Unforgettable experience of an ardent devotee

[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

 

Unforgettable experience of an ardent devotee

Rajah Iyer Suriyanarayanan

I would like to share with the devotees a few of my experiences which

I was privileged to have with the Paramacharyal.

I have been taught by my father, late Sri M. Rajah Iyer, Ex. M.L.C.,

My father firmly believed in helping the poor and downtrodden,

particularly the teaching community. I lost my father in Feb., 1974.

Poor people thronged to pay a homage to this man irrespective of

their community in a small place like Ramnad. I decided to uphold his

ideals. At that time I still had two of my sisters to be married. All

my attempts to find a match to my sister, Rejeswari, failed due to

various reasons. Someone told me that Kanchi Paramacharya is a living

God and His blessings will certainly have a positive issue. I went to

Kanchi on Friday, the 4th July'75 and we reached Kalavai at 5 p.m. in

the evening. I was ignorant of the attire to be worn and hence a long

sideburns, log hair, dark moustache and a jazzy reached the gates,

near the Kalavai tank. A disciple specially told me and my wife alone

to go over to the other side of the tank where Paramacharya might

come to worship His Guru. I went over there as directed and founded

only one old Sumangali lady with a very big mark on hear forehead.

I saw Periyaval coming suddenly there along with three disciples and

he prayed for a few minutes in front of his Guru's Samadhi. Then he

looked at me. I got a feeling which can never be described in mere

words. The next round and again he looked at me. When he was just

passing me, one of the disciples asked me to tell who I was. Next

round and I had all the courage to shout to Periyaval, " I am son of

Sri M. Rajah Iyer, Ramnad. " That is all.

The great sage did not come out for a few minutes. The old lady by my

side felt very annoyed. She told me in kind words, " My dear fellow! I

have been having this unique darshan of Parameswara Himself on this

sublime Friday. Why should you come in pants with sideburns and spoil

such a darshan by shouting? Is it good on your part to do so? " My

wife also felt we shouldn't have shouted. And we tried to remove

ourselves from the very place and were walking towards the front. A

few minutes of walk and I could see the `Perarul' coming again and

this time I remembered the lady's words and hence took off my shirt

and rushed to the wall. Then it happened, the inexplicable; only the

people who have witnessed would know.

Periyaval in His total kindness asked me by gestures who I was. I

said " Son of Rajah Iyer, Ramnad. " Periyaval was, I learnt, observing

silence that time. He started by mere signs, amply translated by His

disciples, all about my father, now he received National Award from

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, his contributions in the Legislatures,

etc. etc,. for 45 minutes. There was big crowd watching this unique

event. Unconsciously I was crying like a baby.

He very kindly asked me why I had come there. I told him about my

mission. With a smile Periyaval asked me " Is this the girl? " pointing

to my sister. I said " Yes. " Periyaval in all godly humour asked me,

moving his finger around His rudraksha, whether all ornaments were

ready for the marriage. I said " I need not spend a pie except to find

a suitable match " .

Then Periyaval with a radiant smile repeatedly blessed my sister. His

compassion was all-pervasive. The time was 6.45 p.m. and it was pitch

dark outside. I was about to go. I didn't know that we should

get " Permission from Periyaval " before we leave. Some one asked me to

get " Permission " and I did. He again asked me " How did you come from

Madras? " I said " By car " . He asked his disciple whether it rained on

that day, to which he said " No " . Then he thought for a second and

again blessed me " Be careful on your way back. "

Then it rained cats and dogs... It poured so heavily that we reached

Kanchipuram, only at 11 p.m. We reached Madras in the early hours of

5th July. Next day, " The Hindu " published the news Kancheepuram

experiences the heaviest rainfall of the last three decades " on that

day.

I got a call on the 8th July from Mr. S.K. Vaidyanathan, an M.B.A.,

whom my father had approached in 1973 for an alliance. He said he was

now thinking of marriage and would visit my house on 8th August. On

8th August, he stipulated only two conditions. I must take my sister

to his parent's house at Udumalpet for their concurrence and (2) If

at all his parents okay. it, we must do a simple marriage without

paraphernalia and Streedhanams. Needless to say that the marriage

took place and my sister and her husband are happily settled in

Bombay with two kids.

On that day I decided that I know only one Deivam of my life and till

date Periyaval has blessed me in various ways. I still don't know

whether I deserve His grace but whenever I go to Kanchipuram,

Periyaval blesses me and my family with affection.

Thanks to Periyaval's constant blessing I was able to get a lucrative

foreign assignment in Nigeria in 1980. My family and I traveled all

over the world every year. At last in `85 when Nigerian economy was

not a good shape I asked my wife to pack first and I was to follow

her in `86. With Periyaval's blessings my wife bought a house in

Adyar and named it " Sankaram " . But we didn't have water at all. We

had to buy every day one lorry load.

I joined my wife in Feb.' 86 and as per the advice of some water-

diviners I tried to put a 40' bore with plastic pipes. It was done

some time in May'86. After spending a fortune there was no water

coming. Another suggested to try a deep bore and jet pump. I did

that. That also proved futile.

Totally vexed, my wife and I, on Saturday, the 24th May which

incidentally happened to be Periyaval's Jayanthi day, got up at 4.30

a.m. had our bath and in all humility and devotion prayed to

Periyaval. Then my wife witched on the jet pump. She could not

believe her eyes as water started gushing out at 6 a.m. It never

stopped. All my neighbours, my wife's mother and particularly the

previous owner who sold his house to us only because of water

problem, could not believe their eyes.

We also were enthralled and Periyaval's blessing were visible in this

house. The flow of water had never stopped since June 11th `86, even

during the worst days of water scarcity in Madras city. I just can't

understand that unique unadulterated bakthi, constant chanting of

Periyaval's Nama, has helped in getting hurdles and crises.

My only prayer every day is that all the world must get His Anugraha

in full for several generations. to come.