By the grace of God a wishful feeling has risen in me to make a search and get the anugraham of a vedic scholar who could enlighten me with teaching of swethaswatara upanishad and brhadharanyaka upanishad with vedic swarams and sanskrit devanagari lyrics to learn by heart. IT IS very humbly requested to direct me to the address of the veda patashala with a mode of communication by phone. I shall ever remain a devoted student. With humble regards K. SUBRAMANIAM, KODAMBAKKAM, CHENNAI
The word ‘Periyava’ can only reference one person – which is Kanchi Periyava. During the period when Periyava was staying in Vizhuppuram, one person who used to stay along with him was Lakshminarayanan. He was closely associated with Periyava right from when he was 6 years old and was engaged in doing service to Him. Lakshminarayanan describes how Periyava was instrumental in getting him to renovate the Mangadu Kamakshi Amman temple and start a Veda Patashala nearby.
It was the year 1952
We used to come to Kanchipuram to take Periyava’s Darshan. On one such Thursday, Periyava said, “Last night, I had a dream. Due to Panchagni Jwalai, My body is burning. Need to do PunaruddaraNam here’, Ambal said in the dream. There is a dilapidated Ambal temple somewhere. Will you find it out and let Me know ? ”
I said “Please give me one week time”
When I saw Him next week, He again said He saw Ambal in His dream the previous night. An elephant came, held His hand by its trunk and led Him somewhere. Periyava went behind the elephant. As far as Periyava was concerned, it wasn’t just an elephant but Ambal Herself.
The elephant led Periyava along for a long time and for a long distance. Periyava too kept walking behind the elephant. After several hours, the elephant turned onto a mud track. After a little while on that track, the elephant disappeared. Periyava understood that the dilapidated temple must be somewhere nearby. Periyava decided to stay the night there. There was only a cow shed there. Periyava went in and lay down.
After doing all this, Periyava returned to Kanchipuram. We tidied up the place and conducted the Kumbhabhishekam. We appointed a person by name Ekambara Gurukkal to perform the pujas there. In those days, nobody knew about the Mangadu temple. Back then, Manali Ramakrishnan Mudaliar was the Nattamai for that area. Hearing about Periyava’s arrival, Mudaliar came to take Periyava’s Darshan. He said, “I will do whatever needs to be done. Periyava should not worry”. Periyava said, “Need to do the SamprokshaNam in 24 hours”. Activities started off in a frenetic pace. Everybody contributed around Rs 1000 per head. That place which was full of bushes and snake pits was cleaned up. A small Gopuram became visible. Periyava said “This is the place where Adi Shankara was in ‘Garba Vasam'”. Garba Vasam means staying in one place for 10 months. “‘Ardha Meru’ has been installed here. Ambal is in a state of ‘Ugram’ here. Her ‘Ugram’ needs to be pacified”, Periyava said.
Periyava had asked for a place nearby for Himself to stay. “Sure, I will enable it”, I said. But somehow that kept getting deferred. In 1965, Periyava reminded me, “I asked you to get a piece of land for Me in Mangadu. Have you forgotten?” He also laid down a condition, “You should not take loans from anybody. You should purchase it with your own money”. That is the reason I wasn’t able to close out on that. Periyava used to keep reminding me on and off. Finally, I bought this piece of land in 1976. It was a 3.5 ‘ground’ piece of land. Worth 5 lakhs. I sold my house and my wife’s jewelllery and somehow bought it.
“We need to build a Ambal temple here. But first we need to install Adi Shankara’s Padukas. We can proceed with construction after that. We need to dig 16 feet for the foundation and write 108 crores Panchaksharam and put it there. The foundation can be laid only after 5 judges come”, Periyava said. We got the 108 crores Panchaksharam written by the students in the surrounding schools. Periyava Himself spoke to Judge Balasubramanya Iyer about the foundation. Many prominent persons were just waiting to execute His orders.
It was the year 1982. I bought a small piece of land in Chromepet, built a house and settled down there. Then I had a job in the Accounts section in Simsons. After work, I would come here to supervise the construction and would go back home to Chromepet.
The construction work dragged on and was completed only in 1992. It was my desire that Periyava Himself should do the Kumbhabhishekam for this temple. Periyava said, “I am the person who got all this done in the first place. Why are you calling Me for this also ? Ask Jayendrar. The day of the Kumbhabhishekam should be both Thursday and Panchami.” Jayendrar said, “Since Anusham is Periyava’s birth star, it will be good if the day also happens to fall on Anusham”.
It was 08/Jan in 1994. I got a severe attack of fever at 12 noon. My family members admitted me to a hospital. The doctor said, “You have suffered a massive heart attack”. I was in ICU for 3 days. The 4th day, I made a recovery which surprised even the doctors. The doctor said, “We will discharge you but do not travel for the next 45 days.” It was only later that I came to know that Periyava had attained Mukthi on the very day I had my heart attack.
Later, it was Vijayendrar who came here and performed the Kumbhabhishekam.
Periyava had said, “Start a Yajur Veda Patashala in this place and run it.” As per that, I did start a Veda Patashala and began to run it. Initially, 6 students came from out of town. That number became 10, then 12. But after that that number gradually began to reduce. Nobody has come for 1.5 years now. I’m extremely unhappy about this. This temple was built as per Periyava’s wish. Even the Veda Patashala was started because He ordered it. So it is my desire that it should run well.
One could make out the distress in Lakshminarayan’s voice even as he said this.
Over to Halasya Sundaram Iyer….
It gives me great pain to say this. It is more than 3.5 years since Lakshminarayan passed away. There is nobody to look after this Veda Patashala.
What is the state of the Mangadu Veda patashala ?
Lakshminarayanan established a Veda Patashala near Chennai Mangadu Kamakshi Amman temple on the orders of MahaPeriyava. A few students did study there. When I went there 2-3 years back, the patashala was in a pititable state. With neither students nor a teacher there, the situation was very sad. The Archagar who comes to the temple there is also very depressed. There are idols there done in Shanmatha style and a separate Sannidhi for Adi Shankara. He also said that there is an office of some kind in Azhwarpet.
As Periyava said, if we take care of Veda Patashalas, Periyava Himself will take care of us. Can somebody please help ?
Maha Periyava Arulvakku:
There is greater pleasure in doing charity than enjoying our wealth ourselves. Mahabali used to do a lot charity. But he did not renounce the arrogance of doing charity. That is the reason the Lord Himself placed His foot on his head to symbolize the destruction of this arrogance.
By the grace of God a wishful feeling has risen in me to make a search and get the anugraham of a vedic scholar who could enlighten me with teaching of swethaswatara upanishad and brhadharanyaka upanishad with vedic swarams and sanskrit devanagari lyrics to learn by heart. IT IS very humbly requested to direct me to the address of the veda patashala with a mode of communication by phone. I shall ever remain a devoted student. With humble regards K. SUBRAMANIAM, KODAMBAKKAM, CHENNAI
Mahesh, English translation. Please publish.
95 – Maha Periyava – Anubavangal Aayiram
The word ‘Periyava’ can only reference one person – which is Kanchi Periyava. During the period when Periyava was staying in Vizhuppuram, one person who used to stay along with him was Lakshminarayanan. He was closely associated with Periyava right from when he was 6 years old and was engaged in doing service to Him. Lakshminarayanan describes how Periyava was instrumental in getting him to renovate the Mangadu Kamakshi Amman temple and start a Veda Patashala nearby.
It was the year 1952
We used to come to Kanchipuram to take Periyava’s Darshan. On one such Thursday, Periyava said, “Last night, I had a dream. Due to Panchagni Jwalai, My body is burning. Need to do PunaruddaraNam here’, Ambal said in the dream. There is a dilapidated Ambal temple somewhere. Will you find it out and let Me know ? ”
I said “Please give me one week time”
When I saw Him next week, He again said He saw Ambal in His dream the previous night. An elephant came, held His hand by its trunk and led Him somewhere. Periyava went behind the elephant. As far as Periyava was concerned, it wasn’t just an elephant but Ambal Herself.
The elephant led Periyava along for a long time and for a long distance. Periyava too kept walking behind the elephant. After several hours, the elephant turned onto a mud track. After a little while on that track, the elephant disappeared. Periyava understood that the dilapidated temple must be somewhere nearby. Periyava decided to stay the night there. There was only a cow shed there. Periyava went in and lay down.
After doing all this, Periyava returned to Kanchipuram. We tidied up the place and conducted the Kumbhabhishekam. We appointed a person by name Ekambara Gurukkal to perform the pujas there. In those days, nobody knew about the Mangadu temple. Back then, Manali Ramakrishnan Mudaliar was the Nattamai for that area. Hearing about Periyava’s arrival, Mudaliar came to take Periyava’s Darshan. He said, “I will do whatever needs to be done. Periyava should not worry”. Periyava said, “Need to do the SamprokshaNam in 24 hours”. Activities started off in a frenetic pace. Everybody contributed around Rs 1000 per head. That place which was full of bushes and snake pits was cleaned up. A small Gopuram became visible. Periyava said “This is the place where Adi Shankara was in ‘Garba Vasam'”. Garba Vasam means staying in one place for 10 months. “‘Ardha Meru’ has been installed here. Ambal is in a state of ‘Ugram’ here. Her ‘Ugram’ needs to be pacified”, Periyava said.
Periyava had asked for a place nearby for Himself to stay. “Sure, I will enable it”, I said. But somehow that kept getting deferred. In 1965, Periyava reminded me, “I asked you to get a piece of land for Me in Mangadu. Have you forgotten?” He also laid down a condition, “You should not take loans from anybody. You should purchase it with your own money”. That is the reason I wasn’t able to close out on that. Periyava used to keep reminding me on and off. Finally, I bought this piece of land in 1976. It was a 3.5 ‘ground’ piece of land. Worth 5 lakhs. I sold my house and my wife’s jewelllery and somehow bought it.
“We need to build a Ambal temple here. But first we need to install Adi Shankara’s Padukas. We can proceed with construction after that. We need to dig 16 feet for the foundation and write 108 crores Panchaksharam and put it there. The foundation can be laid only after 5 judges come”, Periyava said. We got the 108 crores Panchaksharam written by the students in the surrounding schools. Periyava Himself spoke to Judge Balasubramanya Iyer about the foundation. Many prominent persons were just waiting to execute His orders.
It was the year 1982. I bought a small piece of land in Chromepet, built a house and settled down there. Then I had a job in the Accounts section in Simsons. After work, I would come here to supervise the construction and would go back home to Chromepet.
The construction work dragged on and was completed only in 1992. It was my desire that Periyava Himself should do the Kumbhabhishekam for this temple. Periyava said, “I am the person who got all this done in the first place. Why are you calling Me for this also ? Ask Jayendrar. The day of the Kumbhabhishekam should be both Thursday and Panchami.” Jayendrar said, “Since Anusham is Periyava’s birth star, it will be good if the day also happens to fall on Anusham”.
It was 08/Jan in 1994. I got a severe attack of fever at 12 noon. My family members admitted me to a hospital. The doctor said, “You have suffered a massive heart attack”. I was in ICU for 3 days. The 4th day, I made a recovery which surprised even the doctors. The doctor said, “We will discharge you but do not travel for the next 45 days.” It was only later that I came to know that Periyava had attained Mukthi on the very day I had my heart attack.
Later, it was Vijayendrar who came here and performed the Kumbhabhishekam.
Periyava had said, “Start a Yajur Veda Patashala in this place and run it.” As per that, I did start a Veda Patashala and began to run it. Initially, 6 students came from out of town. That number became 10, then 12. But after that that number gradually began to reduce. Nobody has come for 1.5 years now. I’m extremely unhappy about this. This temple was built as per Periyava’s wish. Even the Veda Patashala was started because He ordered it. So it is my desire that it should run well.
One could make out the distress in Lakshminarayan’s voice even as he said this.
Over to Halasya Sundaram Iyer….
It gives me great pain to say this. It is more than 3.5 years since Lakshminarayan passed away. There is nobody to look after this Veda Patashala.
What is the state of the Mangadu Veda patashala ?
Lakshminarayanan established a Veda Patashala near Chennai Mangadu Kamakshi Amman temple on the orders of MahaPeriyava. A few students did study there. When I went there 2-3 years back, the patashala was in a pititable state. With neither students nor a teacher there, the situation was very sad. The Archagar who comes to the temple there is also very depressed. There are idols there done in Shanmatha style and a separate Sannidhi for Adi Shankara. He also said that there is an office of some kind in Azhwarpet.
As Periyava said, if we take care of Veda Patashalas, Periyava Himself will take care of us. Can somebody please help ?
Maha Periyava Arulvakku:
There is greater pleasure in doing charity than enjoying our wealth ourselves. Mahabali used to do a lot charity. But he did not renounce the arrogance of doing charity. That is the reason the Lord Himself placed His foot on his head to symbolize the destruction of this arrogance.
Thanks a lot!