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im MAnAI'LKXA'S UEATir. «»• ^^X.
eye," the second ej/e meaning faith—the Vaishnava-faith. Thus
he fcore the pain with a coui-age, sapet-humau But Pui'iia was
in his declining years, and tottering as he was in the weakness
of old age, found the pain beyond his powers of endurance, and
therefore laid himself down on the Avay in the open, his head
resting on the lap of KurfiSa ; and his feet on his poor daughter's
lap. " Holy Sire," said they to him, " what cruel fate
has befallen ns, and you in particular. Your birth-place is
Srirangam, your God is Ranga, and your disciple is Ramaiiuja
himself ; and yet to think that destiny should have ordained
your grave in an out-of the w.ay field near Gaugaikonda-Sozhapuram
! Does this cause you grief?" To thi&,
Purna said :— " My beloved children, have ye not heard that
' wherever a Vaishnava may chance to die, tliere God is
present with him ' ' even as Blessed Rama was present
at the dying of Jatayu, in the wilderness ? ' And have ye not
. heard that, " the best place for a Vaishnava to die is on a
Vaishnava's lap or in a Vaishiiava.'s house ? ' ' And this beside&
is holy land too where I am dying, for it is where our holy
ances-tors Nftthamuni and Kuragai-kaval-appan died. Also
know that if we grieve, because we did not die at Srirangam
itself, all our posterity will think that for salvation, death in
Srirangam alone is necessary. No, no, our rule is that a good
soul, which has capitulated to God {prapanna) may meet hisdeath
anywhere, and yet be sure of G^d beside him there." So
speaking, MahS,purna expired with his last
thoughts lovingly
fixed on Yftmun&ch§,rya, his Guru, and sped to ineffable Rest
in the bosom of God.*
According to custom, Purna had to be cremated with due
ceremony and honors. There came some way-farers and said :
1
'T^^^'3Ts?m?;?T%«J!!%i?mo'n< i
" Rdmdyana 111, 69.
* A place called Fanupati Koil, about 7 miles from Kandiyur
(Tanjore District) is pointed out as the place where MahS,puriia breathed
his last.