Acharyals Related Posts

Dear Vidya !

I got it as junk ! How did everyone read it ? I want to read it too!
Love,
Chithra.

 

Dear ChitVish,

Please PM me your email id. I shall email it to you. The word document that contains the article is more than 44 KB and I am unable to upload it here.

Thanks
Vidya

 

Re: An Article about Periava in Sakthi vikatan

Dear ILites,

Here is one more article from Raa.Ganapathi on his experiences with HH MahaPeriavaa translated by Shri SaiDevo, an ardent Kanchi devotee.

"Where did you learn?"

As narrated by Sri D.Sivasubramanian, Dy. Director Handloom (Retd.) TN Govt. now doing seva at Sri MaTham Office, with thanks to him for his permission to post his recollection in KF:

As an ardent devotee of Kanchi MahaswamigaL, I have great pleasure to read articles appearing in magaziness, souvenirs etc. about MahaswamigaL and I am used to preserve them in my library.

On one such occasion I was thrilled by an article written by Dr. C.R. Swaminathan, former Deputy Educational advisor to Govt. of India. given to a souvenir. I reproduce a gist of the article, the message of which, I feel, should be spread among the present generation.

This happened in the year 1956-57, when H.H. Sri Kanchi MahaswamigaL was camping at the Madras Sanskrit College, Mylapore, Madras.

One evening, MahaswamigaL was about to address a huge gathering in which great personalities like Rajaji were present. He was contemplating about the topic he should speak on.

Suddenly, he called late Prof. Sankaranarayana Iyer, who was standing by the side of the dais and recited two lines of a Sanskrit verse. He asked the Professor if he remembered the remaining two lines of that verse. The Professor pleaded ignorance and got down from the dais.

This conversation took place before the mike, so audience gathered could easily hear its details. Dr. C. R. Swaminathan, the author of the article on Mahaperiyava, heard the beginning of the Sanskrit verse that Periyavaa recited. Since he happened to know the other two lines of the verse, he went to Prof. Sankaranarayana Iyer and told him those two lines.

The Professor went up the dais again and recited the lines before MahaswamigaL.

Mahaperiyava asked him, "You said you did not know the lines. How come you know them now?"

The professor replied "Someone in the audience remembered it and told me."

Mahaperiyavaa inquired who was the person and told the Profession to call Dr. Swaminathan to the dais. When he came, Paramacharya inquired about his name and occupation. Then the sage asked, "Where did you study?" Thinking that the question was about his academic education, Dr. Swaminathan replied that he studied in the Presidency College, Madras.

"Not that. Where did you learn this verse?"

Dr. C.R. said that his grandfather taught him the verse when he was a child. Paramacharaya inquired about his native place, his grandfather's name and his family details. The entire conversation was held before the mike, so the audience heard every bit of it.

 

Re: An Article about Periava in Sakthi vikatan

The verse in question was the following:

arthathuranam na gurur na bandhu
kSudhAthuranam na ruciki na pakvam
vidyathurANAm, na sukham, na nidhrA
kamathuranam na bhayam na lajja

One who pursues wealth knows no guru or relations.
One who is hungry knows not taste or if the food was cooked well.
One who pursues knowledge knows neither comfort nor sleep.
One who has desires knows no fear or shame.

Later in the discourse, Paramacharya dealt with the Kenopanishad and explained how Goddess Parvati came as a teacher to enlighten the celestials about the supreme Brahmin.

When concluding the discourse, he referred to the earlier incident and said:

"Before I started delivering my discourse, I called a young man to the stage to know where from he learnt the subhashita verse, of which I recited the first half. I knew who he was. What I wanted him to tell you about his reciting the other two lines this moral verse was that he had learnt it, not from his school or college, but from his grand-father, and that during his childhood days. It was to impress upon you all that children should get moral education at home from elders because they cannot get it from the modern schools and colleges".

Dr. Swaminathan concluded his article with these words:

"I am recalling this incident to show that an insignificant person like myself, extremely nervous, while standing before H.H. on the dais, noticed by about thousands of people forming the audience, could be utilisied by the Acharya to drive home to the audience that (a) a joint family system with elderly parents and grand parents can serve as a valuable supplement to the school education of young children (b) the elders can usefully spend their time by narrating such stories and morals to the children and (c) such teaching can be retained in one's memory only if imparted at the formative age."

The above incident happened 50 years before, but the message holds good even today and will stand for years to come.

 

Re: An Article about Periava in Sakthi vikatan

My dear Vidya,
You have written it right. I fully agree with Periyaval's statement.
When I was very young, my mother made it a point to chant aditya hrudayam, Vishnu sahasranamam in the morning when plaiting our hair, working in the kitchen etc. She would not allow us to talk in between. Now, I feel, I learnt them effortlessly, that eventoday, I can chant them like Shatabdi express.

All the others like Lalitha S, S lahari etc which I learnt at a later age - I definitely need books not to make a mistake. Whatever role was played by my mother, I think now the C Ds play. That is how my daughter & DIL, teach their children!
Thanks for your thoughtful, regular articles about our Nadamadum Deivam.
Love,
Chithra.

 

Re: An Article about Periava in Sakthi vikatan

thanku kb,
for enlightening the incidence which we would not have known otherwise, pl do post more of these kind, keep it up regards sunkan

 

Re: An Article about Periava in Sakthi vikatan

My dear Vidya (vmur),

Thank you for another enlightening article about Maha Periyavaal. We are blessed that we got to spend our lives on earth when the living Sankara spread His gospel- be it profound or pragmatic like the joys of living in a joint family.

Incidentally, I was listening to Maitreem Bhajatha when reading your article.

Thanks Kb2000 for pdf version of the other articles.

affly
Vidya

 

Mahaperiyava_Picture

Hi All,
This is deepika and am a schoolgoing girl... Nice to be part of Indusladies community.
My dad keeps collecting wonderful pictures of Kanchi Mahaperiyava. Thought of sharing a very nice and bright picture of Periyava.

 

Re: Mahaperiyava_Picture

Nice picture.Thank you