In a Tamil work of literature, a story is told of how a discussion was once organised, in which many scholars participated. One of them was a devotee of Lord Siva, and He described Siva's qualities to the assembled gathering. He said that Siva was seen in eight things- the Sun, Moon, the five elements- namely earth, space, water, air and fire, and also in all atmas. He has no death. He has no birth. He lasts always and always has the same qualities.
Devotees sing of Him. But He is beyond our reach and beyond description. True devotees of the Lord do not even seek moksha. All they want is to worship Him in temples. It is said, for example, that the Linga in the Madurai Meenakshi temple in Tamil Nadu, is older than even the Himalayas. When compared with other mountains in this world, the Himalayas are younger. The Himalayas are a recent formation due to tectonic activity,. So Madurai, the Lord's abode is even older than Mount Kailas. No wonder then that the Lord's devotees want to worship Him there, and even prefer places like Madurai and Chidambaram, famous for Lord Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer, to moksha.
True devotees are so immersed in thoughts of Him, that to them all else in this world is unimportant, said K.Sambandan. If, while walking on the road, we were to see anything that glistens, our first reaction would be to think that it is perhaps a gold ornament that someone has lost. We may even try to take possession of it, if here is no one to claim it. But to one who has bhakti, a gold bar and a cake of mud have the same value. If such a one were to pass by a gold ornament, he would not even notice that it glistens. He will be indifferent to it.
And yet we cannot understand the Lord. That is because we try to analyse Him through our intellect. He can be known only through devotion, not through the intellect. Even scientists have professed their belief in God. Albert Einstein said, “Science without religion is blind.” So while we must have regard for science, we must also realise that there are some things that even science cannot explain. So religion has a place too in life.
