Post by saidevo on Mar 14, 2013 9:01:49 GMT 5.5
Don't beat the snake...
author:...... BrahmaSri Ramakrishna Dikshatar, SriMaTham Vidvan, Kanchipuram
compiler:... T.S. Kothandarama Sarma
book:......... Maha PeriyavaL - Darisana AnubhavangaL vol. 1, pages 142-156
publisher:.. Vanathi Padhippaham (Aug 2006 Edition)
translator: saidevo
Pages 142-145
Mahaans are not afraid of any prANi (animal). In the same way, the viSha jantus (venomous creatures) do not also fear him.
Chaaturmaasya in Pandaripuram. A long venemous snake had crawled into the place where Periyavaa was staying. Everyone feared it. But then PeriyavaaL gave orders that no one should beat the snake. We clapped our hands and gestured to it to go away; and the snake cleared out of our sight on its own. Only we were troubled by sighting the snake, PeriyavaaL was never in saMcalanaM. And that snake too went on its own, and not just hurried off fearing our presence.
But then if it is a cat, PeriyavaaL would have some sort of fear! According to the Dharma Shastras, a hair of a cat sticking to the human body could mean much sin. Therefore, if a cat happens to drop by, Periyavaa would ensure that it does not come near him, by clapping his hands.
*** *** ***
When camping in the Karveti Nagar, PeriyavaaL was reclining near an anthill. There were lots of winged ants too. People like Ramakrishnan and Kannan requested PeriyavaaL not to stretch himself near an anthill. PeriyavaaL did not let to their words reach his ears. He reclined there and then and slept well. And not a single ant did crawl over himself!
shItalangA
The year was 1958. Sri PeriyavaaL was camping for a long time after the Chaaturmaasyam in the home of Mambalam Sri G.V.KalyanaRamaiyer.
During that time, a series of lectures were given by a prabala upanyAsaka (popular discourser) at Mylapore. A large crowd.
I had gone for a lecture during one of those days. The Upanyaasaka recited Appayya Dikshitar's shloka thus:
maulau ganga shashAnkau
kara caraNa talE shItalAngA bhujangAha
vAmE bhAgE dayArdrA himagiritanayA
candanam sarvagAtrE
itham shItam prabhUtam
tava kanakasabhAnAtha sODum kva shaktihi
cittE nirvEda taptE yadi bhavati na tE
nitya vAsO madhIyE
and explained:
"On your locks are the river Ganga and the moon. On your your feet and arms are the cold serpents. On your left is the compassionate daughter of the snow mountains and you have applied the cool sandal all over your body.
How, O Lord of the Golden Cosmic Hall, are you able to bear such cold atmosphere? You are welcome to stay eternally in my heart which is hot due to the sins I commit."
(Shloka transliteration and meaning from rasikas.org/viewprintable.php?id=12)
I felt some glitch there. What work do the smooth serpents have among the cool vastus (things)! There is no place for smoothness among this group of cold items. How can smoothness go with coolness?
komalAngA bhujanghA -- no; perhaps only shItalAngA bhujanghA is the correct usuage here?...
On the next day, when I got an opportunity to talk to Sri PeriyavaaL, I slightly hinted at this opinion of mine. Sri PeriyavaaL very much appreciated the 'shItalAngA.
Sending word to that Upanyaasaka the next day, Sri Periyavaa experessed his happiness to the discourser: "Heard that you explained the maulau ganga shloka very beautifully. This boy had listened to it..." And then from nine in the night until midnight, Sri PeriyavaaL explained us many things elaborately about this shloka, enjoying its purport from different angles.
"Instead of the komalAngA, the padam shItalAngA would be apt, says this boy. Seems to me what he says would be very appropriate. Now on, we can print it as only shItalAngA bhujanghA," Periyavaa said decidedly.
There was no limit to the santoSham felt by me and the other Vidvans. My body shivers to think about how Sri PeriyavaaL recognised a word I told him and with what puShTi he implemented it.
*** *** ***
(Was the 'shloka' had only 'komalAngA' originally which was changed to 'shItalAngA' in the later prints? For, all versions of the 'shloka' that can be searched with Google on the Net have only the term 'shItalAngA'. --sd)
author:...... BrahmaSri Ramakrishna Dikshatar, SriMaTham Vidvan, Kanchipuram
compiler:... T.S. Kothandarama Sarma
book:......... Maha PeriyavaL - Darisana AnubhavangaL vol. 1, pages 142-156
publisher:.. Vanathi Padhippaham (Aug 2006 Edition)
translator: saidevo
Pages 142-145
Mahaans are not afraid of any prANi (animal). In the same way, the viSha jantus (venomous creatures) do not also fear him.
Chaaturmaasya in Pandaripuram. A long venemous snake had crawled into the place where Periyavaa was staying. Everyone feared it. But then PeriyavaaL gave orders that no one should beat the snake. We clapped our hands and gestured to it to go away; and the snake cleared out of our sight on its own. Only we were troubled by sighting the snake, PeriyavaaL was never in saMcalanaM. And that snake too went on its own, and not just hurried off fearing our presence.
But then if it is a cat, PeriyavaaL would have some sort of fear! According to the Dharma Shastras, a hair of a cat sticking to the human body could mean much sin. Therefore, if a cat happens to drop by, Periyavaa would ensure that it does not come near him, by clapping his hands.
*** *** ***
When camping in the Karveti Nagar, PeriyavaaL was reclining near an anthill. There were lots of winged ants too. People like Ramakrishnan and Kannan requested PeriyavaaL not to stretch himself near an anthill. PeriyavaaL did not let to their words reach his ears. He reclined there and then and slept well. And not a single ant did crawl over himself!
shItalangA
The year was 1958. Sri PeriyavaaL was camping for a long time after the Chaaturmaasyam in the home of Mambalam Sri G.V.KalyanaRamaiyer.
During that time, a series of lectures were given by a prabala upanyAsaka (popular discourser) at Mylapore. A large crowd.
I had gone for a lecture during one of those days. The Upanyaasaka recited Appayya Dikshitar's shloka thus:
maulau ganga shashAnkau
kara caraNa talE shItalAngA bhujangAha
vAmE bhAgE dayArdrA himagiritanayA
candanam sarvagAtrE
itham shItam prabhUtam
tava kanakasabhAnAtha sODum kva shaktihi
cittE nirvEda taptE yadi bhavati na tE
nitya vAsO madhIyE
and explained:
"On your locks are the river Ganga and the moon. On your your feet and arms are the cold serpents. On your left is the compassionate daughter of the snow mountains and you have applied the cool sandal all over your body.
How, O Lord of the Golden Cosmic Hall, are you able to bear such cold atmosphere? You are welcome to stay eternally in my heart which is hot due to the sins I commit."
(Shloka transliteration and meaning from rasikas.org/viewprintable.php?id=12)
I felt some glitch there. What work do the smooth serpents have among the cool vastus (things)! There is no place for smoothness among this group of cold items. How can smoothness go with coolness?
komalAngA bhujanghA -- no; perhaps only shItalAngA bhujanghA is the correct usuage here?...
On the next day, when I got an opportunity to talk to Sri PeriyavaaL, I slightly hinted at this opinion of mine. Sri PeriyavaaL very much appreciated the 'shItalAngA.
Sending word to that Upanyaasaka the next day, Sri Periyavaa experessed his happiness to the discourser: "Heard that you explained the maulau ganga shloka very beautifully. This boy had listened to it..." And then from nine in the night until midnight, Sri PeriyavaaL explained us many things elaborately about this shloka, enjoying its purport from different angles.
"Instead of the komalAngA, the padam shItalAngA would be apt, says this boy. Seems to me what he says would be very appropriate. Now on, we can print it as only shItalAngA bhujanghA," Periyavaa said decidedly.
There was no limit to the santoSham felt by me and the other Vidvans. My body shivers to think about how Sri PeriyavaaL recognised a word I told him and with what puShTi he implemented it.
*** *** ***
(Was the 'shloka' had only 'komalAngA' originally which was changed to 'shItalAngA' in the later prints? For, all versions of the 'shloka' that can be searched with Google on the Net have only the term 'shItalAngA'. --sd)