Greatness of Kanch Mahaswami - No.12.

[Guest guest]

12-The 54 Lives Saved by Annai!

(Mahima of Sringeri Sri SaradambaL)

 

This happened several years ago. We decided on a yAtra (pilgrimage)

to the kshetras (holy places) in Karnataka, more than fifty devotees

of us teaming up for the tour. We started our journey in a large

tourist bus. It was our custom to first go to Kanchi, have darshan of

PeriyavaaL and then continue our journey.

 

Around 4 o' clock in the afternoon of that day we stood up after

prostrating to Maha SwamigaL in SriMaTham. Giving us his blessings,

laughing and raising both his hands SwamigaL asked, " You people have

come as a large ghoSTi... well, what's the matter? " Forthwith I

elaborated on the details of our Karnataka Yatra to SwamigaL.

 

Feeling happy he asked, raising his eyebrows, " What is the uddesha

(motive) about the first place to go? " I said, " It is our uddesha,

Periyavaa, that on reaching Mangalore, we would first go to

Talakkaveri, do our saMkalpa snAnam (bath and prayer) there and then

go to Sringeri. After that we have decided to have darshan at

SubrahmaNya, Dharmasthala, Udipi, Kollur Mukambika, Kateel Durga

Parameswari... in this order. "

 

Before I could finish SwamigaL interrupted me. " Wait, wait... In the

list you have mentioned, you have missed an important place... "

Looking at us who were all standing with a question mark on our

faces, and smiling, Periyavaa advised us, " What, you don't

understand? I shall tell you... Horanadu kshetra! Mother is staying

there as Annapurani, giving her anugraham. A very special place. Must

have darshan! "

 

He continued: " You people do as I tell you now. First go to Sringeri

kshetram from Mangalore. There, do your snAnam in Tunga, first have

Guru Darshan, get prasAdam from them, then have darshan of

SaaradambaL and start from there (to other places). After this, you

may go to the places in your order of preference. Let one thing be

kept in mind though. Anyday you go to Sringeri, as far as possible,

reach the place before sAyarakSai (evening). "

 

All of us nodded our heads in affirmation, prostrated and got up.

That Walking God ordered distribution of anugraha prasAdam to us all.

The driver and conductor of the bus were called and the prasAdam

given to them too. We started thereafter.

 

On the next morning, our journey from Bangalore to Mangalore. We

stayed in a Kalyana Mandapam in Mangalore at night. On the morning

the next day we got ready to move after taking bath. A man named

Ramanathan who accompanied us came to me and said persuading, " We

shall first go to Talakkaveri from here. After doing our saMkalpa

snAnam there, why not go to Sringeri later? "

 

I did not agree to that. " Whatever uttaravu (direction) Kanchi

Periyavaa has given, we should only follow that!†I said. It was not

acceptable to them. " First we should go to Talakkaveri only! " they

compelled me, as if having discussed it already among them. However

much I pleaded with them, nobody was prepared to lend me ears.

 

The bus travelled towards Talakkaveri. Staying there for a day and

after finishing our saMkalpa snAnam, we started our journey towards

Sringeri. It was 8:00 o' clock in the night. Both the front tyres of

the bus that was going on the mountain road to Sringeri got punctured

and the bus stopped. It was pitch dark outside. In the light from a

torch light, Driver and Conductor started working on removing the

wheels with the punctured tyres and fixing the Stepney wheels in

their place. Hunger pinched our stomach; our last meal was at noon in

Bagamandala. Somehow the bus started moving at 10 o' clock. Suddenly

it started drizzling. It was 11 o' clock and yet there was no sight

of Sringeri. Only then we had the doubt whether we were going on the

right road! As God-given, we sighted a man coming in the distance. We

stopped the bus near him and inquired. He patted on his head and

said, " This road leads to another place. 15 km before you should have

turned on the road that branched to the right. " It gave us a shock!

 

So the bus needed to be turned towards the direction we came. Driver

got down and had a look. A narrow road, with valleys on both sides.

Climbing onto his seat, Driver said with a falsely assured

courage, " You people don't worry. I shall back up little by little

with sharp turns on the steering wheel and somehow move the bus to an

about turn! " and got on the task. Sitting with fear, we started

chanting Rama Namam. Somehow having managed to turn the bus ninety

degrees, Driver said in a loud voice, suddenly worried, " Sir, sir...

However much I step on the brake, the bus starts slipping behind!

Raise an even louder ghoSaNam (proclamation) in the name of God...

Only He should save us all now! " His words had the effect of

dissolving tamarind inside our belly. We too felt the bus slipping

behind. All of us with tears welling up in our eyes started

wailing, " Sringeri Sharadambaa, save us Ma! Sringeri Maha

Sannidhaname, save us! Kanchi PeriyavaaLe, Ramachandra Murtiye, save

us, save us...! "

 

Suddenly Driver said, " Sir, I have now taken my leg from the brake!

The vehicle is not slipping behind! As if a hundred people are

supporting it from behind, the vehicle stands intact! Now no worry at

all. Shall turn the bus in a few moments " and started on his efforts.

We did not stop the nAma ghoSaNam.

 

appAda! (At last) the driver managed to turn the bus. All of us

breathed a sigh of peace! It was exactly 12:00 hours midnight.

Exactly at one-thirty we reached the entrance to Sringeri

Samasthanam. A GanapadigaL who was standing at the entrance to

receive us (it is my recollection that it was Nageswara GanapadigaL!)

said with a laugh, " Vaango, vaango! You are all coming from Madras,

right? First wash your hand and feet and come have some food. You

would be hungry. Rice Uppuma and Bringal Gotsu are ready! "

 

" How do you know, ShastrigaaL that we are coming? We did not even

write to you? " I asked him. He said laughing, " It is vAstavam (true)

that your coming will not be known to people who are like us. Maha

Sannidhanam, dIrgha darshigaL (with foresight) will be knowing

everything, you see? It was only Maha Sannidhanam who called me

around eleven o' clock and gave orders, 'To have darshan of Sarada,

54 Bhaktas from Madras are coming in a bus. They all come with great

hunger! So ask our people to prepare Rice Uppuma and Gotsu and keep

the food ready. In addition, for them to stay, arrange a large hall.'

After arranging all that I have come to stand here and receive you

all! " He sunk us in surprise.

 

Seeing the dIrgha dharsanam and karuNa (compassion) of Sri Sri Sri

Abhinava Vidyatheertha SwamigaL, Adiyen (I) wondered. Tears rushed to

my eyes. Seeing that SastrigaL said, " You are amazed at this thing...

I am going to tell you another thing in the morning; you would then

be really stunned! " and led us on. Hot Uppuma and Gotsu were served

ready in 54 nuni (top) banana leaves. We ate the food filling up our

stomach.

 

The next morning. Finishing our snAnam in the Tunga river, we started

to have darshan of Maha Sannidhanam Sri Sri Sri Abhinava

Vidyatheertha SwamigaL. The SastrigaL we met last night was seen by

us.

 

To him I asked joining my palms, " You said you would tell us some

vishayam (news) in the morning. I pray that you please tell it now. "

 

SastrigaL started talking: " Would have been around 12 o' clock last

night. Sitting in his ekAnta (private) room, Maha Sannidhanam was

examining some Sastra books. I was sitting in the outer hall.

Suddenly coming out, Maha Sannidhanam kept both his hand pressed hard

to the wall and started murmuring some mantra. I too got up. From the

posture of Maha Sannidhanam it seemed as if he was supporting the

wall from falling. I did not understand anything. Five minutes later,

taking his hands off the wall, Maha Sannidhanam came to me and

said, 'You witnessed and wondered why I kept my hands against the

wall in that pose and did some Japam. It is nothing else. The bus

wherein came those people from Madras to have darshan of SaradambaL

missed its way. Later when they realized the mistake and turned the

bus, the brakes did not apply... bus started moving behind on its

own. The Bhaktas in them wailed, 'save us, save us!' calling aloud

the name of Amma Sarada. So I supported the bus from slipping behind

by resting my hands on the walls. Now everything is alright, and the

bus is coming towards Sringeri! You go and make the arrangements as I

told you', and went inside his room. I stood stunned! " Listening to

this, all of us wept. We started to have darshan of that Walking

SaradambaL.

 

Looking at this Adiyen who prostrated and got up, Sri Sri Sri Maha

Sannidhanam said laughingly, " Should always listen to what the

Mahaans say. And follow it. If you make a change in it everything

that happens would be changed too. What, you understand? " With these

words he did anugraha of prasAdam. This Adiyen then realized that

Maha Sannidhanam only informed in sUcaka (by indicating) to the fact

of our not following what Sri Kanchi Periyavaa ordered for us!

Author: Sri Ramani Anna (in Tamil)

Source: Sakthi Vikatan issue dated Oct 10, 2007

 

Glossary:

 

sUcaka - indicating, betraying, informer, sign, omen

ghoSTi - group, gathering