Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara – Sri Periyava giving darshan as Swaminatha to Sri Balarama Rao…What an experience! Ram Ram

Experiences with Maha Periyava: Balarama Rao’s fever disappears! (‘Go’, He Said; It Went Away!)

About thirty years back, Bairava Subramanya Aiyer was running a prasadam shop in Tiruttani hills. I was among the people who worked in that shop. Once I fell ill because of incessant work. As time passed, the fever shot up. Thinking that I could reach home by ten in the night, I started walking slowly down the steps in the mountain path, staggering, and repeatedly taking rest here and there, and finally reaching the last step.

There was a mena (palanquin) parked on the banks of the Teppakkulam (temple pond with a small construct at its centre which used to ferry the deity on a float at festival time). A man came towards me from that direction. He asked me, “Have you come down from the hill top?” I said, “Yes”. “Then you come here.” He took me to the mena. I peeped slightly inside the mena. From there Maha Periyava gave darshan to my darkened eyes as a Shantha Swaroopi (form of peace). I stood joining my palms, forgetting about myself.

“You come from the hill top? Is the temple open?” Periyava asked me. “The temple is locked Swami!” I said with utter humility. “Will there be a prasadam shop there?” said Periyava. As I said, “That is also locked”, he remained silent for some time. Then Periyava told me, “These people who carried me here are very hungry. They could get Aharam (food) neither at Puthur nor at Nagari. I told them that they would certainly get something after we reached Tiruttani. After arriving here, even with their getting in and out of the hotels on the Teppakkulam banks, they couldn’t get any Aharam.” As Periyava said this, I did not know what to do.

Though I was staggering with fever, I thought that I would take care of my health later and said, “If Maha Periyava gives the order, I myself can prepare food for them.” Periyava asked me with surprise, “What can you do in this night?”

I said, “I am an employee of the prasadam shop atop the hill. I can prepare venpongal (salted rice pongal) for these people.”

Periyava said, “If that is the case, well and good. I shall walk up the path of the mountain stairs, asking them to climb through the regular path. You go quickly and prepare (the food), Go!”

As Periyava said the last word “Go”, my fever went away without leaving any trace. Like a runner in a sports race event, I ran up the hills by the singular footpath and reached the top.

The prasadam shop owner was not present on that day. I broke the news to his wife. That noble woman said, “You climbed down the hill only to see the doctor! And why do you ask for my permission when the Vaidyanathan Himself has cured you and given you orders? This incident has happened only for the welfare of us all! You go happily and prepare the Aharam!” Immediately I lit the wood furnace and prepared the venpongal. Then I woke up a man who was sleeping there for assistance, and carrying the food, a wooden ladle, mandara leaves to serve food, and pulikaichal (boiled tamarind mix) as side dish for the pongal, and arrived at Murugan’s dwaja sthamba (holy flag post).

Within a few minutes Periyava arrived at the hill temple. With the electric lamps in all the prakaras (courtyards) switched on throwing brightness around, the organs trumpeting music and with the purna kumbham, as the temple official Krishna Reddiyar, the temple administrator Kulasekhara Naidu, many other employees, and the priests were waiting to receive Maha Periyava and take him inside, the Sage looked around. I stood before him with folded palms.

Periyava asked, “Is the Aharam ready?” I replied, “Have prepared and brought it here.” “Alright, you serve these people and then come”, Periyava ordered me. Asking the palanquin bearers to sit down on the floor, giving them the leaf plates and serving them the venpongal, I said, “These have been prepared exclusively for you. The pulikaichal is there for side dish. Eat well to your satisfaction. I need to go to the temple and have darshan of Periyava.” When they said, “You proceed, we shall take care of ourselves”, I went inside the temple.

Maha Periyava was standing near the Moola Sthanam (sanctum sanctorum). As I had that darshan, I rubbed my eyes and looked keenly to distinguish as to who was Tanigai Malai Murugan and who was Maha Periyava.

Tears rushed down my eyes with the darshan of Periyava as DeivaGuru and JagadGuru. The darshan was over at last. Kanchi Maha Swamigal came out (as himself).

As the temple employees were bowing to him giving way, I went and stood before him with folded palms.

Periyava said, “They are all very happy. You prepared it tastily and fillingly! All of them are very happy. Their stomachs are also full”, and stood blessing me, I knelt down for a shastaanga namaskaram and then stood up.

“When you go to sleep every night, chant the Rama Nama.” When Periyava blessed me with these words, it was one o’ clock at night.

Author: S.Balarama Rao
Source: Maha Periyaval – Darisana Anubhavangal vol. 1
Compiled by Jagadguru Sri Maha Periyava – Kanchi Paramacharya/FB

Categories: Devotee Experiences

Tags: darisana anubavangal