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by
Dayamani Manasseh
FOREWORD
Professor K. Meenakshi Sundaram, M.A., M.Lit., Ph.D.
Principal, Chikkanna Govt. Arts College, Tirupur.
Tamil is a lush forest abundant with fruit bearing trees. All its old plants
and trees there bear fruits all along. They do not fall nor do they dry. There
are trees in this forest with deep roots and they have been bearing good
fruits for more than two thousand years. As days go by, new plants and
trees appear and this forest embraces them. The culture of the Sangam era
is a story that belongs only to Tamil. When foreigners and other religions
entered Tamil Nadu, Tamil Mother warmly welcomed them and nourished
them. She delighted to see others flourishing like herself. The religion of
Samanam came in. Aryans came and many others like them. Next in the
order, Europeans and Christianity stepped into Tamil Nadu; they lived on
and still they live on.
Vedanayagars youth; his connection with Rev. Schwartz and the related
mature godliness, faith, hope and love acquired through this relationship;
the difficulties faced during his Christian service; the Pastors who were
supportive; his books; and other details including the names of many great
people who were acquainted with him - all are mentioned throughout the
book.
Since this is the biography of a Christian leader, certain Tamil words and
phrases generally used by Christians are found in the essay, e.g. magizh
kondar (were delighted), Chennai poi thirumbugaiyil (while returning from
Chennai), sabaikku purambaakinar (excommunicated from the church),
Meetparaaga (Redeemer), Meetpin seidhi (message of redemption).
Through this author, the real meanings of words like Sadhur, Vaanan etc.
are given.
The deep friendship with King Serfoji and the separation from him are so
beautifully pictured that it touches ones heart. The loyalty of each of them
to his own religion shines like the light on the hillock. The statement,
Please do not pull any one into your way uttered by the King is proof of
that. Also, while narrating the life story, references to Vedanayagar's
humorous speech enhances the beauty of the essay.
The author has eloquently expressed Vedanayagars love for the language.
Vedanayagars principled attitude towards money is well explained: O
King if we have plenty of food, we will stop praying, Give us this day our
daily bread. We will even forget God thinking that we do not need any
ones help. Money results in sin. Your love is more than enough for me. I
do not want your gift of land. This passage reflects the deep convictions of
Vedanayagars heart.
Indicating the fact that his belongings are still available as exhibits is a great
help to scholars in history.
The author has beautifully described the interesting family life of
Vedanayagam, for example in her portrayal of the first wife cuddling the
children as she leaves the family.
Though Henry Bower has already written a biography of Vedanayagar, this
book will be very useful. It is divided well into 19 sections and based on the
poems of Sastriar, the author having soaked in his poetic works, travelled to
places where he lived and researched his genealosy. It is no exaggeration to
say that Mrs. Dayamani Manasseh has given a great gift to Christianity and
to the Tamil language. While Christian Tamil writers spread the Christian
principles, I think those who belong to other religions will also value the life
story of Vedanayagar as Serfoji did.
K. Meenakshisundaram
PREFACE
K. T. Thirunaavukkarasu
Associate Professor, World Tamil Institute
From time immemorial many poetic scholars have enjoyed adorning
Mother Tamil with new and different flowers. Among the new flowers,
some shine as flowers of devotion, some as flowers of enchantment
touching the heart and others shine as divine flowers showing the way.
The fragrance of their piety removes the souls dullness and the longing of
humans and they have the great ability to imbue a new spirit into them. By
creating several such good flowers, Thanjai Vedanayaga Sastriar worked
hard to spread the good news of Jesus, the Lord.
His life and ministry earned him undying fame. Having taken up his
religious work as his divine service, our Sastriar earned the pride of place by
serving tirelessly in every way through Tamil. Though the nation has
known him well as a great Christian servant, only some of us know him as
one who has contributed to the growth of Tamil language. For the first time,
this book titled Vedanayaga Vedasastri introduces him as both a religious
servant and also as a contributor to the growth of Tamil language to us.
This book portrays the life of Sastriar based on his poetic work rendered in
his books. On the one hand this is a research book supported with
appropriate evidences. The author has brought light to the shadowy
moments of Sastriar's life. This book describes also the privileged position
enjoyed by the Tamil Christian people and by Christianity during the last
century. It is significant that it is written in simple and beautiful language
coupled with lucid and flexible style to enable both the highly educated and
others to read and enjoy it.
This book is divided into 19 sections. Each section presents before our
minds eyes the life of Vedanayaga Sastriar. The person who has given us
the precious book with a feeling of piety is Mrs. Dayamani Manasseh. Her
keen intellect and service-mindedness touch our hearts deeply. This book
indicates that her ability to tell the story is part of her inherent skills. We
are heartened to realise that she is herself the direct descendant of
Vedanayaga Sastriar. The Tamil World is indebted to her and expresses
its gratitude for this book.
K.T. Thirunaavukkarasu
Chennai, 27.08.75
______________________________________
Rev. Sahib D.V. Devanesan written in 1947 in the style of that time,
describes the impact on Sastriars life and his literary works as a result of
the happenings of his age and that of the contacts he had with other great
scholars.
Since the descendants of Sastriar continue the Christian service like their
forefathers, the documents in their possession and the information and
testimonies gained through hearsay from generation to generation have
affirmed this books point of view. The author herself is the granddaughter
of Vedanayagars grandson, Jebamani Sastriar through his daughter.
According to the author, the only reason for the writing of this book is her
Desire to write, in beautiful simple Tamil, the life of Sastriar who rose to
eminence all his life purely through Gods grace and through the way he
wrote his books, making every breath an expression of praise to Christ
Jesus,.
The author did not get this Desire today or the day before; it has been dormant in her
heart for years together. The seed born out of this desire was sown by Gods grace and
the way it has sprouted; grown, blossomed and yielded new fruit - with the
encouragement of the Bicentenary celebration Publishing committee of this book, and
the lovers of Tamil - does not display the worthiness or the scholarliness of the author
herself. This is purely the unique privilege given by Christ Jesus.
Anjala Richard
Chennai, August 1975
Introduction
THE THRESHOLD
South Tamil Nadus Tirunelveli a small township in that district. There at
the foot of the hillock lies a wide vast green expanse of grass, where an
eager group of people have gathered. Right there, the words of a lyric
composed in Senjuriti raga (tune) resonate in the air with a loud and bold
voice borne in the air fell falling into the ears of the people - even those
standing afar. All eyes looked at the person who was singing.
He was Standing in front of them on an elevated wide rock, he was tall, broad and
majestic in appearance. In complexion, he appeared reddish gold. Yes, the evening
was disappearing and as the reddish gold rays of the setting sun fell on all those
gathered there, they too shone with a reddish gold complexion. The hillside, the
crowd, the earth and the horizon turned red with red rays falling on them. In tune
with the surroundings, the lyrics resounded:
Poem:
Has heaven become earth since God has become man?
What is this?
Has heaven become earth since God has become man?
That great man was singing with great joy the miraculous birth of Jesus, the Lord.
Now and again he was explaining the meaning and the principle of the words
through sadhur preaching - in a compelling way supported with Biblical
references. There were different kinds of people belonging to different castes in
that crowd including Brahmins who were well versed in Hindu theological books.
They listened to the lyric and its meaning with great interest and praised with
wonder.
At that time, one among the Brahmins looked at the singer and asked him
sarcastically, What are you blabbering? Can heaven (sky) become earth or the
earth become heaven ? From the great man who did not fear another man came the
response, Sir, if the place where Ramar dwells can become Ayodhi, then when
the God of Gods who cannot be encompassed by heaven takes the form of man and
comes to earth, the earth can become the heaven. Why not? The Brahmin retorted
immediately, He is Sastriar, son of Sastriar. Not an ordinary man. His friend
excitedly exclaimed, Can the offspring of a tiger become a cat? Who is this tiger
born to a tiger?
It is Gnanasigamani Sastriar. He is the eldest son of the Evangelical Court Poet
Vedanayaga Sastriar who was born in Tirunelveli and flourished in Thanjavur
town. With great joy in his heart for having gained him as his special son
Vedanayaga Sastriar sang thus:
Poem:
He took the divine holy Bible
Studied about Jesus;
Was generous, fasted and meditated about the One
Who was born in Bethlehem forest
To eradicate the darkness of superstition and
To let the humans attain heaven.
* Dayamani Manasseh 1
1
She is the wife of Rev. J.D. Manasseh, G.Th., B.D. who served the Church
of South India for more than 30 years and was connected with the Christian
Literature Society.
Chapter 1
FATHER ARUNACHALAM PILLAI
(Generation of the Grace of Christ)
Poem:
I praise the Lord, Who is
Seated on the throne of Grace
And Who created the whole world
And sustains her every day.
(Bethlehem Kuravanji Song of Praise 6)
Arunachalam Pillai , who hailed from a family of the Karazhar caste, was a
great example to Saivaite religion in Tirunelveli, a town that shone like a
special example to South Tamil Nadu. He thoroughly learnt the ancient
epics of Hindu religion and that of the Saivaite philosophies and memorized
them. He accepted all the teachings of the Brahmins and Saivite monks. To
attain kaayasithi (supernatural powers over the body), he took some
medicines and went once to Sadhuragiri mountain.
Arunachalam Pillai was the son of Annamalai Chettiar, who arranged the
marriage of his son with Sadhananda Vadivu, the granddaughter of Thalavai
Mudaliar, a great rich man in Tirunelveli. 2 Therefore it is clear that
Arunachalam Pillai belonged to a rich family. The family of Arunachalam
Pillai along with their relatives lived in Tirunelveli on Puttarathiamman
street which is still there. The female deity Puttarathiamman was the
concubine of the male deity Nellaiappar. The forefathers of Arunachalam
Pillai were worshipping this God. In addition to their wives, husbands had
concubines. The words of concubines had greater power over that of the
wives. Probably thinking that it was a common practice, the people in those
days would not have minded it. One can even say that some people thought
2
It is understood that since the progeny of the Chettiar caste took
brides from the progeny of Mudaliars, in those days those who were
called Chettiars and Mudaliars and the Vellalars, who were generally
called Pillais belonged to the same caste.
One day, the Catechist came to Arunachalam Pillai and told him, Sir, your
generous giving to the poor will earn you great reward. But you must
understand Aanda Poruzh (the Divine Ruler/God.)
Poem:
The penance taken up by those
who have not known the Divine Ruler
Is equivalent to the sand kept at the base
to support a tree that is already dead.
And this is the proverb of yore. In response, Arunachalam said that since he
understood Sivam as the Divine Ruler/God, as the appropriate worship to
him, he did whatever he could to the poor and needy. Then the Catechist
said that the totally holy only true God is the Governing Power and he also
explained to the extent possible as to who is the only true God and how he
should be worshipped. Arunachalam Pillai wanted to know more about that
holy true God.
Therefore the next day, Gnanendra-kaniyan took him to Rev. Vedapodhagam, the Priest in
charge of the Roman Catholic Church at Kamanayakkanpatti which is about 40 miles from
his place. The Priest who came out from the monastery looked at Arunachalam Pillai with
urudhiratcham (the garland of sacred beads) around his neck and with the sacred powder on
his forehead and being unable to tolerate the sight, even without asking for any detail from
him, he went back into the monastery. The young Arunachalam was patiently waiting at the
entrance of the church.
The Catechist went after the Priest and explained to him gently about the devotee of Siva who
had eagerly come all the way from a long distance and was waiting patiently to listen to the
holy scripture and then the Priest came out. He took Arunachalam Pillai into the church and
had him sit next to him. Priest Vedapodhagam told him in detail that the only true God is
the Governing Power and how the Christian scriptures make it clear that the Holy God, being
one among the triune God, revealed himself through Jesus Christ. Further, he also explained
how Jesus Christ, the son of God brought about freedom from sin to humankind through his
death on the cross. He also explained how any one who believes in Jesus, the Lord, would
find full mental satisfaction of having been healed from the incurable disease of sin. He also
talked to him about baptism by water which is the symbol for the washing away of sin.
Disciple Arunachalam who came to know what truth is and the Priest Vedapodhagam who
wanted to tell what it is, did not realize the passing of time and were lost in conversation for
hours together.
Arunachalam listened with great intent to all that the Priest told him and
researched within his heart and asked him several questions to clear his
doubts. Finally he realised that this is truth and got firm faith. He
requested the Priest to give him baptism. The Priest responded that in
order to affirm that he believed all that he said and that he would change his
ways accordingly, he should remove his garlands of beads etc. as a mark of
his acceptance. Also, he should learn the order of the worship service of the
Roman Catholic Church, prayers, creed etc., memorising them, and that he
should pass the examination that he would conduct. And he categorically
told him that he could give him baptism only after that.
Just as the divine teachings of Lord Jesus kept the hearts of the disciples at
Emmaus aflame, the advisory teachings of the Priest Vedapodhagam also
kept Arunachalam Pillais heart aflame. Therefore, without any hesitation,
Arunachalam Pillai said, Ask them to bring fire. Though the Priests
servant understood Arunachalam Pillais intentions, with great disbelief, he
thought that he was doing some tricks. Yet, he brought the clay pot with
burning coals in it. That very moment, Arunachalam Pillai took off the
sacred garland of beads that he was wearing on his head and around his neck
and put them in the fire. He also removed the sacred ash from his forehead.
Those gathered around there were shocked. The Priest too was shocked. At
the same time he was happy too.
Arunachalam Pillai stayed with Priest Vedapodhagam in Kamanayakanpatti
at his monastery and studied well the Roman Catholic Christian principles,
the prayers, confession and the creed. After the examination, he got
baptism. At that time he was twenty years old. Arunachalam Pillai was
born in 1735 and took baptism in the Roman Catholic Christian Church in
1755. Priest Vedapodhagam became the god father for Arunahcalam Pillai
and gave him the name Devasagayam.
Devasagayam Pillai went from Kamanayakkanpatti to Tirunelveli often and
shared with his parents about the Truth that he had known. Also he got rid
of all the unnecessary luxury. His relatives found great change in his words,
habits and behaviour. His relatives came to him and asked him , As an
educated man, how can you lose your senses like this? and they tried to
make him change his path. Without listening to their words or without
getting scared of their threats, Devasagayam Pillai spoke with strong and
unchanging faith that the scripture that he had learnt and understood is the
God-given scripture and that the God whom he worships is the only true
God. Because of his words, his relatives kept him away from their caste.
But Devasagayam Pillai stood like an unbreakable rock.
Realising this, his father, Iyamperumal Pillai, believing all that his son said,
repented and took baptism along with his children. Besides this, as with the
Chapter 2
FATHER DEVASAGAYAM PILLAI
(Tirunelvelis Tamil Poet)
Poem:
Thou art Praise, River of mercy,
Treasure, Lord, God
Refuge, Eternal Lord, Destiny
Art, Eternity
Wisdom, Gift, Channel of Heavenly Bliss,
Husband, Remain in my heart,
At your feet, my heavenly God.
(Parabaran Malai Section 2 Invocation 5)
Devasagayam Pillai was learning the Latin language with his God-father,
Priest Vedapodhagams support, to be ordained as a Priest. There was a rule
that only a third generation Christian could be ordained as a priest. In
Devasagayam Pillais family, he was the very first person who got
converted to Christianity. Therefore, since he could not be ordained as a
priest, the Chief Priest appointed him as Dominican Catechist. Ten years
passed by in this service.
In those days, one Savarirayan Chettiar from Avaikulam of
Ramanathapuram, Kumari district used to visit Priest Vedapodhagam to
make his confession. During one of his visits, Priest Vedapodhagam
talked to Chettiar about his godson, Devasagayam. Savarirayan happily
agreed to have his daughter, Gnanappoo married to Devasagayam Pillai.
Priest Vedapodhagam married them both in the year 1770. At that time
Devasagayam was 35 years old.
A male child was born to these two in the year 1774 A.D. Devasagayam
Pillai arranged that his God-father should baptise this child and he was
named Vedapodhagam. Since Vedapodhagam was the name of his guru
(mentor), Devasagayam used to call his son Vedanayagam. That name
remained and continues till this day.
Gnanappoo bore three children. In the year 1781, when she went to her
parents home, she fell ill and died. Devasagayam who lost his beloved
wife, after having spent 10 years with full/total contentment, was in great
grief. He came to Anaikulam from Tirunelveli and finished all the final
rites. After some days, Devasagayam left his seven year old son,
Vedanayagam and his other two children, Soosaiammal and Packianaathan,
in Anaikulam to be brought up in the home of their grandfather and returned
to his home town to continue his service/ministry.
After two years, Devasagayam Pillai returned to Anaikulam, where he
married Mariamuthu, the relative of his first wife there. He returned to
Tirunelveli with his second wife taking along with him his son,
Vedanayagam. At that time his god-father Priest Vedapodhagam was not
there.
He was transferred to Devarthandhar Nellai Church as
Superintendent. Devasagayam Pillai once again served with great interest
as Dominican Catechist. Nellai Roman Catholic Church congregation and
the people of the town respected him very much. Seeing this, a member of
the Roman Catholic Church named Arulananda Mudali became very jealous
of him. He tried to gain the friendship of Priest Devarthanathar, a
Westerner.
When Arulananda Mudali went to meet the Priest once, he complained
about Catechist Devasagayam. He said that the Catechists friend, a lame
sanyasin (ascetic) who had a beard (as did Priest Devarthanadhar) and who
had learnt about the doctrines of the Scriptures, was going about talking like
a great wise man and that the Catechist was encouraging him with great
respect for him. One day, the Priest happened to see the sanyasin passing
by the street. The thought that he was pretending to be like him came to his
mind. He was raging with great anger. Calling the sanyasin to come to
him, he pulled his beard and burst out saying, Do you dare to have a beard
as I do? He teased the lame wise man, humiliated him and chased him
away. When Devasagayam Pillai came to know what happened to his
friend, he was shocked.
He comforted his friend saying, Even
Padhidaara (Protestants) 3 will not do such a thing. When Priest
Devarthanadhar heard about Devasagayam Pillais words, he was enraged
that he had humiliated him by comparing him to Protestants and he made an
announcement in the church that Devasagayam Pillai had become a
Protestant; he cursed him and excommunicated him from the Roman
Catholic Church.
In the great ancient town of Palayamkottai in the district of Tirunelveli,
which was famous for its Tamil language, the first church of the Protestant
Christians was taking shape in 1785. Lady Clorinda, a Brahmin, was one
who paved the way for this. This lady had gained the love and support of
Colonel Littleton, an English man who was in Palayamkottai. After the
death of the Colonel, she began to love Jesus Christ more and completely
surrendered herself to him. Therefore, in 1778, Rev. Christian Frederick
Schwartz, a Lutheran missionary, gave her baptism. Then she extended her
service of love to all. She told about the good news of Jesus to all. She was
like a magnet that attracted many to Jesus, the Redeemer.
Devasagayam Pillai having heard about her, took his friend, the lame
Sanyasin (who later was taught by Rev. Schwartz and served as Catechist
with him) to Palayamkottai and shared with Lady Clorinda the information
that he had been excommunicated by the Roman Catholic Church Priest as a
Protestant. Then the Lady told him, You can stay here and preach to me. I
shall give remuneration for your service. Devasagayam Pillai agreed to
this, and the Lady looked after him with love and care. Then, having
noticed Devasagayam Pillais eagerness to learn the hidden meaning of the
Bible, the Lady sent him to Rev. Schwartz in Thanjavur. Devasagayam
Pillai stayed there for four months learning about the detailed preaching of
the Bible and the life experiences of the Pastor. Happy and praising God, he
returned to Palayamkottai.
The church construction started by Lady Clorinda was completed and stood
erect with pride. In order to dedicate it (keeping it separate for God to keep
3
Roman Catholic Church members used to refer to Protestant
-----Chapter 3
VEDAPODHAGA VEDANAYAGAM
(The playful child lost in wonder!)
On 7th Sep. 1774, Vedapodhagam known as Vedanayagar was born to the
Tirunelveli Tamil poet who was the Catechist in the Thanjavur Protestant
church and to Gnanappoo.
Father Devasagayam sent his young son to study with a Tamil German
teacher soon after he completed five years of age. He also gave the Teacher
proper fees for his tuition. But his wife, Gnanappoo died the very next year
and Vedanayagam became a motherless child. Consequently his education
was affected. The motherless seven year old Vedanayagam and his siblings
lived in their grandfathers home with all comforts for two years.
In those days, since grandfather Savarirayan was a wealthy man with farms
and fields, he was not much concerned about Vedanayagams education. So
the boy was wandering in the fields like a playful child. He went along with
the men who were taking care of the cattle and enjoyed himself in their
company going round the forest. The future Poet-King was roaming the
forest taking care of the herd of cows!
Did not David, the King of Israel, the expert harp player and also a musicking tend his father Jesses sheep when he was a boy? (1 Samuel 16:11)
In 1783, father Devasagayam made Vedanayagam study the writing on
palm leaves and the numbers (mathematics) under a teacher in Puliangudi.
(Many students were studying under that teacher, who was also in charge of
at the face of his father who prayed with tears to God for the one who was
hurting his fathers heart. His words, I am praying only for you kept
ringing in his ears. He found the mark of love in his fathers face and
words. Vedanayagams heart melted. He asked his father, Father, will I be
able to study? His father said, If you take care and study, God will open
your eyes. He will make things clear to you. You will study well and
become a great person. The tearful prayers of Gods servant Devasagayam
reached the ears of the loving Heavenly Father, the embodiment of grace.
The loving fathers copious tears touched the heart of young Vedanayagam.
He changed. He said with a resolute heart, Father, write the lessons for me.
Hereafter I shall learn with great care.
Noticing his sons firmness, father Devasagayam taught Vedanayagam by
writing lessons and mathematical sums on palm leaves. He also taught him
to write on palm leaves by using the stylus. He further encouraged him by
using the method of giving him coins and snacks whenever he memorized
the lessons and recited them without any mistakes. The boy who had run
away from school and hid himself and wasted his time found the path of
love, followed it and grew in wisdom thanks to the tireless efforts of his
father.
Wasted my time
Was blinking without any thought Oh, Thou who carried the lost sheep Change me - I long for this, my King.
Doesnt this song written much later, reveal the deep rooted truth in his
young heart?
Chapter 5
THE LOVING DISCIPLE OF THE REVERED FATHER
(The call of love)
The year 1785 saw three major events. In this year, in Palayamkottai of
Tirunelveli, the first Christian church built by Lady Clorinda was dedicated
by Rev. Father Schwartz. It was in this year that Prince Serfoji of
Thanjavur came under the guardianship of the Bible King Rev. Schwartz.
It was in this same year, the Tirunelveli boy Vedanayagam became the
student of Rev. Schwartz.
During that time, whenever Rev. Schwartz came to Tirunelveli, he often met
his friend Devasagayam Pillai in his home. Once at night, he watched
Vedanayagam praying on his knees before going to bed. When he had first
come to Devasagayam Pillai, the Pastor had seen the intelligent face of
Vedanayagam and foreknew that he would become a great scholar. And
now, he saw the pious heart of Vedanayagam and he fully believed that he
would become a worthy servant of God. Both these great expectations of
the Pastor were fulfilled during his own lifetime.
The Pastor spoke to Vedanayagam.
Pastor: What is your name?
Vedanayagam: (with a brightened face) Vedanayagam.
Pastor: (pleased) Oh! Vedanayagam would dance and would sing!
(The lad Vedanayagam laughed)
Pastor: If you come with me, I will make you a man.
(The intelligent boy heard the call of love)
Vedanayagam: Alright Sir, I will come with you.
The Pastor was rejoiced and praised God.
Meanwhile, there was a request from Thanjavur to the Pastor asking him to
come immediately since King Thulasi was on his death bed. As the Pastor
was getting ready to leave immediately, Devasagayam Pillai came along
with Vedenagayam to see him before he left. As a person who lived up to
his divine call in his day-to-day life, the Pastor did not forget Vedanayagam
even in his hurry. He talked to Devasagayam Pillai.
Pastor: Please send your son with me. I will educate him and make him
come up in his life.
Devasagayam: Sir, he is a small fellow. He will not come that far. (He was
not aware of the fact that Vedanayagam had already expressed his interest to
him)
Pastor: If he is willing to come with me, will you object to that?
Poem:
First he gave me Psalms Also
The knowledge of the Bible Made me an expert
In Psalms and the Bible, Oh my wise Lady.
Sasthirakummi
Just because Rev. Schwartz the Teacher Father blessed his Student
Son Vedanayagam by giving him first the book of Psalms, he said,
Vedanayagan does not have any job and that is why he will sing till dawn
(Aranadhintham Bridegroom pacifies the Bride 4th lyric Why are you
angry, young woman? 3) Praising his Lord Jesus all the time, he was
flourishing as a poet and a great Tamil scholar.
Vedanayagam did not lack anything in his Masters house. Nor was there
any dearth in his fathers house. The Pastor brought up Vedanayagam as
his own dear son by giving him necessary food and clothing.
School Training:
In those days, high-caste people were very much in favour of caste
distinctions and the related restrictions. They had no connection with the
low-caste people. Therefore Rev. Schwartz had employed only high-caste
cooks and servants for him. So the non-Christian high-caste people freely
visited Rev. Schwartz without any barrier and listened to his wise counsel
for their spiritual growth and having come to know the true God, they took
baptism. Also they brought their children to be educated by him.
Man is invaluable having been bought at a price. (I Cor. 6:20) Therefore,
Rev. Fr. Schwartz knew that mans body and soul must be kept holy. So, he
was cautious not to utter any word or do anything that might discourage his
students and then he conveyed the message of salvation in a very simple and
interesting way. That they should be fully involved in their spiritual life
while they are young, was his only main concern. To that end, he taught
them the relevant portions from the scriptures. Also, he took care of them
with great kindness and became a Godfather for them. The students saw the
Saviours great love reflected in their Masters love.
Rev. Fr. Schwartz thought that Vedanayagam who was with him, should not
only be satisfied with the value of education but should also understand the
need to exercise. So he trained Vedanayagam to do some kind of jobs like
the school children who were involved in different activities during the time
they were not studying, such as watering the plants in the garden.
After four oclock in the evening, it was a practice for the Pastor to sleep for
a little while. Vedanayagam would read portions from the Bible till he went
to sleep. Since Vedanayagams reading was clear, he would always ask him
to stand in front of him and read. At times, the boy would massage his
masters legs. He would pour water for him to wash his hands. To do such
small errands for his master was a great delight to the disciple,
Vedanayagam. One day, when he was massaging the Pastors legs, the
Pastor was telling Vedanayagam about eternal life in a very interesting
manner. Then Vedanayagam told him with all excitement, Sir, I would
like to come with you to heaven and keep massaging your legs always.
Was not this a spontaneous sound that emanated from the heart of the
student who was like a son to him! Rev. Father laughed and said to his
beloved student, My son, Vedanayagam, will there be pain in the leg in
heaven? There will not be any weakness or grief there. You have to know a
lot about these things.
(If one reads all the songs under the heading
Divine Vision, four lives in the book Aranadhintham, one would come to
know that Vedanayagam later learnt well about life in heaven from his
master.)
The Teacher Pastor Schwartz brought together the students like
Vedanayagam, who reflected their inner beauty in their faces and were
eager to study. He explained to them daily the words of wisdom from the
Bible. He lit up the lamp of their spiritual life in such a way that it shone
brightly. This was his first and foremost job. The number of school students
thus chosen by Rev. Father was ten. In one of his letters, he has written
about them thus: We are sending the youth whom we think will be useful
to the Bible Catechists in their ministry along with them to the villages.
Though the names are not mentioned, it is certain that Vedanayagam was
one among them. 5
The great three-fold opportunity:
Rev. Father used to talk with all the school students about the sayings from
the Bible during the morning and evening prayer time and whenever he had
free time from his work. He tirelessly endeavoured to pass on the true
wisdom by explaining the good news of the one true God, divine love,
divine worship and the path of love of Christian life. Wasnt this a rare
opportunity to get trained with different kinds of students in Rev.
Schwartzs school in studies and in hostel duties from the beginning of
1786? (In his book Dharma Nootrevu (Charitable hundred) Sastriar refers
to following Rev. Schwartz after he came to Tirunelveli and studying while
he was 17 with hundred and eighty-six children.) Also, to get trained
individually with Rev. Fr. Schwartz for two years till the end of 1788 was
indeed a privilege.
5
As mentioned in the letter, Rev. Schwartz sent Vedanayagam even while
Thus, for the boy Vedanayagam to have been trained in education and
knowledge, not only along with Prince Serfoji and Rev. Schwartzs school
students but also in the individual training with the Pastor in his home was a
three-fold opportunity to be specifically mentioned. To get trained in
different fields of education with a Prince is not an opportunity that
everyone gets.
The opportunities gained by Vedanayagam did not stop with this! In 1785,
when he came from Tirunelveli to Thanjavur which is about 25 kadham
(250 miles), he was 12 years old, whereas Rev. Fr. Schwartz who brought
him was 59 years old. Therefore, Rev. Fathers mature love for God, his
holy exemplary life filled with faith, hope and love took deep roots in the
young innocent mind of Vedanayagam; it helped that boy grow in
incomparable love for God, firm faith and measureless love. Also, it made a
boy a servant of God at a very young age when he could have gone astray.
It made him blossom into Vedanayaga Sastriar and be a role-model to all
Christians who knew Tamil. But, in fact, whose work was this? Was not
this the word of God Jesus Christ who searched and found the Tirunelveli
Siva devotee and made him his own disciple?
Poem:
God himself rose up, and
The person living in Tirunelveli
God himself brought, and preached,
And made him Sastriar, Oh wise lady.
(Sastrakkummi)
If the Tirunelveli boy Vedanayagam had clung on to Hindu religion after his
forefathers, he could have become a great Tamil Poet like the famous
Kamban who wrote Ramas epic. Maybe, Vedanayagams religious songs
would have gained fame like Thiruvasagam of whom it is written those
whose hearts were not moved by the songs of Thiruvasagam would not be
moved by any other song. Or maybe, like Thiagayya who became a
famous Telugu maestro because of his poetic prowess, Vedanayagam too
could have become a famous Tamil scholar in music. But, Vedanayagam
who hailed from the family of Siva devotees, was born and brought up in
the ancient Roman Catholic church and heard the holy gospel through the
Protestant Church and accepted Jesus Christ and became a servant of Lord
Jesus. And today he stands as the Evangelical Poet who composed many a
song telling the news of the redemption through Christ and which were
written in lovely Tamil and sung as songs of praise throughout the world.
Whose work is this? Is not this the work of the Triune God who made him
the disciple of Jesus by making him the disciple of Rev. Fr. Schwartz!?
Rev. Schwartz founded several churches in Thanjavur. Whose will is
this?
Has not the Tirunelveli Siva devotee sung the Jebamalai as the disciple of
Jesus?
Have not the meaningful scriptures been given to all castes?
The life of false Gods has diminished.
Is it Your act or not?
Is it hard for You to show the way through your grace
To a heart filled with doubt?
Lord, Triune God that governs the heavens
Merciful, Joy Incarnate!
Jebamalai 26 Thirucheyal 11
Chapter 6
TRAINING AND SERVICE
(Tranquebar Training)
Teacher means the One who said the word, he is also a teacher
My heart worships Christ, the King, the Redeemer of mankind.
(Parama Needhi Puranam 3:59)
The two sections of the Garland of the Lord (Parabaran maalai) usurped
the place of Kadhir Kaama maalai and Ambigai maalai taught in schools.
Even the elders respected Vedanayagam and referred to him as Annaviar
(elder brother).
Poem:
Teachers with understanding
The learned doctors
Scholars of scriptural ancient history
May they all live long
(Perinba-k-kadhal Thiruchabai Vazhi 466)
Thus the learned Vedanayagam praised the great men who had trained him
to carry out his Headmasters post efficiently. As he likewise shone as
Headmaster, Vedanayagam was eulogised by his younger son Elia
Devasigamani in the following verse:
You came into the world
As son of the Tirunelveli scholar Devasagayam
The great Dr. Schwartz took you to Thanjavur
And gave you rigorous teaching
Also you had great education
From Dr. John in nearby Tranquebar
Later, you were the headmaster
In Thanjavur school. Oh! Vedanayagam.
Chapter 7
THOUGH LEFT ALONE, THE TIRUNELVELIAN STOOD FIRM
PRAISING GOD
Headmaster Vedanayagam married his paternal aunts daughter,
Vyagammal in 1795. Vedanayagams father, Devasagayam together with
Rev. Fr. Schwartz chose the girl and Rev. Janik conducted the wedding
service. Vedanayagam was very happy when his dear wife became pregnant
in due course. But the next year in 1796, the mother died even before the
child was born. Lost in grief Vedanayagam felt that his married life had
come to an end just as it was beginning. His heart melting like a candle, he
lamented saying, Dont you know my grief? and he cried out to his God,
his permanent Companion who upheld him all the time thus:
Poem:
Wont you tell me the truth about
Your heart that has not known
My heart and the grief that I am enduring?
Is your heart hardened? Or
Is it a stone that does not melt?
My Master, the Lord of Mercy.
Parabaran Maalai Pangu 1:26
Then, within two years, Vedanayagam went through another unbearable
grief. Rev. Schwartz, the Head Pastor of the Thanjavur church left the
earthly abode in Thanjavur and went to heaven on 18th Feb. 1798. Could
anyone describe the pitiable condition of Vedanayagam in losing Rev.
Father Schwartz who brought him up more than a father would, in the love
of Christ, the Redeemer and made him a great poet to sing up to the skies
the glory of the son of God? Losing the father who had given him refuge
in Thanjavur, the Tirunelvelian sought refuge in the loving heart of Jesus
and touching his feet and crying prayed:
Poem:
My heart has grown dry: Ive become lean with great grief
Can find no refuge but by surrendering to you
Have mercy on me, the betrayer
And comfort me by embracing me
And protecting me within the five wounds of your son.
(Jebamalai 1:25)
The very next year, another great tragedy struck like a roaring thunder from
the sky. In 1799, father Devasagayam Pillai who had gone to Ceylon alone
died in Jaffna. Almost speechless with grief, Vedanayagam cried out in this
poem:
Poem:
You are my father, you are my mother
You are my life, you are my Lord
Grant me grace, my Lord
So my heart is not weighed down
with unbearable grief.
(Jebamalai12:8)
Having lost the three persons whom he could call his own, one by one, he
lamented saying, I have lost my wife, my great Guru and my revered father.
I am left alone and I grieve. Hold me and comfort me, my Lord! So
saying, he became strong. Possessing unchangeable love and unshakeable
faith in Christ, the lonely disciple, Vedanayagam, after his grief, with a
broken heart, raised his voice of faith and praised God even in his aloneness.
Poem:
You and the Bible path are there,
And my heart is related to you
I have given my mind to be at your feet
The love of your dear son is with me;
Oh, when the mother is there
Why should the child fret, my heavenly Lord?
Chapter 8
CERTIFICATES, DONATIONS AND TITLES
In 1800, the great poet, Vedanayagam wrote the famous play Bethlehem
Kuravanji (Bethlehem Gypsy girl) modelled on the Tamil drama, Kutrala
Kuravanji. In Vedanayagams drama, Bethelehem Kuravanji is a Prophetess
born in Bethlehem. The church Pastors and those who spread the Good
News of Christ are the fishers of men. Kuravan, husband of Kuravanji and
his friend, Noovan, (based on the life of Kuravan and Kurathi) explain the
Christian truth through this Tamil play Bethlehem Kuravanji. Eagerly
hoping that all those who sing Kutrala Kuravanji should sing Bethlehem
Kuravanji, Vedanayagam put much effort in writing this incomparable
book, Kuravanji.
This book is like Crudens Concordance, a dictionary with synonyms. It is
clear that all the instances and teachings from the Bible are taken from sindh
poems (a kind of musical composition) like Birds get together, see and
wake up and are mentioned in this literary piece, Bethlehem Kuravanji.
Before this book was completed, poet Vedanayagam came down with a
serious fever. Then, when he prayed to God to grant him 15 more years as
God did to King Hezekiah, his prayer was answered and not just 15 years!
God gave him much longer life and also this extraordinary book was
completed. Vedanayagam praised and worshipped God:
Poem:
Light that gives hope in despair,
Light that grants many good things;
Light that is worshipped by saints
Light of wisdom, Light of miracle
Light of mercy, I surrender
Just before his death, Rev. Father Schwartz, gave the custody of
Vedanayagam to his friend and colleague, Rev. John Casper Kohloff. In
1801, he arranged the marriage of Teacher Vedanayagam with the daughter
of his maternal uncle, Michael Muthu.
She was called Michael
Muthammal. This lady also belonged to Tirunelveli. Vedanayagam spent a
lot of effort in teaching Tamil language to his wife and she in turn read
many Tamil books and became an expert in Tamil language.
6
In those days there were no universities that would give recognition to
Thanjavur where he had stayed from his childhood and had his education
along with the local children and also became a learned person.
In the same year on March 15, 1808, the Tranquebar Church congregation
was happy to hear that the play, Gnana Nondi (Wise Cripple) written by the
Poet King Vedanayagam was staged. In the play Gnana Nondi, Man
becomes a cripple because of increased sin. Redeemed by the bloodshed on
the cross by Christ, empowered by the one who died and rose again, he
receives new life and his leg is restored. He jumped and shouted with joy
and danced seeing the church in Nellai (Tirunelveli) Thus he sang and
danced and praised the grace of God. It is notable that the good news of the
redeeming power of Jesus Christ was portrayed in the Tamil dramatic style
known as Nondi Naadagam (cripple Drama.)
Having noticed the poetic talent of Vedanayagam in spreading the good
news of redemption, using the three styles of Tamil language (prose, poetry
and drama) that can be identified by Tamil Scholars, the Tranquebar
congregation gave him the title, Evangelical Poet King and also gave him
a certificate authenticated with signature.
One should note that
Vedanayagar himself has made a reference to The beautiful repetitive
prayer recital by the Evangelical Poet every day (Jebamaalai - Kaandam
2-5 Ubathira Vimochanam 11 Seyyuzh. Sastira-k-kummi 437). Just like
the Thanjavur congregation, the Tranquebar congregation also mentioned in
their citation about the Evangelical Poet King Vedanayagars divine piety,
ability to expound the Bible, the efforts he had taken to spread the good
news by composing songs in different styles and tradition, his physical
exertion and also the different principles in his books.
According to the custom of those days, in order to honour great poets, the
church members took Vedanayagar by palanquin in a procession and had a
great celebration.
Becoming aware of the appreciation gained in Thanjavur and Tranquebar,
the Evangelical Poet King desired that the people living in Madras (now
Chennai), the capital of South India should also know the value of the
meaning of his books. Therefore in 1809, he went to Madras and met the
Vepery Tamil church members.
It is almost impossible to describe the welcome that he received in Madras.
The influential respectable leader in the church was Mr. Muthusamia Pillai.
He entertained the Evangelical Poet and his companions for two months by
giving good and tasty food and costly gifts. He made one new palanquin at
the cost of sixty Varaagan (approximately Rs.400/-) for the Poet-King.
With the permission of the Church Head, Rev. Peazold, he kept the
palanquin in the Vepery church porch.
This church was in the premises of the present St. Mathias church where
there used to be worship services in four languages namely Tamil, English,
Portuguese and Dutch conducted by Rev. J.P. Febricius and Rev. W.F.
Gerike. Earlier in the year 1788, there were 17,716 Christians (Dr. Henry
Bowers book). When Vedanayagam came to Chennai there would have
been 20,000 Christians.
Rev. Peazold granted permission to Vedanayagar to release his book,
Bethlehem Kuravanji in the church porch on 19th Sep. 1809. Under the
leadership of the Pastor and in the presence of the church members and the
general public who had gathered in the church porch and in the open space,
Vedanayagar expounded his book, Bethlehem Kuravanji and its wealth of
meaning and the use of the choice words. He sang the songs with deep
expression so that people could understand them and then he released his
book. The Madras church members gave him the title, Gnana Deepa
Kavirayar (Poet King of the Light of Wisdom). That is how he introduced
himself in Aranaadhinthams Vedanayagars Appearance, as the one
who as the evangelical poet-master Light of Wisdom gave the great book
on the incarnation of Emmanuel and came in.
Also, just like the citation presented by the Churches in Thanjavur and
Tranquebar, a citation was presented at Chennai signed by the church
leaders and along with it, a palanquin was given. Then, Vedanayaga
Vedasiromani Gnana Suviseda Kavi Chakravarthi was clothed in grand
garments, further adorned with green shawl and seated in the palanquin.
Without any class differences, people crowded in the front and at the back
of the palanquin. Several instruments were played and hymns rent the air
and while the gracious generous church delighted, Gnana Deepa Kavi Rayar
was taken around Vepery in a procession. Having witnessed such a grand
reception, Vedanayagam expressed his gratitude, by composing a song in
praise of Muthusamia Pillai as if written by his student, Vaman in the style
of Cripples song (Nondi tharu paattu). That song was named Entrance
to Chenna Pattanam (The city of Madras) or Pattinam Nondi (The City
Cripple).
Having come to know through newspapers, about the titles and citations
given by the three cities of Thanjavur, Tranquebar and Madras to the
wonder poet, Vedanayagam, the Tiruchirapalli church members invited
Gnana Deepa Kavi Rayar (Light of Wisdom Poet King) to Tiruchi. They
erected a stage made of wooden planks in the big street in the city with a
temporary roof for the release of the songs of the Poet. All the church
members without any class distinctions, high or low had assembled there.
At that time, Vedanayaga Kavi Rayar released the book composed in 1813
entitled Perinba-k-kadhal (Divine Love) on the sufferings of the Saviour
Lord Jesus a book that would melt ones heart - he also released the book,
Poem:
Because of Jesus, we received greatness; received grace
Received the Holy Spirit with happiness
Because of Jesus we received sonship
Received many many blessings
Because of Jesus we received eternal life
And received life to live forever.
Is there anything lacking for pious people?
So, swing along,
You are the children of the Lord of Lords,
Swing along.
Chapter 9
THE DISCIPLES POETIC ABILITY
(The Masters unique pride)
We noted that Vedanayagar Vedasastri would have started composing right from his
sixteenth year, as Rev. Schwartz expressed pride in his disciple by reading his short poems.
He was gratified to note that his disciples poetic ability had helped him make a decision to
appoint him as the Headmaster of his own school and was happy that his capability flourished
after that.
We find from the books that Vedanayagam wrote during this period that he had composed
some beautiful songs for school children which Rev. Schwartz was happy to hear;
Parabaran Maalai 1794 (see Introduction), Wisdom Dance 1796 (Introduction/End
Poetry), Gnana Andhaathi 1796 (Poetry 4). The year of Rev. Schwartzs death was 1798.
(Poem)
The song of beautiful wise Kummi (the beautiful wisdom kummi)
Composed by Nellai Vedanayaga Sastri
Has grace, has meaning, has knowledge
And has an end that will lead
To the bliss of Heaven.
(Gnana-k-kummi Class 5 Poetry 21)
Thus the school children sang and danced the Wisdom kummi which made Rev. Schwartz
happy.
Gnana Andhadhi is a version of the Song of Solomon in the Bible. A few lines pregnant
with profound meaning are given below:
Wise wife referring to the wise husband:
He is everywhere, knowing all
He is in the heart of poor me,
He is here too as a gracious miracle of love
He is in the heart of every living thing,
He, the king of Davids throne is beside me.
(Gnana Andhadhi Poetry 20)
Thinking that at any cost, Rev. Kohloff should understand his love for him and begin to love
him, Vedanayagam composed a letter written in verse form (Seetu-k-kavi) as though God
Jesus, the Lord himself wrote that letter (in 1810) to Rev. John Kohloff and he sent it to him.
Here is the letter he wrote:
The King wearing the Crown, King of Heaven and Earth
Son of Jerusalem
Lord of Israel from Nazareth Boldly imagined
The disciple of Casper John Kohloff
Who also came from the great Rev. Schwartz We have sent him to you because
We are happy to know
That he is gentle, humble, patient
And a person who will befriend
And understand everyone
Vedanayagan who came to serve
Has composed many a great song in my name
It is but your duty to take care of him with love
Who has worshipped me with true love.
Son of God who went around
The New Jerusalem like Jesus, the son.
Lord Jesus, the Saviour of sinners
And the son of the Lord of Lords. 7
As soon as Rev. Kohloff read this, he was moved to tears. He realised that Vedanayagam
was longing to receive his love by expressing his true love. His heart was touched. He
7
The last line in the manuscript could not be seen and read [deciphered?] . This is the
Authors addition.
thought of the great love that Vedanayagam had for Jesus. His heart melted. From that day
on, disciple Vedanayagam became the son of Rev. Kohloff and Vedanayagam sang with joy.
Poem:
When Rev. John Kohloff with a heart, filled with love
Stood firm as a great Pastor
Vedanayagam, son of the famous Devasagayam
Tirunelveli Poet King gifted with words profound
Composed Kuravanji in 1800
(Kuravanji Paayiram Poetry 7)
Rev. Kohloff took care of Sastriar with much love and concern for 34 years, revering him till
his death in 1844.
Thus, the loving Rev. Father Schwartz, the intellectual Rev. Dr. John and the gracious Rev.
Kohloff were proud of Vedanayagams poetic capability. Just because these three found a
place not only in the heart of Vedanayagam but also in his poetry, will they not find a unique
place of pride along with Vedanayagam, the Poet Emperor as long as Tamil lives in the
annals of the Tamil Poets?
---------
Chapter 10
MY LORD WHO DOES GREAT THINGS
Arulayee, sister of Sastriar had six daughters and finally had another daughter as her seventh
child. When Arulayee and her husband, Vygappa realised that the seventh child too was a
girl, they were thinking of giving that child to someone. Since Sastriar did not have children
of his own, he adopted the 30 days old child himself. He and his wife, Mikkel Muthammal
became the God-father and God-mother of the child naming her Gnanadeepam (light of
wisdom)and bringing her up with great care. Gnanadeepam was born on 22nd May 1811 at 2
p.m.
In that same year, Sastriar left with his family for Jaffna in Ceylon, where many Tamils lived.
On their way, there was no wind from the North and the boat could not proceed, so they had
to stay near the shore. The money in their hands was spent. The boatman said that only after
making some special pooja to his God, and acting like a clown and checking with
soothsayers,and then when the North wind blows, he would take the boat and start the
journey. Sastriar told him, What your God would do after many days, my God will do
immediately and looking toward the North, he prayed and sang:
Poem:
Moved with anxiety to spread the word
Crossing the sea and proceeding to Jaffna
Because of the direction of the wind,
We had to spend a week here
Thou, Triune God, my companion
Please send the wind from the North.
Even as he was singing, the Northern wind started blowing. Stunned by this, the boatman
immediately took Sastriar and his family and landed them safe across on the shore. Sastriar
showed to God the single coin that he had and asked him not to let him down. He took a
palanquin and landed in the house of his friend, Rev. Christian David. As soon as the Pastor
saw Sastriar, he welcomed him warmly, paid the money to the palanquin bearers and
dismissed them. Sastriar praised God who took care of him always without letting him down.
After staying in the Pastors home for some days, he rented a house for a few months and
spread the good news by singing his songs to the people there. One day, the dhobi (laundry
man) came to Sastriar with great agitation and told him how all the clothes he had given to
him for washing had been stolen. When Sastriar ascertained that what he had said was true,
with hands closed in prayerful gesture, he prayed and pleaded with the God of grace and sang
a few lyrics. At that time, a Hindu merchant who was standing outside, heard him singing,
entered the house and asked him whether he could listen to his songs. While the merchant
whom Sastriar had never seen before sat and listened, he sang his songs melodiously.
The inner sentiments of Sastriars heart poured out at that very moment in the form of a new
song:
My heart, dont you get distressed,
Do not forget the Saviour of Mount Zion
My heart dont you get distressed,
As to what you will do.
Even if problem after problem besets
Or if a friend turns into a foe
Hearing this heart-rending song, the Hindu merchant realised that there was a great burden in
Sastriars heart and after a while he asked him what that problem was. When Sastriar told
him about the theft of his clothes, immediately that man gave a cheque to Sastriar for fifty
riyal, and asked him to buy necessary clothes for all. He also said that if it was not enough he
could ask him and that he would be responsible for that expense.
It was famine time in Jaffna. For one pooviragan (money) three measures of rice were sold.
However God took care of Sastriars family in such a way that there was nothing lacking for
them. Tamil speakers who lived in the surrounding villages came and stayed there and
enjoyed listening to the good news of redemption by the one true God through the songs of
Sastriar and then returned with new enthusiasm to lead a life with the goal of attaining
eternal heavenly bliss.
On returning to Thanjavur, Vedanayagam was happy to see his daughter Gnanadeepam
growing day by day. He was greatly involved in singing for his God Jesus. He had written
52 books by the year 1808 (before he was 34 years old). (Pattanam Nondi/City cripple
Poem 41) Later he continued to compose the Garland of Prayer (Jebamaalai) that he had
started in 1810. He was totally engrossed in completing this till 1855.
In 1813, he was granted biological parenthood on 6th Oct. when a handsome son,
Gnanasigamony was born. Sastriar was immensely happy. Rev. Packianaathan baptised the
child and gave him the name, Gnanasigamani. The Pastor and his wife were God-father and
God-Mother respectively. Mikkel Muthammaiar and other women relatives brought up the
child, Gnanasigamony with much care. By 1814, Sastriar (40 years old) had written 80 books
(Sastra-k-kummi 768).
In the life of Sastriar, certain years need special mention. It is to be noted that the incidents
that took place during these years had an impact not only on the life of Sastriar but also on
the Tamil Christian churches.
In 1814, Rt.Rev. Thomas Middleton was consecrated as the First Bishop in the city of
Calcutta. Between 1815 and 1825, after the Head of the Early Protestant Missionaries had
handed over the responsibility to the Head of the Newly Established English Church in India,
no definite decision was taken about the Leader of these Churches. Therefore it can be
assumed there was no special change that took place in these churches during this period.
In 1816, the Calcutta Bishop Rt. Rev. Middleton completed the Order of Worship for services
at St. Georges Church in Chennai.
In these days, Sastriar used to spend some time with his children every day. The three year
old Gnanasigamony delighted his father with his lisping words. Sastriar called him
Appavoo with endearment. In Gnanasigamonys lisping language, it changed to Appali.
Then older people too started calling him Appali lovingly chellamaaha (loving son). The
father was heartened to see the little girl, Gnanadheepam whom he called Ammavu,
caressing her little brother, cuddling him and talking to him childishly. The time spent with
his children gave him new vigour. He threw himself into correcting his composition,
Bethlehem Kuravanji. In 1820, he completed his corrections and sent it to Tamil
Churches.
In 1823, Rt. Rev. Reginald Heber was consecrated as the second Bishop in Calcutta.
In 1826, Bishop Heber came to Thanjavur. He was delighted to see a host of 1300 people
gathered in the Church in the month of March. Speaking to Sastriar at that time, he bought
his book Garland of Prayer; (Jebamaalai) and the book containing the Tamil Christian
Lyrics so that they could be kept in the British Museum. On 1st April Easter day he
preached the sermon in the church and then on 3rd April, he went into his bathroom and never
came out alive. All those who heard about his sudden death, were shocked. It is not known
whether or not those two books reached the British Museum.
In 1827, Rt. Rev. L.P. Hawbroe was appointed as the Missionary of the Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel. During his period, there were many caste clashes among the
Thanjavur church members. In those days, there were separate places and seating mats for
high caste and low caste people. For those who were sitting in the front, communion was
given first and it was given next to those at the back. Rev. Hawbroe ordered that such
distinction should not be continued and that all should sit together on one mat spread over the
whole area. The high caste people opposed this order. Rev. Hawbroe and another pastor
called Sastriar who was the head of the high caste Vellalas and asked him to make his people
agree to the change. For that, Sastriar advised saying, The congregation is still in the stage
of drinking milk. They will soon start eating rice. As they gain understanding and grow in
Christs love, step-by-step, this distinction will automatically disappear. Coercion will not
bear good results. The Pastors did not accept his advice. Dissension grew in 1829 and the
next year Rev. Hawbroe excommunicated many Vellalas. Sastriar was one among them.
Sastriars group wrote about this to the Home Board. While waiting for an answer, those
excommunicated from the church gathered together in Sastriars house, praying and singing
and worshipping God. It was adjudged that there was no place for them in the cemetery even
for burial. It was during those days that Sastriar composed The song of the Lent
(Jebamaalai).
After some time, Rev. Pope met Sastriar and asked him, Sastriar, are you doing fine? In
response, he gave the answer from The Song of Lent itself:
We are the members of the famous
Rev. Schwartzs church;
We are weighed down with sorrow
And there is no mercy.
People think of themselves
Their house and their children
There is no one to think of us
Please govern us, Jesus, my Lord.
Since Sastriar was explaining the Biblical teachings through his poems and was spreading the
good news, the Head of the Church Mission, had been giving him a monthly salary in
recognition of his services. Rev. Hawbroe stopped it. Sastriar felt insulted. Coming to know
of this, King Serfoji was willing to support his Elder Brother Poet (Annakaviyar). Sastriar
sang in praise of the Lord Jesus who does good things when things go bad:
Poem:
I worship Him who surprises me
I worship Him, the truthful light of eternal bliss
I worship Him who gave me salvation and embraced me
I worship Him who gave me the treasure of wisdom
I worship Him who gives me vision
I worship Him who, as an eye, is more precious than my own eyes
I worship Him who showed me the narrow way
I worship Him who said the word and revealed my mentor
I worship Him and I worship Him
I worship the feet of our Lord and Teacher Jesus.
Vedanayagam and Serfoji, who, as the students of Teacher Rev. Schwartz, grew up as elder
and younger brother for two years, later became the King of Poetry and the King of the Land
respectively! Poet Vedanayagam used to meet King Serfoji now and again. He also received
many gifts from the King including a piece of land where he could stay, known as Inaam
Kaasa Vargam (free gift). Sastriar built a small house on this land. King also gave him fifty
varagans (more than Rupees 330/-) every year. The King who had been calling him Anna
(Elder Brother) started calling him 'Annakavi ' (Elder Brother Poet), and the Poet happily
praised the King:
Poem:
Giving just judgements
As a king with a sceptre
May you live long
Ruling your country with justice.
The King was happy to learn about the different titles of fame obtained by Annakavi and he
greatly revered him. Years rolled by.
When the King heard about the caste-clashes in 1829 and then about the humiliation suffered
by Sastriar in 1830, the King summoned him. Sastriar met him and sang a song of praise.
After getting all the details from him, the King appointed Annakavi as Samasthana Vidvan
(court poet). Twice in a month, when their scripture could not be said on days such as
Ashtami, Pradhamai, Navami, Thuvaathasi, and Ammavasai (New Moon), the King would
send for Sastriar to come to his palace and ask him, Anna Kavi! Tell me about your
scripture and then he would have him sing Bhajans (worship songs) on those days. He
made arrangements to give him a monthly salary of Rs.35/-. The Court Poet sang heartily,
saying that the king, though young in age, was a person great in character:
Poem:
In the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty
When the trouble came
Because of Rev. Hawbroe
And I was in great grief,
More than a mother
You gave love in the heart
Of Serfoji, King of Thanjavur
And made him give a salary.
God of Heaven may the heavenly life
And earthly life abound
For the eminent son of King Sivaji
May he live long eternally.
May the love in King Serfoji
Grow more and uphold me,
My family and my song.
To that end, grant me grace.
(Lyric: Aarunthunai Illaiye)
Anna (Sastriar, after he became the Court Poet started calling the King, Maha Raaja, (Great
King). Yet, during the conversation with the king, he would talk to him freely. There were
often opportunities for argument between the two in which Sastriar would justify his points
without any fear. The King always felt in his heart that his explanations were correct; and he
was very happy.
One day, the king told Sastriar, Annakavi, the way you talk to me, it seems as though you
will floor me. Does not this remind us of what King Agrippa told Apostle Paul! (Acts of
the Apostles 25: 25, 26; Ch.26) Agrippa tells Paul, Do you think in such a short time, you
can persuade me to be a Christian? In fact, just like St. Paul, Sastriar too had only one goal:
that all - right from the great King to himself, the poor servant should accept Christ Jesus
as their Saviour and Redeemer.
In such a way, Sastriar wished that the Kings and his own caste people who boasted
themselves to belong to the high caste and people of all castes should worship the Saviour
together. That was why he thought day and night and wrote songs condemning with
firmness, clarity and boldness the customs, practices and the way of Hindu worship
(Gnanathatcha Nadagam Vaguppu 4 Ore Sadhi). He sang those before the King and
emphasised the truth:
Where do you find caste?
And where do you find Saivam in it?
You read over and over again the scriptures
The doctrines of scriptures;
Dont you know that Sathiar
Was born of a sinful woman to Vadhishtar?
Where is caste?
You have worshipped the wicked
Fallen angels
Is it right on your part to denounce
The Bible people as breakers of caste?
(Song Where is caste? Poetry 4, 32)
When the people in the court became aware of the Kings great love for Sastriar, their hearts
were burning with jealousy. To tease and insult Sastriar in front of the King, they asked him,
Our Gods have many vehicles. Does your God have one? Sastriar replied I will ask you
one thing. Will you answer me? They enquired, What is it?
Sastriar replied:
Poem:
If a single Brahmin comes along
That is not a good omen
Whereas if a donkey brays
Your wish will be fulfilled - thus you said, wise lady.
(Sastra-k-kummi: Poetry 154)
He asked, When you go out for a good purpose, if a Brahmin comes in front of you, is it a
good omen or bad? They said, It is a bad omen, Then he asked, If the donkey brays, is it
a good omen? They said, It is a good omen. Then Sastriar said with pride.
Sastriar said, My God has definitely chosen as his vehicle only a good animal that is
regarded as a better omen than a Brahmin. The King burst out laughing. The people in the
court were embarrassed. They tried to find ways to wreak vengeance.
Once, a courtesan in the Kings court sang a song and also danced as she sang.. The King
was happy with the song and he asked Sastriar, Annakavi, you have written so many songs,
can you write one like this? Sastriar said, Yes, I will do so, and then he asked the dancer
to sing. As she was dancing and singing, Sastriar, even while sitting in the Kings court,
started writing, King Emmanuel took the form of man and went on and on completing 200
lines at one stretch. And he sang this very great song. (Cripple Presentation Nondi
Tharuvannam Punnaga Varali (tune-raaga) Amazed by Sastriars great ability, the earthly
King Serfoji was proud of him.
One day, the King said, You always bless me in the name of Jesus. Why dont you bless me
without mentioning his name? At once Sastriar blessed him singing:
May the King live long
May King Serfoji live
By the grace of the heavenly being born in a manger.
The King, son of Thulasi, is still the King of Thanjavur
He cannot be compared with
Pandian, the King of Madurai
As he has gained greater fame,
And with his fame, he is
Addressed as His Highness
And he is the one seated on the throne
And rules the kingdom with the sceptre of justice.
In the song in Sastra-k-kummi, Sastriar says of himself :
After the song was sung, the King was confused and asked Sastriar, Why is it that you
mentioned your language Tamil first while keeping the Kings language Maharashtrean in the
last place? The Poet King immediately said, I have kept you in a high position in this also.
When you come in a procession, you let your armies and others go in front and you come
last. Similarly we mentioned our language first and yours last. Greatness is only to your
language. The Kings face brightened. The great poet, Vedanayagam had the wondrous
gift of rendering suitable answers with appropriate words instantaneously to any question
asked by anyone.
Having great love and admiration for Sastriar, the King told him that he was planning to give
him a gift of land so that he could live a prosperous life in the future and also carry on his
preaching ministry for his God without any barrier. Sastriar thanked him and said, O King,
if we have too much food, we will stop praying, Give us this day our daily bread. We will
even forget God saying that we dont need anyones help. Children will fight among
themselves in later years and later there will be divisions. Money will produce sin. We will
lose our physical and spiritual health and betray God. Please forgive me but your loving care
is enough. Land is not necessary.' Thus he denied the Kings offer. Then, he said, If you
desire, you may give a violin to my son and an English dictionary to my daughter. The King
laughed at this. But then he was lost in deep thoughts, wondering about the clear thinking of
Annakavi. He sent not only the musical instrument and the dictionary requested by Sastriar
but also many other gifts.
The King had given a beautiful palanquin to Sastriar to help him come to the Palace and
return. This palanquin is still kept safely by the descendants of Sastriar as a special and rare
item. Today people are not able to tell specifically up to what distance from the Palace,
Sastriar would have gone in the palanquin and where the herald would have stood and made
the announcement. When Sastriar travelled in this palanquin, even the shadow of the lower
caste people should not fall on the shadow of the palanquin bearers. Otherwise, permission
was not granted to enter the palace. From the gate of the Fort till the Palace, one person
would be carrying the flag. On nearing the Palace, the Herald would make this
announcement in praise of the poet:
Poem:
Kattiyam (Announcement)
Just like King David, Sastriar had two singers who composed tunes. Their names were
Thunganandham and Sorubanandam. While those two beautifully sang the songs composed
by Annakavi in the court, Sastriar would explain the meaning of the songs. Listening the
King would greatly rejoice.
In front of Sastriars house, a flag would be flying from the post. When the King heard about
this, he asked Sastriar one day, I have a flag. Do you also have a flag? Sastriar smiled and
replied, Yes, you are the king of the land. I am the king of poetry." (When the King had
heard the Ark song, Bethlehem Kuravanji and others when they were released, he had made
note of the accurate choice of words, meaning, rhythm, rhyme etc. and had told Sastriar
praising him, I am the king of the land. You are the king of poetry. Sastriar reminded the
King of this when he wisely made that statement.) Then the King asked with a smile, What
is your flag? Sastriar replied with pride, My flag is the flag of the Cross.
That which attracted Sastriar and governed his heart was the cross, the symbol of Gods love.
Is not the cross the symbol of the sufferings of Lord Jesus? The mark of the Cross is the
mark of Gods suffering in you. (Saastra-k-kummi 143) The consequence of mans sin in
physical and mental pain is the suffering of Jesus, the Redeemer. Isnt death the end-result?
In order to redeem man from the wages of sin, the sinless God took the form of man and
came into the world as Lord Jesus and faced the gory death. Isnt this Gods grace? Isnt this
the limitless love of the God of grace?
Sastriar sang:
Dear Gracious Lord
Precious son of the Father
With mercy, you came to redeem the world
From above.
(Jebamaalai Ubavaasa Nazhin Devaram)
In the Garland of the Lord (Paraabaran Maalai), he sang with joy, I saw your love and the
benign look filled with grace. The Cross was not only the symbol of love but also the
symbol of victory. Lord Jesus did not hang on the cross and die an eternal death. He came
victorious over death and rose again. The Lord Jesus gave his life and rose gloriously. This
is victory. Victory of love. Victory that saved people from death and made them rise again.
The flag that was flying on the post of Sastriars house was the one that was the symbol of
love and the symbol of victorious love. Yes, it is the Cross, the symbol of Gods great love
that makes the people lead a victorious life! Referring to this victory, Sastriar sang:
The mark of Cross is total victory
Victory, Wise Lady,
The poet will praise the earthly King, but he will worship only the Heavenly King.
Since Poet Vedanayagam was the Court Poet, he sang the historical genealogy of King
Serfoji, speaking of the greatness of the royal dynasty.
He had sung in accordance with these verses.
Comment [B6]: ?
When King Serfoji used to sit in State in the Great Hall, those who came to see would fall
prostrate before him and greet him. But following his own composition, I would not bow to
anyone except at your feet, Sastriar never did that. The Brahmins in the Kings Court, the
Pandits and others were very angry about this. Accusing Sastriar, they indirectly told the
King that he did not respect him. The King replied, Since Sastriar blesses me, he does not
have to greet me in that manner."
Once the King asked Sastriar, using a pun in the Tamil words Are you listeners
(Kaettavargal) of the Bible or are you the betrayers (kettavargal) of the Bible? Sastriar
cleverly answered saying, It is a fact that we listened to the Bible. We can also say that we
are Bible betrayers because instead of following the Bible and totally trusting our Saviour
Jesus, we still depend on the world." Serfoji laughed. Thus the way Sastriar moved with the
King on equal terms sitting together in conversation and laughing together and also the
way he received the same kind of respect as the King, irritated the peers in the Kings court.
They got together and lobbied against him.
One day, the court peers asked the King, O King, you are so much attracted to Sastriar.
Will he obey your word without faltering? The King believed that Sastriar would not go
against his word at any cost. As soon as he came to the court, he asked Sastriar to sing,
Pillaiyar Kurvanji as he had sung, Bethlehem Kuravanji. Shocked and trembling,
Sastriar said, I cannot sing for anyone else except for the Lord of Lords. The King was
stunned. He said that since he was giving him salary, he expected him to listen to his word.
Sastriar was not moved despite the King insulting him like that. The King said that even if he
did not sing the Kuravanji, he could at least sing poetry in the name of Pillaiyar (the Hindu
deity Ganesh). The Bible Poet refused to do that also. Without giving up, the King asked
him again whether he would sing a short poem on Pillaiyar if the other poets in the court sang
a great song on Lord Jesus. With great pain in his heart but with firmness, Sastriar refused to
do that too. Weighed down, Sastriar finally said that hereafter all would become his enemies
and would change the Kings heart and that it was the Kings choice whether to support him
or send him away.
As for the King, he was very angry thinking that the court poet whom he had revered so
much had disrespected him in front of the court peers and that he had broken the trust that he
had in him. He was lost in grief thinking that Annakavi, whom he loved so much, had treated
him like a stranger. So, filled with emotions, he said, Hey, Vedanayagam Pillai! You do not
have to be afraid of any one. You do not have to sing about our God. You keep singing on
your Lord Jesus and be happy. Having said this, he went upstairs. The Poet King and the
King of the Land had been arguing for one and a half hours. The heavenly King strengthened
Sastriar in his inner most self and made him stand firm by reassuring himself, Even if I
gain the whole world as a gift if I ignore the heavenly King who governs the earth and
himself, would my soul gain anything? With tears in his eyes, Sastriar praised God singing:
I worship the God who created the earth
I worship Him who governs me and redeems me.
Whenever Sastriar departed from the Kings court, King Serfoji and Sastriar would bless each
other and part with smiles on their faces and even in their hearts! Only on this day, for the
first time, they parted with sadness. Sastriar returned home with a heavy heart. His heart
longed for the Kings love! Even after this, the King treated Sastriar with his usual love
without any change. But rumour has it that there was no further opportunity for both of them
to meet and enjoy each others company lost in conversations. However, who can separate
two loving hearts?! 8
Thanjavur Philanthropist King Serfoji, the adopted son of King Tulsi passed away in 1832.
Sastriar was struck with inconsolable grief on having lost a true friend who had pulled him
out from a very lowly state.
The King of the Land and the King of the Poetry moved closely with each other only for a
period of three years. But for the Poet Annakavi who had lost his good friend, the time when
both of them enjoyed sharing their feelings about the love of Christ, without any difference
between them seemed like many years.
Before his death, the King had requested that his body should be removed from the Palace
only after Annakavi came and sang. Accordingly Sastriar dressed in appropriate clothes and
stood beside the Kings body, and the song that he sang with such emotion brought tears into
the eyes of those who had gathered there:
My Mother, my Father and you, O King,
Who is great, I do not know;
You took care of me
With such great concern.
You, who are kind to others,
As if it were your own life,
King and Noble Lord,
Leaving Thanjavur,
Forgetting me and not listening to my song,
How did you go, my Master?
When will I see your handsome face?
Who will make me happy as you do?
8
Among latter generations of Sastriar there is a rumour that the King gave an order that
Sastriar should be given double salary from then on.
Chapter 12
WORK AND WAGES
In 1794, Vedanayaga Veda Sastriar was appointed as Headmaster of Thanjavur Theological
School. Sastriar was a very active man. We already noticed that he was composing poems
from the time he started working as the Headmaster. He made a lot of efforts and worked all
day in the school. Even after coming back home, he would be engrossed in writing poems.
All through the time of Rev. Schwartz, he was working as Headmaster. Besides the time that
he was spending with his two children, Gnanadeepam and Gnanasigamony in conversation
during meals and in teaching them values of life, he spent all the rest of the time in
worshipping Emmanuel as his very profession since he considered his singing and praising
the Lord as his very profession.
Poem:
I worship him who came as a Teacher
I worship him, our God
I worship him, our dear Saviour
And I worship him, the lover of my soul.
(Jebamaalai II Devathothiram 3)
There is a pun in the word Emmanuel (Immanuvelai which includes the word for
profession velai). So worshipping Emmanuel is his very profession. (Translators note)
10
History says that the great blind English Poet King, Milton too while writing the epic,
Paradise Lost, would be empowered by the Holy Spirit at night and would wake up his
daughters and would dictate to them.
11
Finally when King Serfoji appointed him as the Court Poet, Sastriar had the opportunity of
being involved simultaneously in the work relating to Tamil language and in the service of
God. During this period, his poetic prowess shone among great scholars like Brahmins,
Pandits and others who were non-Christians; his name and fame flourished. He thrived well
thanks to the support of the King who gave first place to scholarship* 12 . Only during this
golden period, Sastriar overcame the severe challenge to his faith, when the King asked him
to sing on Vinayagan, singing thus:
(Poem)
Dont you praise men who die
Without knowing the son of God?
Having won the victory, as a brave Poet, Sastriar sang praises to his heavenly Lord,
12
The credit of building a Big Library by collecting all the ancient broken palmyrah leafbooks so that all others can enjoy reading the same goes to this King who used his wisdom to
accomplish the same. The wondrous world-renowned library known as Saraswathi Mahal
was founded by him.
concerned that they could not properly take care of the father were happy when they received
a mother in their home. Everything then went well in Sastriars home.
In 1832, when King Serfoji passed away, poverty crept into Sastriars life. King Sivaji13 who
succeeded Serfoji, considered Christians as his enemies, and did not allow Sastriar to come to
the Palace. But God was with him and helped him. The Educational Forts Registrar loved
Vedanayams song and he sent Rs.60/- to Sastriar every year. After the Registrars death,
realising the usefulness of Tamil lyrics, the Education Forts Church Pastors and other leaders
mobilised money and continued giving financial help every month. Also a loving German
friend regularly sent money through Mr. Akterloni, a Lutheran Church Missionary.
On 1st Jan. 1845, Thanjavur church members gave Sastriar a covenant document called
Document of Charity Deed (Dharuma Chathana Pattayam). In that, they expressed
appreciation for the beautiful verses composed by Sastriar in enchanting Tamil with poetic
fervour giving the details of the whole Bible which everyone would enjoy reading and which
had not been done by anyone else in this fashion. They also appreciated the way he had
composed so many songs taking great efforts without minding his physical strain and shone
like the churchs Divine Gem (Chinthamani). They thanked him for teaching many church
members and their children with care and singing with enthusiasm his songs which were a
source of bubbling joy and happiness in their hearts. They also thanked him for celebrating
all the festivals of the Lord and especially remembering their happy days. At the end of the
document, it was mentioned that they would like to give him a gift of love for all the good
things that he was doing for them. They also asserted that without any compulsion each one
of those who had signed at the bottom would wholeheartedly mention his contribution in
money and would send the total amount through the person whom Sastriar would send every
month. Also, it was stated that no one would differ from this covenant document signed by
the majority of the people and if any one were to do so, the Lord Jesus Christ of the Mighty
Army who is the Lord of Sastriars songs would also disapprove him.
Further, it was mentioned in the document: As per this unchanging covenant, until the
resurrection of the saints, you can enjoy the privileges from generation to generation. You
may sing praises to the Triune God, Jesus the King that he may bless us and our future
generations and may you live in peace. The document ended thus. Following this, the
Thanjavur church members gave offertory to Sastriar all through his life. Staying right in
Thanjavur and blessing the Thanjavur church members on auspicious occasions and meeting
them in their homes and praying and making them happy by ministering to them, the latter
generations of Sastriar are also greeted with respect by the Thanjavur church members till
this very day. The joyous celebration of the Bi-Centenary of Sastriar on 6th, 7th and 8th
September 1974 in Thanjavur turned out to be the crown jewel for the great work of the
Thanjavur congregation.
13
He was the last King of Thanjavur and died in 1855.
Sastriar did not know what laziness was. When invited for all the special functions of the
members of Thanjavur church, he would set aside some time for these functions. He would
go along with the singers and bless and greet the newly married couple. At that time, people
would honour him with betel leaves and arecanut (thaamboolam) and offertory. During such
functions, if any traditional customs contrary to the Christian principles were to take place, he
would openly condemn them and leave behind all the gifts given by the people and return
home with great conviction. Just like his guru, Rev. Schwartz had done, Sastriar too chose
students and gave them different types of training. Along with theological training, the
students received training in music too. Sastriars houses inner yard and the veranda
became the training centres. Several of his students wrote his songs down. The handwritten
palmyrah leaves were given for sale and he did not have the financial means to print the
books. On the recommendation of the Head of the Society of the Propagation of the Gospel,
the S.P.C.K. Trust Society and others printed and published his books. Sastriar got some
income through this.
During the festival days at Christmas time and during the forty days of Lent, when he
preached the word of God with singing, people would give him offering of money. Only
then there would be financial comfort at home. But since Sastriar spent generously on others
and wholeheartedly gave to the poor, people at home were strict in spending. When he
received donations, he would pay the salary due to the singers and writers and would settle
the grocery store debts and would give his wife money for food expenses only for two or
three days. Since Varodayammal had the big responsibility of feeding a crowd of more than
thirty people that included the family and the students, she would ask him, There are
children; why dont you give something more to help me buy rice and grains (nel) to store.
He would respond, If there is rice in the granary, your confidence in the Lord will reduce.
We need not worry now. He is there tomorrow also. He will guide us. He will not let us
starve.
Poem:
What shall we eat, drink or wear?
Saying so, even if we worry about crores of things,
Who are you to increase even one foot to your height by your thought?
Has God who came from the mothers womb, died?
Dont you think my heart?
The son of God that saved you is alive.
The Poet who sang this was an unshakeable believer. Wasnt he?
When the older grandchildren grew older, Sastriar blessed them and sent them also along
with his children and students to sing and preach. All of them came back in good health and
with gifts of money. Sastriar desired that he and his children should work hard and earn their
living. Sometimes there would be difficulties. He had to incur debts to take care of the group
of people with him. Sometimes, even those who used to lend money refused to give. On
such days, without any worry, he would pray to God saying, We are thirty of us including
our children, students and ourselves. Oh mighty God, who led thirty lakh people in the
wilderness, please look down graciously upon this little flock forgiving our sins; for the sake
of our Saviour, give us our daily bread." Immediately God would somehow grant the
necessary things from somewhere.
One day, while he was talking to a priest, who was earning more than Rs.200/- per month
about the maintenance of his household, he told him, Sir, when you say the Lords prayer,
asking, 'Give us this day our daily bread' it is a routine prayer, whereas when we say, 'Give us
this day our daily bread' we pray that God should grant us food for that day."
Therefore though the wages that Sastriar earned for his work were low, he considered his
singing to Emmanuel as his own profession and so Vedanayaga Veda Sastriar found fullness
even in his want and lived with great fame!
Chapter 13
THE UNIQUE DISCIPLE WHO WORSHIPPED GOD BY BLESSING HIS GURU
master at whose door I dwell. Look at this Vedanayagam, the son of Devasagayam who,
being a unique disciple commences his life story with humility coupled with pride. He
continues to say in the same poem that he grew up in Thanjavur where Rev. Schwartz,
knowing the teachings given by the true God, enlightened the people there. He also describes
himself saying, I am the Wise Poet King Vedanayagam who gives the whole theology with
its meaning as a colourful ocean. The disciple Vedanayagam says with joy that his having
heard the true Gods scripture in Thanjavur where he grew up, it was all because of his Guru,
Rev. Schwartz, that he acquired the ability to compose poems, having studied all the
theological doctrines, and gained a good name and fame.
Also in the same book, in verse 11 of Blessing philanthropists listen to the words of
Vedanayagam: I am the kaavalan (door keeper) of Master Schwartz." The word kaavalan in
Tamil can be interpreted as Door Keeper as well as King. Similarly, the word vaanan
(resident) in Tamil means one who lives and also one who prospers. Just notice the words
of Sastriar pregnant with meaning. He says, I am a poor person having lived and grown at
the Gurus door step; at the same time, I am the Poet King who has got all the benefits as
from a king from my Guru and has grown to be a great poet. The great poet, Vedanayagam
was all the time thinking of his Guru and by blessing him, he praised God.
In Sastriars valuable book, Epic of Heavenly Justice (Parama Needhi Puranam) written in
simple style Sastriar says in Section 3, under the title Teachers Way Vaddhi(Teacher)
also means Guru" and then he depicts the character of a Teacher: Guide to heaven; one who
has known wisdom; one who tells about the way of the Bible; one who imparts total
education; one who thoroughly knows the Bible; Disciple of Christ; Identifying the
disciples character, he leads without hiding anything and teaches all that he has learnt; one
who searches the indestructible Book and gives the word with eagerness; and one who gets
up early in the morning and recites the Bible in the hearing of his student." Finally he says,
Teacher Vedanayagam is the special disciple of the great Rev. Schwartz in the Chola
Kingdom. Since he has seen all the above qualities in his Guru, Rev. Schwartz, Sastriar has
categorically referred to them in his poems.
We noticed that while reciting Divine Praise (Deva thothiram) early in the morning, Sastriar
remembered his Guru. Also while telling his life story to the Church members, he started it
with reference to his Guru at the very beginning. So far from the songs of Sastriar, we have
understood that the great respect he had for his Guru, Rev. Schwartz was mainly because he
found in him the great divine love he had for his God and his meditation on the word of God
the Bible. That is why, in the word of the Herald/Announcer in Vedanayagans Fame
(Vedanayagan Pirathabam), he took pride in saying about himself, The disciple who does
not forget the words of his Guru, the great Rev. Schwartz. " The fact that Sastriar mentioned
his Gurus name in the first place in every one of his books proves that he led his life all
along as a disciple who did not forget his Gurus words.
From some of his poems, we can find that he fully enjoyed the love of his Guru and that he
respected his purity.
(Poem)
In the presence of the dear and good Rev. Schwartz
Long live Veda Siromani of Tirunelveli
Paayiram)
He goes on to say:
(Poem)
When coming to Thanjavur on a permanent basis,
He was the disciple of not only the truthful man but also the good man."
(Bethlehem Kuravanji Paayiram)
(Poem)
The good Rev. Schwartzs disciple
The famous Tirunelvelis Vedanayaga Sastriara sang
(Wise Carpenters play class VII, Verse 33 Gnanathatcha Naadagam
Vaguppu 7, Kavi 33)
Thus while blessing the people; the unique Disciple gave the first place only to his Guru.
The disciple sees through his minds eyes, his truthful Guru, not only during the times of
celebration but also during times when he is disturbed in his heart. In particular, in 1829,
when Rev. L.P. Hawbroe excommunicated Sastriar and many Tamil Christians from the
church, causing them to suffer without properly understanding them, he immediately referred
to his Gurus priesthood and pleaded with his Lord Are we not the members of this great
persons congregation?
We are the members of the famous
Rev. Schwartzs church
We are weighed down with sorrow
We are worn out
And there is no mercy
..
We do not have a cemetery and
We are sent to the forest
Is there no mercy? Govern us, Jesus, my Lord
(Jebamaalai 17:10, 6)
Above all, that which attracts our hearts is the fact that the loving Guru Rev. Schwartz had
instilled in the heart of Sastriar, the great divine faith in God Jesus Christ which manifested in
front of the disciples eyes as a miraculous vision beautifully described thus:
The wise virgins while carrying the beautiful lamps
Expecting the Bridegroom
Dancing gently and singing lovely songs
Coming along with Guru Rev. Schwartz
Thanjavur churches in harmony
Coming along with Veda Sastri
In the famous Bridal house
That which I get is only the Lamb!
Is not the final statement, "All that I get in the Bridal house is only the Lamb both humorous
and beautiful?
In such a way from the time he started composing, Sastriar had been singing about his Guru
till the end till the age of 90 - and without forgetting he had greeted him all the time. In
Kummi of Wisdom (Gnana-k-kummi) composed in 1796, he had blessed himself along with
his Guru. Guru Rev. Schwartz must have heard and felt happy.
Historians have written that King Serfoji went to the death bed of Guru Rev. Schwartz, paid
respect and received his blessings. But one Jesse Page wrote about the mourning of the
Thanjavur congregation stating that during the final procession of Guru Rev. Schwartz
though a hymn was proposed to be sung, it could not be done because of the "large poor
native crowd" that created great weeping and loud lamentation. Also Page wrote that when
the Europeans left after the service, the "natives" stayed behind and were praying and
singing. but he did not mention anything about Sastriar. It is very certain that Guru Rev.
Schwartz who gave his final blessing to King Serfoji would have his students and his disciple
Vedanayagam whom he had loved and cared for as his own son and whom he made as the
Head of the School that he founded and the head of the big church. It is also certain that
among the natives who stayed back in the church and were singing, praying and mourning,
Sastriar would have been there as the Head. The reason for the Historians of the Kings of
Thanjavur not to have mentioned this about Sastriar may be construed as the undying
jealousy of the members of the Kings court and as a result of King Sivajis long enmity for
Christians. But, for author Jesse Page (in his book Schwartz of Tanjore) to refer with
derision to the church of Thanjavur that was founded because of Father Schwartzs strong
faith and hard work and which shone as the crown for all his efforts and which was
considered with pride uniquely as an Evangelical church' as a poor native crowd and for
him not to write a single line about his great disciple, Vedanayaga Sastriar can only be taken
as a sign of disrespect for Rev. Schwartz himself and no one can deny that. Also one can say
that it showed the authors deficiency in research.
Be that as it may, there is one truth as long as Tamil lives, the loving relationship between
Rev. Schwartz and Vedanayagam will remain forever through Sastriars songs!
--------
Chapter 14
THE GREAT WARRIOR WHO FOUGHT AND WON
(Poraadi vendra peru veeran)
In 1817, Sastriar sang in Tranquebar a song (letter in verse form), titled Vedanayagam, the
clever (man). This song describes Sastriars cleverness whereby he found out the flaws in
the poetry of all the poets right from Agasthiar (a revered Vedic sage):
14
A renowned ancient Tamil poetess. (translators note)
When Thanjavur Rev. Schwartzs godson Rev. Kohloff got married in the year 1816, didnt
Sastriar strive to acquire his friendship? When his friend and his wife bowed their heads,
Sastriar eagerly garlanded them and blessed them with his song thus:
With the strong willed Rev. John Kohloff
May the suitable wife, Christina live a long life.
When Sastriar was singing and presenting Bethlehem Kuravanji in Trichy, the Roman
Catholic Church members were so much taken up with the loveliness of the words and the
power of meaning in Kuravanji that they became friendly with Sastriar in the beginning. But,
when he continued to sing from Kuravanji condemning those who preached religion and
were fraudulent and saying that it would be this hand that would take care of such people,
the Catholic fundamentalists thought that he was insulting their church leader; calling him
Protestant and with an intent to kill him, they continued to attend his meetings. As for
Sastriar, without fearing anyone, he boldly proclaimed the Biblical truths and shouted aloud
his message. When Kuravanjis Singan asked her, Who gave the Biblical precepts in a
novel way? the Singi replied, Singa, it is Vedanayagar who got the name, the skilful
preacher, Sastri. All the people who heard this understood it as the total truth. God changed
the hearts of his enemies. Sitting and listening to Gods word, the elders who had gathered
were surprised and appreciated him saying, He is a great Pandit. Vedanayagam returned to
Thanjavur as a triumphant man.
He praised God and sang:
Even if you give me a crore of tongues to speak
And even if I live one crore days
On this earth worshipping and adoring you,
What can I say about your great fame..my Great Joy!
(Procession of Wisdom Gnana Ula 158, 159)
On 13th Feb. 1830, Sastriars second son was born. He was given the name Noah
Gnanadhickam and flourished. On 27th October 1832, his daughter, Manonmani was born to
grow up with great character. On 26th Nov. 1834, his last son, Elea (Elijah) Devasigamani
was born with the gracious gift of composing poems.
The year 1835 was a special year. Rev. Daniel Carrie was appointed as the first Bishop of
Madras.
In 1837, Rev. G.U. Pope came to India and served as the Wesleyan Missionary. In 1843, he
joined the Anglican Church and served in Madras Presidency till 1882.
The caste clashes that started in 1829 intensified. Anna Kavi cried out to God.
Poem:
There is word; there is song
There is the tongue that praises
But I shall not be the one A guilty man with a stony heart
Since those who were excommunicated from the church along with Sastriar stayed in
Sastriars house and prayed, they were successful. Though they were physically weak
because of poverty, no one died of any disease. During this sad period, grandchildren were
born in his house. When you look at a babys face, any amount of grief even as great as a
crore (great grief described in number i.e. equivalent to 10 million) will disappear. Isnt this
true? The guileless innocent children gave great joy. Caste distinctions began to fade and the
clashes finally subsided.
In 1841, Sastriar got a great opportunity. Bishop Spencer and Rev. Robert Caldwell (who
later became Bishop Robert Caldwell) had come to Thanjavur where both of them met
Sastriar and talked to him. Bishop Spencer wrote about Sastriar thus. "Thanjavur Poet
Vedanayagam who is famous in this part of India is a great gifted man and there is no doubt
about it. His song was melodious and not at all monotonous. According to the interpretation
given to me, the meaning was also was very good. He must be around 70 years old. His face
surely exhibits his intelligence. The correct formation of his head is noteworthy. His
countrymen give a lot of value to his poems asserting that some of his poems deserve great
appreciation and adulation. He is a Christian." He praised him to this extent but towards the
end, he finished his statement saying, "I think he has the ambition to form a church that
would adopt his principles. Let us research this.
Devotees of the Hindu religion used to compose songs of praise in melodious tunes pregnant
with lovely words and worship all the known Gods by dancing and singing. Also they would
compose songs with heart-rending words and delicate tunes worshipping the God of their
community with total surrender. Devotion to God and piety are naturally inherent in man.
However, the expression of piety by Hindu devotees and their worship is unique. That is
why Sastriar held on to this kind of worship. If any Hindu devotional song were to sound in
his ear, listening to it intently over and over again, a song would take shape in his mind in the
same tune and in the same poetic style. But the main theme was only Jesus, the Lord who is
seated in his heart. A simple example. The Siva devotees sang, Ara gara Lord God,
Husband of Parvathi, Eternal Siva. Sastriar immediately composed, Specially formed, one
God, Lord God took human form, Eternal Life, Heavenly Being, Lord Jehovah, listener to
sinners, Lord of Mercies. He devoted his song of worship to the one who owned his heart.
Through these songs, many people from Sastriars community understood that Jesus Christ
is the Redeemer of sinners and became His servants. These people loved Sastriars songs,
memorised them and gathered together to sing them with rejoicing. When the Bishop saw all
this, he misunderstood! Because Sastriar spent day and night keeping awake all the time
composing songs and preaching with the sole intent that the Church- especially the Thanjavur
church - should increase, it pained his heart to learn that Bishop Spencer suspected him of
intending to form his own church.
He sang thus emotionally:
The song of lamentation of Vedanayagam was heart-rending
Let the church grow, let there be victory The Son of God graciously suffered for us.
The Church members continued to get together and sing; he struggled, prayed, stood by his
faith and gained victory!
The Tamil scholar Caldwell came to Thanjavur in 1841. In his writing in 1887, he stated,
The famous, Thanjavur poet is a great person with the skill of writing beautiful poems. He
has written numberless lyrics and has made a large collection. We can imagine that Tamil
Christians have sung many of them in their homes and in public places from generation to
generation. The good use of Sastriars songs is growing till today . Arent we enjoying that
goodness till this day?!
Under the leadership of the loving Guru Rev. Kohloff, Sastriars children Gnanasigamony
and Gnanadeepam completed their education and were working as Teachers in Vediarpuram
School and in English school for Girls respectively and his younger son Noah Gnanadhickam
was the student leader in his school. When Rev. Kohloff passed away in 1844, all were in
deep despair. It was a great loss to Sastriar and to the church. After Rev. Kohloff, Dr.
Henry Bower took over the responsibility of Vediarpuram Theological College from 18441858) He and Sastriar became good friends and Dr. Bower was the first person to write
Sastriars biography. As Bower mentioned later, Sastriar did have a kind of "pride and
stubbornness!" That is, he had the pride that he belonged only to Jesus, his Lord; he was
subservient only to him, no one can tell him anything, no one can command him and no one
can harm him. Knowing this fully well, Dr. Bower revered Sastriar lovingly. But since he
was not very familiar with Tamil language and was totally ignorant of the Hindu traditions of
Sastriars ancestors, he would not have been able to understand the meaning and content of
Sastriars books. Therefore in the biography that he wrote on Sastriar he did not mention
anything about his books though he said much about his great life.
In 1845, Bishop Spencer (as an Executive member of the church) came to Thanjavur and
gave confirmation to 145 people and also ordained Dr. Bower as a Pastor. The
congregation took part in the service without any distinction. In spite of this, the Bishop
commented and wrote about the church in Thanjavur, These people are proud and stubborn.
It is very difficult to lead them. The reason for this evil is that the Missionaries had allowed
them to live according to their wish. The famous Thanjavur resident Vedanayaga Sastri is one
among those who insisted on caste distinction. These words of Bishop were hurtful. This
statement condemning the church and Sastriar who underwent torture during the period of
Rev. Hawbroe and came out successfully because of their staunch faith, literally wounded
their hearts.
In 1847, Bishop Spencer became ill and went to England writing a letter to state that he was
resigning from the service as a missionary. Rev. Thomas Dealtry was appointed as Madras
Bishop but he arrived in Madras only in the year 1850. During the interim period (18471850) 82 pastors met together in Madras and made a resolution. The gist of the Resolution
was: A high-caste Hindu who wants to adopt Christian religion should declare in front of the
public that he does not practise any caste-distinction and that he does not want any caste. As
a proof of that statement he should eat the food cooked by an Adhi Dravida (Dalit). If he
does not conform to this rule, Pastors should not baptise him and take him into the church.
The consequence of implementing this turned out to be disastrous. A goldsmith who had
been preparing for two years with a wish to be baptised, was coerced by a pastor to eat the
food cooked by a Dalit. The goldsmith became sick and died without taking baptism in a few
days. Was it perhaps because of his unfulfilled desire? There were other tortures. Those
Christians, who had almost got over the caste-distinction, were confused once again.
Sastriars peace of mind was also affected. On behalf of the Thanjavur church, he wrote a
petition to the Church Leaders.
Rev. Guest, Pastor of the church who very well knew about Sastriars indescribable piety and
the limitless eagerness to preach about Jesus, his God, loved him very much. In 1848,
Sastriar became very sick and appeared to be on his death bed. For the first time in his life,
Sastriar could not go to church on the day of the festival of Christmas. 15 The usual joyous
celebration of Thanajavur church was lifeless without Sastriars song. Being aware of this,
the Pastors were also dull. Rev. Guest visited Sastriar frequently. In order to complete his
books for the sake of the people, Sastriar prayed that just as King Hezekiah was granted 15
years to his life by God, he might also be granted another 15 years to his life according to
Gods will. He also told Rev. Guest about this. God who is merciful listened to the prayer
of His servants and granted him grace. Sastriar recovered, regaining strength, and on the
festival of New Years Day in1849, he got ready early in the morning with joy in his heart.
As was his usual custom, he walked to the church along with all his singers, singing with
majesty and with a lyric on his lips. There was a new joy on the faces of Thanjavur people.
Pastors also praised God and blessed Sastriar. Finding great joy among the people, his heart
brimmed with gratitude, which he expressed in the form of a song and praised God thus: My
heart sing praises; Celebrate God praising Him everyday. Just as He had granted to
Hezekiah, God added exactly another fifteen years to Sastriars life. The very next year, Rev.
Guest and Rev. Bower, who loved him very much, made arrangements for an expert artist to
draw a life size portrait of his attractive appearance. Then Sastriar was 75 years old. Let us
bless the great people for the full size portrait which is the gift of love to us from the two
Pastors. Its only because of them that we are able to see the Poets face today.
15
The distance between Sastriars house and St. Peters church was only half a
furlong.
From 1850 to 1858, Sastriar had to struggle with the Pastor of the church. Rev. G.U. Pope
who was serving as a Missionary in Madras Presidency was appointed as the Pastor of
Thanjavur church. He was a skilful person having read many books in Tamil. However, it
was a great loss to the church when he and Sastriar could not cooperate with each other. As
soon as Rev. Pope came, he had his eye on Sastriar. Maybe, it was the after effect of Bishop
Spencers writings! He promulgated two bans on Sastriar: (1) Sastriar need not sing songs
in the church, (2) In his songs, he should remove the verses in which his own name was
mentioned. Also, he adjudged that Sastriar believed in caste distinction. Rev. Schwartz,
Master Rev. Dr. John and friend Rev. Kohloff very well knew that Thanjavur Church which
had been founded and nurtured by Father Rev. Schwartz grew well and became fully active
because of Sastriar's sermons through his songs. But the great Rev. Pope did not make any
attempt to find this out himself.
Sastriar struggled to make sure that those who received Christ should not give up traditional
community practices which were not against the Christian faith and worship and were not
barriers. He never supported caste distinction. The practice of inserting his name was like a
child asking for a favour I want and not out of pride. (Poetic form) Even if I use a crore of
Tamil words to sing of your fame, my King, I would not have said one millionth (croreth) of
it. I do not know how to sing and tell about you; however I just babbled. - If there were
pride, would he babble? He says, The sparrow sings and the Tirunelveli man (referring to
himself) also sings. Importantly, when we note the meaning which results from combining
the word Vedanayagam along with other words in the last verse, we will know the greatness
of its shining significance. In certain verses, if that word is removed, the verse will not have
any meaning at all. Sastriar explains the reason for following this poetic tradition in detail in
the introduction to his book, Garland of Prayer Jebamalai. Whether the scholar Pope
understood this or not, as soon as he stepped into Thanjavur, he removed Sastriars three
children from their jobs. But rather than being disturbed, Sastriar rejoiced. That day, he gave
food to the poor people and celebrated happily saying, Hereafter my children are free to
preach God on their own. By singing my songs and praising him, they can preach the good
news of my God anywhere under any circumstance.
In spite of arguing about his songs as much as he could with Rev. Pope, there was no use.
Rev. Pope was strict in his ways not only with Sastriar but also with church members. 16
However, though they differed in their views, both the Tamil poets got an opportunity to
respect and love one another. Sastriars friend, Catechist Vedanayagam suddenly took ill
with vomiting and diarrhoea which worsened and his hands and feet became cold. In
response to the Catechists request, the church Pastor, Rev. Pope gave him the final preaching
and prepared him to reach God . Then the Catechist told him, Call the Father. When Rev.
Pope asked him, Who is the Father? the Catechist said, "Vedanayaga Sastriar" and the
16
Some mischievous youth changed Sastriars beautiful song, Ah, this good thing
(Nantru) is the one that I know not by playfully changing it to, Ah this crab
(Nandu), is the crab from Rev. Popes pond.
Pastor immediately called for Sastriar. Sastriar took the Catechists hand, checked it and said
that the pulse had gone down. Then realising Gods servants wish and understanding his
faith, Sastriar prayed with firm belief pleading with God. Then, again, he checked his hand
and said with excitement, Pulse has increased. There is no fear. God has granted you
another chance (span of life). Remain in your service for God. Gifted with singing, he also
had received the gift of praying fervently and gaining victory. When Rev. Pope witnessed the
immense piety of Sastriar his heart melted. Sastriar too understood the nobility of Rev. Pope
when he called for him and honoured him. Overwhelmed with love and gratitude, both of
them greeted each other and parted. Werent they servants of God who truly held Jesus in
their hearts? Rev. Pope had once proudly mentioned in his sermon that "Sastriar had the head
of the great Greek Poet Homer." However, in 1858 Bishop Dealtry came and made a study
of the clash between Rev. Pope and Sastriar. He also realised that there were people who had
instigated the misunderstandings between them. He decided to transfer the pastors who were
hindrances to unity and he also transferred Rev. Pope to the Nilgiris.
In 1858, Rev. Pope left Thanjavur for the Nilgiris. There is good evidence that Rev. Pope
would have said a reluctant farewell to Sastriar. At a later date, when Gnanasigamani and his
sons, Thabomani and Jebamani went to the Nilgiris on an evangelical mission, Rev. Pope
welcomed them warmly and made arrangements to let them present musical discourses to
bring happiness to the labourers of the tea gardens. He also gave them certificates and gifts.
In 1856, Sastriar wanted to go to Tranquebar to attend the Festival of Jubilee but he did not
have enough money in his hands, so he sent his wife and children in the cart and he walked.
Travel by cart was not good for Sastriars health, so he usually went by palanquin. Because of
financial difficulty, he could not do that; and so before reaching Iyampettai which was eight
miles away, he became tired and stopped in between and sat down five or six times on the
way. Those who went with him gave him physical support and he somehow reached the
house of Siresudhar Christian Pillai at Kumbakonam, who gave his Chair-Palanquin to
Sastriar; he put him on it, gave the wages to the bearers and sent him to Tranquebar. The
Tranquebar church members were very happy to see Sastriar; they welcomed him warmly
and celebrated his visit. Sastriar had new vigour to sing the song of praise. When he
returned to Thanjavur with his heart full of thanksgiving for singing praises to God,
Tranquebar church members thanked him and gave a lot of offering (money). Having gained
the gift of singing praises to God, he returned home as a warrior having won the hearts of the
people!
As there was a turning point in the Thanjavur church in 1858, there was a turning point in the
governance of India too. Following the sepoy mutiny of the first Independence Struggle of
our countrymen in 1857, the very next year the East India Company was closed and our
country (Bharatha Nadu) came under the rule of Queen Victoria, the queen of England.
Since she was pious and believed in ruling the country based on love, we can say that there
was dawn of goodness for the country.
Chapter 15
Comment [B7]: format?
Gnanabarana Petti is the translation of Golden Treasury, a book with verses on a daily
calendar basis. A German by name Bogatsky wrote this book and it was translated by
Christian Daniel Pillai who was appointed by the King of Denmark as Chief Interpreter in
Thanjavur.
mantram (Mantra (advice) from eight directions) 18 and the worship would go on till 7.30
a.m. The family rule was that beside the family members, the disciples who were staying in
their home i.e. writers, singers and guests, should also participate in the family prayer. All of
them willingly obeyed this rule. The copy of Gnanabarana Petti that was handled and
read by Sastriar for 64 years and the Gnanabarana Petti that was read by his grandson,
Jebamani Sastriars wife, Arunodhayam Ammal for 44 years and by the children of latter
generations for 20 years, are preserved in the Thanjavur home and in my home respectively
as precious treasures.
On Sundays too, there would be family prayer at home before going to church. During that
prayer time, Sastriar would fervently pray that God would grant grace to the Pastors so that
they might be empowered to preach the true Good News appropriately in order to pave the
way for the Hindu leaders who studied the vedas (the scriptures) to search and find that
Jesus is the only true God and that they will accept Him and worship Him as the God of
power. When he went to other homes and returned late after 10 p.m. after praying with them,
he would call for the family prayer saying, God will be waiting to hear our family prayer.
All would wake up from sleep and join in the family prayer. After Sastriar built a house in
Thanjavur and started living there, no one died in that house for sixty years. In his daily
prayer, just as he was asking God as though it was his right, the shadow of God abided in that
home and protected them.
(The first one to die in that home was Sastriar himself!)
Sastriars home shone like a house of prayer. May Jesus, our Lord be praised. Praise Jesus,
my heart, praise Jesus alone.
The prayer life that was rooted in Sastriars family continued with the future generations also.
Arunodhayam Ammal, wife of Sastriars grandson, Jebamani Sastriar committed her whole
life to prayer. She would spend three-fourths of each day going on her knees and resting on
her elbows praying to God sincerely and at times even fighting with Him. She would pray
for each group of people including family members, relatives, strangers, neighbours,
evangelists involved in spreading the gospel etc. Every day she would call the children in the
family three times for prayer saying, Come to worship Jesus while calling them avoiding
the word jebam(prayer). (Her husbands name was Jebamani Prayer bell.) 19 She
would say that Grandfather had sung like this: Whether it would be from day to night or
from night to day, I stand at Jerusalem melting within me, my God. She was thoroughgoing
with Sastriars songs, having at her fingertips a knowledge of every single one. For every
gathering of family prayer, she would sing some verses from Jebamalai (garland of prayer),
Parabaran malai (garland of the Lord) etc. and say the prayers. The latter generations of
the family of Sastriar who live throughout Tamil Nadu, in other parts of India and in foreign
countries have the ambition of following Sastriars good way of life. Let there be praise for
the God of grace.
18
Ettu thikku manthram (message from eight directions) is a verse from the Bible (Psalm
18:2) This verse got its name because it means that God is our fortress who has eight names
from the rock to great refuge.
19
According to tradition, a married woman was not supposed to mention her husbands name
at any cost. (Translator's note)
Another time, there was no food, coffee powder or jaggery (palm sugar in solid form) for
breakfast. When his wife, Varodayammal came and explained the situation, Sastriar held out
his hand with a piece of jaggery. While she was standing hesitantly, he said, Make coffee,
the Lord will give breakfast. When she broke the piece of jaggery, there was a silver coin
inside! It was more than enough to buy food for the breakfast!
Comment [B8]: ?
Life in the house of faith was prosperous. Yes, wealth in the form of children abounded.
Sastriar arranged the marriage of his eldest son, Gnanasigamony Sastriar with a woman
called Sadhanandi Ammal. They had nine children, namely Vedasiromani, Thabamani,
Dayamani, Jebamani, Subamani, Navamani, Jeyamani, Vedamani and Jeevamani known as
Navamanigal (Nine bells). The first son, Vedasiromani did not get married nor did he
choose to do evangelistic ministry. He learnt three languages and excelled in them and he
took up a good Government job. However, he died young. The other sons and daughters took
part with pride in preaching the good news through singing ministry. The parents arranged
the marriage of their eldest daughter, Dayamani with Michel Pillai who was the overseer in
the Public Works Department.
Sastriar arranged the marriage of his eldest daughter, Gnanadeepam Ammal with Mangalam
Pillai from his own community who was a scholar in English language. These parents
arranged the marriage of their only daughter, Gnanagaram with Thabamani, the son of her
maternal uncle, Gnanasigamony Sastriar.
Sastriars younger son, Noah Gnanadhika Sastriar married the Peermettu woman,
Arulammal. They had seven daughters namely Pamani, Arulmani, Rahel (Rachel), Sigamani,
Gnanasasthiram, Manonmani and Ammani. Their only son was Vedanandam Devasagayam.
Sastriar arranged the marriage of his younger daughter, Manonmani Ammal with Masilamani
Pillai who was brought by his eldest son, Gnanasigamony Sastri from South Tamil Nadu.
These parents arranged the marriage of their only daughter, Vedasastram Ammal with
Samuel Pillai.
Sastriars youngest son, Elia Devasigamony Sastriar married Adhibagyathammal, daughter of
Mayavaram Savarimuthu Pillai as arranged by his sisters husband. Their children are
Vedamaniammal, Vedanayagam, Thayammal, Varodhayam Esther, Vedapodhagam,
Devadas, Gnanendram, Manonmani, Gnanamani and Nagomi Gnanadeepam.
Sastriar was very close to his grandchildren. He had the privilege of cuddling and caressing
many of them. Once little Jeyamani eagerly took one handful of food from her grandfather
and ate it happily. This incident was one among several interesting ones written down and
given to the author by Jeyamani ammals son, J. Savarirayan Vedanayagam, a retired Ranger
from the Forest Department who now lives in Salem. Among the descendants of Sastriar, he
is the oldest. He is 83. But even today, he enthusiastically teaches Sastriars songs to the
Church youth and through their beautiful singing, he spreads the good news.
At the wedding receptions of his grandchildren Sastriar sang in his own style and blessed the
couple by garlanding them and singing the songs. Those who got this privilege were:
Thabomani-Gnanagaram and Dayamani-Michel. Gnanasigamani Sastriars older children
had the special privilege of serving him and had special concession to eat and sleep next to
him. Both the older grandsons, Siromani and Thabomani wrote down the verses which the
grandfather told them then and there. Granddaughter, Dayamani Ammal had the opportunity
to do odd jobs in the kitchen with her aunt Manonmani Ammal. Grandsons Jebamani and
Subamani had the privilege of seating Sastriar in the four-wheeled cart that was made and
gifted to him by two of his friends and pulling him in the cart to and from the church. During
the night, younger brother Subamani would sleep next to Sastriar in his bed. (At other times,
Sastriar would lie down and would be lost in deep thought.) Elder brother Jebamani would
sleep in the next cot. So, it is no wonder, the younger brother Subamani got the gift of
composing verses from grandfather who was singing to his Lord and shone like a Poet King.
Jebamani also got the gift of his grandfathers preaching the good news that lured the
listeners attention with awe!
Poem:
We have the ability to lead a proper life
We also have the crowd of relatives
We received more and more grace and flourished
Is there anything lacking to those with piety? Swing along
(Jebamaalai 2 The Churchs Swing Thiruchabai oonjal)
Sastriars descendants take great pleasure in singing this. This kind of prosperous life is
nothing but the victorious life of the Father of Faith!
----------
Chapter 16
THE SONG OF NELLAIAN THAT RESOUNDED IN ALL THE FOUR DIRCTIONS
doorstep famished, with empty stomach, to whatever community he might belong, Sastriar
would have him sit in front of him and share his food with him and only after that he would
eat. If he found someone without clothes, he would remove the towel from his upper body
and cover him with that. Besides, he would remove his own bed cover and put it on him. If
someone were to ask him Why are you doing this? You are poor enough, he would say, If
I dont show kindness to a person like me and harden my heart like a stone, I would be like a
tree that does not bear fruit.
In his final days, he asked his son, Noah Gnanadhickam Sastriar to write the verse from the
Bible, He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, in big letters and paste in a place right
in front of his eyes. Those who personally knew the children of Sastriar gave witness to the
fact that these two values of life that are to be practised by Christians were found in them and
that they followed them just as Sastriar did. Even today we can hear about them by word of
mouth and by reading their biographies. Lets look at one or two instances.
Jebamani Sastriar, on returning from his tours, would happily give away half of the money
that he had in his hand to the poor. He used to give the first portion of the fruits and snacks
that he brought from other towns to Kamatchi of the Konaar (shepherd clan) community
who supplied milk to his children from generation to generation and to Oorudaiyan (native
of the town) of that place who used to cut hair for the male members of the family.
Considering Sastriar as their father, many people without any caste or religious differences
used to come to his home when they were in poverty or were facing lifes difficulties to get
help or words of solace. To such people and to other individuals whom he met personally,
Sastriar used to tell in crystal clear terms that Jesus Christ is the saviour of this world
through his books and songs. To crowds on the streets, with a loud voice that could be heard
a distance, he would call out saying, Run and come, O ye people (Odi vaa janamay). From
1814 to 1863, he erected a pandal (a temporary roof made of palmyrah/coconut leaves
supported by poles) in the porch of his house where he would sing would sing and preach a
sermon with emotional fervour on the suffering of Christ and his death on the cross every day
during Lent for three hours at night. People must have listened with tears in their eyes.
While Sastriar was delivering such sermons, he would wear his white cloak with a red cap on
his head and tie a band around his waist. His voice was melodious. The English pastors too
benefited by coming together and listening with interest. His disciples, singers and writers
who stayed in his house would also wear white clothes and they too were pure in their
outward and inner personalities serving with sincerity. Those who were getting trained in
theology to be ordained as Pastors came from South Tamil Nadu to Sastriars house, stayed
there, listened to his Biblical expositions and the doctrines of theology and returned. It is
understood that those who were trained by Sastriar would pass the degree examinations
meant for pastors in Nellai. Sastriars house turned out to be a training centre even for
Pastors. Some of those who got the degree thus to be ordained as Pastors were Nellai Rev.
Muthusamy, Rev. Devaprasad and Rev. Kohloff. Rev. Arulappan David who served for 43
years in Nellai district was the best among the disciples of Sastriar who were ordained as
Pastors. His father on his death bed had given him into Sastriars custody when he was a
nine-year-old boy. Another Pastor was Rev. Paranjothi who served in Secunderabad.
Disciples like Peranandam, Pitchanandam, Devasahayam and Devnesan served as catechists
in different places till the very end and shone like warriors of Christ.
Sastriar along with his children, disciples and singers went as a team to different towns.
When they travelled like this, there were many incidents wherein they were saved from wild
animals and robbers. There were proofs to show that those who welcomed Sastriars team
were given Gods grace and those who rejected them were met with trouble. One time in a
small village, when they asked the people in a house for water to quench their thirst, the head
of the house refused to give them water since they were Christians; after the group left the
place in great despair, the stable where the cows and bullocks were kept went up in flames.
Another time when Sastriar went to see the King of Pudukkottai, for two days in a row, the
King said, There is no time. Come tomorrow. When he heard the same answer for the third
time, Sastriar was sad and he explained the reason for his coming. Even at that time, the
King said, I am going out in a hurry. Come tomorrow. After the king got into the
palanquin, within a short distance, the palanquin broke, which had never happened before and
the King fell to the ground to worship the mother-earth! In the Kings heart, the guilt of
avoiding the Poet King came to the forefront. Immediately, the King called Sastriar, listened
to his songs; he became clear in his mind because of Gods grace and he also gave donations
to him.
Chapter 17
THE SONG OF NELLAIYAN THAT STEALS THE HEART
The simple songs of Vedanayaga Vedasastriar fill the heart and remain there permanently.
That is why, we have come to know of many who have given their hearts to his songs and
have lived a life of piety and faith. The descendants of Sastriar themselves would attest to
this fact:
Poem:
To remove the evil from me, the sinner
Whose heart is tormented, my Master, give me grace.
This sinner has faith in you
This is the song that my immediate younger sister, Chesalon (who now lives in the presence
of God) would sing with joy: Even while the sparrows that are sold as five for two farthings
do not fall without His knowledge; why do you fret as a person without any shelter and whine
with great doubt? My heart, do not worry; the son of God who saved you is alive. My
younger brother, John Vedanayagam Thambidorai, who has gone to be with the Lord, was
gifted with the talent of singing Tamil songs in different tunes without making any mistake in
the beats (thaalam); he used to compose Jathis (beats with utterance of specific letters) for
Sastriars songs and sing them. When my other younger sister, Agilamani, who had formally
learnt Bharata Natyam, would dance to those songs and Sastriars songs would resound with
good news from the stage in all the four directions, they would steal away the hearts of
people. One of these songs is My Lord, dont you have mercy? (Dheva irakkamillaiyo)
My husband, Rev. J.D. Manasseh used to preach with his thunderous voice from the pulpit
quoting Sastriar thus, Because of Jesus, we obtained greatness; we got grace; we also got
Holy Spirit to make us happy. Because of Jesus, we got eternal life, to live eternally forever
and ever. Sastriar sang, He was born as the song of Vedanayagam from Tirunelveli. He
removed the consequences of crores (10 million) of sins and gave us heavenly food. That is
the character of the immortal God Light from heaven has come, in human form. In this
song, doesnt he say that Jesus-God was born as his song? Therefore, the song that comes
out of his mouth is Jesus himself. Isnt this true?
The song that my only maternal uncle (Late Rev. J.G. Vedanayagam) sang, which would melt
the heart of the listeners, is Sastriars Lamentation (scene of the cross):
God of love, ocean of grace
You are the depth of mercy;
You went through gruesome pain that was
Immeasurable, immeasurable, immeasurable.
Whenever there was a Confirmation ceremony, the songs of Sastriar that were sung along
with my children with hearts full of praise:
Lord of Lords, with love you brought me into my mothers womb
And made me like gold.
Lord of Lords, from the day you created me in my mothers womb
You protected me till this day without any disturbance.
Lord of Lords, you have done good things beyond my thinking
And you will do great things for me that I may not think of.
Lord of Lords, is there any fear for the devotees
Who have committed their way to Gods leading?
Because of you, I was formed
Because of you, I came into this world
Because of you, I have flourished like this, Lord of Lords.
As long as there is life in me
I desire to praise you tirelessly, Lord of Lords
Palm leaves cannot enfold, heart cannot embrace,
Song too cannot envelop your loving kindness Lord of Lords.
Thus even within our family, many have sung Sastriars songs in the course of their
experiences expressing the feelings of their hearts and their joys and sorrows by submitting
them to God. If so, is it possible to say in words how much the larger family of all the
different branches of Sastriar who have spread like the roots of the banyan tree, would have
gained spiritual wealth! In fact, isnt it true that all the Tamil Christians have gained great
Christian life experiences by praising God through Sastriars songs? It is no wonder that from
the time of Sastriar until today, the descendants of Sastriar and others have gone in all the
four directions and have spread the gospel of Christ through his songs by singing with the
fragrance of Tamil language and praising him with joy!
Chapter 18
In 1862 Sastriar was beginning to feel weak physically. Since Winter affected his health, he
became sick now and again. Like other men of faith who had gone before him, he too wanted
to bless his children while he was healthy.
One Sunday - his eldest son, Gnanasigamani Sastriars birthday - the relatives had come from
Tirunelveli. He called all of them close to his side. Taking the palmyrah leaf book
(olaichuvadi) in which the sermons of Rev. Schwartz were written, he gave it to his son,
Noah Gnanadhickam Sastriar and said, Every day you should read one sermon from this and
say the prayers. Then he asked all of them to go on their knees. Putting his hands on the
head of his son, Noah Gnanadhickam, who helped him whenever he preached Sadur
(four/skilful) sermons and during the family worship, he blessed him saying, I am
appointing you as a preacher from today. May God bless you according to his will. Then, he
placed his hands on his younger son, Elia Devasigamani who was kneeling next and blessed
him saying, God has given you some gift of composing songs for Him singing to Him.
May God give you this gift in totality. May you continue my ministry. Then he called his
eldest son, Gnanasigamani, put his hand on his head and blessed him saying, Since you sing
and preach the history of Good News, you have to be a preacher telling Gods name
everywhere and live as an example to others; may He grant you long healthy life. May all
your children be helpful to you. His eldest daughter, Gnanadeepam Ammal was ready to go
to the South for evangelical work. Giving a letter of introduction to the Churches, he put his
hand on her head and blessed her saying, May you glorify God by singing the songs of the
Lord and explaining the history to the churches wherever you go. You will have great
rewards. May God be gracious to you and to your daughter.
His sons also went forth for evangelical ministry. But just as the forefathers of Israel did, he
stopped only one - Noah Gnanadhickam Sastriar from going along with them. Therefore
only Gnanasigamani Sastriar and Elia Devasigamani Sastriar went with the team to all parts
of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to preach the good news. In the same way, they went again the
following year.
As for Sastriar, his strength was diminishing as time passed by. He lost his appetite
altogether. During these days, his wife looked after him day and night, keeping awake all
the time. One day, he blessed his wife also saying, You helped me in my 'singing service.
Your children will serve you and take care of you. Many women servants will also be helpful
to you. His younger daughter, Manonmani ammal, her husband, daughter-in-law,
Arulammal and Gnanasigamani Sastriars son, Jebamani were all serving Sastriar by doing
various errands. And he in turn with a content heart, blessed all of them saying, For all the
help you have rendered me during my old age, God will also bless you abundantly during
your old age."
Many of the church members thinking that his end was near, brought different types of food
and got Sastriars blessings and went back. But Sastriar was averse to food. Though Rev.
Percival was prepared to come to Sastriars home and give him Holy Communion, Sastriar
walked to the church slowly and took part in the communion. Since many people forced him,
he took a little wine every day. In a few days he became strong enough to sit up. He spent
the money that he received from his three children by generously giving it away to the poor
people with great joy. For two months, he ate double the portion of all that he liked.
Grandson, Jebamani bought everything willingly, hoping that his grandfather would get well.
When Sastriar developed some swelling in his leg, his son Noah Gnanadhickam was
disturbed. Then Sastriar encouraged him quoting his own song, Why do you fret my mind,
why do you fret? There is Vedanayagams song; there is Messiahs prayer.
On Sunday, the 24th Jan. in 1864, there was morning worship as usual at home. At the end,
Sastriar gave his blessings to all the family members in the name of God. No one thought
that he was going to leave them on that day. As Sastriar was tired and lay down in bed, he
started breathing heavily. Hearing that his condition was deteriorating, the Thanjavur church
members came in haste. That days verse from the Bible was: Father, into thy hands, I
commit my spirit. It was four in the evening. His son Gnanadhickam did not allow anyone
to weep and said in a loud voice, When my breath slows down and am in trouble, show me
your appearance dying on the cross for melet me embrace you and sleep, my Jesus
and he also said the prayer, As my Redeemer who redeemed me, take care of me and with
love take me there. After that Sastriar went to the land of great happiness with great joy.
Along with Masilamani Pillai and Devasagayam Pillai, grandson, Jebamani performed the
final loving rites and also sang and prayed praising God for Sastriars great life. Bells
sounded in the Lutheran and SPG Churches. Candles were lit on the streets and houses.
Pastors, Missionaries, school students, dignitaries in town and church members came in
crowds and paid their last respects standing there respectfully. The family members and
others kept singing, taking turns and the singing went on and on. Many people sang
Sastriars songs packed with emotions. People were mourning while singing and they
continued singing throughout the night.
Sastriar was clothed in a robe and a shawl and cap and was laid in state so that people could
pay their last respect to him. Those who saw him lying in state thought he was sleeping with
a smile on his lips, all well dressed. That so touched their hearts that they cried aloud,
overwhelmed with grief. As Sastriar had noted down in his book of verse, his son
Gnanadhickam wrote down the three songs on a sheet of paper and kept in his hands these
three songs: King Jesus, reign me, my love (Yesu raja, enai aalum nesa), Jesus, my
Lord, look at me with grace.. (Yesu naadha kadaikkan paar) and Lord of mercy, worship
you, my Master (Kirubakarane, sthothramaiya..)
The body of Sastriar was kept in a coffin that was decorated inside and outside. With drums,
violin and other instruments resounding, the last procession of Sastriar started. There were
garlands of flowers and also flowers strewn on the streets, thrown from so many baskets.
Pastors Rev. Nelar and Rev. Aubert led the funeral service and Sastriars body was buried
with the firm hope of resurrection. As for Sastriar, while Jesus, his Lord and His angels were
at the door of heaven warmly welcoming him, he entered the land of great happiness singing
into indestructible eternal life with great joy!
Chapter 19
Comment [B10]: format?
Though Sastriars eldest son, Gnanasigamony Sastriar felt great sorrow for his own situation
whereby he could not see even the deceased body of his father, he understood the greatness
of his father, who completed his duty meticulously and entered into the land of happiness to
gain eternal life. Bearing his unbearable loss, he mentioned in his final tribute thus:
Ah, son of the Lord of Lords, Father Rev. Schwartzs disciple, who was like thousands of
thousands to the church, the one who portrayed the whole Bible in song, the one who derided
those who were ignorant and impious and the one who in Tamil Evangelical Church had the
divine gift without any predecessor or successor. When you came with new songs, hymns
and psalms, your arrival was like the glory of a King! In times of trouble, through your
prayers, you were like the city of refuge to us; you started your final procession even before
your dear daughter, your eldest son for whom you suffered a lot and your dear youngest son,
all of whom you had sent for Gods ministry, could return. When will this poor family man
and his children see your beautiful face, my Master? You lived under the care of Christs
church of Thanjavur town and so did you die on the Lords Day to go and live with Him?
His youngest son, Elia Devasigamony too while bemoaning his situation that he could not be
present with his father during his last stage, found a special reason even for that and sang
thus:
Poem:
That your great servant going to the Lord at a distance, far away
Who knows here, my Master?
Have they put your entire body in the box with folded hands,
Which wrote boxes and boxes of books?
If your eldest son and youngest son had been here they would not have given you
Farewell to go to the heavenly abode;
Maybe, that is why you retained your middle son with you
Thinking that he may not be a hindrance
And would send you on this journey well.
We also thought we could stand at the door and have a glimpse of you, our father
Who sang the praises of the Holy God who reigned the heaven.
But, have they kept you underneath the earth without telling all of us
Before we could come and see you?
Chennai Stephen Samuel Pillai sang and explained to all the churches about Sastriars
proficiency in all the three types of Tamil language (prose, poetry and drama) and his
evangelical fervour.
Poem:
From the great Tamil land Tirunelveli to
Thanjavur came the Poet
Who proclaimed the gospel
In prose, poetry and drama forms of Tamil
Please understand this..you, the Bride of God, the church
At the feet of the Bridegroom, Christ.
Thanjavur Pastors son, Devasagayam Pillai mourned thus in a song:
Poem:
You loved the people of earth, like your own self
You spoke of the fame of the incomparable one
Your lofty spirit of generosity grew
You left this land and rose into the city of gold
We pity ourselves, O Master
Wondering when we will listen to your exposition on the word of God
Beautiful bell, Oh, Vedanayagan!
Thanjavur David Pillais son, Sathyanatha Pillai, the Evangelist sang the song of praise thus:
Poem:
Beautiful life that has learnt the great language,
Lush plant that has spread through the country,
Bright star that has appeared in Thanjavur,
Inherently flawless gold that is fresh and new.
Having given their hearts to the song of Nellaian, remaining steady in their faith in Christ,
serving Nellaian Sastriar and taking delight in singing his songs were not only his children
and grandchildren but also those who came into his family the sons and daughters-in-law.
Among these, was Arulammal, daughter-in-law of Noah Gnanadhickam Sastriar. She did
various jobs for Sastriar like sitting close to his table, arranging his books on the table,
noting down whatever points he mentioned, writing his songs, etc. She considered this as a
great privilege. Another person was Dr. Yesudasan Savarirayan, husband of V.
Gnanasigamony Sastriars daughter, Jeyamani ammal. He would willingly memorise
Sastriars song and sing melodiously with joy. Jebamani Sastriar who noticed that his
brother-in-law sang his grandfathers songs with much interest, used to introduce him
proudly as Mappillai (Bridegroom) Sastriar. Once when he asked his brother-in-law, You
have got seven daughters, how are you going to settle them?, his brother-in-law sang a verse
from one of Sastriars lyrics brimming with enthusiasm thus:
Poem:
The whole omnipresence leans on me
Patience will not suit anger
Your grace abounds, my Father God
Reign me who is troubled, eternal Lord.
Was it only the sons-in-law and daughters-in-law? Even their parents (sambandhigazh)
appreciated and enjoyed Sastriars songs. Let us listen to the words of Arulappa Pillai,
Catechist who gives the reason for giving his daughter in marriage to the son of
Gnanasigamony Sastriar: Sastriar in his song says, On the day of Bethlehems sons
marriage, his sons, he and all his people will sing the blessings (Bethlehem Kuravanji
conversation of Singan & Singhi) Therefore if I give my daughter to Jebamani Sastriar, son
of Gnanasigamony Sastriar, my family and I will get that blessing. Stating this with great
joy to his relatives, he gave his daughter to Jebamani Sastriar in marriage.
Vedanayaga Sastriars son, Gnanasigamony and his sons, Thabomani Sastriar and Jebamani
Sastriar had the gift of singing. Also they had the gift of playing the violin along with other
instruments which they made themselves, besides the gift of preaching the word of God
through Sastriars song. And their music was a feast to the ears of those who heard them.
Because of this, these three Sastriars in their respective periods of time were the warriors who
preached the good news with firm faith by meeting the Kings of Thanjavur, Mysore,
Trivandrum and the Nizam of Hyderabad and telling them through Sastriars song in crystal
clear terms, Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world. The women in their families too sat
on the platform along with their fathers and brothers and sang melodiously, taking part in
their ministry from generation to generation.
Among Sastriars descendants, his youngest son, Elia Devasigamani Satriar and Suba Mani,
son of the eldest son, Gnanasigamony Sastriar - having been blessed with the gift of singing acquired the title Poet King (Kavi Rayar). They were even able to impress the college
students through their songs. Vedamani Sastriar, another son of Gnanasigamony Sastriar,
was able to sing more melodiously than others. Sastriars eldest daughter, Gnanadeepam
ammal shone like a famous warrior, spreading the good news in all the four directions. She
was a poet in multi-languages including Tamil, English, Telugu, Malayalam and Sanskrit.
She shouted aloud the good news in Jaffna and argued with Father Sammanasu, the Head of
the Roman Catholic Church; he stood against her, but she won him over and earned his
appreciation. She served there for many years, and when she died there, the person who did
the last rites for her was Father Sammanasu!
Sastriars middle son, Noah Gnanadhickam Sastriar also went to certain important places in
South Tamil Nadu and preached the good news through songs. Most of the time each year,
he would preach at the functions in the church and in the homes of the church members by
singing his fathers songs and expounding the word of God. At special functions, through
Sastriars songs, he would bless people in the name of God and make them happy. Also, he
used to go from house to house, talk to people about their welfare; visit the sick and pray with
them and console them and help the poor people; and thus he gained the love and respect of
the people of Thanjavur. Sastriars grandson, Jebamani Sastriar gave the title, Sastriar that
was given from generation to generation in the family, to Vedanandham Devasagayam, the
only son of Noah Gnanadhickam Sastriar. Though working as a school teacher,
Vedanandham Sastriar took great part in his fathers ministry during holidays and leisure and
continued the ministry till the very end. It is his first son, Shem Vedanayaga Sastriar who
has taken up the ministry of the forefathers and is serving in Thanjavur with much zeal.
Vedanandha Sastriars second son was ordained as a Pastor and is serving the church as Rev.
V. Gnanadhickam.
Chennais first Bagavathar Vedanayaga Sastriar married Gnanagaram Ammal, the daughter
of Gnanasigamonys son, Vedamani Sastriar. He composed new lovely tunes for Sastriars
songs and sang them with a team of people who were well versed in the art of music and
impressed the people of all religions. He was totally involved in spreading the good news of
salvation through Jesus Christ right from his youth and travelled not only throughout India
but also Burma (now Myanmar), Singapore and Malaysia, continuing his forefathers service
of love. The Madras church congregation gave him the title, Bagavathar and his maternal
uncle, Jebamani Sastriar gave him the title, Sastriar that comes from generation to
generation, Therefore, it is indeed the gracious act of God that Vedanyaga Sastriars
grandson, Jebamani Sastriar, knowing that his son who had been ordained as a Pastor could
not take up his grandfathers ministry, gave the ancestral title Sastriar to Bagavathar
Vedanayagam, the son of his own sister, Navamaniammal. Though Jebamani Sastriars
children and their descendants serve in their own way, it is the descendants of Bagavathar
Vedanayaga Sastriar, who are spreading the good news in the traditional Sastriar style and
are doing this ministry meticulously as their vocation to Emmanuel (Immanuvelai velaiyaaga
kumbittu) till this day.
Bagavathar Vedanayaga Sastriars son, Jeyaseelan is the second Bagavathar Vedanayaga
Sastriar. Just like his father, he preached the good news of Jesus Christ by preaching through
songs throughout the country. Now his son is the third Bagavathar Vedanayaga Sastriar. On
15.12.1956, at the CSI Missionary Church in Purasawalkam, Chennai amidst a great crowd,
he received the ancestral title, Sastriar and also the title and crown. This was given to him
by Rev. J.G. Vedanayagam, son of Jebamani Sastriar, grandson of Vedanayaga Sastriar. For
the past twenty years, he has been travelling not only in all parts of Tamil Nadu but also in
Kerala, Karnataka and in North India and preaching that Jesus Christ, the Saviour is the true
living God. He is an expert violinist and also sings beautifully along with other musicians.
Just like his grandfather, he will sing Sastriars songs to the current tunes which people like
nowadays and thus spreads the good news of the Bible in all the four directions through the
fragrant Tamil music. Recently, for eight months he served very powerfully in Malaysia and
Singapore. He has the ability to clearly explain the uniqueness of Christ to non-Christians.
The only goal of Vedanayaga Sastriar, who lived a great life, was to tell out the good news of
Christ Jesus to the Tamil speaking world. It is indeed amazing that Vedanayaga Sastriar who
was famous as one who did not know any other song except that of the Lord of Lords
(Paraparanaiyandri veru paatariyen) was, by Gods grace, able to use his own songs and
explain the great truths of Christs death on the cross to redeem humankind. Its a greater
wonder that the descendants of Sastriar continue this ministry from generation to generation
with the same goal in the traditional style. Today those who are following the way of the
ancestors in proclaiming their Master call out to the people of the world, Run and come, O
People, run and come to Christ, O People (Odi vaa janamay Christuvandai odi vaa
janamay). They also tell them, Sing and praise my heart; celebrate and praise the Lord
every day (Paadi thudhi manamay, paranai kondaadi thudhi manamay). They exclaim,
Wont you hear this sound of the call to take part in the great festival of great Joy?!
Poem:
Blessing of victory to the great Lord Jesus,
Blessing of goodness to the triune God, the Alpha.
(Seer yesu naadhanukku jeya mangalam
Aadhi thiriyega naadhanukku suba mangalam)
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