The power of Bhakti to elevate human beings towards higher levels of realisation is manifest in the lives and works of the Saivite Saints and Siddhars. Siddhars are intuitively realised souls with remarkable knowledge of every aspect of life which they have expressed in the form of songs, etc., for the benefit of mankind. The main thrust is to look inwards and explore the purpose of our life on this earth. In a lecture, Srimati Saraswathy Ramanathan drew attention to the way Bhakti influences not merely an individual's inner being but that it is also capable of creating a chain reaction in the lives of people who are naturally attracted to the divine Lord.
God has endowed us with the senses so that we realise our Self and Him, the value of life and the purpose of our existence. He is always present with us. But we do not recognise His presence. A Tirunavukkarasar did not feel the extreme effects of the punishment he was compelled to face when he was thrown into the lime kiln. This devotee was secure in the all-effective embrace of Siva whom he worshipped with absolute faith. So too did Prahlada remain safe despite all the efforts of Hiranyakasipu to end the life of his own son. With total faith Prahlada asserted that the Lord was everywhere including the pillar which Hiranyakasipu had built. Such narratives kindle devotion and instil in us a desire to strive for salvation through penance, austerity, self-discipline, mediation, etc.
A famous Siddhar song illustrates the ephemeral quality of life and stresses the urgency to utilise to the maximum the gift of a lifetime that we have received. The song alludes to human existence through a very expressive analogy. With great difficulty, cajoling and begging, a beggar managed to get a pot from a potter in the garden. He began dancing and singing with this pot until such time the pot broke. This is how unthinkingly many of us squander the invaluable gift of life. Eating and enjoying the material glitter of this world, we reach the end of the life and realise that the pot which was obtained with much difficulty was not utilised for the right purpose — to seek salvation from the cycle of birth.
