Kakkassery Bhatadri: Saint of Kerala Aithihyamala;

Once a great scientist, married to a homemaker had a child named Gopala. He too had a great interest in studies. Sandyavandhanam, is an evening and morning prayer done by Brahmins. As Gopala was a Brahmin, he was supposed to do the poojas. But he didn’t do so. Once his father asked,”Son, why don’t you do the poojas?”. The boy kept silent. The next day, when his father left for his job, he told “Dad, I am Kakkassery”. Though the father was well read, he had never heard of Kakkassery. He kept on thinking about that. Days passed and he felt a bit awkward to ask his son. At last, one of his friend, a Namboodiri met him and he asked the question. The Namboodiri said,” Well I am  a Namboodiri but also a bhatadri. My great great grandfather was Kakkassery Bhatadri. He was so intelligent. He had a special knowledge which is he could talk to crows and understand their languages.” Then the father asked,”Did he do poojas?” The Namboodiri replied,” He was a scholar but he didn’t even do the poojas. When we asked him, he gave a tremendous reply that there is no sunset and sunrise at all. We get sunlight here and then darkness. But never the sun sets or rises. It stays there every time. Sandhyavandhanam is something that we do when the sun sets or rises. As the sun never sets or rises why should we do the poojas?. That is what he said”. With this the father realised that his son really is intelligent.
Prayers should be done. But instead of doing it on sunset or sunrise just do it when nighttime starts to arise or turns away !!
This was a great experience to seek this wonderful information.-Aadarsh Ram