50. In Search of Divinity

"Dad! Who are immortals?"

"Devas are called immortals."

"Who are Devas?"

"Devas are divine people who inhabit the heavens, referred to as 'Deva Loka' or the domain of the celestials. If a person born in this earth does righteous deeds, after death, he will reach the heaven and live as a celestial. That is why we refer to a deceased person as an 'immortal.' We use this term with the faith and the belief that a person, after his death would reach heaven and live there eternally."

"Does it mean that no living person is an immortal?"

"We don't use that term to refer to a living person" said Gunaseelan cautiously, but hastened to add, "we can describe some noble people as divine."

The question posed by his ten-year old boy kept rising up in his Mind. He thought of several people known to him. 

'Can any of them be called divine?'

He was not sure.

An old film song, one of his favourites, came to his mind. 

'Man can become God!'

How?

There were some hints in that song about the traits of divinity. But in reality, can anyone live a kind of life that will qualify him to be called 'divine?'

That evening, Gunaseelan attended a spiritual discourse. One of the points mentioned by the speaker tickled Gunaseelan's thinking.

"If you go to heaven, you can drink amrita, the nectar. What is amrita? It is an elixir that will give you bliss, immortality and divinity. If we can get amrita in this world, we can live a life of divinity even in this world. We don't have to wait for the immortal life after death. So, where can we get amrita? It is not available in shops selling soft drinks or in bars dispensing alcoholic drinks! If one considers life a blissful experience, faces the challenges thrown up by life with a smile, lives a life to the extent of one's ability and help others to the extent one can, then, even the water that person drinks will turn out to be amrita to that person. Such people are Devas, the immortals. They are divine."

Would the speaker be living a divine life as outlined by him? Gunaseelan had no way of knowing. But it was rumoured that he was not living together with his life. If that were the case, could his life be called divine? He might justify his decision by saying that living together with his wife was a hindrance to his spiritual pursuits. But won't it still be a blemish?

Stirred by the questions posed by his son and the point discussed in the discourse, Gunaseelan wanted to discuss the concept of a divine life with someone. He went to his friend Bhupathy's house.

Bhupathy was a person with a keen interest in spirituality. Gunaseelan shared what he had heard in the discourse with Bhupathy and asked him whether there were people on this earth who were living a divine life.

Bhupathy had no answer to this question. Gunaseelan took leave of him and returned home, still searching for an answer to the question.

After Gunaseelan had left, Bhupathy's wife Sarada asked him, "Why is your friend asking such questions? Is he going to renounce his life and become an ascetic?"

"No. Because he leads a righteous life, such thoughts occur to him" said Bhupathy.

"How do you say this?"

"I am a Branch Manger in my company. I aspire to become the General Manager. If I were a clerk, would I have such an aspiration? Because Gunaseelan lives a noble life as a human being, he is able to think of a divine life."

"I know that he is a good person. But how do you say he lives a noble life?"

"He is a government servant. Unlike some other government servants who make an extra buck by taking advantage of the power vested in them, Gunaseelan is straightforward and incorruptible. Therefore, he doesn't have the means to live a life of luxury. His wife is not happy about this. She feels that he is not smart enough to make good use of his position. She displays her dissatisfaction with him in several ways in their day to day life. But Gunaseelan in unperturbed. He continues to do what is needed for his wife and children to the best of his ability. He has also been helping other people to the extent possible. He has helped his wife's relatives also. She is aware of it but she has not changed her attitude towards him. She still nurtures the grievance that Gunaseelan, by his obduracy, has deprived her of a higher standard of life she could have had! But Gunaseelan remains unaffected by the display of her displeasure towards him and thinks about living a divine life! Can you see how noble he is!"

Sarada remained silent.

"Gunaseelan asked me whether there are people in this world who have been living a life of divinity. The answer to his question is simple. Yes there are and he is one such person. If I had told him this, he wouldn't have accepted it. That's why I told him that I didn't know" said Bhupathy, smiling.

Thirukkural
Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 5
Family Life

Verse 50 (In Tamil)

vaiyaththuL vAzhvAngu vAzhbavan vAnuRaiyum
dheyvaththuL vaikkappdum.

Meaning:

One who lives his life in this world in accordance with the code of righteousness will be considered on par with the gods inhabiting the heavens.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'manidhanum dheyvamAgalAm' by the same author)

Verse 51

Verse 49