shuddha gangA
AbhaktAbrought a pot of Ganga Jalam from the KashikSetramafter doingrudraikAdasi japa homamthere, and submitted it to PeriyavaaL.
"From where did you pick up thejalam(water) for therudraikAdasi?", asked Periyavaa.
"ThevaidIkAs brought thejalamfrom the Kashi Kedar-ghat Ganga."
"Kashi is Pamameswara's place. Thegangai nIr, ganga maN(Ganga water, Ganga soil) and such things should not be brought from there. ThetIrthamyou have brought, add it round the bottom of somebhilvatree."
Periyavaa explained: "Ganga Jalam should be brought from only where the Ganga is ashuddha gangA. It isshuddha gangAbefore the Yamuna river merges with it."
The snake is gone, but then...
The elephant blared in terror at midnight. The disciples were fast asleep. Nobody got up.
The elephant has excessive fear towards small animals such as the rat, frog or sparrow. Thinking that some rat or frog would have dropped in at that night time, Periyavaa got up silently and went to the elephant shed.
A big cobra its hood fully spread was swaying there in front of the elephant.
Periyavaa forthwith woke up theshiSyas. They arrived carrying sticks. "Don't beat the snake. Just light a lamp of sesame oil, and it will go away."
When a sesame oil lamp was lit and placed there as advised, thenAgasnake that was in full hood till then crawed away and out of sight.
The surprising thing in this incident is that by the disciples who have normal hearing powers the blare of the elephant was not heard, but the sound was heard only by PeriyavaaL who was saying that he had problem with his ears!
Yes, Gajendra's supplicating wail 'Adi mUlamE!' was only heard by Sriman Narayana!
Periyavaa asked the elephant to be tied up in some other place.
"But the snake is gone!"
"The snake is gone alright. But the fear would not have gone for the elephant!"
Only after receiving the tidings that the elephant was taken to another safer place, Periyavaa went to resume his rest.
Can keep it for four days
There were hutments near where Periyavaa was staying in that village. Periyavaa would enjoy with happiness, when the children in the evening play uproariously, fight each other and raise a hue and cry. (At such times, abhAva, a yearning would flash in Periyavaa's eyes that if he could not also join and play with those children).
When Periyavaa was enjoying the childrens' play in this manner, an AmmaaL brought a vessel full oftirattup-pAl(milk koa), placed it before PeriyavaaL and prostrated to him.
"ennathu(What is this)?... You have brought it shrinking the milk?"
"Yes."
"Will it be sweet?"
"It will be."
"Smell?"
Before that woman can reply, Periyavaa admired, "Yes, it pierces through the nose!"
"I have prepared it in carefulmadi(ceremonial purity)... will not go sour... can keep it for four days... daily, Periyavaa, a little..."
Periyavaa did not seem to take her words into his ears at all. But then he said with an eagerness, "What you do, take this vessel to the children playing there, distribute (the content) and bring the empty vessel, right? Prepare for me the next time and bring it..."
Just as thekSIra sAgara sAyI(reclined in the ocean of milk) didamRta viniyoga(nectar distribution) as Mohini Devi, that AmmaaL gave away all thattirattup-pAlto the children, withparipUraNa tRpti(complete satisfaction). Looking kindly at the children eating thetirattup-pAl, Periyavaa felt happy.
No, not for the elephant
It was a custom in SriMaTham to give the elephants there large balls ofannam(cooked rice) mixed with jaggery every evening. The mahout would take the ball in his hand and put it straight into the elephant's mouth.
One day, when it was time to feed the elephants, Periyavaa came that side casually. He glanced at thesAdammade into balls. He ordered the disciple nearby, "Tell the mahout not to feed these balls to the elephant" and moved away.
He called the manager unrgently.
"Theannamkept for feeding the elephant has not been boiled properly. It is dry and peeling off in flakes. ThetIni(feed) should not be given in this way, withashraddhA(want of trust and care). Because it is an animal that is speechless, can you give thesAdamonly half boiled? Tell it to the mahout. The elephant should be givensAdamin the same way that thenivedanam(offer) is given tosAkSAt gajamukhan(the visible, elephant-faced Ganesha)... That muchbhaktiis needed;shraddhAis needed...Let fresh rice be cooked and offered to the elephant..."
The disciples melted at the abundant compassion shown to a speechless animal.
Periyavaa did not touch and examine the cooked rice balls. Why, he did not even stop there for a moment to look at the balls!
How did he know then that they were not boiled properly and gone flaky at the surface?
Will thesarvajnatvam(omniscience) be expressed even in such small matters
?
AbhaktAbrought a pot of Ganga Jalam from the KashikSetramafter doingrudraikAdasi japa homamthere, and submitted it to PeriyavaaL.
"From where did you pick up thejalam(water) for therudraikAdasi?", asked Periyavaa.
"ThevaidIkAs brought thejalamfrom the Kashi Kedar-ghat Ganga."
"Kashi is Pamameswara's place. Thegangai nIr, ganga maN(Ganga water, Ganga soil) and such things should not be brought from there. ThetIrthamyou have brought, add it round the bottom of somebhilvatree."
Periyavaa explained: "Ganga Jalam should be brought from only where the Ganga is ashuddha gangA. It isshuddha gangAbefore the Yamuna river merges with it."
The snake is gone, but then...
The elephant blared in terror at midnight. The disciples were fast asleep. Nobody got up.
The elephant has excessive fear towards small animals such as the rat, frog or sparrow. Thinking that some rat or frog would have dropped in at that night time, Periyavaa got up silently and went to the elephant shed.
A big cobra its hood fully spread was swaying there in front of the elephant.
Periyavaa forthwith woke up theshiSyas. They arrived carrying sticks. "Don't beat the snake. Just light a lamp of sesame oil, and it will go away."
When a sesame oil lamp was lit and placed there as advised, thenAgasnake that was in full hood till then crawed away and out of sight.
The surprising thing in this incident is that by the disciples who have normal hearing powers the blare of the elephant was not heard, but the sound was heard only by PeriyavaaL who was saying that he had problem with his ears!
Yes, Gajendra's supplicating wail 'Adi mUlamE!' was only heard by Sriman Narayana!
Periyavaa asked the elephant to be tied up in some other place.
"But the snake is gone!"
"The snake is gone alright. But the fear would not have gone for the elephant!"
Only after receiving the tidings that the elephant was taken to another safer place, Periyavaa went to resume his rest.
Can keep it for four days
There were hutments near where Periyavaa was staying in that village. Periyavaa would enjoy with happiness, when the children in the evening play uproariously, fight each other and raise a hue and cry. (At such times, abhAva, a yearning would flash in Periyavaa's eyes that if he could not also join and play with those children).
When Periyavaa was enjoying the childrens' play in this manner, an AmmaaL brought a vessel full oftirattup-pAl(milk koa), placed it before PeriyavaaL and prostrated to him.
"ennathu(What is this)?... You have brought it shrinking the milk?"
"Yes."
"Will it be sweet?"
"It will be."
"Smell?"
Before that woman can reply, Periyavaa admired, "Yes, it pierces through the nose!"
"I have prepared it in carefulmadi(ceremonial purity)... will not go sour... can keep it for four days... daily, Periyavaa, a little..."
Periyavaa did not seem to take her words into his ears at all. But then he said with an eagerness, "What you do, take this vessel to the children playing there, distribute (the content) and bring the empty vessel, right? Prepare for me the next time and bring it..."
Just as thekSIra sAgara sAyI(reclined in the ocean of milk) didamRta viniyoga(nectar distribution) as Mohini Devi, that AmmaaL gave away all thattirattup-pAlto the children, withparipUraNa tRpti(complete satisfaction). Looking kindly at the children eating thetirattup-pAl, Periyavaa felt happy.
No, not for the elephant
It was a custom in SriMaTham to give the elephants there large balls ofannam(cooked rice) mixed with jaggery every evening. The mahout would take the ball in his hand and put it straight into the elephant's mouth.
One day, when it was time to feed the elephants, Periyavaa came that side casually. He glanced at thesAdammade into balls. He ordered the disciple nearby, "Tell the mahout not to feed these balls to the elephant" and moved away.
He called the manager unrgently.
"Theannamkept for feeding the elephant has not been boiled properly. It is dry and peeling off in flakes. ThetIni(feed) should not be given in this way, withashraddhA(want of trust and care). Because it is an animal that is speechless, can you give thesAdamonly half boiled? Tell it to the mahout. The elephant should be givensAdamin the same way that thenivedanam(offer) is given tosAkSAt gajamukhan(the visible, elephant-faced Ganesha)... That muchbhaktiis needed;shraddhAis needed...Let fresh rice be cooked and offered to the elephant..."
The disciples melted at the abundant compassion shown to a speechless animal.
Periyavaa did not touch and examine the cooked rice balls. Why, he did not even stop there for a moment to look at the balls!
How did he know then that they were not boiled properly and gone flaky at the surface?
Will thesarvajnatvam(omniscience) be expressed even in such small matters
?
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