An ancient story about devotion by Swami

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Light and Love

 

Once upon a time the Pandya kingdom in Tamil Nadu reigned supreme. The

Pandya king was very fond of horses. Once he sent his minister to buy horses.

He gave him all the money and manpower required to procure the horses. The

minister reached a village by name Perundurai. There he came across a holy man,

 

Balayogeeswara. He did not want to waste that pleasant evening so joined the

congregation and listened to the discourse of the holy man with rapt attention.

He forgot himself as he listened to the discourse. He developed strong faith in

that holy man. The minister forgot the task assigned to him by the king and

spent days listening to the discourses and got immersed in the contemplation of

God. One day he found a Siva temple in a dilapidated condition. He used the

money given to him by the king for renovating the Siva temple. The king came to

know that he minister had used all the money, given to him to buy horses, to

renovate the Siva temple. The king was also a devoted man. But since the

minister disobeyed his command he sent his soldiers to bring him back. The king

summoned the minister to his presence and asked him what he had done with the

money given to him for procuring horses. The minister said, "O king, I used the

money for God. Everything is God's gift. What God had given, I gave it back to

him. Not only that I have offered myself unto him." But the king asked, whether

he was justified in spending the money for a different purpose other than for

which it was intended. The minister replied that he did not use the money for

worldly purposes, but used it for a sacred purpose. The king became furious at

the minister's audacious reply, had him arrested and put in prison. The

minister was unruffled. While in prison, he continued to recall the teachings

of the holy man, Balayogeeswara, and started writing them down in the form of

slokas. He composed many slokas every day. This work is known as Thiruvachakam,

meaning sacred reading. He was immersed in bliss while composing hymns in praise

of God and thus lost track of time. Later the king realized his mistake and

summoned him. He was surprised to see the aura of radiance and brilliance

around him.

How did he acquire such an aura? It was due to the constant contemplation of

God. That minister was none other than Manikkavachagar. Each sloka composed by

him reflected the essence of the Vedas and the sacred texts. ( Bhagavan Sathya

sai Baba. The Divine Discourse "Devotion, Duty and Discipline." 12 Oct 1998,

Prashanti Nilayam).

 

Namaste - Reet