The Hindu : Saint of astounding scholarship

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 18, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Saint of astounding scholarship

CHENNAI JAN.18 . It has become customary even for some believers in God to raise doubts before their spiritual mentors about the powers and acts of the Almighty. For instance a familiar question is "Why does not God make Himself visible, so that we can interact with Him and get our problems solved? When the scriptures proclaim that He does not possess any negative quality at all, how can we go to Him or defend Him when He is abused by some, when He is not physically present ? Does this mean that we are glorifying an unseen phenomenon whose invisibility is a trait by itself?" These inconvenient questions are often faced by our spiritual masters but they have the wisdom to answer them convincingly.

A saint, in his reply to such queries, has said that God is not to be equated with a prominent personality, appearing in public and granting audience. He is not a physical figure for our eyes to confirm and certify that He is there. (In incarnations, He may don a human garb but His qualities remain unaffected or contracted). On the part of a devotee, there should be a deep yearning and craving to obtain His grace. When such a devotee reaches a matured level of preparedness, God will reveal Himself or make His presence felt. This was what happened when as Sri Krishna, though visible to everyone, He showed His identity to Arjuna after imparting him instructions through the Bhagavad Gita. Bheema was another highly evolved soul who rose to the top level to see Krishna's true form.

The saint, who spread the message of God, by entering the monastic order even when he was young, was Sri Raghuthama Theertha (1548-95 A.D.), fourteenth in the lineage of the Utharadhi Math. In his works he has clarified how God helps a devotee on the path leading to liberation, by mitigating the consequences of his past acts. On his aradhana day this week, Sri T.S. Raghavendran, in a lecture, referred to the saint's astounding scholarship and how he wrote his works sitting besides the Anjaneya temple (installed by him) facing the Supreme Lord's form on the Srirangam temple's Vimanam. The saint's tomb in Thirukoilur continues to attract all shades of people even now because of the healing power after going round it. As per his wish, the place where he laid down his mortal coils is being maintained in an open place enabling devotees to pay their homage and receive his grace.

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