50. Glorification of Kanchi Chandrasekhara and Sringeri Chandrasekhara Part � 6. With that on one side, bhakti grew in me towards the author of the book. Also amazement in many places that I was reading only about Kanchi PeriyavaaL. Later when I had darshan of PeriyavaaL, I told him that my 'kOm' was gone. I ventured to say in addition, "It seemed to me that I was reading only about PeriyavaaL." To think of what that 'child-God' spoke then, the heart melts even now. He asked me: Tamil version: �appaDiyA tONittu? o~gkiTTa a~ndap puStakam paDikkach cholliviTTu ~nAn bhaya~n-duNDu iru~ntEn. paDichchuTTu, 'pratyAgAtmAvilEyE SadAvum dhrushTiyAyirukkiRa ivarum SwAmigaL. ... oru vishayam bAkkiyillAma ellAttaiyum ozhakkAl aLa~nduNDirukkiRa a~ndap parAkkuch chAmiyArum SwAmigaLA'-nnu ~nenachchuDap pORayEnnu bhaya~n-duNDu iru~ntEn. ennap pattip paDikkiRAppalayA onakkut tONittu?" Meaning: "Did that seem so? I remained apprehensive after asking you to read that book. I was apprehensive that reading it you might be thinking, 'this man who always has his sight on the Universal Self is indeed the Saint; whereas the other who keeps measuring with a measure everything under the sun without exception,--that heedless sage is also a Saint� **. Did it seem to you that it was like reading about me?" 'aDi kAmAkShI! enna vEsham kATTi viLaiyADukiRAyaDi? (Hey Kamakshi! What appearances you display in your play of sport?)'--only this thought, accompanied by filling up of tears in the eyes rose in me. Thoughts spread out on the subject of pratyangmukha swAmigaL and parAkkuch chAmiyAr. He is Bharathi. This man is Saraswati. Bharathi is

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that Goddess who takes delight in light. That light of knowledge won't waver, won't move. It is the delight of staying merged in AtmA. That was how Bharathi SwamigaL remained focussed inward in concentration. Saraswati is that Goddess who takes water bodies for her permanent residence. A water body is after all there to spread out and course in all the four directions and nourish the payir crops and uyir (life)? In the same way, Saraswati SwamigaL does his pravesha (enter) in many fields of knowledge, brings out his pravAham (flow) in them and feeds knowledge to people in different areas of life. Since I felt shy to say this to PeriyavaaL, I sent it to him in the form of a letter. The best time on a morning when I sent to have PeriyavaaL's darshan, I was filled with the thought of what he would say to my letter. PeriyavaaL was not in the camp. I came to know that he had gone to the surrounding areas on his vijayam (visit). I waited eagerly for his return. Time was running. Midday came up. I had the constraint to return to my office, with no possibility of staying any longer. PeriyavaaL came back at the right time. Perhaps he had to suffer vizhuppu (ceremonial impurity) where he went, so he went straight to the basement of the well. The kiMkara (assistant) knotted the water pot with a rope and lowered it in the well. "See if the midday sun is visible in the well!� PeriyavaaL told him. "Visible." PeriyavaaL looked at me. "You get anything?" In Advaita Shastra there are two principles. One of them is that like a single sun reflecting in many drops of water, the same eka chaitanyam (single Consciousness) reflects in the antaHkaraNa of countless Jivas--known as prati-bimba vAdham. People who consider the other principle say that to refer to what is immanent in all the Jivas as reflection is not correct. They

would give an analogy for that too. As only the infinite AkAsha (space) remains inside all the empty water pots; when the water pot is lowered into the well, only that same water fills it up. This principle is known as avachcheda vAdham. Here the sun's prati-bimbam (reflected image) in the well; the kiMkara lowers the pot into the well. Getting a spark I said, "I see the dRSTAnta (example) here for both the prati-bimba vAdham and avachcheda vAdham." PeriyavaaL nodded his head in the negative. He looked at the well. He looked at the sun. Looking at me keenly, "saraslE pAr (Look in the water)!" he said. And went straight to have his snAnam (bath). I was thrilled. I felt that inside the karuNa-saras called Maha PeriyavaaL, displaying his prati-bimbam and shining as the jnAna-bhAnu (sun of knowledge) is Bharathi SwamigaL. The other half--that within that jnAna jyoti is there this saras (flow) of compassion--automatically came up in mind. Yes, both the Chandrasekharas are as Poigaiyar sang on SankaraNarayana mUrtam: Tamil Version: iruvara~g kattAl tirivarE lum^oruvan oruvan^a~g kattenRum uLan! Meaning: Although he wanders in two forms, within each is the other! Note: **(To remain focused inward is said to be in 'pratyangmukham', and to remain focussed outward is said to be in 'parAngmukham'. From the term 'parAngmukham' derived the phrase 'parAkkup pArppadu' (in Tamil--looking here and there in diversion).

(From an essay published in the Kalki Deepavali Malar, 1992). Author:....... Raa. Ganapathi Source:...... KaruNaikkadalil Sila AlaigaL, pages 103-106 Publisher:.... Divya Vidya Padhippaham (Jun. 2005 Edition) Type:......... book, Tamil Glossary: Avachcheda - m. cutting off, part cut off, piece; separation, distinction. parAkku - 1. inattention, heedlessness; 2. forgetfulness; absent mindedness; 3. a term of exclamation meaning 'attention'; 4. diversion.