Lodge Burroughs Strange No. 87
Vijayawada, India

Building stone is obtained from quarries. It shall be of uniform colour and texture, hard, tough and durable and of the best quality of its respective kind. It shall be free from decay, holes, veins, flaws, cracks and other defects. It shall be quarried in such a way as to the most suitable for the particular class of work. Every stone is to be tooled on all beds, joints and exactly square on all edges, with a chisel and without rubbing. Such are the stringent requirements of good building stone. ASHLAR is a name for this class of stone ; depending on fitness of polishing of the surfaces, rough or fine, the stone is called THE ROUGH ASHLAR or THE PERFECT ASHLAR.

A CANDIDATE for Freemasonry, is to be selected and chosen, as a stone for a building. He should be just, upright and free ; of mature age, sound judgement, strict morals and goods report ; in all cases of difficulty and danger, he must put his faith in God ; he must be well and worthily recommended and regularly proposed and approved in open lodge ; he should be ready to declare on his honour, that unbiased by the improper solicitations of friends against his own inclination and uninfluenced by mercenary and other unworthy motives, he is freely and voluntary offering himself as a candidate for the mysteries and privileges of Freemasonry ; besides, he should also be willing to pledge himself, that he is prompted to solicit those privileges by a favourable opinion preconceived of the institution, a general desire for knowledge, and a sincere wish to render himself to be more extensively serviceable to his fellow creatures. Such are the corresponding stringent requirements of a candidate for Freemasonry, That is the ASHLAR, to be roughened and perfected, to fit into the stately and superb edifice of Masonic Fraternity.

The ASHLAR indicates the untrained mind of the candidate ; he is supposed to be in a state of darkness and ignorance, but gradually through masonic work and knowledge his mind will be polished, firstly ROUGH and finally PERFECT. The ROUGH ASHLAR refers to the rough and unformed mind of the Entered Apprentice. Perfect Ashlar belongs to the Fellow Craft, who can take the rough ashlar and make it a perfect ashlar ; the basic stone of the Ashlar should be good ; he cannot transform bad material into good material, however much it is polished and perfected. Bad man cannot be made good ; only good men can be made better men. Hence the importance of carefully selecting and choosing a candidate into Masonic Fraternity.

From Masonic Rituals, Rough and Perfect Ashlars are two of the three immovable Jewels in a Lodge. The rough Ashlar is for the Entered Apprentice to work, mark, and indent on ; the Perfect Ashlar for the more experienced Fellow Craft to try and adjust his jewels on ; the Rough Ashlar represents the rough and unformed mind in infancy, and the Perfect Ashlar, the nature mind, polished by education and experience.

A PERFECT ASHLAR has been made recently in the selection of the successor the KANCHI KAMAKOTI PEETADHIPATHI SRI JAYENDRA SARASWATI. Fourteen years back, on 13th March 1969, Mr. Sankaran was born in a Telugu orthodox family in a village near Madras. He is the ASHLAR.

After completing 6th class, he joined a Vedic School where his father is a teacher ; within a period of 7 years, he has become an eminent scholar in Rigveda. In addition he studied several other Vedic subjects. Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, having observed Mr. Sankaran, expressed to his parents, his desire to make Mr. Sankaran, the next Peetadhipathi ; his selection is finally declared. Thus a ROUGH ASHLAR has been founded in Mr. Sankaran.

For one full night Mr. Sankaran chanted Gayatri Mantra ; he was given a both in the sarovar at Kamakshi Temple ; his head was shaved clean ; he performed several Kratuvulu and Karmalu ; one whole night he was awake, as sleeping is prohibited one day before ; he had undergone several other rigorous ceremonies before he was finally made a SANYASI ; he will be the successor for Sri Jayendra Saraswati the ruling Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetadhipathi, when the occasion arises, for which further intensive training is given and he becomes highly befitting by becoming more and more Perfect. What a Perfect, What a Perfect ASHLAR has been made.

Amarasilpi Jakkanna, a renowned Sculptor of South India, is separated from his wife and son. In course of time, the son became as great sculptor and went in search of his father. One day, they, unknown to each other, met accidentally remarked that sufficient are was not taken in selecting and choosing the base stone - the ashlar - and it is defective. Amarasilpi Jakkanna, who has such self confidence in his own masterly abilities in choosing and selecting the base stone for his work, took a bet, that he shall have his right hand cut of at the wrist, if the stone selected by him for making the Vinayaka Idol is proved as defective. The young sculptor struck a mild blow at the Vinayak Idol, a little to the left of the naval, when a piece of stone fell out and there, there was a small frog ! At once Jakkanna, true to his bet, struck off his right hand at the wrist ; that hand selected the base stone ; that hand that worked all the time, without knowing the bad in the base material ; but what a pleasure he derived when they could identify themselves. Alas ! an ashlar, rough and finally perfected has to be rejected.

Shall member of the Masonic Fraternity, who sings with his right hand the proposal of a candidate, who unfortunately proves himself unworthy, have his right hand cut of at the wrist, for his not fully judging his ASHLAR. If it were to be so what a PERFECT ASHLAR be Masonry.