Author: "kari kai tholi" Sri Krishnamurthi
Translator: Saidevo
shrI MahA PeriyavargaL, shrI PudupperiyavargaL--both these AchAryas were camping in the Rameshvaram road, T.Nagar, Chennai. My age at that time was eight. Along with my father, I had gone for darshan.
MahA PeriyavargaL asked me: "You know what your ThAtthA--grandfather was?"
"PudukkoTTai Chief Court Judge KRShNamUrti aiyar", I said.
"You should come up like him", he blessed me. Since the time of my getting the ability to think, this was the first occasion I had darshan of him.
*** *** ***
When MahA SvAmigaL was in TenambAkkam, I was to go there. With me came my two friends, who were engaged in the sacred work of building the KarumAriamman temple in SAmiyAr ThoTTam, to seek his blessings.
I introduced them both to PeriyavargaL. They were VaiShNavas. He asked them, "Is the samashrayaNam done for you?" (Check www.saranagathi.org/articles/samasrayanam.htm for details).
"Is done".
"You know what is samashrayaNam?", he asked me.
"Don't know", I said.
"To do such kaingkaryam--service, VaiShNavas should get the anumati--permission from their AchAryas. Without that, it is not uchitam--proper, to get engaged in this." Saying this, he asked me, "Will you build a temple?"
What could I say? I did not reply anything.
But then, two months later, for some reason, those two people, resigned from their positions. They engaged me in that work and made me a secretary.
All Maha PeriyavargaL's anugraham. With donations, that temple was built at a cost of two lakh rupees, and the kumbAbhiShekam too took place in kolAhalam--grand fanfare.
Meantime, once I supplicated to Maha PeriyavargaL, "I am doing the koil kaingkaryam. Same way I should do kaingkaryam to PeriyavargaL too." He said, "Do it for AmbAL (KarumAriamman). It would be like doing it to me."
The very next day that temple kumbAbhiShekam was over, I resigned the post of secretary of the sacred works committee, came to PeriyavargaL and informed him. "You have the skill to collect?" he asked me.
What could I say! I just kept quiet without saying anything.
He gave me this order: "It's of much puNyam, if the cow is given AhAram--food, our ancestors and elders have said. Informing the neighbouring houses, you visit them, collect the peels of vegetables that get collected on Thursdays and Fridays, and bring them here. They can be fed to the cows." I continued to do that kaingkaryam for a long time.
Because of this, I had the bhAgyam to have darshan of PeriyavargaL every Saturday.
*** *** ***
Once I thought this way when I was going to ShrIMaTham. 'PeriyavargaL told me to become like my ThAtthA? He was a judge, whereas I joined a bank and came to practise in a different area of service?'
Isn't Maha PeriyavargaL a pratyakSha deivam--visible god! Whatever we think in our mind, even as we watch the TV to know things happening at a distant place, he would know it by his jnAna-dRShTi--prevision.
When I had darshan of PeriyavargaL that day, he said, "pEran enRAl ivanthANDA pEran--if it is a grandson, it is only this one. One who has the peyar--name, is pEran--grandson. Only his grandfather's name for this one. His thAtthA had alAti--distinctive priyam--love/fondness, for me. Wherever I was, he used to come and have darshan. In the same way, this one too. He is making his thAtthA's name and fame stand firm in time."
To the question I thought about when I was on my way here, PeriyavargaL has given an explanation. My mind was at peace.
*** *** ***
The epithet 'kaRikAitthOli' got stuck to my name KRShNamUrti in ShrIMaTham permanently.
After completion of three years of this kaingkaryam, in memory of it, we purchased nine pairs of vEshTis--dhoties, and submitted them. Examining them, PeriyavargaL inquired about the details. He asked us to first take a pair of dhoties and give it to a kOnAr--milkman. We went to his place and gave it to him saying, 'PeriyavargaL prasAdam'. With great humility, he bowed, joined his palms and received the gift with bhaya-bhakti.
Coming back to ShrIMaTham, we informed PeriyavargaL. Saying, "avan ippaDi vAnggik-koNDAnA?--Did he receive it in this manner?", PeriyavargaL precisely gestured it to us in action! We were surprised. For PeriyavargaL who was sAkShat GopAla, the meyppADugaL--manners and disposition, of the KOnAr, the go-pAlan--cow caretaker, of ShrIMaTham had been known. Also he had the simplicity to act it out like a child!
A Saturday. Arriving at Kalavai camp, we had darshan of PeriyavargaL. It was my custom to take Accountancy classes on Saturdays and Sundays in the MAmbalam Institute. As long as he was in Tenambakkam, it facilitated my taking classes. Since he had gone to Kalavai, I went with the thought it would be difficult to take the class on the next day. Isn't he an antaryAmin--the soul inside us? It seemed that he had come to know of what I was thinking! We could reach there only a bit late in the night. Before our arrival, PeriyavargaL had taken vishrAnti--repose, on a rope cot. Without knowing it we had gone a bit too close to him. He woke up hearing the noise.
"yAru--who is that?"
"'kaRikAitthOli' KRShNamUrti."
Taking a torchlight, PeriyavargaL shined it so his face was seen well in the light. We had a good and happy darshan of him.
"sari--Alright, you can get back to your place", he gave us immediate leave.
An assistant nearby said, "Tomorrow is only Sunday. They may stay here and go."
"Only Sunday is a day of rest for them; and only on that day pala jOli--many tasks", with these words he gave us his blessings and leave.
Since we started at dawn the next day, it was convenient for me to take the class. What to say of PeriyavAL's compassion!
*** *** ***
Pudu PeriyavAL told me that 'go saMrakShaNam--protection of cows' should be undertaken. Accordingly, with the four cows sent by ShrIMATham, the introductory festivities of the goshAla--cowshead at Old MAmbalam Shankara MaTham took place on Aug. 19, 1977, presided by the Chennai Governor PrabhudAs PatvAri. They appointed me as its founder and secretary. Growing quickly, that goshAla is now running with excellence, with fifty cows.
The feeding of vegetable peels to cows went on well for five and a half years. Later in 1989, I got transferred to Lucknow and moved away.
My eldest daughter, when she was a three year old child, contracted the disease septicemia and I admitted her to a hospital. The doctor said it was rare to survive that disease. He said that no food or medicine could be injected for that disease.
My father went to KAnchi and prayed to PeriyavargaL. Caressing his stomach, PeriyavargaL showed abhya-hastam and blessed us. From Salem, PuDu PeriyavargaL sent prasAdam through a disciple, asking us not to worry. The child survived, much to the surprise of the doctor.
Owing to the puNya-phala--fruits of good acts, of collecting the vegetable peels from many houses and feeding them to the cows upon PeriyavargaL's Ajna--orders, it is the satyam--truth/reality that we became vesels for MahA SvAmigaL's anugraham
.
Translator: Saidevo
shrI MahA PeriyavargaL, shrI PudupperiyavargaL--both these AchAryas were camping in the Rameshvaram road, T.Nagar, Chennai. My age at that time was eight. Along with my father, I had gone for darshan.
MahA PeriyavargaL asked me: "You know what your ThAtthA--grandfather was?"
"PudukkoTTai Chief Court Judge KRShNamUrti aiyar", I said.
"You should come up like him", he blessed me. Since the time of my getting the ability to think, this was the first occasion I had darshan of him.
*** *** ***
When MahA SvAmigaL was in TenambAkkam, I was to go there. With me came my two friends, who were engaged in the sacred work of building the KarumAriamman temple in SAmiyAr ThoTTam, to seek his blessings.
I introduced them both to PeriyavargaL. They were VaiShNavas. He asked them, "Is the samashrayaNam done for you?" (Check www.saranagathi.org/articles/samasrayanam.htm for details).
"Is done".
"You know what is samashrayaNam?", he asked me.
"Don't know", I said.
"To do such kaingkaryam--service, VaiShNavas should get the anumati--permission from their AchAryas. Without that, it is not uchitam--proper, to get engaged in this." Saying this, he asked me, "Will you build a temple?"
What could I say? I did not reply anything.
But then, two months later, for some reason, those two people, resigned from their positions. They engaged me in that work and made me a secretary.
All Maha PeriyavargaL's anugraham. With donations, that temple was built at a cost of two lakh rupees, and the kumbAbhiShekam too took place in kolAhalam--grand fanfare.
Meantime, once I supplicated to Maha PeriyavargaL, "I am doing the koil kaingkaryam. Same way I should do kaingkaryam to PeriyavargaL too." He said, "Do it for AmbAL (KarumAriamman). It would be like doing it to me."
The very next day that temple kumbAbhiShekam was over, I resigned the post of secretary of the sacred works committee, came to PeriyavargaL and informed him. "You have the skill to collect?" he asked me.
What could I say! I just kept quiet without saying anything.
He gave me this order: "It's of much puNyam, if the cow is given AhAram--food, our ancestors and elders have said. Informing the neighbouring houses, you visit them, collect the peels of vegetables that get collected on Thursdays and Fridays, and bring them here. They can be fed to the cows." I continued to do that kaingkaryam for a long time.
Because of this, I had the bhAgyam to have darshan of PeriyavargaL every Saturday.
*** *** ***
Once I thought this way when I was going to ShrIMaTham. 'PeriyavargaL told me to become like my ThAtthA? He was a judge, whereas I joined a bank and came to practise in a different area of service?'
Isn't Maha PeriyavargaL a pratyakSha deivam--visible god! Whatever we think in our mind, even as we watch the TV to know things happening at a distant place, he would know it by his jnAna-dRShTi--prevision.
When I had darshan of PeriyavargaL that day, he said, "pEran enRAl ivanthANDA pEran--if it is a grandson, it is only this one. One who has the peyar--name, is pEran--grandson. Only his grandfather's name for this one. His thAtthA had alAti--distinctive priyam--love/fondness, for me. Wherever I was, he used to come and have darshan. In the same way, this one too. He is making his thAtthA's name and fame stand firm in time."
To the question I thought about when I was on my way here, PeriyavargaL has given an explanation. My mind was at peace.
*** *** ***
The epithet 'kaRikAitthOli' got stuck to my name KRShNamUrti in ShrIMaTham permanently.
After completion of three years of this kaingkaryam, in memory of it, we purchased nine pairs of vEshTis--dhoties, and submitted them. Examining them, PeriyavargaL inquired about the details. He asked us to first take a pair of dhoties and give it to a kOnAr--milkman. We went to his place and gave it to him saying, 'PeriyavargaL prasAdam'. With great humility, he bowed, joined his palms and received the gift with bhaya-bhakti.
Coming back to ShrIMaTham, we informed PeriyavargaL. Saying, "avan ippaDi vAnggik-koNDAnA?--Did he receive it in this manner?", PeriyavargaL precisely gestured it to us in action! We were surprised. For PeriyavargaL who was sAkShat GopAla, the meyppADugaL--manners and disposition, of the KOnAr, the go-pAlan--cow caretaker, of ShrIMaTham had been known. Also he had the simplicity to act it out like a child!
A Saturday. Arriving at Kalavai camp, we had darshan of PeriyavargaL. It was my custom to take Accountancy classes on Saturdays and Sundays in the MAmbalam Institute. As long as he was in Tenambakkam, it facilitated my taking classes. Since he had gone to Kalavai, I went with the thought it would be difficult to take the class on the next day. Isn't he an antaryAmin--the soul inside us? It seemed that he had come to know of what I was thinking! We could reach there only a bit late in the night. Before our arrival, PeriyavargaL had taken vishrAnti--repose, on a rope cot. Without knowing it we had gone a bit too close to him. He woke up hearing the noise.
"yAru--who is that?"
"'kaRikAitthOli' KRShNamUrti."
Taking a torchlight, PeriyavargaL shined it so his face was seen well in the light. We had a good and happy darshan of him.
"sari--Alright, you can get back to your place", he gave us immediate leave.
An assistant nearby said, "Tomorrow is only Sunday. They may stay here and go."
"Only Sunday is a day of rest for them; and only on that day pala jOli--many tasks", with these words he gave us his blessings and leave.
Since we started at dawn the next day, it was convenient for me to take the class. What to say of PeriyavAL's compassion!
*** *** ***
Pudu PeriyavAL told me that 'go saMrakShaNam--protection of cows' should be undertaken. Accordingly, with the four cows sent by ShrIMATham, the introductory festivities of the goshAla--cowshead at Old MAmbalam Shankara MaTham took place on Aug. 19, 1977, presided by the Chennai Governor PrabhudAs PatvAri. They appointed me as its founder and secretary. Growing quickly, that goshAla is now running with excellence, with fifty cows.
The feeding of vegetable peels to cows went on well for five and a half years. Later in 1989, I got transferred to Lucknow and moved away.
My eldest daughter, when she was a three year old child, contracted the disease septicemia and I admitted her to a hospital. The doctor said it was rare to survive that disease. He said that no food or medicine could be injected for that disease.
My father went to KAnchi and prayed to PeriyavargaL. Caressing his stomach, PeriyavargaL showed abhya-hastam and blessed us. From Salem, PuDu PeriyavargaL sent prasAdam through a disciple, asking us not to worry. The child survived, much to the surprise of the doctor.
Owing to the puNya-phala--fruits of good acts, of collecting the vegetable peels from many houses and feeding them to the cows upon PeriyavargaL's Ajna--orders, it is the satyam--truth/reality that we became vesels for MahA SvAmigaL's anugraham
.
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