Story of Mahaperiya - We also need to restore the name of …

Swamigal asked him if he would do Him a favour. The geologist was overwhelmed he wondered what it was that he, a mere mortal could help the Saakshaat Deivam with. He immediately agreed. Mahaperiya asked him if he knew about Kaladi.
He replied even as a young child

he knew that it was the birth place of Adi Shankaracharyar
Periyava then told him that the river Purna ran through that place and that Shankarar's mother used to bathe in it every day. He then requested him to arrange for a diver

to dive and take out sand from two different locations of the River Purna (presently called River Periyar).

One location, He said, should be where the River Purna enters Kerala before it diverts into entering Kaladi and the other location should be at Kaladi, where the river

makes a small U-turn and reaches Shankarar's home itself. Swamigal asked him to use the technique of carbon dating to ascertain the age of the sand at these two locations. The geologist promised to return with the results at the earliest overjoyed that he could actually

carry out the wishes of Mahaperiya himself.

The geologist performed the exercise as instructed by Swamigal and returned to the mattum. Periyava was waiting for him with a beatific smile on his face. He asked him about the results. The geologist presented the reports and

said that the sand taken from the first location (where Purna enters Kerala) yielded an age of being more than 100,000 years whereas the sand from the second location in Kaladi (near Adi Shankarar's home) was close to about 2500 years!

Periyava explained the results - He

said that Adi Shankara’s mother would bathe in the river every day. However, once, due to her infirmities, she fainted on the way home. Shankarar asked her to bathe henceforth in the water from their well, but she declined. Shankarar, unable to convince His mother, entreated

Goddess Ganga through a song and requested her to follow His footsteps (Kal Adi) and flow near His ancestral house. No sooner did He do this than the Purna changed her course and started flowing just by His dwelling!! His mother was overjoyed and continued her ablutions by the

river for the rest of her life on earth.

Periyava explained that this was the reason behind the differences in the carbon dating results. The river entering Kerala is about 100,000 years old, but the change in course at Kaladi happened only after Adi Shankarar's intervention.

Thus this confirmed that Adi Shankara was indeed born in the year 509 BC, which is 2500 years back!
Yesterday was Mahasamadhi day of Shri Maha Periyava
Tribute to the divine soul
Hara Hara Shankara ! Jaya Jaya Shankara !