The Matchless Mahaswamigal of Kanchi

[Guest guest]

Namami Sankaraachaaryam, sarvalokaika Poojitham

 

With permission blessings and grace from HH Swamy Vijeyendra

Saraswathi garu of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham Paramacharya and

miracles

 

The Matchless Mahaswamigal of Kanchi

L.V. Ramaiah

(Former Trustee, T.T. Devesthanam)

 

It is said that the sanctity of a religion depends upon its Holy

men. Our religion owes its pre-eminence to the great Saints, Sages

and Seers, it has produced throughout the ages. Our Mahaswamigal

belonged to the distinguished line of successors to Sri Adi Sankara

and guided us in our search of God. He revived our traditional

values and practices, Vedas and Sastras and attracted the worldwide

pointed attention. I share some of my personal experience based on

intense facts.

 

I had certain serious problems in my " Solvent Extraction Plant - LVR

Oil and Fats (P) Ltd., Uppal, Hyderabad. In the year 1979 the

Mahaswamigal was then camping in Sholapur. I went there to unfold my

problems to Swamiji. He then instructed me to build a temple

dedicated to Vigneshwar and that the idol should be akin to the one

embedded in the wall in his camp site. At his suggestion a temple

was built to Lord Vigneshwara called Srushti Ganapathy and

consecrated. Pandits were arranged for the consecration by

Mahaswamigal himself. On the appointed day particularly at the time

of consecration a Garuda - i.e., the Vahanam of Lord Vishnu

protector of the universe was hovering around the temple tower. The

circumambulation of the bird three times during the consecration of

the temple (in the western parlance Church) positively assured

prosperity in plenty. My problems relating to the establishment and

the factory were solved amicably, afterwards.

 

Next, in the early thirties it was extremely difficult to go to

Thirupathy to have darshan of Lord Venkateswara. One had to trek the

beaten path with all physical exhaustion for a number of hours to

reach the temple. There were no facilities like choultries, bathing

steps, etc. The temple opened at 11.00 a.m. and closed at 5.00 p.m.

One had to cook under the shade of a tree with dry twigs. It flashed

on my mind suddenly why Annadana (serving of free meals) free of

cost should not be arranged with epitomized Mahadava Seva (Serve to

God). I ruminated over this scheme when I grew up. I therefore

placed a scheme before our Mahaswamigal who listened to the details

and blessed me to launch the scheme.

 

With the blessing of Mahaswamigal I approached late Sri N.T. Rama

Rao, then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. The details of the

scheme, duly blessed by Mahaswamigal awakened his abiding interest.

It was started unostentatiously, humbly with the measureless

blessing of Kanchi Mahaswamigal.

 

On the epochal day of the inauguration in May 1985 late Sri N.T.

Rama Rao hailed my sincere efforts and remarked that the humble

beginning of the scheme by a single individual was the corner stone

for the enlargement of the scheme auspicated by the TTD. Now more

than 20/25,000 pilgrims are served with free full meals daily and

this scheme is hailed everywhere as something nonpariel.

Next when I faced some domestic problems and some eye ailment of my

wife (who was insisting on her eye operation being perform only by

Dr. S.S. Badrinath, the famous eye surgeon), both myself and my wife

met the Mahaswamigal at Kanchi Mutt. The Swamiji took both of us

inside and presented saree/blouse to my wife and a dhoti to me in a

bamboo place and blessed both of us. Dr. S.S. Badrinath who was

refused to do this minor operation, called me over phone the very

next day and voluntarily gave his kind consent to do the operation.

The operation was a success and even today my wife's health is good.

We all felt happy with the blessings of His Holiness.

 

In the year 1979 both myself and my wife along with Late Sri Challa

Kondaiah, former Chief Justice of AP and his wife met the

Mahaswamigal at His Sholapur camp and solicited His advice and

blessings. At this time somebody from inside of the Asram came and

informed, His Holiness that a cow of the Asram being pregnant was

writhing with labour pain to deliver a calf. In view of the acute

and alarming situation, Swamiji immediately went inside. Since he

did not return even after 15/20 minutes, we all went inside and

found that His Holiness was in mediation. After sometime the cow

delivered a calf safely.

 

On 29.9.96 I attended a celebration in honour of 103rd Jayanti of

Sri Sankaracharya Swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, under the

auspices of Association for Hindu Dharma. After attentively

listening to the various speeches on multi dimensions of the grace

of Mahaswamigal, His divine grace was upper most in my mind.

In the same conducive situation I retired to bed. I had that night a

most pleasant and divine dream in which Lord Mahavishnu the

protector of the universe was conversing with our Mahaswamigal. I

was present and Lord Vishnu sought confirmation from our

Mahaswamigal whether the author of the article was instrumental in

launching Annadana Seva in Tirupati which ultimately galvanised the

Govt. of Andhra Pradesh to take up this scheme and to encompass

nearly 20,000 pilgrims a day. The Mahaswamigal confirmed that the

author was the founder of this scheme and was instrumental in

launching Vidya Dharma, (free education) Vaidya Dhanam (free health)

and Kanya Dhanam (free marriage) and when confirmed Lord Vishnu

remarked that due to this reason he was blessed enough to be present

in the Vaikuntha (Heavenly abode) and witnessed the divine meeting.

I woke up suddenly from the divine dream which even today sustains

me to continue doing charities in a humble way. If today I am

leading a life of absolute shanthi it is due to the grace showered

on me by Mahaswamigal in abundant measure. He was an avatar of Lord

Parameswara (Omnipresent) himself, came to this planet to redeem our

life. His grace and blessings still animate the world from his seat

of bliss at Kanchi