The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Man must dispel ignorance

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Thursday, Dec 09, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Man must dispel ignorance

CHENNAI, DEC. 9. The impediments to attaining the feet of the Lord are inherent and man-made. Human beings are normally engulfed by the three impurities, namely ego, illusion and (mis)deeds. Ego is said to be in existence from the beginning-less stage, atomising the pervasive nature of the soul, shrouding it in utter ignorance culminating in the arrogant postulation of `I' and `mine.' By means of `maya' a person gets attracted to worldly objects and covets the same. Even saints are not free from this malady as is evident from the numerous anecdotes of evolved men falling prey to earthly attractions. A person's actions — both good and bad — impact on his tally of virtue and vice, with the former bringing happiness and improved rebirths while misdeeds can fetch nothing but sorrow and misery in their wake.

Every person has to rid himself of these impurities in order to become eligible to realise godhood, said Sri. C.V. Sadanandan in a discourse. The influence of illusion will vanish if one were to view the entire universe and its objects as God's creations. While evil deeds should always be avoided, one should consider good deeds undertaken to be a result of His grace and not attribute the same to one's own self if one wants to reap the fruits of such laudable acts and avoid rebirths. By far the hardest hurdle to overcome is that of ego, but this too can be surmounted with constant prayers, leading a righteous life with the full realisation that human beings are only mere tools, and the Supreme alone is the ultimate activator. When all the three are aligned and in consonance with true spiritual yearnings the soul will realise its true nature of inherent divinity. Such a state is not easy to achieve. The coconut in its natural form is rough, with the green layer representing illusion, while the fibre personifies deeds with the hard shell signifying ego. When all the three parts are peeled away the inner fruit offered to God is symbolic of the pure soul. Among the five fingers, the thumb is considered as God, the forefinger as soul and the rest to signify the three impurities. While the last three flex outwards, the forefinger veers closer to the thumb. Similarly when a person is devoid of all the three `taints' his inner self is able to remain steadfast at the feet of the Almighty naturally and of its own volition. Scholars point out that this philosophy is clear from the `chin mudra' evidenced to all by Lord Dakshinamurthy. The six-day war waged by Lord Subrahmanya against Soorapadma and his brothers is in fact an onslaught on the three undesirable taints. Soorapadma personifies ego, while Tharakasoora represents illusion with Singamuhasooran by his nature personifies (mis)deeds. Unless the ignorance and darkness that cloud a soul are dispelled one cannot progress towards his ultimate aim of attaining the feet of the Lord.

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