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

 

Everyone needs Divine Mother's blessings

 

CHENNAI, NOV. 2. The sole intention of saintly persons and Divine

messengers in tendering advice to others, particularly to laymen,

is to share their noble thoughts and knowledge with them and

ensure that they too derive some benefit. The Bhagavad Gita

places before mankind the different paths available for them to

follow. After explaining the merits and features of each of these

routes, the Lord, in the end, urges His disciple to shun all

these principles of religion and take shelter in Him alone, as

the highest Divinity, when he experienced difficulties in

adopting any one of them. ``I shall then deliver you from all

sorts of sins and crimes from the non-performance of those duties

enjoined upon by the scriptures''. This does not mean that a

devotee should give up everything, because no one can pursue all

of these with perfection. ``If it is found beyond your means,

come to Me''. Ordained duties cannot be forsaken. To Lord

Krishna's final question whether Arjuna has got rid of his

ignorance, the reply was that the veil of illusion has vanished

from his mind.

 

Thus enlightened men give us the best teachings, culled out of

our scriptural texts. Again, in the Gita, the Lord refers to four

classes of righteous people, who observe the religious rules of

regulated life, listen to Him, pray and offer worship to Him, the

fruit-seekers remember Him, when they are afflicted with grief

and sorrow. Some desire to acquire knowledge and think of Him as

one who can give the same. Some realise Him as the Supreme Lord

of all ethics and religions and bestower of boons. The last

category want to betake themselves to pure transcendental

knowledge regarding God's attributes and other features and seek

absolute shelter in Him. Adi Sankara, in his ``Soundarya Lahari''

has described the extraordinary qualities and the deep urge in

some who wish to escape from re-births. The blessing of the

Divine Mother is essential for all those who are after gaining

knowledge in addition to the hard work they put in during their

study. Personal efforts coupled with the grace showered by the

Divine Mother will make students and knowledge-seekers

distinguish themselves, said Sri Sakatapuram Sankaracharya in his

discourse.

 

A story tells about a businessman, an agriculturist and a lazy

man being caught in an island. While they were worried, how to

survive, a phantom which happened to be there agreed to give them

each a boon. While two of them wanted to get back to their

professions, the worthless fool said if they left, he would be

alone and so they should also stay with him forever.

 

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