Isakki Swamigal Girivalam

 

Isakki Swamigal Girivalam

May 2, 1917—January 9, 1991

 

Devotees are not yet allowed to perform Arunachala girivalam (during full moon) but as soon as restrictions are lifted and public transportation fully reinstated, I will make a posting with girivalam details here on Arunachala Grace.

In the meanwhile, I reproduce below a wonderful narrative of the great Arunachala devotee Isakki Swamigal who ever sang the praises and benefits to all of performing Arunachala girivalam. To read more of Isakki Swamigal and about his Arunachala experiences, visit this link here.

For several years Isakki Swamigal daily undertook Arunachala girivalam and started to become famous amongst locals. Groups of people started to follow him around the hill chanting 'Om Namah Shivaya,' and 'Arogahara! Arogahara! Annamalaiku Arogahara!' Increasingly more locals began to follow him during his giripradakshina. On every circumambulation, when reaching Panchamukha Point, Swamigal would stop and engage in meditation. During his days, Swamigal met and saw a number of siddhars and yogis who went round the hill on giripradakshina.

During his life, it is reported Isakki Swamigal performed Arunachala angapradakshina (pradakshina by rolling the body in a clockwise movement on the ground) 1008 times. Even today, it is thought that Swamigal in his astral form performs girivalam twice daily. Close to the statue at the Panchamukha Shrine it is believed Swamigal performs meditation each day at noon. Near that place there is a well which he created specifically in order to supply drinking water for devotees.

The below narrative on Isakki Swamigal, is from a book by Howard Murphet. Murphet was one of the first Western devotees of Sri Sathya Sai Baba and his books were important in introducing Sai Baba to the West, much in the same way Brunton's book "In Search of Secret India," introduced Sri Ramana Maharshi to the World.

Isakki Swamigal at Panchamukha Point

Meeting Isakki Swamigal by Howard Murphet

One man we met on our first visit to Arunachala had done the circular sacred journey round the mountain in an extraordinary way and had a truly remarkable boon. This was Isakki Swamigal of Tiruvannamalai. We met him one evening as we stood by the side of a road coming out of the town. Along the road towards us, with the beat of drum, sounding brass, and tinkling cymbals, came a group of men. There must have been a dozen of them, some carrying a canopy under which walked a man. Surely a prince must be approaching, we thought. And when the group came in front of us and stopped, we could see that he was truly a prince of the spirit. His eyes were shining, a smile lit up his radiant face and around him was the unmistakable vibration of one who has reached a high level of attainment. My wife was so overcome that she pushed in through the crowd of men around him and touched his feet. Then she stood up and moved to join our friend and myself by the side of the road. Then the procession moved on with its joyous marching music.

Our friend, Ma Tallyarkan, who was residing at Tiruvannamalai, told us that it was Isakki Swamigal with a group of his devotees. From her, and from other people, we heard the story of his journey around the mountain and his boon. It seems that, lying horizontally on the ground, he rolled the whole eight miles along the circular route. When he stood up at the end of it, Lord Siva with his consort Parvati, were standing before him. With this boon of the Siva-Shakti darshan, came the gift of healing.

Isakki Swamigal was reported to be able to heal with spiritual power. Miraculous healings were the result and people came to him in great crowds. His consulting rooms could not cope with this huge influx, so he took up a position near the road on the other side of Arunachala from Tiruvannamalai. It was a quiet, pleasant spot. He went there at about three o'clock each morning and droves of people surrounded him at that time. Drawn by his elevated spiritual level, people began to gather around him, treat him at their guru, and move about with him—as we saw that evening by the roadside.

[Abridged from Howard Murphet narrative 1971]

The Flea and the Elephant

 

I have posted below a light-hearted story about our position in the Universe. To read more light-hearted morality tales, please visit my website at this link here.

"A flea decided to move with his family into the ear of an elephant. So he shouted, "Mr. Elephant, Sir, my family and I plan to move into your ear. I think it only fair to give you a week to think the matter over and let me know if you have any objection?"

The Elephant, who was not even aware of the existence of the flea went his placid way so, after conscientiously waiting a week, the flea assumed the Elephant's consent and moved in. A month later Mrs. Flea decided the Elephant's ear was not a healthy place to live in and urged her husband to tell the Elephant that they were moving; in such way so as not to hurt the Elephant's feelings.

So, Mr. Flea put it to tactfully to the Elephant, "Sir, we plan to move to other quarters. This has nothing at all to do with you of course, because your ear is spacious and warm. It is just that my wife would rather live next door to her friends at the buffalo's foot. If you have any objection to our moving, do let me know in the course of the next week." The Elephant said nothing, so the flea changed residence with a clear conscience".

Moral of the Story: Relax—the Universe is not aware of your existence!

[Anthony De Mello]

Construction of Shirdi Sai Baba Shrine on Girivalam Roadway

 

In an earlier posting at this link here I uploaded photographs of the Groundbreaking and Bhumi Puja for the Temple Construction of the new Shirdi Sai Baba Shrine to be built on the Girivalam Roadway near the junction of Kanji Road.

Below are photographs of the ongoing construction and I have also included an image of a rough plan of the upcoming Shrine and contact information of the group responsible for this Shrine. 

Rough Plan of Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Shrine

Details of Temple Founders and Contact Information

I hope to continue posting updates of the ongoing development of this new Shrine on the Girivalam Roadway.

1860 Photographs of Arunachaleswarar Temple with 9 Gopurams

 

I recently received these two beautiful photographs of Arunachaleswarar Temple and its nine Gopurams. Have embedded the photographs on Arunachala Grace at the resolution I received them at so those interested can enlarge, print and frame the photos.

Eternity: A Description

”Eternity! What mind of man can understand it?

You have often seen the sand on the seashore. How fine are its tiny grains!

And how many of those tiny little grains go to make up the small handful which a child grasps in its play. Now imagine a mountain of that sand, a million miles high, reaching from the earth to the farthest heavens, and a million miles broad, extending to remotest space, and a million miles in thickness: and imagine such an enormous mass of countless particles of sand multiplied as often as there are leaves in the forest, drops of water in the mighty ocean, feathers on birds, scales on fish, hair on animals, atoms in the vast expanse of the air: and imagine that at the end of every million years a little bird came to that mountain and carried away in its beak a tiny grain of that sand. How many millions upon millions of centuries would pass before that bird had carried away even a square foot of that mountain, how many eons upon eons of ages before it had carried away all.

Yet at the end of that immense stretch of time not even one instant of eternity could be said to have ended. At the end of all those billions and trillions of years eternity would have scarcely begun. And if that mountain rose again after it had all been carried away and if that bird came again and carried it all away again grain by grain: and if it so rose and sank as many times as there are stars in the sky, atoms in the air, drops of water in the sea, leaves on the trees, feathers upon birds, scales upon fish, hairs upon animals, at the end of all those innumerable risings and sinkings of that immeasurably vast mountain not even one instant of eternity could be said to have ended; even then at the end of such a period, after that eon of time the mere thought of which makes our very brain reel dizzily, eternity would have scarcely begun.”

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man

[By James Joyce]

Construction of new Shirdi Sai Baba Temple Girivalam Roadway

Groundbreaking and Bhumi Puja for Temple Construction took place at the end of April 2021 for the new Sri Shirdi Sai Baba Temple that is being constructed at the foot of Arunachala. 

The new Temple will be located on the right side of Girivalam Roadway near the junction with Kanji Road.

 

New Temple at junction of girivalam roadway and Kanji Road

Ashram on the right side of the Temple land