Chapter 2: The Sanctuary of Soulful Bonds
The Auditor, shri Baranitharan ,Swami’s nephew via his sister, stood at the entrance. The urgency, anxiety, and profound grief of the moment were written all over his face.
Locking his eyes with mine, he said with palpable agitation, “You know every single person in this region—be it the Bhágavatars of Vaishnava Sabhas and the countless devotees who held Swami in high regard.
Please, you must inform everyone immediately. Most importantly, get word to Karaikal Varichikudi Swami.”( Karaikal Varichikudi Swami is 95 plus)
Trying to ease his frayed nerves, I replied calmly, “Varichikudi Swami has already been informed. He is on his way from Karaikal as we speak.”
As I spoke, a wave of memories washed over me. It was the seamless manner in which we had organized Swami’s Sadhabishekam (80th birthday) and his subsequent 90th birthday celebrations that had truly forged these bonds.
Those grand events were the catalyst; through them, Swami’s inner circle came to know me, and through his grace, I was blessed to know countless bagvathas , scholars,and his well wishers .
As the clock ticked away, prominent dignitaries from across Chidambaram arrived one by one. They looked upon Swami’s sarama thirumeni, with heavy hearts and departed in solemn silence.
Meanwhile, Thiru Janakiraman and Mr. Lakshmanan were practically running all over the place.
Their tireless, selfless running in this darkest hour deserves immense respect. In this chronicle of life, their contributions must be etched properly
On the other side of the room, Swami’s ardent devotees, like Murugan Jewellery R.Muhu kumaresan Chettiar and Bhuvanagiri Maaran Govindasamy, stood frozen like statues—the very personification of grief.
They were men who had prayed with all their souls, desperately wishing, “If only we could save Swami somehow… If only he could remain with us for just a few more days to guide our paths.”
From 11:00 PM the previous night until Swami drew his very last breath, they stood shoulder-to-shoulder with his immediate family, fighting right alongside them in that fierce battle against mortality.
When a man lies on his deathbed, it is only natural for blood relatives to gather; they must be there.
But the sheer sea of people present that day stood as a monumental testament to something greater: the staggering wealth of soul relations Swami had earned throughout his lifetime.
Having served as a revered professor at Annamalai University, the house was soon filled with a steady stream of his academic peers and former students.
A senior professor who had arrived shared a poignant memory from the past, and it brought tears to my eyes.
He reminisced: “Swami would set out on foot from his residence in West Car Street, walking all the way to his department on the eastern side of Annamalai University. His very gait was a sight to behold. As he began his walk on the street, a student would join him from South Car Street. By the time he reached the padithurai irakkam or SP koil street, two more would fall into step.
Near the bus stand, a few more waiting students would join the fold. By the time he actually reached his department, he wouldn’t be walking alone—he would be leading an entire caravan of students.
And during that morning walk, he would casually dispense treasures of knowledge. He would tell them exactly which topic to study, from which book, down to the precise page number. He would point out where those books were located in the library and list the exact reference notes they needed to consult. He literally sowed the seeds of wisdom in the air as he walked…”
Listening to this, I was struck by a profound sense of awe and pride.
Though his academic domain and the subject he taught was Economics, he was a peerless pandit with unfathomable mastery over Tamil literature, the Nalayira Divya Prabandham (the divine hymns of the Alvars), Vedic mantras, and Saiva scriptures like the Thirumandiram and Thiruvasagam.
Even as grief hung heavy in the air, my heart swelled with reverence.
The residence of an Economics professor had effectively functioned as a walking university where Tamil and spirituality flourished hand-in-hand. That great gathering of soulful relations stood there in the quiet room—living, breathing witnesses to the vast ocean of wisdom he was leaving behind.
