The wait is over…..On an auspicious day of Adi Velli and Varalakshmi nombu day, long awaited Chicago Periyava has arrived at Periyava Gruham in Chicago. I feel like a women who just delivered a baby! Seriously, this whole thing started back in Feb and it took such a long time to get Periyava here….The wait was too long and it is all over now!

Earlier when this vigraham was made, sitting here in US and simply communicating with Advocate Sri Venkatasubramanian it looked a lot easier. After a point of time, my mind slowly started thinking that this whole process is like buying and shipping a product. I did not have the right attitude that Periyava Himself is coming. Periyava certainly wanted me to get the right attitude. He simply did not want to come just like that.

Then all things went against our plan. I originally requested someone to bring Periyava as an additional baggage in the commercial flight – that didn’t work. Then it delayed for another 3-4 weeks. That’s when I completed my Kailash trip and went to Chennai. Along with my wife, my son we visited advocate’s residence to have a darshan of Periyava and I literally begged Periyava to come to Chicago without any more delay. From that point onwards, the bhavam changed. I waited for His arrival every day. Advocate later said that Periyava wanted me to come with family and pray to Him in India and that is probably why all these delays happened! How true! Things started moving real fast!!

Thanks to advocate and Sri Narayanaswamy Iyer of Orikkai Manimandapam who did their best efforts to pack and ship Periyava. Once the cost is all finalized and all shipped from India – tension mounts on two front (1) would there be any more custom duty and taxes on arrival ? – no one had a clue (2) Would Periyava come without any damage? I started tracking online. Periyava moved from Chennai->Hong Kong->Columbus before coming to Chicago. As per the tracking information, He should have arrived on Guruvara Anusham. Who am I to say “should have”? He stayed in Columbus for one day and He chose to come on Varalakshmi nombu on adi velli for a reason that He only knows! When He arrived, there was no more duty or taxes charged and not a scratch on Periyava – extraordinarily well packed!!

I wanted to have a vaidheeka to invite Periyava. Unfortunately, the shipping companies give a very broad window for delivery 8AM – 1PM  – too difficult to make someone wait that long. With the help of my friend and neighbor RVP, we did a vedic welcome to Periyava and now He is resting after a long flight journey! No jet-lag though! He is always smiling!!

More than having murthi, building temple for Periyava, it is very important that we follow at least few of what Periyava had said. If we do not do that, none of the other things matter. I hope He gives us all the strength and guide us all to follow His favorite achara anushtanams with all rigor. We should take every effort to do these….

We feel blessed to have Periyava on this auspicious day!

My guru once said that if someone does nava varna puja, 7 or more houses in all direction gets all the punyams. Likewise, having Periyava murthi is not for my family – it is for all Chicago devotees. Chicago and nearby devotees can visit us to get His darshan anytime. Just call us ahead and plan your visit.

From the bottom of the heart, on behalf of my family and Chicago Periyava devotees, sincere thanks to Advocate Sri Venkatasubramanian for his passionate and devoted effort in sending Periyava here. Same goes to Sri Narayanaswamy Iyer for helping me with fine set of packers and shipping company.

Hara HAra Sankara Jaya Jaya Sankara!

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