Once over forty Brahmins from the area Vanniya Teynampet in Madras came to have darshan of Maha Periyava. After their obeisance to the Sage, they expressed their common mental agony: that brahmins were not able to go around in the area with respect as some atheists made fun and showed animosity whenever they came across the hair tufts, sacred threads, and Vaishnavite marks that adorned the body of a Brahmin.
As He heard this, Sri Periyava asked them, "You people do the Gayatri Japam every day?" There was silence. He advised them, "Continue to do the Gayatri Japam daily. Everything will be all right."
As advised, they started doing did Gayatri Japam daily. Within two months the situation changed to their complete satisfaction. They met Periyavaa happily and conveyed the news. Periyava told them, "All the problems are due to your giving up Gayatri mantra. The power of Gayatri mantra is immeasurable."
