Poojyasree Kanchi Mahaswamigal and His Foot Print Pammal Ekambaram

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Sri Gurubhyo namaha
Sruthi smriti purananam aalayam karunalayam
Namami Bhagavad Pada Sankaram Loka sankaram
"Namami Bhagavadpada Sri Chandrsekarendra Saraswathim Sri KamaKoti
Peetaheeswaram"

During the period when Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya Sri Chandrasekarendrc Saraswathi Swamgial was the pontiff (head) of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti peetam Sri Seshadri Sastrigal of Yesaiyanoor@ (Appa Kutty Sastrigal) was serving as Aasthanc dwan and Vadhyar for nearly 40 years in the Mutt and was conducting the important festivals like Navarathiri pooja, Vyasa pooja, aradhana that would come now and the! and also performed the Mutt related kumbabishekam and otherthings and would clarify the doubts on dharma sastra of devotees coming to the Mutt, replying to the letter: received and also played a vital role in computing the panchangam for the Mutt and also participated in the Sri Mutt yatra and did kaingaryam (service) and also got the title of "Dharma Sastra Bhaskara" from Sri Periyava on the occasion of his Sadabhishekam on 7-7-1977 and breathed his last on 10.12.1977 on new moon day in the Tamil month of Karthigai. Becuase of the Kaingaryam he did and the affection of Sri Periyava on him, hishh hissons, four of us are blessed to do Kaingaryam continuously. Myself, the fourth son (Ekambara Nathan) have had the darshan of Sri Periyava from childhood and has also spoken to Sri Periyava. Inspite of that I, was blessed to have had the opportunity from16th September 1978 to 24th September 1983 for nearly 5 years to participate in the yatra of Sri Periyava. Just like the squirrel did kaingaryam to the best of its ability to Sri Rama, as per the orders of Sri Periyava, I was blessed to do the work entrusted to me to my best level. But Sri Periyava's yatra should not be left by mere saying. It may be around 900 kms distance from Kanchipuram to Satara (near Poona). But to go up tha place and to return it took approximately 5000 kms. With one cycle rickshaw, two cycle 5 or 6 people to do kaingaryam, to go on viswaroopa yatra completely by walk, tree, road cow shed, temple were searched and stayed by Sri Periyava. It is said that earlier Sri Adi Shankara had performed yatra like this. But he was very young at that time. For Sri Periyava it was after Sadabhishekam at 85 years, the yatra was performed.

Further what and all happened in this yatra, who all came and had darshan of Sri Periyava, what are the routes in which he travelled, what all Sri Periyava spoke, all those though we know little of them, we may forget it over the years. But if it was an ordinary sanyasi or any other person, if we forget, it would not be wrong. If the embodiment of God, the Lord of Kailash, Sri Parameswaran has come down to earth and stayed amongst us as an ordinary Parivarajaka Sanyasi had performed yatra, if we forget even a bit it would be a great blunder (bhadhakam). When Sri Periyava was in Andhra Pradesh. The then Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh Sri. N.T.R. in his welcome address at Kasturi Palli a village at the Andhra border said in Telugu, "Don't think that the Mahan here is an ordinary sanyasi. He is Lord Parameshwara of Kailash. Today, all the 6 crore people of Andhra have become purified because of this great Mahan's visit and have become sanctified". In such great Mahan's yatra, whatever little I know about the places visited, the events that took place, the VIPs who visited and had darshan, the conversations, to recollect and to write them, I surrender at the Lotus feet of Sri Periyava and "avan arulale avanthaal vanagi" (by his grace, I pray at the lotus feet) and start writing this.

Let this work be completed without any hurdles by His grace.

Hara Hara Sankara
Jaya Jaya Sankara

Sri Adi Sankara Bhagavadpada, not only wrote the Brahma Sutra bashyam, but also for everyone to understand in a simple manner has written many books on Vedanta. One such important text is the "Viveka Choodamani". The book has been titled so, that the enlightened should wear it like a crown on their head and everyone should understand it. Hence the name. In the third sloka of Viveka Choodamani, Sri Bhagavadpadal has said,

"Dhurlabam Thrayamevaithath Deivanugraha hethukam
Manushyathvam Mumukshathvam Mahapurusha Samsrayaha"

Let us see its meaning. It is not easy to get a "birth as a human being", unstinted desire to attain "Mukthi", company of "Ma ha an" - all these three, ajeevan does not get so easily.

If one has prayed God for mukthi seriously in many births, only then it is possible to attain them. In this world, one can achieve anything, if he strives for and can be proud of it. I struggled and earned money. I worked hard and came up in life. We can keep saying. Do you know that there is one thing that nobody can say that he has done it? I struggled and I am born as a human being. Who can say this? In this world, there are small and big creatures totalling 84 lakhs. And to be born as a human being is very rare. This birth as a human being is obtained only because of punya done in many previous births (many crores of births). But the main problem in our country is the population growth. If there is so much population in our country, how much will be population if we take a count for the whole world? In Srimad Bhagavadam itself it is said that unable to bear the weight of the population, Bhooma Devi took the form of a cow and along with the devas surrendered to Lord Brahma. To reduce the weight from Bhooma Devi, Bhagavan did Krishnavatar. Even if one attains this beautiful birth, there is one Lord. Pavam, puniyam, rebirth, paralok all these many have not understood properly. Very few know these. Out of that, very few people follow what they know. Even if they have devotion to God, for many it would occur that they pray for attaining wealth, post, fame etc. It is very rare, one in a crore, who desire for mukthi, out of these. Is it enough if they so desire? To attain that mukthi, they need a Guru. Just like imitations in jewellery glittering, there are many covering jewels in religion also. A true gnani cannot be identified by one's knowledge or intelligence. One gnani can identify another gnani. To search and finding them would lead to disappointment. It should happen on its own. Even if one finds such a Guru, to follow the path shown by the Guru till the end and without falling down in the middle like "Jadabharathar" or "Viswamithran", only one in a million would attain jeevanmukthi. The word Bharathal means, one who has attained Mukthi. Because there are many mukthas in this country, it was called as Bharath. One among these Mahaans was Sri AdiSankara Bhagavadpada, a great Gnani. That Sri AdiSankara Bhagavad pada's reincarnation again at Kanchi Kamakoti Peeta as Sri Chandra Sekarendra Saraswathi is an accepted fact by all the people. To rescue her husband Satyavan, Savithiri ,a woman of great chastity walked with Lord Yama and took seven steps. Even today, "Sapthapathi", ritual in which seven steps are kept is considered important in- marriages. It is said by elders that, with whomsoever we walk seven steps together, their happiness and sorrow becomes one. That being so, what can be said of a great devotee, Sri man Ekambaram's blessings, who had the good fortune of walking together with his guru and Jeevanmuktha, Sri Periyava for many years? While he went along, he has captured those events, big or small, without leaving anything, in front of our eyes. Everyone would feel as if they are walking along with Sri Periyava. That is the truth. Those who read this should get the paripoornam (complete) grace of Sri Periyava and there is no doubt that they will attain sarvamangalam (all auspicious things) in their life.