Miscellaneous - Religion   

Soul's awakening

CHENNAI: This earth is the best place to know and experience God, and the lives of the devotees such as the Nayanmars and Azhwars who have directly experienced God and His grace prove this. Since for an ordinary individual it may not be possible or easy to develop this kind of deep involvement with the Lord, out of His infinite mercy He revealed His presence to the saints and inspired them to sing His glory and also tested their faith.

Saint Thirunavukkarasar was blessed with such a divine vision of the Lord that his soul was awakened towards love and longing for the Lord at all times. During the period of this saint, when the devout faced hurdles while practising their faith, and ignorance and fear kept Bhakti away from the common people, the convention of mentioning the benefits that one would reap by chanting hymns and prayers was adopted to bring people into the fold of Bhakti, said Dr. Sudha Seshaiyan in a lecture. His hymns are capable of removing the ignorance of the soul to reveal the glory of God. When people of other faiths inflicted harm on him, this saint stood steadfast in his faith that protected him in incredible ways. To enable devotees to understand the essence of Bhakti that was manifest in Thirunavukkarasar, the Lord scattered costly gems and diamonds on the temple premises where this saint used to render service by maintaining cleanliness. The saint swept away all the precious gems along with the thorns and stones lest they should hurt the devotees who came for worship. Being steeped in God's devotion that was his only joy, these gems and diamonds did not hold any charm for him. His renunciation of worldly objects was complete and irreversible. His only joy was singing the Lord's glory and being of service to Siva devotees.

The unflinching faith of Abhirami Bhattar that emerged in a delicate situation continues to inspire devotion in the devout. The way the Goddess rescued him from the dire situation that had arisen inadvertently bears testimony to the fact that God's support is always assured for the true Bhakta. Engrossed in worship of the Goddess in his inner self where he beheld her full moon like effulgence, he was prompted to assert with full conviction that it was full moon on a new moon day.

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