The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Mark of true devotion

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 24, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Mark of true devotion

CHENNAI, AUG.24 . A paradoxical phenomenon that can be seen today is the increasing number of people visiting temples along with widespread materialism. While these are not antithetical per se and can be seen as a heartening development it is still necessary for the discerning and spiritually inclined person to consider the underlying rationale for this trend. Another feature that can be seen is the outward display of devotion to the extent of reducing the very practice to a facade and also seeking material returns from various deities by giving offerings. Is it not necessary then to consider what true devotion entails?

In his discourse, Sri Suki Sivam said temples were centres of spirituality and not meant for seeking favours from God. Worship in temples has been envisaged in the spiritual tradition to enable the devotee to imbibe the vibrations of the sacred place, which has been sanctified by great saints and mystics like the Azhwars and the Nayanmars, as this will aid spiritual evolution. The Almighty is omnipotent and He dispenses according to one's Karma. So one should not entertain the notion that He rewards people according to what they offer to Him. On the other hand, it is love and devotion that matters to Him.

The case of Kannappa Nayanar is a paradigmatic instance to highlight true devotion. Thinnan as his parents had named him hailed from the hunting tribe not known for its predilection for spirituality. Having watched a priest go up the hill to offer worship to Lord Siva in the form of a Linga there, he also imitated his manner and with true love in his heart offered flowers, water and the meat of the animal he hunted after tasting it to see whether it was good to offer Him. It was his next action of gorging out first one eye and then also the other to arrest the bleeding in the Lord's eye that made known his unalloyed devotion to the world at large and earned him the honorific title "Kannappa Nayanar".

Kannappan went to the temple not to seek anything in return but to express his devotion in the manner he knew. Sekkhizhar describes that after this turning point in his life this great devotee lived as a personification of love for God. Such unalloyed devotion is spoken of as an end in itself because the devotee exists only to serve God with devotion. So true devotion is offering oneself in service to Him without expectation of anything in return.

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