008StaretsyDivineGrace
Author: P.N. Parasuraman
Posted Date : 06:00 (17/07/2018) July 17, 2018 Sakthi Vikatan
திருவருள் செல்வர்கள்
திருவருள் = Divine Grace
செல்வர் = Starets
செல்வர்கள் = Staretsy (Plural)
"Staretsy" is a plural form of "Starets":
http://www.memidex.com/staretsy

Starets = spiritual leader(s) whose wisdom stems from God (as obtained
from ascetic experience).
Jñāṉi’s Wonderful Dream Sleep
திருவருள் செல்வர்கள்! – 8 = 008StaretsyDivineGrace
சொல்லின் செல்வன் பி.என்.பரசுராமன் = Wordsmith P.N. Parasraman
 
The Jñāṉi, at sleep in the Madurai Tirumadam (Sacred hall), had a wonderful dream. 1
Aṉṉai Mīnākṣi with her female companions was on her way to the Tirumadam. Mīnākṣi picked up the trash in the vicinity, which put off the companions. 2
The companions: “Ammā! What is this? Swamy will get angry if he sees you pick up the trash. Let us go.” 3
Mīnākṣi: “What can I do? Our son Arasappan associating with Subbarāyan made the Tirumadam dirty. That is why I collect the trash.” 4

                                                                   

That second, the dream ends, and the Jñāṉi is awake. That Arasappar referred to by Ambāl was that Jñāṉi, who was born in the Vaiśya caste in the Piḷḷaiyārpaṭṭi Gotra in Karakkudi. 5
The people held the Ātma Jñāṉi Muthuramalingam as their Gurunāthar. They celebrated saying, “The south facing Dakṣṇāmūrthy himself has come down as our Gurunāthar.” He was always immersed in Brahma Anubhavam (Ecstatic Experience of Brahman). Aṉṉai Śālivāṭīṣvari Devi offered him direct Darśan. 6
Arasappar having such a Jñāṉi as Guru performed services to his Guru. Pleased with the pure self-less service, Gurunāthar offered upadeśa (spiritual instruction) and helped him attain Sākṣātkāra (realization of the Witness). Arasappar never left his Guru and stayed with him like a shadow. 7

When Gurunāthar attained Siddhi (Departure from the Earth plane; death), Arasappar continued to live in Kōvilūr. His view was, “As long as the life lasts, one should live in Śiva Kṣetram (Siva Temple): Āvuṭaiyār Temple, Madurai Temple or Chidambaram Temple. He was wondering where he could live. 8
1. The answer to that question, in the dream he had that night. Sokkanātha Perumāḷ came in his dream and told him, “Arasappa! Follow me to Ālāsiya Temple (Madurai Temple).” Perumāḷ took him to Mīṇākṣi Temple Sundareśvarar Sannidhi and made him receive a Darśan of the deity with waving of the light, and disappeared. 9

Arasappar, waking from the dream sleep raised his arm over his head in adoration and homage, and shedding tears, said, “Sokkanātha! You came in my dream and offered your divine grace. You fulfill Bakthā’s desire. You are the Supreme Being. I am your servitor. What can I do for you in return?” 10
When Siva with his forehead eye (third eye) came in his dream and showed the way, Arasappar left Kōvilūr for Madurai. He lived for several years in the mutt on the banks of the river Kiruthamālā flowing from Pothiya Hill. 11

Arasappar had a routine daily life: Getting up early in the morning; finishing up with daily observances; going to the temple; meditating on SrīMīṉākṣi-SrīSundareśvarar as his parents; making a circumambulation and paying homage to them with panegyric. 12
Besides that, every year on Paṅguṉi Uththiram (March 15-April 13 = month of Paṅguṉi, on the northern passage of the sun) he without fail attended the Guru Pūjai. 13
It looks like Araṉ (Siva) revealed and publicized the living-in-peace Arasapar’s greatness to all. As usual Paṅguṉi Uththiram was nearing. Arasappar decided to go to Kōvilūr a week before the event. God Chandrasekarar blocked his proposed travel to Kōvilūr. 14
The God commanded, “Arasappā! Hold the Gurupūjai here (Madurai) itself. Don’t go to Kōvilūr.” Arasappar thinking, “God’s words are not ‘bigger’ in matters of Guru,” was firm in his view on Gurupūjai. But will Gurunāthar let Arasappar violate the commandment of Forehead-eyed God (கண்ணுதலோன் = Siva with an eye on the forehead)? 15
                                                                    Siva with the third eye in the forehead. Credit: விக்சனரி

                                                                     

God appearing in his dream said, “Arasappā! Let Gurupūjai take place in Madurai. Don’t come to Kōvilūr. Here itself, you conduct the Gurupūjai.’ Thence, Siva disappeared from his dream. Arasappar acted on God’s advice and conducted the Gurupūjai splendidly in Madurai itself. 16
However cautious one may be, the association with the evil person is tormenting. Without the grace of God, we cannot remove the relationship with the evil person. Only when we know that a person is evil, we can walk away from him or remove him from our association. 17

Subbarāyan was the evil person close to Arasappar. The latter did not know Subbarāyan was an evil person. Madurai Goddess Mīṉākṣi, wanting to warn Arasappar of Subbarāyan’s sinful nature, thought,” Our child (Arasappar) keeps company unknowingly with this evil person.” The Goddess appeared in Arasappar’s dream. 18
It was a strange dream. That was the dream mentioned at the beginning of this article. 19
Goddess Ambal (Mīṉākṣi) said (in the dream), “I will show you ‘I will cleanse the Manō Madam’ (the Hall of the Mind).’” When Aṉṉai (Mīṉākṣi) herself cleanses the mind, where is the worry? The Arasappar’s association with the evil person ended. 20


If there is no divine grace, we cannot dissociate from evil and the evil persons. This episode explains the divine nature in removing evil. 21
In Arasappar’s holy place, Krishnan was the administrator. Nandavanam (flower garden) was in ruins. Dry leaves and faded flowers were the Pūja supplies. Though Arasappar advised Krishnan to change his ways, Krishnan did not seem to care or comply. Krishnan leveled contempt and insults on Arasappar. 22
Arasappar complained to Goddess Mīnākṣi and God Sundareśvarar. Result? Krishnan’s wife had a bad dream. The dream was as follows. “A large contingent of concerned people told Krishnan’s wife that her husband insulted Arasappar with impunity. Because of it, Mīnākṣi and Sundareśvarar are on their way to kill him. Hide your husband.” The complaining people in the dream disappeared at the end of the dream. 23


A Siva devotee appeared in the dream of Krishnan and said, “Kṛṣṇā! Since you insulted Arasappar Swamy, Mīnākshī and Sundareśvarar are on the way to kill you.” Soon the devotee disappeared from his dream. 24

                                                            

The couple shared the contents of their dreams. This episode happened in the month of Kārttikai on the 16th day in the year of Kāḷayukthi. Kārttikai = between November 16 to December 15. Kāḷayukthi = the 52nd year of the Jupiter cycle of 60 years. Krishnan was afraid. Both husband and wife had the same bad dream. 25
Ten days from then, Krishnan developed gastroenteritis and became seriously ill. The thieves stole his harvested paddy. Arasappar came to know of his illness. He ran to the temple. 26
       
                                
                                          
                                                                            
                                                Tamil Years 1-60: 60 year cycle
            

                                 
                                               
                                            
                                                                     


Arasappar: “Mother Mīnākṣi! I only listed the mistakes made by Krishnan. I did not ask you to kill him. Please save him.”27
What compassionate mind! 28
This is the nature of Staretsy. Arasappar’s pleas were answered. Krishnan was back to his good health. Six months later in the year of Siddhārththi, the month of Āṉi and on the first day, Arasappan and Krishnan met on Madurai West Street. 29

Arasappar asked Krishnan of his health. The latter was frightened. Krishnan wrote on his diary about his mistakes, the dream his wife and he had, his near-death experience, and the theft of his paddy. All these misfortunes were the visitations from the sacred play of Chokkanāthar on behalf of Arasappar. He wrote all these hardships in his diary. 30
In the month of Āṉi on the 22nd day, Chokkanāthar gave a Darśan in Arasappar’s dream. 31
God Chokkanāthar: “Arasappā! Krishnan has the book on my Sacred play. Get it for your reading.” 32

Arasappar to Chokkanāthar: “Swamy, Krishnan does not have that book. I have Tiruvilaiyāḍaḷ Puranam book with me. I will read it.” God did not let him off and told him, Arasappā! Chokkanāthar in his dream sequence said as follows. “It is not the old Tiruvilaiyāḍaḷ book. What happened to you is in the 65th Tiruvilaiyāḍaḷ book. You should get it and read. Saying this to Arasappar, he disappeared. 33
When the dream was over, Arasappar called on Krishnan and told him what happened. That surprised him. He gave all the written documents to Arasappar. 34

Reading the Krishnan’s writings and thinking of grace of God, his heart melted. Arasappar had a pleasant plethora of Darśan of Chokkanāthar and Mīnākṣi, lived in the Madurai Tirumadam for a long time, died in the year of Bhava, the month of Māragazi, Saṣti Thithi, PūraNakṣatra on a Monday. 35
Though Arasappan Jñāṉi’s historical events had particulars like the year, month, date, Nakshatra and the day, the ancient historical book ‘Mūlanūl’ does not have any historical notations. Many inquiries yielded no information. We obtained the picture of Kōvilūr Muththirāmaliṅga Dēsikar, the Guru-Mahan of Arasappan and the beneficiary of direct Darśan of Annai Śālivāṭīṣvari Devi. Calculating accordingly, the Arasappar episodes were proven and seemed to have happened about 200 years ago. Let us praise and pay homage to the Guru’s Divine Grace. 36