Oh My God! Episode 3

OH MY GOD!

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A Series By Varalotti Rengasamy​

Episode 3​

More than a dozen people had assembled at the meeting hall in the first floor of Yamini’s house.

WomenWorldWide.com had appointed many new moderators, forum leaders and local champions.

Yamini had organised a get-together for the moderators living in Chennai. It was five in the evening. The old and new moderators had discussed all matters of importance.

The cooks then came in to serve Fig Fruit Halwa and roasted cashew nuts followed by a cup of hot, delicious, ginger tea. The setting was quite informal.

Arvind had to go for an emergency meeting with his publishers and could join them only at that time.

Janaki introduced Arvind as KG to all the new moderators. Many of them who were regular readers of KG’s religious forum looked upon Arvind with admiration.

“KG Sir, I have a question for you. Is it okay to ask the question now?”

It was Shankar a newly appointed Moderator. Shankar, a fair-complexioned handsome man in his late thirties, was working for a leading software company in Chennai and had his own style of writing snippets.

They decided to have a separate forum for Shankar and had made him the Moderator for the Non-Fiction forum.

“Please call me Arvind. Now shoot your question, Shankar.”

“Arvind, I do believe in God. But what I cannot bring myself to believe is worshipping God in the form of a piece of metal or a stone sculpture.

“God is there everywhere. He is within each one of us. Why should we worship these stones, metals and other inanimate objects?”

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. What Shankar said looked like blasphemy to them.

Now all the eyes were on Arvind. Arvind could have quoted various scriptures and could have blasted Shankar. Others might applaud him. But Shankar would never understand.

That was the very first meeting Shankar was attending. Arvind did not want to be unpleasant to him in the very first meeting.

He closed his eyes and was lost in thoughts for a while. After a full minute he opened his eyes. Now he knew the way.

 

Part 2

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“Shankar, if you don’t mind, can I have a look at your wallet please?”

If Shankar was shocked he did not show.

He took out his wallet and handed it over to Arvind. Yamini was looking at her handsome husband with awe. What was he going to do with that man’s wallet?

Arvind opened Shankar’s wallet and took out two photographs from it.

“What’s this, Shankar?”

“That’s my wife, Raji. The other one is my daughter Ranjana.”

“Why do you have their pictures in your wallet?”

“I travel a lot. There are times when I feel homesick. In those times I have a look at these pictures and I feel peaceful.”

“Exactly. When we were born into this world in human form in one sense we travelled away from God. Like your carrying the pictures of your dear ones, we carry the pictures of God – in the form of sculptures in metal and stone.”

“I agree, Arvind. Even then to worship God in a piece of bronze metal or a stone..”

“Oh, Shankar, to you these pictures are ‘your wife and your daughter’. What are they in reality? Two pieces of 35mm by 25mm 120 GSM photographic paper.”

Shankar did not know what to say.

“Similarly to the uninitiated and the not so loving, what we see in temples are pieces of metal and stone. But to His devotees they are God Himself.”

“Even then Arvind, idolatry is bad…”

Shankar’s opposition was quite weak.

“You are right, Shankar. Idolatry, that is blind attachment to an image, is bad. But worshipping God in a temple is not idolatry. I will explain what idolatry is with your own example.

“Let’s say you travel to Europe on work. In the night before you retire for the day you have a glance at the pictures of your wife and daughter. That’s not idolatry.

“On the other hand if you are in your bedroom with your wife by your side, instead of talking to her, instead of relating to her, if you are immersed in your wife’s photo, that is idolatry. Because when your real wife is near you in flesh and blood, you are blindly attached to her image.That’s idolatry and is a sin.

“Similarly if you are so attached to the form of God and neglect a call of love from the real God who may for the time being be manifest in a human being, then you commit the sin of idolatry.”

“ “

“I have been repeatedly telling in my columns that the object of your love is not important. The intensity and the quality of love is important.

“If that is there the Great Lord, who cannot be confined to any form, whom even the Vedas and Rishis cannot find, whom the word went in search of and returned empty-handed along with the mind, as the Veda says, “yatho vacho nivarthanthe apraapya manasaa saha” the Omnipotent, Omnipresent and the Omniscient being will be present in a piece of the dirtiest mud you worship as God.

“Shankar, suppose some stranger to whom these pictures are just pieces of paper defiles them, will you not be offended? I am sure you will lash out at him. Will you accept his explanation, ‘Hay, what have I done except tearing off two pieces of photographic paper? Some inanimate objects?’ “

“Thank you Arvind Sir.”

Shankar’s expression of gratitude was a sign of his understanding.
Arvind returned the wallet to him.

 

Part 3

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Yamini looked at the guests.

“Do you have another ten minutes?”

They all nodded.

“Arvind, having so beautifully explained the concept of idol worship, I want you to tell the story you told me yesterday. Please..”

Arvind hesitated.

Janaki prompted him.

“KG Sir, please. We want to hear the story and go home in peace and harmony.”

In spite of Arvind and Yamini repeatedly telling her she refused to call Arvind by any other way than ‘KG Sir.’ ‘He’s my guru, Yamini. It was only in that name that he revealed so many things to me. To me he’ll be KG sir till I live.’

Shankar and other moderators joined in the request. Arvind had no choice but to start the narration.

 

Part 4

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It was the Panguni Uthharam day about 1000 years ago. (This year Panguni Utharam is on April 8^th). It was the ninth day of the great festival in Srirengam.

The Lord, the Utsava Murthy, so lovingly called as Namperumal (Our own Lord) was about to go in procession in the streets of Srirengam. The main deity, the Moolavar is called Peria Perumal. (The Big Lord) because of his gigantic size.

Ramanujacharya – blessed for ever be his name – and his main disciple Kooresan had gone to Kashmir to get the sole surviving copy of the Brahmasutra treatise. Mudaliyandan, another disciple of the Acharya was in charge of celebrations.

Mudaliyandan was known as the best administrator and was attending religiously to all the details concerning the utsavam. They did not have quartz clocks those days. In a festival like that everything had to happen at the appointed time. So there was a time-keeper who was monitoring the work and was shouting warnings about lack of time every now and then.

That year the festival had an unexpected visitor. A poor soul had walked more than a thousand miles – from Varanasi - just to see the festival, to see Namperumal, to hear the Tamil pasurams that are usually sung before the Lord.

What a journey it was! Braving the hot sun, the robbers and thieves on the way, the forests full of man-eating animals, somehow that poor soul had reached the gates of Srirengam. He was near the temple pond.

 

Part 5​

At this point, we should know about the Araiyars. Araiyars are a special class of people. They are trained in dance and music and their full time job is to sing and dance the various paasurams of the Azhwars.

To be an Araiyar required years and years of training in all the composition of Azhwars, in the nuances of music and dancing.

Swami Thiruvaranga Perumal Araiyar, considered to be the best in the class of Araiyars, was walking towards the temple pond. He was the son of Alavandar who happened to be Ramanuja’s Guru.

Though Alavandar and Ramanuja had great love for each other they had not met even once.
Alavandar was seriously ill and he knew that his time had come.

He deputed his senior disciple Peria Nambi to fetch the young Ramanuja from Kancheepruam. But as fate would have it before Peria Nambi and Ramanujar reached Srirengam Alawandar died.

Ramanuja was sobbing before the lifeless form of his “Maanaseeka Guru.” Three fingers in Alawandar’s right hand remained tightly folded.

It was only when Ramanujar gave three promises - that he would write a commentary on Brahmasutra in accordance with the Visishtadvaita Philosophy, organise writing a commentary on Thiruvaimozhi and spread the name of Parasara by doing a distinct act - did Alavandar’s fingers come back to their normal form.

Ramanuja had also learnt a lot from Alavandar’s son Thiruvaranga Perumal Araiyar. Araiyar’s sweet voice and his graceful dance moments were great attractions in Srirengam.

 

Part 6​

Now as the Araiyar stepped into the temple-pond he heard a sweet voice singing an Azhwar’s pasuram. Araiyar had been singing Azhwar’s pasurams all his life. But this rendering was different.

It was even more emotional than his and Araiyar’s eyes were full. He ran to the source of the sound. It was the man who had walked all the way from Varanasi to see the Lord and to hear the paasurams.

The singer looked more like a beggar. His clothes were torn. His body was covered by dirt. It appeared as if he had not eaten for days. He was still singing and Araiyar could not control his sobs.
Araiyar forgot about the festival and Namperumal.

He ran up to the visitor and enquired about him. The man was a disciple of Loga Saranga Mamunivar. (We could not forget this Munivar because it was on his shoulders that Thirupanazhwar rode into the temple and then became one with God).

Loga Saranga Munivar came to Srirengam long back attracted by just one of the 4000 paasurams of the Prabandam. Legend has it that the great Rishi did not go back to his place. One of Loga Sarangar’s disciples (we do not even know this man’s name) now wanted to see Namperumal and hear Tamil pasurams and had walked all the way from Varanasi.

What a love! Araiyar melted. He bathed him, gave him change of clothes, gave him some refreshments and then almost dragged him to the street where Namperumal was coming in procession.

Meanwhile Mudaliyandan was unduly worried. When the Lord came into the street the first person to greet him would be the Araiyar. Araiyar was not to be seen anywhere. He saw the beautiful face of the Lord.

Namperumal is one of the most beautiful forms of Lord. Anybody who just sees Him once would fall in love with him. He would not dare to think of Him as some beautifully sculpted statue, but the Loving Lord Himself.

Mudaliyandan, one of the fiercest devotees of the Lord, could see that the Lord’s face was sad. Or was it a hallucination?

The expression on the Lord’s face and the absence of Araiyar disturbed his peace. He folded his hands towards his Loving Lord.

“My Lord! If any of us have done anything wrong, please forgive us. If any of us had hurt you, please punish me. But Lord, I can’t simply bear to see the sadness in your face. And please keep our Araiyar safe and healthy. Take my life but spare his, My Lord.”

 

Part 7

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Namperumal was now passing through the second street. Araiyar was virtually dragging that poor soul towards the Lord. At one point the man could not walk any further.

He was terribly sick. Araiyar made him to sit on the steps of a house and went on to see the Lord.

He walked two blocks and there before him he saw his Lord in all his glory. Araiyar should have seen Him thousands of times. Even then his eyes were full.

Hitherto Araiyar had not asked for anything from His Lord. But today he had come with a very specific petition.

“My Lord! My Love! You know about the man who travelled a thousand miles to see you. And you heard his divine song. What a voice, what a rendering, My Lord.

"Aren’t you the King and Ruler of Srirengam?

“A guest has sung your praises in the sweetest voice possible. And as a King, don’t you have the duty to honour him? Should you not gift him something valuable and tell the world that whosoever sings in your Durbar shall not go back empty handed?

"And if you don’t do that wont the world talk ill of you? Do you think that I will have life in my body to hear somebody talking ill of you? Please, please.. please do something.”

Mudaliyandan had now seen the Araiyar. ‘Thanks a lot, my Lord. Araiyar is safe.’

The Lord did not listen to the tearful pleas coming from the Araiyar. But Araiyar knew what should be done to get the Lord’s attention.

He started singing the pasurams of Thondaradipodi Azhwar. They are sure to melt even a rocky mountain. And the Lord who is nothing Love could not afford to stand still hearing those great paasurams.
[FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]
ஊரிலேன் காணியில்லை உறவு மற்றொருவரில்லை[/FONT]
[FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]பாரில் நின் பாத மூலம் பற்றிலேன் பரமமூர்த்தி[/FONT]
[FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]காரொளி வண்ணனே கண்ணனே கதறுகின்றேன்[/FONT]
[FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]ஆருளர் களைகண் அம்மா! அரங்கமா நகருளானே[/FONT]
[FONT=TSCu_Veeravel] [/FONT]
The Lord who lives forever in Srirengam! Just have a look at my pathetic condition! I don’t belong to any place! I don’t even own a tiny piece of land. Given my condition I ought to have grabbed your feet. But I am such a hardened sinner that I did not even do that. And I am now screaming for help! Have mercy on me, My Lord, for I have no one to look up to except you!

The Great Lord decided that the time had come.

 

Part 8

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The Lord manifested as spirits in the bodies of the two novice priests who were standing on the either side of him.

At that time the palanquin bearing the Lord was kept on the ground. The palanquin-bearers were taking a well-deserved rest.

Those two young priests started to act as if they were possessed. For were they were not possessed by the Lord Himself?

They lifted the beautiful Namperumal from the palanquin and started walking down the street with the most precious load weighing on their shoulders. They were making a detour from the route usually taken by the Lord.

As they were passing by the Araiyar one of the priests shouted at him, “Come with me.”
It was not the ordinary voice of a young novice priest, but the royal command of the King of Srirengam, the King of all our hearts and souls.

Araiyar was now sobbing and was running behind them like a crazy man.

The celebrations had come to a standstill. The music instruments stopped playing. The palanquin-bearers abandoned their rest and ran towards the empty palanquin. The person appointed to keep time saw that the time for rest was over.

He wanted to shout to the palanquin bearers. He opened his mouth but no words would come out. The timekeeper slipped into a state of timelessness seeing the priests carrying Namperumal.

Mudaliyandan was shocked. He also ran behind them. Everyone was looking at the Lord travelling on the shoulders of the priests. It was as if the Lord was running to see somebody. The Lord had abandoned the lights, the festival, and the people and was running towards a dark street.

The Lord rushed to the house where the man who travelled from North was sitting. He was still feeling sick and tired. When he saw the Great Lord close by, he sprang up to life. He stood up in his place, folded his hands and was shedding tears. He wanted to sing another song. But could not bring himself to do that.

Araiyar’s condition was even more miserable. Folding his hands, continuously sobbing he was looking askance at the Lord.

Oh My God! What was He doing? Every year thousands and thousands of His devotees travel from far off places to see him. Never in the history of Srirengam, never in the history of any holy place for that matter, had God ever made a detour to give Dharshan to his devotee!

 

Part 9

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The God was not finished yet. One of the young priests while holding the God on his shoulders took out a pearl-studded golden chain from the Lord and placed it on the neck of the singer from North India.

Araiyar was in a state of ecstasy.

“Oh My Lord! May your name be blessed forever! Should you yourself come down to meet this man?”

One of the young priests in whose body God was still manifest thundered His response to Araiyar’s question. The tenor of the voice was the roar of a lion; but its contents were the song of a koel.

“This kind soul has walked more than a thousand miles to see me. Should I not walk a few steps to see him? Do you think what I did was enough? Not at all.”

Araiyar’s sobs became louder.

“And I have given the costliest jewel that you people gave me. Do you think as a King of Srirengam what I did was enough? I don’t think so.”

For a few minutes the entire Universe had come to a perfect standstill. Araiyar could not even begin to imagine the extent of God’s love.

 

Part 10

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And then Araiyar recovered. Now he was sure that with the God so loving, so giving and so beautiful some evil eyes might be cast on him.

Like the Great Periazhwar he wanted to do something to cast off the evil eye. Luckily Periazhwar had devised a strategy for that already. To bless the Lord Himself with his words. And the Great Azhwar’s words came handy for the Araiyar.
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பல்லாண்டு பல்லாண்டு பல்லாயிரத்தாண்டு[/FONT]
[FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]பல கோடி நூறாயிரம் மல்லாண்ட திண்டோள் மணிவண்ணா![/FONT]
[FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]உன் சேவடி செவ்வித் திருக்காப்பு[/FONT]
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[FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]அடியோமோடும்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]நின்னோடும்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]பிரிவின்றி[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]ஆயிரம்பல்லாண்டு[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]
[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]வடிவாய்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]நின்வலமார்பினில்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]வாழ்கின்ற[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]மங்கையும்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]பல்லாண்டு[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]
[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]வடிவார்சோதி[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]வலத்துறையும்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]சுடராழியும்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]பல்லாண்டு[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]
[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]படைபோர்புக்கு[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]முழங்கும்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]அப்பாஞ்ச[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]சன்னியமும்[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel]பல்லாண்டே[/FONT][FONT=TSCu_Veeravel][/FONT]​

Oh My Lord! The One with the mighty shoulders! May you live for many years, many, many years, many thousands of years, billions of thousands of years. May your beautiful feet be ever blessed and protected.

May our relationship live for many thousands of years. May the beautiful lady who forever resides in your loving heart live for many thousands of years. May the fiery sudharshanam who forever resides in your right hand live for many thousands of years. May the great conch Panchajanyam which always thunders in the midst of the eternal war between dharma and adharma live for many thousands of years.