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!

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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