Fond memories of bliss – Part 6
Friends,
Let me take you about 13-14 years backwards. Premika Bhavanam those days wore a different look. It was a beautiful open terrace with ‘pandal’ as shelter. The whole place so cool! Should I say ‘as cool as the Master’s grace’? There was a small sanctum sanctorum for Sri Srinivasa Perumal on one side and adjoining that there was a room which our Guru Maharaj occupied. One favourite place of Sri Swamiji was the road-facing corner of the terrace. He would sit there in a stool and gaze as if lost in some lofty plane of bliss or pouring grace through His eyes upon all passers-by (‘nayana diksha’).
Many a time Sri Swamiji would be in high states of ecstasy. He would constantly circumambulate Perumal while chanting in a feverish pace. His eyes would be restless and red. His whole body would quiver as He chanted. He would do shaashtaanga namaskar to Perumal countless times. He would stand on one foot for long spells and chant in front of Perumal. At times He would look in the eye of Perumal and converse with him lovingly like they were the best of pals. At other times He would stand frozen in bhaava samadhi for very long time. He would wear ‘ chalangai’ and sing and dance chanting the nama joyfully… Oh! How vibrant that scene was!
It was one of those days when Sri Swamiji was in a very high state of ecstasy. He was continuously chanting before Srinivasa Perumal and after a while, He came and sat on his favourite stool looking at the roadside. There was nobody else with Sri Swamiji then.
From nowhere, a beggar Sadhu came asking for alms. Unusually he was wearing all the external marks of a Sri Vaishnavite. Sri Swamiji who was continuously meditating upon Perumal was completely in that consciousness. The sight of this beggar with all Vaishnavite marks further made Sri Swamiji’s bhaavam soar higher. He rushed downstairs and upon reaching the proximity of the beggar, in a flash, Swamiji fell flat at His feet in a trance right there on the road.
One was reminded of how the great Nandanar would go into a trance even if he heard the word ‘thillai’ from a passerby. He would prostrate before passersby on the road if they were heading towards Chidambaram. Such are the dizzying heights reached in Bhakti Bhava.
We never ever saw that mysterious special visitor again. The incident left us all wondering if it was the Lord Srinivasa Himself who was the special visitor that day!
