Post by Yogesh Sundararajan on Jan 23, 2012 12:39:21 GMT 5.5
Once a vellalar (farmer) devotee asked Periava, "Can I chant the Gayatri Mantra?"
A question that creates dharma sankatam (embarrassment to do what is right)! Either of the two replies yes or no is bound to bring up criticism.
Sri Matham's work is to foster and preserve the Sanatana dharmas. The confrontations that Bharat had in the last thousand years are numerous. The Bharata samudaya (public) has always had the skills to preserve its roots, withstanding the attacks, bending like reeds when a hurricane blows and then raising its head once again after storm passes.
But then should Sri MaTham intervene in every change? What is its share? Today's thinking becomes obsolete tomorrow and cast away. Though no one can control the gush of floods after it broke the dam, a day has to come when the floods will recede and the flow is streamlined in the river?
Nobody has any knowledge if Periyava had such thoughts. But he had the unique ability to ease a delicate situation and leave it to its natural course.
Peiyavaa did not give a direct reply to the devotee. "How many children you have?" he asked.
A surprising reply came from him. "By your grace I have been bestowed with three girls: one five years old, another three and the last six months..."
Periyava said: "Name one girl as Gayatri, another as Sandhya and the third as Savitri. Call the three girls by those names. Not as Baby--Lily--Billy!
"If you thus repeatedly say the names Gayatri--Sandhya--Savitri, you would get the punyA (fruits) of Gayatri Mantra chanting."
The devotees face displayed his happiness. Periyava had given him his anugraha of clarity of thought, when he was hesitating to take up an act that was against the sampradAya (tradition).
He went happily, receiving prasadam from Periyava.
A question that creates dharma sankatam (embarrassment to do what is right)! Either of the two replies yes or no is bound to bring up criticism.
Sri Matham's work is to foster and preserve the Sanatana dharmas. The confrontations that Bharat had in the last thousand years are numerous. The Bharata samudaya (public) has always had the skills to preserve its roots, withstanding the attacks, bending like reeds when a hurricane blows and then raising its head once again after storm passes.
But then should Sri MaTham intervene in every change? What is its share? Today's thinking becomes obsolete tomorrow and cast away. Though no one can control the gush of floods after it broke the dam, a day has to come when the floods will recede and the flow is streamlined in the river?
Nobody has any knowledge if Periyava had such thoughts. But he had the unique ability to ease a delicate situation and leave it to its natural course.
Peiyavaa did not give a direct reply to the devotee. "How many children you have?" he asked.
A surprising reply came from him. "By your grace I have been bestowed with three girls: one five years old, another three and the last six months..."
Periyava said: "Name one girl as Gayatri, another as Sandhya and the third as Savitri. Call the three girls by those names. Not as Baby--Lily--Billy!
"If you thus repeatedly say the names Gayatri--Sandhya--Savitri, you would get the punyA (fruits) of Gayatri Mantra chanting."
The devotees face displayed his happiness. Periyava had given him his anugraha of clarity of thought, when he was hesitating to take up an act that was against the sampradAya (tradition).
He went happily, receiving prasadam from Periyava.