Experiences with Maha Periyava: Sorry, Uncle!

Experiences with Maha Periyava: Sorry, Uncle!

There is an organisation in America called the Paul Brunton mission, extolling the British journalist who came to see the Sages here. Brunton had Sri Maha Periyava’s darshan and on his advice went to Ramana Maharishi whose gracious glance he received. Every year the students who were members of this association, would visit Kanchipuram and stay on for 10 or 15 days, immersing themselves in Periyava’s blissful darshan.

The Group had come as usual one year. One day, Periyava was seated under the Night-flowering jasmine (Pavazhamalli) tree, which used to be in SriMatham in those days and was giving them the darshan. Periyava was sitting with his eyes closed. The American boys were seated around Periyava with their eyes closed in meditation. It was very silent, not a whisper anywhere. The attendants Balu Mama and Vedapuri Mama moved away and came out of SriMatham. A car came to stop there. A middle-aged couple and their three children got down. It was clear from the clothes they wore that the children were thoroughly westernised. They looked at Balu Mama and Vedapuri Mama who were standing there. Old, discoloured dhoties, hair knotted in a tuft, stripes of sacred ash, rudraksha beads around their neck. The ultra-modern kids found them amusing. “Who are these ancients? Some saints around here it seems? Wonder if he too is like this? Dirty people….uncivilised…..fools….. beggars…..who are they?”

Balu Mama and Vedapuri Mama went away listening to all this. The family of five went in and sat before Periyava. The parents too had never seen Periyava before. They had come shopping for Kanchipuram silk sarees and on their way back thought of dropping in at SriMatham for a short while. But, what were these foreign boys doing around Periyava? Sitting with legs folded, eyes closed and meditating? The Indian children from America began to hold whispered conversation with the American children from America.

Where have you come from? What's special here? How many days is it since you came here?

One of the American boys replied enthusiastically. “We came here with just one purpose. Periyava’s darshan. We come just for that. We believe that he is the incarnation of God. Seeing Him invigorates our soul. It will stay on throughout our lives. This is our good fortune.”

The Indian Children from abroad now saw the light. “Aha! Here are these American boys coming to see the Indian Saint and here are we Indians, knowing nothing about this Saint….What a shame!”

Periyava broke his silence. He made kind enquiries to the couple and their children. The children watched Periyava without batting an eyelid. Some kind of alchemy took place. The children resolved, “From now on, when we come to India, we will not go back without this Saint’s darshan”. When the family came out of SriMatham after receiving prasadam, they spotted Balu Mama and Vedapuri Mama once again. The same old, dirty beggars! But after Periyava’s darshan, they were not dirty any more. The three children said in one voice, “Sorry Uncle!” Beggars before Periyava’s darshan become Uncle after meeting his gracious glance.

Narrated by an attendant at SriMatham
Source: Maha Periyaval Darisana Anubhavangal Vol 3
Compiled by Jagadguru Sri Maha Periyava - Kanchi Paramacharya/Fb