The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Be tuned to God

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 14, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Be tuned to God

CHENNAI, MAY 14. The spiritual evolution of a typical individual follows a definite pattern. The inborn eagerness to know and grasp higher things in life is kindled by contact or exposure to a preceptor who, through heritage and experience, has gained valuable insights into the deeper reality. A mere contact or even transfer of cerebral or intellectual knowledge, by itself, does not complete the education of the seeker. To assimilate the deeper meaning of the spiritual heritage one has to undergo the experience of the preceptor and intensely feel the fire of proximity of the Supreme.

In his lecture on the guru puja day of the Tamil Saivite saint Thirunavukkarasar, Prof. V. Rethinasabapathy emphasized the relevance of personal experience in an individual's spiritual endeavour while at the same time highlighting the importance of hagiography. The rich heritage of our land has been embellished by the great Azhwars and Naayanmars (Vaishnavite and Saivite saints of the south), who served God truly and were recipients of the Lord's special grace.

Sekkizhar, the Chief Minister of one of the Chola kings, embarked on the biographical compilation of the Naayanmars as something more than a hagiography; the work reflects the philosophic and spiritual message of these saints. What bound them together was the selfless love of humanity and an innate spirit of sacrifice and service. They held the love of fellow devotees as a sacrament and Thirunavukkarasar held that despite personal predilections, one is worthy of worship if he is a devotee of Lord Siva. No matter what the exigencies of life, a person should be tuned to God at all times. A teacher may be focussed on imparting knowledge to his students but at a deeper level, the soul should be in communion with God. This is the essence of one's search.

According to Thirunavukkarasar, so long as the powerful illusion of physical desires and worldly attachments reign supreme, so long as the ego is alive, a person cannot experience the grace of God. He himself was the recipient of God's boundless grace, but he failed to realise the merit himself. Recollecting his earlier life spans, Thirunavukkarasar recalled God's grace when He enjoined the poet to compose lyrics. Repeated labours notwithstanding, the Supreme Being made numerous corrections to the composed body of work, leaving the saint puzzled as to the Lord's intentions. It was only as he evolved that Thirunavukkarasar realised that he was being given an opportunity to experience God.

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