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PRAKRITAM AZHAGIYA SINGHAR(PART 13)

From the Bhakti List Archives

Ramanbil • December 10, 1998 


PRAKRITAM AZHAGIYA SINGHAR, 
MY ACHARYA, FRIEND, PHILOSOPHER AND GUIDE (PART 13)

Dear Bhagavatas,
Presented below is Part 13 on the above subject being excerpts from my talk
during the 600th Anniversary Celebrations of Ahobila Matam held at New York
during the first week of September 1998.
Dasoham
Anbil Ramaswamy

· ABOUT MONKEY AND MEDICINE

To illustrate how the more you try consciously to control your mind the more
erratic it behaves, the Swami narrated the following: 

Once a doctor gave his patient some medicine for some ailment and cautioned
him that there was only one restriction. The patient should not think of
monkey while taking the medicine Every time the patient took a dose, the
thought of monkey automatically came to his mind!

· ABOUT A FAKE SANNYASI:

There was a King very devoted to Saints and was prepared to do what it took to
please them. A few thieves wanted to cheat the king. They caught hold of an
innocent fellow and dressed him up like a Sannyasi and asked him to act like
one. instructing him that if the King asked him what he wanted, he should
demand half of the kingdom but on one condition - that he should turn over to
them half of whatever he got from the King. The poor fellow agreed. 

When he was presented before the King as a great Saint from the Himalayas, the
King offered him a royal reception and asked him what he desired. The fellow
was so overwhelmed by the Upacharam that he thought  'If even for acting like
a Sannyasi, he were to command so much respect, what is it he cannot get if he
turned really so'. He replied that he did not desire anything at all and
narrated how the thieves were misusing him. The King naturally gave due
punishments to them.

· ABOUT FORCE OF HABIT: 

A person was sitting on a pile of stones heaped on the banks of a river. He
had heard that in the heap there was a precious gem and he wanted to take hold
of the gem. But, he was not sure how to locate the real one from out of the
heap. So, he started picking up the stones one by one to examine and when
found it was not the right one he threw it away into the waters. When actually
the correct gem came into his hands and before he could make a determination
he threw that also away involuntarily by force of habit!

· ABOUT UTTANAPAADAR: 

When I mentioned that I was going to America, he visualized two persons one
standing In India and the other standing in America. Since the world is round,
when the feet of the one in India were down, the feet of the one in America
(which is at the other side of the globe) would have to be up. That is
probably why, he said, those in America were "Uttanapadas" with reference to
those in India and vice versa!

· "SERUPPU SAADHIYUM":

To emphasize how one should concentrate on the Sevai of Perumal while standing
at the Garbhagraham and nothing else, he narrated the following. 

A person was wearing a new pair of very expensive footwear. As he entered the
temple, he had to leave it outside and there was no arrangement for its
safekeeping there. While inside the Sanctum Sanctorum, his entire thought was
riveted on his footwear. When the Archaka was placing Satari forgot to offer
him, he called "Swami! Seruppu Saadhiyum!" instead of saying 'Satari
Saadhiyum"!

· ABOUT THE APPROPRIATENESS OF WESTERNERS' CALENDAR: 

He once remarked "Englishkaaran Romba Gettik Kaaran. Avan Varushathai
Devargalin Ushat Kaalamaana Margazhi Maasam Aarambikkiraan" meaning 
" Englishmen are really intelligent. See, how they start their year in January
which is Margazhi masam deemed to be the dawn for Devas"


NOTE: There are far too numerous instances to relate all of them in this short
write up. I will allude to them in future postings as suit the contexts.

 
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