Miscellaneous - Religion   

Essence of Vedanta

CHENNAI: When caught in the web of Samsara, it is very difficult to look beyond the immediate world and go in search of what is everlasting and true. The delusion and illusion enveloping the lives of human beings easily prevents a proper grasp of the true nature of the self. One identifies with the body, name, place, family, etc, not realising that the subtle soul within the body is the real self that has to be understood. That is why philosophies and religions deal with the mysteries around birth and death and insist that each one probes the self to find the answer to the question, “Who am I”. Saints and seers have shown that failure to explore the nature of the self is nothing short of squandering the opportunity that human birth affords to steer clear of misapprehensions and gain the knowledge that can lead to salvation, pointed out Sri M. N. Sankaranarayanan in a lecture.

In this regard the hymns of Saint Manikkavasakar unravel deep philosophical truths dealing with the nature of the self and the path to salvation. This saint is overwhelmed by the kind of personal rapport he has with the Lord. The total humility and acceptance of God’s grace is the hallmark of true devotion that gets exemplified in the intense mystical experience of this saint. The Tiruvachagam is the spontaneous outburst of Saint Manikkavasakar on becoming a direct recipient of God’s grace. Since the hymns are a record of the various phases of the saint’s spiritual growth, they serve as an inspirational guide to those keen on spiritual progress.

For what else could explain the sentiment of the poet when he is at a loss to explain how the Lord could have chosen to grace him, a thoroughly undeserving person, and taken him into His fold. The saint acknowledges that he is full of ego and does not have that quality of staunch and unflinching faith that the multitudes of His devotees (Sivanadiyars) possess and wonders if the Lord is really naïve, or out of His mind or was too trusting and easily carried away by his Sanyasi’s attire to include him among His devotees. It is made clear that honesty is the basis of true devotion.

Vedanta claims that he who knows himself is a Jnani. It is this knowledge that drives away the darkness of ignorance.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword 9112
Solution to Puzzle 9111
Essence of Vedanta
dated January 4, 1958: Food situation
dated January 4, 1958: Record output in 1957
dated January 4, 1958: Mount Etna active
Weather

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu