Coming to the guru here, Brahmasri Vengalathur Mani Ganapadigal is nearing 90 and started learning Vedas since he was 5. Due to his very large family size, he ended up spending a lot of his early days at Kanchi mutt and have a great Bhakthi to Mahaperiyava. It seems that he is very popular in Chennai area. He enjoys great respect from other pundits.. Unlike lot other commercially driven people, mama has been teaching Vedas to kids for free – this has been going on for a very long time….But he doesn’t accept students easily and he is very picky in that process. I took this as a great opportunity to clarify some doubts etc and do a namaskaram….
Only when watching how advanced they are in learning Vedas, I realize how many years I’ve wasted and feel so little in front of those kids….This doesn’t mean that all Brahmin kids in India are like this….Not at all….In fact I know several kids there who dont even do Nithya karma…only when you live outside of India, you know the value of such thing….
Categories: Announcements
Sri Mani Sastrigal is in his early 90s now, a kramapati in Yajur veda from Kolla chatram patasala, kANCHIPURAM. He and his elder brother late sri Thyagaraja sastrigal , both are very learned and authority on vedas. Sri sastrigal is a good singer too, Srimad Ramayana upanyasaka also. Will sing vey beautifully amidst bhojana kala in samaradhana. Still conducts vaidika karyas in his small house. Iam blessed to be associated with him for last 50 years, till date. A mahan who speaks English very well, some of his terms in English are exemplary. Seek his blessings for all.
Dear all,I would like to learn vedas. Pls share the contact details with me. Thanks.
So great to read this..do you know Guru Ji in Delhi
i am heartified about the fact that the deepest root of our religion is still intact. but u guys sound like that vedas belongs only to brahmins. if only u guys are blessed they you can call brahminism not hinduism.
Very nice to know!
Do any of you know a Guru in mylapore, adyar, tiruvanmiyur region ?
Can married office goers like me can also learn ?
Myself and my brother are senior students of this great Mahan..But unfortunately when we learnt we dint have advanced technologies to record these things. We learnt everything under him including prayogam for 7 continuous years and now we are proud disciples of him and I am a Software Engineer and my brother is an automobile engineer. All these were possible only because of his blessings.
— Arun/Arvind
arun.seshadhri@gmail.com
Please help me I too want to learn veda please help me……..here is my maild id swwami12@gmail.com
dear mr.mahesh plz send me contact address of thiru.mani ganapadigal…..lalithajanakiram,choolaimedu
the great Mahaperiava blessings always there whereever vedadathyanam, also request children maintain dress code while veda dathyanam
Sir:
To Solve the problem for lack of students, is it possible to admit boys from other Asthega communities? I know Periyava is against it. But the problem is Veda chanting should go on. No use of telling so and so said the vedas will survive. Please find way to admit others to these classes. The way conversion is going on, we Hindus may become a minority in a new Christian land. As all here I too love Hinduism and its Vedas but not the barriers put around us.
i read in one of “Deivathin kural volumes ” that in old days Gurus perform yagyas to get good students for the adyayanam.
In fact Periyavaa mentioned that ,He also tried that yagya in patashala where no student was there and it brought students.
Blessed are the childdren and great is the service of Sri MANI SASTRIGAL. Pray to Mahaperiava for his blessings for such traditions to continue and grow. Pranams to all.
I am very happy to read about Vengaluthur Brahmasri Mani Ganapadigal teaching Vedam free of cost to deserving youngsters at West Mambalam, Chennai. I am reminded here of my own Guru (Late) Sri Manakkal Kalyana Saastrigal (Munirka, New Delhi) who taught about 8 of us for three and a half years everyday in the evening for about an hour and a half the following: Sri Durga Suktham, Sri Suktham, Purusha Suktham, Bhu Suktham, Ayushya Suktham, Navagraha Suktham, Upanishads – Seeksha Valli, Ananda Valli and Bhrugu Valli, Sri Rudram-Chamakam-Mahanyasam. Towards the end of his life he had a God-like appearance and I thought his very sight would burn out all our paapa karmas to ashes. Such great men, with such lofty ideals. I am sure Sri Mahadeva must have given him permanent abode by his side in the Sivaloka. Thoughts of Sri Kalyanarama Saastrigal brings tears of joy. I can proudly say I was very fortunate to be his disciple! His son Hari is a practising Lawyer in the Supreme Court.
mr.v.k.swamy it is really very painful to note that there are no takers for vedaadhyayanam.though it is a very lucrative career now. will we allow our children to study in veda patashala?.we will look for padma seshadri school or DAV only. then how can we expect other parents to permit their kids to study vedas.(my brother’s son is studying in veda patashala only).we should start schools and teach veda in addition to regular subjects. i think ahobilam matam school in west mambalam is doing this. more schools should come up.i have learnt veda for 5 1/2 years in madurai.
God bless these children and their teacher. Our traditions wiil survive everything.
The posting of Mr. Mahesh is very interesting. I would like to share the same topic. We are running a veda Padashala at my village Varagur in Thanjavur Distruct for the past 15 years. One batch of 3 student already came out and the another batch of 2 student are coming out this year. After this batch there will be hardly four students available in the Padashala. Now a days people are not showing interest in admitting their children in Veda Padashala. Only below poverty level (BPL) Brahmin parents are admitting their children. In the absence of students running Veda Padashala is very difficult and the Veda Pandits who are teaching Vedas are loosing their interest to continue their job with the Veda Padashala. Our village Veda Padashala is in search of students but could not succeed. What is the remedy for this?
Unfortunately this is a problem where we can’t do much to help. One thing that might help is to consider increasing the amount we give to each student after graduation….if the problem is other way around, we could have done something…..
Let us tAke this conversation offline and consult few more people to see what typically other places do in this situation……
Mahesh Sent from my iPad
This is exactly what is required, youngsters learning vedas again.
Looks like, you have kindled many a heart to do something in this regards.
Whereas it is true that Brahmins should not ask for fees, it is more important that sikshyas pay as much as they can heartily.
regards
Sri Mahesh, Its truly a great effort and the amount of interest and enthusiasm the kids have and also at this age Ganapadigal without any expectation doing this service is truly a blessing of Maha Periyava.
Can you please provide the address and contact details of Brahmasri Vengalathur Mani Ganapadigal . I would be very oblidged if you pass it on. Thanks alot.
I don’t know the postal address…this is in the insection of lake view road and station road in w.mambalam. Look for pandiyan electricals and his house is right at the back. If you ask people around, they wll tell you too…
Just to caution you :: as I head he is a “kobhistar” !!- so pl avoid giving any money to him etc – that may not go well…
Mahesh Sent from my iPad
Dear Mr. Mahesh,
Would apprecaite if you could send me his contact details as I need to meet him urgently for some advice.
V. Srinivasan
Excellent. Maha Swamigal lives in these experiences! Blessed are these children who learn the Vedas from such a saintly person like Brahmasri Mani GhanapaadigaL!
Dear Sri Mahesh,
I was thrilled to read your mail. Blessed are those children who undergo Vedadyanam. Incidentally, it was also a heartening news to read about Sri VENGALATHUR MANI GANPADIGAL WHO IN SPITE OF HIS ADVANCED AGE IS STILL ACTIVE IN THE FILED. AND TRAINING THE YOUNG STUDENTS. I shall be grateful if you could let me know Sri Ganapadical’s address in W. Mambalam . Thanks Regards.
“… Unlike lot other commercially driven people, mama has been teaching Vedas to kids for free – this has been going on for a very long time…”
Brahmasri Vengalathur Mani Ganapadigal is a true devotee of Mahaswamigal. Swamigal has said that we should learn as much and as well as we can and then pass them on to others, for free! “Brahmins shall not ask for fees, ever, even if it means they have to be live in poverty. They shall take only what is given by others by their (giver’s) own will.”, says He in Deivathin Kural. What a proclamation!
Swamigal would have been so proud of these kids. What a lovely display of enthusiasm and energy from these innocent children. This goes to show that in the present age, if we surround ourselves with similar minded people and live in proximity to them, then such things can be done and our children will be at ease learning Vedas and not think that they are the only ones who are being forced to learn. Like what Shri Raghavan is doing in Toronto, very commendable Sir! Thank you Shri Mahesh!
Dear Mahesh, very happy to see small kids doing such great job. As you said we know the value of these only when we are far away from our motherland. I am sure these kids and their parents will be blessed by our Periyavaa.
it is great, mahesh and raghavan
Dear Mahesh,
Quite happy (and proud) to know that Veda is still alive inspite of distractions for teens; we (in toronto) are learing Veda from Balakrishna Sastrigal; we are about 22 adults and 5 children (from our familes);
Mahaperiyavaa should be happy to know about htese happenings.
Vazhga Valamudan