Kanchi Periva Forum - Ebook on Sri Maha Periva's Life History - Volume 4

Glimpses from Sri Maha Periva’s Life History – Volume 4 By Subi Anna

© Copyrights reserved Kanchi Periva Forum – www.periva.proboards.com & www.periva.org

Author: Sri Subi Anna

Volume 4

October 2013 - Anusham

E-Book from Kanchi Periva Forum

Glimpses from

Sri Maha Periva’s Life History




Table of Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1

Author's Note ............................................................................................................ 2

Chapter 10 (...contd) ................................................................................................ 3

Paul Brunton's Vision .......................................................................................... 3

Periva’s Prophetic Power ..................................................................................... 5

Chapter 11 ................................................................................................................ 7

Visit to Kanchipuram ........................................................................................... 7

About Kamakshi Temple ..................................................................................... 7

Visit to Sriperumbudur ........................................................................................ 9

Congress Volunteers Meet Maha Periva ..........................................................11

Mahasivaratri in Kalahasti ................................................................................12

Maha Periva in Tirupathi ..................................................................................13

Mother’s Demise .................................................................................................14

Vyasa Puja at Buggai .........................................................................................15

Chittoor’s Greatness...........................................................................................15

Sri Venkateswara - Maha Periva’s Perspective...............................................16

Visit to Chennai ..................................................................................................17

Corporation’s Welcome ....................................................................................18

Navarathri Puja in Chennai ..............................................................................18

Counseling in Schools .........................................................................................20

Trip to Thiruvotriyur .........................................................................................22

Message to Citizens .............................................................................................23



Introduction

Hari Om! A warm welcome to the Kanchi Periva Forum, a forum intended for the devotees

of His Holiness Sri Kanchi Paramacharya, fondly known to His devotees as Sri Maha Periva.

Since its inception on 21st Dec 2011, (the Aaradhana Day of Sri Maha Periva), the Kanchi

Periva Forum has been actively engaged in disseminating the teachings of the Living God,

Sri Maha Periva in various forms - through regular postings on the Forum in Tamil and

English; exclusively designed posters carrying the precious messages of Maha Periva;

monthly Ebooks, our blog and also through our Facebook page

www.facebook.com/periva

Our mission has been to reach out to all devotees of the Mahaswami across the globe in any

way possible so as to take His valuable and precious life lessons far and wide. The Forum is

a Satsang of over 2400 devotees of Maha Periva who live in different countries, belong to

different age groups, speak different languages, but with one common thread between them

– their love, bakthi and devotion to the Paramacharya.

Now, with the abundant grace and blessings of His Holiness, we have launched a complete

package of Periva’s life history followed by a Quiz program to encourage and motivate

people to know more about the Life and teachings of Sri Maha Periva. Every Hindu must

know the greatness of the Great Saint of our time, and all the initiatives that we are taking

from the Forum are aimed at that direction.

Our special thanks to our respected member and moderator, Sri Sundaresan Subramanian

(“Subi Anna”), based out of Chicago, USA for this brilliant and untiring efforts in authoring

this E-book series. We also thank our moderator Smt Sumi for her commendable efforts in

coordinating the Quiz program.

Please read this book in detail so that you can answer the questions with ease. This will be

an Online Quiz program which will be held every month.

We have plans to take this Quiz program to a larger audience - especially to the younger

generation in schools and colleges, and also to the general public. We invite Quiz

Administrators who will be interested in organizing this Quiz program in their own locality -

India or Overseas. We will provide the reading material and the Question Bank. All you

would have to do is to gather interested youngsters in your locality and conduct the Quiz

competition every month. This will be a great service.

If you are not already a member of our Forum and received this ebook from any of your

friends, please register on the forum http://www.periva.proboards.com/ to receive our

updates on the Quiz program and also to receive our regular free publications.

Please also visit our parent site http://www.periva.org/ which has a rich treasure of

information, articles, rare collection of videos and a large online library of direct audio files

of Periva's Upanyasams. Any feedback or queries may be sent to us at

[email protected]

Administrator - Kanchi Periva Forum

Jaya Jaya Shankara! Hara Hara Shankara!!

http://www.facebook.com/periva

http://www.periva.proboards.com/

http://www.periva.org/

mailto:[email protected]



Author's Note

Volume 4 - October 2013

To begin with, I wish to

congratulate the winners of the

quiz programs on volumes 1 and 2.

This is indeed an index of the

interest taken by readers.

I am grateful to Sumi for her

efforts in designing and

implementing this innovative quiz

program.

I take this opportunity to

encourage readers to watch for

announcements on further quiz

programs and participate in greater

numbers.

In this volume, we conclude

Chapter 10 with Paul Brunton's

vision and how he eventually

realized the prophetic power of

Maha Periva.

As we continue describing further

travels of Maha Periva in South

India, you will find a lot more

information relating to our glorious

cultural and religious heritage.

Included in this volume are short

descriptions and illustrative

pictures of some of the great

temples.

While reading, you will observe

that at many places Sanskrit or

Tamil words are used.

Many of you may be familiar with

these words but to those who are

not conversant with such words, I

have included, in many places,

English transliterations and the

nearest English meanings. Readers

are most welcome to offer any

suggestions in this regard.

During this month, the joyous

Navarathri (also known as Dassera

or Durga Puja in some parts of

India) festival will be celebrated all

over the world.

Most appropriately, this volume

includes a short description of

Navarathri puja.

I hope you continue to enjoy

reading this E-book series and

learn more from it.

Subi Anna



Chapter 10 (...contd)

Paul Brunton's Vision

After the meeting with Maha

Periva in Chingleput, Paul

Brunton returned to Chennai.

He describes the unique

experience and a vision that

he had on the night of his

return:

(Quote) It is nearly midnight

when I return home. I take a

last glimpse overhead. The

stars stud the vast dome of

the sky in countless myriads.

Nowhere in Europe can one

see them in such

overwhelming numbers. I run

up the steps leading to the

veranda, flashing my pocket

torch. Out of the darkness, a

crouching figure rises and

greets me.

“Subramanya!” I exclaim,

startled. “What are you doing

here?” The ochre-robed Yogi

indulges in one of his

tremendous grins.

“Did I not promise to visit

you, sir?” He reminds me

reproachfully.

“Of course!”

In the large room, I fire a

question at him. ”Your master

– is he called the Maharishi?”

It is now his turn to draw

back, astonished.

“How do you know, sir?

Where could you have learnt

this?”

“Never mind. To-morrow we

both start for his place.

“This is joyful news, sir.”

“But I shall not stay there

long, though. A few days,

maybe.”

I fling a few more questions

at him during the next half-

hour, and then, thoroughly

tired, go to bed.



Subramanya is quite content

to sleep on a piece of palm

matting which lies on the

floor. He wraps himself up in

a thin cotton cloth, which

serves at once as a mattress,

sheet and blanket, and

disdains my offer of more

comfortable bedding.

The next thing of which I am

aware is suddenly awakening.

The room is totally dark. I feel

my nerves strangely tense.

The atmosphere around me

seems like electrified air. I

pull my watch from under the

pillow and, by the glow of its

radium-lit dial, discover the

time to be a quarter to three.

It is then that I become

conscious of some bright

object at the foot of the bed. I

immediately sit up and look

straight at it. My astounded

gaze meets the face and form

of His Holiness Shri Shankara.

It is clearly and unmistakably

visible. He does not appear to

be some ethereal ghost, but

rather a solid human being.

There is a mysterious

luminosity around the figure,

which separates it from the

surrounding darkness. Surely,

the vision is an impossible

one. Have I not left him at

Chingleput?

I close my eyes tightly in an

effort to test the matter.

There is no difference and I

still see him quite plainly! Let

it suffice that I receive the

sense of a benign and friendly

presence. I open my eyes and

regard the kindly figure in the

loose yellow robe.

The face alters, for the lips

smile and seems to say: “Be

humble and then you shall

find what you seek!”

Why do I feel that a living

human being is thus

addressing me? Why do I not

regard it as a ghost, at least?

The vision disappears as

mysteriously as it has come.

It leaves me feeling exalted,

happy and unperturbed by its

supernormal nature.



Shall I dismiss it as a dream?

What matters it?

There is no more sleep for me

this night.

I lie awake pondering over the

day’s meeting, over the

memorable interview with His

Holiness Shri Shankara of

Kumbakonam, the Hierarch of

God to the simple people of

South India. (Unquote)

Thus, in just one single

meeting, Maha Periva blessed

Paul Brunton to discover a

real Yogi and a Guru in

Ramana Maharishi at

Tiruvannamalai.

Periva’s Prophetic Power

Later, Paul Brunton went to

Tiruvannamalai and met

Ramana Maharishi at his

Ashram. Though he was most

impressed by the Maharishi,

Paul Brunton was unwilling to

become his disciple unless the

Maharishi could 'offer proof'

of being a real Master.

The great Maharishi was

neither interested in building

a camp of disciples nor in

'offering proof' to Paul

Brunton.

Therefore, Paul Brunton left

the ashram and traveled

again all over India in search

of another master. He met

several yogis and self-

proclaimed masters. Either

they failed to impress him or

they were unwilling to go with

the 'proof first' approach.

Finally, giving up his search,

Paul Brunton booked his ticket

for his return to Europe.

However, in Bombay, shortly

before his ship was due to sail

he could not get rid

of a restlessness in his head.

He struggled debating with an

inner voice that questioned

him intensely and eventually

decided to revisit Ramana

Maharishi.

It is best to read in Paul

Brunton's own words, how he



eventually realized Maha

Periva’s prophetic powers:

(Quote) “After leaving the

South Mahratta Company's

terminus (Madras Central

Station), I have to cross the

scattered town in order to

change on to the South Indian

Railway.

Finding that I have a few

hours to spare before the

train starts, I use the time to

make some necessary

purchases and to have a

hurried chat with the Indian

author (Sri.K.S.Venkatramani)

who introduced me to His

Holiness Shri Shankara, the

spiritual head of South India.

He greets me warmly, and

when I inform him that I am

on the way to the

Maharishi, the writer

exclaims: ‘I am not surprised!

That is what I expected.’

I am taken aback, but ask

him: ‘Why do you say that?’

He smiles. ‘My friend, do you

not remember how we parted

from His Holiness in the town

of Chingleput? Did you not

notice that he whispered

something to me in the ante-

room just before we left?’

‘Yes, now that you remind

me, I certainly do remember

it.’

The author's thin, refined face

still keeps its smile. ‘This is

what His Holiness told me.

‘Your friend will travel all

round India. He will visit

many Yogis and listen to

many teachers. But, in the

end, he will have to return to

the Maharishi. For him, the

Maharishi alone is the right

Master.'

These words, coming as they

do on the eve of my return,

deeply impress me.

They reveal the prophetic

power of Shri Shankara

more, they offer a kind of

confirmation that I am taking

the right course.” (Unquote)



Chapter 11

Visit to Kanchipuram

Among the Pancha Bhoota

Sthalas, Kanchipuram is the

Prithvi (Earth) Sthalam.

For the first time, as head of

the Kamakoti Peetam, Maha

Periva visited Kanchipuram on

January 25, 1931 (Tamil Year

Pramodhoota, Month of Thai).

Kanchipuram is a temple city

as there are well over 60

temples in this city.

It is said that the city’s main

deity Goddess Kamakshi

Ambal Herself shaped the

earthen Shiva lingam at the

Sri Ekambaranathar (Lord

Shiva) temple in Kanchipuram

and therefore, the place came

to be known as the Prithvi

Kshetram.

Fig. 30 Sri. Ekamabaranathar

About Kamakshi Temple

The temple of Sri Kamakshi is

located in the center of

Kanchipuram. The website

www.kanchikamakshi.com

provides details of the temple.

The Vigraha (idol) of Goddess

deity (Ambal) is not found

separately in any of the Siva

temples in Kanchipuram city.

http://www.kanchikamakshi.com/



Fig. 31 Sri Kamakshi Devi

Goddess Kamakshi, in the

form of performing tapas

(deep meditation) to attain

Siva, is considered to be the

ruling Goddess in all the Siva

temples in Kanchipuram.

The main gopurams of all the

temples in Kanchipuram are

located facing the direction

towards the Kamakshi temple.

During festivals in other

temples, it is a practice to

conduct processions of those

temple deities around the

Kamakshi temple.

Fig. 32 Kamakshi Temple Gopuram

It is said that Sri Adi

Shankaracharya installed Sri

Chakra inside the Kamakshi

temple.

According to history, it is

believed that Sri Adi

Shankaracharya ascended the

Sarvagna Peetam in

Kanchipuram and attained

Siddhi inside the Kamakshi

temple. A man-size Vigraha

of Sri Adi Sankara is seen

inside the Kamakshi temple.

Eagerly expecting the arrival

of Maha Periva, the citizens of

Kanchipuram (the seat of



Kamakoti Peetam) extended a

very warm welcome to Periva.

At this time, Maha Periva

stayed in Kanchipuram for

about a month. During his

stay, he frequently prayed at

the temples of Sri Varadarajar

and Sri Ekambaranathar.

Almost every day, he used to

pray at the Kamakshi temple.

For several hundreds of years,

the Kamakoti Peetam oversaw

the administration of Sri

Kamakshi temple. In the year

1840, Sri Chandrasekarendra

Saraswathi Swamigal, the

64th Acharya of Kamakoti

Peetam, had conducted the

Kumbabishekam of Kamakshi

temple.

The following year, the

(British) government had left

the entire administration of

the temple to be under the

direct supervision of the

Peetam.

To facilitate reforms in the

temple administration, Maha

Periva appointed a person by

name Sri. T.S. Ramaswamy

Iyer of Best and Company as

the honorary administrator of

the temple.

Maha Periva had observed

that some parts of the temple

were damaged and needed

repairs. As the temple’s

Kumbabhishekam was last

performed almost 90 years

ago, Maha Periva desired that

the next Kumbabhishekam

must be done within his

lifetime.

With Maha Periva's initiative,

work on repair and renovation

of the temple began

immediately.

Visit to Sriperumbudur

Sriperumbudur is a city about

25 miles west of Chennai. It is

the birthplace of Sri.

Ramanujacharya, a highly

respected Vaishnavite saint

and the chief proponent of

Vishishtadvaita philosophy.

After touring several places in

Chingleput district during May



1931, Maha Periva visited the

city of Sriperumbudur.

He worshipped at the local

temple of Sri Adikesava

Perumal and Sri Ethirajavalli.

Fig. 33 Main Gopuram of Adikesava

Perumal Temple, Sriperumbudur

In a public discourse at

Sriperumbudur, Maha Periva

explained the importance of

this city.

Further, quoting the following

Sanskrit slokas (verses) from

the hymn “Shiva Mahimna

Stotram” composed by a

great poet named

Pushpadanta, Maha Periva

illustrated that various paths

of devotion eventually lead to

the same Almighty.

त्रयी साङ्ख्यं योगः पशुपतिमिं वैष्णवतमति

प्रतिन्ने प्रस्थाने परतमदमदः पथ्यतमति च। रुचीना ंवैतचत्र्यादृजुकुटिल नानापथजुषां नणृामेको गम्यस््वमतस पयसामणणव इव॥

For the benefit of those who

are unable to read Sanskrit

script, the transliteration in

English follows.

Trayee Samkhyam Yogah

Pashupatimatham Vaishnavamithi

Prabinne Prasthane Parmidha

madhah Pathamiti Cha l

Ruchinam Vaichitraya Drujukutila

Naanapathajusham

Nrunameko Gamyastvamasi

Payasaamarpanava Eva ll

The meaning of these verses

is as follows:

The different practices based

on the three Vedas, SaMkhya,

Yoga, Pashupata-matha,

VaishhNava-mata and others

show different paths to reach

the Greatest Truth.



Having different aptitudes,

people choose from them

whatever they think best and

deserve acceptance.

Just as the sea is the final

resting place for all types of

streams, You (God) are the

ultimate destination for all

people whichever path -

straight or roundabout- they

may choose to accept.

Many devotees had come

from Chennai to listen to

Maha Periva’s discourse in

Sriperumbudur.

Amongst them was a learned

lawyer K. Balasubramania

Iyer who was proficient in

Tamil, Sanskrit and English

languages.

While listening to Maha

Periva’s lecture in

Sriperumbudur, Sri. Iyer took

down notes and later

published an article in the

November 1931 issue of ‘Arya

Dharma’ magazine.

The information provided in

the earlier paragraphs is

based on Iyer’s notes/article.

Congress Volunteers Meet

Maha Periva

July to October 1931: After

performing Vyasa Puja,

observing Chaturmasyam and

celebrating Navaratri festival

in Chittoor, Maha Periva

traveled to Arani town.

During Maha Periva’s stay in

Arani, a group of over 200

volunteers serving the

Congress Party wanted to

have a darshan of Periva. In

those days, India was under

British rule and entertaining

Congress volunteers in any

manner was considered a

crime punishable by the

government.

This was a time when the

British government's

persecution of Indian

Congress workers was almost

at its peak. Therefore, the

officials of the mutt were



reluctant to admit Congress

volunteers inside the mutt’s

premises as it could create

serious problems for the mutt.

However, on hearing about

this, Maha Periva asked the

mutt officials to bring the

volunteers to him. Maha

Periva met with each

volunteer individually and

gave ‘Vibhuti’ prasadam. The

mutt provided food to all the

volunteers.

The mutt officials were

extremely concerned about

any adverse reactions from

the government but Periva

was least worried.

This incident revealed that

Maha Periva made no

distinction of people who

came to see him, no matter

who they were.

Mahasivaratri in Kalahasti

Kalahasti is a pilgrim city

located about 75 miles north-

west of Chennai close to the

banks of river Swarnamukhi.

It is one of the Pancha Bhoota

Sthalas and considered as the

Vayu Kshetra. The main

deities at the Kalahasti Siva

temple are SriKalahastisvarar

and His consort named

Gnanagujambikai.

Maha Periva visited Kalahasthi

on March 5, 1932 for the

Mahasivarathri event. The

king of Kalahasthi received

Maha Periva with royal honors

and arranged a memorable

procession through the city.

Fig. 34 A view of Kalahasti Temple

(Source: Wikipedia)

During his one-week stay in

Kalahasthi, Maha Periva

desired to circumambulate the



nearby Kailasagiri hill on the

Sivarathri new moon day.

The local citizens from the city

discouraged Maha Periva from

undertaking this difficult task,

as the terrain around the hill

was uneven, difficult to trek

on foot, and about thirty miles

long in distance.

However, Maha Periva was

undeterred and decided to

undertake the arduous trip.

He started walking around 9

A.M. on an extremely hot day

and after completing one

round of the hill returned to

the mutt past midnight.

Due to extreme heat, the

people who had accompanied

Maha Periva were completely

exhausted. Maha Periva had

boils on the soles of his feet.

The following day, the king of

Kalahasti invited Maha Periva

to his palace and performed

Paada Puja. (Paada Puja

means worshipping the feet.

Just as a Shiva lingam is a

symbol of Lord Shiva, the feet

of the Guru are symbolic

representation of the Guru.)

The king offered a seat to

Maha Periva on an ancient

royal throne in the palace

intended for most revered

persons.

From the archives of the

Kalahasthi palace, it was

learnt that earlier in 1887, the

65th Sankaracharya of Sri

Kamakoti Peetam, Sri

Mahadevendra Saraswathi

Swamigal was seated on the

same throne in this palace.

Maha Periva in Tirupathi

After visiting Kalahasti, Maha

Periva moved to the well-

known pilgrim city of Tirupathi

(now in Andhra Pradesh). He

was received by the officials

of Tirupathi Devasthanam

with full honors.

In Tirupathi, Maha Periva

worshipped Sri Govindaraja

Swami and held discourses

every night in Telugu

language.



Fig. 35 Gopurams of Sri.

Venkateswara Perumal Temple

Maha Periva also visited

Tirumala and had darshan of

Sri. Venkateswara Perumal in

Tirumala.

During the stay in Tirumala,

Maha Periva took the

opportunity of bathing in the

waterfalls at Papanasam and

Akash Ganga.

Mother’s Demise

While Maha Periva was

camping at Nagari - a town in

Chittoor District, the mutt’s

manager received a telegram.

The message conveyed in the

telegram was that Maha

Periva’s mother passed away

on Ekadasi Day, June 14,

1932 in Kumbakonam. When

this sad news was received,

Maha Periva was engaged in

Vedantic discussions with a

group of pundits (scholars).

Holding the telegram in his

hands, the manager of the

mutt walked towards Maha

Periva's seat. Looking at the

manager, Maha Periva asked

him, "Is this telegram from

Kumbakonam?"

When the manager replied,

"Yes," Maha Periva instructed

him to go back and remained

silent. The pundits around

could not understand why

Maha Periva suddenly became

quiet.

After observing silence for

some time, Maha Periva

looked at the pundits and

asked, “What should a

sannyasi do when he hears

about the death of his

mother”? The learned pundits

could somewhat guess the

contents of the telegram but



could not give a reply to Maha

Periva's question.

At this juncture, Maha Periva

left the place and started

walking towards a waterfall

located about two miles away.

On learning the sad news, the

group of pundits and crowds

of other grieving people

followed Maha Periva chanting

Bhagavan Naamas (Divine

names). Maha Periva bathed

in the waterfall and so did

many others peacefully.

The mutt officials donated

silver and gold coins to the

Vedic pundits.

On the tenth day, thousands

of poor people were offered

food at the Kumabakonam

mutt.

Vyasa Puja at Buggai

On the outskirts of Nagari,

there is a village called

Buggai.

The temple in this village is

unique in the sense that it has

both Lord Shiva in the form of

Kashi Viswanathar and Lord

Vishnu in the form of Prayag

Madhavar in the same

prakaram (the outer corridor

around the sanctum of the

temple).

This temple is located on the

banks of river Kusasthali.

There are five streams called

Pancha Ganga that flow into

this river.

On July 17, 1932, Maha

Periva performed Vyasa Puja

at this scenic location.

Chittoor’s Greatness

Fig.36 Map of Chittoor District

Before Maha Periva departed

from Chittoor district, he



spoke on the greatness and

natural beauty of this district.

He pointed out that the

district was great because the

following key sites are located

in this district:

- Three major temples (of Sri

Venkateswara in Tirupathi,

Sri Kalahasteswarar in

Kalahasti and Sri

Subramanyar in Tiruttani)

- Many beautiful waterfalls

like Sadashiva Kona,

Kailasa Kona and Ammavari

Kona

- Narayana Vanam, Kasi

Viswanathar temple,

Panchaganga and Prayag

Madhava temple (Like

Badrivana, Kashi Sthalam,

Kailas Parvatham are

located in North India)

Sri Venkateswara - Maha

Periva’s Perspective

Continuing his talk, Maha

Periva presented a unique

perspective on the deity of

Sri. Venkateswara located in

Tirumala.

He explained with the

following reasons how Lord

Venkateswara may be

considered to represent a

combination of the deities

Subramanya, Shiva, Shakti

and Vishnu:

- Sri Venkateswara temple

was located on top of a

hill and the deity is called

“Balaji.” Therefore, Balaji

may be considered as

Bala Subramanya.

- The idol has Jadaa (hair)

and Naaga (snake) that

are generally associated

with Shiva.

- Everyday there is

archanai (a form of

worship with offerings of

flowers and leaves while

reciting divine names)

to Venkateswara murthy

with ‘Bilva’ (Bael)

leaves,a favourite of

Shiva. Therefore, the

murthy may be viewed

to symbolize Shiva.



- There is a Sri Chakra

found on the Lord’s

Crown and there are

images of Simha (Lion)

on the walls of the outer

prakaram of the temple

that signify symbols of

Shakti.

- The Shanku (Conch), the

Chakram (Wheel) and

the Kreedam (Crown) on

Sri Venkateswara clearly

signify Vishnu.

He pointed out that the

disputes on Shiva, Vishnu

arose much later, and the

differences between the two

are not explained in the

Upanishads.

Considering these attributes,

Maha Periva expressed a

desire that all devotees

should forever worship the

great deity Sri Venkateswara

Perumal and receive His

blessings.

Visit to Chennai

While Maha Periva was in

Buggai, many devotees of

Chennai met him and invited

him to visit Chennai and stay

there for a couple of months.

Accepting their invitation,

Maha Periva traveled via

Tiruttani to Chennai and

arrived in Chennai city on

September 28, 1932.

Thousands of people had

assembled near Mylapore Luz

Church Road and Mowbray’s

Road to receive Maha Periva.

Fig.36 A View of Kapali Temple in

Mylapore, Chennai

Arrangements had been made

for Maha Periva’s stay at the

Sanskrit College in Mylapore.



Maha Periva received a grand

welcome in Chennai with

welcome speeches in three

languages - Sanskrit, Telugu

and Tamil.

On the night of his arrival in

Chennai, Maha Periva spoke

on the merits of Shiva Bhakthi

(devotion to Shiva), in which

he highlighted the greatness

of Sri Kapaleeswarar, the

Shiva deity at the Kapali

temple in Mylapore, Chennai.

Corporation’s Welcome

For the first time in history,

the Corporation of Chennai

passed an unanimous

resolution to accord an official

welcome to Maha Periva in

Chennai.

Sir A. Ramaswamy Mudaliar,

who had proposed this

resolution, said that this was

indeed the first time that the

Corporation of Chennai was

extending a formal welcome

to a religious leader as Maha

Periva was not only respected

by Hindus but also by

members of other religions.

Navarathri Puja in Chennai

Every year, the Kamakoti

Peetam celebrates the

Navarathri (nine nights) Puja.

Navarathri is a festival that

occurs twice in a year -

Vasantha Navarathri observed

in Spring (March – April) and

Sharada Navarathri in Autumn

(September-November).

In 1932, Sharada Navarathri

puja celebrations started in

Chennai on October 1.

From the very first day of

Navarathri, Maha Periva used

to observe Mounam (silence)

and fasting during all nine

days of Navarathri.

During all nine days and

nights, Maha Periva used to

perform Devi Puja. In those

days, large number of

devotees would gather to

have darshan of Maha Periva

and witness the special pujas

performed by him.



During the days of Navarathri

celebrations, women received

special privileges. They were

considered embodiments of

Devi (Goddess) and were

given many gifts such as new

clothes, turmeric, kumkum,

and flowers. Food was served

to women first before others.

Everyday, Kanya Puja (a form

of worship of girl children in

the age group of two to ten)

was done at the mutt. Pundits

who were proficient in Vedas

would chant Vedic hymns.

Scholars would chant Devi

Bhagavatham, Ramayanam,

Geetha, and Brahma Sutra

Bhashyam. As part of the

Navarathri rituals, the mutt

performed Sri Vidya Homam

and Chandi Homam (Homam:

offerings into fire).

Never before the citizens of

Chennai had seen such great

festivity and rejoicing during

Navarathri at the Sanskrit

College in Mylapore.

Maha Periva spent about four

months in Chennai, during

which he gave upanyasams

(lectures) every evening.

None knew the subject of his

talk beforehand. After taking

seat, he would observe a few

minutes of silence and then

begin his speech in a casual

conversational manner.

The topic would be on some

event connected with the day

or something that he has

observed around him.

On some days, he would

begin his lecture with the

recitation of slokams (verses)

from scriptures like

Soundarya Lahiri, Sivananda

Lahiri or hymns composed by

the well-known scholar Sri

Appayya Dikshitar.

Later, he would explain the

meaning of the slokams in

detail. He was superb in

holding the attention of the

audience through simple

explanations spiced with

gentle humour.

The popular newspapers “The

Hindu” (an English daily) and

“Swadesamithran” (a Tamil



daily) published reports of

Maha Periva’s speeches.

An individual by name Sri R.

Narayanaswamy Iyer who was

the owner of Mylapore Law

Journal Press, undertook the

task of compiling and

publishing Maha Periva’s

speeches into two volumes of

low-priced books.

The first volume of 610 pages

containing fifty speeches was

priced at Rs.1 and Annas 8.

The second volume priced at

Annas 8 included speeches on

‘Sankara Vijayam’ (The Visit

of Sankara).

The Mylapore Kamakshi

Nilayam published eighteen

more speeches of Maha Periva

in a very low-priced book

(Annas 6 only) containing 156

pages.

As the books were sold out

quickly, Maha Periva’s first

fifty speeches were re-

published later in five volumes

by the Kamakoti Kosam

organization then located in

Francis Joseph Street of

George Town in Chennai.

Counseling in Schools

Maha Periva visited some of

the schools in Chennai. While

appreciating the good work

done by those schools, Maha

Periva took the opportunity to

counsel both teachers and

students. Excerpts of his

advice to teachers and

students follow.

"Teachers make a living by

making productive use of

what they learnt. Many

others, after completion of

studies, may get engaged in

professions that are unrelated

to their studies. Through a

research of the topic before

teaching, teachers acquire the

skills to teach in a manner

that makes a strong

impression in the minds of

students.

A scholar went to the king to

recite the holy scripture of

Bhagavatham. The king sent



him back asking him to read

the Bhagavatham again.

The scholar read it all over

again and returned to the king

to recite it. The king asked

him to read it again. This to

and fro process happened

twenty one times.

When the scholar completed

reading the scripture twenty

one times, he realized the

inner meaning of

Bhagavatham and proceeded

to the forest to attain self-

realization.

When the king learnt that the

scholar had gone to the

forest, he knew that the

scholar was now competent to

teach him the Bhagavatham.

Therefore, he went to the

forest and sought the

scholar's upadesam

(teaching).

Likewise, repeated reading

only brings out the inner

meaning of a subject and you

will develop the competence

to teach.

Live like the rishis (saints) of

ancient times and teach your

students in a righteous way.”

Addressing the students of

Hindu Theological High

School, Chennai, Maha Periva

said:

“This entire world is like one

big family. The parents for

this family are Parvathi and

Parameswara. Kalidasa had

said this in the very first verse

of Raghuvamsam (The lineage

of Raghu, a literary

masterpiece of the great

Sanskrit poet Kalidasa).

The teachers and you

(students) are like a small

family. As children you need

to learn while you are young.

In the learning process, there

are two components: one is

devotion to the guru (teacher)

and the other is discipline.

Students should avoid

anger. Do not condemn

anyone.

Do you not follow a diet while

taking medicines? In the



same way, consider your

learning days as the period of

taking medicines.

During this time, do not

think about freedom and

disobeying elders.

Devotion to the teacher, and

discipline are necessary for

students.

Those children who are

humble in young age will

attain prominence in later

years.

Matru bhakthi, Pitru bhakthi

and Guru bhakthi (Devotion to

mother, father and guru) are

three things that are essential

for you.

As a student, do not get

involved in worldly activities.

You might ask, ‘Is it not

necessary to perform services

for the well-being of the

world’?

Yes- it is definitely necessary

to do service but you must

first get all the knowledge

needed to provide services.

Think of your learning as the

preliminary work for services

to the world and get involved

in study.”

Maha Periva’s advice to both

teachers and students seems

most relevant even today.

Trip to Thiruvotriyur

While in Chennai, Maha Periva

visited Thiruvotriyur, a suburb

of Chennai and prayed at the

temple of Sri Thyagesar and

Sri Tirupurasundari Ambal

located there.

It is said that Brahma,

Valmiki, Vasuki and others

performed puja to Lord Shiva

at this place.

Fig.37 Temple Gopuram, Thiruvotriyur



Three celebrated saints

Appar, Sundarar and

Sambandar have sung in

praise of this holy place.

This is the place where saint

Pattinathar attained mukthi

(salvation).

Realizing the importance of

this place, Sri Adi Sankara

who was born more than

2500 years ago, performed

the Sri Chakra prathisthai

(installation) before Sri

Tirupurasundari Ambal.

We can see a beautiful idol of

Sri Adi Sankara in the inner

prakaram (corridor) of Sri

Thyagesa in this temple.

The temple priests who

perform puja to

Tirupurasundari Ambal are

Namboodiri brahmins who are

descendants of Adi Sankara.

Subsequent to Adi Sankara,

many Acharyas of Kamakoti

Peetam have stayed here for

several years as they

considered this place ideally

suited for meditation, vedanta

vicharam (inquiry), and

mukthi (salvation).

Inside this temple, a Sankara

mutt is located in the South

corridor. As desired by Maha

Periva, this mutt was

renovated.

Inside the mutt, two

adishtanams are seen. One of

them seems to be that of

Kamakoti Peetam’s 61st

Acharya Sri Mahadevendra

Saraswathi Swamigal who

was the head of the Peetam

from 1704 to 1746.

The second adishtanam

appears to be that of the 55th

Acharya, Sri Chandra-

choodendra Saraswathi

Swamigal.

In accordance with Maha

Periva's wishes, pujas are

being conducted regularly to

both the adishtanams.

Message to Citizens

Before moving out of Chennai,

Maha Periva conveyed the



following message to the

citizens of Chennai:

“Speak the truth; follow

dharma; consider your

mother, father and guru as

Gods – these are preached by

our Vedas.

Sri Adi Sankara appeared

amongst us thousands of

years ago and established six

sects of our religion including

Saivam and Vaishnavam.

He has explained the meaning

of truth and dharma as told in

the Vedas in “Prasnotra

Ratnamalika” composed by

him.

Doing good for other living

beings is the truth.

Practicing the good dharma

practiced by ancestors is

one’s dharma.

We should keep in our

thoughts Ambika, Eeswara,

and Dakshinamurthy, who are

our mother, father and guru,

as well as Krishna Bhagawan

who gave us the Gita.

Follow the rituals as

prescribed in the vedic

shastras and reduce the

expensive habits and clothing.

Reduce your expenses and

help poor people who don’t

have any food by giving them

food once or twice a week.

Offer porridge or some food to

the village gods at least once

or twice a week, especially on

Fridays and Tuesdays.

Harijans should follow the

Shiva Bhakti of Nandanar, one

of the sixty three Shaivite

(devotees of Shiva) saints,

and not go against their

communal restrictions. That

will give them benefits in life.



Women of all communities

should maintain and practice

their faith similar to the

ancient Thilakavathiar and

Mangaiarkarasi even if the

men folk wander away from

their faith, and bring them

back into the fold. By

following our ancestors’ path,

our religion and community

will prosper more and more.”

In early 1933, Maha Periva

successfully concluded his

four-month stay in Chennai

after performing a range of

activities that included

numerous lectures, Navarathri

puja, and prayers at various

temples.

Jaya Jaya Sankara!

Hara Hara Sankara!!



Spiritual

Kanchi Periva Forum - Ebook on Sri Maha Periva's Life History - Volume 4