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Poorva: Magic, Mircles and
Magic , Miracles and the Mystical Twelve
LAKSHMI DEVNATH Roles Reversed
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The Story of Periaazhvaar
(Continued from the previous issue. . .)
It was Poorva who resumed the conversation. “It seems to be a long walk to Srivilliputhur. Do you think you could tell me a story?”
“Of course,” said the Swami. “A very long time ago, there was a place called Varaaha Kshethram. Kshethram is a Sanskrit word that means ‘place’ and Varaaha means ‘boar’.
It is believed that Lord Vishnu, taking the form of a boar, had rested in this place for some time along with Goddess Mahalakshmi. And that is how this place got its name.
In this place was a forest called Shenbaga Aranyam. Shenbaga, or champaka in Sanskrit, is a kind of flower, and aranyam means ‘forest’. In the forest lived two brothers, Villi and Kandan. They were expert hunters.
Once, the younger brother, Kandan, saw a tiger and went after it. When Kandan did not return, Villi got worried and went looking for him. The search was unsuccessful, and Villi, exhausted, fell asleep under a tree. In his dream, Lord Vishnu appeared and gently informed him that Kandan had fallen prey to the tiger.
The Lord added that, long ago, He had come to Shenbaga Aranyam to destroy a demon called Kaalanemi, and if Villi dug below the very tree under which he was resting, he would find a vigraham of Himself in a reclining form. Vishnu further directed Villi to build a temple and install the deity in it.
When Villi woke up, he eagerly set about implementing the Lord’s commands. As days went by, in place of the forest arose a puthur, a new city. There he built a huge temple. And since this place was constructed by Villi …”
“And isn’t it a fantastic coincidence that we’re back at Periaazhvaar’s house!” The Swami feigned surprise.
It had been a long, exciting day.
The sound of music reached Poorva’s ears. Leaving the Swami behind, she ran to the doorstep. She saw Periaazhvaar singing and moving his hands about as though inviting people in. And this made Poorva curious. With a smile, she called out, “Translator Thaatha, please come here.”
The Swami laughed as he strode towards her, “Cheeky girl, here is the translation: ‘O ladies with curly locks, come here and see the arms of this child, a mere four-or-fivemonth-old. He destroyed a devil in the form of a cart and sucked the life out of the brightly smiling ogress, Pootana.’”
“That’s Krishna’s story,” cried Poorva.
“Exactly! Periaazhvaar, in a mood of devotion, is imagining himself to be Yashoda, the mother of Krishna. His songs convey all his experiences as young Krishna’s mother. The verses start with the birth of Krishna.
They go on to describe the Aazhvaar’s joy in bathing baby Krishna, dressing him up, feeding him, teaching him to walk and to clap, singing him lullabies, and as you heard, boasting of him, like any young mother would. The songs of Periaazhvaar describe many other exploits of Krishna as well.”
The Swami added, “These songs will not only become popular with devotees but will also influence poets like Bharathiyaar, the great Tamil bard of the nineteenth century.”
Looking at Poorva, the Swami asked, “I’m sure you are familiar with Bharathiyaar’s famous song, ‘Theeraadha vilayaattu pillai’?”
She nodded and the Swami said, “You’ll have several opportunities to listen to many more songs of Periaazhvaar. After all, we are going to be here for a while. Incidentally, do you know why Periaazhvaar chose to make garlands as a way of worship?”
Not venturing a guess, Poorva merely looked at him.
“It was because he was inspired by the story of a garland-maker in the ancient city of Mathura. Listen to this story. Krishna, along with his brother Balarama, went to the city of Mathura to kill Kamsa.
There he visited Kamsa’s garland-maker and asked him for a garland. The man was overwhelmed by Krishna’s request, for he recognized Krishna as Lord Vishnu Himself. With folded hands, he said, ‘Yogis and scholars pine for Your darshan. Look at my good fortune – You have blessed me with not only Your presence but also by asking me for a garland.’
Periaazhvaar read about this incident in the famous epic poem, the Bhagavatham, and decided that he too would spend his life making garlands for Lord Vishnu.”
The Swami turned towards Poorva and said in an urgent voice, “Poorva, do you hear what I hear?”
Poorva looked at him. It was unusual for the Swami to get excited, and all she could hear was the Aazhvaar singing.
He stopped and said, “This Nedumaaran is none other than our own Shrimaara. Such references will help later-day historians to arrive at the dates of the Aazhvaars.”
Poorva could not understand what he was hinting at. She was more interested in finding out how many songs Periaazhvaar would compose in all. And would all of them be on Krishna?
She looked around for the Swami. He was walking towards the hut which he had said would be their temporary home.
Poorva ran behind him. “Thaatha,” she called out to him, when the answers flashed across her mind: 473 songs, not all of them on Krishna; some of them would be on the other avataars of Vishnu as well.
Much as she was used to miracles and mind-reading by now, this left Poorva openmouthed. Dazed, she walked towards the hut.
As she was about to enter it, a bat, hanging upside down, swung itself close to her face and countered, “Didn’t someone say that nothing could astonish her?”
Stupefied, Poorva staggered towards her bed but lay down unwittingly on the floor and went to sleep. (To be continued. . .)
The Covid Code from Hanuman (Continued from page 30...)
“I have taught you a shloka that also talks of these 5 virtues – have I not?” Ammamma asked with a smile. “Which one ? I don’t remember …” Kuttan wondered.
“Ok, let me give you a jumble to solve – unscramble the letters and you will find the shloka”. Ammamma took his scribbling pad, and started writing out the jumble. Kuttan stared at the jumble, and spent the next fifteen minutes unscrambling the letters. At the end, he shouted triumphantly “I’ve got it ! Ammamma, can I tell Amma about this shloka the next time we call her ? It will keep her safe”. “Of course, that is a wonderful idea. Now it’s time for you to sleep.” Ammamma was relieved as she saw the little boy smile in his sleep, performing heroic acts in his dreams, no doubt. Here is the transliterated shloka that Ammamma gave Kuttan. Can you unscramble it?
DIRBHUD ABLAM HOASY IYAHARDM ATAYANVMBRHI AOGAARMT DAAAMYJ VKA PTMAVATU AC TAMUANH MTANASRA ETHABV
Nag Mahashay
DR. RUCHIRA MITRA This is the twelth story in the series on devotees who had a role in the divine play of Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna. यमवैष व्ििरे िरेन लभयः
It is attained by him alone whom It chooses (Kathopanishad. 1.2:23)
On coming to know about the spiritual eminence of Sri Ramakrishna, a homeopath doctor, along with his friend, went to meet him at Dakshineswar. A man with a japamala in hand was sitting in the veranda. On being asked about Sri Ramakrishna, this religious looking man simply said, “He has gone to Chandannagar.1 Come another day.” As they stood there very disappointed, they noticed someone from inside the room beckoning them to come in. They eagerly went in, and found that it was none other than Sri Ramakrishna himself!
This physician was Durgacharan Nag, who later was revered as Nag Mahashay. He hailed from Deobhog, a remote village in erstwhile East Bengal. He was born in 1846. He studied homeopathy under Dr Beharilal Bhaduri2, a renowned physician of Kolkata and soon established a successful homeopathic practice. However, expectation and fame did not taint him. When a rich man, being cured of a painful disease, gratefully offered him a silver box filled with money, Durgacharan accepted just his fee of Rs. 2. He could not tolerate worldly talk; if anyone started mundane conversation, he would skilfully divert it towards spiritual discussion. His wife Sharatkamini was a vidya stree – pure, dedicated and self-effacing, simply his copilgrim. Her mind was tuned beyond the physical plane, which eased his spiritual pursuit.
From the beginning, Sri Ramakrishna bestowed his love on him, “I am very glad to see you. It is for you that I am here …. Do not fear. You have attained a very lofty state.” Speaking about him Sri Ramakrishna told others, “This man is like a blazing fire.”
Durgacharan decided to renounce family life, with Sri Ramakrishna’s permission. But before he could appeal, Sri Ramakrishna told him in an ecstatic mood, “What harm is there in remaining a householder? Only keep the mind fixed upon God. Remain in the world unattached, like the ancient king Janaka. Your life will be an example of how a householder should live.” This prophecy was fulfilled to the letter.
Durgacharan’s humility was peerless. Sri Ramakrishna introduced him to Narendranath (later Swami Vivekananda) with these words: “This man has genuine humility. There is no hypocrisy in it.” Girish Ghosh, the illustrious dramatist, famously commented on Durgacharan’s humility: “When Maya attempted to trap Nag Mahashay, he began to make himself smaller and smaller until he had at last reduced himself to such a degree that he could easily slip through the holes of her net!”
His practised severe austerity. He stopped taking salt, sugar and spices to control his tastebuds. He wore only a plain small dhoti. Seeing his frugal lifestyle, Girish Ghosh
commented, “Nag Mahashay has knocked at the head of his rascal ego so severely that it cannot raise its hood anymore.”
One day, when Sri Ramakrishna was seriously ill with throat cancer, Durgacharan came to see him. Sri Ramakrishna told him, “The doctors have failed. Can you do anything to cure me?” Durgacharan reflected for a moment and resolved to transfer Sri Ramakrishna’s disease to himself. He said, “Yes, I can cure you. By your grace, I will do it right now.” Understanding what he planned to do, Sri Ramakrishna simply pushed him away.
After Sri Ramakrishna’s mahasamadhi, Durgacharan spent most of his time in Deobhog, managing the household and looking after his aged father. He concealed his glowing spirituality under a veil of great humility. Even Holy Mother Sarada Devi used to cite him to her disciples as an epitome of renunciation and humility.
Swami Turiyananda, one of the directdisciples of Sri Ramakrishna, mentions an incident: “Nag Mahashay asked me to bless his father so that he could have true devotion to God. I told him that he was doing japa etc., and what else was needed? Nag Mahashay replied, ‘What is the use of rowing a boat which is anchored? Father is much attached to me. What good will his japa do?’ I said, ‘If he is not to love a son like you, whom else he would love?’ He cried out, ‘Don’t say so, don’t say so! Bless him so that he gets out of attachment for me.’ Oh! What a great man Nag Mahashay was!”
Once, on an auspicious day, instead of staying in Calcutta and having a dip in the Ganga, he came to Deobhog. When his father chided him for this, Durgacharan replied, “If a man has true devotion, Mother Ganga reveals herself in his house.” And truly, a stream of water gushed out from the corner of the courtyard in front of his house. It became a flowing stream! Durgacharan bowed down to it reverentially, sprinkled its water on his head, and prayed to Ganga to purify him. Soon the villagers came running, and all could bathe in it. Hearing of this incident, Swami Vivekananda commented, “The wish of a great soul like Nag Mahashay can make the impossible possible. Their infallible willpower can even liberate people.”
His reputation as a holy man spread across the region and people came to him for spiritual advice and to enjoy his holy company. Swami Vivekananda once said, “The whole of East Bengal was blessed because of the birth of Nag Mahashay.”
He frequently used to be in samadhi during the last few days of his life. Following Sri Ramakrishna’s advice, he never went on pilgrimage. While on his deathbed, he told Sharatchandra Chakraborty3, “Sri Ramakrishna has come here to show me the holy places. Please tell me the names of the pilgrim spots you have seen, and I will visit them one after another.” As Sharat mentioned the name of each place – Haridwar, Prayag, Kashi, Puri and Sagardwip – Nag Mahashay immediately had a vision of it and vividly described what he was seeing. Nag Mahashay, in spite of being terribly ill, looked so fresh that it seemed like he had just taken a bath in the holy Ganga! Sharat understood he was witnessing Sri Ramakrishna’s grace on his beloved disciple. Nag Mahashay passed into mahasamadhi in 1899, uttering “grace, grace” and looking steadfastly at the picture of Sri Ramakrishna!
Nag Mahashay’s name is written in golden letters in the annals of spiritual history, as he lived a life exactly as prescribed by Sri Ramakrishna — a householder yogi!
References: They Lived with God, Swami Chetanananda, pp 227-249 Endnotes: 1) A far-off town in Bengal 2) Dr Behari Lal Bhaduri met Sri Ramakrishna: Gospel 29-10-85 and is often mentioned in the Gospel. 3) Swami Vivekananda’s householder disciple and author of Swami Shishya Samvad and Sadhu Nag Mahashay
