7. It Is Possible Only For The ‘All-Knowing’ (Sarvagyar)
Echangudi Ganesa Iyer is amazed at a
particular incident and wonders if there was anything at all that was not known
to Sri Sri Maha Periyava !
He was a retired engineer. He had
come for Periyava darshan with his wife.
“I will be happy if Periyava assigns
some service to me, whatever be the expenses” said he to Sri Periyava. Sri
Periyava, after giving prasadams to all other devotees and sending them off,
told him.
“There are plenty of Pillaiyar (Lord
Ganesha) temples in Kumbakonam. Pillaiyars without a roof on top are plenty
under the Banyan trees and on the banks of rivers. You do abhishekam with (gingelley)
oil, decorate them with sandal paste , light up incense sticks, and perform
Neivedyam with coconut, fruit, betel nut and betel leaves, to all the
Pillaiyars whether they are inside the temples or near ponds, within one
kilometer radius of the town. That will do!”
Ganesa Iyer was very happy on being
asked to perform pooja to all the Pillaiyar temples in Kumbakonam. But he
expressed his difficulty, “ I am not familiar with all these pooja practices. I
have settled in the North for the past 24 years, and so I do not know anybody
in my neighbourhood.”
Sri Periyava called Sri Balu and told
him, “Write to Kumbakonam Pazhakkadai Thyagu. He will render all the help. Also
ask him to come here along with Ganesa Iyer after the ‘Kainkaryam’ (task) is
completed.”
Pazhakkadai Thyagu came to Ganesa
Iyer’s house with his wife. They started with their assignment immediately. The
van belonging to Raja Veda Patasala was given for their use for three days.
Starting from the Pillaiyar on the
granite pillar at the entrance of SriMatham, they located 168 Pillaiyar idols,
by meticulously searching everywhere and arranged for the pooja for all of
them.
Nearly five tins of til (gingelly)
oil, half a kilogram of sandal paste, one kilogram of camphor, and fifty
packets of incense sticks were either given to the Sivachariyars (priests) of
the temples where Pillaiyar idols were there and they themselves did the pooja
for the Pillaiyars which were on the outside.
They had some doubt about performing
pooja to some Pillaiyar statues in which some limbs were broken; when they
contacted Periyava through SriMatham officials and they came to know that Sri Periyava
said, “Are not humans with legs and hands broken, living in this world? Ask
them to do pooja for them also!” Therefore even those mutilated idols also
received the pooja and abhishekam.
They returned to Kanchipuram with the
conviction that they have not left out any Pillaiyar in Kumbakonam. Sri
Periyava was in Kurnool at that time and so both families went there to have
His darshan and also to inform Him that they have fulfilled the task. After
hearing all that they had to say, Sri Periyava surprised them with a question.
“Six more Pillaiyars are still there.
How were they left out?” They were surprised that when they had gone about
searching each and every Pillaiyar idol and performed the abhishekam and pooja,
how could Sri Periyava identify six more sitting here.
Sri Periyava answered the question
Himself, “One Pillaiyar near Chakkottai, one on the road leading to Swamimalai,
one in the peasant street, one on the bank of river ‘Arasalaru’ and another
under the tree.” They then realized that they had missed out these six.
“That is alright! When you return to
Kumbakonam, perform the abhishekam and pooja to these six Pillaiyars also.”
saying this, Sri Periyava diverted their mind.
Even if one is born and brought up in
Kumbakonam and knows every place there, is it possible to say that there are
six more left, over and above the 168 Pillaiyar idols there?
‘It is possible only for the
‘All-Knowing’ Sri Periyava’ Ganesa Iyer and Thyagu realized this that day and
prostrated before Sri Periyava.
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