Now that you know the episodes in Sundaramoorthy Nayanar’s life, if your marriage is obstructed, you will realize that you are not connected to the prospective bride/bridegroom. Then you will never feel bad about anything happening in life.

This world comprises atmas inter-connected by links of earlier births. If someone does not return the money he borrowed from you, do not worry. Understand that you have just returned what was due to him in your previous birth. Every single event in this world has a reason behind it. We are not aware of the cause. And it is God’s Grace that He has concealed the reasons from us.

God performs two more functions, apart from Creation, Protection and Destruction. These are Concealing (maraithal) and Gracing (arulal).  Your brain cannot take the load of storing every event that occurred over several years. And it is unnecessary. Why must you remember everything, when most of what happened may not be useful later on? Secondly, if your memory records everything that has happened to you over several births, the moment you see someone who may have murdered you in one of your previous births, you will be seized by an urge to kill him. And the vicious cycle of births and deaths goes on.

God conceals everything that is needless for your journey of life.

                                                                                                           There is an anecdote. A scientist discovers a tablet that is supposed to restore youth, and experiments it on his parents. For every tablet they take, they are supposed to grow two years younger. Six years later, the scientist visits his hometown. The house is as it was, but it is occupied by a 12-year old child carrying a toddler. The baffled scientist asks them who they are and the child replies, ‘Don’t you remember me? I am your mother. I took half the tablet every day and became a 12-year-old. Your father, having taken one tablet per day, is now a toddler that I have to carry around.’ (Laughs)

Science comes up with some such discoveries that cause chaos in this world. So it is better that the world functions as per God’s decree.

          Continuing with Sundaramoorthy Nayanar’s story: The old man disappeared at the Thiruvennainalloor temple and a voice directed Sundaramoorthy Nayanar to sing the Lord’s praises in Tamil. When he protested that he could not sing, the voice instructed him to commence with the word ‘Pittha’ that he had used to rebuke the Lord. And Sundaramoorthy Nayanar sang the praises of the Lord. He got married to Sangili Nachiar and Paravai Nachiar. He broke his vow of not travelling outside the second wife’s house and his eyesight failed him.

          He admonished the Lord with three eyes (Siva:Trinetradhaari) for taking away his eyesight. When he approached the Thirumullaivayil temple, he was really furious and asked the Lord,  ‘Do you exist?’ (neer ulleera?). God replied in jest, ‘I am here. You can go on your way’. (Yaam Ulom. Neevir poveer). Groping his way to Kanchipuram, Sundarar sang, ‘Kambar emmanaikkanda kangal’ and regained sight of one eye. At Vriddhachalam temple, sight was restored to his other eye.

          Mark my words! The Vriddachalam temple will grow more powerful in times to come. If you are visiting Thirunallaaru, visit Vriddachalam first and then proceed to Thirunallaaru. You will get immediate results.

          Sundaramoorthy Nayanar was happy at his eyesight being restored and sought material wealth from the Lord of   Vriddhachalam. The Lord handed him a gold brick. The saint afraid of being burgled on the way, requested the Lord to send it across by water to Thiruvaroor and the Lord complied with his friend’s request. When the saint felt unhappy that his wife was not letting him in, the Lord Himself served as a messenger to arrange a truce between them. That is the bliss of having the Lord for your friend.

          Meanwhile, another devotee of Siva, Kalikaama Nayanar, was angered by Sundaramoorthy Nayanar’s treatment of the Lord. Siva wanted to unite these devotees. So He made Kalikaama Nayanar suffer from stomach-ache, appeared in his dream with the message that the pain would subside if he obtained Vibhuthi from Sundarar and instructed him to give prasadam to Kalikaama Nayanar. As Sundarar approached, Kalikaama Nayanar rebuked him for his actions and said he would rather die than accepting anything from him. At that point of time, Lord Siva presented Himself and revealed everything as His Thiruvilaiyaadal (infinite pranks). Later, Lord Siva sent a white elephant and brought back Sundaramoorthy Nayanar to Kailash.

                        Observe Sundaramoorthy Nayanar’s life. When his marriage was to take place, the time was ripe to free him from worldly illusions. His karmas were resolved when he got married to the girls he had desired, and his eyesight failed; he regained faith in the Lord when his eyesight was restored. When his work on Earth was over, God granted him salvation, sent him a white elephant for his journey back to Kailash.

          This holds good for all of you. You were with Siva or Narayana. Some unfulfilled desire has caused you to take birth on Earth. At some opportune moment, God takes charge of you, helps you resolve your karmas and grants you the bliss of contemplating on Him always. When your time on Earth is over, He draws you back to Him.

          Everything that happens in your life happens for your good. You do not seem to understand this. You encounter some monetary setbacks, or love failure or health problems        because you are in the second stage, the stage of having your karmas resolved. There is nothing bad about life. Life is an experience that helps you get your account settled. Unless you undergo this experience, you will be caught in the vicious cycle of births and deaths.

          You warm yourself by lighting a fire. As you approach the fire, you feel the heat. If you throw a log of wood into the fire, the log too turns into fire.

          God is in the form of Fire. This Fire feels warm as long as you are at a distance from it. But how long can you stay  away from God? So when you approach Him, you start encountering the heat of miseries … that is the phase when your account is getting settled. You must be able to chant His Name like Appar did, even if you are thrown into a limestone furnace. You must be able to hold firmly on to Him, as Prahlada did, even if your life is under threat. If you hold on to God, whatever be the adverse circumstances you meet on your way, you will be glorified as ‘Appar’.

          Then, just as how a log of wood becomes fire, a devotee (bhaktha) becomes the Lord (Bhagavan) Himself.

          When you initially offer prayers to the Lord, you are warming yourself in fire. It feels good. When you start burning incense or camphor and start thinking more about the Lord, He will                  start settling your balance. Only then will you be able to attain Him. You become angry wondering why the Lord has to test you who are so much devoted to Him, while there are so many persons who indulge in illicit and immoral actions but are being spared. God loads your life with more miseries. Your frustration increases and in a split second, the Light shines at the end of the dark tunnel of despair. Then you will know that these are part of the Lord’s infinite variety of pranks.

          Then there is no sorrow left in life. Just as how Sundarar returned to Kailash borne by an elephant or how Vinayaka drew Avvaiyar to Himself with His trunk, you will also be drawn to the Lord.

                And then, you will be in constant love with the Eternal Love.

(Baba's reply for other questions continues next week....)

<<<<Previous      
Next>>>>