The Hindu : God sends saints to redeem sinners

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 25, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

God sends saints to redeem sinners

CHENNAI APRIL 25 . Man is the architect of his own destiny. He is sure to feel the impact of pessimism, negative sentiments, suggested limitations, discouragement, bad news and defeatist attitudes. It is to overcome these energy-sapping influences that seers had prayed, "Let noble thoughts come to us from every side." By the simple act of reposing total faith in God, man is capable of experiencing a complete change and reforms within. He may feel that it is not possible to switch over to the righteous path overnight. This is where devotion steps in and acting as a buffer, it enables him to solve his problems whose intensity will thenceforward get automatically lessened. Scriptures and sages have prescribed one of the simple methods of developing devotion — express man's extraordinary confidence in the Almighty's nobility and generosity by adoring His innumerable qualities through songs and congregational gatherings to recite them. Some times a devotee, in spite of adopting such spiritual procedures, may feel frustrated that God has not answered his or her prayers, but God's benevolence is certain, though it may be unobtrusive. It will be timely and no one need regret that his prayers, offered with sincerity and love, have gone unanswered.

Numerous saints, in their devotional outpourings, have contributed richly to the spiritual well being of the humanity. They hailed from different strata of society. It is to uplift the fallen souls that God commands His deputies to go to the world and teach the people, explained Swami Namanandagiri in a discourse. Once Narada was caused to be born as a greedy diamond merchant. God saw to his total transformation so as to serve the purpose for which he was sent. His pious wife once gifted her precious nose-screw to a deserving person to meet his dire need but this man pledged it with the merchant who rushed to his house to check whether the jewel was safe. His wife, who was afraid of the husband's anger, decided to consume poison when she saw the jewel in a cup and showered her praise on the Lord who had earlier appeared as a holy man to whom she had given it. A total transformation came to the merchant who from then on discarding his riches went about spreading the message of God and came to be called as Purandaradasa.

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