiet. SwamigaL continued, " Alright... How many Vedic Brahmins

attended the rudrAbhiSekam? "

" I had arranged for eleven Vedic pundits, Periyavaa! "

SwamigaL persisted, " Did you know who the vaidikaLs were and which place they

belonged

to? Was it only you who made all arrangements? "

 

The devotees who were witnessing the scene were surprised at the detailed

inquiry

Periyavaa was making. They also understood that he wouldn't do anything without

a

reason. The landowner took a piece of paper that he had tucked in his waist.

" I am reading out, Periyavaa. Tiruvidaimarudur Venkatrama SastrigaL, Seenuvasa

Ganapadigal, Rajagopala ShrautigaL, Marutthuvakkudi Santhana Vaadyhar, Sundaa

SastrigaL, Subramanya SastrigaL, Tirumangalakkudi Venkittu Vaadhyar, and then-- "

 

AchargaL interrupted him and asked easily, " All experts only, who you have

arranged.

Alright, check if your list has the name Thepperumaanallur Venkatesa

GanapadigaL. "

Seething with happiness, the landowner replied, " It is there, Periyavaa! He also

attended

the japam " , showing surprise in his voice.

Though the devotees were taken by surprise at such detailed inquiry about an

abhishekam

that was over, no one said anything. Everyone was silent and attentive.

SwamigaL said, " Besh, besh! So you had engaged Venkatesa GanapadigaL also for

the

japam! A very good thing. Maha Veda vid! GanagadigaL is now very aged. Even

difficult for

him to raise his voice. He would feel it hard to control his breathing and

intone the japam. "

As if he waited for this remark, the landowner replied, his tone raising, " Yes,

Periyavaa!

What you have said is very correct. He did not chant the rudram well. Sometimes

he was

sitting silent with closed eyes. Often he yawned. All these resulted in the

shrinkage of the

counting of the japam numbers.. He gave much trouble yesterday. I regretted

having

engaged him for the japam. "

SwamigaL swelled with indignation. " What you said... What did you say? So you

have the

temerity to talk anything because you have the money? What do you know about the

yogyatAMsam of Thepperumaanallur Venkatesa GanapadigaL? Would you match the dust

of the feet of that Veda vid? How can you talk such words about him? I have now

understood what happened yesterday at the Mahalingaswami Sannidhi! You answer my

question now! When the GanapadigaL was sitting quiet with closed eyes at the

time of the

japam yesterday, did you not shout harshly at him, 'EngaaNum, are you not

getting the

money, you are sitting still with a shut mouth without doing the japam?' Tell

me, did you

shout these words to him or not? " The landowner was appalled. The crowd was

amazed.

Narayanaswami Iyer fell at SwamigaL's feet, his eight limbs touching the ground.

SwamigaL did not say anything. The landowner got up himself. He closed his mouth

and

replied shivering, " My mistake, Periyavaa! It is true that I used the very same

words you

spoke know to the GanapadigaL in the Swami Sannidhi yesterday. Periyavaa should

kindly

pardon me. "

Periyavaa did not stop. " Wait, wait. Did you do that mistake only? You did

honour the

vaidikaLs with money, right? How much did you give each vaidikaL? "

The landowner gulped and said weakly, " I paid ten rupees for each head,

Periyavaa. "

SwamigaL did not leave him with that. " Tell me correctly! I know everything! Did

you pay

all the vaidikaLs equally with ten-ten rupees each? "

The landowner stood silently. But the AcharyaL did not relent. " Listen, I shall

tell you what

you did yesterday. Perhaps you feel shy to talk it out. You seated the vaidikaLs

in a row at

the Sannidhi and was giving the sambhAvanA of ten rupees to each of them. When

the

turn of Thepperumaanallur Venkatesa GanapadigaL came, you decided, 'This man did

not

chant the rudram properly. Why should I give him ten rupees as I did for the

others?' and

gave him just seven rupees. You had the thought that somehow you had taken

revenge on

him. Did he care anything about it all? He just accepted what you gave him and

tied it to

the edge of his vastram. " AcharyaL asked him hotly, " Tell me, is not what I am

saying

correct? "

The devotees were stunned. No one did say anything. They wondered how PeriyavaL

came

to know what took place in Tiruvidaimarudur temple yesterday.

The landowner prostrated to the sage and said, " A gross mistake, Periyavaa! It

was out of

ignorance that I behaved like that! I won't behave in such a fashion henceforth!

Kindly

pardon me! "

Before he finished, PeriyavaaL continued, " Wait, wait! It would have been less

worse had it

ended there. " He asked, " For the japa brahmins, you arranged for the meals at

the house

of Ramachandra Iyer of Mahadhana Street, right? "

" Yes, Periyavaa! "

" You served sumptuous meals, of course, with a feeling of immense happiness..

You had

arranged for cooking very tasty sweet pongal, with lots of cashew nuts and

raisins added

to it, and you served it with your own hands, with ghee dripping from it in the

meals

session, right? "

Narayanaswami Iyer was more and more appalled. He closed his mouth and spoke

with

uncertainty, " Yes, Periyavaa! In the session I served only the sweet pongal with

my own

hands. "

" Alright, does your conscience admit that you did it with the dharma for serving

a meal? "

SwamigaL asked him sternly.

The landowner did not open his mouth. AcharyaL said himself, " You need not tell

me, I

shall tell you! When you served the sweet pongal, since it was very tasty, the

vaidikaLs

asked for repeated helpings. And you obliged them. But when Thepperumaanallur

Venkatesa GanapadigaL, giving up his reticence asked you many times, 'Serve me

more of

the sweet pongal, it is very tasty....' did you not carry on without serving him

more,

though you heard him? How many times did he ask you, giving up his normal

reticence!

And you did not serve him more! You committed the sin of partiality in a meals

session!

Was it dharma? You insulted a great sadhu! " SwamigaL fell into silence,

overwhelmed with

distress.

The landowner stood with bowed head. The devotees were amazed and speechless.

Closing his eyes and folding both his legs behind him, AcharyaL sat upright. His

divine

frame looked like the Lord Parameswara Himself. He sat motionless.

Fifteen minutes passed by in complete silence. Then AcharyaL opened his eyes.

Everyone

was silent. AcharyaL continued his talk, looking at Narayanaswami Iyer:

" MirasudarvaL!

You should know one thing. GanapadigaL is eighty-one years of age now. He had

done

rudra japam in countless kshetras since his sixteenth year. Sri Rudram is always

coursing

his veins and nerves and breath. He is such a mahAn. The way you behaved to him

is an

act of great sin.... an act of great sin! " PeriyavaL stopped, unable to continue

further, and

closed his eyes.

He resumed again after sometime: " Your act of partiality in the meals session

affected him

deeply. You know what he did? I shall tell you, listen. He did not go back to

his native

place Thepperumaanallur yesterday evening. Instead, he went to Mahalingaswami

temple.

He did pradakshiNa of the outer courtyard three times. Went straight to

Mahalingaswami

and stood before Him. You know what he prayed for, joinng his palms? " PeriyavaL

couldn't

continue.. He steadied himself and then resumed his talk.

" With tears streaming down his eyes, he spoke to the God, 'Appa, Jyoti

Mahalingam! I am

your steadfast devotee. Since my early days I have recited mahAnyasa rudra japam

countless times in your sannidhi. You have listened to it. I am now eighty-one

years old. I

have the mental strength, but that strength is gone in my speech! It can't be

that you

wouldn't know what happened this afternoon when we were dining. I asked that

landowner many times, leaving my shyness aside, for more of that pongal, since

it was

very very tasty. Though he heard me, the landowner moved away as if he did not

hear my

request. You know that I have an immense fondness for sweet pongal. Though I

asked

him out of temptation, I was grieved that he did not serve me more.

'But then only after I had finished my meals, washed my hands and sat on the

thinnai it

occurred to me whether I could have such a jihvA sabalam at this age. This is

the reason I

am now standing before you, Appa Mahalingam! With you as the mediator, I take a

vow

from this moment. Everyone gives up some favourite edible when they go to Kasi.

It is only

you who is in Kasi, as well as here. Therefore I take a vow before you that I

will not touch

the sweet pongal or any other sweet dish from now on until my soul goes out of

the body!

This is a promise Mahalingam.' With that vairAgya pramANam he said, 'Appa Jyoti

Mahalingam! I take leave of you now, " and did shASTaanga namaskaram twelve

times.

Tears were flowing down GanapadigaL's eyes, as he left for his place. Now, you

tell me...

What you did was dharma? Will Mahalingaswami agree to it? "

Periyavaa stopped. It was then three o' clock in the afternoon. " I don't want

any bhikshA

today " , said SwamigaL. No one moved from there. Not even for their lunch. Total

silence

prevailed. Tears were seen in everyone's eyes. The landowner Narayanaswami Iyer

stood

transfixed. He could not raise his tongue to speak. Everyone's wonder was, 'How

does

Periyavaa narrate everything that happened yesterday at Tiruvidaimarudur as if

he

witnessed them personally?'

Falling down to Periyavaa's feet, the landowner started sobbing vehemently. His

tongue

slurred as he said, " Periyavaa! What I did was a great sin! I did it out of

vanity. Kindly

pardon me. Never again shall I behave this way in my life. You should say 'I

have pardoned

you'! " The landowner patted his cheeks loudly.

AcharyaL did not open his mouth. The landowner was persistent. " I pray to you,

Periyavaa!

You should accept this Mahalingaswami rudrAbhiSeka prasAdam. Kindly pardon me! "

He

pointed his hands towards the prasAdam plate.

AcharyaL said, " Let it be, let it be there. That Mahalingaswami Himself will

give me the

prasAda anugraham. "

Before he finished his words, a voice was heard outside the crowd: " Make way,

make way! "

Everyone moved to make way.

Only a tuft of hair knotted at the end on the head. A bright five-folded dhoti

on the waist,

with a silky green cloth covering it. A large rudraksha garland on the neck. A

noble man,

who could be around sixty-five years old, arrived near PeriyavaL, carrying

piously a brass

plate on which was the prasAdam preserved in a silk cloth. He submitted the

prasAdam

plate reverentially to AcharyaL and said, " My name is Mahalingam. I am the

arcakA of

Tiruvidaimarudur Mahalingaswami temple. Yesterday a rudrAbhiSekam was performed

for

Swami. A landowner conducted it. My elder sister is given in marriage to this

place. I came

to submit the prasAdam to AcharyaL and then look her up.. Periyavaa should do me

the

anugraham. " SwamigaL prevented him as he proceeded to prostrate.

Saying " You people have been given Shiva dIkSA, you shouldn't do namaskaram to

me " ,

AcharyaL accepted the prasAdams brought and asked the Sivacharya to be given the

MaTham's honours in return. Meantime, the SivacharyaL saw the landowner who was

standing at some distance. " Periyavaa, it is this man who had conducted the

rudrAbhiSekam there yesterday. He has come himself come here! " With these words,

Mahalingam Sivacharya left the place, taking leave of the sage.

The landowner Narayanaswami Iyer again prostrated AcharyaL and patted his cheeks

loudly. He pleaded, " Again and again I pray to you, Periyavaa. It is a great

sinful act I have

committed. Only you should tell me the remedy for this act. "

SwamigaL got up briskly. " I cannot tell you the remedy for this. Only

Thepperumaanallur

Venkatesa GanapadigaL can tell you the remedy. "

" Will the GanapadigaL tell me the remedy for the deed of this paavi, Periyavaa? "

the

landowner asked with grief.

SwamigaL said in a slightly raised voice, " If you have the prAptam, he will

certainly tell

you! " and hurried inside. He did not come out at all.

The landowner waited for a few hours. And then, having come to a decision, he

left the

place and arrived at Chengleput boarding a bus. He caught a train and arrived at

Tiruvidaimarudur on the next morning. He finished his bath in the Kaveri river

there and

with firmness of heart started walking towards Thepperumaanallur. He walked

briskly with

the resolution that he would somehow meet Venkatesa GanapadigaL, fall

shASTaangam at

his feet, ask for his pardon, perform the remedy he would suggest and obtain

paapa

vimocanam.

The landowner entered the Thepperumaanallur agrahAram. He inquired the first man

he

came across, the address of the GanapadigaL. The man pointed to a house on the

street

before which was a crowd of people and said, " You have come to offer your

condolences?

That is the home of Venkatesa GanapadigaL. Early this morning, he suddenly

passed away.

A painless, peaceful death. Go and have a look. "

Narayanaswami Iyer was stunned. He felt as if someone had hit him on the head.

The firm

words of AcharyaL at the MaTham yesterday seemed to ring in his ears. If you

have the

prAptam, he will certainly tell you! " He now understood that PeriyavaaL known

yesterday

itself that the landowner would not have the prAptam.

The landowner went to GanapadigaL's house, offered his condolences, and

prostrated to

the gross body of the GanapadigaL, seeking his pardon mentally. Then he moved

away

from the place.

Later, the landowner met with different kinds of adversities and happened to

lose all his

wealth. He went North and did service at the temple kitchens, finally arrived at

Kasi

kshetra and attained his mukti there.

Author: Sri Ramani Anna (in Tamil)

Source: Sakthi Vikatan issue dated Nov 05, 2006

Glossary:

abhishekah - ablution

agrahAram - royal donation of land to Bra1hmans, land or donation given us. In

practical

usage, agrahAram refers to the street inhabited by brahmins, which surrounds a

temple

like a garland up front, hence the name agra + hAram.

aMsa – share

anugrahaH - blessings, favour, kindness, acceptance

arcakA - one who performs a worship ritual

bhikSA - alms, offered food

bilva - the wood-apple tree, commonly called Bel

Citra - the month of April

dalam - leaf, petal of a flower, part, division

dIkshA - initiation in general, consecration for a religious ceremony

EngaaNum - (Tamil) a brahmin usage meaning 'why, you!' or 'hey, you!'

jihvA - tongue, tongue of fire (flame)

josyar - (Tamil) astrologer

kshema - prosperity, ease, welfare

kshetram - holy place

kunkumam - vermillion, saffron

loka - earth, world, subjects, people

maTham - ashram, hermitage

MirasudarvaL - (Tamil) a respectful address of a landowner

mukti - release, liberation, deliverance

nyAsaH - gathering, placing, depositing, establishing

paavi - (Tamil) pApin - sinner, criminal, wicked

pongal - a popular South Indian rice dish

poovan - (Tamil) a variety of banana

pradakshiNa - on the right side, go clockwise

pramANam - size, shape, limit, determined testimony or proof

prAptam - (Tamil) prAptiH - fate, luck, interference

prasAdam - a sample of a holy offering

sabalam - (Tamil) temptation

sambhAvanA - paying regard to, respect, thought

sannidhiH - nearness, union, presence of

sAshTaanga namaskaram - prostration with the eight body limbs touching the

ground

thinnai - (Tamil) a raised sit out at the entrance of a house

Vaidika - derived from or conformable to the Vedas; Vedic

vaidikaL - (Tamil) one who performs a Vedic ceremony

vairAgya - freedom from worldly desires

vastram – cloth

vibhUtiH - holy ashes, power, valor, omniscience, omnipotence

vid - a learned man, conversant

vimocanam - liberation, deliverance, unyoking, alighting

yogyatA - skill, ability, fitness

 

 

 

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