Picture of Shankara with his mum
Miracles have no boundaries. It can happen anywhere and at anytime. Adi Shankara and Tamil saint Pattinathar are known to have done it in the crematoriums. It is the story about mothers on pyres. Hindus hold mother above God. The Vedas say “ Mathru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava and Athithi Devo Bhava” (Mother,Father and Guest are treated with great respect). Another Sanskrit saying goes thus “Matha Pitha Guru Deivam “ meaning Mother,Father and Guru/teacher are equal to Gods.
A famous story in Tamil is about Ganesh doing circumambulation of his mum and dad to get the mango fruit in a Round the World competition with his brother Skanda (please read Two Mangoes that changed the Tamil World in my blog). Great saints Ramana Maharishi and Sri Sathya Sai Baba built Samadhis for their mothers. Tamil hymns also praise mother as God.
Adi Shankara tricked his mother to get Sanyas (renouncing the world and becoming an ascetic) when a crocodile grabbed him in the river in Kaladi in Kerala (India). He told his mother that his life span was over for this birth. But Sanyas is second life. So he asked his mum’s permission to become an ascetic. Loving mothers wouldn’t like their sons to be devoured by crocodiles. So she said yes. He was to embark on a mighty mission to change India and reform Hinduism. His mother wouldn’t want her only son to leave her alone. But Shankara promised that he would come back on her last day. Just her thought would bring him back, he said. And that day came. Shankara came back and wanted to cremate her body. The ever quarrelling relatives did not allow him to cremate the body. He took his mother’s body on his shoulders to the garden in the house, just spelt a mantra and his mother’s body was burnt to ashes. Shankara’s life is full of miracles like Krishna, Buddha, Moses and Jesus. This is one of them.
Picture of Pattinathar
Tamil Miracle
The same thing happened with a great Tamil saint known as Pattinathar. His name means Mr City Dweller. He was from a famous harbour city of ancient Tamil Nadu Kaveri Pumpattinam (Pumpuhar). Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he was greatly attached to his business and wealth. But a miracle weaned him away from these. He left all his wealth and revelled in divine vagabondry. Like his predecessors, he went from shrine to shrine singing the glory of Lord Siva.
Though he renounced everything he had, he never gave up his love and affection towards his mother. When she died he came back to do the last rites. No doubt that his close relatives did not like this. They did not want a vagabond to do this. Sensing this Pattinathar spread his mother’s body on green plantain tree stems and sang a decad. When he sang the seventh verse of the decad the green, wet banana stem burst in to flames consuming the body laid on it.
Dr T N Ramachandran has translated Pattinathar poems in to English. I am giving below the seventh verse only:
“ In the distant past, it was the three
Skyie cities that were set fire to;
The later burning was Lanka, in the south.
By her death, my mother has set aflame my stomach;
Let the fire lit by me swell and soar”-- (Pattinathar verse)
Hindu ascetics are not supposed to entertain any connection with blood relatives including own fathers. But one exemption is that they can salute their mothers if they happen to see them. Such a high status was given to mother in Hinduism. Shankara and Pattinathar did that. In their own life times Ramana Maharishi of Tiruvannamalai and Sri Sathya Sai of Puttaparthi did build Samadhis for their mothers.
Picture of Ramana's Mother Samadhi
Earlier posts on Miracles:
1.Miracles Do Happen 2. Do Words Have Powers? 3. The Amazing Power of the Human Mind 4. Miracles! You Can Do It 5.Rain Miracles: Rain by Fire and Music 6. Do Hindus Believe in ETs and Alien Worlds? 7. Aladdin’s Magic Lamp and Tamil Saints 8. Hindu List of Miracles
Pictures are taken from other websites. Thanks.
தமிழ் மேற்கோள்
முன்னையிட்ட தீ முப்புரத்திலே
பின்னையிட்ட தீ தென் இலங்கையில்
அன்னை இட்ட தீ அடி வயிற்றிலே
யானும் இட்ட தீ மூள்க மூள்கவே ! (தகனக் கிரியை பதிகம்,பட்டினத்தார்)
