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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com)

 

The permanent salvation

 

CHENNAI, AUG. 1. Can anyone imagine how human beings will behave

if God, by chance, chose to appear before them and is even

willing to grant them boons. Invariably, oblivious to their need,

viz., to escape from this cycle of re-births and seek salvation,

they will be only too eager to obtain material benefactions.

Having undergone sufferings, their immediate desire will be to

enjoy worldly pleasures. The grace of God and the Divine Mother

will be showered on all those who adore them but to some persons,

their prayers will be instantaneously rewarded. Not that others

will be ignored.

 

What sincere devotees should request God is to give them

spiritual knowledge which would enable them to take steps to

reach His kingdom. To attain such a state where a devotee will

not care for worldly benefits, he should train his mind by

intense practice and by the observance of austerities. Once God

made His presence felt before a person after 30 years of his

penance. ``For Me, this was three minutes'' God said. ``The time

and other boons are multiplied in large measures between

celestial region and this world'', God said. ``In that case grant

me 100 rupees'' the devotee asked hoping that it will become 100

crores here.

 

In his discourse, the Sakatapuram Sankaracharya said even if God

agrees to sanction any request, will a devotee have the ability

to choose the proper and useful object? Can he use his wisdom and

demand only what could be of real value? An obedient husband was

once sent to fetch a handful of cowdung to disinfect the house on

a festival day. He could not find the it anywhere. At that time

he heard a voice stating ``I am Kamadhenu from heaven ready to

grant anything''. The man sought the cowdung not realising the

sanctity of the divine cow and its power to grant anything. On

the other hand, another devotee, who inspite of his abject

poverty was continuing his daily worship, was once asked by God,

to express his desire. His wife wanted a child as they were

denied a progeny. The devotee using his intelligence prayed in

one stroke, a grand residence wherein his parents could spend

time with the grandchild, feeding it with lavish meal from a gold

cup, thereby wanting a child, house, wealth and health for all.

 

The Divine Mother's compassion is indescribable and Her gesture

by one hand reveals Her readiness to extend protection to

everyone and by the other hand, Her eagerness to lavish any gift.

The greatest help She had done can be seen from how she made

Kalidasa, a poet-par-excellence while an empire obtained from Her

may last for a limited period, the salvation She gives will be

permanent (Moksha Samrajya).

 

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