[Advaita-l] Sringeri and Kanchi - same incident?

[jagannathan mahadevan]

Kartik,

I would suggest that one does not indulge in taking potshots based on
this "similar story" or with the more sophisticated "history" digging.
For that matter every incident you quote have only been seen or heard
through another entity, just like the newsmedia. What makes you think
that either one of them is genuine in the absence of direct evidence
to you or me?

It is better to glorify similarities for the sake of not trying to
destroy faith in later generation people like me. I have great
reverence for Kanchi Periyaval. At the same time I sincerely see the
godly qualities of the Saint of Sringeri. This is through my own
readings of the accounts of the great sage's life and sayings.

There are other statements in the Kanchi website that reflect more
positive notes in terms of identifying similarities. Please see link
below.

http://www.kamakoti.org/souv/5-59.html

Jagan.

On 6/16/06, S Jayanarayanan <sjayana at yahoo.com> wrote:
> I came across two anecdotes in the lives of the past Pontiffs of
> Sringeri and Kanchi. The two stories are almost identical, here are
> the striking similarities:
>
> 1) Both instances happened during a Puja.
> 2) In both cases, a necklace was stolen.
> 3) Both the times, the thief was revealed while requesting holy water
> from the respective Pontiffs.
>
> I suspect that the Kanchi story is not genuine, because it begins
> with, "The incident narrated below is SAID TO HAVE OCCURRED...", thus
> making it evident this incident was not witnessed by the narrator,
> and is only hearsay.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Book: "The Saint of Sringeri"
> (Biography of H.H. Chandrasekhara Bharati)
> Chapter: Intuitive Perception
> Pages 51-52
>
> Once when His Holiness was dispensing holy water to the disciples
> assembled, a young woman who had brought her daughter with her
> suddenly missed a gold chain put on the nect of the latter and was
> creating some slight disturbance. Her friends hushed her up and asked
> her to coolly receive the holy water from His Holiness and then go
> home to give vent to her grief. She accordingly came before His
> Holiness and spread out her right palm to receive the holy water but
> His Holiness signed to her to step aside. This increased her grief
> and she did not know what to do. His Holiness continued to give holy
> water to several others and when an old woman spread out her hand to
> receive it, His Holiness said in a very low tone "Give it up".
>
> "What" cried the woman.
>
> "What was taken" was the cool reply of His Holiness.
>
> "I have not taken anything" she persisted.
>
> "Don't add to your sins" was the admonition of His Holiness. As soon
> as this was said, the ladies who were standing near her caught her up
> and recovered the chain from the folds of her sari and placed it
> before His Holiness. He then called the other woman before him, gave
> her the holy water and said "Take the chain but don't do hereafter
> what you are asked not to do."
>
> She replied in penitent tones "I have learnt the lesson I shall obey.
> I shall obey."
>
> Later it transpired that her husband was a clerk in some office and
> had wanted his wife to serve his breakfast before going to His
> Holiness' camp for attending the Puja and that for fear of losing the
> Puja she hastened the preparation of the meals and asked her husband
> to serve his breakfast himself and came away to attend the Puja. His
> Holiness evidently pointed out by this incident that true piety was
> incompatible with a breach of duty.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> http://www.kamakoti.org/souv/5-97.html
> My experience with Paramacharya of Kanchi
> G. Subramanya Shastri
>
> "The incident narrated below is said to have occurred in one of those
> days in which His Holiness Himself performed the daily pooja (worship
> of deities). Whenever His Holiness performed the worship there was o
> stipulated time for ending the ritual. He used to be immersed in the
> act for a very long time. All the while the devotees thronged around
> the place of worship and waited patiently till the end of the pooja
> in order to partake "teertha" (holy water sprinkled over the deities)
> from His Holiness. On that eventful day, while the pooja was in
> progress, suddenly a woman cried "Alas! My necklace is stolen!" His
> Holiness heard the cries but calmly went through the proceedings. At
> the end of the pooja , the giving away of the holy water commenced.
> The devotees queuing up a line partook the holy water one by one. A
> woman, too, came along the line near the alter to receive the water.
> Then His Holiness ordered her "You are in possession of a necklace of
> another woman. Give it back and take the teertha". Hearing it the
> woman turned pale and returned the jewel to its owner."
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
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