Article sent from The Hindu

[Guest guest]

=============================================================

This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran )

=============================================================

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

 

Man must atone for his moral lapses

 

CHENNAI, SEPT. 28. The scriptures have prescribed guidelines

pertaining to man's conduct with the intention of maintaining

righteousness in the world. By following these prescriptions a

person not only promotes Dharma in society but also evolves

spiritually. It is apparent that all do not to the

scriptural injunctions due to various reasons. Moreover, even

those who abide by Dharma occasionally go astray by succumbing to

their weaknesses or due to unavoidable circumstances. Though the

effect of such moral lapses may not be felt immediately it must

be borne in mind that no one can escape from the consequences of

his actions. What then should a person who wants to mend his ways

do?

 

Atonement has been prescribed in the scriptures themselves as the

way out and they are the best guide in this matter. When a person

atones for his sins he must consciously try to change over a new

leaf by refraining from committing the same mistake again and

again. Habits die hard and in actual life situations it requires

tremendous willpower to attain control over one's natural

tendency to commit misdeeds. Further there will be no scope for

man's spiritual evolution if he is eternally damned for his sins.

It was out of concern for man suffering in bondage that the

scriptures have recommended chanting the Divine names as

atonement for his moral lapses and also for those which he might

have done in previous births about which he had no knowledge,

said Damal Sri S. Ramakrishnan and Smt. Perundevi Seshadri in

their discourse.

 

That it is possible to be liberated from bondage even when one

has committed countless sins by chanting the Divine name is

evident from Ajamila's life as depicted in the Bhagavata Purana.

The potency of God's names to nullify the effect of man's sins

has been brought out in the exchange between the messengers of

the god of Death, Yama, and the messengers of the Lord, who

interceded on Ajamila's behalf when he died. Besides, chanting

the Divine name is capable of curbing the tendency to commit the

same mistake again by purifying the mind of its inherent

tendencies accrued from previous births.

 

Though Ajamila had committed unpardonable sins, he had without

his knowledge atoned for his sins by uttering the Divine name,

Narayana, unintentionally on the verge of death. Such is the

potency of the Divine name that it had countered all his past

sins too and conferred liberation from rebirth. The analogy of

fire burning a child's fingers when it touches the fire

unknowingly is often cited to explain this paradox.

 

Copyrights: 1995 - 2001 The Hindu

 

Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly

prohibited without the consent of The Hindu