Pongal Prasadam, Perumal & Mānroe (லட்டுलड्डू ಸಚಿನ್ ఒక Laadu )

PONGAL PRASADAM, PERUMAL & MĀNROE​

(லட்டு लड्डू ಸಚಿನ್ ఒక Laadoo)

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The collector was clutching his stomach. The pain writ large on his grimacing face. He desired to leave the place at once but unable to take a step more outside the temple complex. The pain was agonising. ​

His british attendants shifted him to his manor and his personal doctors began the treatment with routine injections and common painkillers and other combination of tablets. The wave of intermittent pain from his abdomen only turned more excruciating.

Hours of seething pain deprived him of his food and several days gone by. Calmly he was trying to discover the cause of his malady.

It was Eureka moment for him when he woke up from dream disturbed sleep. All of a sudden, It dawned upon him the root cause for suffering could be that on that particular day he insulted Perumal tonsured worshippers and their eating of prasad from their hands sitting in unhygienic surroundings.

It was so because a few moments before start of pain, he ridiculed the devotees with tonsured heads sitting in groups eating the prasad of venpongal and vada. He cursed himself for having uttered blasphemy and thought of making amends.

It was in the year ...Christian era1820s..

He summoned the chief priest of Thirupathi Devasathanam who was aware of collector’s blasphemy of Lord Perumal’ prasadam a week ago. The priest thought for a while and convinced himself that pain of collector is a drama or leela enacted by Lord Perumal Himself.

That morning’s fresh prasad of pongal and vada he carried in a brass thooku ( container) arrived at the manor. Upon seeing him, the collector through tears narrating his tale of woe sought remedy.

The priest in halting english hesitatingly told him,
“Sir I would request you to permit me to say the remedy and listen to it without getting angry”.
Holding his left palm on his abdomen the collector
nodded his head vertically and said, “go ahead. I will listen and do whatever you suggest”.

The chief priest taken out with help of a long-handled wooden-ladle from the thooku -metal container - the venpongal (வெண்பொங்கல்) and transferred it into the stretched out right hand of the collector and requested him (collector) to put it into his mouth and gently swallow.

Manroe eagerly received palmful - the small ball of prasad- in three successive instalments; and with each instalment before putting into his mouth his eyes remained shut tight and in sincere prayer to Lord Perumal. He swallowed happily the prasad.

After washing his hands, Manroe returned to bed and could sat erect comfortably over the brim of the cot. He felt the miracle. His eye-brows knitted in wonder. By keeping right palm over his abdomen, he felt a calm stomach. He felt peaceful with ache completely dissolved and vanished. He turned ecstatic.

In awe he made statements “I am left in wonder and made to realise the power of Perumal. My own British physicians tried in vain for several days on end but their treatment with pills and injections did nothing good for diminishing my excruciating pain and waves in my stomach. How the nagging pain that was troubling me for weeks on end disappeared completely in a jiffy after my swallowing the Perumal’s prasad of venpongal!

My finding fault with Prasad has put me in quandary and in perpetual pain. Sure Prasad is panacea that had eliminated the agonising pain. I would disseminate this information of kindness of Perumal far & wide.” He further added, “I owe my cure to Lord Perumal and so shall not remain quiet without doing something in gratitude. Call my senior staff here..”

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He issued an order forthwith instructing that it be implemented with immediate effect.
Inter alia, the contents of the order ran thus:
“Immediately after offering to the Lord Perumal
The venpongal-vada,
the prsad shall continually be distributed within the temple complex to thronging devotees throughout the day and night.
I order that the henceforth, entire annual tax revenue collected from the nearby village GHODDABAHYAL situated in the distrct of VAYALBADH shall be made available to this Perumal temple to meet the cost of preparation & distribution of prasad - pongal vada.“

From that time onwards, Manroe commanded respect not only from worshippers of Perumal but also from other communities. He became ardent devotee of Lord Perumal.
To facilitate Devasthanam for managing temple affairs and for smooth celebration of festival seasons, Manroe was always quick to sanction generously and liberally funds and staff in time.

Even to this day, Godabhayal tax revenue is allocated as grant in the name of “Manro Kangalam (kaingaryam - கைங்கர்யம்)”.

What one wonders is that even to this day revenue without any embezzlement from Godhbhayal village is transferred to Thirupathi Devasthanam bank account to meet cost of Perumal Prasad. One must thank the revenue collectors of the village for governing the village in exemplary manner without any corruption.

All over the globe, devout men join together and manage to get build new Srinivasa Perumal temple constructed in the city they dwell. Whitemen seemed to turn more devout and cooperative in this endeavour . One hears large temples raised in sprawling complex with huge funds built for Perumal In Australia, Great Britain, Newzeland & United States.
Even these acts seemed to happen due to the infinite power of Perumal.
He spreads His wings all over the globe.
He is The Lord of Kaliyugh.

(only in 1940 the offering changed to laddu and today & everyday distributed free to all devotees after their darshan of LORD.
Sir Thomas Manroe sitting majestically atop a stallion - a tall statue can be seen at near island grounds, Mount Road(Anna Salai) Chennai-India.
The combined height of the statue of Arabian horse and the rider is more than 15 feet. The horse gazes calmly while Munro strikes a thoughtful pose, both still, yet ready to lunge forward into motion)

 

Thank you dear Sister Ms Maalti from bottom of my heart for your heartfelt comments and that too the maiden one for this post. I am delighted that you experienced childhood nostalgia and the read brought me into focus on that cold misty early morning days of Mārghazhï. I too was in same boat - an early raiser for singing bhajan in group on streets of Triplicane in 1950s only with ghee smeared cashew- pongal at the back of mind. But then i was always an early bird to run to marina beach..
Regards.

 

I Came across reports the devotees drop unusual items into the srivari hundi such as silver skull, whiskey bottle, cigarettes, tooth brush camera wrist-watch etc . It is amusing to read in the link
Pilgrims drop unusual gifts in hundi | Hyderabad News - Times of India

 

I owe my thanks to you and to the Lord Perumal of THIRUPATHI.
I don't think I will ever hv answers for your query.
But Manroe felt the cure 100% he enjoyed was due to Dr Perumal esq aka Srinivasa. Have you ever visited Him at THIRUPATHI? Many after darshan & return from Thirumala attributes their subsequent successes in their efforts to His blessings.
Bachelor Velu at forty - my launderer- was in huge debts and was eke out a living with aged mother only by doing a laundry job. I suggested him to visit and darsh Perumal of THIRUPATHI - every sat in tamil month Puratassi ( mid Sep to mid Oct). After every sat-visit he brought to me Laddu prasad.
Few month later to his visit, he said his marriage is fixed with a graduate girl from his kins and three months later he said she is expecting and he got a car-shed rent free to carry out his laundry job. A year later, he was proud dad of twins - he cleared off debts and his spouse too opened a Xerox and job typing work in the same car-shed. After a year, Velus came to seek my blessings with their twin sons - kids on a Sunday. He came in a bike. What a raise Perumal bestowed upon him and his family. I suggested that he should visit with spouse Perumal again. It was all a decade ago. Now he is owner of a small independent house near market place and employed two handicapped girls to assist in their job. That is Power of Perumal.
Regards.

 

Thank you sister.
There is another British collector in undivided India was blessed by Madurai Meenakshi. Story in link
Meenakshi Vs. Ross Peter & Hid White Stallion

Regards.