Visual homage to a divine personality

``The Sage of Kanchi,'' a short film produced by Nrityodaya, is a deeply moving experience. KAUSALYA SANTHANAM writes.

DIRECTED BY V. Balakrishnan, the film, ``the Sage of Kanchi'' that runs for a little more than an hour, takes us on a spiritual journey and portrays the life and times of a towering personality, one whom the Dalai Lama called `the only monk of the century.'' The documentary, produced for the Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Veda Vidya Peetam of SIES (South Indian Educational Society), Mumbai, was screened recently at the Subrahmanyam Hall to commemorate the 108th Jayanthi of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati Swami, the 68th pontiff of the Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam. It was a panoramic picture that emerged - of the 100 years in the life of a great spiritual head, his immense contribution to the national and spiritual fabric of the country and to the 2,500-year old institution established by Sri Adi Sankara.

The rare and beautiful photographs and film clips had been woven together skilfully and imaginatively to provide an inspiring picture of the sage who was prophet, polymath and linguist and who was known respectfully as the Periyaval.

The visual, the commentary and the music fused into a seamless whole. All aspects of his life and work had been included and the comprehensive treatment gives the film the touch of an epic.

To the devotees of the Paramacharya, it was a riveting experience. The film had a well-planned structure and it was obvious that the script had been written with great care. The thread of national unity which Periyaval implicitly believed in was present throughout. The narration began with the wonderful spiritual tradition we have inherited and which flows in an unbroken line from ancient times. Born to Mahalakshmi Ammal and Subramanya Sastrigal, Periyaval was a brilliant student at school who distinguished himself in all the subjects including recitation of the Bible.

Ordained as the peetadhipati at 13, he mastered the Vedas. With an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, he became an expert in epigraphy, archaeology, history and sculpture. His learning was so vast that later scholars from all over the world gravitated towards him. An authority on Vedanta and Mimamsa who steadfastly followed the Sanathana Dharma, the sage had a broad outlook and said all religions were equal and advised the practitioners to follow their own faith.

The film follows him on his Vijay Yatra which he undertook in 1919. He began his journey in a palanquin but soon gave it up for a padayatra and covered the country on foot in a phenomenal journey lasting for 21 years and which saw him cover 5,000 km from Rameswaram to Kasi. The scene of his arduous crossing of the 3 km rail bridge at Rameswaram is a highlight (the camera here needs special mention). These sections where the sage visits the different regions of the country meeting people from all strata of society and offering worship at the various temples, like his illustrious predecessor Sri Adi Sankara, are the most touching portions of the film. Especially the second padayatra he undertakes at the age of 84 walking with the brisk stride of a 24 year old and covering 25 km a day, sleeping on bare ground with just the sky as the roof show the austerity of the saint and the enormous sacrifices he made. His sympathy for the Freedom Movement and his meetings with the national leaders are described. Gandhiji visited him at his camp in Kerala and they exchanged views. In all these segments the stills are used effectively to create a feeling of movement. After the attainment of Freedom, Periyaval persuaded those who framed the Constitution to shift religion from the State to the Concurrent List. All his life, leaders, scholars and royalty met the Swami and sought his blessings.

We witness the seminars and sadas organised by Periyaval on temple architecture and sculpture and his conducting of the Mahakumbhabhishekam of temples. The Srirangam vimanam and the Golden Vimanam of the Sri Kamakshiamman temple at Kanchipuram were executed on his suggestion and initiative, International religious meets were held by him.

Not many of us know how Periyaval boosted the morale of the soldiers during the Indo-Pakistan war. His schemes were simple but far- reaching in consequence - the desilting of tanks, the protection of cows, the laying of roads, and the planting of trees. The `Oru Pidi Arisi' Scheme where a handful of rice kept aside by the housewife every day helped feed the poor was stunning in its efficacy. He spoke against the dowry system. He formed the Veda Dharma Paripalana Sabha to propagate the message of the Vedas and teach Vedic recitation. Always willing to lend a ear to the problems of those who came to him he offered comfort and guidance to all the rich, the middle class and the poor. The depiction of a day in the life of the Swami makes us marvel at his spartan lifestyle and frugal needs - minimal rest, simple diet and long hours of meditation and prayer imparted the continual quality of serenity and grace to him. We hear him addressing his audience in discourses that are simple yet profound.

The Mahaswami attained Samadhi on January 8, 1994. The film concludes emphasising the continuity of the tradition in the hands of the 69th and the 70th peetadhipathis, Sri Jayendra Saraswati and Sri Vijayendra Saraswati, ordained while young by the Mahaperiyaval. The devotional capsule is rounded off with glimpses of the institutions and memorials in his honour. The bhakti-filled music, especially of M.S. Subbulakshmi, used suitably in the background (music direction and compilation: Padma Subrahmanyam and B. Kannan) enhances the spirit of the tribute.

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