Re: Kanchi Paramacharya: A Virtual Darshan
Pages 50-55 (concluding part)
A bhakta--devotee, named Kulkarni, placed a wrist-watch in front of PeriyavA.
'What is this for?', PeriyavA asked him by a glance.
"I have brought this so you can give to a man doing kaingkaryam--service, with you. PeriyavA can do as he wishes."
Picking up that wrist-watch, PeriyavA looked at it, turning it this way and that. Then he called and asked me to wear it on my wrist. "This should always remain in your wrist. Whenever I ask you the time, you should tell me", he ordered.
That wrist-watch is still with me. I am safeguarding it as a rare pokkiSham--(Tamizh) treasure.
*** *** ***
A village called UkAr Kurth on the banks of KRShNa river. There, we were staying in a Shiva temple.
PeriyavA would arise much early in the morning and sit up. He would at that time wake up one among us who were doing his kaingkaryam and converse with him.
One day when he was talking to me in that manner, he spoke elaborately about Indira Gandhi. (I gain nothing by knowing such things. In addition, it seemed to me at that time that there was a trace of sneer in PeriyavA's talk. Still I was listening to him as SivanE--doing nothing like Shiva!)
He said that Indira Gandhi was the arasu kAttha ammai--mother who saved the nation, in the twentieth century, and spoke about the sacrifices she had done for the country.
It all seemed awkward to me. PeriyavA would sometimes be conversing with us in a funny and sneering way. I thought it was one such occasion.
"Going to KAnchIpuram, on the outer compound wall of the EkAmbaranAthar temple, you should draw two pictures. One, the picture of the seventh century arasu kAttha ammai--also called tAntOnRi amman--self-manifested goddess; two, the picture of the arasu kAttha ammai (Indira Gandhi) in the twentieth century."
I was listening to it all, standing; and then I said, "No, I won't do it."
"Right, now get out (and see)", he told me.
When I came out and looked around, I found some Railway officials waiting for a darshan (of Indira Gandhi). And I understood that PeriyavA spoke so that it all would fall on their ears.
*** *** ***
Another funny incident.
"Prepare a hundred, or hundred-and-fifty, pavun kAsugaL--gold coins, and bring them in a bottle, do it forthwith", PeriyavA ordered me. I could not follow him for a minute. Then, understanding what he said, I moved away from the place and came out.
Many people were waiting outside for darshan. What PeriyavAL spoke to me had indeed fallen on the ears of everyone outside. Some of them had the nappAsai--(Tamizh) fond hope, 'A hundred, or hundred-and-fifty pavun kAsugaL! It would be preferable that I get two or three of them! I can keep them in the puja...'
Everyone surrounded me. They supplicated to me, "Get me two or three coins." "AhA!" I said and moved from that place.
To have darshan of PeriyavAL, Vedic pandits and those learned in the shAstras--scriptures, would come. Giving them importance, PeriyavA would bless them with some kind of sanmAnam--gift.
When I was moving away from that place fast, a mahA paNDita from Mylapore (Chennai) called me with nayam--(Tamizh) civility. "You should get me ten or twelve gold coins", he told me. "Okay".
What PeriyavA referred to (not to explain it as such in front of the many present before him) was only the chips prepared by cutting the nEndirangkAi--a variety of long banana that is famous in Kerala, into round pieces and frying them.
When I placed before him a bottle of those chips in an hour, I told him about what the Mylapore Pandit had asked me. "Call him" he said. The man came.
"Extend both your hands..." The Pandit was happy inside like getting drenched in a shower of snow flakes.
He extended both his hands. Taking a handful of chips from the bottle, PeriyavA dropped them into his hands. The Pandit couldn't understand anything. Still, how to ask PeriyavAL? What to ask?
When he came out receiving the chips, the Pandit asked me. "Why did PeriyavA give chips to me?"
"Only what you asked for."
"Me? Why should I ask him for chips? When did I ask him?"
"You asked me an hour ago; and I told PeriyavA about it..."
He blinked. "But then what fell in my ears sounded like gold coins..."
"That is nothing but this one! What PeriyavA uttered in zleShas--pun, was only this..."
A great disappointment for the vidvAn. He consoled himself, "The prasAdam--divine gift, PeriyavA gave..."
Calling things with iDukuRip-peyar--(Tamizh) conventional name, talking in zleShas--pun, all such things being in aparimitam--unmeasured, in PeriyavAL--we had enjoyed it.
*** *** ***
When we were staying in UkAr Kurth, (Tamizh cine actor) Gemini GaNesan's wife came for darshan. When she was talking to PeriyavAL, a poor brAhmaNa--brahmin, of that village came and sought financial assistance from PeriyavA, for the marriage of his daughter.
PeriyavA told Gemini GaNesan's wife, "If you have anything, why not give him?"
Forthwith, the woman removed a pair of gold bangles she was wearing and gave them, with much happiness.
"Don't give it to him now. Enough to give him four days before the marriage", PeriyavA said. Then he told a bank manager who had come there, "Keep these in your bank locker. You can give then later."
Two days later, the same brAhmaNa came and wept loudly. He said all the things at his home were lost in theft, on the previous night. The only property remained were the bangles in the locker! "By PeriyavA's anugraham--divine favours, at least those gold bangles escaped (from getting stolen)..."
Laughing, PeriyavA said, "What came for the head ended up with the turban, pO--go (with the consolation)", and gave him prasAdam.
The value of those bangles at that time was twenty thousand rupees!
If the kaingkaryaparas--assistants, of those days, had the bhAgyam--fortune, of enjoying such countless incidents presented before their very eyes, it is their pUrva-janma-puNya-phala--fruits of the meritorious acts of previous births!
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रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥
To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.
--viShNu purANam
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