"On hearing this I jumped with Joy!"

While many of you may have been fortunate to have some experience with Mahaperiyava at a much younger age, my first experience with that great “Living God” came when I was in my early forties.

I was raised in Pune and after graduation, I moved to Mumbai where I launched my career in industry. I was married in Pudukottai in the presence and blessings of Sri Santhananda Swamigal, my first Guru (seen in above picture). Major part of my life was in Maharashtra and so, I had very little opportunity to have darshan or interact with Mahaperiyava. However, I was greatly inspired and influenced by reading the “Deivathin Kural” publication. So, in my heart, I was longing to have a darshan of Mahaperiyava and receive His blessings.

This incident happened sometime after I moved to Chennai early 80s. I was working then as a general manager in an engineering company based in Chennai. One fine day, I decided to make a trip with my entire family including my parents to Kanchipuram to see Mahaperiyava. After we reached the Kanchi Mutt, we were told that Mahaperiyava was camping at Kalavai – a place that I had not known or visited before. So, we traveled to Kalavai. When we reached Kalavai, there was a huge crowd of devotees.

Getting closer, we saw people were pushing each other to force their way to get a darshan of Mahaperiyava. There was no discpline or any kind of orderliness. The local police was merely watching and did nothing to regulate the crowd. In such a situation, the best we could do was to get just a glimpse of Mahaperiyava and that too from a distance. It left all of us in deep disappointment. I felt so frustrated that I picked up an argument with the policemen who were not doing their jobs to regulate the crowd. In my mind, I prayed and wished to have Mahperiyava's darshan again, not just a glimpse but for a much longer time.

Many weeks later, I got a phone call from my company's manufacturing plant in Ranipet that the Kanchi Acharyas (all three of them) would be visiting the factory next day and I was invited to receive Them!

On hearing this, I jumped with joy! The next day early morning, I adorned myself with Vibhuti and panchakatcham and proceeded to Ranipet. Frankly, I was ignorant on the formalities of receiving the Acharyas!

At first, Puduperiyava and Bala Periyava came into the factory. We showed Them around the plant. I was blessed with a Tulasi Mala.

Then came the great and most memorable event in my life! Preceded by a hand cart, Mahaperiyava came walking slowly in the blazing hot sun. It was a divine sight to see the real “Walking God.” He was accompanied by some of the staff from the Kanchi Matam chanting "Jaya Jaya Sankara." Mahaperiyava stopped in front of the factory gate. 

Aho Baghyam, Aho Baghyam, I was indeed blessed to receive Mahaperiyava with Poorna Kumbam honors. He did not enter the factory gates but permanently entered into my heart forever! No doubt, Mahaperiyava answered my prayers so graciously that I spent over one hour with Him accompanying Him on the road.

While walking, He slowed down near a wayside temple built around a tree trunk and asked me what temple it was. I had absolutely no idea though I had passed that way many times. I felt ashamed at my poor observation and replied to Him in the negative. He stopped the cart, walked across, stopped down and went inside through the narrow entrance of the temple. Inside, there was a small stone idol of Ganesha. So, it was a Pillayar Kovil, I thought. Looking at the Ganesha, He said there must be a Hanuman too and went around the tree - and sure enough there was the Hanuman idol behind the tree trunk!

The next question He asked was – who built this temple? Again, I had no answer. Fortunately, there was a person (Sri. Subramanian of SRP Tools Ltd.) in the crowd who named a local industrialist as the builder.

After this first unforgettable first experience, I had several interesting experiences later with Mahaperiyava, the "Living God" who blesses His true devotees in His own way.

Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara

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Narrated beautifully by Shri Sundaresan Subramanian.