personification of bliss-Hindu Article

[Guest guest]

Personification of bliss

 

 

CHENNAI, SEPT.23 . Ganesha (Ganapati, Vinayaka, Pillaiyar) is the

most endearing of all deities and He is worshipped by one and all.

His form is the personification of the Pranava Mantra (Om), which is

the primordial sound, the source of all manifestation. He can be

easily propitiated without elaborate Mantras and thus very

accessible. Generally there will be reservation and fear about

worshipping other deities, as the prescribed method must be strictly

followed. Not so in the case of Ganapati. He is the embodiment of

bliss and also of knowledge and bestows them to His devotee.

 

Avvaiyar and Nambiandar Nambi are saints who attained realisation

through worshipping Ganapati. Nambi received the grace of

Pollappillaiyar of Narayur and thus codified the hymns of the Saiva

saints in the Tirumurai. In the case of Avvaiyar there is an

interesting incident related about her seeing Sundaramurti Swamigal

ascending to Kailas, the abode of Lord Siva, when she was performing

worship to her favourite deity, Pillaiyar. Not wanting to be left

behind she hurried to finish her worship when the deity told her not

to do so and promised to reach her there before him. And Ganesa

lifted her in His trunk and placed her in Kailas. She was an adept in

Yoga and her hymn, the Vinayakar Agaval, was a standing testimony to

her spiritual attainment through practising Yoga, said Swami

Asutoshananda in his discourse.

 

This hymn in 72 lines is divided for purpose of elucidation into five

sections, the first being a description of the form of Ganesa for

purpose of meditation. That He is a manifestation of the Absolute is

indicated here by the use of the word "Turiya"— the state beyond the

three states of waking, dream and sleep familiar to human experience.

The next section highlights how Lord Ganapati interceded in the form

of Guru in Avvaiyar's life and taught her the truth through

initiation into the Pranava Mantra.

 

The third (Purayogam) and the fourth (Agayogam) sections deal with

Yoga and are a pointer to her mastery of this method of Self-

realisation. The Purayogam stresses the importance of control of the

senses and the mind for spiritual progress. The Agayogam section

describes all the salient details for arousing the dormant Kundalini

(spiritual power), the various centres of consciousness (Chakras)

through which it arises till the state of union is attained. The last

section (Siddhi) describes the result of this practice.

copy right: the hindu-daily