Jaya Jaya Sankara Hara Hara Sankara – What a great upadesam…heard this in Periyava Kural in HH divine voice as well.

Many Jaya Jaya Sankara to Shri Narayanan for the share. Ram Ram

Experiences with Maha Periyava: The story of salt merchant (uppu kuravan)

A great dukham, an unbearable shokam (grief) befell me. I could not go to have darshan of Sri Maha Periyava for four months.

Sri Maha Periyava sent word for me. Two or three big officials came and took me to him.

It was ten at night….Solitude….. Only the glow of an akal vilakku (earthern lamp)…..

“…Nipunau”, said Periyava slowly, “Sollu (tell me).”

“Tava hi charanaveva nipunau… the fourth shloka in the Soundarya Lahari… Tvad-anyah panibhyam…”

Periyava said slowly, “Only Ambal is the adaikkalam (shelter) for everyone. She knows it …….what to give, how, and when…”

Silence…..

“Samba Murthy, do you know about the sandai (shandy, a mobile market)?”

“I know. Many vendors bring various goods and sell them. The sandai is held on a specific day of the week in every village. They travel under a schedule of ‘this place today, somewhere else tomorrow’.”

“Have you heard about the uppu kuravan (a salt merchant)?”

“Yes. They earn their living usually by selling salt in the sandais.”

“Yes, one such uppu kuravan had immense bhakti in Kamakshi…

“Once, when he finished his work in a sandai and was on his way to the next village, he came near a forest region. Some thieves were watching this man, carrying his salt bags on a donkey. “Dei (hey), this man will sell his salt tomorrow, carry money and go through this way. We should seize his earnings at that time…” they made a plan. Furthermore, do you know about the firecrackers they burst?…”

“In temples, during the days of utsava (festivals), they would prepare firecrackers with cracker-explosive mixture, hardening it and inserting a wick. When the edge of the wick got lit by fire, the spark would slowly traverse through and reach the explosive content which would then burst with a loud noise.”

“Yes, what the thieves had planned was, if they burst a firecracker, the donkey would get upset and run in confusion. The uppu kuravan would scream in fear, faint and fall down. Then, they could seize the money from his lap…

“On that day, when the uppu kuravan spread his ware in the sandai, it rained heavily and all the salt melted away. He suffered losses and mental anguish. He scolded Kamakshi with whatever words which came to his mind. His anger was also that he had to return home without any money. Turning back, he travelled through the forest region. When they sighted him, the thieves lit their firecrackers. The spark travelled through the wick up to the pipe that held the explosive mixture. When they were happy that it was going to burst, it did not burst! When they investigated the reason, they found that the explosive mixture was thoroughly wet in the rain that had showered in the morning! So it did not light up. They said at once to the uppu kuravan “Swami has saved you. It is only for your good that it has rained. Go home and worship Bhagawan”.

“The uppu kuravan was dumbfounded. Then what I thought as Ambal doing to me droham (betrayal of trust) was very wrong. He thought, ‘Kamakshi, please forgive me. You know what I want, and when. Had it not rained and had I sold the salt and come this way with the earnings, these thieves would have beaten me up. It is my good time that you saved me!’

“Therefore, whatever we get is only Ambal’s prasadam. Remaining without asking for anything is the good that we can do for ourselves…”

When Sri Maha Periyava’s low toned, leisurely, long talk came to an end, it was two thirty at night.

“The ten tons of iron on my head has been unburdened”, I said.

Periyava’s starting it with the sandai and ending it with Ambal–though it was for my mental comfort, it suits everyone in a similar state of mind, right?

“Without skipping it, read the Ramayana daily. You will get peace of mind”, said Maha Periyava.

The Ramayana Parayana and the peace of mind come together, to this day.

Author: BrahmaSri Ramakrishna Dikshatar, Sri Matam Vidvan, Kanchipuram
Source: Maha Periyaval Darisana Anubhavangal
Compiled by Jagadguru Sri Maha Periyava – Kanchi Paramacharya Fb
Hara Hara Shankara Jaya Jaya Shankara

Categories: Devotee Experiences

Tags: darisana anubavangal