Melattur Ramaswami Aiyer was a devotee of Sri Matha. When he came for darshan once, he brought a basketful of wood-apples and placed it in front of Periyava.
"A little of this must go into Periyavals stomach", he prayed.
The basket of wood apples was taken inside. After half an hour, the basket became empty. Not one fruit was left. Two attendants who served in the puja hall had helped themselves to some fruit and left four shells in a niche.
Periyava came for biksha.
"What did you do with the wood apples?"
The attendants stood transfixed in shock, silenced by their behavior. Periyaval never had the habit of asking for anything in particular when he took his bhiksha. So this was totally unexpected. It had never happened before. The silence hung heavily in the room. Periyava understood the situation. He let his eyes move around the place.
"Those four shells there. put them in the rasam and let it soak for a while"..
Periyaval took a little of that rasam when he accepted bhiksha that day.
Periyava had no particular liking for wood-apple or for any other eatables for that matter. The devotee had brought about a 100 wood-apples and had made a prayer. That had to be fulfilled. The fruits vanished, but luckily atleast four shells were to be found. When he took the rasam with the shell soaking in it, Periyava fulfilled the prayer made by the devotee, and a little of that fruit did go into his stomach.
That was the kind of concern Periyava had for the devotees.
"A little of this must go into Periyavals stomach", he prayed.
The basket of wood apples was taken inside. After half an hour, the basket became empty. Not one fruit was left. Two attendants who served in the puja hall had helped themselves to some fruit and left four shells in a niche.
Periyava came for biksha.
"What did you do with the wood apples?"
The attendants stood transfixed in shock, silenced by their behavior. Periyaval never had the habit of asking for anything in particular when he took his bhiksha. So this was totally unexpected. It had never happened before. The silence hung heavily in the room. Periyava understood the situation. He let his eyes move around the place.
"Those four shells there. put them in the rasam and let it soak for a while"..
Periyaval took a little of that rasam when he accepted bhiksha that day.
Periyava had no particular liking for wood-apple or for any other eatables for that matter. The devotee had brought about a 100 wood-apples and had made a prayer. That had to be fulfilled. The fruits vanished, but luckily atleast four shells were to be found. When he took the rasam with the shell soaking in it, Periyava fulfilled the prayer made by the devotee, and a little of that fruit did go into his stomach.
That was the kind of concern Periyava had for the devotees.
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