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Monday, June 10, 2013

Darshana mahimaigaL

'As desired by me...'

In January 1976, when my eldest daughter AkhilANDeshvari's marriage was betrothed, and I sought anugraham of shrI PeriyavAL at Kalavai, he said, "You have your kumArI's marriage conducted in KAmAkShi temple itself. In KAmAkShi sannidhi, mAngalya dhAraNam, japam and such pUrvAngas; saMtarpaNa--meals to brahmins, in the nearby KollA Chatram; for the saMbandhus'--kinsmen's stay, the RAjavIdhi Chatram, and shrIMaTham; thus there are four places. 'beShAga naDaththu--very well conduct it! (his own words)' Get permission from PuDupperiyavAL telling him that I desired it."

(Although shrI MahASvAmigaL was PuDupperiyavAL's guru, since in those periods of time shrI PuDupperiyavAL himself was the PIThAdhipati, in consideration of yuktam--propriety, in his asking me to get permission from shrI PuDupperiyavAL, and in his saying he "desired it", I could see his simplicity and magnanimity.)

Knowing that when some of my relatives who attended the marriage went to Kalavai and had darshan of PeriyavAL, he inquired them about the marriage in vistAram--detail, I wondered at the compassion and love he had for me.

In ShAhAbAd

Approaching shrI PuDupperiyavargaL who was camping in TiruvallikkENi--Triplicane, in 1983, when I sought his permission to conduct the marraige of my second daughter too in KAmAkShi temple, he asked me, "enna thEthi--what date?". I told him that among the two dates May 9 and May 29, I had uddesham--intention, to conduct it on May 9. For that shrI PuDupperiyavargaL said, "If it is May 9, you can have it conducted" and permitted me. (Only many days later I came to know that May 29 was the day fixed for shrI BAlaperiyavargaL to have his Ashrama svIkAram--adoption to sannyAsa Ashram.)

To get anugraham from shrI PeriyavargaL, I went to ShAhAbAd (In the Chennai-Bombay rail route it comes after crossing the VADi station). After I got down at the railway station, I came to know that shrI PeriyavargaL was staying in a place around 7 km. from there. Boarding a bus I went to the place where shrI PeriyavargaL was staying.

I spotted after walking a small distance, a small shed in the open ground, plus a hut and a well. Some five or six people were standing there. They told me it was there that shrI PeriyavargaL was staying. Intense sunshine of the 2 o' clock afternoon sun. When I went there, shrI PeriyavargaL was in shayanam--sleeping. His rickshaw cart nearby. A chippanti--staff member named Subbaiah near it. shrI PeriyavargaL was lying down on his stomach. It was known that he had come there only a few minutes before. It was also known to me that he was sleeping in that posture to get relief from the tiredness of his body. Standing nearby, I was looking at the rekha--lines, of PeriyavAL's soles.

After sometime passed, shrI PeriyavargaL woke up and looked at his two kaiththala--(Tamil)palms. He informed them in this way of his intention to read. A kaingaryapara--assistant, named SAmaveda ChandramauLi, gave him a small book. It was 'HanumAn chAlIsA'. Turning over its pages, he was reading it until daylight declined. In the meantime, a crowd assembled from the areas of grain fields nearby. Some people came in tractors too.

With help from the nearby people, BAlu had the varappu--(Tamil)ridges of the field adjacent to the well deepened, drew water from the well and filled it and thus faciliated for shrI PeriyavargaL to have his snAnam--bath.

As shrI PeriyavargaL had his snAnam and finished his anuShTAnam, it began to get increasingly dark. shrI PeriyavargaL asked the village people to get back to their homes, saying that no one needed to stay there. Sitting in the cart in the shed during night, he took an apple and some milk. I made vijnApanA--respectful communication, to him of the proposed marriage of my putrI and sought his anugraham.

shrI PeriyavargaL spent that night in the cart itself. Since the climate was very chill, we all slept in the hut.

It would have been four o'clock in the early morning, when I woke up. I saw shrI PeriyavargaL rise and go to the koTTakai--toilet. Forthwith, cleaning my teeth, and wearing vibhUti, I went near where shrI PeriyavargaL had gone, carrying a lantern. I introduced myself to him.

After shrI PeriyavargaL came out from the koTTakai, in the light of the lantern kept in the shed, an assistant named ChandramauLi read out that day's panchAngam. As he wrongly mentioned the day, shrI PeriyavargaL told him "Read again". When he read it again wrongly, the sage asked him to read it once more. Thus after many times of repetition, the man came to understand his error. As the man corrected himself and started reading it correctly, shrI PeriyavargaL told him, "I saw you read it with an error; only now you read it correctly."

I understood the nuTpam--(Tamil)subtlety of the sage, in giving him an avakAsham--opportunity, to correct his error himself. As it had dawned in the meantime, I stood seeking shrI PeriyavargaL's permission for me to return to my place. He asked me, "Only you built the GangAmAtA temple in HaridvAr?" I replied, "Only OmkArnAth GosvAmi built the temple; I only took a photograph of it and brought." 

(OmkArnAth GosvAmi belonged to a family that arrived from RAvalpiNDi at the time of the Nation's paritition and took residence in India. He had told me about Pandit Madammohan MALaviyA, when the latter had gone to RAvalpiNDi, dining in their house, and at that time as a boy this man doing the service of waving a hand fan to the Pandit when the latter was eating. During the year 1975 when shrI PuDupperiyavargaL sent me on a tour, his parichayam--acquaintance, came up for me in HaridvAr.)

shrI PeriyavargaL ordered me, "You toured many places, PuDupperiyavA sending you on that tour. Tell these people about it in vistAram--detail." Limitless joy for me, and my body had the thrill of it (as if caressed with a blade of grass). I told them briefly of my yAtra.

Then shrI PeriyavargaL ordered the Director of the nearby Cement Company, who was a white man, to drop me in the railway station in his car
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