I have not known about such a mahan until I got this article. Thanks to Shri Rathnam/Shivaraman for sending this…..I have requested Shivaraman to share more on him…Will share more once I have more…..
What a great man he was and what a great anugraham?!
Mayavaram Sri Sivaramakrishna Sastrigal (Mayavaram Periyava) has come with tears & seem highly disturbed.
‘Bhagavata Saptagam’ by him is highly appreciated by Periyava. Mayavaram Sastrigal always know that Sri Krishna himself is hearing the ‘Bhagavatam’ & hence he’ll never mind anyone around & never deviate from ‘Bhagavatam’.
Such a Mahan, came with tears & was speaking to the Manager Sri Viswanatha Iyer of the mutt…
Manager has called Sri Kannan Mama & told, “Sastrigal has come here with lot of stress and anxiety…Let Periyava know this and arrange for His darshan soon”
Sri Kannan Mama approached Periyava who was in ‘visraanthi’
“Yennappa?”, Periyava
Sri Mama informed about Sastrigal.
Periyava asked, “He came in car, right?”
“Yes”
“Ask him to wash his feet and bring him through the backdoor”.
Periyava went & sat under a ‘Nelli’ tree in the mutt. Sastrigal came…
Sri Sastrigal did namaskaram & said with tears, “Periyava! My son-in-law is not feeling well. We took X-rays and it seems half the lungs are gone and doctors say only one lung is functional. They say that he might survive for 27 days or so”
Sri Sastrigal continued & told his prayer, “Even if my worst nighmare comes true, I want Periyava to bless me so that this dhukham does not affect me!” (how many of us know to pray like this…only true mahan/vedantist can think in this line!!!!)
He reiterated, “Even if the sareera goes away, this dhukkam should not affect me”.
Later, Sri Kannan Mama recollected, “although he says it should not affect him…he says it while weeping”
Periyava asked a peculiar question back, “Why can’t the machine lie?”
Sastrigal, “we have taken 27 x-rays…all say the same thing…they have given only 20-27 days for him”.
Periyava, “you have read lots of vedanta…it says “baghavan bhaya nasanaha”..pray to Him”.
Sri Sastrigal took the prasad & left with a (relatively!) lighter heart but rushed back to the mutt within 15 days…
Sri Kannan Mama again recollected, “he was crying uncontrollably”.
Manager, “He cries so much…looks like his son-in-law is gone…take care of him quickly”.
Sri Kannan Mama rushed to Periyava.
Periyava was in ‘Vishraanthi’ this time too. On hearing, “why? Has the son-in-law gone? I am sure all rituals must have been over? Hope he has come here after all that?? He is a learned person – he knows these”
Sri Mama nodded in agreement.
Later, Sri Kannan Mama recollected, “Periyava talked like a common person at that time”.
Same ‘Nelli’ tree, same Periyava, same Sastrigal but totally a different situation.
“Prabho! The words that came from your mouth is true – all machines lied….doctors say that everything is fine…My son-in-law is doing fine!”
Periyava smiled, “Oh! even the machines started lying? I thought only humans lie!”
Periyava heard all the details. Gave prasad & ‘utharavu’ to Mayavaram Sri Sivaramakrishna Sastrigal. Later, Mayavaram Periyava has written a book & mentioned about this incident and mentioned the highlighted, “When words come out of mahans’ mouth, anything can happen!”.
Sri Kannan Mama opines that Mayavaram Sastrigal’s Saptaagam is like ‘express mail & you’ll miss the story if you miss the attention for few minutes. And also says Sastrigal knows every slokam in ‘Bhagavatham’ & will almost say every sloka unlike the ‘Puraanikas’ today.
Sri Mayavaram Sivaramakrishna Sastrigal himself is a ‘Mahaan’ who always knows Sri Krishna is sitting there & hearing his ‘Bhagavatha Sapthaagam’. Even, Triplicane Sri Govinda Damodara Swamigal used to say, “I have a hero worship for him!”
