When Gothram and Suthram are not known... --- Mahaperiyava's solution!

The man worked at Tiruchi Railway Station, had two sons and one daughter. Had utmost devotion towards Kanchi Mahaswamigal. Where ever He camped, he used to visit Him atleast 4 or five times in a year with his family. Not for an instant darshan but would stay with the Mahan for two days soaking in His blessings.

“This boy is 9 years old, need to perform Upanayanam”, he told Swamigal.

“Do it”, replied Swamigal.

“I do not know his gothram or soothram”, said the person.

Mahaswamigal looked at him.

“He is your son right?”, asked Mahaperiyava.

“No, when the boy was in his mother's womb his father passed away. His mother passed away when he was two months old. There was no one in the village to take care of the boy. We took the baby and came home; do not know his relatives or any other information regarding the boy. Just heard this much that he belongs to some Agraharam in Tirunelveli”, replied the man.

Mahaswamigal had an unusual smile on His face. Looked at Kannan ( the person who did kaingaryam to Him) who was near Him: “Look, he has adopted an orphan, has taken care of the boy for so many years and is now planning to conduct Poonal Upanayanam ceremony… how noble of him!”

Kannan said, “So long even we thought that the boy was their own son!”

Mahaswamigal was immersed in joy and said “I have heard that for those who do not know the gothram, it is Kashyapa gothram, if the soothram is not known then it is Bodhyana soothram. Do like that and conduct the poonal ceremony. But never ever think that he is a stranger; he belongs to you and is your son!”

The man took prasadam and left with contentment.

கட்டுரையாளர்-ஸ்ரீமடம் பாலு-182
தட்டச்சு-வரகூரான் நாராயணன்
புத்தகம்-காஞ்சி மகான் தரிசனம்

திருச்சி ரயில்வே அலுவலத்தில் பணி, இரண்டு பையன்கள், ஒரு பெண்.
மகா சுவாமிகளிடம் அபார பக்தி. பெரியவாள் எங்கே முகாமிட்டிருந்தாலும் வருடத்துக்கு
நாலைந்து முறை,குடும்பத்தோடு தரிசனத்துக்கு வருவார். மின்னல் வேக தரிசனம் இல்லை. ஒரிரு நாள்கள் தங்கி,பெரியவாளின் நெருக்கத்தை நிதானமாக அனுபவித்துவிட்டுத்தான் போவார்.

"இந்தப் பையனுக்கு ஒன்பது வயசாயிடுத்து. உபநயனம் நடத்தணும்" என்று பெரியவாளிடம்
விக்ஞாபித்துக் கொண்டார், ஒரு முறை.

"செய்யேன்..."-பெரியவா

"பையனின் கோத்திரம் - சூத்திரம் தெரியல்லே..."

பெரியவாள் நிமிர்ந்து பார்த்தார்கள்.

"உன்னோட பையன்தானே?"

"இல்லை! பையனின் கர்ப்பவாச காலத்திலேயே

தகப்பனார் சிவலோகம் போய்ச் சேர்ந்தார். இரண்டு மாதக் குழந்தையை விட்டுவிட்டுத் தாயாரும் போய்ச்சேர்ந்து விட்டாள்.கிராமத்தில் குழந்தையை ப்பராமரிக்கும் பொறுப்பை யார் ஏற்பார்கள்? நாங்கள்கு ழந்தையை எடுத்துண்டு வந்தோம். ஊர், பெயர், பந்து ஜனங்கள் ரியலை. திருநெல்வேலி பக்கம் ஏதோ அக்ரஹாரம் என்று மட்டும் கேள்வி..."

பெரியவாள் முகத்தில் அசாதாரணமான புன்னகை.

அருகிலிருந்த தொண்டர் கண்ணனிடம்,

"பாரு..ஓர் அநாதைக் குழந்தையை எடுத்துண்டு வந்து, வளர்த்து,பூணல் போடப் போறார்! என்ன மனஸ் இவருக்கு."

கண்ணன் சொன்னார்; "அவரோட சொந்தப்பிள்ளைனுதான்நா ங்களும் நினைத்துக் கொண்டிருக்கோம்.

பெரியவாள் மனசுக்குள்ளே ஆனந்தப்பட்டுக்கொண்டு சொன்னார்கள்;

"கோத்திரம் தெரியாதவர்களுக்கு, காசியப கோத்திரம்; ஸூத்திரம் தெரியாதவர்களுக்கு,போதாயன ஸூத்திரம் என்று கேள்விப்பட்டிருக்கேன். அது மாதிரி சொல்லிப்பூணூல் போடு. ஆனா குழந்தையை அந்நியமா நினைச்ச்டாதே. உன் பையன்தான்."

பிரசாதம் பெற்றுக் கொண்டு மன நிறைவுடன் நகர்ந்தார்கள்.

Your singing made Me break My Vow of Silence!

My Guru Maharajapuram Santhanam was a great devotee of Kanchi Mahaperiyava. He has composed a thillana and three other songs on His Holiness which he rendered in almost all concerts as also in cassette recordings.

I had the opportunity of singing with my Guru as vocal support since Aug 87 till 23rd June 92 (his last concert in manjakkudi village). I had the wonderful chance of accompanying my Guru to have darshan of Mahaswamigal and also sing along with my Guru and get the prasadam from His Holiness. many times. My Guru had lot of cherishable experiences with the Saint - out of the many one experience my Guru narrated very often is given below:

When Shri Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer was residing at Nungambakkam and Mahaperiyaval was camping at a place adjacent to his house and was in mounavratha. One evening when Shri MV Iyer was singing at his house "Vinayakuni" and singing neraval at "anadharakshaki Sri Kamakshi".

Suddenly Mahaperiyava got up from His seat walked and reached Shri MV Iyer's house and entered. An agitated Sri MV Iyer then performed namaskaram and Periyaval said:

"Your singing made me come into your house! and of course out of the mouna vratham also!"

That time Sri MV Iyer had a desire in his mind. He wanted Mahaperiyava to gift the rudraksha combined spatika mala that Periyava used to wear. But he did not get this in his life time.

Later when my Guru visited Sri Periyava at Satara one evening, Periyava asked him to sing Mohanam in detail. Then when my guru asked if he could leave, but the Saint asked him to stay that night. Early in the morning when my guru heard some sound in the adjacent room, and when he opened the window, he was surprised to see Periyava cleaning His staying place on His own!

Periyava on seeing my guru through the window asked him to come and sing mohanam ragam "evaruru ninuvina" again. My guru sang and Periyava gave prasadam and permitted him to leave.

My guru left with heavy heart as he was expecting that gift that his father wanted to receive. My guru would have waked some 100 feet. Suddenly the mutt staff asked him to come back to Periyava as instructed by HIS HOLINESS. My guru rushed back to the Saint.

The smiling Saint removed the rudraksha cum spatika mala and presented it to my Guru. My Guru was in tears. May be this was the beginning of the honours that my Guru received which even his father did not!

*****

Narrated by Dr Radhakrishnan Ganesh about his esteemed Guru Shri Maharajapuram Santhanam. In the first picture is Carnatic Vocal Maestro Shri Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer and in the second are a young Dr Ganesh and his Guru Maharajapuram Santhanam

Kanchi Matam's Aasthana Engineer!

Devotees from Madurai, offer Bhiksha vandanam on the first day of August every year, during Chaturmasya vratam. On one such occasion, when we had all gone for darshan, Kanchi Mahaperiyava asked us if we had offered bhiksha vandanam to Sringeri Maha Sannidhanam (the 35th Shankaracharya of Sringeri, HH Abhinava Vidya Theertha Swamigal seen with Sharadambal in the picture) Who was observing Chaturmasya vratam at Madurai then. We replied in the negative.

Periyava was not pleased with our failure to offer bhiksha vandanam to Yatis who were camping at our place. We were ordered to get a suitable date from Sringeri Maha Sannidhanam immediately, on our return to Madurai.

"Don't you all have funds?" was the rebuke we received from Mahaperiyava for our failure. 

We conveyed the same to Maha Sannidhanam and offered bhiksha vandanam on a suitable date just as we offer to Kamakoti Peetam.

*****

The above is the Experience of 'Engineer' (Umayalapuram) Sundaram Mama. Thanks to Shri Mohan Ramiah for typing this.

Sundaram Mama says:

"I am eighty plus and remember things on and off and also I am poor in drafting my experiences for the social media. My association with Sri Kanchi Mutt and Sri Acharyals is over the last fifty years. Mahaperiyava never liked people to talk about His miracles, some of which have occurred in my family life. I only keep praying to HIM to take me to His Holy Feet at an early date. He used to call me as Madurai Engineer Sundaram. I had the privilege of being called Kanchi Mutt's Aasthana Engineer."

Our Acharyas had blessed Engineer Sundaram Mama to build the Arch in front of Adi Shankara Mandapam Temple in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, as seen in the above picture. (pic courtesy of Panaramio.com). What a Beautiful Arch it is!

Sundaram Mama seen in the year 2012 in California, in the third picture.

Shankara.

"Yes, he is a Waste and I am the Waste Bin!"

A person came for Kanchi Periyava's darshan. This person saw a boy from his village serving in the Matam and started saying: "Ha, this chap is here. He is a 'waste'. He is a good for nothing fellow. He was roaming the streets and now he has come here!"

That ticked off Periyava. He started off thus:

"Yes he is a Waste and I am the Waste bin. All waste get dumped here. But don't forget that from the waste the creepers, plants grow and give us tasteful vegetables, fruits and flowers."

"Ash gourd, Kurukkathi (a flower), Kuppaimeni (a herb) grow in Waste. And when you stir the waste, out comes insects and worms that harm you and you have done just that"!

The person was shaken by the outburst and offered his apology.

The beautiful Kurakkathi flower. (Kurukkathi - Madhavi  - Hiptage benghalensis;  Woody climber with seeds. Source: http://srimaniv-flowers.blogspot.com/)

Kuppaimeni Herb:

"Can you stay with Me for 10 days?!"

1) "Can you stay with Me for 10 days?"
=============================

"My wife and I went to Hampi to have darshan of Kanchi Swamigal who was camping there. I had His darshan at 10 am. He asked me, "For how many days are you going to stay here?”

"For three days", I replied.

He thought for a while and said, "Can you stay with Me for 10 days?"

I excused myself saying, "I have come on three days casual leave. My office will not extend it!"

The Swamigal said, “ All right you stay here for three days.”

But at 4 pm that day Swamigal told me, "In the morning when I had asked if you can to stay here for 10 days, you said you would not be able to so. Now, I want you leave for Hyderabad tonight itself!"

I was shocked to hear this from Him. Why is He asking me to leave today itself? Was something wrong with my family members back home? Such worries began to consume me.

I bid farewell to Swamigal and left, obeying Him implicitly!

I reached the railway station and cancelled my tickets which were originally for departing Hampi 3 days later. When my wife and I were talking to each other and saying we would travel in an unreserved coach, the Station Master overheard us and informed us that someone had cancelled two berths a little earlier!

He said, “If you are interested I can allot those vacant berths to you.” :)))

Oh, what to say of Swamigal's compassion for me! He had arranged two berths for us!

The next day as the train approached the suburbs of Hyderabad, we found people throwing a stones on the train. We were asked by the Travelling Ticket Examiner to pull down the wooden shutters. And stones were pelted all through the next 45 minutes until we reached Kacheguda station in Hyderabad.

When we alighted from the train we asked the locals if anything was wrong. They said that the Janata Government in Delhi had arrested Indira Gandhi at 7 pm the previous day. As Andhra Pradesh was being ruled by the Congress Party, its members were protesting!

Mrs Gandhi was arrested only at 7 pm. The Swamigal asked me to leave at 4 pm itself! And believe it or not, the trains were cancelled for the next 9 days! In the morning itself He knew that there would not be train services for 9 days and that is why He had asked us if we could stay for 10 days!

And now when I think of how my Compassionate Mother took care of me, I shudder at His mercy!"



2) "Did you not hear Swamigal call out your name?"
=======================================

"On one occasion, I went, along with my wife, to Karvetnagar in Chittoor district where the Swamigal was camping.

It was evening. He was not in the camp and I was told that He had gone to a nearby village. The people told me that I could reach the village quickly if I could go through the dried fields. Otherwise, it would take a long time, if I took a circuitous route.

As I went along the narrow bunds separating the fields, I found the Swamigal returning to Karvetnagar, walking briskly on the narrow bunds. I walked along with Him to His camp.

There is a big tank in Karvetnagar. When the Swamigal was conversing with some others, I found a foreigner standing, with folded hands, on the other side of the tank. I went to him to find out from which country he had come.

Even as I was talking to him, my wife came running and asking, “Did you not hear Him calling you, Ganesan, Ganesan...?”

Shankara, what blessings!

I immediately returned to where the Swamigal was.

He asked me, “What do you propose to have for dinner?”

I replied that we had brought chapathis with us!

Endowed with great humour, He said, “You brought some chapathis because you did not expect the Sanyasi to you food for dinner?!” :)))

When I just smiled, He said, “I know you have programmed to leave early in the morning. Don’t do so. The government has deprived the Raja of Karvetnagar of the privy purse it had promised. He is now down and out. You wait till lunch time and have food in his house. And, you give him whatever you can!”

The Walking God not only provided food for me but also some money to the former Raja of Karvetnagar.

What a compassion!


3) "Swamigal raised His hand and the car stopped that very instant!"
===================================================

Once I went to Nandigama, in Krishna district, in my car to have Darshan of Swamigal. I was told that He had gone to a nearby river for a bath. So, I drove my car towards the river. I had to go on an embankment. After I drove a short distance I saw the Swamigal returning along with some persons.

As the embankment was not wide enough to take a U-turn, I started to reverse the car. After few seconds, Swamigal on seeing this, raised His hand. And the car stopped at that very instant! I found agriculturists working in the nearby fields shouting and running towards me. I wondered what was wrong. When I looked back I saw that if the car had moved even an inch it would have fallen down the bund!

Soon, the farmers helped to push the car forward to safety! The Walking God had saved me by stopping my car.

*****

I chanced to meet the richly blessed 'The Hindu' Ganesan Mama and his Mami at my wife's cousin's 60th wedding celebrations at Hyderabad on July 29th, 2015 and boy, did I get a treasure!

Mama was the reporter of The Hindu based out of Hyderabad and had interacted with Swamigal for almost 30 years!

In the picture are Mama and Mami with my wife and myself!

"He signalled me to sit down!"

Over 20 years ago, I had a short stint in the tinsel world as a motorcycle stuntman and an actor. Just before the completion of the shooting of my first film in which I acted, I had a major road accident and suffered very serious injuries. It was Divine Grace that prevented my soul from departing my body at that time. I would not like to say much about my injuries because my description of them may tend to turn graphic and gory. Thanks to the blessings, love and support of my family and friends, I could stand up and move around a bit about 4 months after the accident. I completed the work and the film was released to become a hit. After the release of the film, which was my first one as an actor, I was pleasantly surprised to see that I had fans and followers.

Among them was a young man from Kanchipuram. He was from the IT field but he was very closely connected to the Kanchi Mutt. After coming to know about my modest but spiritual family background, he asked me one day, if I would be interested in meeting the Sankaracharyas of Kanchi. He told me that if my destiny would support me, I would not only get to have the darshan of the Mahaperiyava, Nadu Periyava and Chinna Periyava, but also get to speak with Them. As I worked in the film industry, my friend was somehow a bit hesitant while he proposed his idea to me. This was because he was unsure of my own spiritual leanings. He was pleased when I immediately agreed and asked him when we could go to Kanchipuram. We lived in Madras then. He then quickly went into his room and made a few calls and told me that we could leave for Kanchi at 5 AM the following morning. That was unbelievable! I thanked my Karma.

The next day we reached the Mutt and my friend took me inside. He led me straight to the area where Chinna Periyava was seated. My friend introduced me to the young sage and briefed Him about me and my interesting profession. Chinna Periyava , my friend and I spoke about general topics. After having spent an hour there, we walked to another section of the Mutt and we saw Nadu Periyava there. My friend introduced me to Him too and I sought his blessings. Deep in my mind I was longing to see Mahaperiyava and I strongly believed that I would be seeing him that day. But I was not destined to see Him that day. My friend told me that due to various reasons, it would not be possible to meet Mahaperiyava and that we had to return to Madras without his darshan.

My friend told me, ‘varuthap padaadheengo Anna, dhyaanam pannungo, azhaippu kandippaaga varum’ and we returned to Madras. During the drive back, I visualised myself sitting at the feet of Mahaperiyava and him blessing me with both his hands.

A week after that, I started to notice unpleasant symptoms in my nasal area and palate. One of the injuries I had in the accident was a broken palate and jawbones. Little bone fragments that were dislodged had remained in the sinuses and nasal septum and they caused infection. My face was swollen and I could feel the infection. It was terrible. As I said, I will not describe beyond this. The specialist gave me a date for the surgery. I stood at a point from where I could even see the ladder of success in my new career in the film world. But I also knew that infection inside the face near such sensitive areas could be dangerous and it could destroy my face forever.

My friend from Kanchi suggested that we went to the Mutt at the earliest to seek the blessings of Mahaperiyava. My parents had made a vow to visit Tirupati after I was saved from the risk that I was suffering from. That night, I meditated upon Mahaperiyava and pleaded Him to bless me and save my life, which was about to be ruined right at the beginning of my career and my life as a youth.

My friend rang my doorbell early the following morning and we along with my parents and sister, left for Kanchi. We arrived at the Mutt and we walked in. That experience, that feeling of my heart racing, my longing to see Mahaperiyava, my devotion and my strong faith gave me a dream like feeling.

This time we could go straight to Mahaperiyava, while my parents and sister waited outside. I was taken deep inside the Mutt. There I saw Him for the first time in flesh and blood, he was about 97 years old. What a divine feeling I experienced around Him! I felt as if I was about to meet God. I felt very nervous. On one hand the fear caused by the infection that I was suffering from, and on the other, coming to terms with the reality that I was actually standing there in such proximity to the one and only living Sage, the Great Paramaacharya! He was getting ready to step out to see the hundreds of devotees who had gathered outside. But He signalled me to sit down. I sat down at His feet and it was almost exactly as I had visualised during my previous drive back to Madras! My friend whispered my problem to Nadu Periyava and he communicated it to Mahaaswamy.

Paramacharya asked me, ‘Un peyar enna?’ I told Him my name and He asked me for my father’s name. ‘Engappa peyar Venkatakrishnan’, I said. My friend explained to him again the seriousness of the infection that I had. His Holiness closed His eyes for few seconds, put His hand into a cloth bag beside Him and took an apple out of it. He raised both his hands and blessed me as I prostrated before Him. He dropped the apple into my cupped hands that I held out. I was choked with emotion. Paramaacharya said to me ‘Deergaayushmaan bhava, kavalai padaadhey’, and He left to give his darshan to his devotees waiting outside.

We returned to Madras thrilled and excited. I went for the surgery in a few days that followed and the bone fragments were removed by the surgeon. It’s now been 23 years since then and I live a healthy life!

The friend who actually took me to the Ashram lost contact with me over the years. I guess it was his Karma to lead me (as per my Karma) to the feet of the Great Sage of Kanchi. I must have collected some amazing positive Karma during my previous lifetime.

Mahaperiyava is always there for his devotees. Contemplating upon him with total concentration for about 15 minutes is enough to mentally connect a true devotee to Sage of Kanchi.

I am still looking for my friend. Shankaranarayanan is his name.

Om Namah Shivaya.

*****

Sarveshwara. What Bhakhi to have realized even in those days itself, that Swamigal was a
Living God! How beautifully narrated and what infinite blessings. Unfathomable, really!

"I was shocked when He immediately recognized me!"

Raja told me that once my brother (Shri L Vaidyanathan) took him to Mookambika. My

brother used to go there regularly. My brother told him, 'Even though you do not believe in 

God, you just accompany me once!'.


Raja told me once he stepped in, something happened to him and he felt some vibrations. 

Even though he was already a composer by that time, post his visit, there was a big change 

and transition in his compositions. From then on, everything he composed clicked with the 

public and his life changed. Raja then also went to Tiruvannamalai and he told me that after 

going there, whatever questions he had, got answered. Raja became completely spiritual 

and used to go to these two places from that time onwards. Raja has been one of my 

closest friends.


Once he came to my concert and told me:

'Tomorrow, I am going to meet all three Shankaracharyas. Would you like to come?'

I went with him and that is the first time I met all three of Them together. I had once played 

for the senior Shankaracharya many years back and I was shocked when He looked at me 

and immediately recognised me!


Raja and me sat with Him in the dark with just a little candle for a lot of time and Raja also 

contributed to the building of His Gopuram (top part of the Srirangam temple).


*****

Source: Times of India

Narrated by eminent violinist Shri L Subramanian. 'Raja' is legendary music composer Shri 

Ilayaraja! The occasion was, when for the first time in the history of the Sri Kanchi Matam, 

the three Acharyas performed Vyasa puja at Kurnool in the year 1983.

Shri L Subramanian was honoured with the title 'Tantri Nada Mani' by Kanchi Kamakoti 

Peetham, Kanchipuram in 2009

"I wish you had praised the other Shankara peethams also"!

I had looked forward to the day when I could have the privilege of a brief glimpse of the 
Paramacharya of Kanchi at least from a distance. At last that day came in 1963. I was at 
Madurai on a holiday.

It so happened that the Paramacharya had been camping at Narayanapuram outside the 
city. One July morning I decided to take a chance at the Math. I wrote my local address on 
the visiting card and gave it to one of the aides who immediately sent it in for the 
Mahaswami's attention. No reaction. I sat in a corner resignedly prepared for a long wait!

After a couple of hours Paramacharya came out to perform `Go puja'. Though I was within 
His sight, He did not take notice of me. Since it was time for His other rituals, He 
disappeared into the solitude of His private retreat.

Hours passed. No response from Him. 7 p.m. I was told not to wait any longer, because it 
was time for Mahaswami's evening puja after which He would retire for the day.

This went on for five long frustrating days! But I would not give up. The longer I had to wait, 
the stronger my resolve to have an audience with Him. At last on the sixth day, at about 1 
p.m. I received word from the Math that Periyava would like to see me!

I rushed to the Math without a minute's delay. But no, it was not that easy. I was told to wait. 

After four hours, Paramacharya agreed to see me.

The moment of ecstasy had arrived: I was face to face with Divinity itself in flesh and blood. 
I was immediately reminded of what Arthur Koestler, a tough, intellectually arrogant atheist 
and iconoclast, said about Paramacharya. After an audience with Him, the controversial 
author of the irreverent book on India and Japan, "The Lotus and the Robot'', said in effect 
that, "If God exists, here He is!"

Receiving me with the sort of smile one saw only on the bronze icons of deities, the sort of 
smile about which Koestler said: "If ever Jesus smiled, he must have smiled like this great 
Hindu saint'', the Paramacharya began comfortingly:

"Did you have to wait too long? I was only testing the strength of your faith. Now relax. 
Before you ask about me, I must ask about you!"

His questions reflecting his transparent, fatherly concern focussed on my family 
background, early life, my main interests, details of my professional career, my health 
problems, if any, my life in Bombay, and the like. He was now in a communicative mood 
which prompted me to share my ten-page questionnaire with him.

After a casual glance at the questionnaire, he returned it to me saying: "Read out the 
questions first, before I react to them. After you have finished, I'll try to answer the questions 
one by one. No hurry, we can go through the exercise at leisure".

"The real reason for my making you wait for nearly six days was my own selfish desire to 
spend a sufficiently long time with you for a meaningful, mutually beneficial discussion. Now 
you ask and I answer. Let us settle for a long, unhurried tete-a-tete as the French might 
say!"

<What blessings for the author>

Our two-day long discussions, covering a wide range of areas as divergent as Aristotle and 
Adi Sankara at one extreme and astrophysics and Atharvaveda at the other, were spread 
over nearly ten hours, five hours each day. The venue was a most unlikely one: The store 
room with rats, spiders, cockroaches and lizards all over the place.

<Shankara>

Paramcharya sitting on the bare floor rested against a rice sack. As we were talking, the 
stream of bhaktas from different parts of the world and India continued and every one of 
them received His attention.

They spoke to Him in their respective languages in which He also seemed to feel 
thoroughly comfortable, handling each of these with the ease and grace of his own mother 
tongue, Kannada. To my astonishment, His aides told me that he had a mastery of 17 
languages.

Three weeks later. The first instalment of my two-part article had just appeared in my 
paper. I went to the math with the issue. The Paramacharya's aides had already shown 
Him a copy.

Greeting me with an embarrassed smile, He said gently:
"After reading your article I feel taller by a few inches. I wish you had not praised me so 
much!''

I said: It's nothing, Your Holiness, compared with what the Western intellectuals keep 
saying about You.''

To which He replied: "I wish you had praised the other Sankara peethams also. You see, 
we have no protocol problems. We are all engaged in the same task of continuing 
Bhagavatpada's mission. You could have avoided that unfavourable reference to another 
Math, an equally great institution set up by one of Adi Sankara's senior disciples. I hope 
you will not run into rough weather because of your over enthusiasm for the Kanchi Math!''

Placing my copy of the Weekly before him, I requested Him to autograph it.
Politely refusing, he said: "Sanyasis don't sign. Narayana!''

Paramacharya made every devotee feel specially favoured. What endeavoured Him to His 
devotees was, not His stunning scholarship which sat lightly on His frail shoulders, but His 
intensely humane concern and compassion beyond words and His charmingly disarming 
humility and transparency. He shared His erudition and wisdom with everyone around.

He could explain J. M. Keynes' General Theory of Employment or Einstein's Theory of 
Relativity as lucidly and gracefully as He would narrate a fairy tale to a tiny toddler.

*****

What a beautiful one! A lovely reminder that God indeed tests our faith; let us simply go 
about our duties always having blind rock solid faith in Him, come what may!

Narrated so well by Shri A.S. Raman, the incident he shared with Swamigal way back in 
1963. He is seen speaking to Swamigal in the picture. I am told that Shri Raman was 
the first Indian editor of the Illustrated Weekly of India.

Source: The Hindu

Thanks a ton to Shri Venkatesan Ramadurai  for reproducing the complete, unabridged
interview from the erstwhile Illustrated Weekly of India. Here is the link to that interview:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BziSWahcH3DZb29zc19mcWEzNUU/view?usp=sharing

"So, you are going to keep My name for the hospital?"

I went with my wife to Kanchipuram in the mid nineteen eighties to have Swamigal's darshan. The purpose of the visit was to obtain His blessings for building the eye hospital that I had planned for a long time. I prostrated to Him and placed the plan for the hospital building before Him.

"Oh, you are going to construct an eye hospital?", He remarked.

I nodded my head affirmatively.

"So, you are going to keep My name for the hospital?"

I told Him, "Yes".

He then closed His eyes for sometime. And then He placed the plan on His Head and again closed His eyes! When He opened His eyes, He held a coconut in His hand for a while and gave it to me.

"Go ahead", said He and blessed me!

*****

Dr RV Ramani had come to our office today to speak about the activites of Sankara Eye Foundation (not affiliated to Sankara Nethralaya). The word 'Sankara' caught my eye and I decided to attend the talk. As he started with his presentation, the third or the fourth slide had pictures of Mahaswamigal, Pudhu Periyava and Bala Periyava and I was thrilled to say the least! He mentioned that the Eye Foundation was running with Their blessings. After the presentation was over I spent a few minutes with him, when he narrated the above incident to me.

Sankara Eye Foundation's website: http://www.giftofvision.org/about-us

Sankara Eye Care http://www.sankaraeye.com/Index.aspx

"Difference between a Sarangi and this Mandolin?" --- Mahaperiyava to Srinivas!

"என் பதினேழாவது வயதில் காஞ்சி மகாப்பெரியவர்

 முன் மாண்டலின் இசைக் கச்சேரி செய்தேன். அது,

 ஆர்வமிக்க ஒருவனுடைய கலை வெளிப்பாடு 

என்று பரிபூரணமாக உணர்ந்த அவர், முழுக் 

கச்சேரியையும் ஈடுபாட்டோடு ரசித்ததோடு, 

‘நீ வாசிக்கற இந்த மாண்டலினுக்கும் சாரங்கிக்கும்

 என்ன வித்தியாசம்?’ என்று கேட்டு விவரம் 

தெரிந்துகொண்ட எளிமை இருக்கிறதே, அதைச்

 சொல்லால் விவரிக்க முடியாது.

என் மாண்டலினைத் தொட்டு, பெரியவர் 

ஆசிர்வதித்த அந்த சம்பவத்தை நினைக்கும்போதே

 என் மன நெகிழ்ச்சி கண்களில் நீராகப் பெருகும். 

அவர் அளித்த ஸ்படிக மாலை என் மார்பில் 

நிரந்தரமாக வாசம் செய்கிறது."

"When I was seventeen years old I was fortunate to play the mandolin in the august presence of Kanchi Mahaperiyava. His Holiness fully discerned the mandolin notes to be the expression of an art enthusiast and listened to the entire kutcheri with complete involvement and joy.

"What is the difference between a Sarangi and this Mandolin that you play?", He asked me after the concert.

What struck me indelibly was the child like enthusiasm and simplicity with which HH got to 'know' the details from me in the conversation that ensued. Something which cannot be described with mere words!

Not only that, He blessed me by touching the mandolin with His hands. Just thinking of that incident sends me into raptures, tears streaming out! And the Spatika chain (made of crystals) that He gave me resides in my Heart permanently!"

*****

Yes, even now.

Srinivas was honoured as Asthana Vidwan of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam on Oct 1, 1990.

Tamil article courtesy of Dinakaran.com. Thanks a ton to plsubramanian.blogspot.com for the picture of the Spatika chain with a Shiva lingam.

Srinivas was born on February 28th in the year 1969.