Miracles of Sri Seshadri Swamikal of Tiruvannamalai

Written by London Swaminathan
Post No. 1120; Dated:– 20th June 2014.

Tiruvannamalai in Tamil Nadu is famous for many things. This is one of the Five Main Shrines (Pancha Bhutha Sthala) of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva is in the form of Agni (fire) in this shrine. It is also famous for several saints including Arunagiri nathar (author of Tiruppugaz in Tamil), Sri Ramana Maharishi and Sri Seshadri Swamikal. Ramana is known to all spiritual aspirants around the world. But Seshadri Swami is not known to many outside Tamil Nadu. His life was full of miracles. Studying his life shows how the world looks at a budding saint, how the family puts all the hurdles in one’s spiritual path and how one becomes great saint at the end.

Seshadri was born (22 January 1870) in Kancheepuram. The city of Kancheepuram was the capital of Pallava Dynasty for several centuries. Its fame spread throughout India because of its great temples and university. It was the Nalanda of the South. One of the Chalukya kings conquered Kanchi but not to touch a single stone. Because it was so beautiful he ordered his soldiers not to destroy it.

Long ago, Adi Shankara brought 30 families from the North to Kanchi, because of shortage of Shakta practitioners. They were known as Kamakoti family, well versed in Sri Vidya Worship. Seshadri was born in that family to Maragatham and Varadarajan. Seshadri’s mother Maragatham was extremely beautiful and well versed in arts and Sanskrit literature.

Tiruvannamalai Temple

Seshadris father Varadarajan died when Seshadri was young. His death came on the appointed day as he correctly predicted before. After a few years his mother Maragatham also died saying the name of Arunachaleswar, God of Tiruvannamalai. Hindus believe that any one dying with the thought of Arunachal (Tiruvannamalai) gets liberated from the cycle of birth and death. His mother’s death with the words of Arunachala Siva made a deep impression in Seshadri’s mind. He used to draw the hill of Tiruvannamalai and offer puja (worship) to it.

Though Seshadri mastered lot of Tamil and Sanskrit scriptures, his mind was only thinking of god. His behaviour was very strange and similar to that of a mad man. For hours doing Puja in a secluded place or behind the closed doors and even at the crematorium was the order of the day. When the elders in the family warned about going to crematorium and getting all the ‘impurities’ it did not bother him. He made every one dumbfound by arguing with a great scholar about it for three hours in Sanskrit! A section of Hindus believe that doing prayer at the crematorium will increase its effect tenfold. But one must have proper maturity to do it. The last warning came that he can’t enter the house once he goes to the crematorium for pujas. He was waiting for those words. From that day he did not enter the house.

Temple With the Hill of Tiruvannamalai

Every spiritual aspirant needs a guru for proper initiation. Seshadri was lucky to get one North Indian Guru by name Balaji Swami who came to Kanchi on his way to Rameswaram. Seshadri took Sanyasa (vow to lead an ascetic life) from him and proceeded to Tiruvannamalai where he stayed for next forty years.
When he was a child a few miracles happened which showed that he was going to become great. Once when his mother took him to the temple, a seller was selling Krishna idols. When he asked for one, his mother hesitated. The vendor was ready to give him free of cost. At last mother bought him one. But Seshadri was allowed to choose one from the pile. He put his hands through the pile of mini statues and chose one. As soon as he left all the figures were sold which never happened in the life of the vendor. Next time when his mum took Seshadri to the temple he came running and kissed the hands of Seshadri and touchéd his feet saying that he was a divine child. From that day he was known as Golden Hand Seshadri.

When one of the family friends came to his house asking Seshadri for his daughter, the eldest in the family told him loud and clear that he can’t be married because his horoscope was an ascetic’s horoscope. Though everyone in the family resented it, his statement came true.

What happened in Seshadris younger days never stopped even when he became old. If he went to a shop and touched any eatable with his “unclean” hand, no shop keeper would object to it, because that shop would do a roaring business on that day. He used to throw out articles from the shop. But vendors were waiting for that moment.

His control over animal world also was also amazing. I have already written about it in my post “Mysterious Tamil Bird Man” (Posted on 19th April, 2012). He called hundreds of beautiful birds of different varieties at the backyard of a house, just to amuse his devotee!!!

Another time a snake was coming quickly towards him. All his friends ran for life. But Seshadri called the snake and it climbed over him and spread its hood over him like an umbrella. He used to bathe several times every day and he was given a nickname “cormorant” (water crow in Tamil).

His behaviour was like a mad man. He used to laugh for an hour without any rhyme or reason, looking at the sky and “listen to the heavenly music of the Gandharvas (Singers in the heaven)”.

There was another holy man by name Vitobha Swamil at Polur near Tiruvannamalai. He fell sick and told his devotees that he would ‘depart’ within three days. One day Seshadri looked at the sky and was shouting “Vittobha going, Vittobha going”. Within a short time people received the news of Vittobha’s death from the nearby town. As he was a Tri Kala Jnani, he could see the present, past and the future events.

There are scores of anecdotes like this in his life. He never did any miracle for the sake of miracle to attract people. No one could predict what he was going to do next minute. In Tamil there is a proverb meaning Siddhas and beggars have the same style/attitude (Siddham Pokku Sivam Pokku; Andi poku adhe pokku) . Seshadri Swami was a typical example of this saying.

He visited the house of Judge Sundaram Chettiar once. He started playing with him by throwing his upper garment on his neck like a garland. This he did several times. Soon he was promoted as a High Court Judge. Once he sat on the pyol (Thinnai in Tamil) of a poor cart man’s house. The old woman in the house gave him porridge. He asked him to sell the cart and the bull. Next week he got married to a rich woman and he sold his bullock cart and migrated to Madras. So many good things happened to so many people. His look can destroy even the past karma and change the future to good.

Venkatrama Iyer was working as a teacher at Danish Mission High School. Because of jealousy of a few people he was about to be dismissed. One day he saw Swamikal coming and took off his shoes and fell at his feet. But contrary to his expectations of blessings, he was beaten with his own shoe several times. Venkatrama Iyer was shocked. When he went to his school he saw an envelope on the table. He felt very bad and opened the envelope thinking that it was his dismissal order. But he was promoted as the Head Master of the school. Swami can eradicate anyone’s past bad karma.

Sivaprakasa Mudaliyar was a Sub Inspector of police. He was stopped on the road by the Swami and was asked whether he would accept ten rupees more. He told Swami that he would be glad to take it. Swami put his dirty cloth on him and took it. When he saw his superiors on the same day he was given ten rupees increment!

He did penance at the Durga Temple at the foothill. He advised his devotees to follow Rama instead of reading Ramayana. Ramana Maharishi came to Tiruvannamalai after Seshadri. When Ramana was doing severe penance, insects were crawling over him and he was bitten by the insects. Seshadri Swamikal saved Ramana and revealed him to the world as a saint. When Seshadri Swamikal died Ramana took part in the funeral procession.

Seshadri Swamikal also predicted his death and died in 1929 after a serious illness. His Samadhi ( holy grave where his body is buried) is very near Ramanashram (The author was fortunate to visit both the Ashrams). A lot of people were cured of their sicknesses and received advice from him. Even now the very thought of him or a prayer to him would do wonders.

Next time you visit Tamil Nadu, don’t forget to visit the two great Ashrams of Ramana and Seshadri at Tiruvannamalai. Seshadri Swamikal’s full life history is available in Tamil and English.

–Subham–