#MahaPeriyava
There is an organisation in America called the Paul Brunton mission, extolling the British journalist who came to see the Sages here. Brunton had Sri Maha Periyava’s darshan and on his advice went to Ramana Maharishi whose gracious glance he received. Every year
the students who were members of this association, would visit Kanchipuram and stay on for 10 or 15 days, immersing themselves in Periyava’s blissful darshan. The Group had come as usual one year. One day, Periyava was seated under the Night-flowering jasmine (Pavazhamalli) tree,
which used to be in SriMatham in those days and was giving them the darshan. Periyava was sitting with his eyes closed. The American boys were seated around Periyava with their eyes closed in Meditation. It was very silent, not a whisper anywhere. The attendants Balu Mama and
Vedapuri Mama moved away and came out of SriMatham. A car came to stop there. A middle-aged couple and their three children got down. It was clear from the clothes they wore that the children were thoroughly westernised. They looked at Balu Mama and Vedapuri Mama who were
standing there. Old, discoloured dhoties, hair knotted in a tuft, stripes of sacred ash, rudraksha beads around their neck. The ultra-modern kids found them amusing. “Who are these ancients? Some saints around here it seems? Wonder if he too is like this? Dirty people,