Isakki Swamigal -- Part 2

Isakki Swamigal also known as Panchamukha Swamigal, belonged to Tirunelveli District. He was born in 1917 to Chella Perumal Pillai and Muthammal. From his early days, he had good devotional thoughts and spiritual practice. During his school days at age of 13, he came to Tiruvannamalai with his parents for the Karthigai Deepam Festival. As in those days they had to come by walk, Swamigal followed his parents and they reached Tiruvannamalai after a long journey. With his parents Swamigal went on giripradakshina, on reaching Niruthi Lingam Temple, Swamigal was very much attracted by Lord Shiva, and had a strong thought of doing meditation at that place. Since he was very young he was unable to do so, and he followed his parents and went on to complete giripradakshina.

On going to the southside of the mountain during the giripradakshina, the hill which appeared as a single form, appeared in a bifurcated form, representing Shiva and Parvati. On going further to the western side of the hill, it appeared as three peaks which represents the almighty performing the duty of creation, maintenance and destruction of all things in the world. On going further Swamigal visited Gowthama Ashram, and Adi Annamalai Temple and reached the side where the Hill shows the five peak points, called panchamukha. 

Panchamukha Point

On reaching panchamukha point, Swamigal felt that almighty Shiva from his one form divides into five moorthis to perform the essential functions that keep the world alive; creation, protection, destruction, embodiment and saving with grace. So the five faces of Shiva appears as the five peaks of the Hill, which represent panchamukha darshinam of the Hill. On feeling this thought, Swamigal had a sensation that he was at the foot of Mount Kailas. As his spiritual thoughts increased, tears flowed from his eyes and his heart was fully inspired. He felt to meditate there at the Panchamukha Point, and from that day onwards he had a very strong attachment to that place. In later times, he stayed there and was popularly known as Panchamukha Swamigal.

After having darshan of Karthigai Deepam and Tiruvannamalai Big Temple, Swamigal and his parents travelled northwards on a pilgrimage to many Shrines. Their pilgrimage included Temples at; Virinjipuram, Kanchipuram, Thiruthani, Tirupathi, Thiru Kalahasti and Thiruvetriyur. Afterwards they started travelling southwards on their pilgrimage, visiting Temples at; Virudhachalam, Vadalur, Chidambaram, Sirkali, Rameshwaram until they reached Trichy. At Trichy they worshipped Thayumanavar Swamigal, then proceeded to two more Temples: Thiruvaranagam and Thiruvanaikaval. Swamigal and his parents started their journey in the Tamil month of Ippasi and returned to their village in the Tamil month of Margahi on Thiruvathira Star Day.

Upon completion of the pilgrimage, Swamigal completed his days at school and after finishing his education married. But still his heart was full of thoughts of Arunachala and he often visited Tiruvannamalai, staying at Appar Swamigal Mandapam and going on giripradakshina and meditating near Panchamukha Point. Like this several years passed. Later, he thought to stay at Tiruvannamalai. Sometime between 1959-1960 in the Tamil month of Avani in the Tamil year Vikari he left his house at Tirunelveli and came to Tiruvannamalai. After arrival, Isakki Swamigal started to perform giripradakshina regularly.

For several years Swamigal daily continued his giripradakshina and started to become famous amongst the locals. Groups of people started to go around the hill following the Swami. During their procession around Arunachala, people started to chant the panchakshari mantra of Shiva, “Om Namah Shivaya,” and “Arogahara! Arogahara! Annamalaiku Arogahara!” Increasingly more people started to follow Swamigal during his giripradakshina. Upon each time of reaching the Panchamukha Point, Swamigal would stop and stay at a small mandapam nearby to perform meditation. During his days, Swamigal met and saw several siddhars and yogis who went round the hill on giripradakshina.

People who came for darshan of Isakki Swamigal started to tell him their problems and to ask for his blessings. Some came to Swamigal and requested that he cure their disease. Isakki Swamigal was very surprised that people should come to him, asking for his help, as he believed that Lord Shiva is responsible for all happenings in the world, so who was he to bless anyone? He told those that came, to surrender to Lord Shiva by surrendering to Arunachala. He assured them that whatever problem they may have, that by performing giripradakshina, their problems would be solved and their diseases would be cured.

Based on the problems and diseases concerned Swamigal advised giripradakshina for one mandalam (48 days), two mandalam (96 days) or for three mandalams (144 days). His followers started to take his advice and performed giripradakshina to relieve their difficulties. To avoid the constantly growing crowds around him, Swamigal moved to another part of the Hill.

During his life, it is believed that Isakki Swamigal performed angapradakshinam (pradakshina by rolling the body in a clockwise movement on the ground) of Arunachala 1008 times. Even today, it is thought that Swamigal in his astral form performs giripradakshina twice daily. Close to the Panchamukha Daharshanam Point there is a small meditation mandapam where it is believed that he performs meditation daily at midday. Near the mandapam, Swamigal created a well in order to supply drinking water for devotees.

Swamigal performed meditation at several places in and around Arunachala. He performed dhyanam northside of Adi Annamalai near the Kavasa Theertham, where it is believed that Lord Annamalaiyar showered his blessings upon Swamigal and gave him the power of healing.

There are reputed to be 360 ponds around the path of Arunachala giripradakshina and also several natural springs on the Hill itself. Swamigal said that on the northern side of Arunachala there is a big stone point called the “peacock dancing stone point,” below there is a spring called “Arasudayan Sunaei,” which has cool, sweet water throughout all seasons. At the southern part of the Hill, there is another natural spring called, “Pugunthu Kudithan Sunaei,” at this spring the pathway is very narrow and one has to bend down close to the ground in order to enter. Inside, it is wide and broad and the water is cool and delicious. It is said that at this place one can always hear the sound of an echo.

Until 1975, Swamigal performed meditation daily at Panchamukha Point from 12.00 to 2.30 p.m. He had been to all parts of Arunachala and knew each and every bit of the Hill. One time when he was on the Hill, Lord Shiva came in the form of a wood cutter and showed the way for Swamigal. Isakki Swamigal's samadhi is located at Panchamukha Point. This narrative to be continued. 

Isakki Swamigal and Boon from Shiva-Parvati

Below is a fascinating narrative written over twenty years ago about Isakki Swamigal who was living at Tiruvannamalai. Isakki Swamigal is now deceased and his samadhi is located at the Pancha Mukhas (Five Faced Vision of Arunachala after Kubera Lingam) on the northern side of the Hill. 

Isakki Swamigal and Boon from Shiva-Parvati 

Encircling the mountain at its foot, is a necklace of road, some eight miles in length. Along this necklace, the pilgrims make their journey, circumnavigating the mountain, travelling in a clockwise direction. It is said that a boon comes to those who make the journey and the more austere the means of travel the greater the boon. Most pilgrims walk around. Those hoping for a greater boon do the eight mile journey on bare feet, while those far advanced in age or suffering from physical disabilities travel by a horse-drawn vehicle or even by taxi. 

One man we met on our first visit to Arunachala had done the circular sacred journey round the mountain in a remarkable way and had a truly remarkable boon. This was Isakki Swamigal and 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. 

It was reported that Isakki Swamigal healed with miraculous spiritual power, 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. But the good, compassionate doctor did not have unlimited energy as does an Avatar. So eventually, his vitality and healing power began to wane. Then he went away and stayed somewhere in seclusion until his good health came back. Eventually, he returned quietly to his practice in the town. Even so, 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. 

[Extract from Howard Murphet] 

Vedic Science on Homas

At Sri Seshadri Swamigal Ashram at Tiruvannamalai great importance is placed on connecting and meditating on the Rishis and Mahans throughout the ages. 

In this regard that Ashram recently built the, “Thiyana Peedam” for meditation, and the hall is filled with the statues of great spiritual forces from Bharat since Vedic times. 

Thiyana Peedam Meditation Hall

Garden in front of Hall

Some of the Saint Statues in Hall

Away from the Peedam and located at the back of the Samadhi shrine of Mahan Seshadri, are statues of Sri Seshadri Swamigal and also of the great Sri Shirdi Sai Baba.

Mahan Sri Seshadri Swamigal

Sri Shirdi Sai Baba

Homa Pit in the Samadhi Hall

In an area behind the Samadhi Hall of Sri Seshadri Swamigal, there is a beautiful open air meditation centre with a statue of Lord Dakshinamurti and Arunachala in the foreground. 

Lord Dakshinamurti

To find out more about the connection of Tiruvannamalai and the Vedic sciences throughout the ages, read the following which was abridged from a narrative by V.Suryanarayan. Vedic Science on Homas 

“Thiruvannamalai is the most sacred place on earth as it is the abode of the “God of God” namely Arunachaleswarar and his consort Apeeta Kuchamba. He is the almighty protector of the Universe as its Creator and hence he is the Protector of all without any distinction as to race, sex, language or religion. The Lord has settled himself here in the form of the “malai” or hill in response to prayers of Brahma and Vishnu and settled in the form of the jyothir-linga in the temple. In days of immemorial antiquity, he was so fiery that people found it difficult to go round the hill even from a distance. As a result of prayers from Sanaka Maharishi (and other Brahmamanasa putras) besides the Sapta Rishis, Arunachaleswarar assured that he would cool down and make himself more easily approachable for pradakshina (circumambulation) if devotees indulged in prayers, tapas, homa, yagna and yagas. All round the hill in several Ashrams such things have been going on ever since the early days. 

Many have experienced the dramatic drop in Thiruvannamalai town temperature over the last three decades. This incredible change in climatic condition is entirely attributable to a number of Vedic functions. A homa or yagna involves a fiery phenomenon engendering the harmonious conglomeration of dissemination of cosmic rays and such nuclear irradiation is absolutely beneficial to all mankind. The impact of such a homa or yagna are indescribable and borders on the miraculous. 

All Vedic systems and exercise are based on a complicated structure of science, rhythm and rhyme, rule and regulation, procedural details and purity of rendering, all under the guidance of a Rishi or Muni, Master or a Guru or a Master of Masters. Veda is a term of compendious connotation. “Vid” means knowledge or enlightenment. What gives us Knowledge is the Veda. It is a treasure house of knowledge. It tells us more about the Creator and how to reach him – in order to make our life sublime. “Nahi jnanena Sadrusham” suggesting that there is nothing equal to jnana is a Vedic proclamation –nothing equal to wisdom or enlightenment. 

The whole Universe came into being through nada (Aum) as manifestation of mantra; priests vibrate the mantras for the well being of all. Proscribed methods of chanting Vedic mantras produce the required vibrations of cosmic rays essential to the purpose of puja rituals. A properly conducted kumbha-abhishekam will mean an emergence of electrons from the consecrated idol to be absorbed by the devotee who seeks the blessings of Rishis and Mahans. 

Arunachaleswarar is the repository of knowledge and enlightenment. Apeeta Kuchamba as his consort as Parashakti is the guru of all gurus called guru-mandala rupini in Lalita Sahasranama. The inseparable Shiva-Shakti principle is worshipped by a the Rishis and Mahans everyday and we worship them in turn to reach the Ultimate Manifestations of Reality. The Sapta Rishis who come after Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanathkumara and Sanatsujatha, constitute our first common ancestors-moolapurushas. Each Rishi has his immense abhimaanam or affection to all the descendants of that Rishi. The Rishis have done immense tapas for the well-being of the world. A Rishi is one who discovered mantra and so all mantras were perceived by Rishis; who become custodians of the mantra. The mantra-adhi-devatas will be fully pleased if the Rishi’s name is pronounced. That is why each Vedic mantra is named after the relevant Rishi who discovered it through tapas and who had the earliest darshan of the deity. The Rishis have power of creation, protection and destruction and are greatly interested in the happiness of all living beings. Sadgurus, Saints, Seers and Mahans have followed the footsteps of the Rishis, and have attained the highest astral state. There is perfect harmony amongst them and they are all personifications of kindness with a vision equal and common to all. 

All gods revere the Rishis and Mahans. The Rishis and Mahans carry the attributes of Parabrahman. That is why it is stated that if the gods are angry with any devotee for any pardonable mistake, the Rishi or Mahan as the guru protects him. But if the Guru himself is angry with him, no god will protect him!"