The
54 Lives Saved by Annai! (Mahima of Sringeri Sri SharadambaL)Author: Sri
Ramani Anna (in Tamil)Source: Sakthi Vikatan issue dated Oct 10,
2007Translator: saidevo
Series: Wonders Witnessed by this
AdiyavanThis happened several years ago. We decided on a
yAtrA (pilgrimage) to the
kSetras (holy places) in Karnataka, more
than fifty devotees of us teaming up for the tour. We started our journey in a
large tourist bus. It was our custom to first go to Kanchi, have darshan of
PeriyavaaL and then continue our journey.
Around 4 o' clock in the
afternoon of that day we stood up after prostrating to Maha SwamigaL in
SriMaTham. Giving us his blessings, laughing and raising both his hands SwamigaL
asked, "You people have come as a large
ghoSTi... well, what's the
matter?" Forthwith I elaborated on the details of our Karnataka
yAtrA to
SwamigaL.
Feeling happy he asked, raising his eyebrows, "What is the
uddesha (motive) about the first place to go?" I said, "It is our
uddesha, Periyavaa, that on reaching Mangalore, we would first go to
Talakkaveri, do our
saMkalpa snAnam (bath and prayer) there and then go
to Sringeri. After that we have decided to have darshan at SubrahmaNya,
Dharmasthala, Udipi, Kollur Mukambika, Kateel Durga Parameswari... in this
order."
Before I could finish SwamigaL interrupted me. "Wait, wait... In
the list you have mentioned, you have missed an important place..." Looking at
us who were all standing with a question mark on our faces, and smiling,
Periyavaa advised us, "What, you don't understand? I shall tell you... Horanadu
kSetra! Mother is staying there as Annapurani, giving her
anugraham. A very special place. Must have darshan!"
He continued:
"You people do as I tell you now. First go to Sringeri
kSetram from
Mangalore. There, do your
snAnam in Tunga, first have Guru Darshan, get
prasAdam from them, then have darshan of SharadambaL and start from there
(to other places). After this, you may go to the places in your order of
preference. Let one thing be kept in mind though. Anyday you go to Sringeri, as
far as possible, reach the place before
sAyarakSai (evening)."
All
of us nodded our heads in affirmation, prostrated and got up. That Walking God
ordered distribution of
anugraha prasAdam to us all. The driver and
conductor of the bus were called and the
prasAdam given to them too. We
started thereafter.
On the next morning, our journey from Bangalore to
Mangalore. We stayed in a Kalyana Mandapam in Mangalore at night. On the morning
the next day we got ready to move after taking bath. A man named Ramanathan who
accompanied us came to me and said persuadingly, "We shall first go to
Talakkaveri from here. After doing our
saMkalpa snAnam there, why not go
to Sringeri later?"
I did not agree to that. "Whatever
uttaravu
(direction) Kanchi Periyavaa has given, we should only follow that!", I said. It
was not acceptable to them. "First we should go to Talakkaveri only!" they
compelled me, as if having discussed it already among them. However much I
pleaded with them, nobody was prepared to lend me ears.
The bus travelled
towards Talakkaveri. Staying there for a day and after finishing our
saMkalpa
snAnam, we started our journey towards Sringeri. It was 8:00 o' clock in the
night. Both the front tyres of the bus that was going on the mountain road to
Sringeri got punctured and the bus stopped. It was pitch dark outside. In the
light from a torch light, Driver and Conductor started working on removing the
wheels with the punctured tyres and fixing the Stepney wheels in their place.
Hunger pinched our stomach; our last meal was at noon in Bagamandala. Somehow
the bus started moving at 10 o' clock. Suddenly it started drizzling. It was 11
o' clock and yet there was no sight of Sringeri. Only then we had the doubt
whether we were going on the right road! As God-given, we sighted a man coming
in the distance. We stopped the bus near him and inquired. He patted on his head
and said, "This road leads to another place. 15 km before you should have turned
on the road that branched to the right." It gave us a shock!
So the bus
needed to be turned towards the direction we came. Driver got down and had a
look. A narrow road, with valleys on both sides. Climbing onto his seat, Driver
said with a falsely assured courage, "You people don't worry. I shall back up
little by little with sharp turns on the steering wheel and somehow move the bus
to an about turn!" and got on the task. Sitting with fear, we started chanting
Rama Namam. Somehow having managed to turn the bus ninety degrees, Driver said
in a loud voice, suddenly worried, "Sir, sir... Howevermuch I step on the brake,
the bus starts slipping behind! Raise an even louder
ghoSaNam
(proclammation) in the name of God... Only He should save us all now!" His words
had the effect of dissolving tamarind inside our belly. We too felt the bus
slipping behind. All of us with tears welling up in our eyes started wailing,
"Sringeri Sharadambaa, save us Ma! Sringeri Maha Sannidhaname, save us! Kanchi
PeriyavaaLe, Ramachandra Murtiye, save us, save us...!"
Suddently Driver
said, "Sir, I have now taken my leg from the brake! The vehicle is not slipping
behind! As if a hundred people are supporting it from behind, the vehicle stands
intact! Now no worry at all. Shall turn the bus in a few moments" and started on
his efforts. We did not stop the
nAma ghoSaNam.
appAda! (At
last) the driver managed to turn the bus. All of us breathed a sigh of peace! It
was exactly 12:00 hours midnight. Exactly at one-thirty we reached the entrance
to Sringeri Samasthanam. A GanapadigaL who was standing at the entrance to
receive us (it is my recollection that it was Nageswara GanapadigaL!) said with
a laugh, "Vaango, vaango! You are all coming from Madras, right? First wash your
hand and feet and come have some food. You would be hungry. Rice Uppuma and
Bringal Gotsu are ready!"
"How do you know, ShastrigaaL that we are
coming? We did not even write to you?" I asked him. He said laughing, "It is
vAstavam (true) that your coming will not be known to people who are like
us. Maha Sannidhanam,
dIrgha darshigaL (with foresight) will be knowing
everything, you see? It was only Maha Sannidhanam who called me around eleven o'
clock and gave orders, 'To have darshan of Sharada, 54 Bhaktas from Madras are
coming in a bus. They all come with great hunger! So ask our people to prepare
Rice Uppuma and Gotsu and keep the food ready. In addition, for them to stay,
arrange a large hall.' After arranging all that I have come to stand here and
receive you all!" He sunk us in surprise.
Seeing the
dIrgha
dharsanam and
karuNa (compassion) of SriSriSri Abhinava Vidyatheertha
SwamigaL, ADiyEn (I) wondered. Tears rushed to my eyes. Seeing that ShastrigaL
said, "You are amazed at this thing... I am going to tell you another thing in
the morning; you would then be really stunned!" and led us on. Hot Uppuma and
Gotsu were served ready in 54
nuni (top) banana leaves. We ate the food
filling up our stomach.
The next morning. Finishing our
snAnam in
the Tunga river, we started to have darshan of Maha Sannidhanam SriSriSri
Abhinava Vidyatheertha SwamigaL. The ShastrigaL we met last night was seen by
us.
To him I asked joining my palms, "You said you would tell us some
vishayam (news) in the morning. I pray that you please tell it
now."
ShastrigaL started talking: "Would have been around 12 o' clock
last night. Sitting in his
ekAnta (private) room, Maha Sannidhanam was
examining some Shastra books. I was sitting in the outer hall. Suddenly coming
out, Maha Sannidhanam kept both his hand pressed hard to the wall and started
murmurming some mantra. I too got up. From the posture of Maha Sannidhanam it
seemed as if he was supporting the wall from falling. I did not understand
anything. Five minutes later, taking his hands off the wall, Maha Sannidhanam
came to me and said, 'You witnessed and wondered why I kept my hands against the
wall in that pose and did some Japam. It is nothing else. The bus wherein came
those people from Madras to have darshan of SharadambaL missed its way. Later
when they realized the mistake and turned the bus, the brakes did not apply...
bus started moving behind on its own. The Bhaktas in them wailed, 'save us, save
us!' calling aloud the name of Amma Sharada. So I supported the bus from
slipping behind by resting my hands on the walls. Now everything is alright, and
the bus is coming towards Sringeri! You go and make the arrangements as I told
you', and went inside his room. I stood stunned!" Listening to this, all of us
wept. We started to have darshan of that Walking ShAradAmbAL.
Looking at
this ADiyEn who prostrated and got up, SriSriSri Maha Sannidhanam said
laughingly, "Should always listen to what the Mahaans say. And follow it. If you
make a change in it everything that happens would be changed too. What, you
understand?" With these words he did
anugraha of
prasAdam. This
ADiyEn then realized that Maha Sannidhanam only informed in
sUcaka (by
indicating) to the fact of our not following what Sri Kanchi Periyavaa ordered
for us!
Glossary:
sUcaka - indicating, betraying, informer,
sign, omen
ghoSTi - group, gathering