E-Book from Kanchi Periva Forum

Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History

Author: Sri Subi Anna

Volume 2 August 2013 - Anusham
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Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History Volume 2

By Subi Anna

Table of Contents
Introduction .......................... 3 Preamble ............................... 4 Chapter 9 ............................... 5 The Beginning of 21-Year Long Travels (1919-1939) .. 5 Vyasa Poornima ................. 5 Vyasa Pooja at Veppathur 6 Chaturmasyam ................... 6 Mahodaya in Vedaranyam 7 Visit to Mayavaram* city .. 7 Muslim Scholars Meeting 8 Other Travels ..................... 8 Camp at Patteeswaram...... 9 Mahamaham Festival ........ 9 Inspires Volunteers .......... 10 Meets Freedom Fighter ... 10 More Travels .................... 11 First visit to Rameswaram ........................................... 12 Handloom Robes Support for National cause ............. 13 Counseling on Anger Management ..................... 13 Royal Receptions .............. 14 Madurai Visit.................... 15 Thatanga Pratishta at Thiruvanaikaval ............... 15 3- Day Conference ............ 18 Visit to Nerur .................... 19 Maha Periva helps resolve Abhishekam dispute ......... 20 Cauvery Flood .................. 22 Visit to Vallam .................. 23 Collector Meeting ............. 23 Research Work ................. 23 Hindu Culture Overseas .. 23 Ancient Paintings ............. 24 Continued Research ......... 25 Honors Scholars ............... 25

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Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History Volume 2

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We also thank our moderator Smt Sumi for her commendable efforts in coordinating the Quiz program. Please read this book in detail so that you can answer the questions with ease. This will be an Online Quiz program which will be held every month. We have plans to take this Quiz program to a larger audience - especially to the younger generation in schools and colleges, and also to the general public. We invite Quiz Administrators who will be interested in organizing this Quiz program in their own locality - India or Overseas. We will provide the reading material and the Question Bank. All you would have to do is to gather interested youngsters in your locality and conduct the Quiz competition every month. This will be a great service. If you are not already a member of our Forum and received this ebook from any of your friends, please register on the forum http://www.periva.proboards.com/ to receive our updates on the Quiz program and also to receive our regular free publications. Please also visit our parent site http://www.periva.org/ which has a rich treasure of information, articles, rare collection of videos and a large online library of direct audio files of Periva's Upanyasams. Any feedback or queries may be sent to us at kanchiperiva@gmail.com Administrator Kanchi Periva Forum Jaya Jaya Shankara! Hara Hara Shankara!!

Introduction
Hari Om! A warm welcome to the Kanchi Periva Forum, a forum intended for the devotees of His Holiness Sri Kanchi Paramacharya, fondly known to His devotees as Sri Maha Periyaval. Since its inception on 21st Dec 2011, (the Aaradhana Day of Sri Maha Periva), the Kanchi Periva Forum has been actively engaged in disseminating the teachings of the Living God, Sri Maha Periva in various forms - through regular postings on the Forum in Tamil and English; exclusively designed posters carrying the precious messages of Maha Periva; monthly Ebooks, our blog and also through our Facebook page. Our mission has been to reach out to all devotees of the Mahaswami across the globe in any way possible so as to take His valuable and precious life lessons far and wide. The Forum is a Satsang of over 2250 devotees of Maha Periva who live in different countries, belong to different age groups, speak different languages, but with one common thread between them their love, bakthi and devotion to the Paramacharya. Now, with the abundant grace and blessings of His Holiness, we are launching a complete package of Perivas life history followed by a Quiz program to encourage and motivate people to know more about the Life and teachings of Sri Maha Periva. Every Hindu must know the greatness of the Great Saint of our time, and all the initiatives that we are taking from the Forum are aimed at that direction. Our special thanks to our respected member and moderator, Sri Subi Subramanian, based out of Chicago, USA for this brilliant and untiring efforts in authoring this E-book series.

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Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History Volume 2

By Subi Anna

Preamble
On the Anusham day of July 2013, with Maha Perivas divine grace, we published the first volume of the E-book series Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History. Volume 1 covered important aspects of the early life of Maha Periva starting right from his birth in 1894, his renunciation and taking up leadership of Sri Kamakoti Peetam as its 68th head, his study phase at the Mutt, and his commendable initiatives in various fields. In this volume, we covered the period of 1894 to 1918. During the first 24 years of his life, Maha Periva had contributed immensely to the development of arts, science, education, and music. The impact of his contribution can be gauged by the heightened interest and involvement of people during later years. Volume 2 is a continuation of Volume 1.

In Volume 2, we begin with a description of Maha Perivas Vijaya Yatra victorious travels that lasted twenty-one long years (1919-1939) covering hundreds of places in South, Central and Northern India. Wherever he went, people from all communities showed their great admiration for him. Kings received him with Royal honors. Maha Periva showed deep concern for the poor. Transcending barriers of caste and creed, he showered love and affection on them. You can read a lot more on Maha Periva in this Volume 2. For those of you who did not get an opportunity to read the Volume 1, please visit the below link to download the free ebook: http://periva.proboards.com/thr ead/4764/special-seriesglimpses-perivas-history Jaya Jaya Sankara! Hara Hara Sankara!!

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Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History Volume 2

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Chapter 9
The Beginning of 21-Year Long Travels (1919-1939)
country, perform rituals, take dips in holy rivers, talk on various ancient scriptures and provide counsel to devotees. Besides hundreds of people, his entourage included 30 bullock carts, numerous animals such as elephants, horses, camels, and cows. Before starting on this long trip, Maha Periva worshipped Lord Vinayaga at the Mutt, prayed to three of his predecessor Acharyas who had attained Samadhi in the Mutt premises and performed Chandramouleeshwara Pooja (see Fig 6. Volume 1).

Maha Periva, Thanjavur Palace (1908)

In the month of March 1919, Maha Periva began his 21-year long Vijaya Yatra victorious travels across India. With a retinue of over 200 people, he started his journey from the city of Kumbakonam on an Amavasai (No Moon) day following Shivaratri. The purpose of his travel was to visit various holy spots in the

Vyasa Poornima
Hindus consider Sage Vyasa as the greatest Guru (teacher) in the world. They believe that Sage Vyasa had composed the Vedas in four distinct parts and therefore, called him as Vedavyasar. Also identified as Badarayana, Vedavyasa is considered as the

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Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History Volume 2

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author of Brahma Sutras (ancient scriptures explaining the 'Jeeva-Brahma' unity). The full moon day in the month of Ashada (Ani or Adi in Tamil) is celebrated as Vyasa Poornima. This day is also celebrated as Guru Poornima. It is an Indian tradition to honor all Gurus on this day. The three great saints namely - Adi Sankara, Ramanuja and Madhwa have written commentaries on Vyasas Brahma Sutras. Therefore, sannyasis following the three major Hindu philosophies - Advaita, Visishta Advaita and Dwaitha - celebrate Vyasa Poornima by offering prayers to Vyasa in the form of Vyasa Pooja. In Kamakoti Peetam, Vyasa Pooja is considered a very important event. Maha Periva used to perform the Vyasa Pooja with his own hands taking about 6 hours to complete it.

village about 5 miles east of Kumbakonam), Maha Periva performed the 1919 Vyasa Pooja in Veppathur.

Chaturmasyam
Because of the rainy season after Vyasa Pooja, there was likelihood that sannyasis traveling on foot may stamp or kill crawling insects and other tiny creatures. As sannyasis should not cause hurt or kill any living being, a tradition was set for sannyasis to stay at one place for four months or four pakshas (two months) following the Vyasa Pooja. The observance of stay at one place for four months or four pakshas is known as Chaturmasyam. In accordance with this age-old tradition, Maha Periva observed Chaturmasyam in Veppathur village for two months after the Vyasa Pooja.

Year: 1920
In the year 1920, Maha Periva continued his travels to many places in Thanjavur district. He was received by some of the

Vyasa Pooja at Veppathur

In deference to the wishes of the people of Veppathur (a

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Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History Volume 2

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devotees at their homes. Sirugalathur Village property owner and Kannivadi Zamindar Sri. N.R. Iyer (of Andrew Yule & Co. Calcutta) played host to Maha Periva at his home and celebrated Maha Perivas first year travels in a grand manner. While staying in Tiruuvarur city, Maha Periva worshipped at the Tyagaraja Swami temple every day.

"Tirumaraikadu" (the place of ancient Vedas).

Mahodaya in Vedaranyam
The Mahodaya is an occasion coinciding with the rising of the sun and the moon in conjunction on a Monday, the sun being in Capricorn, in the month of Poushya (January-February) and the moon in the asterism of Sravana. Hindus regard Mahodaya as very sacred occasion for taking bath in holy rivers and in sacred spots on the seashore. During the 1920 Mahodaya event, Maha Periva visited Vedaranyam, a coastal town in the southeastern tip of India. This place was earlier known by the Tamil name of
Fig. 18: Vedaranyam location on the map of Tamil Nadu, shown by red star

Maha Periva stayed in Vedaranyam for a week and had a Mahodaya holy dip in the ocean at nearby Kodikarai. Following this, he visited Nagapattinam city and stayed at the local Neelayadakshi Temple.

Visit to Mayavaram* city

Launched Veda Classes
(*renamed Mayiladuthurai)

Maha Periva performed the 1920 Vyasa Pooja in the city of Mayavaram. He stayed in this city for three months and

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Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History Volume 2

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launched Veda Classes for about 300 school students. On November 2, 1920, the Dharamapuri Adheenam chief Sri. Pandara Sannidhigal met Maha Periva and offered his respects.

What can I say before such a great person as you? In the final analysis, all religions talk about the paths to reach God. There is none bigger than God. In my heart, I see you as that God. Where there is love, one can see God. Saying this, he shed tears of happiness. The large audience witnessed an extraordinary sense of devotion displayed by a blind Muslim scholar to a Hindu saint.

Muslim Scholars Meeting

During Maha Perivas stay in Mayavaram, a Muslim scholar well versed in the Holy Quran (but blind) expressed his desire to meet Maha Periva. Maha Periva agreed to meet him and gave him an appointment. When he arrived at the scheduled time, Maha Periva was engaged in a meeting of scholars discussing the Philosophies of Hinduism. A huge crowd of people was waiting to have a Darshan of Maha Periva. Maha Periva called the Muslim scholar to his side and requested him to explain the philosophy of Islam to the large audience. The Muslim scholar gave an emotional response thus:

Other Travels
During the year 1920, Maha Periva traveled to many other places in Tamil Nadu. It is beyond the scope of this e-book to cover all the places he had visited. Maha Perivas visit and activities included the following: Sirkazhi: Darshan of the deity Chattanatha Swamy. Anaithandavapuram: Performance of Navaratri Puja. Other Places:

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Thirukadaiyur, Thirupunkur, Vaidheeswaran Koil (At this place, Maha Periva was received by Sri. Somasundara Thambiran), Thiruvenkadu (Darshan of the local deity Swathanyeswarar; prayers at the adisthanam of Parama Sivendra Saraswathi, the 57th Acharya of Kamakoti Peetam). Vaishnava Centers: Twelve Vaishnavite holy spots (out of a total 108 in India) are located in Sirkazhi Taluk. Maha Periva visited and prayed at all the 12 spots. Finally, he traveled to the city of Kaveripoompattinam and had a holy dip at the confluence of River Cauvery and the Bay of Bengal ocean.

the divine cow described Hindu mythology.

in

There is a very old Shiva (Thenupuriswarar) Temple at Patteeswaram. Maha Periva held prayers at this temple.

Mahamaham Festival
Once in twelve years, when the planet Guru (Jupiter) enters Simha (Leo) sign, a festival called "Mahamaham" is celebrated in the holy city of Kumbakonam. It is an ancient belief that on this auspicious occasion, all the holy rivers of India meet at the temple tank located in Kumbakonam. At the festival, a purificatory bath in this water tank is considered equivalent to having a dip in all the holy rivers of India. So, thousands of people from near and far including many saints and philosophers gather during Mahamaham in Kumbakonam city to have a dip in the tank. During Maha Perivas camp in Patteeswaram, Mahamaham festival was celebrated in

Year: 1921 Camp at Patteeswaram

Maha Periva camped at Patteeswaram, a village near Tarasuram, eight kilometers from Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu. The village was named after Patti, the calf of Kamadhenu,

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Kumbakonam. In accordance with the age-old tradition, Maha Periva made a trip to Kumbakonam and took holy dips in the Mahamaham water tank. Maha Periva observed that there was no traditional central mandapam (a gazebo) in the water tank. He had immediately asked a local influential person by the name of Sri. Ramabadraudayar to build a Madhya-mandapam. He also allotted some money from the mutt to begin this work.

invited all the volunteers of CMYA for a meal at the Patteeswaram camp. He spoke to the volunteers praising their services to the public. In appreciation of their good work, Maha Periva presented a silver trophy to the CMYA. Another group of volunteers led by the congress leader Panthulu Iyer also served the people at the Mahamaham. Maha Periva recognized this group too and presented a silver trophy to it. It must be noted here that Maha Periva always had an open mind. As can be seen from these two examples, he had encouraged, recognized and inspired people from different communities. You will read more such examples in this book.

Inspires Volunteers
At the Mahamaham festival, a volunteer group of around 200 young men had come from Chennai Muslim Youth Association (CMYA) to provide services to the people. Maha Periva was very pleased with the work done by these young men, most of whom were below the age of 22. They reflected a zeal for public service. Maha Periva wanted to acknowledge their services and

Meets Freedom Fighter

Subramanya Siva was known as a firebrand revolutionary independence fighter from Tamil Nadu. Unmindful of his sickness, Siva came to have a darshan of Maha Periva at the Mahamaham event.

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In the crowd, Siva stood at a distance, eagerly waiting to see Maha Periva. Neither of them had met the other before. It was therefore surprising that Maha Periva sent volunteers to bring Siva to him. Wearing ochre robes, Siva prayed to Maha Periva for Indias independence. Maha Periva blessed him.

Maha Periva visited at least 18 villages in Nannilam Taluk (district) primarily inhabited by Vathimas a small close-knit community known for observing rituals and frugal living. Vathimas are Brahmins of the Smartha sect (followers of Smritis) who diligently follow the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Sankara. This community had many rich and scholarly members. Sir. A. Seshia Sastrigal, who served as a Dewan of Travancore and Pudukottai states, belonged to this community. Maha Periva stayed for about a month in each of the 18 villages meeting thousands of people, and holding prayers. Following the visit to villages in Nannilam, Maha Periva traveled on to Mannarkudi Taluk. Accepting the invitation of Sri. Raju Mudaliar, a Shiva devotee of Poovanur village, Maha Periva stayed for about ten days in this village. During this stay, Maha Periva visited the Thevaram music school conducted by Mudaliar. Thevaram (meaning Garland to God) is a collection of songs

More Travels
On completion of 1921 Vyasa Pooja and Chaturmasyam at Kadiramangalam, Maha Periva continued his travels to many other places in Tamil Nadu. On the way, at Chellur village, Maha Periva halted to meet about 200 harijans (people considered to be of lower caste and untouchable) who had gathered to see him and seek his blessings. Maha Periva spent some time with them fondly enquiring about their welfare. He blessed them and provided them with new clothes.

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from the first seven volumes of the Tirumurai, a twelve-volume collection of Tamil Shaivite devotional poetry. It is dedicated to the works of the three most prominent Tamil devotee poets of 7th century namely Nayanars Sambandhar, Appar and Sundarar. The singing of Thevaram is continued in some of the Shiva temples of Tamil Nadu. Maha Periva enjoyed the music and content of Thevaram songs sung by the students of this school. He blessed the students and offered them small gifts as token of his appreciation.

Shiva. Rameswaram is located on Pamban Island in the Gulf of Mannar, at the Southern tip of the Indian peninsula. It is connected to mainland India by the Pamban Bridge. The Railway authorities had arranged for Maha Periva to walk over the Pamban strait railway bridge over the sea to reach Rameswaram.

Year: 1922 First visit to Rameswaram

After visiting numerous places
(Mannarkudi, Vadavoor, Kunniyur, Chittamalli, Alankadu, Pattukottai, Aranthangi, Avudayarkoil and others), Fig. 19: Pamban Rail Bridge (Source: Wikipedia)

Maha Periva traveled to Rameswaram, a Southern city considered to be one of the holiest to Hindus. Rameswara means "Lord of Rama" in Sanskrit, an epithet of

The Shiva deity installed in Rameswaram is called by the name Ramanatha Swamy. The deity appears in the form of a lingam in Rameswaram. There are 12 Jyothirlingams in India and Ramanathalingam in Rameswaram is one of them.

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The officials and priests of the Rameswaram Devasthanam received Maha Periva with full temple honors and facilitated his darshan of Ramanatha Swamy. Following tradition, Maha Periva took some sand from Ramesethu to mix it later in the River Ganges. The sand taken by Maha Periva was kept in the Pooja for 12 years until it was mixed in the holy rivers at Trivenisangam in Prayag on July 25, 1934.

He felt happy wearing the Khadi robes even if the hand-woven cloth was rough. Before visiting Rameswaram, Maha Periva had arranged to procure a pair of handloom garments for each of the Mutt staff. When he took a dip in the ocean at Dhanushkodi, he encouraged the staff to discard their garments made with mill-made cloth into the ocean (instead of burning them) and wear the handloom garments to support the national cause.

Handloom Robes Support for National cause

Mahatma Gandhis nationalist plans gave importance to the production of handloom cloth in India. At that time, many patriotic leaders used to discard garments made out of millmade cloth imported from England and burn them. Since the year 1918 when handloom garments were sold in the market, Maha Periva started wearing handloom robes to support the national cause.

Counseling on Anger Management

One day, while Maha Periva walking on the beach, a large crowd of devotees followed him. The crowd included people of all castes and communities rich and the poor. In the jostling that ensued to see Maha Periva, one of the very poor persons got himself caught on the walking path of Maha Periva.

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Glimpses from Sri Maha Perivas Life History Volume 2

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Seeing the path blocked, an agitated mirasdar (landlord) got very angry and beat the poor man with a stick so harshly that it caused a bleeding wound on him. On seeing this unpleasant sight, the ever-compassionate Maha Periva could not bear it and counseled the mirasdar briefly but strongly in the following words: You are a well-learned man with knowledge of Sastras. The Almighty God has graciously endowed you with adequate wealth and plenty of intelligence. With your Sastric knowledge, you should have the qualities of forbearance and kindness towards all fellow-beings. The very first thing that any man should do is to manage anger. Maha Periva then asked the mutt staff to help the injured poor man and send him to a place of his choice. Just a few words of counseling from Maha Periva touched the

mirasdars heart and made a tremendous impact on him. He sincerely regretted his mistake and from then, started managing his anger. In later life, this landlord renounced worldly life, adopted Sannyashram and became an Atma-gnani (one who with selfknowledge). Maha Perivas counseling is relevant even today when many people tend to flare up even on small issues.

Royal Receptions
During the month of October 1922, two kings received and hosted Maha Periva. The first king was the Maharaja of Ramanthapuram Muthuramalinga Sethupathy, and the second one was the Raja Muthuvijaya Raghunath of Sivaganga. Both these kings received Maha Periva with Royal honors and hosted him. The Royalties performed the traditional Pada Pooja and Bhikshai to Maha Periva.

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Madurai Visit
After visiting numerous other cities and villages, Maha Periva arrived in Madurai city on November 12, 1922. The citizens of Madurai had made elaborate arrangements to receive Maha Periva and take him around the city in a procession. Maha Periva stayed at the Kalyana Mandapam (wedding hall) of the famous Meenakshi temple in Madurai. During the day, he performed his daily Pooja and in the evenings, he delivered spiritual discourses (upanyasams). Thousands of devotees witnessed the Pooja and heard his lectures.

After staying Madurai for about a month, Maha Periva moved out of this city on December 12, 1922.

Year: 1923
In the first quarter of 1923, Maha Periva traveled to dozens of places in the southern parts of Tamil Nadu. He visited Tiruchendur and worshipped Lord Subramanya, on whom Sri Adi Sankara had composed a 33-verse hymn Subramanian Bhujangam. He visited many towns and villages places near the banks of Tambirabharani River that flows from the Western Ghats through Tirunelveli & Tuticorin districts of Tamil Nadu.

Thatanga Pratishta at Thiruvanaikaval

To help readers understand this part of the book, we provide a short background of Thiruvanaikaval, a suburb of Tiruchirappalli city (also called Tiruchy) in Tamil Nadu.

Fig. 20: A view of Madurai Temple

(Source: Jorge Royan)

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It is situated on the northern banks of the Cauvery River adjacent to the holy city of Srirangam. The Kamakoti Peetam has Mutts (centres) at many holy places. The Mutt established in Thiruvanaikaval is believed to be the oldest. It was the practice of Brahmins to perform the ritual of Upanayanam at this Mutt. Sir. M. Viswesvarayya, one of the well-known civil engineers of India had said that his Upanayanam was performed at the Thiruvanaikaval Mutt. The Mutt was made of stone construction. Over time, the building had deteriorated. In 1920, Maha Periva had ordered the renovation of this Mutt to make it a centre for teaching Vedas. Following Maha Perivas instructions, this Mutt was rebuilt later with modern facilities including living quarters for teachers and students. Thiruvanaikaval is also called Jambukeswaram. It is one of the Pancha Bhoota Kshetrams.

(Five temples, dedicated to Lord Shiva, each representing the manifestation of the five prime elements of nature - land, water, air, sky, fire). Thiruvanaikaval is known as Appu Kshetram holy place manifesting water). The Shiva lingam at this temple is surrounded by water from a perennial sub-terrain spring. The presiding Shiva deity at this temple is known by the name Jambukeswarar. His consort is known as Goddess Akilandeshwari.

Fig. 21: Thiruvanaikaval Temple View

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It is believed that Sri Adi Sankara performed a ritual called Srichakra Pratishtai (a ceremony to install Sri chakram jewel) at various Indian temples of Parashakti (Goddess) to soften the deities Ugrakalai (harmful aspect of Devi's anger). The deities thus adorning the Srichakra are Annapoorani in Varanasi, Mookambikai in Karnataka, Kamakshi in Kanchipuram, Thirupurasundari in Chennai suburbs Thiruvottiyur and Akilandeswari in Thiruvanaikaval. The Srichakra is shaped differently at each of these places. At Thiruvanaikaval, Sri Adi Sankara consecrated the Thatangams (ear rings) in the form of Srichakra, now adorning the ears of Devi Akhilandeswari. In addition, Sri Adi Sankara installed an idol of Ganapathy in front of Devi Akilandeswari. As and when considered necessary, it was the sacred duty of the Kanchi Kamakoti Acharyas to carry out the renovation of the Thatangams and perform the reinstallation ceremony.

In the year 1920, the temple authorities of Thiruvanaikaval had expressed concerns to Kamakoti Peetam on the deteriorating condition of the Thatangams and sought their renewal. Maha Periva had considered this matter deeply and decided to renovate the Thatangams and place them in Srichakra-shaped diamond-studded outer covers to make them last much longer.

Fig 22: Devi Akilandeswari

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When Maha Periva arrived in Tiruchirapalli for the Thatanga Pratishta (A ceremony for installing the ear rings on the deity), the citys municipal chairman Sri. Natesa Iyer and citizens of the city gave him a rousing reception. Natesa Iyer had provided a description of the city reception in an article, gist of which follows. The reception accorded to Maha Periva was far above what is generally provided to VIPs like Maharajas, Viceroys and Governors. Maha Periva was taken in a 7-mile long procession that included: 7 pairs of Nadaswaram; 3 pairs of musical bands; Bhajan and other musical groups; 4 elephants, many horses, camels et al and lakhs of people Hindus, Christians, Muslims and others belonging to all sections of society. On the way, people honored Maha Periva with Poorna Kumbams (a Hindu Ritual to welcome an honored person), and flowers. Starting at 6:00 PM from Tiruchirapalli, the

procession took over 4 hours to reach Thiruvanaikaval. Two days earlier to the Thatanga Pratishta, a large Yaagasala (a place to perform ritual sacrifices) was constructed in the temple premises. On Sunday, April 29, 1923, Maha Periva installed the pair of Thatangams on Devis ears. It was a grand occasion and people felt blessed to witness the event. At the Rangoon Reddiar Choultry, food was served to thousands of devotees for seven days.

3- Day Conference
Following the event, there was a 3-day conference that brought together scholars, politicians, top government officials, lawyers, members of diverse religious groups and others. At this forum, Maha Periva offered an opportunity to members to express their thoughts and suggestions on the adoption of religion to suit

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changing times, and efforts to protect traditional practices. After heated exchanges and discussions, Maha Periva approved several resolutions including: Establishing a school Vishwa Vidyalaya in Thiruvanaikaval on the lines of Guru Kulam Starting a Veda Patasala and a Vedanta Patasala at the local Mutt. An English magazine Hindu Message published news on the Thatanga Pratishta event and the 3-day conference.

lived in India during the 17th18th century.

Fig.23: Sri. Sadasiva Brahmendrals Adishtanam (memorial) at Nerur

Visit to Nerur
After completion of the Thatanga Pratishtai event, Maha Periva traveled through several villages to Karur. From Karur, he proceeded to Nerur to visit the Adishtanam (tomb of a Hindu Guru) of the great saint Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral. Sri. Sadasiva Brahmendral was a saint, a philosopher and a Carnatic music composer who

He received divine guidance from the 57th Acharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Sriparama Shivendra Saraswathi. Besides authoring many Sanskrit scriptures such as Yoga Sutra Vrithi, Brahma Sutra Vrithi, Atma Vidya Vilasa, and Yoga Sudhakara, Sri. Sadashiva Brahmendral composed many Carnatic songs including the popular Bhaja Raghuvira, Bhajare Gopalam, Manasa Sancharare and Sarvam Brahmamayam. In addition, he wrote a book Gururatnamalika describing

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the history of the Acharyas of Kamakoti Peetam upto his guru Paramasivendrar. In this remarkable book, he has included a description of some of the Indian kings and poets. Following his Gurus path, this great quiet saint controlled his senses and wandered around as an Avadhuta (without any clothes) in Cauvery River banks, sand dunes, and bushy tree areas, generally out of human sight. While he was wandering in the forests of Pudukottai, Raja Vijayaraghu natha Thondaiman, the King of Pudukottai spotted him and requested him for Upadesa Mantra. Brahmendral wrote the Mantra on the sand. The King picked up the sand and placed it in his Royal Puja room for worship. It is said that Brahmendral appeared simultaneously at several places and performed many miracles. One day, the saint called his disciples and told them, After a few days, a Brahmin brahmachary (bachelor) from

Kasi (now Varanasi) will bring a Shiva lingam. On the day of his arrival, I will relinquish my body. You should bury me and make a Samadhi (tomb) at Nerur, grow a Vilva tree near it and install the Shiva lingam brought by the Brahmin youth. Events took place exactly as per his instructions. Maha Periva stayed in Nerur for about a week. He spent most of the time alone in meditation at the Samadhi of Sadashiva Brahmendral.

Maha Periva helps resolve Abhishekam dispute

Most Hindu temples have tall Gopurams (towers). These Gopurams are built tall so that whenever a person looks at them, s/he is reminded of God at least for a moment. When the Gopurams become old, they have to be repaired at periodic intervals and restored to good condition. There are certain rules laid down in the Sastras and Hindu theology to sanctify the repaired Gopurams.

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The sanctifying ceremony for the Gopuram is called the Kumbhabishekam. (Kumbha refers to the Crown on the Gopuram; Abhishekham is the ritual sprinkling of water) In Kumbakonam, a wandering sannyasi called as Paatakacheri Swamigal was well respected by the local people. He belonged to the Velala community. Holding a small brass pot, he used to collect small coins as donations. People contributed liberally to him, as they believed the money was for a good cause. Over time, the small collections grew to a substantial amount. The aging gopuram of the local Sri. Nageswaraswami temple caught Paatakacheris eye. He used the collected money to repair and restore the gopuram of this temple. Soon after completion of the work, a date was fixed for the Kumbhabhishekam. However, a dispute arose on who should perform the abhishekam first. The Vishwakarma (sculptors) group,

which did the repairs, wanted preference over the temples Adishaiva priests in doing the abhishekam. Because of serious differences of opinion between the sculptors and the priests, the Vishwakarma group filed a lawsuit in the court. Paatakacheri got worried and approached Maha Periva to seek his intervention in resolving this dispute. Maha Periva called each of the two groups separately, heard their arguments and got them to sign an agreement accepting the decision from the Mutt. Both the groups submitted this agreement to the court as part of the lawsuit. This greatly relieved the stress and responsibility of the judge. The judge agreed to accept Maha Perivas decision as the judgement in this case. Maha Periva conveyed to the court that Sastras do not raise any particular objection to the first abhishekam performed by the Vishwakarma group at Kumbhabhishekam ceremony.

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Based on Maha Perivas opinion, the court gave a judgement resolving the dispute. Later, in June 1923, the Kumbhabhishekam of Sri. Nageswaraswami Temple was performed in a grand manner. Paatakacheri thrilled! Swamigal was

Maha Periva declined to accept their request. The floods spread and most hutments were submerged under water. The people most affected by the flood were harijans who had lost their homes and cattle. The poor people moved to safer places but could not get any food. Maha Periva quickly came to their rescue. He immediately ordered the diversion of major part of grocery items intended for the Puja to prepare and provide food to the distressed people. With help from volunteers, a local congress leader and lawyer Sri. Sarangapani Iyengar took up the task of distributing the food to hundreds of people. By this quick arrangement, the affected people were fed for about 15 days until the floods subsided. The poor people greatly appreciated Maha Perivas compassion and his timely help to provide food to all. There are numerous such instances where Maha Periva

Year: 1924 Cauvery Flood

In response to peoples appeal from Tiruvaiyaru, Maha Periva performed the Vyasa Puja near the banks of Cauvery River in this village. Thousands of devotees from Thanjavur and neighbouring places had assembled to witness the Puja in Tiruvaiyaru. At this time, the River Cauvery was in spate and water had unexpectedly entered into many adjoining areas including the Puja hall. Concerned citizens of Tiruvaiyaru village met Maha Periva and requested him to change the venue of the Puja.

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showed his concern of poor people and helped them in many ways.

Collector Meeting
Later, a meeting took place between the Collector and Maha Periva. On behalf of the government, the collector thanked Maha Periva for the food distribution made to marooned people in Tiruvaiyaru. The collector talked for about an hour on many issues connected with the government and the people. He learnt from Maha Periva about the functioning of the Mutt. In conclusion, the collector remarked, I will never ever forget this meeting with Maha Periva.

Visit to Vallam
Sometime towards the end of 1924, Maha Periva visited Vallam, a town near Thanjavur. Christians and Muslims along with Hindus gave a rousing reception to Maha Periva. They had arranged for taking Maha Periva in a procession. After the procession, Maha Periva spoke to the people on unity and expressed his great happiness on the excellent cooperation of all the local communities in receiving him. During the years 1924-25, a Britisher by the name of H.M.Hood served as the collector of Thanjavur district. His residence was in Vallam. He heard about the big reception to Maha Periva and sent word through a friend seeking an appointment to meet Maha Periva.

Research Work Hindu Culture Overseas

During travels, Maha Periva was drawn to conduct some interesting research work on Indian culture prevalent in the islands of Java and Bali (now called Indonesia). Based on an English book titled Raffles History of Java, Maha

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Periva learnt about the existence of temples in Indonesia for Hindu deities Vinayaka, Siva, Ambika and Vishnu. In Java, it was common to find people with Hindu names and many of the local plays were based on Hindu epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata. Other sources for Maha Perivas research work included people who had visited Indonesia and a cultural troupe from Indonesia that performed dances depicting scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata.

On the roof of the cave temple at Chittannavasal, there are frescos of women dancing with lotuses held in their hands. These frescos illustrate the Jain culture and civilization that existed over thousand years ago during the Pallava rule. To facilitate research, Maha Periva got such paintings photographed. The cave temple in Naarthamalai depicts both Jain and Hindu cultures. In Kudumiyamalai and Thirumayam cave temples, Sangeetha Sastras are found engraved on stone. These appear to be carved during King Mahendravarmans time. On the hills in Chittannavasal and Naartaamalai, there are natural springs filled with water. On observing some illustrations of Shiva lingams at the spring sites, Maha Periva requested to draw out the water from the springs and traced the Shiva lingams underneath.

Ancient Paintings
Another area that interested Maha Periva related to ancient paintings. In the year 1924, Maha Periva traveled in Pudukottai district to see some of the cave temples having frescos. He visited Chittannavasal, Naarthamalai, Gundandarkoil, Kudumiyamalai, Tirugokarnam and Thirumayam.

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Year: 1925 Continued Research

Tamil Literature Maha Periva evinced great interest in researching Tamil literature such as Thevaram, Thiruvachakam, Thirukural, Divya Prabandams of Azhvars, Periya Puranam, and Thiruvalyadar Puranam . In those days, Mahopadhyay Dr.U.V. Swaminatha Iyer, a great Tamil scholar, used to visit the mutt to have darshan of Maha Periva. He was very happy to note Maha Periva's interest in Tamil. Iyer would spend many hours talking with Maha Periva on matters related to Tamil. In recognition of the excellent contribution made by Dr. U.V. Swaminatha Iyer to promote Tamil language, Maha Periva conferred on him the title of Daaksinaathya Kalanidhi. The award was presented to Dr. Swaminatha Iyer at the annual meeting of Madurai Tamil Sangam, chaired by Sir.C.P.Ramaswamy Iyer.

Honors Scholars
During Maha Perivas stay in Ilayathangudi (July 1925), many talented persons used to visit him and display their skills. On many occasions, scholars held discussions on Vedanta and Siddantha sastras. Maha Periva used to recognize and honor such scholars appropriately. Sri. Pandithamani Kadiresan Chettiar, an expert in North and South Indian languages came to Ilayathangudi to have darshan of Maha Periva. He had excellent talking skills including the usage of puns. He was also engaged in research into Tamil literature. Maha Periva was happy to meet this multi-talented scholar and spent over three hours with him discussing matters of common interest related to languages. Maha Periva expressed that people like Pandithamani had a good potential to develop scholarly talent. Maha Periva praised Pandithamanis unique skills and honored him with a shawl in recognition of his talent.

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