Autobiography of Adhyatma Ratna Kumbakonam C N Guruswami Sarma Chapter 16- The Holy men of Melur

AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF 

ADHYATMA RATNA KUMBAKONAM C N GURUSWAMI SARMA (1900-1968)

CHAPTER 16

THE HOLY MEN OF MELUR

Something of other dogged even this unsensational routine. My sister Chellammal arrived from Chingleput along with my father. As usual, my father had his own busy programmes to finish daily as regular as a clock. Suddenly, one day, my sister got fits. She was unconscious , hiccupping and rolling round and round on the floor beating her hands. It was a terrible sight and tears were drawn from my eyes. I was too timid to approach but from behind the pillar I watched it though it was unbearable suffering. Some native Doctors boiled margosa oil which fumed the whole house and some medicines were being administered. Some days later, she was alright and was going about. She appeared to me then as a woman who belonged neither to this world not to the other unseen place. But , this incident drew me to her much closer and from then onwards, i could never part from her company. I always desired to do something if possible to make her smile and dash off a tear from her eye. I hoped I was succeeding.

Soon there was a crowd in the house and smelling like a festivity and I was presented clothes and tonsured completely. I lost my looks and it caused me a lot of pain. I had my "poonal" and my grandfather lived to see through the function he desired so much to witness. 

As soon as the function was over, I was left all alone as all my sisters went away (Ref 1). My father also went on tour. The only appendage to my dress was a cap with which I was hiding my naked and bright scalp clean shaven. I had only one friend name Gopalan of my street who was my classmate. we used to talk but never played.  I used to witness his dexterity in marble playing in which for the life of me I could not emulate him. Even for witnessing this, I used to receive some painful punches and knocks on my head from the closed knuckles of my grand Uncle.(Ref 2) I thought that everything like that was a sin and never played any body's game. I was slyly playing "Pallanguzhi" (பல்லாங்குழி)    with my cousin sister Ammalu when my uncle was off. 

One day I was walking on the road when I saw a bearded Sadhu sitting in the choultry in the street. The officials of the choultry were said to be our relations and i used of an evening to go there. On the pials which were broad and long could be seen a number of bearded men some besmeared and dressed only in koupina with massive matted hair tied in a top knot like a crown on the head and others dressed in kashaya all kneading flour in the evening in an oven piled together with three or four stones. Some of them with very bright eyes and beads of rudraksha around their necks attracted me and called forth my reverence. They reminded me of Parameshwara which I used to see in the picture in my house.I did not know what they were about but I imagined that they were at big attempts in life.  One of them cured a man instantaneously of a serpent bite by some juice gathered from some source. another used to smoke a in a clay pipe and produced after it a shining dot of gold. Others were doing such similar small feats. One was standing on his head and another was always with a fire before him. I thought that they knew some thing which I did not know and had hidden knowledge. I remember one Sadhu whose thumb was always nodding  and it would not be stopped even by some people clutching it.  He was a mouni and never spoke but always smiled on what they were finding I did not know but I never missed an occasion when I could be in their company and used to follow any one of them, When they went out vaguely imagining that one of them would tutor me in some hidden knowledge and confer gifts one me enabling me to perform something "miraculous". Except blessing  me and saying I will have fame and a good future none indulged in me any of the secrets. From then on, I had a fancy for such men and i would run behind them involuntarily  to get what not at their hands I did not know but this was an impressionable episode in my life at Melur. I think I always venerated spiritually great men.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Editor's note:

Ref 1: It appears that by 1908, all sisters are married though we do not have account of any marriage in the narration. 

Ref 2: It is not clear who this grand uncle is. It is to be noted that though my grand father received such knockings, he never touched any child in anger let alone beat any one or knock any body's head. I should know because I was brought up by him and had infuriated him so many times with my irritating and immature behaviour when I was young which, I realise now, would have exasperated any person.He gave us such a beautiful childhood though he did not have one. 

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