The Hindu Article - Trials undergone by Pattinathar

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Date:26/12/2002 URL:

http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/26/stories/2002122601670900.htm

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Miscellaneous - Religion

 

Trials undergone by Pattinathar

 

CHENNAI DEC. 26 . While God chooses a few of His servants and deputes

them to reform people in the world, who had strayed away from the

path of virtue, at times He also picks a few who had been wallowing

in worldly pleasures and showers on them His grace and transforms

them totally, to be His messengers. Once such persons turn God-

intoxicated they will totally dedicate their life to make a glorious

success of their Divine mission. They will refuse to be attracted by

the worldly pulls, will cling to the deity they worship and be firm

in their views. They will loathe to change their loyalty and devotion

to their personal God telling others that their intimate deity, who

will regret their shift and discard them while the new-found deities

will also suspect their genuineness and thus both will be unhappy

with them.

 

A rich merchant, who had no other interest in life except to amass

wealth was selected for such a Divine mercy. Lord Siva was born as

his son and was duly trained in business. Sent on a voyage once for

trade with others, he returned with a shipload of dried cow dung

cakes. While the son vanished, the commodity thus turned waste and

there was a message that not even broken needle (without even the

eye) will accompany one when he dies.

 

This was a turning point in the rich man's life and he became aware

that when a child is born, it brings with it nothing and while on

reaching old age and dies, he will not take even a coin with him. He

distributed his entire wealth among people and reached a stage when

he felt even his dress was a heavy load. This was Pattinathar, a

saint, who had completely surrendered to Siva and went about

propagating His message. He was interred at a suburb of Chennai.

 

There were trials during his mission, said Sri Ma. Ki. Ramanan, in a

lecture, when he was suspected of having stolen jewels from a royal

palace, but God made him stand the test. Later when his sister got

enraged at his act of giving away his wealth to people, served him

with a sweet mixed with poison, he threw it on her house and it

caught fire. When his mother died and when dried wood was not

available to cremate the body, he made a bier with the outer covering

of (green) plantain trees and caused them to rise in flames. One who

thinks to harm God men will reap the consequences. Even like the

shadow, sin follows evildoers doggedly and leads to their ruin.

 

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