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

[B Shridhar]

When an incident takes place, some people are actual witness to the incident
who inturn convey this incident to others. In this case the person who
learnt the incident from others has narrated this incident. Does that mean
that the incident never occured ?
Further both the incidents did take place. The sringeri episode concerns the
diety's necklace and the kanchi incident concerns the necklace of a lady
devotee. Why cant both the incidents be true.
What anology are you trying to derive from these incidents? prove the kanchi
mutt is wrong and sringeri mutt is correct? why?
This site has devotees of both the mutts who are here to interact on the
principles of Advaita so let us concentrate on the philosophy rather than
hurting each other's sentiments.

B Shridhar

On 6/17/06, 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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