THE FEET THAT SAVE

THE FEET THAT SAVE*
Those who adore Lord Siva praise His dancing feet as their place of refuge, said M.A. Manickavelu in a discourse.
It is obeisance to His feet that saves. This is something all saints have known and they have therefore praised His feet.
Siva’s Cosmic dance is praised by Saint Thirumoolar, who says that the Goddess Sakti too dances with Him. It is an Ananda tandava — a joyous dance. It is a pleasant dance, as pleasing as honey.
To Manickavachagar, it was Lord Siva’s feet that gave deeksha.
The touch of the Lord’s feet worked like magic and the moment the Lord put His feet on Manickavachagar’s head, the saint stopped thinking of his relatives and concentrated all his thoughts on the Lord.
Appar’s verse talks of a woman surrendering at Lord Siva’s feet.
As a result of this, she forgot all about her family and became so immersed in the Lord that she even forgot her name.
In another verse, Appar sings of Lord Nataraja’s raised eyebrows, His red lips that sport a smile, His locks of hair, and His resplendent body that shines like a coral.
But Appar ends the verse praising Lord Nataraja’s lifted foot as He dances, and Appar concludes that if a person has the good fortune to see all of these, then he is truly blessed.
Markandeya, son of sage Mrikandu, was destined to die at the age of sixteen.
But when Yama came to take his life, the boy hugged a Siva linga. Yama was unable to take him away and so he cast his rope around the linga too!
Lord Siva then kicked Yama away and granted Markandeya the boon of immortality.
So here again it was His feet that saved a devotee.
*Faith, The Hindu, March 8,2017


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NAVAGRAHA STOTRAM

NAVAGRAHA STOTRAM* According to astrology, the positions of the nine planets in the twelve constellations of the zodiac and their movements are considered to be quite significant. The nine planets ‘Navagraha’ affect every aspect of human life. They play an important role in the activities, physical and mental health and life of any individual. The unfavorable positioning of any of these planets can be the cause of problems, bad health, and stagnation for many people. However, there is a solution to avoid the ill effects of the position and movement of the ‘Navagraha’ in our lives. Navagraha mantras (or stotram) are simple mantras which work as powerful healing tools to reduce the negative effects of any of the nine planets. These mantras are Hindu holy hymn addressing the nine planets. Benefits Of Navagraha Stotram And The Way to Practice The Navagraha Stotram is written b y Rishi Vyasa and is considered to be the peace mantra for the nine planets. They are powerful m
Read more

The King of Ragas: Sankarabharanam

                       The King of Ragas                      --------------------------     Long ago  serpents were put to lot of hardships.They  were afraid of other animals. They had to seek refuge in the hermitage of sage Saraba.The sage was a true devotee of Lord Shiva.He used to pray Shiva with melodious songs. As he sang a particular raga the snakes were much inspired and they began to dance,. Slowly the serpents became friendly with the sage. They brought water in their mouths for the pooja.They secreted  a special fluid in which the flowers got stuck to their bodies.The sage was much astonished by the service of the snakes.As the sarpas became very close to the sage ,they requested him to help having Darsan of Lord Siva. As requested by the sage Shiva appeared in the form of  a  Kapalika and stayed in the ashram.The music and dance of the snakes continued. The snakes rendered service to the kapalika as they considered him  a Shiva bhakta.Shiva was much pleased with t
Read more

THE SUNSET OF THE CENTURY

*SUNSET OF THE CENTURY: Rabindranath Tagore THE LAST SUN OF THE CENTURY SETS AMIDST THE BLOOD-RED COLOURS OF THE WEST AND THE WHIRLWIND OF HATRED. THE NAKED PASSION OF SELF-LOVE OF NATIONS IN ITS DRUNKEN DELIRIUM OF GREED IS DANCING TO THE CLASH OF STEEL AND THE HOWLING VERSES OF VENGEANCE. THE HUNGRY SELF OF THE NATION SHALL BURST IN A VIOLENCE OF FURY FROM ITS OWNSHAMELESS FEEDING FOR IT HAS MADE THE WORLDITS FOOD, AND LICKING IT, CRUNCHING IT AND SWALLOWING IT IN BIG MORSELS, IT SWELLS AND SWELLS TILL IN THE MIDST OF ITS UNHOLY FEAST DESCENDS THE SUDDEN HEAVEN PIERCING ITS HEART OF GROSSNESS…   *Note: “The Sunset of the Century”, translated by the poet, from Naivedya; The English Writings of   Rabindranathtagore, Volume II,Delhi 1996, page 466. Quoted in his article ‘Critiquing nationalism’ by K Satchidanandan (Frontline, November 14, 2014). The article takes you to a much broader spectrum. HAPPY READING(READ MORE STAN
Read more