The compassion of Kanchi Mahaperiyaval

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Dear Members,

 

This is an emotional incident from the life of Kanchi Mahaperiyaval. Whenever i

recall this incident, i become emotional and tears would roll from my eyes.

 

Kanchi Mahaperiyaval lead a very simple, unostentatious, unassuming life. Mostly

travelled on foot by doing " pada yatras " and hardly used the palenquin. Lived on

the meagre biksha of puffed rice soaked in butter milk in the afternoon and

tulasi tirtha at night. Mostly spend His moments under thatched roof sitting on

an wooden plank.

 

My gurunatha used to say that Mahaswamigal had attained such a mastery over his

senses that He crossed the dualities of opposites like pleasure-pain etc. and

used to say that Mahaswamigal was the *personified* form of Satchidananda

Tattva. He was the ghanibhuta tattva of Brahman.

 

Mahaswamigal used to sit for anushtana hours together in a hot summer of May at

the banks of Kaveri and used to walk on the sand without padukas. All the

disciples and paricharakas behind would either wear sandals or look for shadows

to save themselves from scorching heat. But Mahaswamigal unmindful of the heat

would cooly walk down the banks of Kaveri, take bath and perform madhyahnika

anushtana for hours together.

 

The grace of Mahaswamigal is worth mentioning especially with my gurunatha.

Several incidents in the personal life of gurunatha would make my eyes filled

with tears.

 

My gurunatha recounts an event that show that Mahaswamigal's love for small

creatures and insects and His endurence towards them.

 

Once when Mahaswamigal was in deep meditation as usual in a thatched hut

oblivious of his surroundings, white ants and red ants managed to crawl on the

Mahaswamigal. Both the ants were busy in their job of biting Mahaswamigal.

Hour went on and Mahaswamigal would not come to the normal consciousness. When

Mahaswamigal came down to normal consciousness, He ordered his paricharaka to

slowly and carefully remove the ants from His body lest they are injured. WHen

enquired why so much of compassion on these insignificant creatures,

Mahaswamigal replied:

 

BRAHMA TATTVA IN THE FORM OF ANTS ARE HAVING FEAST TODAY. DON'T DISTURB THEM

 

My prostrations to mahans like Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Swamigal....

 

with regs,

sriram