Excerpt from what life has taught me
By Kanchi Paramacharya Sri Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi swamigal
1929, I met a Sannyasi in a border village of North Arcot. He knew neither Tamil nor Telugu. He knew only Marathi and Hindi. He told us that he traveled to Rameswaram by Mail and lost his danda during the journey. He probably fasted till the taking of a new danda. He was duly given a consecrated danda. From that time he regarded me as his guru, because I saved his Asrama Dharma. He was then more than 80 years old. He refused to leave me till 1954 when he attained siddhi.
Soon after he joined us during the Chaturmasya of 1929, I was laid up with malaria fever for bout 40 days. Till then none was in the habit of touching me. But then I was not able to stand or walk without help. This old man, being a Sannyasi, took upon himself the duty of helping me.
He was a very hot-tempered man. His voice was authoritative. He was dread to all in the vicinity. He had been in the Revenue Department in the Dewas State in Central India. Neither Nanasaheb nor Jhansi Rani Could complete with him in his authoritativeness.
On no day would he fail to do Puja to my feet and none would deter him from his purpose. Tears would roll down his cheek during this Puja.
Once in Kanchi, a relative of his, who had been on yatra, came to me and after talking to him returned to me and took me to task. He expressed wonder how I could be so cold without the least reciprocity towards one, nearing the 100th year, who regarded me as his sole spiritual refuge high above any God. My natural superficiality did not react even to this admonition. Once we had been to Tirupati. The aged Swami was then in our camp. I went up the hill to worship Balaji. Just as I was returning from the temple after Balaji darsan, the aged Sannyasi who had managed to arrive at the top of the hill confronted us. The temple authorities, in deference to his old age, Asrama and connection with out Mutt, offered to arrange for his darsan of Balaji. he fell at my feet and exclaimed: “This is Balaji. Pardon me. I cannot accept your offer”. He returned without Balaji’s darsan.