CHAPTER IX DIVINE SOLICITUDE

His Holiness had the supreme knack of divining and removing the disquiet of those who sought Him.

When His Holiness visited Tirunelveli in 1926. a welcome address was prepared by P. S. Subramania Aiyar an advocate well versed in Sanskrit. But it was thought proper that it should be read by A.K. Sundaram Aiyar the local Dharmadhikari of the Mutt and P. S. Subramania Aiyar somewhat reluctantly agreed to it. When however the address was being actually read by A. K. Sundaram Aiyar, His Holiness turned to P.S. Subramaniya Aiyar and asked him about the significance of a particular expression used there. This removed the lingering discontent in his mind: The others including A. K. Sundaram Aiyar could not understand how His Holiness knew who drafted the address.

After a stay of about three weeks at Tirunelveli, His Holiness left for a nearby village: A government officer who was paying his respects to His Holiness every morning and evening on all these days was reluctant to part from Him and accompanied the palanquin on foot for about a mile in spite of His Holiness repeatedly asking him to stop. When he would not, His Holiness had the palanquin stopped and then insisted upon his not proceeding any further and added, “You are a government officer and you must be thankful that the government did not transfer you to some other place during our stay here.” Then the gentleman reluctantly took leave of His Holiness and returned home to find on his table an order of transfer dated two weeks back but despatched leisurely,

The postmaster of a particular village was daily attending on His Holiness during His stay there and expressed his intention to take leave for two months and be in His Holiness’ camp throughout the Chaturmasyam. His Holiness said, “It is very difficult to get leave in the postal department. Don’t try that course. You have the blessings of Sri Chandra mouleeswara in abundance.” Within a few days of His Holiness leaving the village. the postmaster got an order of transfer to the very place where His Holiness was to stay for Chaturmasyam.

Sri Krishna Bhagavatar of Bangalore had been presented a green shawl by His Holiness many years ago. He valued it as a great treasure but it had become worn out by time and frequent use. One morning he thought within himself that he would like to have a similar one. Quite unexpectedly a friend of his wanted him that very evening to accompany him to Sringeri in his car. They accordingly went there and the next morning had Darsana of Sri Sarada and paid their respects to His Holiness. When they took leave of Him in the evening, imagine the joy and surprise of the Bhagavatar when he was presented by His Holiness with a fresh shawl which was an exact duplicate of the old one, in colour, dimensions and even the flowering.

An old gentleman at Sringeri desired to take Sannyasa with the permission of His Holiness but being too weak to get down the river steps and cross over to the other bank, sent his grands )n to submit his request to His Holiness. His Holiness on hearing the boy said, “It is now two months since he took Sannyasa. Evidently he wants to regularise it. Let him do it.” The boy did not understand what His Holiness said, but repeated it to his grandfather word by word. The latter exclaimed, “His Holiness is right. I determined upon Sannyasa two months ago and, as a preliminary thereto, I gave up using snuff and fondling the children. I do not see how His Holiness knew about this.”

An Avadhuta Bairagi from Northern India came over to Sringeri and wanted to have Darsana of His Holiness. The people there were not willing to allow it and even declined to take him in the boat to the other side of the river then in full floods. Just at that time some prominent gentlemen were waiting at the Adhishthanam for an interview with His Holiness. His Holiness left His residence at the appointed time and He walked just a few steps towards the Adhishthanam when He suddenly heard the blowing of a conch from the direction of the river bank. He immediately turned about and walked straight to the river bank where He saw this Bairagi drenched from head to foot as he had just swam across the river. The Bairagi at once fell at the feet of His Holiness and then held converse with Him in Sanskrit for a few minutes. The servant in attendance who was staying a few yards away could not grasp the subject of conversation but understood generally that the Bairagi came from the region of the Himalayas to meet His Holiness as ordered by his Guru. Then His Holiness directed the servant to safely escort him to the other bank. While there, the Mutt people now pressed him to accept some refreshment but he declined and left immediately saying he did not come there for any food and that he had obtained to his heart‘s content what he really came for.

On another occasion, a similar Bairagi with a somewhat repulsive exterior and habits insisted upon seeing His Holiness and. on being denied it, sat in front of the Dharmasala for three consecutive days. His Holiness was not informed at all about him but on the evening of the third day His Holiness Himself sent for him and was closetted with him for about two hours. The Bairagi wore a very happy look when he came out and took his departure immediately.

When the Right Hon’ble V. S. Srinivasa Sastri went to Sringeri, his wife while bathing in the river one morning lost her Tirumangalyam and, with her wet clothes on, sat weeping on the river steps. His Holiness was just then coming that side and, on hearing of the mishap, asked her to accompany Him to the Temple of Sri Sarada. On going there He removed a Tirumangalyam from the Goddess and gave it to her with instructions to hand it over to her husband so that he might himself make her wear it. This was accordingly done and the joy of the lady knew no bounds when she was thus enabled to wear a Tirumangalyam sanctified as it was by being worn by Sri Saradamba Herself and being given to her with the blessings of His Holiness in person. It is worthy of note that some years later she died as a Sumangali. It may be mentioned also that, as if to replace it, the late M.Ramakrishna aiyar of Sholavandan presented to Sri Saradamba a more costly Tirumangalyam set with precious stones before the next Navaratri and that his wife also passed away years later as a Sumangali.

It is usual in the Mutt to have Suvasini Puja during all the nine days of the Navaratri festival and the Suvasinis chosen will be given saris, fed and worshipped as representing Sri Sarada Herself. Once a poor woman anxious to get a sari came but found that the required number of Suvasinis had been already fixed up She was naturally disappointed and the disappointment showed itself in her face when she extended her palm to receive Tirtham from His Holiness. He asked her to step aside without giving Tirtham to her. She was very much upset as she feared that she had offended Him by offering a wry face to His gaze. Just when His Holiness had given Tirtham to all others, a man came running in and stretched out his hand for the Tirtham. His Holiness asked him the reason for his trepidation. He said, “I am coming from a distant village. Being the last day of the Navaratri, I wanted to present a sari to one of the Suvasinis but I missed the bus and, when I arrived here I learnt that the Suvasini Puja was already over. I did not like to miss the Tirtham also and so I came here with all speed.” His Holiness said, “Don’t be anxious. Sri Sarada is waiting for you. Give this lady the sari which you have brought. “When that was done, He gave Tirtham to both of them and they considered themselves doubly blessed.

A clerk in some office in a distant town had some skin disease and was advised to seek the blessings of His Holiness. He came to Sringeri but, as he was quite a stranger, he found it difficult to get admission to the presence of His Holiness especially as He was then Antarmukha. When he did have the Dersana, His Holiness without asking anything about him said “Go immediately to the other bank. Go round the Goshala there three times. Give three rupees and twelve annas to the milkman. Get from him a cup of milk. Drink it and go home direct.” When he came out, some people said need not attach any meaning to what His Holiness said he when in Antarmukha but he insisted upon carrying out His commands literally. The river was in floods and it was also raining heavily. The boatman declined tu take him across in that weather but agreed when he was told that such was His Holiness’ command. When he went to the other bank he found the ground overgrown with bramble and thorny bushes but managed to go round the Goshala thrice though he hurt his feet a great deal. When he gave the three rupees and twelve annas to the cowherd, the latter asked “What is this for?” The clerk replied. “I do not know. His Holiness asked me to give it to you and get a cup of milk.” The milk was immediately given to him. He drank it and left for his home. In a few days the skin began to scale off leaving some scars and in the next week the scars also disappeared leaving a healthy skin behind. Some time later when he heard that His Holiness had come out of His seclusion, he went to Sringeri to give expression to his gratitude but, when he prostrated, he was asked by His Holiness Himself: “I hope your health is now alright” He was naturally taken back as he did not expect even to be recognised and could find no words to express himself.

No medical treatise will ever prescribe the going round a Goshala etc., as any cure for any disease but such a prescription from the lips of a Saint obeyed implicitly with unquestioning faith can work wonders. I may in this context cite an instance within my personal experience. A child about eighteen months old was stung by a scorpion and was being carried to a mantrika who lived a mile away. On the way there, an old man, quite a stranger asked “Why does the child cry like this ?” When he was told about it, he said “ Oh, it is nothing. Get her back home.” Immediately the child ceased to cry and began to smile and was taken back home without going to the mantrika at all. Here it will be noted that no element of faith comes in and that the words themselves were effective cures, when prescribed by one who possessed mystic powers.