Many a times fact is stranger than fiction, where you yourself experience something very odd and wonder if there is some scripting all these acts...! When we started our journey to Rameswaram, this only came to my mind. We discovered that there was a Kasi Viswanathar temple in our locality within 2 KM, which we have never visited prior. Ravi Anna advised us to definitely go to this shrine before setting off to Kasi.
There are not many Kasi Viswanathar temples in Chennai. Now, suddenly this thought of Kasi Yatra comes to the mind and more suddenly we discover a Kasi Viswanathar temple in our own locality...! Too much of a coincidence...! The first line I uttered to Viji on getting into the train was 'It looks like a dream'. I felt like I was watching myself getting ready for Kasi Yatra from somewhere beside. There was never a feeling of 'me' doing the Kasi Yatra, more because I never felt that such a 'bhagyam' could be got very easily. I was keenly watching myself doing all the acts, curiously watching the adventures, wondering about the obstacles so on and so forth. Never was there a minute where I felt that 'I' was doing this yatra...! It was 'driven' not 'done'...!
We reached Rameswaram and checked into Hotel Venkatesh. Our contact Swaminatha Sastrigal (+91 9943308217) was residing in the adjacent street. He is an excellent co-ordinator who had given clear instructions prior. On the day of our arrival at Rameswaram, he had some other task and thereby deputed Krishnamurthy (Kicha) Sastrigal for our activities. There was a jeep engaged for us which came around 7:30 AM and took us on a long winding trip to Dhanushkodi.
Travel to Dhanushkodi has to be enjoyed, else it will look tiring. This is a place which was once inhabited by people and active and lively. A possible tsunami had engulfed this place, where our jeep driver was showing the railway station, choultries and other buildings. This is the place tip of Dhanush, where we did sankalpam and did take 36 dips in the ocean. This place is the confluence of Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and taking a Holy Bath here is very auspicious.
After this starts the most important act of creating Veni Madhavar, Bindu Madhavar and Sethu Madhavar from the sands of Dhanushkodi beach. 'Kicha' Sastrigal was very eloquent in the mantras very involved. The mantrams were cleansing us from all 'Paapams' and 'Saabams' to make us pure enough to do the Kasi Yatra...! It was surprising at the depth of mantras which was making us mentally and physically ready for the yatra.
Amongst the three deities, Veni Madhavar was packed by us for immersion in Thriveni Sangamam. Sethu Madhavar was immersed into Dhanushkodi ocean and Bindu Madhavar given to Sastrigal as alms. Here comes a very interesting incident. We saw another family coming in another jeep, but they were gone even before we completed our poojas. Then we completed our rituals and started, from nowhere a old person appeared. He was in old clothes and looked not so clean. But from where did he come...! No clue. I was surprised to see a similar experience from another Person...! We offered him some alms too...! I definitely felt that Our Pithrus were watching us across this exercise...!
We then went to Agni Theertham and took Holy Dips there also. Then we went to Ramanatha Swamy temple and bathed in 22 Punya Theerthams...! It was suddenly occurring to me that I had been clueless about all these till the moment before. While I had a hint of the 'Theerthams' sometime back, I never knew how it would look like. I was expecting small ponds in adjacent locations or possibly in a row where we can have bath in a sequence, or so. But He has decided to give us a Grand Experience...! Each Theertham was unique, which only should be experienced to be understood.
We went back to our room to wear traditional dresses (panch kachcham for me, madisar for Viji) and went to for Hiranya Srartham. The very same 'Kicha' Sastrigal did the srartham. He was very dedicated and we were very impressed by his involvement. The srartham went on well and was completed by around 1 PM. We had our lunch at a Maami's place organized by our Swaminatha Sastrigal and left to our room for relaxing.
By 4 PM we got ready for Darshan of Ramanatha Swamy. We had a guide who did Theertha Snanam for us, who took us to all the deities. We had Bhagyam of getting around eleven litres of milk for abisekam to Ramanatha Swami. It was His call to have this abisekam. The thought that we were mere executors of His Will, was coming into me strongly. He decides to have abisekam, He decided to have the milk available in abundance, He enables us to buy the same and He does abisekam for Himself...! At the end of this He gives us the Happiness and Boundless Bliss...! We just have to enjoy the experience He gives...! Nothing more is done by us...!
After this exciting trip to Rameswaram, we started to Chennai the same day evening, only to have more beautiful experiences at Allahabad, Kasi and Gaya...!
(To be continued...!)
Pranams
Ram
There are not many Kasi Viswanathar temples in Chennai. Now, suddenly this thought of Kasi Yatra comes to the mind and more suddenly we discover a Kasi Viswanathar temple in our own locality...! Too much of a coincidence...! The first line I uttered to Viji on getting into the train was 'It looks like a dream'. I felt like I was watching myself getting ready for Kasi Yatra from somewhere beside. There was never a feeling of 'me' doing the Kasi Yatra, more because I never felt that such a 'bhagyam' could be got very easily. I was keenly watching myself doing all the acts, curiously watching the adventures, wondering about the obstacles so on and so forth. Never was there a minute where I felt that 'I' was doing this yatra...! It was 'driven' not 'done'...!
We reached Rameswaram and checked into Hotel Venkatesh. Our contact Swaminatha Sastrigal (+91 9943308217) was residing in the adjacent street. He is an excellent co-ordinator who had given clear instructions prior. On the day of our arrival at Rameswaram, he had some other task and thereby deputed Krishnamurthy (Kicha) Sastrigal for our activities. There was a jeep engaged for us which came around 7:30 AM and took us on a long winding trip to Dhanushkodi.
Travel to Dhanushkodi has to be enjoyed, else it will look tiring. This is a place which was once inhabited by people and active and lively. A possible tsunami had engulfed this place, where our jeep driver was showing the railway station, choultries and other buildings. This is the place tip of Dhanush, where we did sankalpam and did take 36 dips in the ocean. This place is the confluence of Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal and taking a Holy Bath here is very auspicious.
After this starts the most important act of creating Veni Madhavar, Bindu Madhavar and Sethu Madhavar from the sands of Dhanushkodi beach. 'Kicha' Sastrigal was very eloquent in the mantras very involved. The mantrams were cleansing us from all 'Paapams' and 'Saabams' to make us pure enough to do the Kasi Yatra...! It was surprising at the depth of mantras which was making us mentally and physically ready for the yatra.
Amongst the three deities, Veni Madhavar was packed by us for immersion in Thriveni Sangamam. Sethu Madhavar was immersed into Dhanushkodi ocean and Bindu Madhavar given to Sastrigal as alms. Here comes a very interesting incident. We saw another family coming in another jeep, but they were gone even before we completed our poojas. Then we completed our rituals and started, from nowhere a old person appeared. He was in old clothes and looked not so clean. But from where did he come...! No clue. I was surprised to see a similar experience from another Person...! We offered him some alms too...! I definitely felt that Our Pithrus were watching us across this exercise...!
We then went to Agni Theertham and took Holy Dips there also. Then we went to Ramanatha Swamy temple and bathed in 22 Punya Theerthams...! It was suddenly occurring to me that I had been clueless about all these till the moment before. While I had a hint of the 'Theerthams' sometime back, I never knew how it would look like. I was expecting small ponds in adjacent locations or possibly in a row where we can have bath in a sequence, or so. But He has decided to give us a Grand Experience...! Each Theertham was unique, which only should be experienced to be understood.
We went back to our room to wear traditional dresses (panch kachcham for me, madisar for Viji) and went to for Hiranya Srartham. The very same 'Kicha' Sastrigal did the srartham. He was very dedicated and we were very impressed by his involvement. The srartham went on well and was completed by around 1 PM. We had our lunch at a Maami's place organized by our Swaminatha Sastrigal and left to our room for relaxing.
By 4 PM we got ready for Darshan of Ramanatha Swamy. We had a guide who did Theertha Snanam for us, who took us to all the deities. We had Bhagyam of getting around eleven litres of milk for abisekam to Ramanatha Swami. It was His call to have this abisekam. The thought that we were mere executors of His Will, was coming into me strongly. He decides to have abisekam, He decided to have the milk available in abundance, He enables us to buy the same and He does abisekam for Himself...! At the end of this He gives us the Happiness and Boundless Bliss...! We just have to enjoy the experience He gives...! Nothing more is done by us...!
After this exciting trip to Rameswaram, we started to Chennai the same day evening, only to have more beautiful experiences at Allahabad, Kasi and Gaya...!
(To be continued...!)
Pranams
Ram
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