9. The Head That Won't Bow to God!

He was a person who came up by his own efforts. He had been proud of this fact. 

He didn't believe in God.

"What did God do? I studied. I worked hard. I thought, planned and did things in a systematic way. Whenever I encountered problems, I remained unfazed and took steps to resolve them. I didn't seek God's help. I don't know whether there is a God. I don't find any need to worship him" he would say.

He got married. His wife had faith in God. He didn't question her faith.

After many years of marriage, his wife posed this question to him: "We have five sense organs. Can you tell me what purposes they serve?"

"You are asking me a question a school teacher would ask his student! Okay, let me see whether I remember what I studied in the school. Eyes - make us see; Ears - make us hear; Tongue - makes us experience taste; Nose - makes us smell; Skin - makes us feel the touch."

"Fine. What do we have our heads for?"

"You are asking something that is obvious! The purpose of the head is to house the brain and to act as a cover above the face to protect the body by preventing moisture, dust etc. from entering the body from above!"

"The head has an even more important function. It is to bow to God!" said his wife.

"Oh! You are just back from the temple. Did you hear this in some discourse in the temple?"

"Not exactly. I met a person in the temple. He has a son, whose five senses have been dysfunctional from the time of his birth. His eyes appear to be open, but they can't see anything. His tongue cannot recognize any taste. He will swallow any food given to him, without sensing any taste. His nose can't smell anything. He can't distinguish between the fragrance of a flower and the stink of the gutter. He can't hear anything. His body can't experience any sensation. If he is hurt, he can't feel any pain. He is virtually like a dead body that still has some life in it."

"Very pathetic, indeed. It is cruel that all the five organs of the boy are dysfunctional. But, what is the connection between this and your theory that the main purpose of the head is to bow to God?"

"I remembered a verse from the Tamil classic Thirukkural."

"Which verse?"

"In this verse, the poet Thiruvalluvar says that the head that won't bow to God is like a sense organ that is dysfunctional."

"Thiruvalluvar is a believer. It is only natural for him to say so. If I ever become a believer, I may also accept this view."

"I have the faith that someday, you will develop the faith in the existence of God."

Thirukkural
Section I - The Path of Virtue

Chapter 1

In Praise of God

Verse 9 (in Tamil)
kOLil poRiyin guNamilavE eNguNaththAn
thALai vaNangAth thalai

Meaning:
The head that won't bow to the God, a power that has eight traits is useless, just as an organ that can't function is.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'vaNangAtha thalai' by the same author)

Verse 10

Verse 8

8. Driving License

"I want to learn to drive a car. Which driving school will you recommend?" Sunil asked his friend Raghav.

"There are two driving schools in our area. One is 'Agni Driving School.' They charge a higher fee and their training will be intensive. They won't send you for the driving test, until your learning becomes thorough.

"The other one is 'Fast Track Driving School.' As the name suggests, their training will be at a faster pace. Whether you learn to drive or not, they will ensure that you get your driving license! Their fee is also lower" replied Raghav.

"I want to learn fast. I will join Fast Track Driving School. Once I get my license, I will practice driving and perfect my skill" said Sunil.

"Think well and decide. Is it not better to have a thorough learning before hitting the roads?"

"No. I don't have the time for it."

Sunil joined the driving course at Fast Track Driving School and got his driving license soon.

The day after Sunil got the driving license, he took the new car that his father had bought recently and went for a drive. 

He drove carefully, touching only the streets near his house which didn't have heavy traffic. He found that he was able to drive with some confidence and comfort.

The second day, he ventured to drive the car on busy roads. In the thirty minutes of his driving, he found the task formidable and challenging.

He decided to return home. But while driving back home, the car hit the median of the road. The impact caused damage to the car. Sunil suffered some injuries as well. The traffic police registered a case.

Sunil was admitted to a hospital. He had to stay in the hospital for a few days to get treated for the injuries suffered by him.

When Raghav visited him at the hospital, Sunil told him, "My hastiness has cost me dearly. My father had to shell out a considerable sum of money for my treatment, repair costs for the car and for fighting the police case in the court. It appears that the court might impose a penalty of ten thousand rupees."

"What is the use of your feeling remorseful now? If you want to get any kind of training, you should choose to learn under people who have competence and integrity" said Raghav.

"You are right. Now, I will go for a training under the right people. However much time it takes, I will undergo a thorough training in Agni Driving School. Though I have a driving license, I will not drive a car again, until Agni Driving School certifies my competence" said Sunil.

Thirukkural
Section I - The Path of Virtue

Chapter 1

In Praise of God

Verse 8 (in Tamil)

aRavAzhi andhaNan thAL sErndhArkkallAl
piRavAzhi nIndhal aridhu.

Meaning:

Except for a person who takes refuge at the feet of the ocean of morality, no one will be able to swim other waters.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'Ottunar urimam' by the same author)

Verse 9

Verse 7

6. God's Property

"Why has God bestowed us with five senses? Is it not to facilitate our enjoying pleasures through them? Then, why do people talk about the need to control our senses?"

I posed this question to a spiritual guide, whom I revere.

"What is the advice given by doctors to those suffering from ailments like blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, obesity etc?" countered the saint.

"They would suggest that people suffering from such conditions refrain from certain kinds of foods. They would advocate various diet control measures" I replied.

"When we suffer from illness, we accept diet restrictions. If we had been restrained in our food habits even from the beginning, wouldn't it have reduced the chances of our getting struck by certain illnesses? Why do people get afflicted by conditions like AIDS? Is it not because they had exercised no control over their senses?" asked the saint.

"But, controlling our senses is not easy!" I exclaimed.

"That's why we should seek God's help!" said the saint.

"Will God be able to control our senses?" I wondered.

"Can't the power that has given us the senses, control them? However, God will help us only if we seek His help" said the saint.

"I have seen a lot of pious people being highly indulgent in food and other pleasures!" I said.

"Their devotion to God has to be considered hollow. If we orient our mind towards one direction, it won't turn to other directions.

"When you are riding a bicycle, if you look straight ahead, the cycle will go on a straight path. If you keep looking sideways, the cycle will traverse a zig zag path. Character and discipline require that we go steadily along a path, without taking any deviation or turn.

"If someone entrusts us with an object belonging to him and asks us to maintain it carefully, will we handle it inappropriately? Won't we look after it with care and attention?

"This body is the property of God. If we realize that we have the responsibility of maintaining our body properly, we will get the power to control our senses. To attain this realization, we should practice devotion to God.

"If we practice devotion to God and live a life of discipline, we will be able to control our senses. We will be able to keep diseases away and live a long and healthy life" concluded the saint.

It appeared to me that that saint was living such a life.

Thirukkural

Section I - The Path of Virtue
Chapter 1

In Praise of God

Verse 6 (in Tamil)

poRi vAyil aindhaviththAn poy thIr ozhukka
neRi ninRAr nIdu vAzhvAr.

Meaning:

One who worships God, the power that would extinguish the desires entering one's five senses and leads a life of honesty and virtues, will have a long and happy life.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kadavuLin soththu' by the same author)

Verse 7

Verse 5

7. A Petition to the Collector

"My old age pension application has been lying dormant in the District Collector's office for the past three months. It has not even been taken up for scrutiny" said Srinivas, my neighbour.

"Did you go to the Collector's office and inquire? What did they say?" I asked him.

"I have gone there many times. I have spent a lot of money by way of conveyance expenses alone. Everyone points to someone else. When I enquired at the relevant desk, they directed me to the Tahsildar. When I approached the Tahsildar, he pointed the finger at the Revenue Inspector. The Revenue Inspector is never available in the office. No one knows when he will be in the office."

"Have you met the Collector?"

"Can a commoner like me meet the Collector?" asked Srinivas.

I said, "The office of Collector has been created only to serve common people like us. I will come with you tomorrow. Let's meet the Collector."

"If we meet the Collector and present my problem to him, won’t the other officials get annoyed and become alienated?" asked Srinivas, worriedly.

I assured him, "Don't worry. If you go to the top official, your problem will be solved."

The next day, when we went to the District Collector's office, there was a large crowd waiting to see the Collector. 

Visiting hours were mentioned to be between 3 and 4 p.m. But by the time the Collector, who had gone out, returned to the office, it was 4.30 pm.

A staff member told the people who were waiting "You can't meet the collector today. Go home and come tomorrow." 

Most of the people who were waiting began to leave the office, feeling disappointed and helpless. However, about ten of us continued to wait, still hoping to get a chance to meet the Collector.

At about five o'clock, the collector rang the bell and called the peon. I also entered the room following the peon. The Collector looked exhausted and annoyed.

"What?" he asked me, in an irritable tone.

"Sir! About a hundred people were waiting to see you. Most of them have gone back, after being informed that they can't see you today. Only ten of us are still waiting. You should give us an audience!" I said politely.

The peon turned to me and said in a loud and angry voice, "No way. Who gave you the permission to barge in like this? Get out!" 

The Collector interrupted the peon, saying, "Hold on!" and told me, "Sir, just give me five minutes. I will call you one by one. Please wait for a while."

As promised by the Collector, after a few minutes, one by one, we were asked to go into the collector’s cabin and present our grievances. 

When our turn came, I told the collector about the pending application of Srinivas.

The Collector summoned the clerk concerned and inquired about the case.

"Why haven't you processed his application yet?" he asked the clerk, in a tone of annoyance.

The clerk murmured some excuse. But the Collector was not impressed.

"This application should be processed immediately and placed before me for orders by tomorrow!" the Collector told the clerk, in a strict tone.

He then turned to his personal assistant and told him, "Make a note of this. Remind me about this tomorrow." 

He then told Srinivas, "Don't worry. If you have given all the details correctly, your pension will be sanctioned within a week." 

We thanked the collector and left.

Ten days after we had met the Collector, an order sanctioning pension was received by Srinivas.

"How did you make this happen, my friend?" Srinivas asked me, in disbelief.

I said, "Sir, if a problem is not solved, it can be got solved by approaching the highest authority."

Thirukkural
Section I - The Path of Virtue

Chapter 1

In Praise of God

Verse 7 (in Tamil)

thanakkuvamai illAdhAn thAL sErndhArkku allAl
manakkavalai mARRal aridhu.

Meaning:

Unless one surrenders at the feet of the peerless one (God), one can't get over his anxieties.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kalecteridam oru kOrikkai' by the same author)

Verse 8

Verse 6

5. Two Incidents

A devotee was distributing food to the people visiting the temple. His family members were standing near him, witnessing people receiving and ingesting the food.

One of the persons who received the food murmured, after moving away "It seems the gentleman is seeking some favour from God!" The tone of his voice carried an impression that he was receiving the food in order to help the benefactor get his wish fulfilled!

Another day, I observed that the temple priest was distributing food to the devotees.

One of the persons receiving the food asked the priest who the benefactor was. 

The priest said, "A blessed soul arranged for food to be prepared, offered to God and then distributed it to the devotees. He told me not to expect him to be present in the temple today, but to offer the food to the Lord at the usual time and then distribute it to the people present in the temple. He is not here today. I wonder whether he is a believer at all, but he is doing a commendable deed, indeed."

I narrated these two incidents to an erudite scholar, known for his piety and spiritual bent of mind and requested him to critically examine the events from a spiritual perspective.

He said, "There are people who do virtuous deeds like helping the needy, feeding the poor, offering food to the Lord and then distributing it to other people, with the expectation that virtuous deeds would bring in beneficial results to them. This is like lending money to someone and expecting that after some time, the money would be returned with interest. But, it may also happen that the loan goes bad and the lender loses his money!

"Those who perform good deeds with the expectation that these deeds would bring in benefits to them may or may not get the benefits they expect. Sometimes, the benefits may be trivial or may have only short term value. 

"It is also possible that benefits will occur only in the next birth. Thus, people who do good, expecting some benefits to accrue to them, often end up frustrated that good deeds have not given them what they hoped to get. 

"You told me that in the first case, one of the persons receiving the food had a patronizing attitude towards the benefactor, as if it was he who was doing a favour to the benefactor, by accepting the food offered! This shows that doing good deeds with expectation of benefits may sometimes turn out to be futile! 

"In the second case, the benefactor seems to have acted with no expectations. He was not even keen to let people receiving the food know who the benefactor was. But, look at the result! The priest described him as a blessed soul!

"A person who performed a good deed without any expectation got praised! But, one who expected something in return for his good deed was treated with condescension and pity, as if that was all he deserved!

"If we commit a sin, we will reap the consequences by way of sufferings even during our current birth. Alternatively, or additionally, we may go to hell after death or may suffer in our next birth. 

If we do good things for the sake of getting some benefits, we may get some benefits even during the current birth or we may be able to enjoy the benefits only in our next birth.

"But, those who do good deeds without any expectation are close to God. In the Gita, the Lord talks about 'action with no attachment.' This means an action without any desire for results.

Those who do good things without any expectation will experience heaven, even when they are living in this world. They will feel being close to God. But, this can happen only to those who realize the greatness of God and revel in His glory."

I felt I was beginning to comprehend what the saintly man was saying.  

Thirukkural
Section I - The Path of Virtue

Chapter 1

In Praise of God

Verse 5 (in Tamil)

iruL sEr iruvinaiyum sErA iRaivan 
poruL sEr pugazh purindhAr mAttu.

Meaning:

Consequences of either type of deed (good or bad) will not touch the one who dwells in the glory of God.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story annadhAnam written by the same author)

Verse 6 

Verse 4

4. To which faction do you belong?

"There are two groups in our company. To which group do you belong?" asked Gurumurthi.

Gurumurthi and I have been working for the same company, but this was the first time I was interacting with him.

"I am not with either group. What about you?" I asked, in reply. "I am with the Devaraj group. Devaraj commands more influence with the top management of our company than does Venkatakrishnan. I suggest that you also join the Devaraj group. It will be to your advantage" advised Gurumurthi. "Is there any application form?" I asked, somewhat naively. Gurumurthi threw me a contemptuous look and left. I am not with either of these groups, but I am with a third group - the Paranthaman group! Well, as a matter of fact, there is nothing called the Paranthaman group! There has always been an intense rivalry between the two senior executives of our company, Devaraj and Venkatakrishnan. Both would often be involved in some game of one-upmanship, to demonstrate one's superiority over the other. During certain times, the Devaraj group would appear to be up in the ladder of power and influence, but during other times, the position would be reversed, with the Venkatakrishnan group gaining the upper hand.

With almost the entire organization split between the two groups, a handful of people like me chose not to identify ourselves with either group. During the times Devaraj had the upper hand, he would harass people belonging to Venkatakrishnan's group. The harassment may take various forms, from minor irritants like discrimination in the allocation of work, to severe injustices like scuttling a promotion opportunity. At one point of time, it appeared that Devaraj had become well entrenched, with his influence having increased considerably. This resulted in some people moving from the Venkatakrishnan group to the Devaraj group. But, after some time, the situation changed unexpectedly. With Devaraj falling from grace, due to an act of indiscretion on his part, Venkatakrishnan moved up, as if to fill the void. Now, it was Venkatakrishnan's turn to take revenge on Devaraj, by harassing the followers of Devaraj.

Gurumurthi was one of the victims of this revenge. On the one hand, the promotion due to him didn't materialize, and on the other, he was issued a memo, seeking his response to some complaints against him! One day, Gurumurthi ran into me. Talking about his plight, he lamented, "My calculations seem to have gone wrong. I am paying a heavy price for my allegiance to Devaraj. Perhaps, I should cross over to Venkatakrishnan's side!" "But, what if Devaraj becomes powerful again?" I asked. Gurumurthy had no answer to this question.

He asked me, "You are not with either group. Has this not affected you in any way?"

"Not at all. In fact, I have information from reliable sources that my name is in the promotion list, expected to be released shortly." "How could you manage this, with no support from either of these power centres?" asked Gurmurthi, in a tone of surprise. "I am with the Paranthaman group!" I said. "But, Paranthaman is the Managing Director!" he exclaimed. "He has no group and he is far away, sitting in the head office!" "But he knows what's going on here, and he has been watching the tussle between these two groups. If any harm is caused to a person like me, who is loyal to him, he won't be watching it idly. Maybe that's why Venkatakrishnan did not try to scuttle my promotion." "I have made a serious mistake. If I had been loyal to the organization, rather than to one of these power centres, I would have got the support of the dispassionate Managing Director" said Gurumurthi, in a tone of regret. "Nothing is lost, yet," he added, "I am going to keep myself away from these two groups and join the Paranthaman group. Is there any application form?"

Thirukkural
Section I - The Path of Virtue

Chapter 1

In Praise of God

Verse 4 (in Tamil)

vENduthal vENdAmai ilAn adi sErndhArkku

yAndum idumbai ila.

Meaning:

A person seeking refuge at the feet of the Lord, who has no likes and dislikes, will never be afflicted by sufferings.

(This is the English version of the story 'neengal enrthakkatchi?" written by the same author)

Verse 5

Verse 3

3. The Priest’s Prayer

It was an old temple. It wore a deserted look most of the time. The temple was served by an old priest, befitting the antiquity of the temple.

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 at 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. Some may aspire 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, once 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. Thus, 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. As a result, 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.

*archana – A ritual of reciting the different names of the Lord and offering flowers at the feet of the idol.

Thirukkural
Section I -The Path of Virtue

Chapter 1

In Praise of God

Verse 3 (in Tamil)

malarmisai EginAn mANadi sErndhAr

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 Asai' by the same author)

Verse 4

Verse 2