We take pleasure in many things in life. We are proud of our education. We are proud of the work we do. If we build a house, we show it off to our friends and relatives with pride in our achievement.
We boast of the achievements of our children. We list the achievements of our ancestors and talk proudly of our lineage. But of what use is such pride? Will any of these current joys delight us forever? When we are on the deathbed, will any of these be of any consolation to us? Will our children, on whom we have doted, and for whose welfare we have given up so much in life, be able to grant us salvation? Will our riches guarantee us moksha? Everything that gives us pleasure is temporary. When our progeny are young, we observe their antics and find them charming.
But the same children will one day grow up, and will no longer have any use for us. We enjoy good food and may even over-indulge in eating. But overeating is not without its consequences, and the pleasure from food, too, is short-lived. The only lasting joy is the joy we get by worshipping Lord Siva, K. Sambandan said in a discourse.
This is the only joy that is without blemish. It brings with it no attendant sorrows, as other joys in life do. Manickavachagar sings of Lord Siva’s grace, in his Tiruvachagam , and asks the king bee to seek His mercy.
Manickavachagar’s verses are so moving that they would make even a hard heart melt. And yet how many of us have realised the value of these verses? But G.U. Pope, who came to India from England, translated the Tiruvachagam .
A story is told of a frog which lived near a lotus pond, but did not know that the lotus flowers had honey in them. But a bee came from afar to take honey from the lotuses. Thus it was that many in this country had not taken as much interest in the Tiruvachagam as a foreigner had, showing that often we do not realise the value of our religious literature.
The Tiruvachagam is full of verses soaked in bhakti. The verses speak of Lord Siva’s kindness in overlooking our sins, His magnanimity in not paying heed to our utter worthlessness to be recipients of His grace.
