JOIN USThere is an old saying according to which liberation is assured by taking birth in Tiruvarur, having an audience of the Lord at Chidambaram or dying in Benaras but it is enough to merely think of Arunachala to secure liberation! Sri Seshadri Swamigal was born on January 22, 1870.
He was an unusual child. As a child, if he touched idols of divinities, they would be sold in no time and he developed the reputation of having a ‘golden hand.’ On the passing away of his parents, he decided to renounce the world and embrace sanyasa. He was then nineteen. He had a reputation for being eccentric and having an unpredictable temper.
He proceeded to Tiruvannamalai and like Sri Ramana Maharishi left never the place. He performed numerous miracles. He would sometimes throw the cash box of businessmen and this would usually result in a windfall for the owner. He would cure the sick and help the poor and needy. He was known to read the minds of people who approached him. He preached the virtue of living a life committed to truth, patience, peace and surrender and avoiding anger at all cost.
His mahasamadhi occurred on January 4, 1929. At the time of his death, he had the same planetary position at the time of his birth. His body was interned in Chengam Road (Sri Ramana Maharishi, the Silent Sage of Arunachala was present on the occasion), where an Ashram subsequently sprung up on his name.
There are numerous accounts of his movements in his subtle body and he is known to have appeared to his devotees and redressed the problems. In these encounters, he is known to have made numerous predictions and none of them were off the mark. He said the Kali Yuga would witness the movement of satellites but cautioned people saying “do not be under the impression that you can do anything through advancements in science.” He also said there would be a lot of losses resulting from atomic weapons and performed several homas (fire rituals) to reduce their intensity.
He also revealed a number of divine secrets. He once said that the fate of human being is decided only six hours before the birth of a child.
He also said (this has been validated by several masters since) that there exists an aura around every human being which records all activities and classifies them as meritorious (punyam) and sinful (papam).
He assured his devotees that if they called him, he would come to their rescue and release their burdens.