I was serving in a Central Government Department in Bangalore, and came to Madras on 1-11-1973, to see an ailing relative of mine. That night I casually mentioned to my younger brother that I was having some difficulty in swallowing food. He immediately took me to Dr. M. Vaidyalingam who was our neighbor and who was working as a Physician in the Government Mental Hospital, Kilpauk, Madras. He examined me and advised me to take an X-ray and show it to him. Accordingly the next morning, I went to the X-ray clinic of Dr. Sankaran, in Millers Road, Kilpauk, Madras. He took the X-ray and told me that I was suffering from cancer of the oesophagus and that I should undergo an operation immediately. Otherwise I may survive only for a fortnight. I showed the X-ray to Dr. Vaidyalingam who confirmed it as cancer, and advised me to go to Dr. Mohan Rau who was then running a Surgical Clinic on the Poonamallee High Road, Madras. He confirmed the earlier diagnosis and as it was on the thoracic side of my body, he got in touch with Dr. Solomon Victor, Surgeon of the Government General Hospital, Madras requesting him to examine me immediately, Dr. Solomon Victor examined me and confirmed that I was suffering from cancer and said that I should undergo the operation immediately. I told him that I would go to Kanchipuram and get the blessing of His Holiness the Paramacharyal and then undergo the operation. He agreed.

On the afternoon of 5-11-1973 I went to Tenampakkam (Sivaasthanam), where His Holiness was staying. At the time, His Holiness was discussing with Sri Annadurai Iyengar about some Sanskrit publication. There were about half a dozen Vedic scholars sitting around. I prostrated before His Holiness and told him that I was suffering from cancer and that expert medical opinion was that, like Parikshit, I might survive only for 7 days if I did not undergo an operation. On hearing this His Holiness said in Tamil (practically shouted) that no operation was necessary. "You will be all right. You will live for hundred years."

By the blessings of the Acharyal I got myself admitted in Government General Hospital, Madras on the evening of 5-11-1973. From 6-11-1973 the tests began. 'X-ray was taken and it proved that I was all right. I was sent to the E.N.T. Department where Dr. Swaminathan, Head of the Department and two of his doctor assistants examined me. A long instrument was introduced through my mouth and it was slowly sent through the gullet, right upto the bottom of the stomach. He could not find any trace of the cancer and accordingly gave his opinion in writing.

My relatives however were afraid that it might relapse. So for their sake I took some Ayurvedic medicine prescribed by Dr. Venkatasubramania Sastrigal, Ayurvedic physician attached to the Sankara Math, Kanchipura. After a month I again went to Dr. Sankaran. On seeing me he recognised me and asked me whether I had undergone the operation. i told him that I had not undergone the operation but that instead I was taking some Ayurvedic medicines and that I felt better. Dr. Sankaran placing both his hands above his head exclaimed that some miracle had happened, He said "Please tell me what happened. I say that you have been cured of the disease. Otherwise it is impossible for you to be alive without undergoing the operation. For your satisfaction I will take the X-ray, and give it immediately. But please tell me what happened." I told him what His Holiness said to me. Immediately he said, "You have been cured solely by the Grace of His Holiness. He is a great soul. He can make and unmake things!" He developed the X-ray and as he had anticipated there was no trace of cancer. He also tole me that if my original X-ray was shown to postgraduate medical students appearing for the M.D. examination, and if they did not diagnose the disease as cancer of the oesophagus, he would give up his profession from that instant.