Homage to the Sage 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

 

Homage to the Sage of Kanchi

K. Ganesan

In a cricket match, an accomplished batsman's score of a century

even in a lifeless wicket is widely acclaimed. There is no wonder

then if the disciples pay their homage to the Sage of Kanchi, more

affectionately and reverently addressed as " Periyaval "

(metaphysically used to indicate greatness), on His entering the age

of hundred.

 

Sri Chandrasekharendra Sarasvathi became the 68th Pontiff of Kanchi

Math established by Adi Sankara, at the age of thirteen, in a sudden

swift of events. A little earlier, his cousin who was appointed as

the 67th Pontiff by the 66th Acharyal suddenly took seriously ill

and attained siddhi. With his mother, young Swaminathan, as known

before he took to the order, went to console his aunt but his mother

and herself to be consoled as her son, the new Pontiff, had to

severe permanently the family connection.

 

The young Pontiff led a simple and austere life often undergoing

grinding tests. He adhered strictly to the tenets of His spiritual

office. Had He chosen any other line like mathematics, science,

music, architecture, journalism or administration He would have

certainly outshone others and reached the peak. He possesses a sharp

intellect only matched by His compassion and understanding of men

and matters. His versatility and erudition, not only in spiritual

field but also in other branches of human activity like science,

history, archaeology, politics, etc., are the hallmark of His life.

In Him, we have the perfect fusion of sublimity and simplicity. His

memory power is photographic and His subtle wit is really a treat.

Ill-equipped as I am, I do not venture to deal with his spiritual

attainments. Only I would like to share with readers some of my own

experiences with this Great sage.

 

In early seventies, I went with my family including my old widowed

mother to His camp late on a summer pitch-dark night to have

darshan. Knowing His exact daily routine calling for rest, we meekly

submitted to the entreaty of His attendant to come next day in the

morning for darshan. Meanwhile the sage was disturbed from His

resting posture on the hard mud-floor, quite often assuming the

cramped form of a Sishu-Avastha (a posture of a baby in its mother's

womb). He ordered a lighted torch to be handed over to my mother and

directed her to turn the light on Him to have His darshan. He then

recalled an incident that happened five decades ago, while He was

performing the daily Puja for two days in the front open portion of

my ancestral house in a remote village near Tiruvaiyaru. He narrated

with relish that my mother who after marriage had not yet joined my

father's house because of her young age was watching the Puja half-

hidden behind the entrance doors of her father's home opposite to

ours. Tears of joy welled up in my mother's eyes as she had

treasured the vivid memory of the penetrating eyes of the sage in

her heart for over 50 years. For a busy saint of His stature, it is

really remarkable to recall distinctly in minutest details a very

old stray incident and also show His boundless compassion.

 

When I saw Him on another occasion. He unusually asked about my

grandfather late younger brother, who was an amateur Harikatha

performer and about His nick-name. He then narrated an incident that

happened in Tiruvaiyyaru, Saint Thyagaraj's place, where five

decades ago my grand-uncle and darshan. According to this narration,

he sat near Him and rendered the kriti of Thyagaraja " Endaro

Mahanubhavulu " sung in praise of Lord Rama. On enquiry from His

Holiness why he was singing that particular kriti before him, my

relation replied that he had not seen Lord Rama in flesh and blood

and added that in His Holiness he saw all the qualities of Rama

which prompted him to sing the kriti.

 

His Holiness is never influenced by personality or status of any

human beings. On the occasion, I reached the camp when a VVIP had

just left it. He presented a basketful of choicest mangoes which

were still lying there. In my presence, a poor devotee from a rural

place in Andhra, dressed in a very dirty dhoti, offered His Holiness

just four pieces of mangoes claiming them to be from his backgarden.

His took the mangoes in hand and praised their quality and also the

devotion of the poor man. I imagined that the VVIP's basketful of

mangoes lying there completely neglected had been put to shame.

Two other incidents are worth noting. In late seventies in my

presence, the Senior Holiness was taking to a person closely

involved in math's activities, and telling him that he and that

person paled into insignificance in respect of carrying out Math's

activities as compared to his 'sishya'. True to His name Jayendra

and Nakshatra 'Avittam' He bears, He scored spectacular success in

carrying out Math's activities during His countrywide yatra.

 

Let us change the scene to Sri Jayendra Sarasvatiji. He was camping

at Delhi " Malai Mandir " in June 1973 for the purpose of consecrating

the 'Kartik' temple in a hillock in R.K. Puram. On a hot day, late

M. Bhakthavatsalam, former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, in his

advanced age, visited Swamiji. Even his short walk from his car

through the pathway proved to be arduous because of strewn bricks

and broken stones over it. He wondered how Swamiji was able to cover

by walk thousands of miles paths in Madhya Pradesh to reach Delhi.

Pat came the reply from Swamiji, showing an electric bulb positioned

above him. He said that the bulb burned not of its own volition but

because of activities of switch. Similarly, the strength and

vitality for His walk and other activities came from the human power-

switch seated at Kanchipuram always thinking of Him and spurring Him

on His onward march. These two incidents would clearly demonstrate

the love and affection the senior sage bore towards His next in

command.

 

Two years ago, efforts were made silently by Sri Jayendra Saraswati

to bring about an amicable settlement of Ayodhya dispute. Governors

of two States, one still in office, made a few visits to Kanchipuram

to discuss the details of the scheme evolved by Swamiji. On one

occasion, two highly respectable Muslim religious leaders from the

North with no political ambitions or axe to grind visited

Kanchipuram and participated in the discussions with the Swamiji and

His Guru who blessed the scheme of his Junior. Though I was aware of

the details as I was, in a way, associated with the efforts, and the

main discussion I am not able to divulge 'them lest my indiscretion

should cause an embarrassment to others concerned. Suffice it to

state here that had the scheme been allowed to be pursued then. I

sincerely feel that an amicable settlement to the burning issues

would have emerged avoiding the terrible aftermath of the 6th

December, 1992. The bane of our country has been that the political

parties and their leader have effectively misled and divided the

people on communal or religious lines into warring groups and fed

them on empty slogans to serve their own narrow political interests.

If past experiences are any guide any court's verdict on any

sensitive and explosive issue would become unacceptable and futile.

In this Centenary year, it would be befitting homage to the Great

sage if He were somehow prevailed upon, giving Him free hand, to

pursue the Math's old scheme for amicable settlement of the burning

issue. Can this wonder happen?