13th January, 2002 (Sunday) - Bhãgavata Bhavanam, Mathurapuri Ãshram
Around 50 youths from villages in and around Malaipattu had gathered in Mathurapuri Ãshram. These youths have been chanting ‘Hare Rama …’ Maha Mantra every Sunday evening in their respective villages, aided by the band of young devotees of Sri Swamiji. About 100 youths from these villages are being taken on a ‘pãda yãtra’ to Tirupati this month. Sri Swamiji met them all in the Bhãgavata Bhavanam hall. The youths sang the Maha Mantra - ‘Hare Rama ….’ enthusiastically, from 2 to 4 p.m.
Sri Balasubramaniam, a ‘villupãttu’ specialist, at the behest of Sri Swamiji, narrated the story of Thirupãnãzhwãr.
“Thirupãnãzhwar was born in the ‘ãdi dravida’ caste. In his days, people of his caste were not permitted inside the temple. He desired to have darshan of the Lord, but was forbidden to enter. He was not even aware of the world or himself in his deep devotion to the Lord. He, therefore, did not hear the priest’s order to move away.
The enraged priest hit him on his forehead, which began to bleed profusely. When the priest entered the Sannidhi of the Lord, he was shocked to find the forehead of the Lord bleeding. He ran out and called out to the people to come and see the shocking, unbearable scene. It was then that the Lord ordered this priest to bring his devotee Thirupãnãzhwar carrying him on his shoulder! The priest rushed out and offering his apologies, carried Thirupãnãzhwãr on his shoulder to the Sanctum Sanctorum. Thus, it is only affection that binds God.”
Sri Nãmadãsar, at the behest of Sri Swamiji, performed a brief bhajan.
4.30 p.m.
Sri Swamiji’s address to youths from the Villages around the Ãshram -
“I am glad about all of you chanting ‘Hare Rama ….’ every Sunday. However, it would be nice if you could chant it every evening at home. The Government and innumerable social organizations are lending lot of assistance to all of you towards economic and social upliftment. My aim is to help in your spiritual upliftment. You will obtain everything automatically. Place a picture of the Lord at home, show ‘karpoora hãrathi’ and chant His Nãma for an hour or so every evening. It would do you a lot of good. Your home will be cleansed. It is only the ‘premai’ (love) that matters to God. He does not see to anything else. It is not necessary to speak to Him through any ‘prayer’. Speak to Him as you would to anyone. Tell Him all your joys and sorrows. Speak to Him with love and affection. Only your affection matters and nothing else. All of you must have heard of Kannappa Nãyanãr.
Kannappa Nãyanãr was a hunter who lived in a mountain forest. One
day he happened to see a small temple on the mountain where there was a Siva
linga. He felt drawn to it and wondered how this linga would remain all alone at night! So, at the end of the day he would come to this temple and spend the night there. He desired to bathe the linga with water, offer flowers and food. As he had no vessel to carry water, he carried it in his mouth; he fixed the flowers on his own hair and carried fresh meat in his hands.
He went upto the linga and spat the water on it in ‘abhisheka’ and shook his head in offering the flowers carried on his head. He placed the meat in front of the linga. He then spent the night near the linga, guarding it! This went on every night. The priest who came in the morning to perform abhisheka and offer ‘naivedya’ was shocked to find meat in front of and various kinds of forest flowers on the linga This went on for sometime. He felt very pained that somebody was offering meat to Siva. He prayed very fervently to the Lord who appeared to him in his dream. Lord Siva instructed him to hide himself in the temple that night and watch the happenings.
The priest did as bid by the Lord. That night the hunter came in
and performed the worship in his 'usual style'! The hunter to his utter shock,
found one of the eyes of the Lord bleeding.
He rushed here and there and gathered some herbs to stop the bleeding. Finding none of his attempts to stop the bleeding successful, he plucked out his own eye (with the arrow) and fixed it there! The other eye began to bleed. Placing his big toe on this eye as a mark, he plucked out his other eye and fixed it in this place. The deeply touched Lord appeared there and said, “Eh! Thinappa! From now, you will be known as Kannappa!” and blessed him back with his eyesight.
What prayer did this hunter know? What sort of worship did he perform?
The Lord was bound by the devotion of a hunter who knew no prayer but had only affection. It is only love that binds God.”
5.30 p.m.
Sri Swamiji’s address to youths from villages around the Ãshram -
“In the beginning there were no temples or worship of God in a form. The five elements were being worshipped viz. Ãkãsa (space), Agni (fire), Vãyu (wind), Prithvi (soil), Jal (water). It was much later that forms came to be worshipped. In earlier Yugas, human life extended to 60,000 years. We can then understand how short our life span of a hundred years is, in this Kali Yuga. In times past to ‘see’ God one retired to the forest and performed ‘tapas’. It was not very easy to see God through any other way. But, in this Kali Yuga we have been blessed with temples where He is easily available. The question may arise if He, Bhagavãn, is in temples?
In Sri Vaikuntam, the abode of Bhagavãn, are some who live with Him. They are called Divya Suriis. These Divya Suriis incarnated on this earth as Ãzhwãrs and sang in praise of the Lord in various temples. These temples, which have been sung by the Ãzhwãrs are called Divya Desams. The songs in praise of the Lord are called Divya Prabandam. As they are 4000 in number, they are called ‘Nãlãyira (4000) Divya Prabandam’. There were twelve Ãzhwãrs including Ãndãl and Madhurakavi Ãzhwar. The other ten Ãzhwãrs are Poigai Ãzhwãr - where was this Poigai Ãzhwãr born? He was born in Kanchipuram - Boothathãzhwãr, Peyãzhwãr, Thirumazhisaiãzhwãr, Nammãzhwãr, Madhurakaviãzhwãr, Kulasekarãzhwãr, Periãzhwãr, Ãndãl, Thondaradipodiãzhwãr, Thirupãnãzhwãr and Thirumangaiãzhwãr.
In Kali Yuga, whom does God bless? Not those who do dhyãna, yoga,
tapas and the like, but only those who do bhajans. Those who sing Nãma,
that is, those who chant Bhagavan Nãma. Mira, Thyãgaraja,
Purandara Dãsa, Ãzhwãrs, Nãyanmãrs - all of
them only sang Bhagavan. What does it mean by ‘singing Bhagavan? Chanting Bhagavãn’s Name incessantly!
Thirumangai Ãzhwãr sings,
“Kulam tharum, selvam thandidum, adiyãr paduthuyar ãyinavellãm
Nilantharam seiyyum, neellvisumbarullum, arulodu perunilam allikkum
Valantharum matrum thandidum pertra thãyinum ãyina seyyum
Nalam tharum sollai nãn kandukonden ‘Nãrãyana’ enum Nãmam!’
What will you get by chanting ‘Nãrãyana’? ALL!
You will be blessed with everything.
The Nãma will bestow you with good family, wealth; solve all your problems,
take you to great heights, bestow you with heaven and confer on you all other good things. It will take care of you more than a mother.
‘Nalam tharum’ - You will be blessed with only what is good for you.
‘Nalam tharum sollai nãn kandukonden Nãrãyana enum Nãmam’- I have realized the word that will bestow me auspiciousness and that is the Nãma ‘Nãrãyana!”
In Mãrgazhi month, we sing Ãndãl’s Thiruppãvai. In this She sings, ‘Pãrkadalul paiyanthuyinra Paraman adi pãdi’ - ‘pãdi’ means sing. ‘Paraman adi’ - The Feet of the Lord. Sing the Feet of the Lord. In yet another verse She sings, ‘Vãyinãl pãdi manadinãl sindikka’ - Sing and think of Him. ‘Sing! Sing!’ - She repeatedly advises, in Thiruppãvai. Only through singing Him, can you attain Bhagavãn easily. It is a very easy path. Bhagavãn likes this path. If you sing His Name you will be bestowed with everything - job, wealth, marriage and the home where His Nãma is sung, there is peace. The home where His Nãma is sung becomes pure. The only solution for all problems is Bhagavan Nãma. There is no use of searching for a solution outside for all your problems. When you are ill you have to take medicine. There is no use of just speaking of taking medicine but one should actually take it. And here we are caught up in ‘Bhava roga’ - the ‘disease of life’ for which the only medicine is Bhagavan Nãma (Name of the Lord). Therefore, sing His Name!
Let us take the plantain tree. Someone takes the unripe plantain and cooks ‘curry’ out of it. Someone chooses to eat the banana. Someone takes the leaf for use while someone takes its bark for some use. This plantain tree is useful in various ways as per your need. But someone brings the whole plantain tree to his backyard. What happens?
He can have everything as and when he needs them. In the same way, God is sought for obtaining job, for marriage, for begetting a child, for education, for wealth and various other reasons. But, if we bring God Himself to our homes, we will get everything that we need. Wherever Nãma is sung, there is verily God Himself. The more Nãma you chant, Bhagavãn comes to stay in your heart. He stays within you and thus, is ever with you. All the essentials for this life and spiritual are obtained through Nãma. Therefore, always keep chanting Bhagavan Nãma. While you wait at the bus stop to go to your college or place of work, chant Bhagavan Nãma. As you travel in the bus, chant His Nãma. At every opportunity, chant His Nãma. Everything will turn out to be good.”
8.00 p.m. - 11.00 p.m. - Divya Nãma Sankirtan was performed by Sri Swamiji and devotees.
