Vacation to India July 2017

A very brief vacation was taken to India last month in July 2017; the power of all the sadhana done was felt during the trip. There was a deep desire to perform Shraadham for the ancestors in Ganga as well as take a bath there; didn’t know who to call or how to set it up; prayed to Sri Kanchi Maha Periyava and He set it all up by way of the wife calling a lady whom she knows in Chennai, who knew someone at Kanchi Mutt in Kancheepuram, near Chennai, who called someone in Varanasi who set up a priest, who did all the ceremonies to complete satisfaction !! Ganga was MAJESTIC !!! Taking a bath in Ganga was emotionally moving !! Here is a picture :

That evening, visited Sri Vishveshwara Jyotirlingam, Sri Annapoorna Devi and Sri Kaashi Visaalaakshi temple; was very moved by Sri Vishveshwara and later attended Ganga Arati at 7:30 pm; breathtaking and very moving hymns being chanted were heard; head bowed down in respect to Ganga Devi ! The next day, went back to Ganga, had a second bath and recited the Ganga Sahasranamam from Brihad Dharma Puranam right on Her banks – this hymn is available in this blog. Incidentally, a Ganga Devi Sahasranama Homam had been performed early April at home in the backyard, a two minute video clip of which is here: Amazingly, on the right hand side of the Homa Kundam in the following video, on frame one (which is what appears on the screen before hitting the 'play' button), one can CLEARLY see a full size Maha Periyava in the sitting posture (as in Kancheepuram next to the Brindavanam) watching the Homam being performed -- there was NO photos or figurines in that spot  -- just blank!!!! This indicates He WAS there !!!

 

The driver from Tamarind Global, with the Divine name, Sri Markandeya is shown in the photo below ( the younger one in full pants is him ).

 

Wanted to see Sri Harishchandra Ghat; ever since reciting the Harishchandra story in Srimad Devi Bhagawatham, the mind has had a special attachment to Sri Harishchandra and Sri Taramathi and their son Rohitha. Went there and visited the small temple there, whose picture follows:

 

 

Their story represents adherence to Absolute Truth and Absolute Righteousness. There, met a Great Baba, (name unknown), who spoke about ParaBrahman, Prakruthi, Purusha and Jeeva; finally offered His blessings and said “We will meet again”! Here is the photo of that meeting:

 

Then zipped to Chennai and zipped to Thanthonri Malai in Karur, Tamil Nadu, where Sri Kalyana Venkata Ramana Swamy is our “Kula Deivam” ( Family Deity ). Had a Great Darshan of the God there, Who is a Form of Sri Vishnu. Less than one kilometer away from there, had a Darshan of Sri Patti Siddhar’s Adhistaanam in the “Mayaanam” (Cremation Ground); then zipped through to Sri Kalyana Pasupatheesvarar Temple of Lord Shiva, wherein the Jeeva Samaadhi of Siddhar Sri Karuvoorar is present. Had a wonderful Darshan and thence zipped through to Sri Kaashi Viswanaathar and Sri Kaashi Visaalaakshi temple in Nerur, about 5 kilometers or so away, wherein there is the Jeeva Samaadhi of Sri Sadashiva Brahmendra Swamigal. This was Absolutely Phenomenal.

There had been a deep desire to do a formal Pooja for Sri Karuppuswamy and lo and behold, the very next stop was the Vangali Amman temple in the village of Vangal, wherein the grandparents had lived. In that temple was a Sannidhi for Sri Malaya Karuppuswamy and requested the Priest to perform the formal Pooja; the heart became contented !

The next day, on the outskirts of Karur, visited the Abhaya Ranganaatha Swamy Temple; thence stopped at the Mahalinga Swamy Temple of Shiva at Thiruvidaimarudhoor; the temple was closed for the afternoon, but quickly made one complete Pradakshinam ( Circumambulation ); the heart felt blissful ! Here is a picture:

Then had Darshan of Shiva at the famous Chidambaram Temple, wherein Sri Mookuppodi Siddhar was supposed to have moved to a month before; the word on the street was that He had moved back to Thiruvannamalai, which was NOT in the iterinary. The heart felt sad. Next day early in the morning, decided to change plans and go to Thiruvannamalai in search of Sri Mookuppodi Siddhar; reached and had a Darshan of Sri Mookuppodi Siddhar, who was in meditation at the Akaash Hotel hallway. Here is a photo of Sri Mookuppodi Siddhar in deep Samaadhi.

Thence zipped to Vellore, in search of the Great Siddhar Sri Bus Stand Baba, who is usually found in the mornings at the Old Bus Stand, but since it was early afternoon, He had moved to Sripuram. Had a Great Darshan; He usually keeps Mounam ( Silence ). Picture follows:

From there, zipped to Kancheepuram; had a Great Darshan of Sri Kaamaakshi Amman and then Sri Pudu Periyavaa and then Sri Baala Periyavaa and then the Grand Finale Darshan of Sri Maha Periyavaa in His Brindaavanam !!!!

And the last Darshan was of Sri Lakshmi Narayanan, a disciple of Sri Sivan Sar, Who is Himself a Form of Sri Sivan Sar; the meeting felt almost impossible to happen, at which point, He said, “ You will not leave India without seeing Me!” And at 7:30 pm He came to our rented place, with His Consort, Sri Lalita a day before departure ! Here is the Divine photo ! ( He is on the left ).

It has been difficult to write this narrative non-standard post, avoiding the first person pronoun completely, which has been the spirit of this blog for quite some time now; unfortunately, some of the photos presented here have included Adiyen; May the Divinities forgive !! May the Divinities bless all righteous beings everywhere !

Om Sri Kanchi Maha Periyava Namo Namaha !!!