MAHA PERIAVA'S GRACE FOR TRANSFER ORDER Author: IrAsu, Chennai-61
Compiler: T.S. Kothandarama Sarma
Source: Maha PeriyavaL - Darisana AnubhavangaL vol.2
Publisher: VAnathi Padhippaham (May 2005 Edition)
A day several years ago (1989); could have been six in the evening. Sitting in ekAntam--privately, KAnchi Thava Munivar was giving darshan to devotees.
My elder brother Tiru.Sundaram who was earlier a Tahsildar in KAnchipuram and now a Sub-collector, and I are sitting for darshan. During the time this incident happened, my thamayanAr--elder brother, was serving as an official in charge of the welfare of the district backward people in TirunelvEli. His constraint was to have darshan of ParamAchAryAr and return to Chennai that same night.
Our turn of darshan in the queue came. As we got up after prostrating to SvAmigaL who blessed us with a blossoming face, and said looking at us, "In hurry? Can stay for sometime and go." Obeying his command, we sat in front of him.
SvAmigaL asked all the people who were about thirty in number and standing for his darshan to sit down, gesturing it with his hands.
KAnchi Munivar's glance came round and round in that small crowd. As he called a man sitting with bhaya-bhakti in a corner, the man got up. He had removed his shirt and tied it around his waist over his dhoti.
"Your name?" as Periyavar asked, the man said, "Murugesanunga--Murugesan, sir".
SvAmigaL: What is your occupation?
"payirth-thozhil--agriculture, SAmi".
"Lokaththukku sAppADu pODarE--so you feed the world", saying it with a laughter, SvAmigaL asked him to sit down. PeriyavargaL's eyes going round again, his hand pointed to another man. He got up and said that his name was MunuSamy and that he was working as a Revenue Inspector in Vellore.
"How would you serve the people?"
"I give people nilappaTTA--title deed to land, manaippaTTA--title deed to house-plots and other necessary certificates."
Suddenly looking at me, as PeriyavargaL asked, "What occupation you are in now?", I was shaken. Because I was then serving as the Assistant Manager of the Tamilnadu Consumer Federation. The chief duty of that post was to sell the liquor varieties from the godown to the retail liquor merchants. How could this be a podhujana sevA--public service? So with hesitation I told him, "I am serving as the Deputy Tahsildar in TASMAC". However (at that time my face was full of sweat) PeriyavargaL did not ask me to explain my work.
Then as PeriyavargaL's dRShTi--sight, fell on my elder brother sitting near me, he got up and said that through his office they arrange for free education, food and clothes to the backward people and that he was supervising the work. Informing him in addition that they also distribute sewing machines and coal iron boxes, he said that he was a Sub-collector.
Listening to this, PeriyavargaL said, "In this assembly, a Revenue Inspector who gives facilities to people, a Deputy Tahsildar and a Sub-collector have come. Then, what grievances can we have?", with a prankish laugh in his unique manner.
As for me I was very anxious. Any time SvAmigaL's sight might fall on me. How could I explain my work that only gives pAthakam--grievous sin, to people?
Under that circumstance, I prayed mAnasIkam--in my mind, 'SvAmigaLE! I no longer require to be in this job that I am doing it for the last three years. Kindly give me your grace to somehow get out of it.' SvAmigaL who has compassion, did not ask about my work.
Within a few weeks after this meeting took place, I was relieved from that post and was posted as a Deputy Tahsildar in the Collector's Office.
Although it was the Government that served me the transfer orders, there is no doubt that it was only SvAmigaL's good heart that gave the orders to the Government.
