Seevaram

[Guest guest]

Learned members ,

The Samprokshanam of pazhaiya Seeevaram temple is to be performed on 28th June and HH Srimad Andavan is to grace the function. In this context, I am happy to reproduce below the anubhavams of Sri D.Ramaswamy Iyengar on his visit to Seevaram when The Lord of Kanchi visited Seevaram. I shall post one page daily from the book "The Lord at Seevaram" Please enjoy.

dasanT.Raguveeradayal

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE LORD AT SEEVARAM

 

 

We reached the station at night, the silvery moon lighting our rugged path from there to the village. Highly unostentatious in itself Seevaram shone that night with a splendour which it gets only once a year. The whole village was astir though the clock pointed to the midnight hour, the time when men usually would be only too glad to forget their worries of mind and body by laying their limbs to rest and soothing the mind with sleep. But those Seevaram people knew no cares that night. Either they had none, or they had forgotten them in the all-absorbing expectation that now filled their eager hearts. For was not Lord Varada to come and visit them on the morrow, only six hours hence? With this rapture in their hearts those people, men and women alike were preparing for the morrow's joyous festivity. Not only the Guest but a number of fellow -guests were to be accommodated and attended to. Twelve O'clock , one, and two, all these saw the women cleaning their house-fronts, and adorning them with flowery flour.

 

Having reached the village we, my father and myself succeeded in snatching a few hours' sleep in spite of the glad noises around us. But the immense joy that awaited us was too prominent in sight, and we were well awake by four In the morning. The news that God was coming on, that He was but halfway from their village dwellings --this news heralded by the temple peon sprang like cupid's darts into the hearts of the hearers, and in a minute the whole village was completely up and looked to its bathing ceremonies. And we, strangers there, had to pick our way in the morning's half-darkness down to where the Palar river at a distance of about two furlongs carried her narrow stream of water.

 

I could never forget my feeling as I stepped into the water. All round there was white sand, the watery line excepted. In the dull morning light the river appeared like a white sheet of glass stretching far, before and behind us. At that time not a soul was there in the river save my father and me. The gale which was blowing from the north chilled us to the bones and our teeth chattered like a pair of nut-crackers. As we stepped in the water which was icy-cold, as may be expected after a whole night's exposure to January weather, and before we had a time to feel the intensity of the chill, came the signal-shot from the direction of Conjeevaram. The very moment I sank in the water heedless of cold now; and so did my father. When we had bathed and dressed ourselves we went back to the village, put on our Pundras, deposited our bags with a willing villager and started out to meet Him who was coming.

"Meeting midway" ..... follows