Miscellaneous - Religion   

Service as worship

CHENNAI: Humility is the very essence of Bhakti and it is for this reason that one is able to realise God through devotion. The inspiring accounts of the lives of Nayanmars in the Periyapuranam and their soul-stirring hymns amply illustrate this truth. A common man not given to devotional feelings can cultivate Bhakti by association with their works and lives.

While it is a fact that everyone who visits the sacred shrines is not necessarily able to behold the divine presence of the Lord in the deity, these saints actually were fortunate to interact, converse and feel the impact of the Lord in many subtle ways, pointed out Sri Aranga Ramalingam in a lecture.

Saint Thirunavukkarasar’s case is unique. From being a staunch follower of the Jaina fold for a major part of his life, he became a humble and dedicated votary of Lord Siva and helped to instil faith in Siva in the minds of the people who were caught in spiritual confusion. He travelled to many sacred shrines of Siva and sang fervent hymns in praise of Him. In them, one cannot miss the unmistakable strain of repentance caused by the thoughts of his past life when he had strayed from the path of Siva.

There is a determined longing for acceptance by Siva and this Bhava is manifest in the spontaneous outburst of emotions that these hymns carry. One hymn sung at the Chidambaram temple is the saint’s reaction to the Lord’s compassionate query, “When did you come?” One can realise the extent to which the saint must have been overwhelmed on being thus addressed by the Lord. He was happy that God had spoken directly to him. He is unable to understand how God chose to grace him in spite of his prodigality.

He exemplifies the truth that one has to live for one’s ideals and not for selfish ends. He lived his life for the sake of Saivism. He showed to the world the value of devotion as capable of leading one to liberation. He also showed the greatness of other saints and initiated the culture of honouring Siva devotees to make it clear to all that this spirit of service to the devout is tantamount to worship of the Lord. His austere life commanded respect from one and all.

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