Thanks to monthly newsletter that talks about the significance, the beauty of Nitya Chandramouleeswarar puja at Sri Matam. It is very important that we should attend the puja when we visit Sri Matam.
I have heard / read on how Mahaperiyava does alankaram, talks to swami and ambal during alankarams after abishekam etc. That is the bhavam we all need to build towards our devathas. We all do puja/abishekam but not with the proper bhavam….We need to learn all these from our gurus.
Categories: Devotee Experiences
Beautiful explanation in Tamil about Periyava performing Chandramouleeswarar Puja. At what time does the pooja starts in the morning? I am coming from overseas and be there on the 3rd Oct 2022
Many Jaya Jaya Sankara to Shri ST Ravikumar, our sathsang seva volunteer for the translation. Ram Ram
GREATNESS OF SRI SRI SRI MAHA PERIAVA
(8-9-2016)
Sri Chandramouleeswara Periava
We are indeed extremely fortunate that He, a Jnani of the same caliber as that of Sukhabrahma Rishi, in the form of boundless mercy, had reduced himself with a view to reaching out to every common devotee and bless them!
In the Sri Sri Sri Mahaperiava’s 108 holy names (ashtothra namavali), one name which occupies an important place is the “Om Sri Thripurasundari samedha Shri Chandramouleeswara Poojapriayaya Namah”.
Knowing fully well the divine secret that the very Sri Chandramouleeswara himself had incarnated as the 68th pontiff and enacted the holy drama, Brahmashri Pradhosham Mama, the 64th Nayanmar, when performing archana to that God, would chant only as “Sri Chandramouleeswara Swaminae Gurubhyo namaha”. Shri. Ra. Ganapathy, has described with wonder the facial expressions made by Mahaperiavaa, the one who was existing as the God himself, while performing Sri Chandramouleeswara puja.
Once, when Sri Mahaperiava was decorating the idols after completing the abhishekam, somehow, one Sri Vatsa Soma Deva Sharma, happened to stay inside the enclosure.
Without even realizing that he was making a mistake of standing behind the screen, he was enjoying the decoration of the idols being done by Sri Mahaperiava with so much affection and love.
Without noticing that a person was still standing inside the enclosure, it seems that Sri Mahaperiava was totally lost in doing the decoration, with total involvement and single minded focus. Sri Sharma, who was intently watching Sri Mahaperiavaa, it seems, was wonderstruck and also having an inexplicable fear.
It seems, Sri Periava, will initially, decorate and then take a close look at it and then chuckle. Sometimes, not being satisfied with the decoration done, he would change and do it differently and enjoy looking at the idol intently as done earlier. When he was satisfied, it seems, a chuckle will emerge. He would nod his head as though he was speaking to the puja idols.
Sri Sharma, it seems, was standing there, totally lost in the bliss of fortunately watching the wonder of Sri Periavaa decorating the idols of Sri Thripurasundari and Sri Chandramouleeswara, as though, he was doing it as per their responses on asking them.
Later, when he (Sri Sharma) had started asking about this to Sri Mahaperiavaa himself, it seems he told him, with a contrived anger, “who allowed you to be inside, go off minding your business” and ended the conversation, without allowing it to be continued.
The famous neurologist, Shri kalyanaraman, recounts an incident which he had seen in person, as proof of how the anger of Sri Mahaperiavaa, revealed the importance of Sri Chandramouleeswara puja, which he was doing with so much involvement.
When at the age of 12 or 13, he had visited to have darshan of Sri Mahaperiava at Thiruvanaikovil, he was not matured enough to understand the reason for his anger.
When he was having the dharshan, Sri Mahaperiavaa asked one of the voluntary workers of the Matam, to fetch one of the persons who was staying in the Sri Matam.
When the person summoned had come, Sri Periavaa enquired him, “Where did you go missing in the morning? why were you not there when the puja of Sri Chandramouleeswara was being done?”.
The person replied that he had gone for studying Bhashya texts and therefore, got delayed.
When Periavaa asked the person, a little angrily, “was it necessary to go out of the mutt to study Bhashya lessons? Why could it not be studied staying in the mutt itself?”, the person remained silent without responding.
Periavaa again asked very angrily, “Was there anything more important than the Sri Chandramouleeswara puja in this mutt?”
The way the questions came from Periavaa, so furiously, looked as though they were conveying the importance of Sri Chandramouleeswara puja, firmly, to not only the person who was standing before him but also to all the devotees who were standing there and having his darshan.
When reflecting on the incident in his later days, Sri Kalyanaraman recounts that the anger and words of Periavaa were, as though to convey to all who had assembled there that any event of Sri Mutt should be happen only with the three- time puja at its core.
Similarly, he talks about an incident that took place on a Telugu new year, when Sri Mahaperiavaa was living in chitoor. It seems that Mahaperiavaa was totally lost in giving darshan to the devotees without starting the puja even by 1.30 p.m.
One of the serving devotees of Sri Matam, put in a word delicately, in his ears that it was getting late for the puja.
And Sri Periavaa, it seems, in an unusual way, mentioned that “today is new year! Was waiting to start with Sri Chandramouleeswara puja. Will have to start the puja with the sankalpam” (spelling out the intent).
Those who were there that time would have thought that he was delaying the puja, perhaps because the new year was beginning only at that particular time period.
But Periavaa’s actions subsequently also, happening to be totally unusual, were inexplicable to them.
Sri Periavaa asked the devotees who had assembled there as to whether anyone knew what was the meaning of Puja sankalpam and for what purpose that sankalpam was being done.
After thinking about it, devotees started giving their responses one by one. One devotee said that the puja sankalpam was being done considering the welfare of Sri Mahaperiavaa. A few, slightly changing the same, mentioned that they thought it was being done for the welfare of both Sri Periavaa and Pudhu Periavaa.
As a third opinion, it was mentioned that the sankalpam was being done to enable the Vedas flourish and a few others, said that such sankalpams were done on the basis of a sloka, for the welfare of the king, key administrators and along with them, the brahmins and cows in the country.
Sri Maha Periavaa was silent with a demeanour having a smile on his face, as though enjoying all these. Later, he called the Sri Matam priest who administers the sankalpam and asked him to translate to the devotees, the sankalpam mantra, which was in Sanskrit to Tamil. He said like this with a view to make known to everybody, the Dharma path on which the pujas of the Sri Matam were being followed.
When the scholar mentioned that the sankalpam in the Sri Matam puja was being done with the welfare of all the people in the country, without any discrimination based on religion, faith and language, it was as though all the people who were there, got to know a rare fact.
This way, the greatness of Sri Chandramouleeswara puja and its importance has been conveyed by Sri Periavaa through these incidents.
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King of humour
Despite being a great Jnani, it used to be very enjoyable when he climbed down to the level of a common man and talked to them with humour, now and then.
Once, Dr. Kalyanaraman had to give a suggestion for relieving some pain, Sri Mahaperiavaa was having in his neck. He demonstrated to Sri Periavaa, a few easy- to- do exercises. He said that accordingly, he should move his neck up and down and from right to left, etc.
He also said that this needs to be done many times in a day. Later, when he visited Sri Matam, he enquired whether Sri Periavaa was doing those neck exercises.
With a mischievous smile, Sri Periavaa replied that he did it for some days and then stopped doing it. Kalyanaraman asked why so.
Sri Periavaa jokingly said that “since you told me, I was moving my neck up and down and sideways for some days. Since I was doing it even in front of the people who came to see me, I saw that they also, thinking that I was doing some yoga exercises, were moving their necks. So, fearing that they should not get the pain in their necks, which was not there earlier, I stopped doing it”.
Is it not true that the mercy of this joyful God would enable us to live with all prosperity and auspiciousness?
– Mercy will continue to flow copiously
(Paduvaar pasi theerpai Paravuvar pinikalaivai – Devaram of Sundaramurthy Nayanar)
Hara hara Shankara, Jaya Jaya Shankara! Logha RakshagaR Maha Periyava ThiruvadigaLe CharaNam!
English translation please
Excellent information. Periavaa Prathyaksham.
I am not able to open/download it.
JAYA JAYA SANKARA HARA HARA SANKARA. News letters like the above are welcome and they serve the purpose of enlightening the devotees. Thanks for the news letter.V, Janakiraman. “narbhavi” 31/32 Sattayapper south street, Nagapattinam. pin 611001.
I would be thankful if any of the devotees could provide me with a book containing the Astotharam, Tirusathi and Shasranamam of Sri Maha Periyava.. Sri Maha Periyava Saranam.
Namaskarams! Please see on the left hand side of this blog. It has ashtothrams and others you are looking for. Hope it helps! Thank you