OHM GURUBHYO NAMAHA

GNANANANDHA GNANANANDHA SADGURU GNANANANDHA

SADGURUNATHAR AT KALLAKKUDI

Abridged translated version of an article written by Sri N.Appan, Srirangam published in Ganna Oli issue of April 2010.

It is a historical fact that Sadgurunathar, in jadamudi thava kolam, was living in a thatched roof hut opposite to the sivan temple at Kallakkudi, Trichy district. He was inculcating good habits and teaching the people there good things.

Since 1974, on every pournami day and chithra pournami day padha pooja was being conducted to the padhukas left by Sadgurunathar at Kallakudi. However the practice was stopped for some years and with the efforts of some Gurunathar’s devotees from Chennai the poojas have started again for the past six months.

I want to tell you about the leelai of sadgurunathar when he was in kallakkudi.

Some years ago at Srirangam thai month bhoopathi thirunal urchavm was going on. Swami  was on Garuda vahanam. There was heavy rush than usual. I was sitting on the verandah of my house at East Chithrai Street. An old man was standing in front of my house waiting to have the dharshan of Perumal. He will be around 75 or 80. I asked him to sit on the verandah till the Perumal procession reaches the place. A picture of Sadgurunathar was adorning just above the entrance of my house. The old man enquired whose house is this. I told him this is my house and i have named it Gnanakriba. The old man looked at the picture once again and asked “ this is Sadguru Gnananandha Giri Swamigal isn’t it? How long this picture is here?”.

I introduced myself. I am Appan working as a TTR in southern railway and a devotee of Sadgurunathar. I was wondering whether this old man knows about Sadgurunathar? What he is going to tell me about him? As the procession of Perumal is expected to take more than half an hour to reach our place we continued our chat.

“If you are a TTR do you travel by Kallakkudi line “ Yes. I am travelling in that line daily. My duty is between Trichy junction to Egmore”. “Do you know that there is a connection between Kallakudi and our Sadgurunathar”. I was taken aback when he said our Sadgurunathar. Does this mean he is also a devotee of Sadgurunathar? How our Gurunathar joins his devotees together? Is this the satsang what Gurunathar refers frequently? With all these questions in mind i asked him “Swami do you know Sadgurunathar”. He replied Yes. I had the dharshan of Sadgurunathar when he was in Kallakudi. He was there for some time . I have seen Gurunathar even when i was a small boy. The first dharshan itself is a spellbound thing.” I asked can you tell me how and when you had that dharshan”? He continued. “It was during 1924 the execution of Villupuram – Trichy line was started and was completed in the year 1928.When the line to Kallakudi was completed a train started running between Trichy and Kallakudi. It ran twice daily. The old man was continuing. “My father told a lot of things about Gurunathar to me. When the train services started he took me also to kallakudi to have the dharshan of Gurunathar. I think it was in 1926 The train which leaves Trichy by 3.00 pm in the evening will reach Kallakudi by 5.00 pm. It will start by 8.00 pm on its return journey and will reach Trichy by 10.00 p.m. We started in that train and reached the place where Gurunathar was staying.

That was the first time i saw Gurunathar. He was with Jadamudi. The eyes shining with grace and attractive. I felt all my sins washed away the second the eyes fell on me.  Gurunathar enquired about us and our house at Thiruvanaikoil. There used to be a vilva tree and a well on the roadside of the house. Swami remembered at and enquired whether the tree is still there? Your grand father planted that tree. He used to give vilvam daily to Jambukeshwarar pooja, Are you still following it? Viswanatha Iyer hada greatest bhakthi on Akhilandeswari?. I was wondering how Gurunathar knows my grandfather’s name was Viswanath Iyer and about the Vilva Maram? Had he come to Trichy? Does he know my grand father? If he knows my grand father he must have visited that Trichy area. What would have been his age when he visited Trichy? The questions for which i could not find any answers till now. Gurunathar when talking about Jambukeshwarar temple told us about the mid noon pooja to Akhilandeswari and the principle and the meaning of the pooja. I could not understand anything at that age. Time was running. If we could not catch the 8.00 pm train we will not be able to reach Trichy. There were no trains after that and no bus transport also during that time. Moreover, the kallakkudi area was famous for its thieves. The thoughts were swirling in my head but could not say anything to Gurunathar.

Then Gurunathar told us it will be around 11.00 pm when you reach your home. You will be hungry. The dinner is ready. Eat it. Telling this he went into the hut and brought two leaves, one copper vessel and dheertham. He himself served us  hot and steamy “Venpongal”. He was talking to us for the past two hours and i was wondering when he cooked this pongal? If he had done it earlier it would not have been this steamy and hot. Gurunathar with a smile told us what is that you are thinking. Eat this and don’t think of anything now. It was like a mother feeding her children. We had our bellyful.

Then Gurunathar told us “ you have a doubt whether you can catch the train or not. It cannot leave without taking you. Come on let us start”. It was very dark out side. With a lantern in his hand he lead us to the station.   We reached the Railway station by 8.40 p.m. The train was supposed to have gone by 8.00 p.m. but it was there in the station. Why it did not go? Gurunathar asked us to take two tickets to Srirangam. After getting the ticket we enquired the station master why the train has not started till then and we got the following narration. The pointsman went to the cabin to change the lever. The a big snake was coiling round the lever. The pointsman got scared and came down. We could not change the signal. The train can start only if we change the signal and change the track. We tried our best. We even tried lighting fire and threw it on the snake. But it has not moved anywhere. It hisses more. We have contacted the control room in trichy and our superiors told us as there was no train expected to be on those tracks for some more time they asked us to wait till the snake leaves. And that is why the train has not started yet.

Gurunathar told us “ now you got the ticket. Get in to the train and it will start soon. The snake will also go. “ Once he told like that the snake started moving through the steps towards the fields in front of our eyes . When i say our it includes the station staff and the other passengers also. Once the snake left the pointsman went up and changed the track and the train moved. Swami upped his hands and bless us.

The old man completed telling his experience and the Perumal was in front of our house.

                             JAI SADGURUNATH MAHARAJ KI JAI

                                       MAGIZHVITHU MAGIZH