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Source: The Hindu

(http://www.hinduonnet.com/2001/12/29/stories/2001122901350800.htm)

 

Miscellaneous

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Religion

 

 

Need to have company of Divine messengers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHENNAI, DEC. 29. One among the several suggestions underlined in our sacred

texts like the Bhagavatham, for the benefit of men who aspire to tread the path

of virtue is to seek the company of Divine messengers. Of what significance and

relevance is this step and how to identify them, it may be asked. They, being

ever immersed in the sea of devotion, fixing their minds only on God and

carrying out the spiritual exercises and association with such saintly souls

will enable ordinary persons, caught in the whirlpool of worldly existence, to

get rid of the ``dirt'' (in the form of vicious thoughts) in their minds and

thus fix their attention on God only.

 

It is human tendency to get elated when a person meets with success but the same

individual will get dejected when failure strikes him and some times, may even

develop aversion to the Divinity. It is at this vital juncture that these

spiritual guides will offer advice and boost their morale. They will point out

that what had happened need not be looked into as it is irrelevant at that point

of no return but adopt measures for the future, telling them that God will

always be ready to extend His warmth of affection to the tormented devotees. A

description of these enlightened men has been provided by God Himself (in human

form) in the Bhagavad Gita. ``The senses are by nature prone to indulge

unrestrictedly in mundane pleasures but the same, in the case of the wise,

cannot wander about so freely, being subservient to their controlled mind''.

 

In his discourse Sri Srimannarayana Ramanuja Jeeyar Swami explained how Andal,

in her Thiruppavai, has referred to the stages of practice to cultivate this

detachment. To be intimate with godmen, listening to their words through their

expositions of holy books, practising austerity with avidity, following the

rules in scriptures about performing one's ordained spiritual duties including

meditation, taking care of eating habits and acquiring knowledge about his

relationship with the Supreme, form part of these instructions to take him to

the ultimate goal. A typical instance was that of Viswamitra, who as an emperor

was proud, once used his authority against a great sage but came to realise that

spiritual force was mightier than muscle power and then resorting to religious

procedures and overcoming distractions, ultimately came to be acknowledged as

perfect and was privileged to act as Lord Rama's preceptor. He became so

detached that even when his antecedents were recounted !

by another sage, he remained unconcerned. Men's eagerness should be to serve the

Lord as shown by Bharata and Lakshmana, in the Ramayana.

 

 

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