வெள்ளிக்கிழமை வைபவம் - அம்பாள் குறித்த ஸ்ரீ மஹா பெரியவா அருளமுதம்

வெள்ளிக்கிழமை வைபவம் - அம்பாள் குறித்த ஸ்ரீ மஹா பெரியவா அருளமுதம்

Ratna Ghatasta Rakta Charanaam
author:...... Jaanaa Kannan, Mylapore
compiler:... T.S. Kothandarama Sarma
book:......... Maha PeriyavaL - Darisana AnubhavangaL vol. 5, pages 43-50
publisher:.. Vanathi Padhippaham (Jun 2007 Edition)
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Important note from Kanchi Periva Forum: Please read the below experience and internalize the contents, along with the Bhakti-bhaava expressed herein. The meaning and intent is only contextual - Sri Periva has not specifically authorized the change of text in the sloka, nor does He generally accept for a change to be brought about in traditional texts for any reason. Hence, we request you all to stick to the original sloka only "ratna-ghatastha-rakta-charanaam" and not change it for any reason.
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Maha Periva leaning on a wooden plank, stretching his holy feet is a scene that everyone can witness. Specifically, when He gives darshan sitting inside his mEnA (palanquin), his feet would remain stretched.

'Why not make a cushion on which Periyavaa might keep his feet?'

Buying some airy, light, soft sponge made of rubber, I cut it into a wide circle; covered it with a velvet cloth and stiched it in place; an eight-petalled lotus flower in a different colour at the centre; I decorated the edges with laces.

When I went for darshan of Periva, He was sitting inside his mEnA. My mother and I submitted the sponge preparation to Periva. (That is, we kept it on the floor adjacent to the mEnA.)

Periva said, "aSTa-daLam (eight-petalled)?" as he took away his feet from inside the mEnA and kept them on the velvet pAda-pITham (feet rest). We experienced a shiver of ecstasy inside our heart. Without saying, "Alright, keep it here and go", as a way of immediately accepting the article we offered with bhakti, He kept his holy feet on it! What other greater bhAgyam could be there than this one?

An aNukkat-toNdar (personal assistant) was standing by the side of Periva.
"You know the Lalita Sahasranama Dhyana Shlokam?"
After a minute's thinking, the assistant started with 'aruNAM karuNAtaraNgitAkSIM...'".
"Another..."
"'sindUrAruNa-vigrahAM...'"

"That's it! Look, there is a vidvAn (pandit) standing there. Go and ask him about the meaning of the 'ratnaghaTastha-raktacaraNAM' that occurs in this shlokam (verse)..."

The assistant went to the pandit and came back. "He said the meaning was 'AmbaaL keeping her ruddy (soft, reddish) feet on the water-pot (ghatam) made of precious stones (ratna)...'".

Another vidvAn was standing adjacent to the mEnA. Looking at him, Periva said: "SaastrigaL! There was a doubt lingering with me for a long time. Which is that why should AmbaaL be keeping her feet on a ghaTam (water-pot)? Seems that doesn't go quite well here, right?"

The Pandit nodded his head with humility in affirmation. (He did not want to take the chance of 'What meaning would you attribute?' from Periva!)

"That doesn't seem apt here, right?"

"Yes..."

"Now, after looking at this pAda-pITham, my doubt simply ran away!"

Periyavaa explained: "It would be right to say that AmbaaL is keeping her ruddy feet on a pAda-pITham such as this one. It seems to me that removing the 'ghaTastha' and substituting it with 'paTastha' would look alright. paTam means cloth, so a soft pAda-pITham. The padam (term) that was initially 'paTastha' could have become in the custom of speech 'ghaTastha', it seems to me. We should consider the 'paTastha' which means 'on a cloth' as a sama-vAcakam (equivalent) of 'on a woolen cloth' (because that should be smooth without hurting the feet!)."

None of us (including the pandit) recovered from the astonishment we had (on hearing it)!

"I was thinking it over for a long time. I understood once I looked at this."

This, this velvet pAda-pITham!

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பெரியவா சரணம்!