It was a pleasant morning and exciting day for the students in a Gurukulam. Their Guruji was going to teach them something very interesting that day. And all were eagerly looking forward to it. The Guruji called the students and gave them each a coconut. They were asked to hide the coconut anywhere in the woods so no one could ever find it or view it!
After a couple of hours, the students returned. All the students hid the coconut, except for one boy who brought it back! Guruji asked the boy – “My boy, why did you not hide the coconut? Were you afraid of the woods? Or could you not find any place to hide it?”
The boy replied “Guruji, I could not hide it because there was no place where God would not see! He is everywhere!”
This is what our Acharya always explains in all His discourses – That God is everywhere and He is ONE. Dear readers, come, join us in learning how our Swamiji elaborates this concept and more…
There are two important aspects of God.
- GOD is ONE
- GOD is OMNIPRESENT
But HE is perceived differently by the way people choose to
- pick an aspect of HIM
- name HIM
- identify HIM (with qualities)
- create a process to approach HIM
And, when we make such choices, we think GOD is different for each individual. But HE is not. HE is ONE and ALL-Pervasive. Since God is all-pervasive, Is HE present even in other things outside the Vigraham? What about the mouthpiece through which we deliver discourses ? [Swamiji is referring to the microphone He is speaking over] The answer is:
It is difficult to attach such an emotion on material-things, because the object is already identified with a purpose, name and process of use. And so, it is hard to connect that object to a personality – God, despite HIS ubiquitous nature in every minutest particle of the creation.
But for a Vigraham, its sole purpose is God alone. A name is chosen for the Vigraham; A Bhagavad A:ra:dhana – activity is performed for its worship. Now, it is easy to believe God through the object of ‘Vigraham’
So in this age, the way to connect to God is through a Vigraham. And once we have established that link, then we are automatically connected to the Supreme Being Himself!
This is like –
Suppose, a high ranking individual, say the Prime Minister visits our house. And for having visited our house, instead of the Prime Ministerial Guest House/Parliament, has the person lost his official status? The person is the same in a Parliament or at home.
This is the quintessence of Andal’s Dhanurma:sam vratham & Thiruppa:vai.
Goda Devi not only gave us this message through her beautiful songs, but she also followed it. She believed that Lord Ranganatha in Sri Rangam, Vatapathra Sai in Srivilliputur, The Lord in Thirumalarancholai, and Tirumala Venkatanatha – are all ONE and the SAME. And this ONE God, had once upon a time walked on Earth as Krishna and Rama in different Yugas. And the same ONE God Na:ra:yana exists in HIS abode paramapadam as Parava:sude:va; in all various avata:rasas Vibhava; in His expanded form – resting in the Milky Ocean (Pa:lakadali) as Vyu:ha; in our hearts as Super soul Antarya:mi and also in the form of Vigraha as Archamu:rthi
So, Yes. God is the same in a Microphone and a Vigraham too. Lets meditate on Him and receive His grace.
-From the discourse of Sri Chinna Jeeyar Swamiji
