Restoring Vision For The Blind Lady
1963, it was during the month of Asviyuja (September). In Tiruchirappalli the Kanchi Kamakoti Swamis (Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi and Sri Jayendra Saraswathi) were conducting the Navaratri festival celebrations.
There were spacious pandals specially erected for the thousands of thronging devotees. During those nine days Sri Paramacharya was observing the diksha and he was conducting all the scheduled events with close personal supervision. Not only that, the Swami had cancelled all special visits and interviews during the nine-day festival. (It was a rare occasion solely meant for the common devotee - man and woman.)
Among the devotees there was one ninety-year-old lady. Besides the advanced crippling old age, she was also blind. The lady had been fasting for three days. She had come trekking all the way from a twenty-mile distance solely to see Sri Paramacharya (the elder Swami).
Other than uttering “Sivaa Sivaa, Hara Haraa” she would not speak at all. Did not ask for any food. Foremost she wanted to get a ‘darsan’ of the Swami – thus she kept on muttering. All (the people) kept on wondering whether it was possible; the Swami had gone into the Navaratri diksha, forswearing interviews or special ‘darsan’, etc.
Yet, one of the devotees got an idea. From the room, Sri Paramacharya used to come out once or twice breaking his self-imposed isolation. Thus thinking the devotee gently helped her settle near the exit door. There she sat and continued chanting ‘Siva-Sivaa, Hara-Haraa’. That was her stubborn act; now no one would disturb her. That was her pure devotion. Now, paradoxically hundreds of other devotees too crowded around her with the faint hope of seeing Sri Paramacharya.
Later inadvertently one of Swami’s close associates (a disciple) opened the door and observed the meditating lady bhakta, leaning against the doorway. The assembled crowd slowly narrated her story. The disciple rushed inside and communicated the matter to the Swami.
At noon Paramacharya was about go to the Puja-mandir and then suddenly turned back upon hearing about the fasting lady. The Swami opened the (back) door and came out to meet the waiting lady. There Sri Paramacharya saw the chanting lady waiting in the red-hot burning midday sun.
“What, grandmother! I’ve come to see you. How long have you been sitting here?” Thus spoke endearingly the Swami to the lady in Tamil.
The crowd came to her help, as she was also hard of hearing. They repeated Swami’s words into her ears. Hearing those words, the grand lady started speaking loudly,
“Have you come, my Deva! Have you come, my father, to bless me? Please stand in front of me, I’ve to pay respects (prostrate) to your feet.” So she said in Tamil.
“Grandma, you don’t have vision. How will you see me?”
“At least, I can hear your words if you come near.”
“Not like that. You do what I say.” Said Paramacharya to her.
He made her stand in the sun a little farther. The Swami did perambulation around her. During that encircling process He stopped at each of the eight directions and kept on asking her thus: “Am I visible to you? Are you able to see me?”
“Yes, Yes. I am able to see your saffron robe. Your staff is visible…” And she went on describing sequentially the entire form of Paramacharya. By the time Swami completed the circle, she went on talking, “You look to me as clearly as I had seen you twenty years back. Now also, you appear the same, my father (appa).”
She prostrated and paid respects.
All the persons in the crowd around her were surprised at her – the (blind) lady’s bhakti towards the Guru. They admired Paramacharya’s greatness (and his miraculous power).
(Translated from “Nadichedevudu” – a Telugu work by N. Venkataseshayya)
Copyright 2021 by the author
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