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OH. KXXII. THE WASHEHMAN. 217
returning, he blessed her, and saw to the due perforniance of
all festivals connected with Lord Nikshepavitta and St. Madhurakavi.
R&mabnuja now returned to Srirangam.
An interesting incident is chronicled ' as having occnred
about this time. The washerman employed to wash the clothes
of the Srivaishnavas of Srirangam, one day washed Lord
Ranga's garments as well. He brought them and showed to
Ram&nuja. Bam9,nuja was so pleased with him that he took him
to the Lord in the Temple and prayed to Him thus "
: Lord,
deign to notice the careful way in which this washerman has
washed Thy garments. Indeed, with these wound round Thee,
Thou wouldst appear to such advantage." Lord Kanga :— accepted
the recommendation and replied to RamsLnuja thus " For
the loving services rendered to us this day by this washerman,
we forgive the ofEence of his ancestor, the •vyasherman of
our Krishna-avatar." " To this day it is the custom for the
Lord to receive the clothes from the washerman just as he
brings them and use it for the Lord. This is a privilege inasmuch
as in Indie Society, the woisherman is a low-caste man and
the clothes brought by him have to be washed again before a
Brahmana will wear them.
It is here chronicled that there was a disciple of RamELnuja
called Pattini-p-perumal. He is said to have been of lowcaste.
He lived away from the sacred town of Srirangam, in
an out-of-the-way hut ; and used to drown himself in the joy
of singing the psalms of the Holy Azhvfi,rs. Ram^nuja's way
from the river Kaveri to Srirangam lay where this disciple
thus lived. One day he was returning from his bath accompanied
as usual by a large number of his followers. He stopped
short at the hut, and bidding his followers leave him and proceed
to Srirangam, entered the hut, and spent the time with
the disciple as long as it pleased him, in the sweet ecstasy
brought on by the singing of the Holy Hymnal. Had an ordinary
person consorted thus with a low caste man as Rama-
' Vide Bhagavad-vishaya, on Tiraviymozlu V. 10, 6, Ninra-vdrum
also Topic 53 of our Divine Wisdom of Vrdvidd SainU.
' Read the story in foot-note, op. cit.
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