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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

MY STRENGTH--Part 1,2,3



Sree Ra.Ganapathy (Anna) has reproduced verbatim, a long discourse by MahaPeriava, on why nobody should come in between Him and the thousands of people who come to see Him with their difficulties, thinking that PERIAVA’s health will be affected by the constant meeting with them and thus losing on resting. He has aptly captioned it as “MY STRENGTH” (என் பலம்).
I have tried to translate this in English. Having read this article many times, I will find it an uphill task to put the whole thing down in English. I pray to PERIAVA to give me the strength and guidance to do this job, without any flaw.
MAHAPERIAVA THIRUVADIKAL SARANAM.

Source----Maithreem Bajatha.
Author------Ra.Ganapathy.
Publishers----Divya Vidhya Pathippakam.

MY STRENGTH.
Part 1.

Yes, it is the voice of Guru Paramaathmaa.!
“Adhvaitha Vedhantham says that there are no two separate entities as Paramaathmaa and Jeevaathmaa. But the present world is conducting itself with the notion that , the one who has no faults, no sorrows and no attachments is Paramaathmaa and the one with never ending sorrows and is never content is Jeevaathmaa, and those Jeevaathmaas full of faults and sins, have to pray to the Paramaathmaa for ridding themselves of those faults and sins. 
Amongst them, prayers for getting rid of the real sins such as Lust and Anger are very minimal. If those sins are wiped out, we also can become the faultless Paramaathmaa Himself. Instead, praying for removal of the worldly difficulties such as Desease, Poverty etc. seems to be more. 

Generally, people get solace by opening out their difficulties to the Paramaathmaa. Whether Paramaathmaa listens to their prayers and solves them is another point. But they get a big sense of relief and solace, by telling the Paramaathmaa their difficulties, instead of locking them up deep inside their hearts. Even though they do not know whether their prayers have been heard by HIM, even if their difficulties do not vanish,----This may happen at a later time only, isn’t it?------- now itself, when they open out their hearts to HIM, they achieve some peace of mind. Even when the difficulties do not vanish for some time but prolong further, they keep praying continuously, and by doing so they get a relief. For the mental agony which constantly keeps prying at their hearts, the act of speaking out itself becomes an antidote, though temporarily. But at least, in that moment it relieves the mind, is it not?

“Even the Great Neelakanta Dheeksithar, while narrating his problems during his prayer to Goddess Meenakshi, says, ‘ Am I crying out my difficulties to you, as if you are not aware of them? No! But doing so gives a great relief to my mind which is constantly being irritated; that is why I am crying out to You!’

ஆவேத்யதாம் அவிதிதம் கிம் அதாப்யதுக்தம்
வக்தவ்யம் ஆந்தரருஜோ: உபசமாய நாலம்.
(ஆனந்தஸாகரஸ்த்வம்) 
“ஆந்தரருஜா” means ‘the wound deep inside the heart’. “வக்தவ்யம் உபசமனம்’ means ‘ speaking aloud in order to heal that(wound).
People visit Divine ‘kshethrams’ and Ashramams where they find Divinity, and pour out their prayers to the Gods and Great Men there, in order to put down their sorrows which are weighing them down.’

“Paramaathmaa is omnipresent. There is no place where He is not present. Therefore, there is Divinity in every particle in the universe. But since it remains hidden, it is visible only to the Knowledgeables (wise men) and not to the ordinary people. Ordinary people cannot ‘know’ IT, cannot ‘Realize’ IT. It seems that In their vision -- in their thoughts,--- they see Divinity only in certain places, only in certain persons.

In reality, even if that ‘somebody’ doesn’t possess those Divine qualities/ Traits----called Divine Nature---, the exalted position He occupies, the living status, and accordingly, the various thoughts he expresses (whether he follows them is another matter!), [ laughs ], the disguise he wears----or is compelled to wear----, his age, by seeing all these things, the people give him a Divine uplift..

The way people keep coming to me , whether it is day or night, and pour out their problems is also similar to that. By doing so, it doesn’t mean that they are aware of my real qualification (to deserve it). As I told you, by knowing my background, they put me in a high pedestal, and believe that through me, they can easily ‘catch hold’ of the God, and find solutions to their problems. They do not come and seek me thinking that I am great,, but believing that I possess some Divine Power ,in a small or big measure. 

Take the case of a famous professor, a great Vidhvan in Music, a great political leader, an expert doctor or the many experts in their respective fields such as cinema, and cricket; If people hold them with high regard, respect and love, have so much ‘attachment’ towards them as to be called ‘fans’, it is all because of the personal abilities or achievement of each of those persons and not because they find any Divine nature in them. Some times, if that ‘attachment’ goes overboard, a cinema star or anybody is given a Divine stature and eulogized. 
That is not the case with me; people do not come to me because of any personal greatness, or ability in me. The stature of SriMatam and my personal stature are two different matters. Personal stature means the particular person’s qualification, ability etc. Then why so many people are coming to me? It is because of my background known outside; after hearing about it, they think that ‘there must be some Divine Power’, and come here for the sake of the God, and to get HIS blessings. Hoping to get the blessings of the God through me, they come here. Hoping that all their prayers and appeals will reach the ‘Paramaathmaa’, they come here and pour out their problems to me. Those who seek solace, believing that I possess some Divine Power, come here in big numbers and open their hearts and minds to me. 

Like opening the windows of a hot and humid room locked up for long, when they openly tell me their pent up worries which they were not able to share with anybody, they get a satisfaction, and peace of mind……

Many of you eulogize me saying that there is nothing that I don’t know, that I am ‘all-knowing. But in reality, what we learnt is only a miniscule. Even the song says that Goddess Saraswathi Herself thinks that what She knows is only a miniscule, is it not? Then what can you say about others? 

But in one subject, no one knows as much as I know. I can say that In that subject I am ‘all—knowing’! What is that subject? In this world, how many kinds of worries and difficulties, people undergo!---that is the subject!

To be continued……….



MY STRENGTH.
Part 2.

“The son will not disclose it to his mother; the loving wife will not disclose to her husband------people get some peace of mind and relief, when they come and pour here, such of those confidential matters which they cannot share with anybody and which they have to bury in their hearts and suffer silently.

It is a satisfaction created by them for their own sake. I have not done anything; except hearing them with my ears, I have not done anything.; yet, they are satisfied as they have opened and poured out what they have locked up for long. “ Oh! At last, I have put down my burden”---is their satisfied feeling. Whether I do something for them, whether I can do something, whether I have the wherewithal for that, is totally a different matter. Without my doing anything for them, by narrating to me their problems , they remove their burden from their mind---that is what matters.

The attendants and others who are with me in the Matam, are upset with them and tell them that they should not trouble ‘Swamikal’ like this night after day after night. ‘Doesn’t Swamikal have a body? Will not that body be put to suffering ?’---they ask and stop those who come to me for revealing their difficulties to me; they even chase them out.

Is this right? Just because one single man (me) will be put to some suffering , is it correct to prevent them from expressing their worries, which are boiling inside them?

Why am I here? For what purpose this (my) life has been created? It has been created for the purpose of listening to their problems and giving them some solace, some peace! It is for the purpose of lightening their burden of worries, that this body has to help them night and day.

It is not that I really lighten their burden, or do something for that purpose, or I have that power with me to do so! What I am saying is that I have been kept as an instrument for those people to lighten their worries by themselves.

Whether I render any help to them , or give them any remedy, those in difficulty, get some relief if I tell them a few kind words by way of comforting them.

Even if I do not speak but keep silent, people are at peace by the mere fact that they have put their worries in my ears. I only render a small help by merely listening to their problems.---if I observe silent meditation, even that is denied----Even if they are not sure that I have listened to them, they get peace of mind by the mere fact that they have put in my ears, what they wanted to express. Then, is it justified if I deny them the help and opportunity to vent their feelings and worries to me?

If this mortal body of mine, which is born to render this duty, suffers by meeting these people for hours on end and giving them a few words of comfort , it is nothing to me.

Even If any harm comes to this body (of mine) by doing this, this is the strength for my heart and mind.

It is a sin for a Sanyasi, to worry about his body. Practically whether it is possible to be that way, is itself a big question. Even then, while some harm may come to the mortal body, deep inside the mind, a strength is developed; so I should not mind what happens to the body.

How come it is strength for the mind?

There are two reasons.

To be continued………..


MY STRENGTH.
Part 3.

What are those two reasons?

First, There is no better utility value for this Janma (Birth) than to be of help to those who suffer and who come (to me) with a lot of belief.—So say the Great Men. A satisfaction (to me) that I have been given such a Birth (Janma)!. That itself gives strength to my mind. If there is satisfaction for the people in one way, There is satisfaction for me too in another sense!

Is it not true that the happiness and sorrow (suffering) of this soul (mind) are the causes for the strength and weakness of the (mortal) body? Recently, as the psychiatric treatments have developed, even some doctors have said that, not some deseases, but all deseases are psychomatic. An old saying goes “Happiness is Absolute Strength”. That way, what is strength to my mind is also strength to my body---same tonic for both!

There is nothing to be elated about people respecting / regarding me as God. If it were to be true, they are only telling the truth. That is all! What is there, then, to be elated about? More over such a being (regarded as God) will not be elated on being eulogized, nor will be depressed on being reproved/ rebuked. Suppose it is not true, I have to only worry that “Why are they saying something that is not real, when I do not deserve it?”, and not get elated!

“Even though there is nothing to be elated about, when I think that they are all pouring out their inner minds to me thinking that I possess some Divine Power, that is where the second of the two causes for my strength, which I was talking about earlier, comes in. What does it mean when so many people come to me for praying, thinking that I possess some Divine Power? What do I derive from that? It proves that even in the present days, when it looks as though everything has gone bad, thousands and lakhs of people have faith and belief that there is a kind—hearted ‘ Paramaathmaa’ who is prepared to listen to their problems and give a remedy or solace to them. I get to believe that, the world will not be the worse, as long as this Divine belief exists. Having accepted the duty of ‘Preaching Dharma’, and ‘Developing Dharma’ , when I discharge that duty to the best of my knowledge, I get encouragement and enthusiasm that my efforts will not go in vain.”

“Everyone knows that one should perform his duty without expecting anything in return. That is what Gita proclaims. I also tell everybody the same thing, may be with more insistence! I should also perform my duties with the same spirit and accordingly, I tell all of you whatever I know. But when we ( as heads of Dharma Peetams) are ordained to ask you to follow the rules mentioned in ‘Sastra”s, and when we notice that the world, on the contrary, is going deeper and deeper into the ways of modern thinking and the modern lifestyle, we sometimes think, ‘ what we are doing---will it fetch even a small benefit ? If it doesn’t, is it correct to maintain this Matam, squandering all the money, given by others? Whether it is justified or not, there is nothing else we can do except trying to conduct this as per the same original way shown by ‘Dharma Sastra’, as established by The Acharya long ago, and as conducted by the various ‘Swamikal’ who headed and developed this after Him’.

In such times when the mind gets depressed only, this ‘Tonic’ gives me renewed strength. ‘Generally speaking, it is not that our people do not have faith in God. There is enough and more belief that ”God exists; He is kind- hearted and removes all our worries” among people. It is enough if such a belief (or faith) stays with people. He will never let down those who place their faith in Him. He not only showers His anugrahams on them, but will also make them attached , little by little , to the ways of ‘Sastra’s which will give them a permanent happiness.’---I ‘consume’ such a ‘Tonic of faith’ and get enthusiasm in my duty.

When I hear each and everyone coming and expressing his/her worries , I also worry; even then, when I think of it generally, two things become clear; one, the happiness and the strength I derive from being a temporary relief to their worries;
And the second is that it is evident from this that people in this world DO have faith in God. That itself gives me happiness and fulfillment. Whether I possess any Diviine Power or not, the faith of the people in God which they place in me who is just an instrument gives me immense happiness. It makes me happy whenever they do anything with full belief in God; and from this happiness , also comes the strength.

Even though those in this Matam and other devotees may think that these people are troubling me, in reality, that only encourages me in my duty. Instead of making me weak, that only becomes the ‘tonic’ , the source for my strength.

I get two benefits from peoples’ ‘petition of worries’--- one some relief to the world through me, and two, more dedication in my duty; and as a third benefit, those ‘petitioners ‘ also, mostly get the antidote for their problems , chiefly because of their immense faith in God— (laughs) but the fame comes to me! That is why, never ending petitions, and benefits from them -----the ‘ virtue circle’ as against the ‘vicious circle’ keeps revolving. ( virtue circle meaning good from good, as against vicious circle meaning bad from bad )

Therefore, thinking that it will give me a lot of pain and suffering to my body, NO ONE SHOULD COME BETWEEN ME AND THE PEOPLE WHO COME TO ME WITH THEIR WORRIES.

(The discourse by Mahaperiava on this is complete; but we will continue the series with some incidents which stand evidence to HIS ‘ lifestyle’ which is ‘HE PRACTISED WHAT HE PREACHED.).

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