In The Hands

In His protective hand
I will be in bliss
For he keeps the roaring lion
Awaiting to gulp
And the serpent
Away from me

The deep love of
My protector
brings peace in mind
amidst the deep forest

Give your love to the lord

God will love your broken heart, which humans may distressed with …

Do You Know the First Eye Donator

Some of you may or even may not have heard of this man, who donated his eyes. He was the first known eye donator. Today let’s see what happens in his life.

Centuries back, in the middle of the deep forest on the southern part of India, there was an old Siva temple. It was very old and even deserted. The temple priest does not have the heart to desert it as other. So he travelled all along crossing all dangers to complete his pujas for the God.

One day a man called Tannar saw this and was attracted to the God.  Tannar was well trained in the tribal arts such as archery and herbal medicine.  But, he was completely not aware of the vedas and puranas. He also did not know about prayer and the ritual associate to it. Nor was it required for him so far. He got near the priest and asked him, “Ho, please tell me who he is and What do you do to make him happy?”  The scared priest ran away to save his life believing that he could be a man-eater.

This least moved Tannar. He has developed a deeper love for the God and he cannot leave him. He wanted to show his love, please Him and get His love back. He started imitating the priest. He washed the Linga with the water he carried in his mouth, decorated the Linga with wild flower that are not meant for prayers and presented the wild boar meat for the prasada. This continued for five long days.

The priest was shocked to see the wild flowers and meat in the temple everyday. He did clean it but was not able to bear it. He prayed, “Ho almighty, should I see this everyday. Do I travel across all dangers to witness the offense to you? Please help me to put an end to it.” God replied to him, “Dear, Do not feel despair. Hide yourself behind the pillar. Something special awaits you today.” The priest did as said.

Tannar entered the temple as usual with his meat and wild flower, washer the Linga by spitting the water. The priest heart was broken, but he fears to come out. As Tannar was decorating the Linga, he saw blood whooshing out of one of the Linga’s eyes. He wiped it and even tried few herbal to stop the bleeding. But, nothing helped.  He suddenly did something the entire world does not expect. He pierced his eye and gave it to the Lord. Tannar was happy to see the bleeding stopped but not for long.  The other eye started bleeding now. He was ready to give his other eye too, but was puzzled how to placed it properly. So he placed his toe on the Linga to mark the spot to place his eye and tried to get his other eye.

Lord Siva stopped him and said, “This is a test to show his pure love to the entire world.” He asked the priest, “How would I not accept anything from a man with such love. What you give is immaterial to me, but I only see you at your heart.” The priest apologized.  Tannar was taken to Kailash (Heaven for Saivas). He was referred by the name Kannapar (Kan – Eye, Appar- one who applied).

We all have the desire to attain Kailash to enjoy the eternal Bliss. But how is the question. We may not have the courage to pierce our eye and give it to the God. But, in his path we all could give it to humans, who are waiting to see the light.  The service to the creation is always the service to the creator. When you pledge your eyes, you are bringing light to two persons.

This is a most do action for Indian, because visual impairment is more in India and China.  There are various reasons for visual impairment, and transplantation could help only people with defected cornea. Still, helping this few is in your hands. It does not matter if you are wearing a spectacle with a high power. It makes difference only in the eye lens and not in the cornea to be transmitted.

Believe you would pledge your eyes this week. Happy week ahead. 🙂

The Monk with the Black Nose Buddha

Long long ago, but not before the fireball cooled into stony earth and slowly broke into soil, and human ploughed it and begin the civilization, there lived a rich man. He is far richer to buy all the goodness of the land. But he was not happy with it. He had a thirst for fame. He felt that the monks are most popular people in the land. He wanted to be famous like them.

Day by day his desire for the fame grew so weirdly that he decides to join the monastery. He was told that he is welcomed provided he is ready to leave all his wealth. He was sad to leave his money. But he cannot overcome his desire for fame. He was dying between these two desires.

Finally, he got a plan to keep all his money and still join the monastery. He knew that all monks are allowed to carry a Buddha idol with them. So he sold all his wealth and bought a golden Buddha and carried his wealth with him. He was so happy to join monastery without loosing his money. Also he felt that this would make him unique among the monks and give more fame.

His wish becomes true at last. He becomes very famous in the land. He was popularly known as a monk with a golden Buddha. He was at the top of the world. He also used expensive incense for his Buddha. One day during prayer he noticed that the fume from his expensive incense was filling the whole room and moves around all Buddha idols. He wasn’t happy with it. “These expensive incense I brought from distance land is only for my golden Buddha”, he thought.

To put an end to it, he fixed a pipe from the incense to the golden Buddha’s nose. Other monks around him are disgusted by his behavior. They moved away from him. He is not bothered about it. He believed that they are jealous of him.

As days passed the soot from the incense fume got deposited in the golden Buddha’s nose and turned it black. Now people started to call him as The Monk with the Black Nose Buddha. He realized how his mean behavior has degraded him.

Salute to the Brave Woman-Kuyili

For about a century ago the so called first war of Independence (Jhansi Rani Lakshmi Bai and Mangal Pandey fighting against the British) in the deep south the roaring lioness Velu Nachiyar stood against the British to avenge her husband’s death and to rescue her nation.

Marudhu Pandiyars stood by her and she also gets the military of Hyder Ali. But, none of them had an answer to the British gun. Yes, the gun that could kill hundreds of men before they could reach the fort. Their brave heart could stand against death but Nachiyar was well aware of the practicality of facing the gun with empty hands.

The brave woman Kuyili came as an answer to this. She volunteers and promised that the British will not have guns in the War in cost of her life. The British stored the ammunition in the temple and allowed women alone to enter for worship. On the Vijayadhasami day, she entered the temple along with few women warriors, each of them caring a lamp full of oil pretending to light lamp as an offering to the God.

The women pored the oil on Kuyili and she light herself as the offering for and nation and walked into a British storehouse of ammunition, exploding it. Kuyili is the first human bomb in India against the British. Her brave act paves the way for Nachiyar’s victory. Velu Nachiyar was the first woman to fight the British and defeat them. Tragically most of us do not know this history. As we do not study the real history but only what British historians has recorded as it suits their need.

It is time we read our true history and praise this brave woman who gave her life for us. Let’s celebrate this Vijayadhasami as a tribute to her.