Those who entertain the paradigm of separation, division of the I, This, and That do not understand unity. He who sublimated himself understands all as self. As in the instance of seeing from here the opposite side, one can see himself from the opposite side. He can look at himself from all sides.
If you look at it from that perspective, I-ness is not important in every respect. Being is not this body. I-ness is Ātmā. It is all-pervasive. It is in all. It is all. Its omnipresence is clear and apprehended as Supreme Sakti. This solitude resulting from its apprehension gives fear as in a child.
The mind will have great tranquility as seen in a chick with permanent wide-open mouth, the shackled bull with downcast head, the lion taking refuge under a tree from the hot sun, and the immobile snake in concentric circles in a wet mountain crevice.

What is the lesson for the changed mind? Amid a hurly-burly world, without a shred of hustle and bustle, with tranquility within oneself and immersed in it, it is one kind of state.
The soul after death, must cross the hot Vaitaraṇi river (styx) and suffers during its passage in the river. Life on earth was a fiery experience. Exiting this world offers no relief and the fiery passage makes one fatigued and wobbly.
The Jñāṉi’s condition is also alike. Venkatraman, the future Maharishi experienced a great suffering.
How long can a self-realized soul live in this hurly-burly world? That soul waits to shed the life in the phenomenal world; within itself, it prepares for resolution.
That moment arrived for Venkatraman.
The school ordered him to commit to memory the English grammar. Since the mind was already mature, it did not like to memorize the grammar; it did not do it. 
Here is What Sankara says about the relative values of 'Learning Grammar' and attaining God-realization.
                                                 
Bhajagovindam by Sanakara.

Venkatraman story continues. Why did you not commit it to memory? The school asked for a reason. It must be done; so saying, the school ordered him to write the grammar lesson three times.
What appears as a proper assignment in the phenomenal world, appears as a grave mistake in the world of a realized soul. How could unity become multiplicity? If there is no ‘I’, the ‘you’ carries no meaning. Is this not a big grammatical mistake?
Venkatraman did not consider it as lesson. Feeling the imposition, he wrote the lesson once. He was in a sitting position. The self-seeing eyes closed spontaneously. The back became straight. The head, the neck, the back, and the hips were straight like straight line (like the Axis Mundi). The mind became tranquil.
‘Brother… brother’ – Elder brother’s intimidating sound was heard.
“What are you doing… Is it Dhyāṉam? Who is going to write the grammar assignment? Simple grammar. Don’t you understand? Why do you need Dhyāṉam? Why Dhyāṉam in the place of studies, graduation and job…If you are doing Dhyāṉam, why waste time going to school… Pay to study, gone to waste.”
Harsh words were flung at Venkatraman. Uncle and aunt felt that older brother could condemn and guide the younger one and were passive participants in the treatment of Venkatraman.
Yes, was not it a failure at studies? To live under our roof, grammar lesson must be completed. But, is my life’s purpose writing the homework on grammar? What an absurdity. If I leave home, what can I do? Grammar homework can be skipped. Talking with anyone can be avoided. Dhyana can be performed as time allows. The internal light that dawned inside can be conserved and augmented repeatedly. Ecstasy can be enjoyed. There is no pleasure to draw from studies and grammar. School examination offers no happiness. Going to school offers no happiness. Job offers no happiness.
In this phenomenal world, attaining success is a loss (in the spiritual world). One should conquer oneself. That is the object of birth. Only the self-realized can realize and attain God. God-realized people are all self-realized persons. They became IT. That is the end all and be all. That is whole. The effort is for That. Living is for IT. For that (God) only, birth, eating, dressing, sleeping… We should keep God in sight. This world does not permit to keep God in sight. When you enjoy supreme bliss, all these worldly pleasures do not appear to measure up to it and offer happiness. Venkatraman already in the state of loosening his ties with the fostering parents the youth even thought of taking the body to the other world.
Breaking away from the control of his brother and the love of uncle and aunt, he thought, would help strengthen him and let him pursue his own path.
This Grammar assignment is a waste. How could Unity become Multiplicity? This must be a big lie. It is the hubris of ‘I-ness.’
This world is a lie, an illusion and a delusion. It is meaningless to say (empty talk), ‘I’, 'You', 'That' and 'This.' It is Avidya or ignorance (nescience). If the proposition is life should be lived this way, then this is the life’s art, science or rules; this life is garbage. All right, leaving this (living with brother, uncle and aunt), where am I to go? That question rose in his mind.
‘Annamalai’ was the name that popped in his mind (as the panacea for the resolution of his conflicts).

Venkatraman once posed a question to a house visitor on where he came from, the answer was ‘Aṇṇāmalai.’ That precipitated ecstasy in him, which he remembered now. The idea to leave for Aṇṇāmalai came to him. Mere thought of it precipitated a flood of ecstasy. Someone known to him is there, but not seen. Now is the time to see him. That mounting desire struck him.
How to go there? Money should be had. First, where Tiruvannamalai is should be known. He consulted an old rail map for travel from Madurai to Tiruvaṇṇāmalai.
He thought that Tindivanam was close to Tiruvannamalai. He figured it took Re.3. to go by rail.
He wondered where he would find the three rupees. He told his brother a lie: there was a class on electricity and he was leaving to attend the class.
His brother said, “Is that so? I have five rupees in the box downstairs. Take the money and pay the fees.” Venkatraman was happy to get the five rupees from his brother. He thought only three rupees were needed to buy a ticket to Tindivanam. He decided to leave the house and wrote a parting letter to his brother. It was a short letter. The words were etched in Truth. He took the three rupees and left behind the two rupees. Venkatraman wrote a letter to his brother Nagasamy.
Now the letter. ‘Searching for my Father and on his orders, I have left this place. This is an auspicious event. No one should feel unhappy about this matter. Do not spend any money looking for me. The fees are not paid. Two rupees are with this note. Yours,’ Instead of signing his name, he drew a line. It was written on a scrap paper with a pencil. This letter was kept safe by the family and is a hoard in Ramanasramam.
This is God’s act. This letter is Truth itself. Truth will never die. Its existence shows it.

                           

        

- தரிசிப்போம்... Let us worship…

சக்தி விகடன் - 11 Jul, 2010 2010-07-11-part2

Posted Date : 06:00 (11/07/2010)
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கருணை தெய்வம் காஞ்சி மகான் Kanchi Mahan is God of Mercy.

குரு தரிசனம்! Darsan of Guru



Author Sarukesi

                                                                                   
Sri Pattu Sastri now 84 years of age knows Maha Periyava from10 years of age, had the privilege of staying with him and established SriChandrasēkarēntira Sarasvati Baktha Jana Trust. He had been involved in the celebratory festival of Periyava as a processional deity. In Chennai West Mambalam Ayodhya Mandapam, the festival is held for 15 days starting on the auspicious day falling in Vaikāsi month (May 15 to June 15), Aṉuṣam Star. To witness this celebration a great number of devotees from Tamil Nadu gather in West Mambalam.
Sri Pattu Sastrikal (SPS) following Lakshmi Narayanan, shares with us his experiences with Kanchi Mahan.
SPS says, “I have been conducting without interruption yearly Aṉuṣa Jayanthi.
A devotee came to the Ayodhya Mandapam on an evening. He introduced himself, ‘My name is Swaminathan. Why are you celebrating Anusha Jayanti with just Maha Periyava’s foot wears and his holy image? You could make a 5-metal idol, perform the appropriate worship and celebrate the Jayanti festival.
Not stopping with that commentary, he gave two brass vessels and said, ‘Make an effort to obtain a five-metal Vigraha and it will certainly come to fruition. Staying in the temple in Mambalam, Periyava will shower his blessings. Just wait and see.’ He moved to a corner and sat on a chair.

Ten minutes later, he was missing, not to be found anywhere in the Mandapam. Bringing the idea to the devotee-patrons, they with ebullience stepped up with contributions to make the five-metal holy body of Periyava.
We went to Swami mountain to fabricate the holy form of Mahāperiyava in five-metal Vigraha. We saw Deva Senatipati Sthapati near the temple. He had been a devotee of Periyava. He was elderly. He expressed his happiness to be asked to make the idol. He was counting his blessings. He started the work on an auspicious day and finished the work in a grand manner. Periyava Vigraham was the last one he fabricated.
We were short on cash. To bring the idol home, the cost was Rs.5000.00. I depended on Periyava’s blessings to pay the purchase price of the idol. One day Kañcirā Maestro Ganeshkumar placed a call from America to his father-in-law Subash Chandran (brother of Gatam Vinayakram).

Ganeshkumar told, “Mambalam Mēcchēri Pattu Sastri has arranged for the fabrication of Periyava’s five-metal Vigraham. Mahāperiyava came in my dream early in the morning and told me to offer monetary help.” The wife Gita of Subhash Chandra (the in-laws of Ganeshkumar) came in person to handover 6,000 rupees to Pattu Sastri, who was surprised by the turn of events.
 I simply melted  (was enthrralled) to receive 6,000 rupees at a time, when I was hopeless. I told no one that I was desperately in need of money. How am I to describe the greatness of Mahāperiyava, who appeared himself in the dream of Ganeshkumar somewhere in America and told him to make the payment?
As soon as the money came into the hands, we went to receive Darśan of SrīSwaminatha Swami in Swami mountain. We came to Srī Ātma Bhōdēndira’s abode, placed the five-metal Vigraha of Mahāperiyava on a vehicle and performed worship and waved lamps.
The Pūja was over. It is time to move the vehicle (with the idol on it). No, it won’t move. We brought a tractor to pull it. We used a truck to pull it. The vehicle bearing the idol of Mahāperiyava did not budge. By this time, it was early in the morning, when a daily wage earner showed up with two of his friends. He came daily in the morning before his work schedule to worship at Srī Ātma Bhōdēndira’s Adhiṣtāṉam.
He came asking what happened. ‘Don’t understand. The vehicle does not move.’ What he said gave us horripilation.
The coolie (daily wage earner) said, ‘Mahāperiyava and his Guru are in spiritual conversation now. How could you interfere? How can you interrupt the conversation half-way and take him to Chennai? As of this moment they stopped the conversation. Now pull the vehicle. It will move with ease.’ Not stopping at that, he joined us in the chant, ‘Jaya Jaya Sankara; Hara Hara Sankara’ and helped us pull the Vāhaṉa. The vehicle moved with ease. There was no problem on the way and we reached Chennai.
Mahāperiyava was not an ordinary person. He is not only a Mahāṉ but also a fragment of Īśvara. If it is not, will all these happen? Are we the ones who made this five-metal Vigraha? No, Never, Nada. He completed his own task. Now for our Darśan, there is the five-metal idol with the footwears. What remains to be accomplished is to build a temple for Periyava. It is the plea of the devotees to have a Periyava temple. Just wait and see. He himself will help build this temple.
Only one for sure is the Truth! Once you have the determination (solemn vow), Periya will make it happen. All move because of his love. Mahaperiyav is face of mercy. Making such statements, Pattu Sastri worshipped the five-metal idol in its divine corporeal form.
- தரிசனம் தொடரும், Darsan will continue
படம் என்.விவேக் images by N. Vivek