When I visited the temple that day, there was no one in the temple
save the priest. I felt like asking him a question.
People who come to a temple pray for myriad things. Their requests
may range from early settlement of the marriage of their daughter to a convenient
riddance of a business partner.
I was curious to know what the priest would pray for. Taking
advantage of the privacy provided by my being the only devotee present in the temple at that time, I asked the priest “Sir! What will you seek from God?”
For a moment, he cast a strange look on me. Then, probably feeling
free to share his prayers with me, he said, “I pray to God asking for a long life for me!”
Floored by the unexpected answer, I asked him, “Sir! Don’t consider
me inquisitive or impudent. My understanding is that people who have a spiritual bent of mind
generally pray to God that they reach the lotus feet of the God sooner than later. Perhaps, some may desire to go to Heaven. I have
heard many people say that this is what the scriptures advise us, I am not well
versed in the scriptures, though! How is it that your prayer is different?”
“You are right. But I have already attained the feet of God!” said
the priest.
I was taken aback by his answer. The priest’s answer momentarily
created doubts in me about his mortal status! Being alone with the priest in the dark
atmosphere of the sanctum-sanctorum made me feel a little apprehensive. I
looked at his feet to confirm that they were touching the floor! So, I have not
been talking to a ghost or a spirit, after all!
“What do you mean, sir? You say you have attained the feet of God! Well, is it not something that can happen
only after a person leaves this world?” I asked in a feeble voice that
betrayed my apprehension.
“The scriptures say that we should aim to attain
the feet of God after we depart from this world. But I used the expression in
a slightly different sense. I have been standing near the idol of God all day and
looking at the image of God many times a day. Every time, a devotee performs an Archana, I offer flowers at the Lord’s
feet 108 times on behalf of the devotee. So, I get a chance to look at His feet
hundreds of times every day. Over the years, I would have offered flowers at His
feet several million times. I spend most
of my day in front of this idol. So, the vision of the feet of God is ingrained in my mind. Even
when I am not in the temple, the image of God stays with me. When I sleep,
my mind’s eye sees God’s feet. What can be more enchanting, more satisfying
and more rewarding than this divine experience? I crave for this experience to
continue indefinitely. I pray for a long life so that I can keep experiencing
this bliss.”
As if by reflex, I prostrated before him, a person who had attained the rare state of being with God most of the time.
ThirukkuRaL
Section I -The Path of Virtue
Section I -The Path of Virtue
Chapter 1
In Praise of God
Verse 3 (in Tamil)
malarmisai EkinAn mANadi sErnthAr
nilamisai nIdu vAzhvAr
Meaning:
One who seeks
refuge at the feet of the Lord residing in one’s heart, will live long in this
world. (Parimelazhagar, the leading commentator of ThirukkuRaL has interpreted
this verse to mean that those who meditate on the feet of God will reside in the
Heaven for a long time.)
(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'archchakarin aasai' by the same author)
