004StaretsyDivineGrace
004திருவருள் செல்வர்கள்
திருவருள் = Divine Grace
செல்வர் = Starets

செல்வர்கள் = Staretsy (Plural)
"staretsy" is a plural form of "starets":
http://www.memidex.com/staretsy

Starets =
spiritual leader(s) whose wisdom stems from God as obtained
from ascetic experience.

Posted Date : 06:00 (22/05/2018)  May 22, 2018  Sakthi Vikatan

 

https://image.vikatan.com/author/images/200X200/2964_thumb.jpg

 தே.அசோக்குமார்

 

  திருவருள் செல்வர்கள்! - 4

சொல்லின் செல்வன் பி.என்.பரசுராமன்    Authors: P.N.Parasuraman  T. Ashok Kumar

திருப்போரூர் ஸ்ரீமத் சிதம்பரம் ஸ்வாமிகள்
Tiruppōrūr Srīmat Chidambaram Swāmigaḷ

 

பணிகொண்ட திருவருள்செல்வர்!

Divine Grace Starets in the service

எங்கே வாழ்க்கை தொடங்கும்? அது

Where does life begin? That:

எங்கே எவ்விதம் முடியும்?

Where and how it will end?

இதுதான் பாதை இதுதான் பயணம் 

This is the path; this is the journey

என்பது யாருக்கும் தெரியாது.

Them no one knows.

பாதைகள் எல்லாம் மாறி வரும் 

The paths: all will change

பயணம் முடிந்துவிடும்

The journey will end

மாறுவதைப் புரிந்துகொண்டால் 

When you comprehend the change

மயக்கம் தெளிந்துவிடும்.

Confusion will clear up.


Āhā! Āhā! Beautiful lines, line by line. Pardon me! These poetic lines need elucidation word by word. Birth: No one can tell how and when it will happen. Example: On the way to the Maternity Hospital, delivery takes place on the vehicle.
Attempting to tell the end: That is impossible.
Let us look at life between birth and death. Nothing is apparent. The cause? The future path is unseen and unknown. In the path of life, all events come and go with no itinerary and ever-changing tunes. In the end, the journey is over.
‘When we see what we did in life’ on a retrospective look, it is a zero and a blank page.

                                                                       

If we chart our path and put it to practice, will the mental confusion clear up? Kannadasan says it will clear up.
Tiruvaruḷ-Selvarkaḷ (= ‘திருவருள்செல்வர்கள்’ = Starets with Divine Grace) understand the change of paths.
The eminent and virtuous person who understood the changing paths begins his life’s journey here.
Poet Chidambaram was a resident of Madurai. In his tender age, he received the divine grace of Mīṉākṣi Ammai. He was a scholar of grammar and literature. His right mind was the highest and the loftiest. His erudition and good conduct took him to Avināsi. Yes! A servitor near Avināsi knowing his reputation invited him to teach his two sons.

In Avināsi, Kumaradevar from Viruddasalam was the guru of the poet, who regarded the Guru as God and followed his guidance in all matters.
When the poet was in meditation, he had a vision of a dancing peacock with its spread-out iridescent tail hiding his inner vision. The poet not knowing its significance asked the Guru, who told him to go to Madurai where Aṉṉai Mīṉākṣi would offer her grace and knowledge to him. The Guru blessed him and sent the poet on his way.
 
The poet came to Madurai and performed Tapas seeking Ambikai’s grace. Impediments came along. Diseases afflicted him giving him severe hardships and handicaps.
“What is this? I came here on the advice of the Guru. Minākṣī is giving me a mother lode of hardship. These adverse events do not help me.” The poet did not think in that fashion. He sang Minākṣī Kaliveṇpā and praised Ambal, the Goddess and the Consort of Siva. Steady mind, great soul and dedication brought Ambal before him. She showed the way to the humble Kavirāyar. Ambikai said, “Kavirāyā! Go north to Tiruppōrūr to find my son Murugan’s temple. It is in a ruined state. I want you to renovate and rebuild it. For you to know and realize it, Murugan came in the form of a peacock during your meditation, described to you the temple’s layout and then disappeared. Go to Tiruppōrūr! Murugan himself will become your spiritual teacher and explain the Truth.” Saying thus, Minākṣī disappeared.

                                                                

Minākṣī opened his path; Kavirāyar never vacillated. He followed the path shown by Gurunāthar and Ambikai. Hereafter Kavirāyar will be known as ‘Aṭikaḷ.’ Aṭikaḷ = Servitor of God and his devotees. He left Madurai for Viruthāchalam where he paid homage and circumambulated Gurunāthar in Niṣtai and later continued his journey. On his way back, he obtained Darśan of Sivajñāṉa Bālaya in Bomma Pāḷayam town, stayed there a few days and enjoyed talking with him.
In Tiruppōrūr, the first one he obtained Darśan of, was Vēmpadi Vināyakar under a Neem tree. He took a ritual ablution and immersion in the sacred waters of Vaḷḷaiyār ōdai and went looking for Aṉṉai-Mīṉākṣi-recommended Ārumugaṉ Temple. 

Those days, Tiruppōrūr was a grove of Palmyra trees resembling a forest. Aṭikaḷ was in search of Ārumugaṉ Temple, paid homage and obtained Darśan of Muruga Peruman as Svayambhū Mūrthy under a palm tree. (The tree is the Swayambhu Murthi of Murugan.) Ārumuga Temple’s identity became apparent to him.  Swayambhu Murthi = சுயம்புமூர்த்தி = cuyampu-mūrtti = Uncreated image of God.
He found the location of the temple. It needed money for renovation and to create public awareness. A path was born. Aṭikaḷ, remaining in the Vinayakar temple, offered Vibhuti (sacred ash) for the people who came to see him. The visitors narrated their problems and had the problems solved. Pointedly, diseases of many people just vanished.

What next? The devotees gave what they can afford as offerings. The wealth (monetary help) offered by the devotees gave ideas to the thugs. Virtuous deeds take days to yield fruits. The evil deeds (theft in this case) produced fruits immediately.
The thieves decided to take what the devotees contributed to Aṭikaḷ. They moved closer surreptitiously. Aṭikaḷ did not know the thieves’ move. But Ārumugaṉ knew it. The thieves coming to rob Aṭikaḷ lost their vision. The panicked thieves stepped out of hiding and stumbled all the way to Aṭikaḷ, fell at his feet and begged for a cure.

Aṭikaḷ was compassionate and told the thieves, “Stop thieving from today! Give all the stolen money to the Murugan temple. You will regain the lost sight.”
Loving words of Aṭikaḷ and lost sight changed the thieves to good citizens. They gave all the riches stolen to Sevvēḷ (red lance or spear), Kumaran Temple. Yes, Murugan gave them back their eyesight.

Some wealth came into the future temple’s treasury. The temple must become a reality. Ārumuga Perumāṉ showed the way. Before the Aṭikalār, KumarakKadavuḷ appeared in the guise of his guru Kumāradēvar. Aṭikaḷ raised his hands in homage above his head with opposed palms and uttered, “Gurudēvā! Gurudēvā!
Later, the two reached the Palm tree where the temple existed once. Then, Kumāradēvar applied on Aṭikalār’s forehead sacred ash (The Third Eye) and told him, “See now! Holey temple will come into your view!”
There, Aṭikaḷ saw before his spiritual eyes the previously existent complete temple. Surprised at the turn of events, Aṭikaḷ wanted to talk to his Guru and turned towards him. As he was looking, Kumarakkadavuḷ entered Svayambhu Mūrthy and disappeared.


                                                       
That minute, what appeared in the divine vision of Aṭikalār disappeared, and the palm tree grove was back in its place.

Aṭikaḷ felt the horripilation, realizing that Muruga Perumāṉ Himself came in person to show him the temple and the way. He in the right earnest began his sacred duty (of building the temple). The erstwhile thieves now reformed and devout having received the holy ash to cure their collective blindness, thanks to Murugan, were of great help in the building and completing the construction of the temple.
Aṭikaḷ established the traditional sacerdotal codes for the Puja services, having built the temple wonderfully. Ever since the temple building was complete, the holy name of the Aṭikaḷ was ‘Tiruppōrūr Chidambara Swāmigaḷ.’
For some more details click below:
http://murugan.org/temples/tirupporur.htm

He worshipped Tiruppōrūr Murugaṉ, composed and sang a beautiful panegyric poem, ‘Tiruppōrūr Sannidhi Treatise.’ The treatise has 18 chapters referring to the 18 eyes on Murugan’s face: Six faces with three eyes on each head, two physical eyes and the third eye in the center of the forehead
Above all, a rare Yantra established by Srī Chidambara Swāmigaḷ is in the Tiruppōrūr temple. By realizing the importance of this Yantra, Kanchi SrīMahā Swāmigaḷ touched the Yantra with his holy hands and extended his grace to all. This Yantra is powerful.
                  
                                                                   

                                                                      


http://murugan.org/temples/tirupporur.htm
Aṭikaḷ went to Madurai at the behest of Gurunāthar and received direct Darśan of Ambāḷ, who showed the way to Tiruppōrūr. There he reformed the thieves. Murugaṉ came in the guise of the Guru and asked him to build a temple. He benefited us with his treatise and the Yantra. Srī Chidambara Swāmigaḷ on Vaikāsi Visākam merged with Muragapperumāṉ. He showers on us even today his grace. Let Tiruppōrūr Murugan protect us by expunging our deadly sins.
Holy Grace will grow!
Images: t. Ashokkumar.
________________________________________

கடவுள் நம்பிக்கை! 
Faith in God! By Swami Chinmayananda.
Swami Chinmayananda offered this answer to a question, “Though faith in God exists, sometimes mental agitation and disbelief occur.” Here is the answer. “Do not listen to the noise of the mind. It will cheat you. Hear the voice of your Ātmā. It will rescue you, taking you to your objective (Mōkṣa or liberation). With weak faith, no human effort can bear fruits. A rock-steady and robust faith made Prahalāthaṉ and Dhruva eternal.



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