Q    It is said that if we imbibe values, God will come seeking us. Then how did Muruga grace   Arunagirinatha,  who lacked values?

Saint Thyagaraja (the renowned music composer) pleads, ‘O Rama, grant me your vision on the basis of the fruits of the penance I have accumulated all through my previous births’. Arunagirinathar sings, ‘O compassionate boatman (Narkarisai Odakkara)! Please rescue me on the basis of the poojas I have done in my earlier births’. Each person has a track record over several previous births. Whatever he has accumulated decides the course of his journey in the succeeding births.

The only negative side we know of Arunagirinatha is that he was a libertine. His wife was the only person who might have been affected. There is no record of his forcing his carnal desires on any woman. Probably, Arunagirinatha had a pending vasana (desire to be fulfilled) --- of lust. At the destined time, the consequence of his earlier births would have transformed him into a saint. So, what may strike you as ‘lack of values’ in Arunagirinatha is in one facet: lust. May be this vasana was pending for him!

Why did Siva banish Sundaramoorthy Nayanar from Kailash to earth? Sundarar was drawn towards two women serving Parvati. And he had to get this desire fulfilled to get enlightened. As simple as that! So, it was the Lord who banished him to fulfill his desires, reach a state of no-desires and then transported him back to heaven. This is just like your child asking for a chocolate and you buy him that, don’t you? Similarly, God creates avenues for His children to fulfill their petty desires, so that they rise to the state of no-thoughts. As long as these desires do not harm anyone, there is nothing wrong with them.

When Sundaramoorthy Nayanar was about to get married, Siva materialized in the form of an old man and proved that the groom was his slave. Later, Sundarar got married to two women. This may seem strange, but these were the same two women who had served Parvati and who were the reason for kindling the desire in Sundarar and leading to his birth in this world.

Each one to one’s own experience. Persons undergo experiences that have been kept pending across several births. Their acts may not be up to your yardsticks, but as long as those actions do not harm others, there is nothing wrong with them. Like the cine song that goes, ‘Even if there be a flaw in gold, is it not gold, anyway?’ (Thangathile oru kurai irundhaalum tharathinil kuraivathundo). We are gold ornaments relished by God. This is the truth. God wants to bedeck Himself with us.

Assume you buy a silk dress for a few thousand rupees. You notice a stain on the dress. You will not throw it away, will you? You will take the effort of visiting a shop, purchasing a stain remover, washing the dress till the stain is removed and then wear it, will you not? Similarly, in Arunagirinatha, the residual desire was of lust, and nothing else. When the time came to rid him of that residue, to wash off that stain, Muruga captivated him. That is all there is to it. How will God reveal His presence to Arunagirinatha if He considered him a valueless person?

The language we are addressing is the language of the body. In fact, the very word ‘values’ is much misconstrued. If a person has a natural urge to defecate, he will do it. You may have observed during train journeys, however decent a person appears to be, if the latrine is occupied and if he wants to respond urgently to nature’s call, he will not wait, but will knock at the door of the lavatory. What is wrong with that? Someone wants to sneeze, and as long as he sneezes with his nose covered, how does it affect others? Each human being has his own yardstick for "values"; as long as his actions do not cause harm, God does not write him off; God never does that to anyone. God waits patiently for each of His children. The values of this world relate to the body, and the soul has nothing to do with these. The body is irrelevant as far as spiritual sadhana is concerned. The soul is not affected by anything.

A person may read the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita in the light provided by a lamp. Or he may choose to read a lousy book. How does it affect the light? Similarly, the soul that is the light in your body does not get affected by any of the worldly experiences. Persons may perform noble actions, or they may be ignoble, according to your worldly philosophies. There is nothing called good; there is nothing called bad either. There is no concept of being ‘valueless’, as long as you do not harm anyone. Our elders gave importance to these issues playing on them psychologically, so that a basic code of ethics prevailed. God does not take any of these into consideration for showering His Grace.

Drinking liquor damages the liver. But this would not prevent a person from drinking. Since most people are in fear of God, our elders make use of God’s name and say that God will punish drunkards. There is this psychological play in society; but they are irrelevant as far as the evolution of spirit is concerned. God does not attach any importance to such things, and that is why He captivated Arunagirinatha. I have said this often. It was a parrot, Suka Brahma Rishi, who composed the Bhagavatham in praise of Lord Krishna’s infinite pranks. Similarly, Arunagirinatha, who composed the Kandar Anubhuthi, sported the face of a parrot. Suka Brahma Rishi did not distinguish between genders, whereas Arunagirinatha’s thoughts were only of women. Both of them attained enlightenment, and both of them are being worshipped. If you support one, you will be negating the other, whereas the fact that both of them attained the Lord proves that everyone is equal before God.

Thirumangai Mannan was a robber. His justification for robbing was that he needed money to feed the Lord’s devotees. And God accepted him into His fold, because of the nobility of his intention. Otherwise, why would Thirumangai Mannan be revered as Thirumangai Azhwar?

Vipranarayana renounced everything and was in penance. God could have let him be that way, couldn’t He? Why did He have to send Devadevi to entice him, and make him commit theft for her sake? Vipranarayana had some balance of vasanas that he had to exhaust before he attained the status of Thondaradipodi Azhwar.

Take the case of Chandidas of Calcutta. He served as a priest in the Kaali temple. Some persons started gossiping about his dubious relationship with the maid sweeping the temple, though there was actually no such thing between them. When Chandidas pleaded to Kaali regarding this issue, the Goddess told him, ‘It was I who created this situation. Instead of worshipping me as the Goddess, you love her as a living Goddess, and that experience will lift you up in love and will make you a great Mahaan’. Later, Chandidas evolved into a great poet and he was the inspiration for Rabindranath Tagore. Love is relevant for man to come out with his best.

These instances must help you understand that everyone is undergoing various experiences, and every experience will make you perfect in one way or the other.

But you must not assume that I am giving you the lead to indulge in these things. I am trying to establish that your yardsticks are foolish. That is no reason why you must start seeking such things from the next minute. What is due to you will automatically come about. You must not waste time seeking anything. Be very clear about this.                                                                                                    

( continues next week....)