My guru (though I never met him nor does he
probably know of my existence) always says that Shriman Narayana is so kind and
loving that all you need is to take one small step towards and He will not
spare any effort to bring you closer to Himself.
I would like to place as a disclaimer in the
beginning that wherever I mention the Lord or His various names, it means the
Lord and His consort Shri Mahalakshmi together. She is the one who gives the
Lord his quality of kindness and benevolence.
It was through listening to Shri Velukkudi
Krishnan Swami – my guru – that my idea of God and prayer changed completely.
Like millions of devotees I used to pray to and prostrate before all other Gods
(or demi-Gods as is referred to by my guru) also, apart from Lord Vishnu.
Though from my earlier days I had stopped asking for anything material when I
pray, I am guilty of having turned to Gods in tough situations and asking their
help. It was through Shri Velukkudi Swami’s discourses I understood the
philosophy of Srivaishnavism and the pleasure of surrendering oneself
completely to the mercy of Lord Narayana. He insists that we should not ask Him
for anything except an escape from the cycle of birth and death, or Moksha as
is said in Hindu philosophy. As the Supreme Lord, He knows very well what we
need and He will bless us in the right time and as per what our karma entails.
The Lord Himself has assured in the Gita that once we have surrendered
ourselves to Him, our sins will be excused and Moksha will be granted to us.
That doesn’t mean we will be exempted from experiencing the results of our
actions. It just means He will make it easier for us to endure them. And He
will make us endure all this in the present life and relieve us from the cycle
of births and deaths at the end of this life.
Having full conviction on my guru’s teaching
and having full faith in Shree Ramanujar and the Azhavars and gurus, we – my
wife and I decided that we will try to follow the path of total surrender. This
was the one small step that we took – cultivated the desire to achieve total
surrender. My experiences which I am writing below are not a proof of my
devotion, but of His kindness and His efforts in bringing a devotee closer to
Him.
We started experiencing His efforts pulling us
to Him at a time when my wife joined me in Africa. I had been living alone for
over an year. During this time, both of
us had been listening to discourses by Shree Velukkudi Swamikal. As soon as she
had come to Africa we got an invitation to join a Bhajan session by ISKCON.
This was the first step to getting us closer to Him and His devotees. We even
got the opportunity to hold a few sessions at our house. During this time we
met some people who were interested in chanting the Vishnu Sahasranamam one day
a week as a group. Already we had been chanting on a daily basis, though the
pleasure of chanting loudly in a group is an experience in itself. This got us
involved in more spiritual activities. Though we didn’t understand it at that
time, this was the beginning of many incidences that showed us that He was
constantly guiding and leading us.
On our first visit together to India from
Africa we made a brief stopover at Mumbai where my wife’s sister resided. Her
husband was very keen about taking us for a darshan at the famous Sidhivinayaka
temple, though we weren’t too eager as we had completely turned to the
Shrivaishnavite way of life. But then, we had no mind to disappoint him and
hence we decided to visit the temple. As he had some work in the bank we
decided to first go to the bank and then go to the temple. As we got down from
the taxi at the bank we noticed a temple right opposite the bank. My wife,
having lived in Mumbai earlier, identified it as the famous Kochu Guruvayoor
temple. We felt that Shriman Narayana had made sure we had darshan of Him
before we went anywhere else. This was our second experience. We felt
overwhelmed.
During that visit we decided to visit Sree
Rangam, the temple that occupies the place as number one among the 108 Divya
Desams. After the prayers in the temple, we went searching for a pair of Lord’s
Feet (Bhagavan Paadam) to be kept at our home and offered prayers. After we
have purchased the Lord’s Feet the shopkeeper showed us a small idol of Lord
Ranganatha. He said that this was a piece ordered by somebody else who didn’t
pick it up and when he saw me he wanted to offer it to me. Being a sales person
myself I don’t normally fall for such sales gimmicks. But the idol being made
very beautifully and being that of Lord Ranganatha, I decided to purchase.
After returning to Africa I placed the idol at
the altar and started daily prayers. I started offering holy bath to the idol
on all Fridays. I remembered hearing in one of the discourses that holy bath on
Lord Venkateswara is performed only on Fridays. I adopted this more to my
convenience and lack of time in the morning. The weather remains cool during
most parts of the year at the place where we live and hence we are habituated
to taking bath in hot water daily. I found it not right to bathe the Lord in
cold water while we enjoy a hot bath. Call this some kind of madness on my
part. But I started the practice of offering holy bath to the Lord with hot
water. It was quite recently that we heard in one of the discourses, to our
sheer joy and surprise, that Lord Ranganatha is offered bath only in hot water.
Both of us had tears in our eyes. Unknowingly we had followed a procedure that
is being followed at Sree Rangam. This incident clearly proved that once we
have surrendered to Him, He will guide us to do the right things.
During our last visit to India, in March 2016,
we have many experiences that proved that He was looking after us in every
sense. In Kanjeepuram Varadaraja Perumal temple we were offered the opportunity
to fan the Lord for a few minutes. This was the daily duty of Thirukachchi
Nambigal, with whom the Lord physically conversed regularly. When we visited
the Thiruvidaventhai temple, I was very much disappointed that I could not have
the darshan of the main idol (Moolavar) of the temple – Shree Varaha Perumal –
as the temple was undergoing renovation. My love for this avatar of the Lord
started when I started my involvement with Tiruppavai and Andal. My
disappointment was beyond words. As we were browsing the various pictures and
also looking at what Prasad to eat,(at the temple shop, inside), the main
priest of the temple called us. He gave a call and as we looked around to see
whom he was calling, he pointed to us and said he meant us. He called us to the
temple kitchen and offered us hot Kesari, which had been offered by a devotee
and had been offered to Shree Varaha Perumal(the moolavar), just then. I was
overjoyed. He had made up for not giving us HIS darshan, by offering us the
Prasad.
The latest one of our experiences happened a
week back. We had no idea of placing a Salagramam ( a stone representing Lord
Vishnu, similar to the Sivalinga which represents Lord Siva) at our altar. The
reasons were many. The Salagramam is available only in Nepal, where we had
neither plans nor the means to visit. I had no friends residing there or
visiting frequently, to whom I could request to bring one for me. I didn’t know
the price of a Salagramam. There was also the apprehension of placing one at
the altar and in some way failing to follow the right prayer procedures. I also
didn’t believe that I had become such a matured devotee to place one at home
and offer prayers. Last week my sister and her husband visited us for a brief
stay. As soon as they started unpacking they took an object from their bag and
offered it to me. What looked like a black stone to me in the beginning turned
out to the holy Salagramam itself. Our joy knew no bounds. Though I knew my
sister was visiting Nepal I had not specifically asked her to bring a
Salagramam for me for reasons mentioned above. She had remembered how I had
talked about my change to Sreevaishnavism and our love and devotion to Lord
Narayana. So she had purchased one for me. If the Lord wishes me to have a
Salagramam at my altar, He will find ways to bring one to me. I later found
from sources in the net that installing and offering prayer to Salagramam is a
very simple procedure. The reasons mentioned is that the Salagramam, unlike
other idols in which the power of God has to be brought using
prayers and poojas, is Lord Himself and He excuses small mistakes in the
procedures. So now I have the Salagramam placed in my altar and daily prayers
offered.
The above are just a few of our experiences.
They continue to happen every day because He guides us in each and every activity.
I have limited to a few incidents for fear of making this article too long and
laborious to read.
The above experiences do not happen to me alone
nor is it because of any special power of my prayers. These experiences happen in
everyone’s life. He showers His love on everyone and guides us all in each and
every one of our actions. The only way to realize this is to surrender oneself
completely to God. Once we start
attributing every event in our life to Him, we will realize how much He takes
care of us, how much He guides us and how much effort He takes in bringing us
closer to Him. I only hope describing my experiences will make others realize
Him and His love.
I dedicate this article at the feet of my guru
Shri Velukkudi Swamikal, Shree Ramanujar, Goddess Mahalakshmi and Shriman
Narayanan.
