Thread by @anbezhil12

#MahaPeriyav The speech delivered by His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam at the Tiruppavai-Tiruvembavai Conference held at Kancheepuram on Sunday, January 31, 1960.

In recent times, the Nattukottai Nagarathar community served our religion and

earned merit by renovating several temples, including those about which our saints have sung praise. This sacred service was undertaken in the past by the Chola Kings. The service done by those kings were continued by these Nattukottai Chettiars. But for them, several of our

temples would have gone into ruins. I am telling this not to praise any particular person present in this gathering – I am telling this because by expressing appreciation of the good work done by others, a little of the merit earned by them will attach to us also. A person who

has done a meritorious deed will lose the resulting merit if he listens to the praise of others or himself boasts of his deeds. I am praising the community because those responsible for the renovation of temples and other meritorious deeds are not present here. How did the

community get the incentive to perform such merit-earning deeds? Forty or fifty years ago, it was difficult to find even a single Nattukottai Chettiar without smearing sacred ashes and without wearing a rudraksham around his neck. For that Sri Sundaraswamy, who was living on the

banks of the Tambraparani, was responsible. He was a great devotee of Siva and had gained spirituality by his religious observance. There was none to equal him in devotion and performing sacred services. He was responsible for the Kumbhabhishekam of seven temples in Tiruvarur on

a single day. Several Gujaratis who had settled down in the Sowcarpet area of Madras City were his disciples and they also used to wear Rudraksha round their neck. This Swami has his Samadhi at Chettinad. The seed of devotion to Siva sown by him grew into a tree and bore fruit.

About 50 years ago, there lived in Koiloor in Chettinad, another equally great Swami, known as Veerappa Swamigal. He was also a person of great devotion and purity of life. But he was subject to fits of anger.If he cursed any person in his anger, it had disastrous effect. So the

Nattukottai Chettiars dreaded him. If he directed any person to do a particular service, like renovation of a temple or the starting of a Veda Patasala or the endowment of a choultry, that person implicitly carried out the direction. In that way, through the instrumentality of

Veerappa Swami, several temples were renovated, several patasalas started and several choultries founded. The seed of devotional service implanted by Sri Sundaraswamy grew and flourished because of the influence of Veerappa Swamigal. As I said, this Veerappa Swamigal had one draw

back and that was his susceptibility to temper. We pray God that we should have no enemies. But what greater enemy can a person have than anger? Veerappa Swamigal was greatly worried over this drawback and was wondering how he could overcome this internal enemy, temper. Now, this

Veerappa Swamigal had a Brahmin companion named Subbaraya Iyer. This Brahmin used to read out to Veerappa Swamigal the Puranas, Nyaya Sastra and other works. Veerappa Swamigal asked this Brahmin whether he had come across in any of the Puranas or temple legends (Sthala Purana) a

method to get rid of anger. This Brahmin said that he was acquainted with several Sthala Puranas and there was one particular legend which may be applicable to the Swami. Now, it is a pity that there is a tendency to dub Sthala Puranas as fiction, invented to exaggerate the

importance of each temple. Even some Asthikas (religiously minded persons), fall for this kind of argument and regard these Sthala Puranas as having no particular significance. But the fact is that these Sthala Puranas contain a fund of information and supply many a missing link.

The story of a particular event in one Purana may be found amplified in another Purana and the version in a Sthala Purana may confirm and provide evidence for the veracity of this story. That is why great Tamil poets in the past took trouble to sing in Tamil a number of Sthala

Puranas written in Sanskrit. In fact, these temple legends will provide particulars establishing close connection, say, between temples in widely separated places like Benares, Mayavaram, and Kuttalam. The Brahmin mentioned to Veerappa Swamigal the legend associated with the

Tirukkoilar temple near Tiruturaipundi. If you go to that temple, you will find the figure of Sage Durvasa facing the deity. The story is that Durvasa worshipped at this temple and got rid of his anger. The figure of Durvasa radiates peace. Veerappa Swamigal proceeded to this

place and through his efforts the temple was renovated, and its tank was repaired. Houses also sprang up all round the temple. The Swamigal himself residence in a hut in the street to the north of the temple. The Swamigal found that the temple lacked a car. So he had a beautiful

car made. The artisans who constructed the car desired that before putting it into service, a goat, or at least a fowl, should be offered as sacrifice, so that the car may move smoothly and without interruption. Veerappa Swamigal who was opposed to such a sacrifice, directed that

the car should be dragged without any such offering. On the appointed day, the deity was placed inside the decorated car and the people of the place dragged the car. After moving a short distance, the car came to a stop and would not budge an inch in spite of the best efforts of

the devotees. They came to the Swami and entreated him to permit an animal sacrifice so that the car may move and return to the starting point. The Swamigaltold them: “If a lamb or a fowl is killed, there would be its mother to weep over it. While you take away one life, you also

cause grief to another life. Therefore, it is better that all of you go to the temple and pray with sincerity that the car may move uninterruptedly. If the car does not move even then, and if there is no other way, then I will offer myself to be sacrificed under the wheels of the

car, for there is no relation to shed tears for me.” The devotees prayed to God accordingly and pulled the car again. To the great relief of all, it moved again. When it came opposite his hut, the Swamigal was overwhelmed by this manifestation of divine grace and he stood before

the Lord and praised His solicitude for the welfare of these devotees. At the moment, lighted camphor was waved before the deity and Veerappa Swamigal shedding tears of joy, praised the great mercy of God and collapsed dead in the arms of Subbaraya Iyer who was standing behind.

This instance of divine grace and mercy is within the personal knowledge of many people. Even those who treat puranic stories as imagination and fiction cannot deny this incident narrated by me. Veerappa Swamigal conquered his only weakness, temper, and divine grace fell on him

and he got freed from future births and deaths.
"Acharya's Call"- invaluable speeches given by His Holiness Sri Sri Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Mahaswamiji
H.H. Jagadguru’s Madras Discourses (1957-1960)
Sarvam Sri Krishnarapanam🙏🏾