Miscellaneous - Religion   

Divine compassion

CHENNAI: Worship of Lord Muruga, who is seen as a symbol of valour, wisdom, knowledge, youth, compassion and beauty, has strong roots in South India, and has been fostered by Tamil legends, saints, poets, kings and temples. The Tiruppukazh of Saint Arunagirinathar extols the glory of Lord Muruga and affirms that only with God’s graceone can hope to overcome the pulls of desire, anger, pride, delusion, greed and jealousy that easily retard spiritual progress. The devout believe that but for the grace of God they would not have become devotees of the Lord and stress this truth in their outpourings. This honest acknowledgement of the Lord’s glory makes for a total lack of ego and absolute sincerity in their devotion.

In a lecture, Sri Mathivannan pointed out that Saint Arunagirinathar’s hymns echo these facets of humility and sincerity in the most emphatic terms, for the saint records his direct experience of Lord Muruga’s extraordinary compassion that had brought about the spiritual awakening in him. Though he had no qualifications of a devotee, the Lord had chosen to grace him with the true knowledge of His glory that automatically revealed the ephemeral quality of life. Once the truth of the Lord’s glory is felt and experienced, it becomes a continuous flow; other mundane matters do not affect any more and the devotee does not want to waste any time on any other distractions except sing and meditate on the Lord.

True love, staunch faith and full concentration are the hallmarks of devotion rather than ostentation or long hours of worship. To receive the Lord’s grace it is important that one remains devoted to Him. Sincere devotion arises when one surrenders to God unconditionally. Bhakti takes root only when one understands that there is nothing else apart from the one and only Supreme Lord. Being a recipient of the Lord’s grace is the greatest wealth in spiritual terms for only then it is possible to overcome the hurdles in the spiritual path.

The hymns are highly musical and poetical and reflect high moral and philosophical thoughts. They are capable of transporting one from the mundane world of materialism to the eternal world of spiritualism.

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