16/08/2025
*NAVANEETHA KRISHNAN*
*Translated from Sri Kamakoti Seshadri Swamigal by Sri Bharanidharan*
For many days, Seshadri kept that Navaneethakrishnan’s idol in his Pooja. After becoming a renunciate on attaining the knowledge of the truth and leaving his home, his brother Narasimha Josiyar continued doing Pooja to that idol. After many years, I had the good fortune of having a darshan of this idol at his relative’s house.
On seeing that Balakrishnan, it seemed to me to have seen Bala Seshadri himself. Seshadri, born of the grace of Kamakshi who appeared in the dream and said “Give butter, you will be blessed with a child of wisdom” and the divine child Krishna crawling with butter in His hands as a sign of consummate wisdom, were not different to my eyes but one and the same.
Somehow, I had the strong desire to immediately carry that Balakrishnan in my arms and show to Sri Maha Periva. I asked Devakunjari Ammal. With great joy, she gave the idol to me.
It was night time. At the entrance to Kanchipuram KollavaarChatram, Mahaperiyava was resting. Srikantan, who was rendering services to Mahaperiyava, went and whispered to Mahaperiyava that I had come with the idol and was waiting. I also went and stood near Acharya.
After a minute, Swamigal without opening his eyes, extended his holy hands towards me. Intently I observed those palms, which were like a lotus in full bloom. The hands that had performed Chandramouleeswara Pooja for more than sixty years, the hands that had performed more than sixty VyaasaPoojas, the hands that blessed and graced all those who came surrendering unto them, the golden cradle which sustained Dharma, in them I let the idol of krishna worshipped by the golden hand Seshadri to crawl and in that one second I subsumed myself into the bliss of having achieved the sole objective of my life, and attained the realms of no births.
Without opening His eyes, moving Krishna to his left hand, Swamigal caressed him. He touched every part of his golden body and rejoiced. With great love and affection he caressed the tuft in his head, his nose, lips, neck, hands, the ball of butter, waist, legs that crawl, the soft soles of his feet, tender fingers. Kannan was lost in the loving caress of Mother Yashodha.
True to the adage, the future crop is known in the seed – VilayumPayirMulaiyileyetheriyum, even in his 4th year, Seshadri by his mere touch had shown his divine munificence and greatness. At the age of five, on an auspicious day, his parents had initiated his education according to the formal process. The great Mahaan, KamakotiSastrigal, wrote the Saarasvatha Mahaabija Mantra on his tongue with a Dharbha grass. He also initiated him into the Panchaksharam and Ashtaksharam.
As he was the blessed child of Ambikai, goddess Sarasvati served him with all humility. As a result, Seshadri mastered the North Indian language very easily. He learnt the epics and plays in that language with ease. He showed a precocious interest in studies. Whatever he learnt remained etched in his memory and he also had a thirst for Tamil. He learnt Kambaramayanam, Thirukkural, Nannool, Naidatham also. He learnt Carnatic music from his mother.