DIRECTOR AMSHANKUMAR
(Whene ver director Amshankumar visied London, his host MR Pathmanabha Iyer used to invite me to meet him. Once I organised a meeting at Sangamam Restaurnat in Wembley. Everyone was moved to see his documentary on Bharatiyar- a wonderful documentary. I watched his full lenght feature film in EASTHAM. He gave us an interview sometime ago on Ganamayam broadcast from London. Here in the picture Mr Pathmanabha Iyer, London poets Giri, Mr M Rajagopalan, Dr Mani of Orpington and London swaminathan are shown. Everyone must watch his documentaries on Bharatiyar, U Ve Sa, Manakkal Rengarajan, Thavil Thetchanamurthy, Dr C V raman etc. More information about him is in Wikipedia.
I organised the event under the auspices of Tamil Heritage Foundation UK.)
Post No. 10,375
Date uploaded in London – – 24 NOVEMBER 2021
Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com
Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.
this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.
tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com
Let me finish Swamiji Krishna Story in one or two paragraphs.
In the last part 9, I told you how Swamiji was ‘forced’ to help a sinner just to keep my father happy. If someone asks something from God or a Saint without expecting anything (for himself or his family), perhaps Swamijis will bend the course of fate. That is what happened in the last episode. My father did not ask for himself or for his family or expecting something from someone .
This reminds me of a hymn in Rig Veda, which I have listed in 53 points where some unity is maintained in the Rig Veda, oldest book in the world. A hymn says Indra, we are your friends and you are God’s friend , Please help us. Another hymn says, we are here to pray for our friends.
Even today Brahmins do it; probably kings supported Brahmins for that only. A brahmin is supposed to pay obeisance to the departed souls at least 90 times in a year ( I hardly do 20 times a year in London). In that TARPANA ceremony, the last mantra says, I pay this salute to you, O Departed Souls, to seek blessings for my friends and relatives who are already dead, but no one is in the world for offering you these water and sesame seeds.
So a brahmin does a ceremony for the departed sous on behalf of his friends and relatives without expecting anything.
Xxx
What was Swamiji Krishna’s Mission?
Everyone comes with a vision and mission in his/her life. We have seen it in many a Swamijis. When it is fulfilled they leave the world happily. Adi Shanakara, Swami Vivekananda, Bharati, Sambandar and many others died young, leaving their ineffaceable foot prints.
Swamiji Krishna also came with a mission- “To make Achankoil Ayyappa Temple easily accessible to general public”. Achankoil , Ariyankavu, Kulathupuzai, Sabari malai and Kantha malai are the Five Famous Ayyappa (Dharmasastha) Temples. Swamiji requested Kerala Government to lay a proper road to the temple. Before that his long time disciple Madurai Ramarao and others used to go with sickles and axes to cut the bushes and make a path to the temple. Others will follow them. Again, next year same story;bushes would have grown and you have to cut the bush to move forward. When the Kerala Road Transport in charge Madhavan Nair came to inspect the sandy/muddy mountain path, being an atheist , he did not have much to offer. But while their jeep car was going up the hills via sandy road suddenly an elephant and tiger came across the road. Normally they would move and disappear in the forest in a short time. But they stayed for long in the middle of the road blocking their way. When Madhavan Nair became nervous he thought if the swamiji could do miracles why can’t he ask the animals to go away. Immediately Swamiji said, “Say that you would lay a proper road to the temple and the animals would go”. When he said YES the animals moved into the forest and they proceeded to the temple.
We had been to the Achankoil temple a few times at the invitation of Swamiji. Tons of flowers would come to the temple during Pushpaanchali time. Madurai devotees used to send the flowers in truck. When we went there it was still a muddy road. When Swamiji received the news that the Kerala Government laid a proper tar road, Swamiji left the world. His mission fulfilled. His next door neighbours were Sitarama Ayyar and his sons Subbamani, Anantha Krishnan, Raju and Sundar who served Swamiji 24 hours a day. They are all in good positions in life.
Swamiji used to tell us ‘You all will get Four Digit Salary! Now even girls start with five digit or six digit salary . in those days 1000++ rupees per month was considered higher income group.
Xxx
COACH TRIP TO BIRMINGHAM BALAJI TEMPLE
(TRIPS TO BIRMINGHAM BALAJI TEMPLE- LONG AGO THERE WAS NO TEMPLE OF BALAJI IN B’HAM. BUT MR S V SHARMA OF CRICKLEWOOD, LONDON AND MR PILLAI OF WIMBLEDON TOOK US TO B’HAM WHERE WE DID KALYANA UTSAVAM OF GODS IN GEETA BHAVANAM. IT WAS A TWICE A YEAR TRIP. DR NARAYANA RAO USED TO ANNOUNCE EVERY ONE HOUR ABOUT THE ON COMING TEMPLE. WE USED TO DONATE MONEY. THIS TWICE A YEAR TRIP BECAME ONCE A YEAR VISIT FOR LONDONERS AND FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS NO TRIP TO B’HAM TEMPLE DUE TO CHINESE VIRUS ATTACK.. THIS IS ONE OF THE TRIPS TO PROPER TEMPLE IN THE RECENT YEARS. I ORGANISED THE TRIPS ONE OR TWO TIMES. While we are going in the coach towards the temple, we sing devotional songs and Bhajans. At the temple, Vishu Sahasra Nama Parayana; while our return journey all film songs, Quiz and Anthaathi Song Competitions!))
Another anecdote…………………..
As a brahmin, my father should have done Gayatri Upadesa to me at the age of 5 or 7. But I had the Punul/ sacred thread at the age of 23!
Swamiji one day casually asked me why don’t you wear Punul?
I did not wear it because my dad did not arrange my Punul ceremony, I said.
When my father came to the hospital, where Swamiji was admitted for eye treatment, he asked my father the reason for such a long delay.
He gave him a dodgy reply. My first two sons had their Punul ceremony on top of Tirumalai (Tirupati). So I thought of……………………………………..
Swamiji closed his eyes and then opened it after some time. I got permission from Tirupati Balaji. Let us celebrate it in Madurai. Ask the priests to fix an auspicious day. He added ‘but, do a Kavadi at Tirupparankundram Murugan (Skanda) temple’. I also agreed to do Kavadi. (It is carrying semi circular decorated wooden thing with flowers and prasad.
I used to mock at people who used to dance like possessed people when the Semi Circular Kavadi was put on their shoulders. They dance like fiends.
But on the day, they put the Kavadi on my shoulders, I completely forgot myself and only my brothers took me up over the steps. Tirupparankundram is a temple carved out of a hillock. And behind the temple there is hilly rock. As school boys we used to do adventurous trips to the top of the hill without the knowledge of our parents. We knew they would say NO. on top there is a water stream and Kasi Viswanathar Koil. Decades later Dr R Nagaswamy took us to the places where the Jains had carved beds in rocks 1500 years ago and written their names in Brahmi script.
So even inside the temple, you have to go up and up. After I finished Kavadi and Abishekam for the Lord on the day, actual Punul (Sacred thread /Jahnu) celebration came and it was during the famous Chitra Festival. If I remember it correct it was 2 May 1972, the Annual Chariot Festival day. But because Swamiji’s devotee Achunathan Nair , SP of Madurai Police , came to the ceremony, the chariot had to slow down. A big police cordon was around SP’s car parked in front of my house in North Masi Street, Madurai. Thus it became a memorable day for me. I have been doing Gayatri worship from that day without a break. When I went to New York, Rome, Athens, Stockholm, Paris and other places I always carry a spoon and a tumbler (lota) to do the water ceremony and sun worship, that is called ‘Sandhya Vandanam’.
THIS CONFIRMS ANOTHER THING SAID BY SRI ARUNAGIRINATHAR IN TIRUPPUGAZ; THAT IS TIRUPATI BALAJI IS MURUGAN/LORD SKANDA; BOTH ARE ONE AND THE SAME. THAT IS WHY SWAMIJI ASKED ME TO DO KAVADI INSTEAD OF GOING ALL THE WAY TO TIRUPATI FOR PUNUL.ARUNAGIRI PRAISED MURUGA ON TOP OF TIRUMALAI (See my research article on this matter)
There may be many more Swamiji anecdotes which did not come to my mind now.
xxx
Let me give you the List of all Samadhis I visited.
Samadhis of SHIRDI BABA, PUJYA RAGAVENDRA SWAMI, GNANANANDA of TIRUKKOVILUR
ESWARAMBA,( Sathya Sai Baba’s Mother),MAHATMA GANDHIJI, NERUR SADASIVA BRAHMENDRAL,
KANCHI PARAMACHARYA, SIDDHAR SAMADHI AT SIRUVACHUR, MADURAI KULANTHAIYANANDA SWAMI, SRI AUROBINDO and MOTHER at PONDICHERRY, RAMANA MAHARISHI,
SESHADRI SWAMIGAL, VISIRI SWAMIGAL (FROM OUTSIDE ONLY), SIDDHAR SAMADHIS IN CHENNAI
SHANTHANANDA of PUDUKKOTTAI, KARUVUR SIDDHAR, SWAMI SIVANADA RISHIKESH and a few others.
I will tell you very briefly about my feelings there
To be continued…………………………….
TAGS- who is london swaminathan-10, Swamiji, Birmingham trip, Amshankumar
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