Here are two episodes from Paramaachaaryaal' s life - one in English and the other in Tamil. They demonstrate how Maha Periyavaa can convey the messages to us by continuing the mouna (silence) or breaking it too.
Two devotees' recollection
1 .. Puncturing the Ego
I witnessed an incident some 4 decades back in Kalavai, when I went to have a darshan of Paramacharya on His Jayanthi day.There was as usual a huge crowd. My wife and me were waiting when suddenly He appeared from another side. The crowd started moving towards Him .There was a 50 year old Man with Gold chains adorning the neck and his wife prostrated before Him. Periyavaa was in Mouna vratham. He looked a very well placed Buinessman.
Periyava enquired"How are you?" in Mouna.
This man and his wife gave a pamphlet showing that he conducted for 4 days 'Samashti Upanayanm' for poor Brahmins in KK Nagar(Free Upanayanams with all cost born by him.) Periyava looked at the pamphlet..There was silence. He asked him "How much did you spend.?" "He said a few lacs." Silence.
Periyavaa asked him in Mouna, about a boy called "Dakshinamurthy of Tirunelveli. This man got a shock of his life time. Periyava disappeared.!
This man started weeping uncontrollably. .His wife tried to pacify and a few Journalists present asked him " Sir what happened. Why are you crying "
He went on repeating " I am a criminal..I am a criminal." Then he explained :
"I had a widowed sister years back and her son's name is Dakshinamurthy. I took care of them but she also passed away. I didnt like to keep that boy in my house and drove him away and I dont know where he is. Periyava 'indirectly' aks me today 'You do Samashti Upanayanm' for all but you have forgotten your own sister's son! Now I have to somehow find him and make him a man.."
2..
When Paramacharya was observing Kaashta Mauna (complete silence) on a day, He was silently blessing the devotees. When it was the turn of one Sri Sankaran, who lost both his eye sight during Indian Freedom struggle, Maha Periyavaa asked him about his welfare and the family's. To the bemused devotees He explained that if He blessed Sri Sankaran in silence, he could not have realised that being blind; hence He decided to break the silence and openly blessed him. Maha Periyavaa added that He did so respecting Sri Sankaran's patriotism; He did not mind breaking His Vratha for the sake of a blind patriotic devotee !
Source : from an e mail recd