Only for the one who has faith, there is bhagavan. Although the bhagavan is eternal, when seeking his grace only those who are fit to receive HIS grace will beget them. When the bhagavan showers grace HE sees no disparity. He does not say, "He is a small child, why grace him". If so, would Narada have received HIS grace. In Srimad Bhagavatham, when Narada was only 5 years old, he obtained HIS grace. Dhruva, when he went to the forest to do tapasya saw the bhagavan in just 6 months and was graced when only 5 years old.
When Prahlada got HIS grace, he was just 5 years old. Sanakadi's were all just 5 years old. Thus we see that when bhagavan showers HIS grace he does not classify young or old. Does God look only at the rich? We see even poor Kuchelar was graced. If we think that its only the beautiful in everyhing, we see in that in Mathura, when Lord Krishna was there, a woman whose body was bent in three places was made beautiful by HIS grace. If we thought that its only the educated who are blessed, we see Gajendran who is only an elephant was also graced. As we think of the bhagavan like this, we start to see that there is no difference between man or woman, rich or poor and also we see that the Lord did "paramAnugraham" for the Gopikais. Sabari, a woman forest dweller was graced by Lord Rama who devotedly accepted her offering of flowers and fruits. Lord Rama hugged forest king Guha. So we certainly see that the bhagavan does not differentiate anything. yet there is but ONE difference. What is it and why? If this ONE difference was not there, we may ask why HE graced him or her, this or that. Then the grace of the bhagavan would become only a chance or a random probability.
Does anyone cry for HIS grace? Do you think or cry for his kripa always. The bhagavan said that only if you sincerely desire, cry and ask for my grace, I will do immediately. If you don't ask with utmost sincerity, you would not get my grace. In order to not differentiate even this ONE thing, bhagavan is always expecting HIS bhakthas to yearn for his grace.
Why did Sri Krishna give the clothes to Draupadi when she was being humiliated in the sabha. Because she called for help. Why did the Lord come to Gajendra, because he gave a cry to call HIS lord to save him. If you think you need HIS grace, to remove your difficulties, then if you cry and call, HE will come to your rescue.
Don't go on your own way, listen to mahans who will show you the path and you take that path.
Are you not a believer? Then if one has to believe HIM, is it just out of superstition as has been told by someone? No. Usually the people who come with the debate of whether there is a God or not, even in a family where it is always been told that God is to be believed like when one who as a small child, the parents would tell the child to get up in the morning and go to the altar of the perumal to get darshan. When writing exams, pray to perumal, or on a festival day, go to the temple, perform an archana on his or her birthday etc., This, being told from the younger days, the bhakthi evolves even for the small child. Because this bhakthi has come on its own and for that child it always becomes a good thing and persists.
After this the child doesn't analyze much whether God is present or not, so whatever he gets automatically becomes a good thing for him and naturally becomes beneficial to him. Some say that there is no God, even they are just the same. They don't have any worry, they would have been associated with someone who would have told them that there is no God, immediately they would start saying so.
Ramayanam or Bhagavatham tells us of leelas that have happened. The Upanishads, which are full of tatva, which our maharishis have already brought out the right questions or doubts we ask in this present world meant to provide answers.
With intelligence, we cannot say that we can believe everything. With intelligence we can have doubts about certain things. Sometimes even the doubts can be wrong or the one which we see with our eyes can be wrong, and we cannot tell or be sure of. We see the clouds and then we think everything is ready for the rain to shower, suddenly from somewhere there is a wind which scatters the clouds and there is no rain.
On the street we see someone whom we know and say, Hey! Gopala! and he turns around. But he is somebody else, we then say "you looked like my friend Gopala". So the doubt became wrong in this instance and what we have seen has indeed gone wrong.
Even in our lives, we can remember only the most important things, but we may not know what happened, say when we were 10 years old for example. If we are given a date in the past 20 years ago and asked what you did from morning till evening on this date, you cannot tell. So memory is also there only to a certain level. Intelligence, memory and mind are all only to a certain level. We can imagine only so much.
If you take Maths for example, and try to solve a problem, if its too complicated then the mind is not able to fathom it easily. Beyond a certain level we are unable to expand and see, we start to fumble and not understand, why? its because we are not able to expand beyond a certain level. Only if you expand your knowledge externally, then you are able to expand a little more. Thus intelligence, time are all upto a certain level. We don't know what will happen in 10 years time, what's behind a wall, what is a person thinking etc.,
In life, taking just a single subject and obtaining mastery over it becomes too much. If we take Vedam, one janma alone is not sufficient to master it, then you have 4 vedas and its bhashyam, dharmasastram, 6 sastras, 6 darshanam, azhwar's texts, bhaktha charithram the list is endless...where is the end.
Thus the Azhwars did not just say in a playful manner or even did not say so because someone else did say or simply read from books to say that God is present. They are people who have first had faith that the Lord is there and following the way laid out in the sastras they have seen God as being real right in front of their eyes. Once seen for real, then there will be doubt isn't it of God's existence.
"I won't believe there is God, nor will I follow the process of being able to see God, is just a useless argument."
HE is there should be believed first of all. Can HE be seen, yes, if you have belief that HE can be. But in order to see HIM, what does one need to do and is one ready to do that? If one isn't, then one cannot see God.
We have sugar balls in our hand, yes, that will be sweet. But can we argue as to whether it will be sweet or not. How can we then know, only by putting it inside our mouth and tasting it, isn't it. Then only we can say with conviction that it is sweet. That way, if you have the desire to see the bhagavan, there are several ways. For reaching a place, can we say that there is just one way only? If we go to any temple, there will be a lake inside and in it there will have four sets of entrances with steps leading to the lake at its centre. But for River Cauvery or Ganga, there are several entrances and with any entrance you can have a bath with anandam, likewise, with Yogabhyasam or Dhyanam or bhakthi you can see the paramatma. From any of these ways, only if you find the depth, then only can you see the paramatma. If this is not possible, atleast fall at the feet of the Lord and cry - saranagathi.
What is the proof that God is there, well, there are so many who have seen the God with their very own eyes. Sri Andal, Meerabai, who have seen God will have no further doubts because they have seen God with their own eyes right in front of them. What is the proof then that they have seen? If we take for example a maha bhakthar, who has seen God, talked with God, such a person will not worry that they have not married, not got a job, did not have children, did not get a house etc., Such a person will not worry that they have adopted a different lifestyle and will not turn back to the normal mundane ways of living.
But the normal people who will try to obtain money, position, wife etc., and be in the midst of all that and enjoy them will also have an opportunity once in their lifetime that they need to seek a life different from all this.
Even Hiranyakashipu, who ruled over the 7 worlds with Indra standing with folded hands before him, all the navagrahas under his control and waiting for his command did try his best to poison prahlada, throw prahladar to the lions, throw him from the hills, drown him in the seas but finally started worrying with his hands over his head. For even such a person he felt that there is something beyond himself and wanted to seek a way out of his predicament. Same goes for Ravana, when he was told to go back home today and come tomorrow, he did not know what to do. Losing Indrajit, Kumbakharna, even for Ravana himself this day came when he started to worry. Similarly a doctor will say, I have done everything I can, there is nothing more for me to do, you please pray to bhagavan or to the nature. So the end is beyond our means is what it shows. The beliefs shown by mahans, maharishis or the azhwars are not just not pure beleifs, such a paramatma which has been shown by the Vedas, Upanishads, sastras is this Sri Ranganathar. This lord has been shown and said in many itihaasas and sastras. So should it not be then said that srirangam is such a famous place, where the azhwars, who were rasikas always proclaimed the beauty of the bhagavan here, such a azhagIya manavalan.
at 15:30 will continue to post....
