You renounced the world. You renounced your form. You can split the
mountain. You do not give up fame, jnana, austerity, and learning,
Ananda Myahari.
Sannyasi: "You mentioned Hari's name. Ecstasy, ecstasy."
Chetty: "No doubt. Man must have Devotion to God."
Swamigal: "Kavirayar looking at the body, composed the extempore poem.
But the Bhagavan inside us was happy to hear it."
They were talking about such diverse topics.
Kavirāyar took leave saying, he would return in one day and said to
himself, this Sāmiyār is a thief. After his departure, Swamigal
(Sāmiyār) said, "This extempore poet is a haughty person."
Chetty: "He composed a poem on you. What is your reason for calling him
haughty?"
Swamigal: "He indeed developed Devotion to me, though he is an arrogant
person. Never trust an arrogant person. If you trust, trust a deceitful
person. "
Chetty: "How could you trust a cheat?"
Swamigal: "We trust each other. We are not cheats."
Chetty: "No objection here. Don't trust a haughty person. Telling it to
the face is the truth.
Swamigal: "Tatsa Vidur Varēnyam."
Chetty: "Explain to me its meaning."
Swamigal: "This is Sandhiyavandana Mantram. I should not divulge its
meaning to other castes. I told it to myself."
Sannyasi said, "Let me take leave of you." He got up. Chetty begged him
to stay for one more day. A discussion on that subject took place.
Sannyasi halfheartedly agreed to Chetty's proposal. Chetty put him up in
the hut in the backyard garden. Chetty arranged to bring temple food for
Swamigal. The latter said to the temple cook, "I don't like Tamarind
rice."
Chetty and the cook worked out the detail of the menu as follows.
Morning: White Rice Pongal, Yogurt-Vadai, Butter-Dosai, and milk.
Noon meals: Five kinds of vegetables and rice.
Evening meals: Fruits and milk.
Midnight meals:: Same as lunch but Dosai instead of rice.
Once two days are over, Chetty asked Swamigal to stay two more days.
Like this, many days went by.
Madurai Mānnikka Chetty wondered why he did not hear from him for so
long.
One evening the swindler Chetty and the astrologer Swamigal hold a
conversation.
Chetty: "If good things happen to a Yānai, Pūnai also will have its
turn. Yānai, Pūnai = elephant-cat. Rhymers. What is the purport?
Astrologer Swamigal said:" The elephant may refer to Vinayakar. There is
no place for the cat. Whether a mouse is a vehicle for Vinayakar or not…
Won't there be a cat as an enemy to a mouse? If the mouse has a good
turn come its way, the cat also will have the same thing. There could be
a Vedantic explanation. The elephant represents the rut (மதம்). The cat
represents Discretion. If rut's time runs out, Discretion's greatness
becomes apparent." This is the truth in saying."
In response, Chetty said, "மதம் (Also means religion) is Saivism. Is
Vaishnavism likewise? "
The astrologist Swamigal countered, "Hum, it is not so. Lust, anger,
greed, delusion (or haughtiness), pride, and jealousy are the internal
enemies. Haughtiness must go before discriminant knowledge takes its
place."
Chetty said, "Swamigl, I had an account book. I looked for it from last
evening till this morning. I do not see it. You should not divulge this
information. Who took it away, I don't know? Help me with it."
The Astrologer-Swamigal said, "Yakshaṇi asks me to go to Tiruvarur. I
leave tonight and will return. I will talk to you then."
Chetty: "God is my companion."
Sāmiyār: "Guru is my companion."
Chetty: Will I receive the good graces?"
Sāmi: "You will receive it." Chetty:" Will my grief find relief?"
Sāmi: "Certainly."
Chetty: "If I get the accounting book back to me, I will contribute to
charity."
Sāmi: Chettiyārē! No need for any charity. Do your duty. That is
enough."
Chetty: "What is my duty"
Sāmi: I will tell you an occult saying. When I return from Tiruvarur, I
will explain it. If you discover its meaning beforehand, that is fine.
"ம யே ம ஏ". Write down the Sūtra."
Chetty wrote down the Sūtra on the palm leaf.
Two weeks later, Swindler Chetty received a letter. "Greetings to the
Astrologer-Swamy and Tanjai TK Chetty.
"The Sūtra I left with you means as follows:
"The one who cheats
Another one will cheat."
We are now back to the storyteller, the donkey named Rasika Sirōmani.
The donkey says, "The Swindler Chetty, prostrated at the feet of Madurai
Manikka Chetty, took responsibility for cooking the books and begged for
forgiveness. Madurai Manikka Chetty took money to cover half the loss,
forgave the Tanjore Chetty, and appointed Māni Ayyar to administer his
business in Tanjore. Mannikka Chetty realized his faulty thoughts about
the Brahmin, and knowing the Brahmin's help, gave him many gifts.. Now
back to the storyteller, the donkey. Rasika Sirōmani (the storytelling
donkey) addressed the peacock, "Are you not the arrogant Madhukandikai,
the peacock? Are you laughing now? Wait for a while. You will discover
my ability and admire my greatness."
Madhurakandikai said, ''Listen, Rasika Māma! Are you not a stubborn
person? You can stop the wave and arrest the wind. You are brave,
goal-oriented, and unstoppable. I like you as a friend, knowing your
mental strength. Now, let me tell you a secret. Hear the story
leisurely.
At the bottom of the hill, there is a place called Mandhapuram. A
Pillaiyar temple exists at the foot of the tree. Twice a day, go to the
temple, and before the Pillaiyar, apply three knocks on the temple of
your head with your knuckles and three Toppukkaranams (Crossing the
hands, holding the ear lobes, and doing knee bends). Plead with
Pillaiyar, ''Pillaiyārē, ''Pillaiyārē! I want singing ability. The music
will automatically come to you. You need no Guru."
With a tinge of disbelief, the donkey asked the peacock, "Is it true?"
The peacock said, "This is how I got my musical ability. All peacocks
know this secret. We never told this to any other species. Because I
loved you, I revealed the secret."
The donkey jumped for joy, went to the Mandhapura Pillaiyar Temple early
the next day, completed all the rituals, and made noises as if singing
songs. The servitors finishing the circumambulation could not tolerate
the singing (braying) by the donkey. They threw stones at the donkey,
broke its leg, and chased it away from the temple premises. Viveka
Sastry instructed his children not to seek the unobtainable and finished
his story.
One of his sons by the name of Kalidasan asked the Guru, "Is there no
punishment to the peacock, which directed the donkey to the temple, so
it sustains an injury?
Anjaneyan, his other son, asked, "Appā! The donkey came to worship the
deity. Should an injury be its lot?
Viveka Sastry answers them, "Devotion to the deity is beneficial. But
Devotion should go with Viveka (discrimination). One, without Viveka,
does not benefit from bhakti. Before asking for anything, one should
seek from God, discrimination, which is essential for the accumulation
of many riches. One without discrimination is blind. Devotion and
discrimination go hand in hand. This combination helps in the attainment
of success in any endeavor. A story illustrating this. "
The children asked, "What is the title of the story?"
Viveka Sastry said, "Forest Temple."
Kalidasan said, "Dad! You did not answer my question."
Anjaneyan said, "Can one without discrimination but with deity devotion
sustain injury and or face evil?"
Viveka Sastry said, "What I said so far is known as 'Evaluation.' The
next section is 'Faith.' I will answer your questions directly without
telling a story. Creating difficulties for an ignoramus is sin, and the
perpetrator is a sinner. He will sustain innumerable evil things in this
lifetime. The one without discrimination but Devotion to a deity will
enjoy good things. He will face many problems initially, and later from
experience, he will acquire discrimination. Later, Devotion will give
him greater benefits.
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