Post by saidevo on Sept 30, 2012 8:35:38 GMT 5.5
Pages 153-156
If he starts doing arcanA (worship) to AmbaaL, it would be a separate world. Without distinguishing between ordinary and visheSha (festive) days, he would go on doing Ashtotram, Trisadi, Sahasranamam and so on. It would seem that it was not one but many Sahasranamas when the arcanA stretches for hours together. Thus ordinary days would become special days, and his bhakti then would raise swelling. Suddenly the arcanA would stop. With fixed eyes, he would be looking at Devi, the chakra rUpiNi. Neither the Devi nor the Sri Chakra would be visible to us. The Sri Chakra would be hidden behind clothes and jewels. Only the ball of sandal paste with a large Kumkumam dot on it, fixed to the arrangement would be visible to our eyes. But then the scene that becomes visible to him is different! In that scene, sometimes a stream of tears would gush out of his eyes; sometimes he would laugh. That would seem Anandamaya (blissful) at one time; the same laugh would seem that of a madman at another time. It is said that that laughter would sometimes make one think, 'Is this man a pishAcaH (ghost)?'. It would seem that he talks something, with both of his palms spread towards AmbaaL. The next moment, the arcanA would continue briskly without skipping a laya (rhythm).
The bhakti vinaya (devotional humility) he showed in doing Kumkuma archanA! Since the holy Kumkuma particles should not spill onto the ground, he would pick the powder tightly gripped between his thumb and index fingers and do the arcanA in such a way that the pinch falls directly on the bimbam (image). There were days his flowery fingers had bruises with the very color of the Kumkumam, by thus tightly gripping (and releasing) the powder for hours on.
Even the way he picks up a flower basket at a distance by gracefully bending his flexible body, and his drawing up with his left wrist his head covering when it slips would look Pujamaya!
Again the curtain is drawn to close the scene. A short while later the ringing sound of a small bell is heard from inside. It is the indication that our Gurunathan himself rings the bells and does the nivedanam (offering).
In SriMaTham, apart from annam, pAyasam and the sweets, everything including the sAmbAr, rasam, kari, kUttu and all such vyanjanas (preparations) are offered as nivedanam.
PeriyavaaL used to be very strict about the nivedana padArtham (prepartion offered) should filling up to the brim of the container vessel. If it is less he would be adamant without doing the nivedanam until such time as the shortage is cooked and filled up! It was also the case that the pAyasam was less in level and PeriyavaaL filled up the shortage by pouring water over it! He thus regulated his kiMkaras (assistants) in such matters by being strict about them. Later, he would make harmless remarks such as, 'After having made to sit for the meal, ChandraMauleesvara has been made to wait today', 'For the Gangadhara the pAyasam today is Ganga Bhavani' and take the kitchen people in his stride.
Was it not the puja done with the firm feeling that the devata mUrtis whom puja is done to, take food in vAstavam (reality)?
As another aMsam (part) of this, he would not do nivedanam with padArthas that are steaming hot. He would wait until they cool down to eatable warmth. He would minimize the delay by making his assistants use a hand fan to cool the preparations.
A Shastrajna (expert in Shastras) supplicated a different opinion to PeriyavaaL on this subject. Showing evidences from the Shastras that the Devas don't take the sthUla padArtha (physical preparation), only its steam and vapours, he supplicated, "There is nothing that is not known to PeriyavaaL. If it is an aparAdh (mistake) should pardon me."
"No aparAdh at all!", PeriyavaaL said comfortingly with a smiling face. "Even if it is me, if it seems that I do something different from the Shastras, to bring it up to me thus is a big upakAram (service) to me. But then in this thing that you speak of", he patted on his chest and twice gestured with his hand to reassure the pundit.
That was an abhinaya (gesture) that made it clearer than any word of mouth that in his affairs what he does are the right things.
When a Dharma Shastra Holy Avatara does things in contrary when his very life principle is that only what the Shastras say are the rules and there is nothing separate as his personal matter?
The (pundit) bhaktA guessed it. Hesistating, he asked, "Is that the AdeshaH for PeriyavaaL?" He asked if it was God's will for PeriyavaaL.
But then, will that man who hides things within him untie it more than that? He just kept quiet. The bhaktA believed that his not denying it showed his consent.
"If that is so, shall I too do the nivedanam at eatable warmth?" asked the devotee.
The Gurunathar floated a smile and said, "If you have that kind of AdeshaH then do that way."
That saying confirmed the devotee's belief and sealed it!
Glossary:
AdeshaH- order, command, instruction, advice, information, prediction of future.
If he starts doing arcanA (worship) to AmbaaL, it would be a separate world. Without distinguishing between ordinary and visheSha (festive) days, he would go on doing Ashtotram, Trisadi, Sahasranamam and so on. It would seem that it was not one but many Sahasranamas when the arcanA stretches for hours together. Thus ordinary days would become special days, and his bhakti then would raise swelling. Suddenly the arcanA would stop. With fixed eyes, he would be looking at Devi, the chakra rUpiNi. Neither the Devi nor the Sri Chakra would be visible to us. The Sri Chakra would be hidden behind clothes and jewels. Only the ball of sandal paste with a large Kumkumam dot on it, fixed to the arrangement would be visible to our eyes. But then the scene that becomes visible to him is different! In that scene, sometimes a stream of tears would gush out of his eyes; sometimes he would laugh. That would seem Anandamaya (blissful) at one time; the same laugh would seem that of a madman at another time. It is said that that laughter would sometimes make one think, 'Is this man a pishAcaH (ghost)?'. It would seem that he talks something, with both of his palms spread towards AmbaaL. The next moment, the arcanA would continue briskly without skipping a laya (rhythm).
The bhakti vinaya (devotional humility) he showed in doing Kumkuma archanA! Since the holy Kumkuma particles should not spill onto the ground, he would pick the powder tightly gripped between his thumb and index fingers and do the arcanA in such a way that the pinch falls directly on the bimbam (image). There were days his flowery fingers had bruises with the very color of the Kumkumam, by thus tightly gripping (and releasing) the powder for hours on.
Even the way he picks up a flower basket at a distance by gracefully bending his flexible body, and his drawing up with his left wrist his head covering when it slips would look Pujamaya!
Again the curtain is drawn to close the scene. A short while later the ringing sound of a small bell is heard from inside. It is the indication that our Gurunathan himself rings the bells and does the nivedanam (offering).
In SriMaTham, apart from annam, pAyasam and the sweets, everything including the sAmbAr, rasam, kari, kUttu and all such vyanjanas (preparations) are offered as nivedanam.
PeriyavaaL used to be very strict about the nivedana padArtham (prepartion offered) should filling up to the brim of the container vessel. If it is less he would be adamant without doing the nivedanam until such time as the shortage is cooked and filled up! It was also the case that the pAyasam was less in level and PeriyavaaL filled up the shortage by pouring water over it! He thus regulated his kiMkaras (assistants) in such matters by being strict about them. Later, he would make harmless remarks such as, 'After having made to sit for the meal, ChandraMauleesvara has been made to wait today', 'For the Gangadhara the pAyasam today is Ganga Bhavani' and take the kitchen people in his stride.
Was it not the puja done with the firm feeling that the devata mUrtis whom puja is done to, take food in vAstavam (reality)?
As another aMsam (part) of this, he would not do nivedanam with padArthas that are steaming hot. He would wait until they cool down to eatable warmth. He would minimize the delay by making his assistants use a hand fan to cool the preparations.
A Shastrajna (expert in Shastras) supplicated a different opinion to PeriyavaaL on this subject. Showing evidences from the Shastras that the Devas don't take the sthUla padArtha (physical preparation), only its steam and vapours, he supplicated, "There is nothing that is not known to PeriyavaaL. If it is an aparAdh (mistake) should pardon me."
"No aparAdh at all!", PeriyavaaL said comfortingly with a smiling face. "Even if it is me, if it seems that I do something different from the Shastras, to bring it up to me thus is a big upakAram (service) to me. But then in this thing that you speak of", he patted on his chest and twice gestured with his hand to reassure the pundit.
That was an abhinaya (gesture) that made it clearer than any word of mouth that in his affairs what he does are the right things.
When a Dharma Shastra Holy Avatara does things in contrary when his very life principle is that only what the Shastras say are the rules and there is nothing separate as his personal matter?
The (pundit) bhaktA guessed it. Hesistating, he asked, "Is that the AdeshaH for PeriyavaaL?" He asked if it was God's will for PeriyavaaL.
But then, will that man who hides things within him untie it more than that? He just kept quiet. The bhaktA believed that his not denying it showed his consent.
"If that is so, shall I too do the nivedanam at eatable warmth?" asked the devotee.
The Gurunathar floated a smile and said, "If you have that kind of AdeshaH then do that way."
That saying confirmed the devotee's belief and sealed it!
Glossary:
AdeshaH- order, command, instruction, advice, information, prediction of future.