Below is a posting on Swami Narayana I previously made
on Arunachala Grace. At the end I have added an additional narrative on Swami found
online that gives a little more information about this saint of which little is
known or remembered.
Swami Narayana, also known as Hill Swami, lived
continuously on the top of Arunachala for over 16 years. On April 19th, 2005; Swami
was asked to shift from Arunachala summit in response to new regulations
regarding Arunachala. Consequently he descended the Hill and relocated to the
grounds of the Vignesh Polytechnic some 5-6 kms from the base of the Hill.
However in response to public opinion Swami was
awarded special dispensation by the Authorities to continue with his vigil on
the Hill summit and within a week of his enforced departure, Swami was helped
by his devotees to ascend the Hill to the same meditation spot on the summit of
Arunachala.
However shortly after on July 17, 2005, Swami Narayana
became ill and had to be helped down Arunachala Hill by devotees. He was
admitted to Rangammal Hospital, Tiruvannamalai. Whilst at the hospital Swami
received treatment and physiotherapy for arthritic knee joints, a condition brought
about by his intense tapas over the previous sixteen years meditating on the
summit of Arunachala Hill. Swami, who was attended by several devotees, and
accommodated in a private bungalow on the Hospital grounds, maintained almost
total silence during his stay and took no food, choosing to subsist entirely on
milk.
Before his departure from Rangammal Hospital on July 29th, 2005, Swami remarked:—
"I have been sitting on Arunachala Hill for all
these years allowing people to serve me, now it is time for me to stand up and
serve others."
At his departure Swami raised both hands in blessing
and uttered the word, "Narayana". These few words were almost his
total communication during his twelve day Hospital stay. After his discharge
Swami left the Arunachala area and moved near Tuticorin with some close
devotees.
Swami subsequently returned sporadically to
Tiruvannamalai and after each short visit returned to Kerala. When visiting he
stayed at Vignesh Polytechnic Hostel on the Thandrabuthi Road near the Tamari
Nagar Housing Colony where twice a day he gave darshan to his Indian devotees.
Additional Narrative on Hill Swami
"A saint used to live on the top of Arunachala Hill and stayed there for 18 years without taking food. His name was Narayana Swami, but his devotees called him Ayya, as he was a follower of a saint named Ayya Vaikundar, who lived in the early 1800’s.
At the beginning, one of his disciples who was a shepherd used to carry water and a cup of milk up to him every day. The sadhu would make a cup of 'tea' using Vibhutti and leaves—and while on the summit of Arunachala all he ingested each day for 18 years was a cup of tea and a cup of milk. It is believed that had it not been for his yogic powers it would have been physically impossible for him to have lived in this way.
I first met him in 1997, after meeting his shepherd disciple near Virupaksha cave. The disciple asked me to come with him up the mountain to see his guru, whom he was carrying a jug of water for. I had climbed up the hill from the back entrance of Ramana Ashram, so I was still bare foot, as my shoes were at the front of the ashram, but I said I would try to come along with him.
As we went up the mountain together it was becoming quite long and laborious. It was scorching hot and the skin on my feet was starting to burn off. This disciple saw me suffering, took off his flip flops and told me to wear them up the mountain. That provided some relief and allowed me to climb up Arunachala; but it was much harder and further than it looked from the base of the mountain.
When I saw Narayana Swamy he was sitting inside a bush, which concealed most of his body. The disciple told me to keep some distance from him, maybe it was 15 feet or so. Swami prepared a tea using water, vibhutti and leaves and told me to drink it. I drank it, and then Narayana Swamy from within the bush extended his two feet out towards me, showing the bottom of his two feet to me. The disciple said, “You are very fortunate, he hardly ever shows his feet to people.”
I was told to chant a mantra, which I recall to be “ayya shiva shiva shiva shiva arakara arakara”. I offered obeisance to him one more time, and then headed back down the mountain with the shepherd disciple.
At that time no one used to stay with Narayana Swami, he was always alone on top of the mountain. In later years some young men formed around him and were staying on the mountain, but unfortunately they were not good people.
After 18 years of tapas he finally left Arunachala and went to a village near Kanyakumari named Palakulam, where he entered samadhi a couple of years ago. I think the people who had assembled around him caused him to leave Tiruvannamalai, because they were not keeping pure habits and were misusing his presence for extorting money from people.
Years later I came to know that his shepherd devotee had also passed away, while very young."
Below
is a fascinating video made by Praveen Mohan explaining his theory that the Siva
Lingam at Arunachaleswarar Temple is an ancient energy device similar to the
more contemporary Tesla Coil.
After the video, I have included a transcription (available
at his Blog). I have added a third paragraph in red with information about a thara parthiram (special kind of vessel) being placed over the Lingam
during a specific season.
"Hey guys, today I am going to show you a
mysterious phenomenon that is happening in the Arunachalesvara temple in the
town of Tiruvannamalai. This temple is very old, at least 1300 years old, The
unusual thing about this temple is that there is a lingam in the main chamber,
and it emits an enormous amount of heat. Nobody has been able to explain this
until now. Like all Hindu temples, the main idol is situated in the central
chamber inside this temple, but this lingam somehow radiates a lot of heat. As
we approach the main chamber where the lingam is contained, you can feel the
temperature rising. Notice how the entire stone walls have turned completely
black because of constant radiation. You can see multiple fans placed all
around, trying to cool the place down, but the place remains much hotter than
the outside, all the time. It is extremely hot even during winter time inside
the main chamber.
When I visited this temple, Initially, I thought no
one felt the rise in temperature except me, but when I researched this, it has
already been published in multiple newspapers and several websites. Many have wondered
why this is happening. The priests in the temple also confirm this, and told me
that the lingam itself is very hot, it feels like touching a warm cup of
coffee. So they actually use a simple cooling device from time to time, this
cooling system is a vessel is placed on top of the lingam, which slowly drips
cold water to cool the lingam down."
The posting explains the reason why a
water vessel (i.e. thara parthiram) is placed over the Lingam at Shiva Temples
during Kathiri Veyil, which is the period when the Sun (i.e. Surya) passes
through the star Krittika.
"But why is this happening? A stone is capable
of giving out heat energy for many centuries without any power source? This is
impossible, there should be some explanation for this phenomenon. I mean how is
this possible? Locals and priests explain that this radiation is happening
because it is a special type of lingam called the Agni Lingam. Now, what is an
Agni Lingam? Agni Lingam is a stack of energy, a column of fire emitting heat
and light. This unique type of energy is said to be created in the underground
portion of the lingam. What we see here, is just the top of the structure,
there is a large cylindrical column which proceeds underground, which is what
creates the enormous amount of heat. Since the heat produced by the lingam is
very real, is it possible that such a lingam, a cylindrical power source
actually exists underground? If this is true, is it possible that the ancient
builders also carved the entire Agni Lingam in this temple?
Here, we can see a man praying to this large
cylindrical structure. But it does not look like a traditional lingam, it has
many turns, many coils on the cylinder, as though it is wound with wires, and
look at the top, there are thunderbolts coming out in all directions. This is
incredible, because this matches 100% with a modern day Tesla coil. Now, what
is a Tesla Coil? It is a Wireless Power Transfer device, it does not need
wires, but can radiate enormous amount of energy, simply through the air.
Nikola Tesla, an extraordinary inventor created this in 1891 in an attempt to
deliver free energy to the world.
I mean look at the tesla coil. I mean look at the
Tesla coil I am holding. It is a cylinder wound with wires connected to a
battery and we see can see electric arcs which look like thunderbolts coming
out from the top. This is exactly what we see in the carving. Is the Agni
Lingam, an ancient Tesla Coil? How else can you explain this 1300 year old
carving, with coils wound around the cylinder, and thunderbolts coming out from
the top? Tesla coils also create a lot of heat, you can feel the heat rising as
you move your hand closer to it. In fact, it will burn your skin if you touch
it. This is the exact same feeling you get, as we walk closer to the lingam. As
we move towards the lingam, we can literally feel the heat rising. Today, we
have created large Tesla coils for experimental purposes. But did ancient
builders also set up a similar device underground? If so, for what purpose? I
mean ,what could have been the reason to put a large Agni Lingam inside a
temple?
The answer lies in how we use Tesla coils. Today,
Doctors are using Tesla Coils primarily for enhancing the overall well-being of
patients. This procedure, known as electrotherapy not only completely relaxes
the body, but also calms the mind into a deep, meditative state. Was the
ancient Tesla Coil, the Agni Lingam installed here to heal the body and mind of
the visitors? People from around the world come here to practice deep
meditation in this temple. You will experience an unusual calmness in your mind
and your body, when you are in this temple, this is why this area is called the
spiritual capital of the world. Some of the world’s greatest saints attained
enlightenment in this temple. Are all these things mere coincidences, or is it
all because of the therapeutic effect, the effect of radiation coming out of
the lingam?
Did ancient people worship this lingam to gain
physical and mental strength? But if this is the case, then what is the need to
construct such a large temple complex around this lingam? This temple is one of
the largest temples of Lord Shiva, covering about 25 acres. The entire design
and layout of this temple is mindboggling, the most important feature is the
towers. Near the outer walls, Four large temple towers are set up precisely
facing the 4 cardinal direction points.
If the Agni Lingam is a Tesla Coil transmitting
energy, then is what is the need to construct all these gigantic towers?
Perhaps the answer lies in the carving itself. If we count the number of turns
on the Agni Lingam, it has 13 turns. Initially, I thought this was a mere
coincidence but let us count the number of the metal domes, these are called
Kalashas, placed on top of the main tower. There are exactly 13 domes placed on
the top of the tower. This is not a coincidence. Not only that, the tower also
has 13 levels, these rectangular holes are actually doorways to the levels,
there are stairs inside the tower to access every level. If you we count the
doorways, including the one hidden by this signboard, there are 13 doorways and
13 levels. So, this is definitely not a coincidence. If you look at the tower
from the top angle, it looks like a next generation machine. What is the actual
purpose of this gigantic tower? Even after 1300 years, it is still one of the
tallest towers of India. Did you know Nikola Tesla built a gigantic tower,
called the Wardenclyffe tower, in order to give free energy to the world? Tesla
planned on wireless transmission of energy to the whole world, but this entire
facility was destroyed by greedy businessmen. Was this temple also built as a
centre for wireless transmission of energy?
See, if you go to a very high altitude, the entire
temple complex looks similar to a modern day power company, I mean look at the
lay out. There are 4 large towers perfectly aligned to the 4 direction points.
There are smaller towers inside as well. There are water sources which act as a
cooling system, you can see two large tanks always full of water. There are
many separate buildings inside the complex, there are even emergency exits,
just like modern facilities. But perhaps the real secret, the actual power
source itself can be found if we can access the underground, but locked
chambers."
"There will never be any dearth or scarcity,
regarding food and clothes, in any devotees' homes. It is my special
characteristic that I always look to, and provide, for the welfare of those
devotees who worship Me whole-heartedly with their minds ever fixed on Me. Lord
Krishna has also said the same in the Gita. Therefore, strive not much for food
and clothes. If you want anything; beg of the Lord, leave worldly honours, try
to get Lord's grace and blessings and be honoured in His Court. Do not be
deluded by worldly honour. The form of the Deity should be firmly fixed in the
mind. Let the senses and mind be ever devoted to the worship of the Lord, let
there be no attraction for any other thing: fix the mind in remembering Me
always, so that it will not wander elsewhere; towards body, wealth and home.
Then it will be calm, peaceful and care-free. This is the sign of the mind
being well engaged in good company".
[Words of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba in Shri Sai
Satcharitra]
There is a connection with Arunachala of the famed Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple at Mylapore, Chennai whose
founder Sri B.V. Narasimha Swami resided at Tiruvannamalai and was a devotee of
Arunachala and Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi. In furthering the connection with Sri
Shirdi Sai Baba, there are currently 3 Temples at Tiruvannamalai dedicated to the great Saint.
Two are on the Girivalam road; one near the Hanuman
Temple on Girivalam Roadway, another known as "Akshaya Sri Sai" (i.e.
the ever-full vessel of Grace and Auspiciousness) is located at Adi Annamalai.
The third Shirdi Sai Temple, under the aegis of the Sri Arunaibaba Vazhipattu
Sthalam Trust, is located in town at the feet of Pavala Kundru Temple and next
to the Durgai Amman Temple.
The objectives of the Sri Arunaibaba Vazhipattu
Sthalam Trust are:
1. To perform
Baba aarti and distribute annadanam (food prasad) on all Thursdays. To perform
yaga puja and distribute annadanam on all no moon days, important festival days
and full moondays. To perform puja and distribute annadanam on Ramanavami,
Gurupournami, Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Samadhi and on important Festival days.
2. To encourage devotees and visitors to the Temple
into charitable pursuits and the path of non-violence.
3. To plan and undertake renovation and improvement
works to the Temple
4. To exhibit civic responsibility by maintaining
the cleanliness of the area around the Temple grounds
5. To provide funds for developing education for
poor and handicapped children.
6. To facilitate camps for blood donation, free eye
and medical tests for the poor.
Now that life is returning to normal after the year
long pandemic, this Shirdi Sai Baba temple is eager to again concentrate on the
aims of their Trust. In this regard, yesterday Sunday March 21, 2021 the Temple
held a Sri Lakshmi Kubera Homam dedicated to the improvement and development of
their Mandapam.
If you would like either to support this
organisation in their fund raising endeavours or if you would like to arrange a homam to be
performed at their Mandapam please get in touch with Arunachala Grace on the
contact facility at the left side of this Blog, and we will forward all
correspondence direct to their Trust.
Below is a pictorial gallery of the Homam performed
yesterday at the Shirdi Sai Mandapam.
The manifestation of Lord Shiva in a column of fire in front
of Brahma and Vishnu and carved in stone, is known as the Lingodbhavamurti
manifestation of Lord Shiva. It is always enshrined in the rear niche of the
sanctum enshrining a Shiva Lingam. Since most temples face east, the
Lingodbhava faces west.
The non-anthromorphic form of the Shiva Lingam is a
representation of the infinite cosmic column of fire, whose origins could not
be traced by Brahma or Vishnu. This representation of the Shiva Lingam is the
centre of reverence and worship in all Saivite temples.
On the night of Mahashivaratri the Lingodbhavamurti is
bathed and anointed in the ritual of abhishekam and puja. This ritual conducted on the night of
Mahashivaratri represents the worship of sacred Arunachala itself, (which is
considered to be the manifestation of this cosmic column of effulgence) as it
represents the primordial element of fire (Agni); one of the Pancha Bhuta
Sthalams.
For more information about the significance of this worship,
please visit an earlier posting at this link here.
A musical recital was held at Alankaram Mandapam in front of
the Raja Gopuram, Arunachaleswarar Temple, Tiruvannamalai on the occasion of
the 2021 Mahashivaratri Festival. The musicians who participated are from the
Nadaswaram Music Society, Tiruvannamalai District.
The photographs below are from the 2021 Mahashivaratri
celebrations at Arunachaleswarar Temple of Sri Chandrasekhara taken in
procession on the Silver Rishabha Vahana around the Temple prakarams.
Each month there is a day known as Sivaratri and
once a year there is Mahashivaratri (maha=great) ... i.e. the Great Festival of
Shiva. The dates of these occasions correspond to certain phases of the new
moon when it is believed that the mind (which is adversely affected by the
power of the moon) is less susceptible to low, animalistic forces and thus more
tractable to the power of meditation and prayer.
It is for this reason that Mahashivaratri is
believed to be the one 24-hour period in the year which is of the greatest benefit.
It has been stated in the scriptures that if a man fasts, stays awake and
meditates for the whole of Mahashivaratri, it will give him his best chance to
achieve mastery of the mind and attain liberation.
Mahashivaratri always falls on the fourteenth day
of the dark fortnight of Phalguna (February-March), and is dedicated to the
worship of Lord Shiva. (Mahashivaratri in 2021 falls on Thursday March 11). On
this day it is recommended that devotees sing Shiva bhajans, recite verses from
scripture, offer prayers in the morning and evening, and observe fasting
throughout the day and visit Temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. In the case of Arunachala,
premier Shiva site of South India, circumambulation of Arunachala Hill is
observed by many.
To read more about the significance of this grand
Festival please visit my website at this link here
Please enjoy the below rousing audio "Mahadev"
by Armonian entitled "Mahashivratri".
