Miscellaneous - Religion   

An early start

Chennai: Human beings tend to hold on to grievances and hurt feelings, and are unwilling to let go of negative thoughts. Insults, real and imagined, linger long in our minds. All of these are forgettable and should be forgotten, said Ilampirai Manimaran.

It is because our minds are so full of negative thoughts that we cannot think of the more important things in life.

Is it not more important to think of God, and to think of what great saints such as the Azhvars have said, than to let our minds dwell on negative things?

But how does one get rid of needless thoughts? To start thinking of God would be a good beginning. Once one gets started, then thoughts of God will slowly fill our minds, displacing all the unnecessary ruminations. Just as light dispels darkness, focus on Narayana rids our minds of darkness and cleanses our minds.

A man in pain groans, even if he has taken medicines and even when his relatives are waiting on him hand and foot. It is not out of a desire to fuss that he does so. It is because the groaning itself seems to offer him some relief from the pain. We are all groaning under the weight of our sins, and in this sense we are all sick persons.

But what is the treatment for this sickness of mankind? There is only one cure — worshipping Lord Narayana. And one should not wait until old age to seek treatment for this sickness. Often, we put off worship of God, thinking we have all the time in the world, and that we can as well resort to worship when we are old.

But we should take a leaf out of the ant’s book. The ant knows that it cannot gather food when it rains. So it works extra hard during summer, to gather and store food, which will come in useful once winter sets in.

When we are old, we may not be in a position to worship or even think of God. So we must worship the Lord while we still can.

This is the thought that is expressed by Periazhvar, when he says that he will be unable to think of Lord Narayana when he is overwhelmed by old age, and that he therefore offers his prayers to Him now.

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