Scriptures, final authority on God

CHENNAI, APRIL 3.The scriptures are the source for human beings to know about the Supreme Being. The Vedas which are the primary scriptures are eternal in nature and hence they are revealed by the Lord Himself after creation. The other scriptural texts follow the Vedas strictly and do not advocate new concepts on their own and have been written by sages.

The Puranas are secondary texts which elaborate the cryptic teachings of the Vedas. While the Puranas speak in the manner of a father to his son, the tone of the Smritis is very friendly as their aim is to disseminate the right way of life to humanity. The devotional poetic works and hymns are more intimate as emotions are handled in them and the concepts and morals are thus couched discreetly. The works of mystics are a case in point.

In the Saiva tradition, the Tiruvilayadal Puranam, Periya Puranam and the Kanda Puranam are the three most important texts. The first one delineates the manner in which Lord Siva graced His devotees and the second one is a biography of the Saiva saints. Kanda Puranam outlines the glory of Lord Muruga.

In his discourse, Sri Mathivannan said that a perusal of the scriptural texts showed that it was love and devotion which mattered to the Lord. Ostentatious display of devotion is not warranted. As God is omniscient He knows the minds of His devotees and hence it is a person's heartfelt devotion that moves Him and not its exhibition. This has been proved time and again in the lives of devotees.

Sabhari was an unletterred tribal woman who was drawn to the hermitage of Sage Matanga. The spiritual power of the sages there made her yearn for performing service to them but she was too scared to approach them directly. So she assumed the responsibility of keeping the Ashram clean and served them all her life. It was her sincere devotion which rewarded her with the rare privilege of Lord Rama visiting her and partaking her offerings. She attained the highest state of beautitude in His presence.

Kannappar is another saint who attained immortal glory as a servant of God by his unalloyed devotion to Lord Siva. Hailing from a hunter-tribe he had no exposure to civilised life leave alone any knowledge of spiritual discipline. But, by chance when he went to the abode of Lord Siva on the Kalahasti hill, the place transformed him and devotion welled in his heart. He stayed back and started performing worship spontaneously without any inkling that he was transgressing the prescribed manner of worship. But this did not matter to the Almighty who was moved by his love and devotion.

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