Mahaperiyava on Seshadri Swamigal

Last century witnessed the Trinities (brahma,vishnu,siva) Seshadri Swamigal (tiruvananamalai) ,Kanchi  Mahaperiyava,Sri Ramana Maharishi (also known as Chinna Seshadri swamigal).

Here is the excerpt from Maha Periyava:

Maha Periyava

Shri.Bharanidharan : I was writing ‘Arunachala magimai’ at that time. One day, I said to Maha Periyava that I am unable to locate the house where Shri Seshadri Swamigal lived between 1870 to 1889. Maha Periyava said ‘ why don’t you take efforts to find the house?’ and directed me to various people. The search narrowed down to 2 to 3 houses. It was then I met the old man who built the house where Swamigal ived and he said ‘ when the elder(est) son was 19years he became mad and ran away from the house’. So, finally, I located the Shri.Seshadri Swamigal’s house.

Then, when i went to have darshan of Maha Periyava who was at Kollavar Chatram, i briefed HIM on the developments. He said ‘ shall we buy the house, much like Sangeetha mummoorthigals’ houses have been bought in Thiruvaroor?’. We formed a committee, collected money, the house was bought and named as ‘Sri Kamakoti Seshadri Swamigal Nivasam’. Maha Periyava then asked a portrait of Seshadri Swamigal to be kept in the house and Moovalur Gopala Dheekshitar was asked to shift his residence there and do agni hotram and ishti homam. then, under instructions of Maha Periyava, the aradhana of Swamigal was started in Margazhi Navami.

One day, Maha Periyava drew a plan on the sand at Sivasthanam, Thenambakkam, on how to build a mantap at Swamigal’s residence. A trust was formed with Nalli Kuppusamy Chetty, ‘Sangupani’ Sivaraj Mudaliyar, K.R.Visvanathan and i was also a part of it. In 1985 Sehsadri Jayanthi was also started in Thai, Hastham, again under HIS instructions.

Seshadri Swamigal

On Jan 21st,1987 (Thai Hastham) I went to the mutt to receive Maha Periyava’s blessings for the celebs to go off well and casually mentioned about Unjavrithi that i witnessed at Thiruvaiaru just a couple of days back, during Thiyagaraja aradhana. Maha Periyava said ‘start unjavrithi in Seshadri Swamigal Jayanthi too’. I said ‘okay, will plan for the next year’ ‘why next year? start now’. i said i do not know anything about unjavrithi. Maha Periyava showed an old man standing nearby and said ‘ ivarukku thalaipagai kattu. sombu onnu tholla (shoulder) pottuko, and as you go on the street the ladies will put rice in the sombu, collect it and come back.thats all unjavrithi is all about’. ‘bhajanai?’. ‘no need for professionals, just the two of you would be enough’. ‘what to sing?’. Maha Periyava thought for a moment, started putting thalam and began to sing ‘Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Kaamaakshi, Jaya Jaya jaya Jaya kaamakoti, Jaya jaya Jaya jaya Seshadri’.just repeat this. the next year, Papanaasam Sri Kunjumani Bhagavathar joined us.

One day, when we were talking about the registration of Seshadri Swamigal’s house, Maha Periyava asked me ‘ how many Seshadris are involved in this?’. I said ‘four’.Maha Periyava said ‘five’ – first Seshadri Swamigal, then your friend who is with us now, the advocate who verified the documents, the clerk in the register office and, of course, your father!!’.

Yet another day when i went to Thenambakkam, Maha Periyava sat like Seshadri Swamigal, with legs folded in the same way and his left hand palm holding the chin and asked ‘ is this not how HE is sitting?’. I could not make out any difference between the two of them and tears welled up in my eyes.

It was some time later that Maha Periyava spoke those immortal words ‘ will I ever become like Seshadri Swamigal?, will I attain that level?’ If Maha Periyava whom all of us know is saakshath Parameswaran said this of Seshadri Swamigal, at what level HE must have been? Brahamananda nilai !!