1)     When worries intrude upon my mind, it is customary for me to ramble up the mountain trail.

2)    Just as the waves dash against the shore, the worries crash on the shores of my mind. When I go up the hill to the abode of Kandhan, the crashing waves of worries on the mind seem to ease. That happened to me one day.

3)    Before I set foot on the abode of Swaminathan on the hillside temple, I went down the steps of the temple tank and sprinkled some water on my head. Soon, a feeling of self-purification of the mind and the body exhilarated me, proving that the sacred waters of the holy temples have greatness (purificatory powers). That too, this sacred pond has seen many float festivals.

4)    I went up the hill, chanting Murugan’s holy name. Sixty steps in all. As I cleared the ascending steps, there was a stepwise descent of my sorrow in my mind. Usually, a strutting peacock was a fixture in front of the Sannidhi. An elephant took its place this time. I pulled myself to the front and received Darsan of Lord Swaminathan. All my worries flashed like lightning transiently and disappeared. I thought, ‘Murgā! Do I have to put up with these worries in your Sanctum?’ A downpour of tears rolled down from my eyes as the worries made their visitation in my mind.

5)    The Sannidhi Gurukkal waved the lights. Swaminathan stood there smiling,  graciously reassuring me with the nectarean words, ‘Be Fearless, Be Fearless.’ His holy body shone in the ambient light in the Sanctum. My body horripilated as I felt shame at my shedding of tears. I wiped the tears and had the eyesome Darsan of his divine beauty.   

6)    When Darsan and sacerdotal service with lights were over, the votaries dissipated, but I stood before Lord Swaminathan with no intention of leaving his presence. The Gurukkal smiled, looking at me. “Go on, take a hearty  Darsan. He is a manifest God. I saw you tear up. After visiting him at this Sannidhi, no carping Karma will follow you. Believe me.”

7)    His words appeared to reverberate, echo, and come back to my ears and cause shivers in me for a fleeting moment. I looked at him and managed to summon a  smile. He said, “Why do you look at me like that? Don’t you have trust in my words?” I shook my head hastily in negation.  His mind was mature like a ripe fruit. I did not want to bruise his feelings. I felt the agitation. He came to me.

8)    I said, “You are my elder in every way. Please don’t take me amiss. I have 100% faith only in the present Murugan.”

9)    The Swamigal said, “If so, you came to the right temple. This site is all Muruga in his universal manifestation. Here Subramanyan is all-important. He is one and many. Let me give you an example.  Generally, in all temples, there are five deities: Somaskandar, Vinayakar, Murugar, Parasakthi Amman, and Sandikesvarar arrive at the site. Here, the only arrivals are Valli Devasena Sametha Subramanyar, Shanmugar, Baladhandayudhapani, Vinayakar, and Sandikesvarar. Here Ammai (Mother Goddess) is Subramaniyan, and the father is Subramaniyan.

10)    Nataraja in this temple is also Subramaniyan. Instead of the raised left leg while dancing, his portrayal is that of Sabhapathy Bahuleya Subramaniyar. Thirvathurai Abhishekam takes place only for him. Kaveri river bears the name Kumaratharai, all to do with Lord Swaminathan. The temple Vinayakar bears the name Netra Vinayakar. The tradition says that a long time ago, Vinayakar gave eyesight to a person and so the name Netra (eye) Vinayakar. Lord Swaminathan was a healer, his eponymn being Vaidyanathan. The Swamigal describes an event that he witnessed personally.

11)    When we stand in the Sanctum of Swaminathan, we transcend time and rise above it.

12)    The Swamigal narrated the event. “This happened about 30 years ago. A family of husband, wife, and a daughter looking like a golden Vigraham hailing from Bombay was sitting before the Swamy Sannidhi. The parents shed a torrent of tears. I went to them and asked what happened. After hearing their story, my heart skipped a beat.”

13)    “The girl was their only child and led a pampered life. She had a hole in the heart from birth (Congenital Ventricular Septal Defect = VSD). The doctors recommended that an operation was mandatory as soon as possible and also warned the parents of some operative risk. They came to Lord Swaminathan for Darsan, succor and solace before the operation.”

14)    “I emitted no words. That day, Swamy wore Sandalwood paste. I took a tad of the paste from the chest of the Swamy and told them to give the girl for ten days milk mixed with sandalwood paste before they would see the doctor again. I don’t know why I did, and said those words. I did as if I was possessed. I forgot all about it. And, a letter came from Bombay.”

15)    “Namaskaram to Nagaraja Gurukkal. That is my name. Since we arrived in Bombay, we gave a bit of the paste mixed with milk every day for ten days. We took her to the doctor exactly after 11 days for a checkup. They sent my daughter for tests and made arrangements for admission.”

16)    "We put our burden on Swamynathan.  We got all the tests done on her and admitted our girl to the hospital. The test results were ready. The chiefs of cardiology,  cardiovascular surgery, and other doctors came into our room.”

17)    “We thought of scheduling for the operation. But the doctor smiled and said, ‘The tests do not show any sign of a hole in the heart. We don’t know how it disappeared. You may leave for home. Saying 'All the Best', he shook my hand. We were not sure whether it was a dream or real. I uttered loudly, ‘Swaminatha’ and cried. That doctor took a quizzical look at me and left. Later I found his name was Swaminathan. God Swaminathan gave us back our life. Tell me now, addressing  Sailapathy, ‘Now, what could be a worse problem for you.’”

Hole in the heart = Ventricular Septal Defect.   https://tinyurl.com/ycft42y2

https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/congenital-heart-defects/about-congenital-heart-defects/ventricular-septal-defect-vsd

18)    “Here, ask this Swamy what you need. He will not answer in the negative.  He is the Varaprasadhi (the Grantor of Boons). Do you know how many people came here asking for the boon of progeny? They came in the next year with a baby in hand. I have seen this many times.”  

19)    These 60 steps in the Swamy hill, refer to Tamil 60-year cycles. What does it mean? Lord Swaminathan transcends time. When you stand in his Sanctum, the time remains below you. The four steps in front of the Sanctum are the four Vedas. Lord Swaminathan is the inner and subtle meaning of the Vedas and also the Transcendent Supreme God beyond the Vedas.

20)    Lord Swaminathan is the gracious Guru here. Here in this temple is where he gave Upadesam (religious instructions) to his father (Siva). Do you know the inherent quality of a Guru? Whosoever surrenders unto him, he confers, because of his pluripotential qualities, his grace and mercy to all Jivatmas irrespective of their eligibility. When Arunagirinathar calls Murugan, he says, ‘, ‘குருவாய் வருவாய் அருள்வாய் குகனே’ (‘O Guru, thou art welcome, thou shall give us grace, O Guha!’).  You, Sailapathy,  also surrender unto him and pay homage to him. Everything will become a victory.” ‘குருவாய் வருவாய் அருள்வாய் குகனே = 'Thou cometh as Guru giving us Grace O Guha!'     'Guru you are; Come to us; Confer Grace; O Guha!'

21)    I took leave with the heartfelt relief and  belief that Swaminathan will be my savior. The priest’s words filled me with strength in my heart, mind and soul.

  Author Sailapathy