Spiritual Stories by Ramana

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SUNDARAMURTHI'S BOND OF SERVITUDE

 

SUNDARAMURTHY WAS BORN in the sacred place Tirunavalur in

Thirumunaippadi region in the Siva Brahmana caste called Adi Saivam,

to a Siva priest named Chadayanar alias Sivacharya and his wife

Isaijnaniyar. He was named by his parents Nambiyarurar. One day, while

he was playing in the street with a toy cart, the king of the place,

by name Narasinga Muniyar, saw him and took a fancy to him. He

requested the father, Sivacharya to let him have the boy. The father

agreed and the boy was brought up by the king as his foster son. Even

so, the brahminical usages regarding thread ceremony and vedic

instructions were carefully observed and he became well-versed in all

the arts.

 

When he came of age, his marriage with the daughter of a relative by

name Chatangavi Sivacharya was decided upon, and invitations were

issued to all relatives for the function. Sundaramurthy went through

the usual premarital ceremonies a day before the marriage, and on the

marriage day, properly dressed as the bridegroom accompanied by his

relatives, he went to the bride's father's house in Puttur village,

quite early in the morning on horseback. On reaching the bride's

house, he alighted from the horse and sat on the wedding seat in the

marriage pandal in accordance with the usual custom. Drums were

sounded and the arrival of the bride was awaited.

 

Just then, Lord Siva approached the marriage pandal in the garb of an

old brahmin, and announced, " All of you please listen to what I have

to say. " On their assenting, the old man told the boy, " Look here,

there is an agreement between you and me.

 

First fulfill it and then marry. " The boy replied, " If there is an

agreement, let it be so, but tell us first what it is. " The old

brahmin told the audience, " Sirs, this boy is my servant. I have with

me the deed of service executed by his grandfather in my favour. "

Sundaramurthy replied, " Oh! Madman, Enough! We are hearing for the

first time that a brahmin is the servant of another brahmin. Go, get

away! " The brahmin replied, " I am neither a mad man nor a devil. I am

not offended at your remarks. You have not understood me at all. Stop

this childish talk and come and serve me. " Sundaramurthy then said,

" Show me the deed. " " Who are you to decide after seeing the deed? "

said the old man. " If the people in the audience see the deed and

agree that it is true, you should begin to serve me. " Sundaramurthy

got very angry and pounced upon the man to snatch the deed from him.

The brahmin ran away, but the boy pursued him, snatched the deed at

last, and tore it to pieces. The old man caught hold of Sundaramurthy

and began shouting. The marriage guests got agitated over that,

separated the two and said to the brahmin, " You are speaking of

arrangements unheard of in this world. Oh! Quarrelsome old man! Where

do you come from? " The brahmin replied, " I belong to the village of

Thiruvennainallur. Don't you agree that this boy Nambiyarurar has

confirmed his servitude to me by unjustly snatching away the service

deed from my hands and tearing it to pieces? " Sundarar replied, " If

indeed you are a resident of Thiruvennainallur village, your claim can

be decided there, can't it be? " The brahmin replied, " Yes. Come with

me. I shall produce the original deed before the Council of brahmins

there and establish my claim that you are my servant. " Accordingly the

brahmin walked ahead and Sundaramurthy and all the other brahmins

followed him.

 

As soon as they all reached the Council of brahmins in the other

village, the cunning old brahmin filed his claim petition before them

to the effect that the boy Nambiyarurar tore up the service deed in

his favour. The councillors said, " We have not heard anywhere in this

world that brahmins become servants of brahmins. " The brahmin replied,

" No. Mine is not a false claim. The deed that this boy tore up is the

deed of service executed by his grandfather to be my servants. " The

councillors asked Sundaramurthy, " Can you win your case by merely

tearing up the deed executed by your grandfather? What do you say? " He

replied, " Oh virtuous men, learned in all the vedic lore! You all know

that I am an Adi Saiva. Even if this old brahmin is able to establish

that I am his servant, you must please consider it a piece of magic

beyond the reach of mental reasoning. What can I say of such a claim? "

The councillors told the brahmin, " You must first prove to us that he

is your servant. To decide an affair of this nature, three things are

needed – custom, written evidence and oral evidence. Should you not

produce at least one of these three items? " The brahmin replied, " Sir!

What he tore up is only the duplicate copy; the original deed is with

me. " The councillors demanded the production of the original deed, and

gave him an assurance that it would not be torn up by Sundaramurthy.

The old man took out the original deed from the folds of the cloth

around his waist, and showed it to them. The village Karnam who

happened to come there unexpectedly then, was asked to read it. He

bowed before the councillors, opened the folds of the original

document and so as to be heard by all, he read it out aloud as

follows: `I, Adi Saiva by caste and Arurar by name, residing in

Thiruvennainallur village have executed this deed of service gladly

and out of my own free will, undertaking to do service by me and by my

successive descendants, to Pitthan (mad man) residing in

Thiruvennainallur village. (Sd.) Arurar. " The witness to the deed were

those very councillors and they all identified and confirmed that the

signatures were their own. The councillors asked Sundaramurthy to

verify if the handwriting in the deed was his grandfather's.

 

The man pretending to be a brahmin said, " Sir! This is a mere boy. How

can he identify his grandfather's writing? If there is any other paper

available containing his grandfather's writing, please send for it and

compare. " They all agreed, and the relatives of Sundaramurthy

searched, and produced a paper containing his grandfather's

handwriting. The councillors compared the two papers and confirmed

that the writings in the two papers were identical. They told

Sundaramurthy, " Boy! There is no way of escape for you. You have lost.

It is your duty to do service according to this old man's orders. "

Sundaramurthy was stupefied at this and said that he would obey the

order, if fate had decreed that way.

 

They had compassion on the boy, and had still some doubts about the

brahmin, and questioned him, " Sir! This deed says that you belong to

this very village. Can you show us where your ancestral house and

property and all that are? " The brahmin pretended surprise, and said,

" What! You are all of this village, so learned, so intelligent, so

elderly – does not even one among you know my house? How surprising

are your words! Come with me then! " So saying, he led the way, and

they all followed. They saw the brahmin enter Siva's temple called

`Thiruvarul Thurai', and they were stupefied.

 

Sundaramurthy thought, " The brahmin who made me his servant has

entered the temple of my God Parameswara! What a wonder! " So thinking,

he followed alone eagerly the footsteps of the brahmin and entered the

temple with great desire and shouted, " Oh brahmin! " At once Lord Siva

appeared in the company of Goddess Parvathi, seated on the sacred

bull, and said, " My son! You are Aalaala Sundara, one of my pramatha

ganas (chief attendants). You were born here as a result of a

curse. You requested me to have you as My own, wherever you might be,

even during the period of the curse. I therefore made you my servant

here. "

 

As soon as Sundaramurthy heard those words of the Great Lord he was

overjoyed like the calf that heard the mother-cow's call. With his

voice trembling with emotion and eyes filled with tears of joy, he

made prostrations to Him, and with folded hands said, " Oh Lord! You

are gracious to my worthless self, hold me fast to you like the cat

holding on to its kitten, and make me your own. What gracious

kindness! " , and praised Him. The Great Lord was pleased and said, " My

son! Because you have disputed with me, you shall have the name of

`Van Thondan'.

 

The service to be rendered hereafter by you to me, is to worship me

with flowers of verses. Compose verses on me and sing them. " With

folded hands, Sundaramurthy said, " Oh Lord! You came in the guise of a

brahmin and preferred a claim against me, and I contested and argued

with you, not knowing your greatness. You are the great Lord that gave

me recollection of my past and saved me from falling into worldly

actions and behaviour and getting drowned therein. What do I know of

your limitless great qualities, and what shall I sing of them? " Iswara

said, " You already called me Pithan, mad man. Therefore, sing of me as

the Mad Man. " So saying, he disappeared. Sundaramurthy immediately

sang the Sri Padikam, commencing with the verse: `Pittha pirai sudi'. "