who's a mumukshu?

[Guest guest]

Dear Prapatti groupmembers,

 

Our Godapiratti worked her magic on the postings, and Margazhi was filled

with the sweetness of Tiruppavai and other beautiful "paamalais". Thank you.

 

I also had to smile when I saw Sri Mani's gracious invitation to all "to ask

questions however silly or stupid you may think it is...".

I remembered the story of a father who was walking with his son:

"Appa, why do leaves turn yellow?"

"I don't know"

"Why do squirrels sit on 2 legs and run on 4?"

"I don't know"

(after 4 such non-answers)

"Appa, why does...(and then the son stops and says) never mind."

"No, no, son, ask, ask any question, how else are you going to learn?"

 

Of course this is not to suggest that one does not get answers from the

learned members. On the contrary. But the fervour with which some answers

are stated can inhibit others with "seemingly simple" queries.

 

With due apologies to Sri. Krishna Kalale, I will take a portion of his

answer (with which I agree in the main)......as an example. The question was

whether it was okay to propitiate Sani if one hears that otherwise one would

be in trouble..and in general to pray for a "phalam".

 

"In general, there is nothing wrong in praying to lord Srihari to save a

life except that a MUMUKSHU (one who seeks release from this bondage) does

not pray to God for anything however important that may be, other than the

lotus feet of srimannarayana. I am sure in this case that person who prayed

for her mother's life was not a mumukshu. But Lord Sri Hari, if he wishes,

will help in whatever situation a person is in. "

 

I remember feeling much stronger about my position regarding this at the age

of 16. I used to laugh at my friends who became fearful and prayed extra on

examdays, and said that if I did my karma (studied), the result would take

care of itself. One must not pray asking for anything, the Lord has better

things to do....

 

But we humans are often tested, and we do fail at different levels. My

waterloo was the time when my husband got a fast-growing cancer, and after

months of treatment the oncologist, chemotherapist and radiologist called us

in and told us there was no hope. They said he had a month or two to live. I

remembered a joke I had read in "Aanantha Vikatan" in which a sick man says

"Aalopathiyum paathaachu, homeopathiyum paathaachu, inime

Venkatachalapathiyaithaan nambindu irukken...". Now it didn't seem that

funny. A voice inside told me that nothing terrible would happen, and I

would tell my husband and all others that doctors were mere humans, how do

they know what's ordained? I confess, tho, that while outwardly (especially

to our 2 young daughters) I kept up a brave front, I begged of our Lord as

if my stupid little voice could change anything. I also found that just as

Gandhiji said, "If you have to choose between being honest and being kind,

be kind", it was difficult to push off well-meaning efforts from others. So

if someone did a puja at the temple of a "lesser God" (an oxymoron?), and

asked me to be sure to give my husband the "vibhuthi", I collected it saying

"thank you". (Of course I had to set limits when it came to "godmen"....when

an "until-then-seriously-srivaishnavaite" relative wanted to visit a

godman's expensive ashram, saying "I believe if he shakes his arm and

sprinkles magic vibhuti, people's tumors disappear", I wrote to him "It is

when we are at our most vulnerable, when our faith is tested, that we must

remember that to our Lord we are all children. Why would He listen to one

and not the other? Besides, if anyone can cure tumors, I suggest that person

go and sit in front of Adyar Cancer Hospital waving his holy hand all day

long... Think of the good he can do." It's now 5 years since that time, and

my husband is fine. Of course, once calm returned, I quite realize that this

must have been ordained, and laugh at myself for thinking I could change

anything. (Since we're a product of our British education also, and have

"God helps those who help themselves" ingrained in us, I also read about 80

books on cancer, consulted with specialists everywhere and we tried

"Experimental Heavy Particle Radiation".... But when I look at the sweet

face of the Lord at our altar, I am always moved as if He did a personal

kindness to me...)

 

There's an anecdote about 2 sets of parents (who are friends) whose only

sons (A and B) have gone to war. One day they hear that A has been killed.

A's parents are devastated, and it is left to B's parents to console them

saying "How can you lament? You've read the Gita, you know that the jeeva

has taken another body...you know this life has to end and these are

artificial bonds...". Then the phone rang and they heard that there had been

a mistake, actually B had died....and then B's parents forgot all their

philosophy and howled and screamed on the floor. A's parents hugged them and

said "God's will be done...".

 

I like to think that our Lord is ever-smiling and benevolent....if I'm so

foolish as to ask for something transitory, I think He will wait patiently

until I have the maturity to know better. It would be wonderful if the more

evolved Bhakti groupmembers speak just as indulgently, saying that while

they themselves would hold back from praying for their own sick mother's

recovery, they can understand if ordinary people bind themselves in tighter

knots..I feel better when I pray, (thinking "here's one thing I can do in

this situation, and I might as well do it") and so I responded to the

following email from a Bhakti posting also by praying fervently...

 

"Dear BagavathAs,

 

Sri Anbil Narasimhan, son of Sri Anbil Ramaswamy called me last

night and informed me that Sri AR is seriously ill and is admitted

to KAliappA Hospital, Chennai since yesterday. His health has

been steadily deteriorating in the last 2 weeks due to his trips

across India. Sri Narasimhan requested me to present this news to

this forum and request fellow bAgwathAs if they can pray for the

speedy recovery of Sri AR.

 

I pray to the Lord's thiru uLLam for the same and request you all

to please do the needful prayers if possible."

 

 

Today, when we hear that Sri AR is better, I'm sure none of us thinks that

our prayers had anything to do with it...but at that time, his son would

have wanted to try for any help...

 

In our stories, Gajendra doesn't simply let the crocodile have his foot for

lunch, knowing that the Lord will send his Chakram if He so chooses. He

screams "Aadhimoolame!". Draupadi prays to Sri Krishna when in

trouble....and so on. Once this is ingrained in us, it is difficult to sit

thru a tough time in one's mortal life, knowing all this to be Leela. Of

course, should something untoward happen in spite of best efforts, one

cannot be so foolish as to blame the Lord, and understand that it is one's

own past actions that determined that result....Our philosophy helps us to

view the result, whether success and failure, less passionately....

 

As to the question of lesser Gods or lesser people (should women "be

allowed" (by whom?) to recite the Lord's names), I think a level of

insecurity seeps into the voice when we tell others they "must not" do this

or that. I can attest that once we acquaint even our young in this "somewhat

godless" country with our Kuladhanam, the roots spread naturally. Having

never stopped the children from reading other books, I remember the

happiness I felt when my 10-yr-old daughter said to me..."Amma, I join in

the shloka and bhajans in other temples and homes, but when I hear M.S.'s

Vishnu-Sahasranamam, it makes me feel really safe...". Each of us knows

exactly what she's talking about....how can that feeling be described or

taught, let alone forced? (In this regard, it is also our great good fortune

that no one told M.S. that she must not recite the Lord's names...)

 

Of course, if we were to only remember the Lord in times of trouble, that

would be missing the point...There has recently been some interest in "North

Indian" thought, so here is a Kabir doha:

 

"Dukh mein sumiran sab karei

Sukh mein kare na koi

Sukh mein sumiran jab karei

Tab dukh kaahe ko hoi"

 

(All remember (Him) in times of trouble...and no one prays when all is well.

If one prays when all is well, why would there be trouble?)

 

And to thank you for having read this far, here's a shlokam Hanumar recited

before leaving for Lanka....which therefore is said to be powerful when

embarking on something dangerous. (True mumukshus may of course

refrain...:-):

 

"Jayathyathi balo Ramo

Lakshmanascha mahabalaha

Raja jayathi sugreevo

raghaveNabhi paalithaha

 

daasoham kosalendhrasya

ramasyaa klishta karmaNaha

Hanuman Shathru sainyanaam

Nihanthaam Maruthaathmajaha

 

Na Ravana Sahasram me

Yuddhe prapathibalam bhaveth

Shilabhisthu praharathaha

Paadapaischa sahasrashaha

 

Ardhayithvaa pureem lankam

abhivaadyacha maithileem

samruddhaartho gamishyaami

shirasaam maarurakshasaam

 

thasya sannaadha shabdena

they bhavan bhayabhaktithaah

dadhrushuscha hanoomantham

sandhyaamega mivonnatham"

 

Om Namo Narayanaya....

Viji Raghunathan