"We Have Sinned, Acharya"

Dear Lalitha,

Thanks for the boni. And as some said, "sema boni." I feel very happy and full in knowing that this mofussil accountant's writings had lit up your day. The credit goes to the pure love of Villi and the grace of Sri Ramanujacharya.

I have a tradition of explaining how a post came about in the first reply. Let me do it here too. When I wrote the earlier episode (The Eyes episode) I skipped my morning badminton game and wrote it in one go. I thought I would do the same thing again so that I can produce a similar piece. I skipped my game on Friday and started writing. But somehow it was not good. I abandoned quite a lot of manuscripts. I have a simple test for my writings. If it makes me the author to cry, I would let that go. Otherwise I would try again.
I tried again before going to the office. It did not click. In the office when my first client was delayed by half an hour, I tried again. It did not come well.
I gave up all my attempts and told Hiim: "It's a love story, therefore your story. Do whatever you want to do with that. But I am not going to attempt again."
Then I got busy with balance sheets, e-filing, tax returns and audit deadlines. By noon I had forgotten about the piece and was fully immersed in some professional work. And then there was an unexpected gap of 20 minutes as the accountant I had hired wanted some time to verify my statements. I gave him the time and was blank. Then I opened the file deleted the last paragraph I had written and started afresh. This time everyone in the story came before me, enacted their part and spoke their dialogues. I just captured them all in a matter of 20 minutes.
The Accountant had finished his work. He looked at me strangely. I knew my eyes had gone red with crying and this guy was puzzled by that. Then I knew that my script had passed the test and I posted the piece.

The writer, the writing and the subject-matter - all the three are inseparable. So if at least one of them is good, the end result is good. In this case we know that the writer and the writing belongs to the just ok, also ran category. But the subject? It was love. It was Villidasan. It was Ramanujacharya. Ultimately, Sri Renganatha Himself. That overshadowed the weaknesses of the writer. That is the only possible answer to your kind words of appreciation, Lalitha.

Sridhar, I would like to point out here that the trust Villi had for his guru is worth noting. He was ready to commit a sin also just for the sake of the order of his guru. Nowadays, we are not able to trust the so called gurus. Blessed is the guru & shishya.

A very valid point, Lalitha. If we were to show Villi's devotion to any of the modern day Gurus, we would be robbed, raped, cheated and thrown away. Agreed. Here again I have a theory for the modern gurus. They are bad because we are bad, Lalitha.
In those days people went to the Guru only for spiritual purposes. They did not even bring their personal problems to the Guru. When the seeker is pure he gets a pure Guru.
Today we go to the Guru to say, "I and my competitor are bidding for a large contract. See to it that I get it. I don't mind spend some lakhs for that. Do some yagam, some homam, or invoke the evil spirits and let them pounce on my competitor."
When we go with such a mentality, we would get only Premanandas and Kabadanandas as Gurus.
Our shastras have given a sworn statement, a sathya pramanam. If you make yourself good and pure and if you genuinely need a Guru for your spiritual development, the Guru will come searching for you. Let's remember this, Lalitha.

These lines I just simply loved. I do pray to Lord to let Villi teach me to Love. Beautiful Sridhar!
just no words to explain the state I am in after reading this. You know one thing I will again read all the episodes at one go so we get the thrilling (pullarikkira) experience again.

Thanx Sridhar for just enlightening experience. I had goose bumps all over me and got up and switched off the fan.

Believe me, Lalitha, I had the same experience while writing this piece.

Love,

Dear dear Varalotti,

"But a person with , especially spiritual pride, the pride of having been born in a superior class, has absolutely no hopes of salvation. He is condemned to live a life of misery till he realises in the depths of his heart, that before God and love, all are the same."

Simply superb!

Maybe what I say may disturb you, because, a mother loves all her children equally. You have given us many many stories and write ups and have enthralled us and I know all your compositions are your babies and you love them all equally. But, let me be brazen and say that this is going to be my Most Favorite from all of your writings!
I read this last episode with the same fascination as the first one and once again felt I was carried away to those times and days. All the three episodes are simply mesmerizing.

Such Acharyas happen only rarely on this earth. Blessed are those who have shared the times and space with him.

On an aside, I must confess that reading this episode worked as a balm on my disturbed nerves. I was especially saddened to read certain posts in IL. I do hope good sense, tolerance and humor prevails and we do not come down on anybody harshly just because they hold other views. I agree that we must not hurt anyone willingly, be it physical or sentiment, but we can agree to disagree in a pleasant way.

God is nothing but pure love and I am sure we all are equal in His eyes.

Thank you Sridhar for these three episodes, which strangely does not share a covering title?! I am going to read them again and again in peace and treasure them. Maybe I will take a print out!

L, Kamla

My dear BF,

i was lovely and no words to express. u r great to be blessed by these guru's to get such knowledge and gather them and give this "amrutham" for as. i can see the hard work u have done to go through all these stories and post them for us so u a great, great, and great person today iam very happy to have u as my good friend and very proud also. MAY GOD BLESS U DEAR BF.

do not stop posting with this, but iam eargly waiting for more of them.

Dear Janani,
You are right. I read some where that the history of the world is nothing but the biographies of all great people assembled together. In this story it is very difficult to say who is the holiest? Was it the Lord Himself, or his chosen saint Sri Ramanuja, or Villi and Ponnachi, because of their utterly selfless love, or their Guru who could identify that love in them?
If you ask me to list the stories that affected me the most, this story would have a prominent place in that list.

Ippadi allava irukku vendum, is what I can say about your writing and the post

paaraatu enraal ippadi allava irukka vendum! Thanks a million.

regards,

Originally Posted by Jananikrithsan

Dear Sridhar,
Great men have a way of teaching the disciples leesons that they shuold have learnt long back in life. Villi was torn with despair for committing no crime that shows his utmost devotion to the saint. But the disciples who had been with him for so long did not realise that cast and other such factors do not affect one who is beyond all. Ponnachi should I say was more devout than Villi to have realised that her jewels were being taken away but then pretended to be asleep.
Where is Villi, the man who accepted his master as the Supreme and where are the others???
No one But Villi could have taught them to love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Villi and Ponnachi take the cake when it coems to being the perfect couple.
Wonderful Narration!!!!!!!!
Ippadi allava irukku vendum, is what I can say about your writing and the post

thanks Lalitha for the boni. Indusladies irukkara 42,884 kaiyum (i.e.21442 members at this moment multiplied by two, because every one has two hands, right?) raasiyana kaithan.
Jokes apart, before I get my first fb, I am like a newly married woman trying hard to get a child. So when the first symptoms appear she simply jumps in joy. I did the same on seeing the first fb.
thanks again.
love,

Originally Posted by lalitha shivaguru

arre sridhar ennodu fb than boni.......... lets see how it goes.

Sridhar,
It is 'we who have sinned' after reading again and again, getting into our head what these incidents and people want us to be, we do the same mistake over and over again, discriminating people...over caste, creed, education, wealth and what not...

Sri Ramanujar is a social and spiritual revolutionary...many to Him...hope we get His blessings too...to awaken from such stupidity and rise above...

sriniketan

Dear Sridhar,
Shirdi Baba says that out of the nine forms of Bhakthi, the best form of devotion is Sarvaswa Saranagathi. This is what we find in Villi.
By the way, why is he called Pillai Uranga Villi Dasan?
Ahaaa, now we can expect to hear more from you about our favourite Villi.

I am going to revisit SHE, in search of Kulasekara Azhwar Paasuram. Thank you, Sridhar.

Regards
USHA

Dear Usha,
A quick out of turn reply to you just to inform you that the Kulasekara's paasuram is in HE and not in SHE.
Will give another detailed reply to your post later.
regards,

Originally Posted by Ushakrishnan64

Dear Sridhar,
Shirdi Baba says that out of the nine forms of Bhakthi, the best form of devotion is Sarvaswa Saranagathi. This is what we find in Villi.
By the way, why is he called Pillai Uranga Villi Dasan?
Ahaaa, now we can expect to hear more from you about our favourite Villi.

I am going to revisit SHE, in search of Kulasekara Azhwar Paasuram. Thank you, Sridhar.

Regards
USHA

Dear BF,

A lovely ending to your story on the great saint.

Just shows how even Saints depend on the love & devotion of their devotees to lead them to "Nirvana".

Caste system. A blot on the name of humanity. In some of the mutts I have gone to , I was shocked by the apartheid system in force there. Brahmins are made to sit in one place whereas the non-Brahmins in another. We cry ourselves hoarse against racism. But what about the silent racism in our own homes?

Your quote : "Even River Cauvery cannot clean me completely. But this man’s touch can purify me. That’s why I lean on him when I return from the river." speaks volumes on what is more important.


The love & devotion of the couple towards Sri Ramanujaji showed the other disciples what was lacking in them.

A very apt lesson for what is going on in the name of religion these days. Many (Not all) places of worship in almost all major religions of the world have lost their sanctity. They are more commercialised & hot beds of political intrigue.

From time to time saints come into this world preaching love towards all hatred towards none. It finds very few takers.

At an age & time when women were & are seen as an "obstacle" in the path of spirituality, Sri Ramanujaji gave the same importance to Ponni. A true revolutionary.

Thanks for sharing this with us BF. Some more on the same lines to follow?

Oh yes, I agree with Sriniketan " We have sinned"

Regards,

Your GF.

Thanks a lot, Janani. I am sure that yours and Lalitha's are lucky hands.
regards,

Originally Posted by Jananikrithsan

Dear Lalitha,
We have posted at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sema boni for you Sridhar.