Pages 6-12
The previous year before Swaminathan became SwamigaL, the then Sri KamakoTi PiThAdhipatigaL was camping in a village called Saaram, located a few miles away from Tindivanam. A short time before that he had risen in his blessing stance in another village called Perumukkal near Tindivanam, for chAturmAsyam. Even at that time, a magnetic attraction had developed between that PiThAdhipati SwamigaL and Swaminathan. Meetings had taken place between the two that surprised the people of the place as to what subject could there be to converse in private, between a twelve year old school boy and a Jagad Acharya. Nevertheless, more than those sAmIpya sa~ndippugaL (meetings in person), when after finishing his chAturmAsyam, the PiThAdhipatigaL started from his two months camp and went to the Alayam (temple) of that place in what was known as the viShvarUpa yAtrA, the bAlakan saw the Acharyadeva in the temple from a distance, and it was only then for him, "Something that cannot be described as this or that, registered deep in mind!"
Maha PeriyavAL has generously given a lot of details about his external life to the author of this essay, but showed his inner life only much less than the 'tip of the iceberg', therefore slipped away from revealing more than what he said above!
Thus, that 'something that cannot be described as this or that' did not leave the baAlakan to stay doing nothing about it. Although on that occasion he returned home with his father-mother, later when he came to know about the PiThAdhipatigaL visiting Saaram village, that 'something' stired and prodded him--out of the house.
One day, before dawn, without informing his parents about it, he started for the SriMaTham camp.
The young heart longed to have a companion. He went to his classmate Krishnaswamy's home. As he was not able to 'kidnap in stealth' the boy who was doing Kumbakarna upAsana (fast asleep), he gestured to a relative-lad of the boy who was sleeping near his friend but woke up suddenly, asking the boy to follow him silently.
Both the young things (chiTTu) flew away.
The bAlan who was running towards Acharyapada's sripAda (holy feet), had pain in his legs. Right at that time they spotted a cart belonging to the MaTham going towards the village Saaram. Both the boys rushed prodding their aching legs even harder, with the thought of catching that cart for further travel.
Swaminathan also spotted the mEnA (palanquin) of the PiThAdhipati going before the cart, which made his Ananda swell for a kShaNam (moment). The reason his happiness subsided after a second was that he saw that the bhoyis who carried the mEnA were jogging at a hectic pace. The clever boys understood that the sage had gone on vijayam (visit) to some surrounding village the previous day and was hastily returning to his Saaram camp in that tender morning. Therefore, they somehow digested the situation that they could only have the darshan of the mEnA then, with no possibility of darshan of the traveller in the mEnA.
They decided to seek a place in the MaTham cart as they thought earlier, so they rushed toward it and caught the vehicle.
kArvAr Sri Venkataramaiyer was inside the cart.
'kArubAru' in Telugu refers to government administration. Based on that term, the name kArvAr came to refer to the man holding an important administrative responsibility in large institutions. The chief official of SriMaTham has the names 'srikAryam', 'agent'; also referred to as 'sarva muktiyArnAmA'. Next comes the kajAnA adhikAri called 'kajAnji'. Third in the hierarchy is 'kArvAr', then 'mEstri (supervisor)'.
Venkataramaiyer, who had became a SriMaTham chippanti (staff member) many years before Sri Maha PeriyavAL ascended to the PiTham, was also a strict kArvAr for a long time in PeriyavAL's PiThAdhipatyam.
That kaRAr (strictness) he showed on that day to those chiRar (lads)!
To Swaminathan who asked for a place in the cart, he showed the rule 'the MaTham cart is only meant for people who belonged to the MaTham' and refused to let him climb in.
Just like the muRukkup pATTi refused to give him a discount! Another paribhava (humiliation) in this way to the tavak kuzhandai (child born out of tapas-penance)!
However, just like he challenged the pATTiammai then, he did not do anything now; only continued his 'Nataraja service' (walking)!
The bAlakAs reached the Saaram village. Gurunathar welcomed them, in the camp, his face blossming--as the sAram (essence) of shuddha premai (pure love)!
Instead of asking how the two lads came alone, he said in sarva sahajam (very naturally), "Swaminatha, ingEyE iru~nduDEn (why don't you stay/remain here)!"
As how much dIrgha darshanam (previson of a long future) did the later times regard it? But then at that time? It had occurred to the bAlaka in earlier times of his darshan of SriGuru, if he could stay with the sage without returning home. But at this time specifically? Since the bAlaka in some rush had come without informing his home, and as he had the prevailing feeling of how anxious would the parents be--his friends' too--not finding their children at home, he told the truth without hiding anything to the PiThAdhipatigaL and sought his early leave to return home. (Later too he was 'pecked away' by the SriMaTham people to 'remain there itself', without his even informing home!)
"Having come, stay here for at least a couple of days and then go. I shall send word to your home right now", said the gurunAtha pitA with vAtsalyam, seeing in the lad his own jnAna putra. And forthwith he sent word.
Two days later, when he bid farewell to Swaminathan, he ordered a chippanti take the boys to Tindivanam in the SriMaTham cart.
He could also do this adhisaya vAhana upakAram (strange obligation of a vehicle) according to the nyAya that the vehicle is meant only for those who belong to the MaTham? Because, then and there, why even before that time when he first met Swaminathan, he had made a saMkalpam to have the boy as his successor!
The bAlar who returned home in the MaTham cart, did not at that time meet the kArvAr in person. Still, as one who had administered the MaTham affairs in all strictness, he would have heard the strange news that the official cart was used to take the school boys home; and also obtained the inner paripakvam (spiritual maturity). The same story of the pATTiammai again!
Later, within four to five months when this Swaminathan was elected as the next PiThAdhipati, in the rush of events on that day, from Kalavai where SriMaTham was camping then, it was a cart drawn by kOvERu kazhudai (mule, as the mount of a king) that was sent to bring the vArisu (successor)! Like a god that was sought to be worshipped accosting the devotee by crossing his path, the iLamkO (young king) having been spotted in Kanchi, a town that was the single large capital of SriMaTham, the vAhanam locked to an ERu vilangu (mule), took him there and then and brought him to Kalavai.
This would in all certainty have been known to the kArvAr. Not only known to him, but there would also have been his role in sending the cart. But then, the hero of our essay did not witness the paripakvam of the official at this juncture too.
It took sometime later, by which time Swaminathan had become SwamigaL and the yajamAna (boss) who does 'kArubAru' as one in rank far above the 'kArvAr!
It was a day of festivity, or so it seemed. The MaTham carts were given a coat of paint and decorated. To supervise the work, that kArvAr himself brought the 'yajamAnan' Swamy!
BalaGuruswamy had a look all the carts, rolling his splendid eye. Also looked at the kArvAr meaningfully, in a way the meaning sank in the official's heart!
The kArvAr face bowed, with the thought 'I refused him to take in one cart that day; today all these carts belong to him'.
BalaGuruswamy's milky words raised with coolness, the face that bowed! The parivu mozhi (word of compassion) that wipes away the guilt and comforts! In that a subtle streak of humour!
"It was (the case) then that only those belong to the MaTham could climb into a cart. Now you people have made all these carts, even this MaTham itself, as mine. But even now for me it is the same thing--not climbing into a cart", he said, that sannyAsa chakravarti (emperor of ascetics) who had the tuRavaRa niyamam (discipline of asceticism), of not climbing into a cart that has a wheel!
Glossary:
kajAnA - treasury, public treasury.
paribhava - m. insult, injury, humiliation, contempt, disgrace.
The previous year before Swaminathan became SwamigaL, the then Sri KamakoTi PiThAdhipatigaL was camping in a village called Saaram, located a few miles away from Tindivanam. A short time before that he had risen in his blessing stance in another village called Perumukkal near Tindivanam, for chAturmAsyam. Even at that time, a magnetic attraction had developed between that PiThAdhipati SwamigaL and Swaminathan. Meetings had taken place between the two that surprised the people of the place as to what subject could there be to converse in private, between a twelve year old school boy and a Jagad Acharya. Nevertheless, more than those sAmIpya sa~ndippugaL (meetings in person), when after finishing his chAturmAsyam, the PiThAdhipatigaL started from his two months camp and went to the Alayam (temple) of that place in what was known as the viShvarUpa yAtrA, the bAlakan saw the Acharyadeva in the temple from a distance, and it was only then for him, "Something that cannot be described as this or that, registered deep in mind!"
Maha PeriyavAL has generously given a lot of details about his external life to the author of this essay, but showed his inner life only much less than the 'tip of the iceberg', therefore slipped away from revealing more than what he said above!
Thus, that 'something that cannot be described as this or that' did not leave the baAlakan to stay doing nothing about it. Although on that occasion he returned home with his father-mother, later when he came to know about the PiThAdhipatigaL visiting Saaram village, that 'something' stired and prodded him--out of the house.
One day, before dawn, without informing his parents about it, he started for the SriMaTham camp.
The young heart longed to have a companion. He went to his classmate Krishnaswamy's home. As he was not able to 'kidnap in stealth' the boy who was doing Kumbakarna upAsana (fast asleep), he gestured to a relative-lad of the boy who was sleeping near his friend but woke up suddenly, asking the boy to follow him silently.
Both the young things (chiTTu) flew away.
The bAlan who was running towards Acharyapada's sripAda (holy feet), had pain in his legs. Right at that time they spotted a cart belonging to the MaTham going towards the village Saaram. Both the boys rushed prodding their aching legs even harder, with the thought of catching that cart for further travel.
Swaminathan also spotted the mEnA (palanquin) of the PiThAdhipati going before the cart, which made his Ananda swell for a kShaNam (moment). The reason his happiness subsided after a second was that he saw that the bhoyis who carried the mEnA were jogging at a hectic pace. The clever boys understood that the sage had gone on vijayam (visit) to some surrounding village the previous day and was hastily returning to his Saaram camp in that tender morning. Therefore, they somehow digested the situation that they could only have the darshan of the mEnA then, with no possibility of darshan of the traveller in the mEnA.
They decided to seek a place in the MaTham cart as they thought earlier, so they rushed toward it and caught the vehicle.
kArvAr Sri Venkataramaiyer was inside the cart.
'kArubAru' in Telugu refers to government administration. Based on that term, the name kArvAr came to refer to the man holding an important administrative responsibility in large institutions. The chief official of SriMaTham has the names 'srikAryam', 'agent'; also referred to as 'sarva muktiyArnAmA'. Next comes the kajAnA adhikAri called 'kajAnji'. Third in the hierarchy is 'kArvAr', then 'mEstri (supervisor)'.
Venkataramaiyer, who had became a SriMaTham chippanti (staff member) many years before Sri Maha PeriyavAL ascended to the PiTham, was also a strict kArvAr for a long time in PeriyavAL's PiThAdhipatyam.
That kaRAr (strictness) he showed on that day to those chiRar (lads)!
To Swaminathan who asked for a place in the cart, he showed the rule 'the MaTham cart is only meant for people who belonged to the MaTham' and refused to let him climb in.
Just like the muRukkup pATTi refused to give him a discount! Another paribhava (humiliation) in this way to the tavak kuzhandai (child born out of tapas-penance)!
However, just like he challenged the pATTiammai then, he did not do anything now; only continued his 'Nataraja service' (walking)!
The bAlakAs reached the Saaram village. Gurunathar welcomed them, in the camp, his face blossming--as the sAram (essence) of shuddha premai (pure love)!
Instead of asking how the two lads came alone, he said in sarva sahajam (very naturally), "Swaminatha, ingEyE iru~nduDEn (why don't you stay/remain here)!"
As how much dIrgha darshanam (previson of a long future) did the later times regard it? But then at that time? It had occurred to the bAlaka in earlier times of his darshan of SriGuru, if he could stay with the sage without returning home. But at this time specifically? Since the bAlaka in some rush had come without informing his home, and as he had the prevailing feeling of how anxious would the parents be--his friends' too--not finding their children at home, he told the truth without hiding anything to the PiThAdhipatigaL and sought his early leave to return home. (Later too he was 'pecked away' by the SriMaTham people to 'remain there itself', without his even informing home!)
"Having come, stay here for at least a couple of days and then go. I shall send word to your home right now", said the gurunAtha pitA with vAtsalyam, seeing in the lad his own jnAna putra. And forthwith he sent word.
Two days later, when he bid farewell to Swaminathan, he ordered a chippanti take the boys to Tindivanam in the SriMaTham cart.
He could also do this adhisaya vAhana upakAram (strange obligation of a vehicle) according to the nyAya that the vehicle is meant only for those who belong to the MaTham? Because, then and there, why even before that time when he first met Swaminathan, he had made a saMkalpam to have the boy as his successor!
The bAlar who returned home in the MaTham cart, did not at that time meet the kArvAr in person. Still, as one who had administered the MaTham affairs in all strictness, he would have heard the strange news that the official cart was used to take the school boys home; and also obtained the inner paripakvam (spiritual maturity). The same story of the pATTiammai again!
Later, within four to five months when this Swaminathan was elected as the next PiThAdhipati, in the rush of events on that day, from Kalavai where SriMaTham was camping then, it was a cart drawn by kOvERu kazhudai (mule, as the mount of a king) that was sent to bring the vArisu (successor)! Like a god that was sought to be worshipped accosting the devotee by crossing his path, the iLamkO (young king) having been spotted in Kanchi, a town that was the single large capital of SriMaTham, the vAhanam locked to an ERu vilangu (mule), took him there and then and brought him to Kalavai.
This would in all certainty have been known to the kArvAr. Not only known to him, but there would also have been his role in sending the cart. But then, the hero of our essay did not witness the paripakvam of the official at this juncture too.
It took sometime later, by which time Swaminathan had become SwamigaL and the yajamAna (boss) who does 'kArubAru' as one in rank far above the 'kArvAr!
It was a day of festivity, or so it seemed. The MaTham carts were given a coat of paint and decorated. To supervise the work, that kArvAr himself brought the 'yajamAnan' Swamy!
BalaGuruswamy had a look all the carts, rolling his splendid eye. Also looked at the kArvAr meaningfully, in a way the meaning sank in the official's heart!
The kArvAr face bowed, with the thought 'I refused him to take in one cart that day; today all these carts belong to him'.
BalaGuruswamy's milky words raised with coolness, the face that bowed! The parivu mozhi (word of compassion) that wipes away the guilt and comforts! In that a subtle streak of humour!
"It was (the case) then that only those belong to the MaTham could climb into a cart. Now you people have made all these carts, even this MaTham itself, as mine. But even now for me it is the same thing--not climbing into a cart", he said, that sannyAsa chakravarti (emperor of ascetics) who had the tuRavaRa niyamam (discipline of asceticism), of not climbing into a cart that has a wheel!
Glossary:
kajAnA - treasury, public treasury.
paribhava - m. insult, injury, humiliation, contempt, disgrace.
. Among the Patal Petra Sthalams near Vizhuppuram, there is a place bearing the very name Mundeechvaram (muNDIchvaram). Next to Vizhuppuram is another place called Mundiyampakkam with a railway station. I had mentioned in my earlier-written essay about our TuRavi Vendar's (ascetic king's) birthplace thus being surrounded by places that have connection with turavu (asceticism). Whereas (on reading it) SriCharaNar said playfully, "It can also be taken to mean the good-for-nothing muNDam (headless body)!" He also gave an interesting new piece of information: "There are stone inscriptions, that, for the very place Mundeechvaram having the name of a moTTaitthalai (tonsured head), give name in Sanskrit as 'Mauligramam' and in Tamil as a direct translation, as 'Tirumudi' (tirumuDi). Our (SriMaTham) Swami is also Chandramauli, right? Those who carry that name, we call them just 'Mauli'". Thus he showed one more connection.
