Devotee relies solely on God's
succour
Nothing can be more
distressing than to witness the pitiable plight of those who had
once wielded enormous power, enjoyed unlimited comforts and
commanded tremendous respect, now being deprived of everything and
facing near extinction. More than men, the womenfolk will feel
greatly hurt in such a humiliating situation. More so, if they are
forced to depend on others. However, those who take refuge in God
and rely solely on His succours will not lose their morale. Laymen
will, on the other hand, get jittery and will even adopt dubious
methods to get back the lost position. They are bound to fail if
they try to believe in their physical strength. A typical example is
provided in the Mahabharatha where the cheated Pandavas were sent
out to stay in the forest for 12 years, stripped of all wealth. But
they never lost their courage and were able to get over all the
tests, guided by Lord Krishna at every stage. The worst trial came
in the form of a request from Durvasa for a lunch for his entourage
at an inopportune time. Here again, God saved the Pandavas and the
sage, known for his bad temper, was humbled. Devotees should cling
to the feet of God with full confidence that He shall never fail.
In his discourse Sri M.P.
Annamalai Mudaliar said the Pandavas were to remain disguised for
one year and they took up different assignments in Virata's kingdom.
Yudhishtirar (the emperor-to-be) worked as a royal courtier, Bhima
the valiant, as a cook, Arjuna the wise as a dance-teacher, Nakula
and Sahadeva in the stables.
Draupadi, who at one time
had numerous servants at her beck and call, worked as an attendant.
All of them refused to be shaken but remained undaunted. They had
received advice from mentors as how to conduct themselves.
At the end of the period,
they revealed their identity and took steps to retrieve the
territory that legitimately belonged to them.
June 26, 1981
The inexorability of
destiny
Temples are the abodes of
God and the consecrated idols radiate special powers. Because of the
sanctity attached to the shrines, the priests, who are privileged to
conduct the worship on behalf of the devotees, are held in high
esteem. Society considered them blemishless and as men of impeccable
character. Their actions were not questioned and their motives were
never doubted. Because of this illustrious tradition, Lord Siva, who
acted as a mediator between Sundaramurthi Nayanar and his spouse,
donned the role of a "Sivacharya" and went to the latter's house at
an odd hour. Such an act by anyone other than a priest would have
been considered sheer sacrilege, but since He took the garb of a
priest, none could raise an accusing finger against Him.
But, by unforeseen
circumstances, should a priest himself commit a misdeed like lifting
of temple property, how can he be excused? The explanation for such
a misfortune can only be attributed to the intervention of the
mighty force "destiny" which spares none. The inexorability of this
superior power is one of the themes handled in the Mahabharata.
A highly
intelligent-person may put forth all his endeavour and be fully
qualified to discharge a particular obligation, but he may falter.
On the other hand, a simpleton may suddenly be pushed up to a high
status. When the wheel of fate starts operating, even the normal
thought processes may be found to be numb or the wise may be made to
choose the wrong path. Yudhishtira discarded all advice and
opposition from his kith and kin not to accept his cousin's
invitation to playa game of dice. It was fate which propelled him
on. Yudhishtira started losing his belongings one by one but destiny
made him pledge his kingdom also.
Sri Keeran in his
discourse said, the arrogant Duryodhana spoke contemptuously of
Vidhura, the custodian of ethics, who advised him not to inveigle
the pious Yudhishtira. Vidhura knew that destiny's tentacles had
started gripping him and his act was the beginning of his
end.
February
20, 1985
Six
companions of man
Six among the most important virtues which a
man should strive to cultivate are laid down in the scriptures as
adherence to Truth, acquisition of Knowledge to sift the grain from
the chaff, the follow the rules regarding charity to the needy, to
display mercy, to maintain equanimity and to be restrained, patient
and tolerant. The highest value is assigned to the utterance of
Truth at any cost and is hence compared to a mother. Wisdom
generated both through restraining from doing what is prohibited and
experience, is likened to the father. Generosity is a man's brother
while the trait of showing kindness even to the weak and the
unprotected is like a good friend. To remain peaceful and calm
despite adverse circumstances can be compared to a wife while the
quality of patience is equated with one's son. These are our
constant companions in life.
The Mahabharatham, through the words and deeds
of the Pandavas, spells out how man should conduct himself. When
tossed by the waves of challenges, even the pious persons who hold
on to God's feets may lose their morale. Tests, given by God, are
intended to develop the moral courage to face them and hence we
should not abuse the Supreme Power that has provided comforts and
material benefits. When the Pandavas were in a quandary as how to
avoid the curse of a sage for having, unintentionally, committed an
act that was bound to kindle the wrath of a sage, Lord Krishna,
their mentor, suggested a way out by which they were each asked to
reveal, without hiding anything what passed in their
mind.
Yudhishtirar's concern was to uphold
Righteousness, Sri Keeran in his discourse said, Bhima declared that
he would worship every married woman as his mother, despise others'
property and consider others' grief as his own. Arjuna felt that his
honour was more precious than his life. Nakula said scholastic
attainment was essential even to the affluent Sahadeva referred to
the six comrades of man.
February 22, 1985
Religious recipes for keeping the mind
pure
Hinduism has provided an
aspirant, who is eager to get rid of worldly bondage, with an
exhaustive list of spiritual exercises. They include nine methods of
cultivating devotion and eight types of personal worship. They will
enable a sincere person to move with saintly characters, keep the
mind pure, retain the vision of God within and treat every being as
God's creation.
The highest priority among
the nine modes of 'Bhakthi' has been assigned to listening to the
expositions of scriptural literature which reveal the incomparable
and remarkable traits of God, particularly His compassion to the
weak.
The best example of a
beneficiary of Divine grace was that of a king who, mistaking the
silence of a saint (who was in a state of trance following deep
meditation) as an insult, threw the skin of a dead snake around his
neck. For his act of indiscretion, he suffered a curse but he got
released from the shackles which tied him to worldly activities
through "Sravanam". He was the grandson of the Pandavas who fought a
righteous war, with the help of Lord Krishna and demonstrated that
those who uphold the Law of Virtue will never fail.
The Mahabaratha has a
wide-ranging interest-literary, sociological, political, spiritual
and ethical. Lord Krishna acted as the mentor of the Pandavas, who
symbolised "Righteousness". The trials they faced could have made
anyone else, placed under similar circumstances, totally collapse
but they pinned their faith in God's dispensation and emerged
victorious. To study how they were saved will give us mortals moral
strength, Sri S. Jayarama Sarma, explained in a discourse. Four out
of the eight religious recipes for steadying the mind are mentioned
in this Epic. The eight relate to: tasting and taking a dip in the
holy Ganga, chanting the Gayatri mantra, reciting at least a chapter
from the Gita, worship of an image, offering it. Thulasi petals,
sandalwood paste and other tributes, observing fast twice in a month
(Ekadasi), dedicating what we eat at the feet of the Lord and
repeating the 1008 names of God (Sahasranama).
The tale of Ganga and her son Bhishma, the
significance of Gayathri through the Savithri episode, the
song-celestial (Gita) and the praise of Vishnu through the garland
of hymns containing His glorious attributes, form part of the
Mahabaratha. It is a narration of God's support to noble
causes.
March 26,
1986
Influence of attachment
While mentioning about
various human foibles, sacred texts never fail to refer to the
influence of attachment to one's kith and kin. It will take
precedence over duty and righteous action. A person may remain
disciplined, follow the tenets of Dharma and discharge his duties
without fear but all these will fall flat before affection. Should
one be compelled to help a person whom he loves deeply but who is in
difficulty and should this involve his giving a go by to his
principles, he will not mind stepping aside even from the path of
virtue.
The Mahabharata projects
this theme through various instances. Attachment versus Duty is also
the central question discussed in the dialogue between the Lord and
His devotee. The itch to wield the arms and punish the culprits
vanished when Arjuna thought of his relationship with Bhishma and
Drona. "Of what purpose is the battle in which millions will perish
and of what use governing a country after annihilating many". When
Karna sought a boon that should he die, Kunti should acknowledge
openly that he was her son and when she agreed, it again indicated
the powerful grip of deep affection.
That there should be no
compromise on principles is another theme discussed in the Epic, Sri
Keeran said in a discourse. In the case of fine arts, there may be
occasions when the artiste may be confronted with certain baffling
predicaments. In such cases, invariably, he may try to utter untruth
and escape from the situation. For instance, if a master in
astrology finds himself in a quandary, precluding him from spelling
out the real position, he may give vague replies. But an artiste who
is true to his profession will not hesitate to speak the truth.
Sahadeva was an expert in astrology and under
strange circumstances, he was asked by his arch-enemy Duryodhana, to
prescribe the auspicious time to commence the war. Fully aware that
such a step would spell his own ruin but at the same time, knowing
that he should be true to the Art which he had mastered, he still
stipulated the time. However during such occasions, God will protect
these sincere and honest men. The Lord changed the date by a clever
manipulation and the Pandavas were saved from
extinction.
July 5,
1986
