Greatness of Kanch Mahaswami - No.15.

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15-The Bhakti parAdhIna and the Paattiamma

 

Devotee: A very old woman (Paatti)

Author: Raa. Ganapathi

Source: KaruNaikkadalil sila alaigaL, pages 77-80

Publisher: Divya Vidya Padhippaham (Jun. 2005 Edition)

Type: book, Tamil

 

It is not clear to my mind if this incident happened at the SriMaTham

camp in Trichy National College High School campus, or Madurai

Sethupathi High School campus.

 

The darshan queue was stopped from moving because of some important

deliberation that was going on inside the SriMaTham camp. An old

woman was standing in the queue. She can be described as the old

woman of old women! She could have been over a hundred years old,

standing bent at a right-angle, a staff in her hand that she was

holding shakily. She was crying with all the tiredness of her

soul: " Sankara, my Sankara! I was agitated if I would see you, or

leave this world without seeing you. You came seeking this place!

Since you have come, I came to have your darshan, but you have

stopped me (nirutthi vecchu-tiyedaa) Sankara! "

 

Sri Samba Murthi SastrigaL was going inside the camp, passing the old

woman on his way. He was the pUrvAshrama younger brother of Maha

PeriyavaL. He was of a kind heart, true to the family blood that

coursed his veins. No sooner he heard the old woman's wail of

yearning than he hastened his steps towards the interior. As he

entered, he told Sri CaraNar who was immersed in an important

deliberation, " Outside--a Paatti--of a hundred or hundred and twenty

or whatever age. Stands yearning and wailing for Periyavaa's darshan. "

 

Before the last words were out of his mouth, PeriyavaaL stormed

outside!

 

" Why have you stopped me, Sankara? " The Paatti was wailing

repeatedly. He went to her, stood very near to her and said, " PaattI,

here your Sankaran has come. Look! Without knowing that you have

come, I was busy with something inside. And as I came to know it,

here I have come running. " The Ruler of Grace spoke the words of

nectar, which came up as the essence of his love.

 

" Vanduttiya, Sankara (so you have come, Sankara)!†said Paatti and

held his hands tightly! The hands that were held by his mother

Mahalakshmi AmmaL were held today by another person, after a span of

about 55 years!

 

As she raised her face and looked at the holy visage of Sri CaraNar,

the vRiddhAmbikA (the good old mother) said, " Though you have come

running for my sake and stand before me, I cannot look at you

properly with my dim eyesight! EnnappA (my son), only you should give

me some good sight for a good darshan. "

 

It was the time of a hot sun. There was a narrow, thatched roof over

the heads of the people in the queue. At Paatti's words, the bhakta

parAdhIna jumped aside the shelter of the roof and stood in the hot

son, barefooted!

 

" Is the vision better now, Paatti? " he said.

 

" It shows up very well ennappA, it shows very well! " Paatti patted

her cheeks loudly.

 

PeriyavaaL gave her a complete darshan of his person, letting

sunlight fall well on his face, tilting it, lifting it, and turning

it in many angles, even turning his whole body giving her a darshan

of his back.

 

In a torrent of emotion, without knowing what she spoke, the old

woman stuttered and lisped, cried profusely and was very happy!

 

Sri CaraNar came near her again and said, " Have you seen me well

Paatti! Can I go? "

 

" Yes, I have seen you very well (PAtthuNtempa), my son! Even for this

anAmadeyam (nonentity), KaruNAmurti, you have given your darshan. I

was holding my soul just to see you. I have seen you know. Take me

now my son, take me! " The parama bhakta prayed to him.

 

" PaattI! When the time comes, let us take it. I shall ask you now to

be dropped in your place. Go there and remain in Swami SmaraNa

(remembrance of God). Don't come running again to see me! I shall

always be with you without leaving you aside for a moment! " The kRupA

varSA (shower of compassion) gave her his words.

 

Is there anything that matches the bhAgyam of the Paatti who received

such words of assurance from Sri CaraNar who out of his modesty uses

words only sparingly when he gives his abhayam to the bhaktas?

 

Glossary:

 

AmbikA - mother, good woman

kRpA - tenderness, compassion

parAdhIna - entirely engaged in or intent upon or devoted to

pUrvAshrama - of an earlier ashram or stage, before the sanyAsa stage

smaraNa - remembrance, reminiscence, recollection

varSa - rain, shower

vR^iddhA - old woman