Trichy-V.Koil-Guruvayoor Trip - 15.02.09 - Part 2

For all the child-like eagerness that had in seeing Brahmendral’s adhishtanam, it was a fairly simple place (see 1st picture on top). I should have expected it, after all, Brahmendral was a gnani and was a Digambari for a large part of his life; but I was probably influenced by Mahaperiva’s adhishtanam in my thought process of looking for the great saint’s adhishtanam.

So this is it folks, the simple square which seems to be about 12’ by 12’ and which has the vilva tree at the center. Also note the lingam at the foot of the tree which has been decorated well. In fact, the combination of Naaga Linga Poo, Red hibiscus  and Nandyavettai in the circle around the tree looked beautiful. According to Sivan Sir, Brahmendral told people beforehand that someone would be coming after 10 days of his Samadhi and giving a lingam which has to be placed near the vilva tree. Sivan Sir put it beautifully and the sentence goes something like this “10 naal kazhithu lingathai kodutha nabar yaar endra kelviyai naan ungal kitteye vittuvidugiren!!” The Archakar  that you see in the picture is Narayana Upadyaya. Both the archakars told me that Sadasiva Brahmendral had three samadhis – in Nerur (Sthoolam), Mana Madurai (Sookshmam) and Karachi (yes, the Karachi in Pakistan, where his Karya Shariram had attained samadhi). I tried telling them that it was actually in five places (Puri-Jagannath and Kasi, in addition to the three mentioned above) and that it was based on Sivan Sir’s recording of Brahmendral’s history, but only got quizzical looks in return. The archakar also told me that Bharti Theertha Swamigal, the 33^rd acharya of Shringeri also known as the Mahasannidhanam, actually located the adhishtanam in Karachi (before India’s independence).

Take a look at the 2nd pic from top, and I was shocked. The vilva tree actually seems to have no life!! The archakar confirmed that it has been about 5-6 years since it became pattu poiduthu. I do not know how to interpret this – was it because Brahmendral’s Saannidhyam had left the earth? Then I saw that there were offshoots that had come up recently (by themselves, the archakar told me) and then I decided that it is best not to interpret what the no-lifeness of the original tree means and what the growth of the new ones mean. The picture below shows the new vilva shrubs growing. The other side directly opposite to this one contains a lot more and I was kind of happy to see that.

I recited Thotakaashtam and did namaskaram for each sloka and then chithi and I came around the adhishtanam (including Kasi Vishwanathar and ambal) 11 times and then I made a final prostration and we retreated. The gurukkal asked me what I was doing and he gave an odd expression when I replied. It has happened before – looking at a fair, intelligent looking (humility is an attribute of a saadhu, but I’m only trying to be a viveki) person with vibuthi pattai, panchakacham, angavasthram and on top (pun intended) of it, a kudumi, I don’t know if they expect “I’m a vedic scholar from Kasi”, but they definitely don’t seem to expect “I’m a Chartered Accountant doing business in Chennai”.

Outside the temple, but inside the compound wall of the place, we had brunch, it was about 11 am by then. Chithi had made excellent lemon rice and to go with it, she had made beans, carrot and thengai curry and then of course, vazhaikkai chips. The thayir saadam was even better, what with the saadam being garnished with kadugu, kothamalli, pachai molagai and made from superb cow’s milk/curd. The best part was the molagai thokku to go with the curd rice. It had some jaggery in it along with green chilli but tasted like amritham.

On the way back, chithapa asked me why I keep putting Rs.100 in archakar’s thattu wherever I go and I explained – It is because of this money factor that the sons of these archakars are not learning their kula thozhil and are studying in English schools to make a “better” living. So people like us who go to temples, especially the rarer temples, should give money yatha shakthi to the archakars so that they are encouraged to bring their children in this line. If this doesn’t happen, then who would take care of the thousands of temples in Tamil Nadu (leave India, I believe there are more than a thousand temples in Tamil Nadu itself)?? In the earlier times, this problem was not there because kings made it a point to give lands to temples and a portion of the land was apportioned to the archakars and thus their livelihood was assured. Now with all major temples coming under the Endowment and Charitable Board, it is only a money swindling activity for our politicians. Little do these guys know about the kind of sufferings that they need to undergo for swindling a temple’s money/land.

Talking about temples land, I want to show you another photo, take a look at the 4th pic from top – It is the picture of the Church in St. Josephs college, right across the street after you come out of Rockfort. I have no doubt in my mind that at some point or the other, the land would have belonged to the Thaayumaanaswami temple. Let me give you a couple of examples here. Almost all shops near the Marundeeshwarar temple pay rent to the temple because the land in and around the area belongs to the temple. If you take Thiruvellarai temple near Trichy (it is one of the 108 holy Vaishnavite temples), I was told that the temple still owns about 500 acres of land.

Now, how was land from Thaayumaanaswami temple acquired by missionaries? It would be interesting to see that piece of history, given the way missionaries have been operating in India since the history of missionaries in India!!!

We came back home at about 2 pm and took rest. Chithi then made unbelievable cauliflower and Kathirikkai bajji for me. She knew that was an avid bajji fan and her bajjis were simply fabulous!! She used kadalai maavu and arisi maavu in 3:2 proportion but the clincher was a pinch of soda salt which made the bajjis really moru-moru!!!!!

Later in the evening, I went to pick-up Prinitha and the kids at her chithi’s house had dinner of adai-avial, which was also very well made.

I came back and took a look at chithapa and Chithi’s horoscope. An interesting observation was that Guru was placed in Simham (Mithuna Lagnam) for both of them!! Ever since the Guru Dasa started in 2001, they have been going on kshetra yatra. Chithi and chithapa have since visited all the Jyothir Lingams, came with us to Badrinath and Kedarnath, visited kasi and Rameshwaram, made a trip to all major temples in Karnataka and Kerala and they have been visiting a lot of temples in the Trichy-Thanjavur-Kumbakonam belt and also visited the nava-tirupathi temples in and around Thirunelveli!!! So it seems that it is ideal for religiousness/temple visits when Guru is in Simham (it is notable that Maha Maham occurs when Guru is in Simham and when full moon occurs in Simha maasam, i.e. when sun is in simham and moon is in Khumbam).

Time to hit the bed today, looking forward to Vaitheeswaran Koil tomorrow….