This series chronicles interesting experiences recounted by the devotees of HH Maharanyam Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji. These articles are translations from the series, “Madhuramaana Mahaneeyar” that is published every month in Madhuramurali Tamil monthly magazine. The original article was written by Dr. Bhagyanathanji, Personal Secretary of Sri Swamiji.
A devotee from a foreign country was talking with Sri Swamiji. Just then another devotee arrived there. He gave the prasad of Kanchi Lord Varadaraja and His consort, Perundevi Thayar, to Sri Swamiji. He also gave a beautiful picture of the Lord to Sri Swamiji. Sri Swamiji touched the picture to his eyes in all reverence and placed it on his head, feeling elated. Sri Swamijji then said to the devotee who had been conversing with him, “Varada is calling me. I am going to Kanchipuram.” At once this devotee said, “I will also come with you,” and started for Kanchipuram along with Sri Swamiji.
Just as Sri Swamiji was entering the temple, Lord Varada came to the entrance in a procession! At once, Sri Swamiji said, “Just as a father comes to the door in all eagerness to meet his child, Lord Varada has come to the entrance in all eagerness to meet me.”
There was a big crowd in the sanctum sanctorum of Perundevi Thayar. But someone known to Sri Swamiji came up and in spite of the huge crowd helped him have darshan of the Mother comfortably. “All are children of the Mother. But I am the favorite! See how the Mother called me over and blessed me,” said Sri Swamijji.
From there Sri Swamiji moved to worship Ulagalandha Perumal. It was time to close the sanctum sanctorum. Sri Swamiji rushed up and had darshan of the Lord. Even as he walked fast towards this sanctum, he rushed us saying, “Perumal is waiting. Come fast.” When Sri Swamiji stepped in, the priest there said, “Perumal was waiting for you only. I should have closed the temple a little earlier, but somehow it has been delayed today. The Lord has been waiting for you only.”
In every temple that Sri Swamiji visited, things moved like this. To the devotee from abroad, it seemed strange that in each temple something of this kind should take place, with Sri Swamiji connecting and giving some divine explanation for it. The devotee felt everything was happening by sheer coincidence and that Sri Swamiji was, by his imagination, connecting and offering some divine explanation for it. But in many places, things seemed to happen as Sri Swamiji predicted even before he reached the place. Therefore, this devotee, at the first opportunity, questioned Sri Swamiji in this connection.
In reply, Sri Swamiji asked him, “Do you know anything about astrology?”
The devotee said, “A little.”
Sri Swamiji said, “By drawing up the horoscope of a person based on the time of a person’s birth, his future can be predicted. There are many systems even in this. One has to know astronomy and mathematics. There are people who predict through palmistry (reading the palm). There are those who predict just with the date of birth. There are yet others who predict events just through the question one asks. Prediction is also made through signs seen: for example, the eagle flying, circumambulation of the cow, the cry of the owl and such other signs.
“Apart from these there is something called nimitta shastra. When someone places a question, one who knows nimitta shastra gives the answer depending on the incidents that occur then by chance. Whatever he predicts comes to be. He has the inner consciousness to connect the incident with the question asked.
“For example, the one who knows nimitta shastra may be standing in a railway station. A person may then come up to him and ask, “Will I get through the examination that I have written?” Just then the track signal might change from red to green. Noticing that, the one who knows nimitta shastra would say, “You will get through the examination.” And it would happen that way. A person would remove the picture of one of two people in a photograph and bring it to the one who knows nimitta shastra. Looking at this the latter would say that the other one (whose picture was removed) would die soon. And it would be so.”
Sri Swamiji spoke of all this.
The devotee from abroad thought, “Sri Swamiji is speaking of astrology that is not connected to what I asked him!”
Sri Swamiji looked at him and said, “A mere astrologer who knows nimitta shastra predicts events that are going to happen in a person’s life, based on events that occur by chance. When this is the case, can a Mahatma not comprehend what a Deity speaks, based on the events taking place at that time?”
The one who had questioned Sri Swamiji bent his head in shame.
Dr. Bhagyanathan, personal secretary to His Holiness Sri Sri Muralidhara Swamiji
Originally published in MadhuraMurali Tamil monthly magazine, Sept 2017 issue
