How it all began.....
I
was seventeen or so when that happened in the mid 1940s. I was single, had lost my parents and lived in a small village, somewhere closer to Shencottai, a prominent town
at the foot of Podhigai hills that formed part of Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu
in Southern India and a gateway to the adjacent State of Kerala. Thanks to the
financial support from a Christian institution and the kind priest at the local
church, I had just completed my school final examinations.
One
day, I had acute stomach pain and a few friendly neighbors admitted me to the
local hospital run by a missionary. Doctors were unable to diagnose my
condition, in the poorly equipped facility. I held my stomach between my both
hands and squeezed it. A dilute carbonate mixture that they gave me provided no
relief. Besides, I ate nothing for the whole day and I was vomiting constantly.
It was midnight. With unbearable pain, I said all the prayers that came to my
mind and prayed intensely. I didn’t know when I slept.
I
was jolted in the middle of sleep. I perspired and trembled. Was it a nightmare?
I just had a dream where Lord Siva appeared before me. He looked so real to me
like the one I always saw in pictures. He was seated in a deep meditative
posture and opened his eyes briefly to look at me. He saw me suffering with
pain. I saw myself standing up in great devotion and prostrating before him.
“I
know you are suffering from pain. You will be relieved of this pain now.”
With
folded hands, I fell flat again and prostrated, tears rolling down my eyes.
“But
on one condition!”Lord Siva said.
I
just wanted relief from my stomach pain. I was willing to do anything. I just
nodded my head in acknowledgement that I was listening.
“You
would meet with me in seven places!”
‘Oh,
that won’t be a great deal’ I thought. He seemed to be reading my mind.
“But,
it is not going to be easy for you. Are you ready? Your pain will go away now.”
said Lord Siva.
“Okay!
You have my blessing. Remember to meet with me in seven places. Don’t take it
lightly.” Saying this, he disappeared into a cloud of thick white smoke which
suddenly appeared from nowhere and I was woken up.
Everything
looked very hazy. I noticed that my stomach pain had disappeared. I slowly rose
from my bed. I prayed intently, “Oh, Lord Siva! Give me the strength to come
and meet with you in seven places as you ordained. Give me the strength to
maintain my commitment”
I
called the duty nurse, a Christian nun, a kind lady. I told her of my dream and
the relief I had from my pain. She was puzzled and didn’t know how to respond.
Closing her eyes, she just touched my head and prayed. She asked me to stay on
for the rest of the night and leave early morning. She asked me whether I would
be meeting with the Christian Father and I answered positively.
The
next morning, I left the hospital and walked to the Father’s place. He must
have been in his morning prayers. I waited to see him outside his hostel. When
I told him about the relief I had after I had my dream, he looked at me
pensively for a moment and smiled. “May Jesus Bless You!” was all that he said
to me. I took leave from him when it seemed he just remembered something and he
asked me to wait for a moment. He went inside and brought a talisman. He tied
it to me on my upper arm and said, “Remember to keep this safely with you all
the time.”
I
spent the next several weeks without a clue, but the thoughts kept returning
back. “I must meet with Lord Siva in seven places.”
“What
did he mean by that?’
I
went to Thangasami, our village ‘karnam ’ (the village chief) who was my
well-wisher. I told him about my dream and sought his opinion. Thangasami was a
very pious and god-fearing man. He took me to a local astrologer Muneeswaran.
The astrologer drew some squares on the floor with a piece of chalk and threw a
few small conches. He closed his eyes for several minutes and finally told me:
“Lord
Siva wants you to visit him at seven places that are known for his temples.
Courtallam , Tenkasi, Sivashailam, Ambasamudram, Papanasam, Brahmadesam,
Thiruppudaimaruthoor and many more places in our Tirunelveli region are great ‘Sivasthals’
– abodes of Lord Siva. Many of these temples are very old, may be thousands of
years and are very sacred places. You must visit seven Siva temples and have
HIS ’darshan ’. You shouldn’t be inviting the wrath of Lord Siva, lest he could
become furious. But he is also a very kind god and a great benefactor. You know,
you were relieved of your stomach pain instantly the moment He appeared before
you…………………
It
also appears to me that you are going to have great hardship going through
these places. But, you seem to be destined for something very significant about
which I am unable to speak or tell you right now. But you will have Lord Siva’s
blessings all along. So, go!”
That
was the beginning of my long story. I had no one at home to worry about me. My
mother left for heaven when I was just born and my father too joined her a year
ago, mourning over the death of his dear wife, all those years. Even when he was
alive, it was a moot question whether he supported me or I supported him.
I
left home on foot, realizing very little what life experiences were waiting for
me. I never knew that my meetings with Lord Siva were going to be so long and
arduous. Where did I find my energy during all those years – during those years
of encounter with Lord Siva? Only HE knows!
******
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