Vol 5 issue 3 Final

PERIYAVA Times “ Shreyo bhUyAt sakala janAnAm ” Sept 2020 Online Special Edition 2020 Volume 5, Issue #3 5 YEARS OF PERIYAVA TIMES SPECIAL ISSUE





4 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Deivathin Kural LORD VINAYAKA - \"IVARUM THAMIZH DEIVAME\" – (HE IS A TAMIL LORD TOO) Deivathin Kural - Chapter 218

 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 5 God is common to everyone around the world. But still, we tend to call him or her ‘ours’ with a special affection as an outcome of our personal devotion. People belonging to different regions develop special bonding to specific Devatas like how Lord Subrahmanya finds very special devotion in Tamil Land. We call him ‘Murugan’ and ‘Tamil God’ with so much affection and make him in fact the custodian of our land and language. Ifeel we should also call his Elder brother as our own Tamil God. In fact, there are more reasons to call him one compared to his younger brother. That’s why they should never be separated (even in titles). They should be invoked together in our prayers and poojas and always reside together in our mind. I want to bring in this resolution! That needs to pass though! Let me present the case sufficiently with evidence. You will all pass the resolution unanimously! Iwas kidding.. Our fight against the British was primarily called ‘Non-violent’ struggle or ‘Ahimsa war’. In reality, except for Gandhi and a minority of followers adhering strongly to his principles, most of his followers did not undergo the sacrifice and hardships that a true war requires and only underwent the internal anger of a warrior. Hence terming it fight is not wrong. Though we were united in this ‘fight’ against the British, we began our separatist notions rooted on State, Religion and Politics and started fighting amongst ourselves immediately after the British left. Why State? We have brought this anger and privileged behavior to the level of Taluks, Villages or even houses and make everything a reason for fighting against one another, decaying ourselves. Sacrifice, Compassion, Hard work and beyond all that, the unity of this Bharatha Desha, which Gandhi and his followers repeatedly stressed upon, has been found to be completely lacking in the generation of leaders that followed. Once they provided voting rights for youngsters, every section of this society concocted a majority to oppose and claimed to fight for the rights of the minorities in that section and used that as a ‘Vote Brahmasthra’ for their politics. Overall, the veneer of ‘National integration’ chants is just a show covering the several internal conflicts amongst ourselves. It is a matter of shame and grief that we could only unite against a common enemy but never with a common compassion for each other. Earlier,atleastfromanoutwardly perspective, our struggle looked non-violent. Whereas now, even that has become violent and makes us wonder if we will make ourselves extinct like the Yadava clan. No political party or its leadership today seems to have any concern for this incumbent danger. We have something called Dharma. All the good qualities I mentioned before and several more apart from them constitute this Dharma. This civilization of Bharatha stood the test of time and occupies a unique status only because of the power of this Dharma. Today’s leadership neither seem to have any semblance of understanding of this, nor do they convey this to their followers even as a passing remark. Electoral victory seems to be the only goal provided to the followers. Winning by hook or crook has made them even embrace Adharma. Today’s leaders have found

6 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Deivathin Kural their own version of British ‘Divide and Rule’ policy by dividing every section of the society into minorities and majorities and use them to win elections unmindful of Dharma. When everyone here is starting to claim special rights and privileges by creating more divisions, Lord Ganesha will not forgive me for asking for my resolution seeking special rights for Tamil people. Honestly, both the Lord Subrahmanya and Lord Ganesha belong to this whole country. There are so many evidences to prove this. Therefore, I shouldn’t add to these tensions by creating another division and bias. Though on the other side, Pillayar has showered his unique blessings to internal and external benefits of the Tamil people. We will be thankless if we don’t remember this. Hence, I am not bringing this up to create any new divisions amidst all our confusions but just want to express our unique indebtedness to him and perform our prostrations. From an outwardly perspective, the natural resources of our Tamil Desham mainly thrive on river Cauvery. Who was responsible for bringing Cauvery to this land? Isn't it Pillayar? Due to his blessings, the flora and fauna of our land as well as water, the most fundamental need of our life, have been taken care of. Cauvery takes care of our internal growth as well. People living in the banks of such a river have the tranquility to evolve into a refined civilization with lofty thoughts, with their fundamental needs catered to. Cauvery has indeed aided in our culture taking this evolved form after being routed here by Lord Vigneshwara. The ingenious culture of this civilization didn’t create marvels in art, sculpture, dance and music just for the sensory pleasures. It used these manifestations as also means to elevate our Athma towards the divine. Aren’t our temples a clear display of us surrendering these ingenious abilities in Science, Art and Sculpture? There is no other land with as many temples as our Tamil Nadu. Within Tamil Nadu, majority of the temples lie along regions near the banks of Cauvery and her tributaries, known as Chozha Nadu. There are 274 places, known as ‘Padal Petra Sthalangal’ (‘Places featured in hymns’), which feature in the Devarams of Appar, Sundarar and Sambandhar. Among these places, most of them feature along the north and south banks of Cauvery. Even among the 108 Divya Deshams sung by the Azhwars, many of them feature in the banks of Cauvery. Imentioned the Devara and Divya Prabandha Sthalams related to Cauvery. In addition to these, there are thousands of temples along the banks of Cauvery. By blessing us with Cauvery, Lord Ganesha is the sole reason why our land holds the appellation – ‘Deiva Tamizh Nadu’ (Divine Tamil Nadu) or why Puranas hail our Dravida land fondly as the bedrock of Bhakthi. He indeed is also the reason for those divine fine arts that has received international recognition. Language is an important aspect of culture. All the spiritual, intellectual and artistic literature are possible only with language. For our Tamil language, Pillayar is extremely important. We begin anything from a big magnum opus to a grocery list with a symbol called ‘Pillayar Suzhi’. A curvy symbol praying for a straight successful finish! In no language of our Bharatha Desha, including Sanskrit, will you find such a symbol of Ganesha for an auspicious beginning. This is a blessing for our Tamil language. May we take this as His blessing and not His bias and perform our prostrations to him.

 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 7 Greatness of the name “Skandha” Skandhar’ means someone who erupted out to the world. He did indeed erupt out of the energetic light emanating from Lord Parameswara’s eyes, sharply focused to benefit the earthly beings. This explains why his Puranam is named Skandha puranam or Skaandham in spite of several of his names such as Subrahmanyar, Karthikeyar, Kumarar, Saravanabhavar. His world is called Skandhalokam. The Vrata or fast held in devotion to him is referred to as Skandha Shashti. Lord who is seen with Ambal and Skandhamoorthi is even known as Somaskandhar. Our language Tamil which has accorded him with the beautiful name “Murugan” still has so many Sthothras such as ‘Kandharalankaram’, ‘Kandhar Anubhoothi’, ‘Kandhar Kali Venba’. Chennai has the famous place Kandhakottam. When something has direct reference in the Shruthis (Vedas), it has a unique pristine greatness. The name ‘Skandha’ has one such great value. In Skaandha Puranam, Naradha takes the form of Guru to Valli who represents this Jeevan. In Chandogya Upanishad, Lord Subrahmanya receives Gnanopadesha from Sanath Kumarar, the ancestor of Sri Naradha. Sanath refers to Brahma. At the genesis of life, Sanath Kumarar was born to Brahma. He is the most prominent among the four with the other three being: Sanaka, Art by Sudhan Kalidas Sanathana and Sanandhana. Born as Brahmagnanis, they represent the highest order of Nivrutti Marga or Sanyasa. They are devoid of worldly needs and forever remain as infants. Chandogya Upanishad claims that this Brahmakumara reincarnated as a Shivakumara in the form of Subrahmanya. Though he reincarnated as the warrior god of Devas with his two consorts in this incarnation, he probably had a remanence from his previous form when he stood as a Sanyasi in Palani with no possession other than a loincloth. In fact, Sanathkumarar didn’t even possess that loincloth. If Subrahmanyar was always a ‘young adult’ or Kumara, Sanathkumarar was even younger, an infant forever. In this Upanishad that is the crown jewel of our Vedas, it concludes with the words “Skandha! Skandha”, when it talks about this reincarnation of Sanathkumarar as Shivakumarar. The fame of this name Skandha has spread around the world. Just like how the word ‘School’ becomes ‘Iskool’ in common parlance or colloquial usage, this word ‘Skandha’ became ‘Iskandhar’ in many places. ‘Al’ is a word used as a definite article to address a specific object in Semitic languages. Like the word ‘The’ in English. ‘The’ is also prefixed to add respect to something. This is how ‘Al Iskandar’ went all the way to Greece and got distorted to ‘Alexander’. Even Sikandar is a derivative of Skandhar. Hence Secunderabad which is originally Sikandharabhad. A Skandhagiri temple that has become famous there is a very fitting tribute to its original name. Sweden, Norway and Denmark are together called Scandinavia which is a derivative of Scandia. Skanda – Scandia is similar to Hindu- India.

8 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Periya Puranam PERIYA PURANAM Balaji Baghavadhar The eternal truth is one and it takes different forms, say our scriptures. In conveying this multi-dimensional truth, our Sanatana Dharma adapts a multi-dimensional approach to lead us into this light from darkness. As old Sanskrit adage goes, “Vedas take the language of a Mother and Upanishad of a Father. Puranas as that of a friend, while Kavya as that of a wife”. This profound verse summarizes this multi-dimensional approach succinctly from our everyday life experience. Vedas are esoteric and experiential, profound and constant similar to a mother’s love for her children. But to interpret and deserve this truthful love, codify them into ethics or morality, it requires the disciplinary tone of the father that the Upanishads adapt to. ‘Satyam Vadha’, ‘Dharmam chara’ (Speak the truth. Be righteous), they say with an instructional tone for our well-being. Though they have the selfless honest intent of our wellbeing, our life and environment pose several moral dilemmas where we grapple with the inability to translate them into real life applications. The Puranas and Kavyas fill these moral and ethical gaps by pointing us to the inspirational lives of people who lived in flesh and blood, dedicated to the divine cause. Though our Sanathana Dharma cannot be limited by temporal, geographic or racial boundaries, our Bharatha Desha and especially the land to the south of Vindhyas has been blessed by many such devoted souls for us to emulate. Among them the story of 63 Nayanmars of Lord Shiva, compiled as Periya Puranam, hold unique significance. “ayaM mE hastO bhagavAnayaM mE bhagavattaraH” (“The hand that prays to the Lord is the Lord himself, The hand that prays to the Lord is greater than the Lord” )says Sri Rudhram in Krishna Yajur Veda. The lives of these Sivanadiyars belonging to different sections of the society of their times stand testament to this Vedic claim. The diversity of their devotion to the Lord moves you. Seeing Him as their son, parent, master and friend, they all seek and surrender His holy feet. Their lives and compositions have been chronicled by Saint Sekkizhar (12th century) and Saint Nambiandar Nambi (10th century) for our benefit. These

 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 9 Periya Puranam chronicles have become a part of our spiritual discourse tradition for centuries and continue to elevate our lives. Sri MahaPeriyava Manidapam, NJ USA and Siva Saagaram Trust, Chennai have been organizing these discourses by Brahmasri Govindapuram Balaji Bhagavathar through their “Periyava Puranam” channel (link). Based on these discourses, we, the Periyava Times team seek the blessings of Sri MahaPeriyava to begin the series on Periya Puranam in English, to benefit our readers who may not understand Tamil. ILAYANKUDI MARA NAYANAR – ‘CULMINATION OF ANNADHANAM’ - In the town of Ilayangudi (currently in Sivagangai district, Tamil Nadu), lived an affluent landlord named Maaranar. He and his dharmic spouse lived an affluent life with all the material and most importantly, spiritual wealth. They were blessed with lands and farms harvesting mountains of grains and notably a mind to serve the servants of the Lord (Sivanadiyars) who visited them. They held the practice of serving food to Sivanadiyars everyday as a sacred family tradition. Anyone who arrived anytime at their doorstep never returned without being served with a sumptuous meal of all the six different tastes. It is such elevates souls who are always tested for their resolve in pursuing Dharma even under testing times. Perhaps, only the | scholastic students need a test, a wastrel with no focus on education need not be tested at all! The Lord tested the divine couple with the most arduous situation: Penury. All their mountains of wealth were reduced to dust with barely any food left for them to survive. He broke their wealth but couldn’t break the resolve to con- tinue serving. The holy couple continued feeding Sivanadiyars and only then, had their everyday meal. In this abject state of poverty, no Sivanidayar arrived at their doorstep on a rainy day. Perplexed by this, Maaranar waited for someone to turn up. Amidst the thunder and lightning, a frail old man finally arrived at his doorstep enquiring about availability of food. His face competed with lightning for brightness and Maaranar was thrilled that his everyday penance was saved by this blessed soul. He invited the old man and helped him dry himself and provided him a comfortable seat. He entered his kitchen and was reminded of the dooming reality of the house by his wife. “There is nothing left here to cook’, she said, equally concerned about the quirk of fate. Spontaneously, a suggestion came to her mind. ‘We planted some grains today morning. By the wetness of the soil, they must have sprouted today. If you can manage to travel to the fields and col- lect them, we can manage a meal’, she exclaimed. Thankful to his wife’s brainwave, Maaranar rushed through the pitch-dark danger- ous fields and came back running with the grains. Meanwhile, the Sivanadiyar retired himself for a nap and requested the couple to wake him up once the meal was ready. After bringing the grains, they realized that they didn’t have any wood to start cooking fire. He immediately pulled wood from his own roof to start the fire.

10 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 . Even when the most sagacious of souls would have been happy to have managed such a meal, Maaranar and his wife wanted to cook a more sumptuous meal. No different from the culinary delight their wealthy self would have created. His wife exhorted him to fetch few vegetables and greens they cultivated in their fields that could add more flavor to the meal. Without hesitating even for a brief moment, Maaranar rushed to pro- cure these on time and prepared the most hard earned meal of their life for the guest. Their guest though had other plans for them. Through this temporary visit, He wanted them to be permanent residents of His original home in the snow-clad mountains of Kailasha. In a flash of light, the guest vanished showing His true self. Lord Parameshwara and Mother Parvathi appeared in front of the couple, blessing them for their service to Sivanadiyars and absorbed them. Maaranar , from then on, is worshipped as ‘Ilayangudi Maran Naayanar’. Traditionally, the servants of Lord Shiva are known as ‘Maaheshwara’ and food served to them is termed as ‘Maaheshwara pooja’. Life of Maaranar and his wife emphasize the importance of Annam that the Upanishads claim as a manifestation of Parabrahma itself. In the words of Sadguru Sri Sivan SAR: “Deiva Sadhus never give up on their holy mission even under extreme hardships\". These words summarize the highly el- evated state of this divine couple who are examples for the present on the conduct someone should possesses while performing this sacred dharma of Annadhanam or Bhikshavandanam or in other words, Maaheshwar Poojai.

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12 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 SriMahaPeriyava Manimandapam NJ, USA In HIS presence - Virtually ... Suriyanarayanan Subramanian With the grace of Sri MahaPeriyava, the construction of Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam has been progressing well even during these challenging times. The Priest quarters and other civil constructions (seen in the images below) are scheduled for completion by December 2020. We seek HIS continued blessings for the completion of all the upcoming phases as per schedule. Thulasi Poojai Industrial revolution of the 18th century fueled the growth of various innovative manufacturing processes and sowed the seeds for increasing the human demand with machines. It promulgated an ‘Ego-system’ model where humans and their demands had higher priority over other entities sharing this planet with them. With increasing harmful effects of this rapid change including endangerment of different animal species, Global warming and Pollution, we began to understand that there is an ‘Eco-system’ that needs to thrive. This has given rise to many eco-friendly approaches to products and processes aimed at correcting the wrongs. While we are carrying out this retrospective

 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 13 Sarvam. Yath Kincha Jagatham Jagat’ (\" The divine is present in everything in the universe). Taittiriya Upanishad uses the tree as a symbolism for acts of selfless piety : “Yatha Vrukshasya Sampushpithasya yatha vrikshasya sampushpitasya duradgandho vatyevam punyasya karmano duradgandho vati yathasidharam karte’vahitamavakrame yadyuve yuve hava vihvayishyami kartam patishyamityevamamritadatmanam jugupset” (“Just as the fragrance emanating from the flowers of a tree reaches far and wide, so do the punya karma done for the welfare of the world by wise people and sages spread everywhere”). In Mahabharatha, considered fifth Veda, Vidhura while advising his King Dhritarashtra to negotiate a peace deal with Pandavas, he says : “There can be no forest without tigers, and no tigers without a forest” emphasizing the importance of not harming the balance in an eco-system. Even saints and Mahaans of contemporary times have realized their oneness with this eco-system and realized divinity in nature. Saint Vallalar, in an emotional outburst at the sight of decaying crops, sings (“Sight of those decaying crops brought me despair”). analysis to evolve best practices, it is pertinent to Sri Muthuswamy Dikshithar composed look at the view held by our Sanathana Dharma, “Anandhamruthavarshini”, when he saw a the most ancient civilization, about our Eco-system. draught affecting crops in Ettayapuram and brought Vedas or Shrutis, the most ancient texts perceived by rainfall to the region spontaneously. humankind, has several direct and symbolic references to our Indo-centric view of Eco-system. The Vedas propagate a strong theme across its spectrum: Presence of Divinity in everything around us. Sri Rudhram in Yajur Veda, while listing the presence of Lord Shiva, says “ Namo Vanyayacha Kashyayacha” (Salutations to him who exists as tree in forest and to him who exists as plants in bushes ), Namo Urvarya cha khalyaya cha (Salutations to him who is in the fields and who is in gardens. ). The Smritis or Upanishads which were created to interpret the esoteric verses of the Vedas remain consistent with this underlying theme. The Ishavasya Upanishad says ‘Ishavasyam Idham

14 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Thulasi Poojai This eco-system model that has existed from the Vedic times to today has been sagaciously embedded in our everyday lifestyle through various Samskaras. We perform Thulasi pooja, Pradakshanams of Banyan tree on Somavara Amavasya, Savithri Vratha , Naga Pooja, Maatu Pongal and Vana Pooja to celebrate the divinity in the eco-system around us. Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam, with the blessings of our Acharya Parampara, aims to preserve and propagate these Samskaras and their significance for the future generation. In collaboration with Initiative for Moral and Cultural Training Foundation (IMCTF), Center for Oriental Learning and Living (COOL) of Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam organized a Thulasi pooja for children. Children performed the Thulasi pooja, spoke about the health and spiritual benefits of Thulasi and took vows to continue the pooja regularly in their respective homes. We pray to Sri MahaPeriyava for more such initiatives to continue engaging the future generation and pave way for us to internalize our Samskaras in our community. For details regarding Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam construction and activities please email sdf @ mahaperiyava. org or contact Sri Suri Subramanian 609 456 5096.

Construction- Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam, NJ, USA  Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 15

16 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Chaturmasya Bhikshavandanam Our ancient Sanatana Dharma prescribes four phases of living or ashramas for a virtuous life : Brahmacharya (student), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (renunciate) , Sanyasa (Ascetic). Each phase is resplendent with rights and responsibilities for societal harmony. In addition to leading a healthy family life, the Grihasthas or householders are blessed with the everyday responsibility of providing Bhiksha (food) for Sanyasis and Brahmacharis. Especially in the Chaturmasya period, when Sanyasis take the sacred oath ofAhimsa of not traveling anywhere to avoid trampling upon insects and other organisms commonly found on land in rainy seasons. Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada, with His extreme compassion for us the worldly beings, reinstated the significance of this Bhikshavandanam as a Brahmachari. He composed the Kanakadhara Stothram for the prosperity of a householder who performed this duty despite her abject poverty. Hailing directly from this divine lineage, our Acharyals of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam have repeatedly blessed us and our families with this divine opportunity for over 2500 years. This year, Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam, NJ USA and Sri Siva Sagaram Trust, India received the opportunity to perform Chaturmasya Bhikshavandanam to Sri Periyava and receive His blessings. This event had an overwhelming response from around 300 devotees in the US. Prasadams from the Sri Matham were mailed to their respective addresses in India.

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18 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Management lessons Abhilash Sridharan Paramacharya “Learning to stand in somebody else’s shoes, to see through their eyes, that is how peace CEO begins. And it’s up to you to make that happen. Lesson 16: Empathy is a quality of character that can The Power Of Empathy change the world” – Barack Obama The COVID-19 challenge has tested leaders around the world across a broad range of skills such as strategic thinking, effective communication and ability to improvise and execute. But none of these skills are as critical as a leader’s ability to empathize with others. “Empathy is being amplified during COVID-19,” says Amy Morin, psychotherapist and author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. “A leader who can empathize with employees' personal situations will emerge from this stronger and better than before.”

 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 19 Encouraging an empathetic leadership culture In my humble opinion, at the foundation of is not only the right thing to do, but it helps Paramacharya’s nonpareil leadership was an organizations create a competitive advantage for extraordinary ability to relate to a wide range of themselves in business. In 2012, Google embarked people including those that worked at the Sri Matham, on a study titled Project Aristotle , to study hundreds devotees who came for darshan and other luminaries of teams and identify what differentiated teams that who came for His counsel. Paramacharya’s were more innovative and productive from others. compassion and empathy towards the staff at Sri The results of the study showed that the company’s Matham was exemplary. The following incidents, most important new ideas came from “B” Teams that narrated by Sri Ganesa Sarma (an Advaitic scholar) in comprised of people who may not be top scientists, his lectures about Paramacharya, stand as a testimony but rather displayed a wider range of skills such as to Paramacharya’s empathetic leadership. empathy, emotional intelligence, generosity and curiosity toward others’ ideas. This encouraged all On a particular day, amid scorching heat, a team members to feel confident while speaking up gentleman named Mappillai Ramamurthy and contribute to the ideation process. (a staff at the Sri Matham) was entrusted with the responsibility of cleaning a huge pile of vessels. Legendary business leaders across the world have Accidentally, Paramacharya happened to walk past recognized the importance of empathy both the backyard and HH was startled to see Ramamurthy in customer service and in building effective teams quietly cleaning away a huge pile of vessels and inhouse. all by himself. HH was worried that by the time Ramamurthy finishes cleaning the vessels, he might Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, talks in his miss his lunch. Appreciating his devotion, HH offered book Hit Refresh , about how the birth of his to lend a helping hand to Ramamurthy and despite his first child who was severely disabled helped him profuse refusals, sat next to him to wash and wipe the appreciate the importance of empathy. He goes on to vessels as Ramamurthy continued to clean them. add that “Empathy makes you a better innovator. If I look at the most successful products we at Microsoft As the Jagadguru (preceptor of the Universe), have created, it comes with that ability to meet the His empathetic leadership extended towards all unmet, unarticulated needs of customers.” living beings and not just humans and the following anecdote illustrates it. As an annual ritual, the Another example of empathetic leadership excess production of groundnuts from a village near displayed by Rata Tata has been articulated by R Kanchipuram (Keezhambi), was sent to the Sri Matham Gopalakrishnan in his book “The case of the Bonsai with obeisance. As was the practice, the manager Manager”. The story goes that a team of senior had sold-off the groundnuts in the market. Unaware managers from Nelco (a Tata company) were driving of that happening, a week later, Paramacharya had along with Ratan Tata in the 1970s. Halfway into the expressed an interest in eating some groundnuts from journey, the car had a flat tire, and as the driver pulled Keezhambi. To oblige to Paramacharya’s request, up, the occupants, including Ratan Tata, got off for a the manager had asked a couple of staff from the Sri comfort break, leaving the driver to replace the tire. Matham to fetch groundnuts from Keezhambi. But Some of the managers welcomed the forced break, as to their misfortune, all the produce from the village it allowed them a much needed chance to stretch, light- had been sold-off by then. However, the villagers up a cigarette and share a joke. One of the executives managed to share a handful of groundnuts that was suddenly noticed that Ratan Tata was missing and to supposed to get placed near the burrows of rodents. their shock, they discovered that he was busy helping On learning this, Paramacharya turned to the manager the driver change tires with his sleeves rolled up. At and apprised him that while He was pleased that they that moment, the managers received a master class had painstakingly brought back an assortment of in leadership, which is to lead with empathy in any groundnuts, it was not fair to the rodents which would situation. go hungry for a day thereby amounting to pilferage.

20 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 His Holiness suggested that the right action was to put the groundnuts back near the Paramacharya burrows of the rodents and suggested that they add a few extra bags of puffed rice along with it. HH had personally accompanied the Sri Matham CEO staff to the village as they undertook this exercise and took great delight in seeing the rodents feast on the groundnuts and puffed rice In these challenging times, may we pray to our Paramacharya and our Guru Parampara to bestow empathy and compassion on ourselves and others at our workplace.

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22 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Philosophy Ramana Kiran CharaNamulE Nammithi.. Adaptations from YPM “Providence has played it’s hand. Things are all pre- destined. The entire universe dances to the tune of One common Piper” expounded a venerable soul, whose name the writer is too young to laud nor even mention. The Ramayana and it’s protagonist have a special place in SanAtana Dharma, perennial in existence and ever so relevant whenever cited. As the world rejoices the re- emergence of the abode of this divine son of Dasharatha, Sri Sivan SAR has blessed us with the tale of Sri Gopanna, the revered Sri Ramadasa of BhadrAchala. The young Gopanna was made a 'TahsildAr' (revenue department official) by the Nawab of Golconda, replacing his two uncles Akkanna and Maadanna, both high officials given the death penalty. “The Nawab wasn’t the least hesitant to praise the young Gopanna, a 'Dheiva Viveki', who soon shone for his sharp intellect and skill at work. He had a great deal of faithfulness for the kingdom. “On the verge of attaining the 'Dheiva SAdhu' stage, he dearly wished for a temple for Lord Rama. Till then, as he lead a life of a 'Dheiva Viveki’, he characteristically was on the fringes of poverty, despite holding a high designation in the kingdom.” Here, it is important to note an intrinsic point on a 'Dheiva Sadhu’: “He (Dheiva Sadhu) who is of the staunch belief that anything and everything belongs to the Almighty, is acquitted in the eyes of God despite any offence committed. “Immersed in devotion, he was oblivious to the extent of procuring funds for the temple from the treasury without notice!

 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 23 Philosophy Ramana Kiran The construction was soon underway. The Nawab got to know about a Hindu temple coming about and his TahsildAr's involvement, only after word spread. The TahsildAr was duly summoned. An enquiry into the financial status was made, which was till then never done out of the Nawab's trust. Furious on hearing the fund misappropriation, he ordered the TahsildAr to be imprisoned and sentenced to life. (Page 45) (30) E: “ A Dheiva SAdhu in plight, is rescued by none other than the Almighty. “ Sri SAR has revealed that Gopanna had to endure imprisonment in this birth due to wrongfully caging a pet parrot for 12 years. Due to this Karmic baggage, even the Lord could only wait till it evened out i.e. Gopanna was imprisoned for 12 years. “Lord Rama and Lakshmana appeared in the guise of two strapping lads, whose elegance and virtue left the Nawab entranced. Without a moment’s hesitation, they repaid with interest the deficit amount due by their noble devotee. By the same time, the prison guards came running to the Nawab, reporting that Ramadasa's cell lock had burst open by itself! The Nawab now began to see light in the matter and went straight to Ramadasa, deep in penance on Sri Rama. He not only apologised, but conveyed he awaited his wish. Acknowledging the Nawab, he cried “ How unlucky am I to not have the darshan that you were bestowed!” The Nawab not only allowed the temple’s completion, but delighted in presenting land and jewels to Lord Rama. This temple stands in the quaint village of BhadrAchalam, in Andhra Pradesh. Sri Ramadasa dedicated his life to serving the presiding deity. He was bestowed many visions and revealed the true form of the Lord, once thereafter. He has sung many KrithIs on Lord Rama” soaked in Bhakti, that have stood the test of time. The MahAn Sri ThyAgaraja Swami is believed to have learnt these very KrithIs in his boyhood years, and has unfailingly acknowledged the Dheiva SAdhu's greatness in his own KrithIs.

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 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 25 BhargaviKamakshivalli Periyava and Music

26 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Guru Bhakthi Dr. Srikant Kamesh Iyer EKnaGtuhruavini The Story of My Guru Sri Kowta Lalith Manohar Sri Kowta Lalith Manohar came from an illustrious family Sri Kowta Lalith met Sri MahaPeriyava whose ancestors had followed hallowed traditions such for the first time in 1962 in the Agraharam as performing Navarathri poojas for 123 consecutive years in their near Kachchaleswarar temple in Madras. native ancestral home, and holding important events such as Veda In 1968, Sri Kowta Lalith received a call sadas, Vedic examinations and Advaita sabhas. Though he was born through the railway telephone service in Chennai (then Madras), his ancestors were from Andhra Pradesh. saying that he was urgently required at Sri Kowta Lalith’s grandfather had settled in Hyderabad and he was Hyderabad. So he immediately caught a a big devotee of Sri MahaPeriyava. Here in this Part-I of a multi-part flight from Madras in the afternoon and series, we shall see a small collection of divine experiences that Sri rushed to Hyderabad. That evening, some Kowta Lalith Manohar had with Sri MahaPeriyava. people including the public relations officer (PRO) of Railways, Sri Muthuswamy Iyer of Hyderabad, Mahalingam from Comptons and Sri Sambamoorthi Sastrigal,the purvashrama younger brother of Sri MahaPeriyava, came to his house in a couple of cars. They informed Sri Kowta Lalith Manohar that the Kanchi Peetham wants to come to Hyderabad and stay here at the campus surrounding his house. At that moment Sri Kowta Lalith Manohar did not know as to what the Kanchi Peetham consists of and how many people would come or how large the retinue would be. Sri Kowta Manohar immediately agreed. They went around the campus of Sri Kowta Laliths house and verified that basic amenities such as a water well was available for the Kanchi Peetham. Then one of the railway officers told Sri Kowta Lalith to vacate the house and hand it over to them so that though could make the necessary arrangements for the Kanchi Peetham. This statement angered Sri Kowta Lalith as he was perplexed with the request. He did not know as to how he could suddenly manage to vacate the house.

 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 27 Sri Kowta Lalith asked the officer if this request was do Sri Chandramouleeshwara pooja in the same indeed made by Sri MahaPeriyava. The officer replied place as where Sri Kowta Lalith was performing the saying that the request made by him was as good as it Sankara Jayanthi pooja. Just imagine, a 28-year-old being made by Sri MahaPeriyava, so he should accept being told that he would be performing his Shankara it. Sri Kowta Lalith was not fully convinced by the Jayanthi Pooja right next to Sri MahaPeriyava’s request and this lead to a heated argument. He felt that Chandramouleeshwara pooja. Sri Kowta Lalith asking a grihasta (householder) to vacate his house thrilled. He was moved by Sri MahaPeriyava would be against the dharma of a sanyasi. Sri Kowta kindness and wondered as to how the scenario that Lalith then told the officer that is this indeed was the was portrayed on the previous day and the demands request of Sri MahaPeriyava, then he would have to made by the railway officer were completely different politely decline as he will not be in a state to vacate from what Sri MahaPeriaya wanted. He immediately the house. Suddenly Sri Kowta Lalith felt a tap on his agreed an enquired about the different arrangements shoulder. It was none other than Sri Sambamoorthi that would have to be made. A committee was then Sastrigal. He called him aside to the nearby Krishna setup to ensure that all the required arrangements Temple to speak to him privately. Sri Sambamoorthi could be dutifully made. Sastrigal informed him in Telugu that such a request would never have been made by Sri MahaPeriyava. Sri Kowta Lalith then went back to Vijayawa- Sri Mahaperiyava was then camping near Warangal. da and came back with his family members so that As they were also about to head to Warangal, Sri they could also meet Sri MahaPeriyava. The Kanchi Sambamorthi Sastrigal suggested that he would speak Matham arrived with a large convoy consisting of 2 to Sri MahaPeriyava and confirm the information that elephants, bullock carts, cows, 4 lorries filled with bag- night. Hence and asked him to wait till they came back gage and a palanquin each for Sri MahaPeriyava and with the correct information the next day and not to Sri Jayendra Periyava. The large retinue consisted rush back to Vijayawada. Sri Sambamoorthi Sastrigal of about 35 people. Sri Mahaperiyava had travelled came back the next day and told Sri Kowta Lalith about 15-20 miles on that day by foot and arrived at that Sri MahaPeriyava had asked him not to vacate the campus by about 9:00 A.M. the premises and that Kanchi Mutt would adjust with whatever portion of the premises that Sri Kowta Lalith would provide. Then came an even bigger blessing. Sri Sambamoorthi Sastrigal informed him that as it was Sankara Jayanthi, Sri MahaPeriyava had decided to

28 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 HE was respectfully invited into the campus stay at the campus, HE asked Sri Kowta Lalith as to with a traditional poorna kumbham. Within about how his food requirements were being managed, as 10 minutes of his arrival, Sri Mahaperiyava was parents and family were away. Not wanting to utter nowhere to be found. A railway endowment officer a lie, Sri Kowta Lalith confessed that he was getting and a minster tried searching for Sri MahaPeriyava to food from a hotel in a food carrier. Sri MahaPeriya- ask HIS permission before leaving, but were unable va then mentioned that when Sri Kowta Lalith was to find HIM. Upon searching, Sri Kowta Lalith found hosting HIM and thousands of devotees who were Sri MahaPeriyava sound asleep in the garden under a coming for Sri MahaPeriyava’s darshan were being lime tree. It was peak summer, and at the age of 74 fed here on the campus, it would not be appropriate years, Sri MahaPeriyava was sleeping under a lime for Sri Kowta Lalith to be eating food from a hotel. tree with nothing more than his vastram spread on Sri MahaPeriyava then called Sri Neelakanthan, and the bare ground. As no specific room was allotted for told him to make sure that food was also prepared Sri MahaPeriyava, HE would rest in any place HE for Sri Kowta Lalith every day. HE instructed Sri sought fit. To quote Sri Kowta Lalith “because there Neelakanthan to make sure that the food was ready was no specific place allotted for Sri MahaPeriyava by 11 A.M. every day so that Sri Kowta Lalith does in the campus, everywhere was HIS place”. As not remain hungry. Sri MahaPeriyava asked Sri recounted by Sri Kowta Lalith, there was no part of Neelakanthan to get a spare key to Sri Kowta Lalith’s the campus where the holy feet of Sri MahaPeriyava room so that the food can be placed in the room even has not touched. For his devotion, Sri Kowta Lalith when Sri Kowta Lalith was away, and Sri Kowta received immense blessing from Sri MahaPeriyava. Lalith would also be able to eat the food as per his He could witness Trikala Chandramouleeshwara convenience. poojai being performed by Sri MahaPeriyava for almost three months and also had the bhagyam of being the first person to receive theertham directly from Sri MahaPeriyava right after the poojai. The 75th birthday of Sri MahaPeriyava was also celebrated in the campus. Once during the course of Sri MahaPeriyava’s

Guru Bhakthi 29  Periyava Times - Online Special Edition were exactly only 5 shawls available in the entire store and they exactly matched the description made In addition, Sri MahaPeriyava specially reminded by Sri MahaPeriyava. Upon reaching the campus, Sri Sri Neelakanthan that Telugu people consume a MahaPeriyava asked “You said today is Sunday?”. lot of curds, hence he should make sure that extra Sri Kowta Lalith immediately acknowledged that curds are specifically made for Sri Kowta Lalith. it was only because of HIS blessings that this was Sri MahaPeriyava’s concern for the wellbeing of his made so easy and the shawl could be purchased. devotee knows no bound and HE takes care of even Sri MahaPeriyava then asked him to pack it take it the smallest of details. to airport, and locate someone who will be able to take it to Delhi. Sri MahaPeriyava told him that HE During the Shankara Jayanthi pooja at Sri Kowta would make sure that someone is there are the Delhi Lalith’s house, an Advaita sadas was being held. Sri airport to receive the package but Sri Kowta Lalith MahaPeriyava arrived around 3:30 P.M. and gave an would have to find a way to send it to Delhi. Again, anugraham bhasyam to the pandits gathered there. Sri Kowta Lalith wondered as to how is he going to After addressing the pandits, Sri MahaPeriyava said manage to find someone. Sri Kowta Lalith decided that real Sankara Jayanthi pooja was only being done that a pilot would be a good choice and he realized by Sri Kowta Lalith as he was conducting events that he knew a pilot to whom he could hand over the like reading the works of Sri Adi Sankara such as the package. He then went to the airport and handed the Sankara Bhashyam and discussing the meaning and package to the pilot and it safely reached Delhi by 11 proving explanations. During the few months that P.M. The next day Sri MahaPeriyava told Sri Kowta Sri MahaPeriyava was camped at Sri Kowta Lalith’s Lalith that he was happy that the package along with campus, he was witness to several miracles that Sri the prasadam was delivered to the pandits on time and MahaPeriyava performed. Once Sri MahaPeriyava they were honored to receive it. At that moment Sri called Sri Kowta Lalith in the evening and said Kowta Lalith knew that it was only Sri MahaPeriyava that 5 shawls were urgently needed to send to some who did everything, he was merely an instrument. Pandits who were in Delhi. As a special hawan was being performed and the next day was the samapthi day, Sri MahaPeriyava wanted to send the shawls as prasadam and honor the pandits. In those days, Hyderabad was not very developed, and getting things like shawls was not an easy task. Sri Kowta Lalith asked Sri MahaPeriyava as to how he will be able to manage to purchase the shawls as that day was a Sunday evening and most shops were closed. The Sarveshwaran merely said “That is why I told you”. Sri MahaPeriyava then told Sri Kowta Lilith that HE would wait for him to get back with the shawl. Sri Kowta Lalith suddenly remembered a specific shop from where he had made purchases for his marriage. He then contacted the owner to enquire about the availability of the shawls. The shop owner told Sri Kowta Lalith that he would open the shop and but he was not sure if any shawls were available. If any were available, Sri Kowta Lalith was free to take them. Upon reaching the shop, the owner put a bundle in front of Sri Kowta Lalith and told him that these were the only ones available and Sri Kowta Lailth could make the payments on a later date. By the grace of Sri MahaPeriyava, Sri Kowta Lalith found that there

30 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 . There are several things that we can learn from it comes to the wellbeing of HIS ardent the experience of Sri Kowta Lalith Manohar. At a devotees, Sri MahaPeriyava takes very young age, Sri Kowta Manohar had the bhagyam care of even the smallest of details. of hosting Sri MahaPeriyava and the Kanchi Matham Imagine, in the midst of the hubbub at his campus. Though initially, he was misinformed of events such as Sri MahaPeriyava’s and asked to vacate his house for the Kanchi Matham, 75th birthday celebration, when an Sri Kowta Lalith later realized that Sri MahaPeriyava ocean of devotees would come to only needed the bare minimum for HIS stay. In fact, have a darshan of Sri MahaPeriyava, Sri MahaPeriyava always told HIS devotees to eschew HE not just enquired about how Sri luxuries and lead a simple life. We also learn that when Kowta Lalith was managing his food necessities, but also ensured that the food was prepared and ready for Sri Kowta Lalith by 11 A.M. Like a doting mother concerned about the wellbeing of her child, HE also made sure that arrangements are specially made so that extra curds are available for Sri Kowta Lalith. When Sri MahaPeriyava asked Sri Kowta Lalith to get the shawls for the Pandits in Delhi, it was a Sunday evening. In a scenario where even getting the shawls on time would have been almost an impossible task, the shawls somehow reached the Pandits in Delhi on time, exactly as per HIS wishes. Everything falls into place when HE wills it. Sri Kowta Lalith realized that he was merely an instrument and Sri MahaPeriyava was the Ranganathan of this Arangam. In the words of Sri Kowta Lalith “You are only an instrument, nothing else. It we take things in that spirit, HE will make you do wonders”. In the next series of articles, we shall further see and learn from some of the other experiences that Sri Kowta Lalith Manohar had with Sri MahaPeriyava.

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34 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 2020 Namaskaram, my name is Pranav Ravana’s palace) in which, seven different stages Krishnamurthy and in the month of August, of defense system was built by ancient builders to I got an opportunity to research and present safeguard from enemies. I was much impressed a topic for COOL. The topic was about by the technique used here, that motivated me architecture and design of ancient Indian to check out more of such videos that were truly temples in which mystery and science are astonishing and raises the eyebrow. As I was embedded. I took three temples in this already exploring around architecture, when the discussion: Uttarakosamangai temple in COOL Senior team offered me an opportunity Tamil Nadu, Virupaksha temple in Hampi, to present, it aggravated my interest in this area and Kailasa temple in Kanchipuram, as they and hence I decided to choose this topic for my have many surprising features, built, when presentation. I was determined to present a unique there was no modern science and technology topic that will be interesting to the audience and in place. For example, an inverted image of also keep them engaged throughout. the Rajagopuram can be found at Virupaksha So, I decided to talk about the architecture of temple in Hampi which can be correlated to the Indian temples, to align closely to the core concept of pinhole effect used in modern day objective physics. This shows how ancient builders were of COOL, so knowledgeable in adopting the present-day which is to science, in their architecture & design. I also learn Indian talked about the use of geopolymer technology traditions, (making of artificial rock) a feature that can culture and be found in the 1200-year-old Kailasa temple its great in Kanchipuram. values. Back in March, while browsing YouTube, a video caught my attention. It was about a place in Sri Lanka called Sigiriya (known as

 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 35 It was not about temples in general (which I thought might not be that unique of a topic), but I wanted to really emphasize on the cool features in them, that show how advanced ancient builders were, thousands of years ago. Since I had a chance to visit few of the Indian temples during my India visits, I had some basic knowledge, that helped to explore more and prepare the content for my presentation. I chose the appropriate temples with its architectural features that I thought will seed more interest for my peers, to learn more about the greatness of India and its vast heritage. Since many of us live far from India, we mostly appreciate the complex buildings and designs, located in this country. As a result, we often are unaware of the unique creations in our country of Origin - India. Thus, I considered this as a great opportunity to showcase a glimpse of Indian temples, that were built in par or more than the current day skyscrapers, to truly appreciate the greatness of our Indian ancestors. The COVID situation (tied at home) coupled with my summer vacation, really helped me to learn, explore, and pick a suitable topic for this presentation. The presentation went well; I hope the audience felt it interesting and may start to explore more on this topic. I would like to thank COOL and its Organizers for this wonderful opportunity to share the knowledge, that I gained. My special thanks to Bharath Uncle and Karthik Uncle, who were supportive throughout. As part of preparation for the presentation, we three had multiple meetings to discuss and shape it better. They spent good amount of time, to help me out, inspite of their busy schedule, by giving valuable inputs and suggestions. On the day of presentation, Karthik Uncle articulated so well, for better understanding for younger kids. Overall, I had a fun time in preparing and presenting for COOL and would like to end with a single word - THANKS!

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 Periyava Times - Online Special Edition 37 FROM THE EDITORIAL TEAM Dear Readers, This year marks 5 years of Periyava Times and what a journey it has been !!! We have gone online due to COVID and all previous editions will be available on our sister app - Periyava Akashavani (available in both Android and IOS platforms). We would like to say a lot has changed however they still feel the same. Yes, COVID 19 happened and yes this moved us online, however our goal still remains the same. Our goal has always been to use this as a platform and reach out to young minds and let them know about Sri MahaPeriyava, Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Guruparampara and Sri Sivan SAR. Anything and everything associated with Periyava Times has only been possible with their Grace and Karunai. One of the biggest compliment that we have received during these 5 years was, when a 7th grade student from Florida did a presentation at her school from one of our Periyava Times articles \"Paramacharya CEO: How to be effective story teller - Great CEOs have been great story tellers\". We are very thankful to Sri Suriyanarayanan and Smt Aarthi Suriyanarayanan (trustees of Sri MahaPeriyava Manimandapam) for being our pillars of support and providing us the motivation to sail through even at times when we have questioned ourselves ‘if we can sustain this responsibility’. The team is also highly indebted to Sri Sivaraman G (Siva Saagaram Trust / Periyava Puranam) and Sri Ganesa Sarma for guiding us and providing their valuable time and knowledge to shape up each article of Periyava Times. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sri Umesh Sadasivam for agreeing to grace his artwork as the cover page for this online issue. We would also like to thank the authors who have worked tirelessly in addition to their full time jobs to provide our readers meaningful and original content. Finally, we would like to thank you – our readers for writing to us and providing valuable feedback Our team is always expanding and we welcome new authors, graphic designing wizards and creativity experts – Come Join us and be a part of this Kainkaryam. Our prayers to the hallowed Guru-Parampara of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam and Sri Sivan SAR, for their blessings towards making 'Periyava Times' a potential spark to ignite young minds, to uphold Sanatana Dharma for posterity. Avan Arulale Avan Thaal Vanangi (We bow to Him by His grace) Editorial Team Periyava Times Volunteers and Sponsors willing to support this intiative, contact: Siva Saagaram Trust Sanatana Dharma Foundation Inc. SF 1, E Block, Sri Jayendra Colony, (A non-profit tax exempt organization Tax ID #20-4404415) OM, Kandanchavadi, Chennai – 600096, Tamil Nadu 12,Old Warson Ct, Skillman, NJ- 08558 Ph: 9600015230, Email: [email protected] 609-456-5096 | [email protected] To contribute articles to Periyava Times, Contact: [email protected] Disclaimer: The views expressed in this magazine are objectively created based on facts by the authors and are not intended for other purposes.

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