Srisailam - Part I

Srisailam ( = Tirumalai)

Getting to feel religion firsthand is rare, it does happen – but one cannot command it. We may use the word ‘spirituality’, but the latter word is rather ill defined. Of course, there are several words in our Sanatana Dharma. Adhyatmakita, mumukshuvu come to my mind.

In the past we had visited other sacred places; those trips too happened due to ‘a rare grace’. As I look back now in retrospect, we could have missed many of them but for some invisible luck, good fortune, or blessing. To think otherwise, that we consciously made explicit effort, therefore it happened, would be just naïve. In modern times, particularly in America and in urban India, people tend to tell young children thus: “Yes, you can do anything, you want. You can grow up to be a pilot, doctor, engineer, truck driver, a painter, poet, or scientist. Just make the effort, you will become.” That type of platitude, silly advice is all pure bunkum, just hogwash as they say here. No, you cannot become a graceful dancer even if you practice 24 hours a day. Ask, any number of ballerinas or Kuchipudi dancers. Your body may break into smithereens before you know it, and you may even end up with a chronic backache or disabling bone fracture. Or try to be a singer at the level of Ghantasala or S. Rajeswara Rao. Though we cannot say everything is totally preordained, yet there is a rough plan that guides us through life. Similarly, you cannot visit certain sacred places even if you have all the money and youthful energy in the world. It just will not happen. Such sudden upsets happened to an exceptional devotee like Suri Nagamma, why won’t it happen to any of us? Either we have willfully prayed (submitted ourselves) for it, or a higher force has showered some grace on us; only in such rare instances we will be able to visit places like, Madurai, Kasi, Srisailam, Kanchi, Mathura, or Vijayawada. Even when I was very close to certain holy places, I missed them. Just the thought did not occur to my little petty mind (there is always plenty of avidya, abundance of it, like the dark matter); such is the power and weight of “accrued bad karma (= Praarabdhi Karma)”. Nothing can erase our past karmic smudge, though it is barely visible from a distance, like the distant hilly silhouette … As the profound composer Ramadasu says, such karmic accumulations are as big as giant coaly mountains! A benevolent guru or a sacred mantra can help in overcoming this painful hurdle, but that too takes lot of genuine pure sadhana.

Indeed our parents and forefathers were truly blessed. With very limited finances, they could visit Srisailam several times, even during the very busy crowded times of Maha-Sivaratri. Often I wondered whether I would ever be able to visit this unique earthly paradise. For a long time, I have been repenting my missed chance to stop at Kalahasti. And time is flowing rapidly. Finally, after all these years, we got to make the trip with our relatives. I felt as though I have at last fulfilled my parents’ wish; or perhaps, it is solely their blessings that helped us make the pilgrimage.

A north Indian couple was seated on the opposite side in the bus. He was the only person who intermittently chanted Siva’s name audibly throughout the trip. I too wished for a more demonstrative loud chanting of “Hara Hara” in the luxury bus; but alas, I must grudgingly concur with the opinion: “These days even in Hindu religious centers, there are more of social tourists than the real faithful pilgrims. Perhaps, a sign of the prevailing times. At least, they are visiting these sacred timeless temples on one pretext or other.”

During the entire bus travel, I kept on remembering the “Sandhyaarambha ..” sloka*. Going up the hills, we got to see a sambar deer – it was difficult to focus clearly on the distant forest through the windows. I had hoped to see a teak or maddi chettu with a climbing jasmine creeper. But then I did not venture to climb the hills on foot. We just went around the temple premises and then walked to and fro from our cottages. In the temple compound we got to see a well kept white Morinda tree with a helpful sign for visitors. They say there is another long living Morinda tree in Tamil Nadu in the premises of Maddya-arjuna temple. Once the holy Paramacharya witnessed the unfolding of a tragic incident associated with the latter Siva temple. The story illustrates how Lord Siva protects His unflinching devotees in the most trying circumstances, how He saves them from the uncultured larger society, from a humiliating shame. I must digress a bit here to tell the entire story. Siva – really your name is holy.

[         Once there was a severe drought in the areas surrounding the Madhyarjunam temple. A rich landlord wanted to please Siva for a speedy bounty of rain. After all what is the use of holding on to hundreds of acres of dirt without any crop, fruit tree, or flowers even? So the landlord arranged for a detailed abhishekam (with all the pancha-amrita) for the Siva-linga with the accompaniment of Vedic chanting, namakam-chamakam. It was followed by a sumptuous feast to all the Veda-pundits and Brahmin priests. It so happened that in the pundits there was a very old (probably an octogenarian) learned pundit. With all other priests, he too struggled to chant the sacred Siva names and attributes; but due to the infirmities of age and possibly due to missing teeth, he could only mumble the words in a lower decibel, perhaps at times out of sync. It was not his conscious fault, his mind was totally with Siva. In his entire life, he never asked for anything from the Lord. But, like this writer, he had a soft corner for the sweet dish, chakrapongali. So, during the meal, the elderly pundit asked for a second helping of the sweet dish. The rich landlord had earlier given strict instructions to the servers to mistreat the Vedic scholar: “No second helpings for him.” Because, erroneously the landlord thought the Vedic pundit did not do a justice to the chanting.

But the story did not end there. After the feast, without knowing what he had done, the landlord went to see our Paramacharya with prasadam in hand. The ensuing dialog went somewhat like this: “Sir, I brought this prasadam from the Lord of Maddyarjuna temple. We performed the ablutions with elaborate chanting of namakam-chamakam.”

Here, our great walking-saint, was awestruck at the unfolding of a great tragedy. The ever-compassionate Siva is angered and nothing can stop His fury. What to do? For the Paramacharya, all are dear. But, he could not tolerate an octogenarian, that too a devout Siva bhakta, getting humiliated. So he asked to know, to elicit the real truth. Of course, the Paramacharya was totally aware of everything. He could see through the fog of time like a laser beam. Still, he asked the landlord, “Did you feed all the guests properly?” “Yes, I did Sir.” “Was there a learned old Vedic Brahmin in the guests. Did he ask for a second helping?”

“Yes, he did ask for it. Since he only mumbled some inaudible words, I withheld the sweet dish from him.”

“No, I cannot accept the prasadam from your hands. You must rush, run fast to catch the pundit. Ask for his forgiveness.”

Immediately the maha-swamigal retired to his quarters without the midday biksha. He did not touch food for the entire day. How could he? There in his own backyard, a Siva bhakta was in distress. Later that day the temple priest brought prasadam for Paramacharya. The swami took only a few grains, but he continued his fast till the next day.

There in the temple village, things were rapidly moving at lightning speed. Straight away that night, the elderly Vedic pundit went to the temple and prostrated in front of the Lord. “Siva, you know me well. Throughout my life I have chanted your name with clear diction, perfect sound, and proper rhythm. I am getting on years. Now, I cannot keep up with the fast chanting, cannot keep up with the younger priests. But, you know my body is crumbling in front of Your eyes. I have always loved you, who is there for me except You? My only weakness now, is this silly craving for a little sweet dish. Even that, today, now, at this moment, I am giving up. I seek only your feet, nothing else. Please save me from this public humiliation. Save me please, my only savior, Siva. I cannot bear this shame.”

And the Lord readily accepted the octogenarian. He took him into his fold. Since we are burdened with the physical body, naturally we are conditioned to have a favorite dish, a longing for new clothes, or a decent vehicle. No big deal, no harm in that. The heart should always be pure, fully centered in Siva. That is all it matters. After all, neither Siva nor Uma wants their children dressed in ragged clothes or wallow in pain with discontented stomachs.

When the landlord reached his village, there was a strange scene. He patiently went around and enquired about the whereabouts of the pundit. There he saw a big crowd gathered in front of a house in the Brahmin quarters. “Our dear Vedic scholar is no more. Last night, he collapsed and passed away outside the temple.” A searing pain went through the landlord. He got a chill through his body. Immediately he sensed the approaching storm. Soon he would lose all his lands in rapid succession, very soon he became a pauper. With total contrition in his heart, he painfully made a trip to Varanasi, the abode of Visalakshi. He had to endure his last days in utter shame, eking his life as a menial cook. Though we may not comprehend Siva’s ways, still we must recognize His abundant affection and love towards all, including this once errant landlord. Once a being comes into His orbit, Siva always gently takes care of His devotee. At times, the path may appear very hard, circuitous, and through the intervention of a kind guru or devotee.] 

---

*  సంధ్యారంభ విజృంభితాం శ్రుతిశిరస్స్థానాంతరాధిష్టితం
      సప్రేమభ్రమరాభిరామ మసకృత్ సద్వాసనా శోభితం

     భోగీంద్రాభరణం సమస్తసుమనః పూజ్యం గుణావిష్కృతం
     సేవే శ్రిగిరి మల్లికార్జున మహాలింగం శివాలింగితం