Greatness of Kanch Mahaswami - No.10.

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12-Maha PeriyavaaL's Story about the Value of annadAnam

 

It was the time when Kanchi Maha SwamigaL was staying in Kalavai,

many years before. It was a Sunday. A large crowd had gathered for

darshan. One by one the devotees prostrated to the sage, received his

blessings and moved away. A middle-aged couple prostrated to AcharyaL

and stood up with folded palms. Keenly looking at them, SwamigaL

said, " adede... who (is this)... Palur Gopalan! You came a year back.

That time you spoke about some problems. Aren't you fine now? " and

laughed.

 

That Palur Gopalan replied, " We are very fine Periyavaa. As directed

by you, from the time we started feeding an atithi in the noon time

every day, only good things are happening, Periyavaa! Good harvest in

(my) fields. The cows don't die as before! The money that dripped out

of hands without control for expenses stays in hands now. All that is

(due to) the greatness of the atithi bhojana you have asked us to do,

by your anugraha. I am doing it daily. Nothing else (is the reason

for the prosperity). " Tears filled his eyes as he spoke. His wife who

was standing by his side was also in tears of joy.

 

AcharyaL said, " besh, besh. It is fine if you have understood that

good things happen due to the act of atithi bhojana. Alright. Today

both of you have come over here. There in Palur--who will do the

atithi bhojana? " AcharyaL inquired worriedly.

 

Gopalan's wife replied promptly, " We have made alternative

arrangements for that Periyavaa. atithi bhojana will not be missed

even for a day. "

 

Maha SwamigaL was very happy to hear it. " That's the way you should

do it. You must have a resolution to feed the hungry. Doing atithi

upacAra will give such an anugraha and safeguard the family! One day

sAkSAt Parameshvara himself will come in the form of an atithi, will

sit and eat, you know that? "

 

SwamigaL was talking with kutUhala. To listen to these anugraha

words, the people standing in the queue surrounded him. He asked

everyone to sit down on the floor. The crowd of devotees sat down.

 

A devotee asked SwamigaL: " Is there such greatness in doing atithi

bhojana, Swamy? "

 

SwamigaL replied immediately. " Yes yes! It is a maha puNya dharma

that could lead to mokSa! It has benefited a number of people! Only

when you ask people like this Gopalan who have experienced it, they

will tell you. Such a lofty dharma is this one! "

 

A devotee got up and prostrated to the sage. He said with

humility, " My name is RamaSethu. Tiruvannamalai is my native place.

We all pray together to AcharyaL. We desire to listen more

elaborately about the greatness of this atithi bhojana in a way we

can understand it. Periyavaa should take mercy on us! "

 

SwamigaL asked him to be seated. The devotee complied. Everyone was

watching the walking God in silence. That parabrahmam started talking

after sometime.

 

" My memory is that it was (the year) thousand nine hundred and thirty-

eight or thirty-nine. SriSankara MaTham was doing its administration

from KummoNam (Kumbakonam). I am going to tell (you about) an

incident that happened at that time. If you listen to it devotedly,

the greatness that lies in this (incident) can be understood! I shall

tell you (now), listen (carefully). "

 

Swamigal stopped for a brief while and then continued: " There was a

large house on the western bank of the Kummonam Maamaanga (Mahamaha)

kulam. A grocer by name Kumaresan Chettiar was living in that house.

I remember very well... The name of his dharma patni was Sivakami

Achi. They belonged to Pallathur near Karaikudi. That couple had no

children. They had brought a dependable boy from their native place

and kept him with them for taking care of the grocery shop.

 

" At that time, the age of Kumaresan Chettiar was perhaps fifty or

fifty-five. That Achi's (age was) perhaps within fifty. At all times

only the nama smaraNa 'Shiva Shiva... Shiva Shiva' would be issuing

out of the mouth of those two people. There was no other talk!

Chettiar had in his house a single-bullock cart. Seating Achi in the

cart, Chettiar himself would drive! Every day both of them would

arrive in their cart at the banks of Kaveri to take bath. Finishing

(their) bath, they would come to our MaTham, prostrate, receive the

blessings and go back. They were such an intimate couple. About them,

I am going to tell (you now) something that will overshadow all

these, look (listen)! "

 

He took to silence to keep them in suspense for some time. The

devotees were waiting with eager expectations. AcharyaL started

speaking again: " You know what work that couple had been doing for

many years? To serve and feed the atithis! Don't be surprised! They

would entertain the Shiva disciples with food, every day at noon in

the hall of their house, without shrinking a face, whatever the

number of disciples they received as guest. They would seat the

disciple in the thinnai at the entrance (of their house), wash his

feet with water, wipe with a cloth, apply sandal paste and vermillion

to them and lead them to the hall and seat them there.

 

" They did not have any cook in their house! That amma would cook

alone, whatever number be the guests of Shiva disciples! Another

important thing--if you ask what it is--is that they would inquire

from the Shiva disciples the details of the vegetables and dishes

they like, go and get them, cook and serve them! Such an elevated

mind! Do you think how SwamigaL knew about all these things...? There

is no sort of secrecy about it. (One Sri) Sundaram Iyer, who was

close to the MaTham, was looking after the accounts of Kumaresan

Chettiar. Only he would tell me these things when he was free.

Understand now? "

 

AcharyaL stopped for some time and relaxed. None of the seated moved

an inch. They were all looking with fixed eyes at Maha SwamigaL. That

walking God continued: " One day it was raining very well. (It was)

noon time. Kumaresan Chettiar came to the entrance (of his house) and

looked (here and there). No atithi was in sight! Holding an umbrella,

he descended the steps of the Mahamaham pond and surveyed the scene.

A Shiva disciple was seated after bath in a small building there,

wearing vibhUti (all over his body). Chettiar prayed to him and

brought him for dining (at his home). He seemed somewhat like a well-

read Shiva disciple. He came singing Thevaaram. Washing his feet,

Chettiar led him to his hall and seated him. The couple prostrated to

the Shiva disciple. Chettiar's dharma patni went to the disciple and

asked, 'What vegetables are the favourite of Swamy? Please tell me,

so I can go to the shop, get and serve them after cooking.'

 

" It seemed that the Shiva disciple was in good hunger. He got up and

went to the backyard and looked around. He saw sprouts of tender

spinach there. He came inside, called the mother and said that he

needed nothing except the tender spinach in koottu and their stems in

sambar and that it would be sufficient for him. Chettiar went to

pluck the spinach with a bamboo plate in his hand. The rain had

stopped by then. Since it was becoming late, the Shiva disciple who

was very hungry decided to give a helping hand for plucking the

spinach, so he asked for a bamboo plate and went to the backyard.

 

" Sivakami Achi was standing at the backyard entrance, watching the

two men pluck the spinach. Both of them placed their plates inside

the house after enough spinach was plucked. You know what that amma

did immediately? She washed the two spinach plates separately. She

lit two furnaces, kept the spinach in two separate pans on the

furnaces and started cooking. The Shiva disciple who was looking at

her act was surprised! He was confused: 'What is this? Both the

plates have the same spinach sprouts. Without using a single vessel

to cook them, why this mother lights two furnaces and cooks them

separately?'

 

" After sometime, that amma took the pans out of the furnaces, took

the disciple's spinach only to the puja room and offered it as

nivedana to Swami. The disciple who was watching it was pleased with

immense pride! Know what he had thought? He decided, 'I am a big

Shiva bhakta. Sannyasi. So this mother has understood that Lord Shiva

would accept only the spinach I plucked and offers it as nivedana.

Still I would ask the mother herself after my meal about the

offering.' "

 

Stopping here briefly, SwamigaL watched the devotees sitting opposite

him. Nobody lowered a jaw. He continued: " The Shiva disciple, who had

finished his dining, asked that Achi about his doubt. You know what

reply did the Achi give? (She said 'Ayya, when the spinach was

plucked in the backyard, I was watching. My husband chanted the

name 'Shiva Shiva...' and plucked the spinach. So it became

ShivArpaNa then and there. There was no need to offer it again. You

plucked (the spinach) without chanting any name. That is why, I lit a

furnace, cooked your spinach separately and offered it to the Lord.'

The disciple was embarrassed to hear this. The couple then prostrated

to the disciple. He appreciated the Achi's bhakti and wisdom and

started on his way. They were a couple who served annam in such a

way... "

 

AcharyaL stopped. The crowd of devotees was sitting with amazement.

Nobody lowered a jaw. SwamigaL continued: " You know what was the

phala prApti that was given to them for such incessant atithi

bhojana? Some years later, they celebrated their shashti apta pUrti

(completion of 60 years of age). On a Maha Shivaratri day they sat

for darshan of the four sessions of puja in the Kumbeswarar temple.

When they returned home, that amma, who sat in the puja room

complaining of exhaustion, stretched out and breathed her last.

Shocked, the Chettiar called her by name and went inside, but he too

fell down and breathed his last. That was all. On that very day of

Maha Shivaratri both of them attained the Shiva sAyujya together. Did

you see the position that couple attained because of their act of

incessant atithi bhojana? Even now, on every Maha Shivaratri day, I

would remember the couple. They are the couple who served food in

such a lofty manner. "

 

AcharyaL finished. Tears seeped from the eyes of those who heard the

story. The walking God stood up and said, " Seems it is almost two o'

clock. Everyone will be hungry. Go inside and dine well " , and bade

them farewell with compassion.

Author: Sri S. Ramani Anna (in Tamil)

Source: Sakthi Vikatan issue dated Jan 18, 2007

 

Glossary:

 

arpaNa - offering , delivering , consigning , entrusting

atithi - guest, a person entitled to hospitality (from a-tithi: one

who has no fixed day for coming)

bhojana - feeding, enjoying, eating

kulam - pond, usually near or in the precincts of a temple

kutUhala - curiosity , interest in any extra-ordinary matter

mokSa - emancipation, liberation, deliverance, release from

sAkSAt - before one's eyes, in person, in bodily form, visibly

sAyujy - intimate union, communion with

smaraNa - the act of remembering or calling to mind, calling upon the

name of a god, a rosary of beads held in hand, not worn as a

necklace.

upacAra - service, act of civility, polite behavior