AN EXPERIENCE OF MINE
(By Sreekandath Gopala Menon, M.A)
[The author of this article is a physics professor of Travancore University College. We are publishing this only because it is a narrative of the experience of a respected person possessing very deep knowledge and extraordinary research talents in physics.-Editor. Kerala Kaumudi.](This piece appeared in the Keralakaumudi daily of Dec.20, 1951)
Careful examination or scrutiny of what they see and hear is a habitual behaviour of scientists. There are numerous evidences for the operation of certain miraculous powers, beyond the realm of human mind, around us. One of my experiences is an example for this truth.
One can reach the Nair house of Cherukal Puthern Veedu (by foot), half a mile northward from the road junction of Eruthurkada, just beyond 27th mile stone in Thiruvananthapuram-Nagarcoil road. I had gone to that house on Tuesday and Friday of the last week. The intention of my visit was to put, the miracles taking place in that house day after day, under scientific observation. I was accompanied by Sri.Govinda Kaimal, a traffic inspector, who is one of my relatives.
We reached Cherukal Puthen Veedu by 9 P.M on Tuesday night. Items for the ceremonial offering ( puja) were found arranged inside a temporary thatched shed in front of that old house with a roof of plaited coconut leaves. A number of persons including Sri. Varinjam Raghavan Pillai who accepted Sanyas, were chanting reciting hymns. There were also a large number of visitors. After some time, the chief puja performer brought a boy wearing a blue shirt and knickers of silk and laid him on his back upon a bed placed in the center of the temporary thatched shed constructed for performing ceremonial offerings. The boy was deep asleep. The eyes and eyebrows of this eye-catching boy of about six years old were highlighted with collyrium; along with a decorative dot adorning his forehead.
They beautified and decorated the boy’s body with garlands of flowers in a manner very much similar to ritual of worship of any deity. Along with the chanting of hymns, the crowd began the worship of the boy like rotating or waving lighted lamps following the traditional worship conducted in a temple. At the conclusion of the ritual of waving of flames of camphor, the people assembled there reverentially saluted by touching the camphor flame.
The boy was still in slumber without showing any movement of his body throughout the entire duration of the period of ceremonial worship that extended over one and half hours. I could witness the devotees of this boy who considered him as a divine boy, including his grandmother, prostrating themselves in adoration. After the completion of the ritual worship the flowers that adorned the child and vibhuti were distributed among the devotees present there, as ‘prasadam ’.
Soon afterwards the body was taken into a small bedroom of about 12 feet by 8 feet, but without a ceiling and laid him there. This is his bed room. This room has two doors, one at its western wall and another at its eastern wall and a small window on the western wall. At the southeastern corner of the room there is a stone symbol – ‘Atma Lingam ’ installed by the boy himself. The worship related rituals of this idol is done by the boy himself.
Throughout every night, apart from the mother and the grandmother of the child, two or three visiting women choose to remain in this bedroom. After closing of the both doors (fitted with locks of wooden bolts), the lighted stand-lamp (nilavilakku) is put off. During night, the visiting women devotees occupy the quadrangle or yard or patio on the western side of the boy’s bedroom and in the ‘Thaiveedu’, while the male devotees slept in the shed on its western side. I and Kaimal remained awake throughout the night expecting many things. I was told that either at midnight or just before the day break the sound of “ Om Ghara” can be heard emanating from the bedroom followed by the sound of recitation of hymns while both doors open on their own accord. I was also informed that the sounds come from an invisible person – a maharshi, named ‘Jatadhari’
Until the midnight of Tuesday there were no voices from any incorporeal or invisible beings. As we have to start our return trip before 4 A.M in the early morning we could not spend any more time there. However, I received a message before Friday noon noting that at about 5 A.M in the morning voice of an invisible being could be heard which started with an “om ghara” and followed by recitation of two lines of a hymn and disappeared after the informing that it would be visiting the place the following night. The message also noted that as it was a very unusual to announce in advance of its arrival, it is definite that voice of incorporeal being could be heard there on Friday night.
As some others were also notified the contents of the message we, together with Sri. Pala Gopalan Nair, Lecturer in Intermediate College, Trivandrum, his mother-in-law and some other persons, reached there before 8 P.M. The ritual of worship has started well before the routine time on that evening, I was told that the visitors present there witnessed, incidents of anointing or consecration by pouring water over the stone symbol or idol installed inside the bed room by an invisible being and appearance of spontaneous flames in the camphor lamp.
Like other days, the boy was taken inside the bedroom and the doors were locked. The mother-in-law of Pala Narayanan Nair was one among the women who choose to remain inside the room. After some time, we were taken near the window of that room. Inside that pitch darkness in the room we could notice a white brilliant shine resembling that emanating from gems of diamond of about the size of one rupee coin – very similar to that from a mercury arc light. The brilliance increased and decreased in its intensity periodically. I could also see the people who were present outside the house entering the bedroom one by one, after opening the closed door, to witness the strange incident. I carefully observed whether it was the rays of the moon shine that penetrated through the holes in thatched roof and reflecting from the forehead of the boy. My assumption was proved incorrect. Later the radiance transformed itself and attained the shape of a flame of a wick-stand-lamp (nilavilakku), intermittently radiating white bright flash light. Afterwards, the brightness changed to deep red colour having the size of a one rupee coin. Both Gopalan Nair and Kaimal were observing all these.
Later there was an authoritative assertion to light the lamp. No one knew from whom that command came. . With the lighting of the lamp, people came into that room and reverentially prostrated before the child sleeping on his belly. Thereafter the doors were closed and the women went back to their seats around the bed of child. After some moments the heavy sound of “Om Ghara’ could be heard. Various hymns containing words of Tamil, Malayalam and some other unknown language- recitation originating inside the room- began to be heard. I could hear the words Bhuvanendra Deva and Prabhakara in melodious and loud appellations.
The door opened itself while the recital of the hymns was going on and while everyone out side was watching it was again closed without any outside agent. No one could observe any one there with material or in corporeal form. As per the ethereal announcement that there would be yet other incorporeal voices, we could hear the sound of “Om Ghara” and recitation of hymns by about 5.30 A.M in the morning. When we enquired (about the events) with the women who were present in that room in the night they noted that they were unable to trace the person from whom the voices came out during the incidents and also that they could not feel or see anyone with tangible physical body entering the room from outside. We who were remaining outside could neither see anyone leaving that room. I did not make any attempt to carefully scrutinize the interior of the room with the aid of a torch light.
The boy woke up in the morning and came outside. I could not see any weariness on his nice/gentle face. Infrequently a smile magnetically attracting the heart towards him radiated from his face with serious expression and with eyes looking aimlessly. He never looked fixedly or intently at anyone. Any one will be desirous of gazing indefinitely at the splendour and expressions of emotional fluctuations of his face.
Devotees consider the boy as ‘Kalki’ or incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Bhagavan Jatadhari has noted this fact. There are several people who have witnessed the inexplicable incidents of showering of flowers over the body of the boy, in addition to the kalabham and bhasmam , while visiting and touring temples.
The splendour we have experienced and voices we have heard there are subjects of wonder. For photographing of that splendour of the child .and recording of those incorporeal voices, if the consent of the ethereal being is obtained we could make a request to do so and would have received an answer .My friends are ready to make such an attempt. Numerous miracles associated with this boy are described in the book entitled”Bhuvanendra Khadgi” authored by Sri Varinjam Raghavan Pillai.
What we have witnessed there is manifestation of some unknown and inexplicable power.
[This is a very much a word by word translation of the original Malayalam article which appeared in one of the leading Malayalam newspapers- The Kerala Kaumudi dated 20th December, 1951, Translators: Thrivikramji and Mohanakumar]
