SATHURAGIRI -THE LORD’S PLACE

MY FATHER AND SATHURAGIRI

Sathuragiri, the place was really haunting in my mind for the past 1 year and month exactly. It happened one day when my father called me and told me about this place through Shakthi vikatan article. I wasn’t so very impressed about it, but my father usually tells me about the article during its consecutive publishing. My father was a person who was totally not worried about the future and used to get scolding from us when he speaks something unusual about miracles and other events. He was a strong devotee of all religions and got a deeper devotion towards lord Shiva and siddhars. We really feared that he may go out of family life, but I was sure he wont do that becoz I think he loved me more than anything in this world.

But I am not fortunate enough to have a person like that throughout my life. I couldn’t explain how he helped me. Affection, duty etc and etc were all like other fathers, but when I go to him and lean on his shoulder after my failures (even in exams) he had never scolded me and just tells “life is nothing and these are not failures. God knows what is right for you and he has done that”. Can any father tell his kid this sort of dialogue if she fails in all subjects in her sixth standard?

This great soul left me on 04:01:2008 (EKADASI) early morning exactly at 1:40 without any struggle. He called my mom at 12:30 and told he is breathless. My uncle and mom took him to hospital. He was speaking normally and asked not to wake me up, but was holding his breath and pulse till I was nearby and thoroughly left me. I threw out the feeling of God and religion in me. I became totally agnostic, but something in my mind went on that my father used to feel that he generally goes to sabarimala in his younger age and told me that he felt bad that he cannot go now. But more than that he felt he cannot go to SATHURAGIRI. That was the last UNFULFILLED WISH of him. So something told in my mind that whether is that a place of GREAT SOULS??? Then can I feel the vibration of him there??

A HUNT FOR SATHURAGIRI

Slowly and slowly I came to my normal life thinking that I would be able to go to that place. The use of web did not strike me and I was asking many people about that and everyone told we shouldn’t travel alone and should go as a gang. But unfortunately we weren’t able to get a good gang becoz everyone hesitated.

SUDDEN UNPLANNED TRIP
One fine day we decided to go on thai ammavasai so that we will have many people to come with us. This decision was not accepted by our close relatives since they feared a lot and kept asking should we have to go

I could tell this was the first unplanned trip in our five years of marital trip. In spite of that weekend being a longer weekend (24, 25, 26) we didn’t book tickets. Exactly a week back we traveled in our car to Thiruvendipuram (near Pondichery). The deity is Lakshmi Ayagrivar and Devanathan perumal. The former deity resides in a small hill of nearly 200 steps. So we climbed the hills and got His blessings. But our grandparents were unable to climb. So we traveled up the hillock. It was small hill, but nearing the spot, the car went uncontrolled and went out of the way as if about to fall down! It was a narrow escape and immediately we had many young men came running and helped us. It was really the grace of the God.

We were all stunned for nearly 2 hours on our way to Chennai. We decided to cancel our trip to Sathuragiri becoz everyone got scared. Just half-an-hour after our decision we got a call from my uncle stating that one person has come home and he asked me to speak with him. Am I on this world? I had a doubt. The person was no one except for one GREAT SOUL but we never know it was him. We just thought that he should be a priest at Santhana Mahalingam Temple. But even then why did we have his contact at that time? Why should my uncle call me at that time?

I was wandering very badly to know about it. How come the person had come to my father’s place? He gave us all confidence to come there. He even gave confidence to come on some day except ammavasai and poornima.

Immediately we came home and prepared for tatkal ticket. On 20 early morning my husband woke up at 4 am to book tatkal. We got it in Vaigai Express. On while coming back we didn’t get any tickets. Quite tensed but really had the gut feelings to go.

I had one of my office person staying at WATRAP. But he suddenly resigned. I got his number and he also gave assurance to come there.

LOTS OF HURDLES WE FACED

On 24-01-2009 (my Bday) we started from home at 11:30 am to reach the Egmore station. Unfortunately the train didn’t arrive and it was 2 ½ hours late. We would reach Madurai only at 8:30 pm even if the train arrives and departs at the correct time, then we would have reached Krishnan koil at 11 and Watrap at 11:30 only. So just imagine if the train is so delayed we would reach Madurai at 10:30 and we were unable to think much more than that. On addition to it the person at Watrap suddenly had come to Chennai on an emergency. Oops!!! Totally scared to prolong the trip but something made us not to go back. I was sitting in the waiting room reading the Sathuragiri yathirai book (published by Vikatan). Each and every chapter was interesting. So on reading it I had 100% confidence on prolonging our journey.

To my surprise one man came and sat near me and asked me for the book. He seemed to be a resident of Madurai and he was speaking with me regarding sathurigiri’s holiness and told his experience. He also told that it will be too late to reach Krishnan Koil and advised us to stay at Madurai. Again we got a call from our office person that he had made all arrangements and asked us to come to Krishnan koil and told his brother will pick us. So somehow we decided to go to Watrap. At around 2:45 the train departed and reached Madurai at 10:45. The delay was becoz of separation of the track at villupuram.

While nearing koodal nagar the same man came and sat near us and gave us an EQ form for booking tickets while coming from Madurai. We were totally surprised but told him we wont be available before 12 noon on that day to avail the EQ facility as it may take sometime to come to Madurai.

But that man (seemed to be a politician at aandipatti) guided us down to Madurai bus stop since it was nearly 11 pm and waited till our bus came. We were asked to go to maatu thavani bus stop which was another 40 minutes from there. The man was so polite that he called in the midnight and confirmed whether we got a bus to Krishnan koil.

Atlas we got a bus and reached Krishnan koil at 2:30 am. We were waiting for our friend who came by auto and took us to his home at Watrap. We were there at 3 am.

START OF OUR JOURNEY TO THE LORD’S PLACE

We slept there till 6:30am and got ready to reach thanipaarai by same auto. At thanipaarai it was so crowded that we were dropped about a kilometer back from the pathway to the hill.
Then at around 8:00 we started to walk. On the start of our journey we saw a karrupar peechiamman temple, vinayagar and a kali temple. We didn’t go inside and planned to go on our way back as we were wearing shoes.
The pathway was simply beautiful and calm in spite of so many people traveling on it. They were just moving on their own speed but I became tired within half an hour and took rest. Somehow slow by slow I struggled to move up. At one spot I got my thighs very tight and that we rested for a while. Since it was ammavasai we had some shops and had sukku coffee. It tasted as a heavenly drink as it was needed for that chillness.

At around 11:30am we reached the irrattai lingam temple and rested there and on the while had our breakfast. We carried some idlies and curd rice. Of course it was heavy we planned to offer some for any aged people who maybe in need of it.

After that I was totally tired and told my husband that I couldn’t walk at all. So we rested in a beautiful shady place. About three people were discussing about something irrelevant. On seeing me they advised us to take sufficient rest but too much rest can lock the joints.

Then they gave me a cane. Actually it was the stem of a tree. To our astonishment we can just carry it in one finger. It was so weightless, but it withstood my weight (>70 kgs) and without that cane nor I would have reached the lord’s place neither come down. We named it as Siddhar kombhu as people told siddhars come on different forms and help us during our needy time provided our motto is good.





Slow by slow we went up and reached the pilavadi karuppu temple at 1:30 pm. He is supposed to be the guard of the whole valuable mountain. But we didn’t go to the temple as our motto was to reach sundara mahalingam temple at a stretch. We reached there at 2:15pm. The temple was heavily crowded and we saw the deity for not more than 20 secs. Then we made our mind not to rest and to meet the GREAT SOUL who made us come by reversing our mind.





He told he resides close to santhana mahalingam temple. With all pains we climbed the hill which was just a kilometer ahead but we were totally exhausted. The beautiful view of thavasi parai behind us gave us the crave and boost to reach the top.
















A GREAT SOUL AND US

We at last reached the temple and on our left side we saw the sattanathar kugai. We planned to come there after the darshan. But something made us not to remove the shoes there and I turned back. Suddenly we saw a man with dhothi and t-shirt sitting and watching everything. My husband whispered could that man be the GREAT SOUL who visited my father’s place? I hesitated to go near him and ask him. Atlas I went and asked him and he approved it. Initially we asked him whether we can remove our shoes there (we were so mean to protect our shoes after we heard about his arrival to this sacred area. Yes a man who had left everything and staying so close to the lord. I can’t imagine how much gifted he is?).

This great soul has got lots of association to this place and Mahalingam. But he was extremely pious and it was very difficult to get a word from him.

Then we had an excellent dharshan of Mahalingam swami and the akasaganga which was silently flowing (really got scared on seeing the pics of its wild flow). Then we went back to the same place. The great soul asked us whether we had our food. We told yes and he asked us to take rest. Immediately without hesitation we ran to the room at the top. It showed the scenic view of thavasi parai. On seeing that we slept and got up at 6:30pm. Suddenly heard some sound from the temple. We freshened up and came down. He offered us coffee. One other gifted person was a lady devotee who offered coffee and dinner for us. She doesn’t stay there but does service by coming there every month.




THE LEARNED PERSON
During our dinner he introduced an excellent person whom we were destined to meet. Yes he explained whatever we need to know. The great thing was I was very playful to see the miracles there and kept my eyes fixed at thavasi parai. But this great learned person told an incident that really touched our heart that “one can disturb the dhyanam of siddhas even by their thought and that is the most sinful thing”. I just stopped thinking about siddhars at that moment. I kept seated with my back facing the thavasi parai.

On reading his blog we were totally amazed on his experience and wondered how gifted he is?

Then on general discussion we came to know about the developments and maintenance of the temple and that great soul has done so much for its upbringing. The learnt person who told us all about Sathuragiri was one among the people doing this service for Mahalingam as if debited for jenmas together.


NIGHT AT SATHURAGIRI
We were really astonished on seeing that they help all the people reaching the temple with all they had. It was too late in the night about 7 people along with the great soul and learned person were admiring the ammavasai night. The godly thing I saw was the celestial bodies, the stars. Millions and millions of stars on the sky looked as if diamonds spread over a black cloth made us really fascinated.

Are we in this world? I pinched myself as I thought I was in the sky traveling with them. Then they showed a direction from which a beam of light bathed the whole area and the steps. Even the last step was visible. That was the direction in which the periya mahalinga resides.







I never ever expected that our trip will be so amazing. We thought we will be asleep in the cold night at one corner of the mountain. I felt madly happy. Then the learned person gave more and more happenings at Sathuragiri and its connection with him. Then at 10:30 he asked us to go close to the deity and meditate. I had never had this experience…. the lord, head of Siddhars, head of so many enlighten ones, head of this whole world, galaxy was in front of us. Just in front of us all alone. How can I explain this moment! I just can’t meditate. I was looking at the lord without thinking anything. Tears came from my eyes and I had a small interaction with him in my mind. Slowly I saw the sky and I heard the whispering sound of akasa Ganga. Then we got up and came back to our place. Hot tea was served and all shared the snacks and fruits with us. We had an excellent night. Since I planned to forget about siddhars we went to sleep.












I am a person who goes for a deep sleep and never ever mind to wake up even with a roaring sound near me. But sharply at 2:30 am I was awakened by a bell. I jumped up and saw the time. It was exactly 2:30 and I thought the temple opens only at 3:00 for its early pooja. Then why am I getting a sound. Then I was bit scared as I was told that I would see the siddhars when am invited. But I was strong in my mind not see becoz I was very very scared and I laid back. Suddenly I felt I want to go to the bathroom. I got so scared to go out in spite of so many people lying outside. I switched on my torch to search that learnt person. He was lying in front of me. So I confirmed no one was awake and literally prayed to the lord that I was100% satisfied on seeing his temple and doesn’t want to see unique things as I am not so great to tolerate it. I prayed that my husband should wake up as he was on his deep sleep and I don’t want to disturb him. But the fact was, I was in urgency.

In a moment my husband was awake and surprised to see me awake. I told him that I want to go out. Then when I came out I saw the temple. It was not opened and I closed my eyes when I turned towards thavasi parai and asked the way through my husband. The moment I reached the room I thought what a mean jenma I have? My mind wasn’t able to hold anything that is real from God. But I convinced myself that I had seen the Mahalingam and that’s more than enough for me.





BACK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN- HOW DID WE MAKE IT UP
Next day at around 8 am we were served some tamarind rice and we started our trip back down the mountain. So initially we planned to go to pilavadi karruppu temple. Then we decided we could have a look from a distance and need not remove the shoes. But I wasn’t able to walk there so I removed my shoes and went closer. I took some snaps. But they were poorly taken. So I don’t want to be a hindrance for other devotees and started to move. Suddenly the poojari said”amma “ I turned back. He gave me some flowers and lemon. I was thinking why the guard of mountain is giving me these?

Then we started to descend down. In one place I was unknowingly got skid and I was totally scared to go further. Even then I managed to walk and at last we reached the korakkar cave. Hardly it may take another 11/2 hours to reach down. But I wasn’t able to keep a step and I sat on the way. But husband became totally furious that we won’t be able to reach Chennai at the right time next day. The worst thing is we didn’t get any tickets even in bus as it was a long weekend and republic day.

I managed to get down in a sitting pose as I got lightheadedness because of phobia towards height which I didn’t experience while climbing.

Yes!! I am madly phobic on heights. I never even climb a staircase without support nor go to the terrace alone!!!!

Then at one instance I was totally depressed and sat down. To our astonishment the learned person came down along with his team. It was a great surprise. I was with bare foot. But he had a commanding voice that he asked me to put on the shoes and I could say I had walked two hours continuously (of course slowly) without a rest. I was totally scared about Sangali Parai and Vazhukuparai, but how come I had crossed everything. My husband became extremely happy and was walking with him discussing about the ayurvedic and siddha medicines. One person from his team was allotted for me, to give me confidence. Like a school student I kept my footsteps wherever he told and we were down the hill. Then he took us to a sammadhi of three persons and then to the karruppu, peechiamman temple. He told that when one has to travel all alone in the mountain and conveys this to the karuppar, they can find a dog waiting at the turning to guide them!!!!.

Bewildered !!!!. Talking Gods!!! . Then our friend came with the auto to pick us from thanipaarai to Watrap. At their place we spent time and totally anxious to get a bus to Chennai. Then we started at around 6 pm in an auto and our friend accompanied us to Krishnan koil bus stop. At the bus stop while I was buying fresh guavas, my husband yelled out that we had a direct bus going to Chennai. I was extremely surprised and all the people traveling in it were supposed to get down at Madurai. So we had a choice of sooo many seats available. A bus sent for just two people!

At Madurai when the passengers got down, within 5 minutes the whole bus was full.
So the miraculous things happen but it is attributed to the individual. According to me these are the happenings that were destined to me. But the BLESSINGS? I think it is ENORMOUS!!!!!
You need not do abhishekam with rare components or decorate him with ornaments but blessed are you when you do annadhanam. One thing that is proven with Sathuragiri is

SERVICE TO MANKIND IS SERVICE TO MAHALINGAM

More Pictures