It was my earnest desire that Sri Amma Should be glorified through verses in Sanskrit. This desire was there in me for a very long time. I was particular about the metre and formation of words. But I am no Sanskrit poet and I was at a loss to find a suitable person for the work. Nor did I express my desire to Sri Amma. It was only a few years ago that I came to know about the capabilities of Sri B. Nagasundaram and I had an intuition that he was the right person for this great task. I heard him recite verses at the time of Sri Amma's 60th birthday but somehow or other failed to approach him for the mission he had to perform. Why? Perhaps the right moment had not come. Destiny played its role.
At last it was in Bangalore on the morning of the 31st of October, 2003 that I broke the subject to Sri B. Nagasundaram. He was quite enthusiastic about it and even before my return from Bangalore, he had composed 5 verses on Sri Amma and mailed them to my address. I was elated and filled with emotion on reading those verses. I wanted a few more and he readily obliged. He himself gave the title to the verses and also rendered the English translation. At last my long last desire had been fulfilled but not without pains, for a sorrowful event has been tagged to it.
Man's sufferings make him a poet. It is not mere physical or mental. One has to suffer a change - a complete metamorphosis. A poet lives in a world of his own. "The sweetest songs are those that tell of the saddest tale." These sweet songs also have a sad tale behind them for the inevitable has happened. Alas! Sri Nagasundaram is no longer here to see his work come into the light of the day.
As soon as he had agreed to my request Sri Amma cast a spell over him. Words came pouring down and for a few days he was fully living in the thoughts of Sri Amma. Let us see what he himself says about it.
"Amma works in a subtle way and I have no claims to the authorship of these slokas. I myself wonder how I write them. She is supreme. She can make the lame climb mountains and make the dumb great speakers. It is Her will that prevails and make people function. Her love for all and Her great concern for Her devotees are matters for experience..... After coming to Amma, there has been no dull day in my life. There are many demands on my time and Sri Amma makes it possible for me to meet them."
These lines show the poet's humility and how humble he was. As he composed these lines for my soul's satisfaction he never dreamt that they would come out in print. But it is my wish that Sri Amma's devotees should be benefited by these soul stirring verses.
The verses have been written in a simple but lucid style, full of feeling and life that one cannot but be moved on reading them. The depth of his feeling, his piety, his great devotion to Sri Amma and his total surrender unto Her and how he feels helpless like a child and needs the warmth of Sri Amma's loving care - all get highlighted through his verses.
Though highly learned Sri Nagasundaram never hankered after name or fame but lived a simple, quite unassuming life. When I expressed my desire for getting these verses printed he simply said, "Leave it to Amma. Let her do what She Wishes."
Such a noble man is gone. He is no longer here to see in print his work on Amma, whom he so dearly loved. You can well imagine the anguish and pain that I would be experiencing in writing this foreword for a work that was originally intended for me and that which came from a person whom I had held in great esteem. He is no more with us to hear his song sung by the devotees of Amma. So with an aching heart and tears welling up in my eyes, I commend these verses to you, so that you may sing them and get the blessings of Sri Amma. Let that be a rite you are doing for a departed soul.
Though this is a good thing that I am doing, perhaps this is the saddest thing that I have ever done. I turn to the Gita for solace, but no philosophy can comfort me. Let me not bemoan further and spoil the peace that Nagasundaram will be having in heaven. So what else can I say except "Blessed be you, Nagasundaram. Let your fair name live for ever!"
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