Just as we learned, as they say from the horse's mouth, from the story of the origin of the deity Karupanasamy, son of King Rama, the form given to him and worshipped till now and the meat, tobacco, and liquor offered are a continuation of what he consumed back then taking on a transformation into an "Avatar" or taking on a role as an Asura to defeat other Asuras, was and is merely a snapshot of a scene from the past, a still from a series of frames from the timeline of that age, fitting this single piece of clue into the existing larger maze of puzzles of the many battles fought by the other Gods and Goddesses, taking up arms to defeat the evil natured assailants and Asuras, Ramalinga Adigal too who worshiped the pantheon of Hindu Gods and Goddesses, upon knowing this truth in later years, took the new seekers who came along directly to the worship of the source that has no name, label, form, nor history or a story to tell. So it seems to the public eye that he denied all the other Gods and asked to worship Arutperunjothi. Just as I had to give the name Agathiyar Vanam Malaysia (AVM) as a reference for my home in all our conversations and location sharing, Ramalinga Adigal named the source that was Light Arutperunjothi.
Deepavali or the Festival of Lights is just around the corner. Just as in the opening scene of Disney's "The Jungle Book" we are told that "Many strange stories are told about the jungles of India, but none so strange as the story of a small boy named Mowgli", similarly many stories are told about the land and its festivities, but none are more diversified than that of Deepavali or Diwali. As it is observed throughout the land of Bharat or India, each region has a tale or a twist to add to the many existing stories. But all festivals basically were held to foster closeness and friendship. Besides creating an opportunity for kin and family, friends, and the local community to come together in celebration, it created an opportunity to come to know each other better, resulting in a beautiful and wonderful society. My daughter introduced the art of creating designs or Kolam using rice flour to her colleagues from different races and beliefs and spoke about the significance of the festival, enlightening them on the diversified cultures, traditions, and practices in Malaysia, ahead of the festival several days back.
Above and beyond this is a deeper truth one of inner transformation, moving from the gross to the subtle and the Light. But it is saddening to see that given the many opportunities in each birth, and the many reminders that come by way of stories about good values and virtues, speeches of the wise and saintly, there is yet no concerted effort or move by many individuals towards purifying the body and establishing the soul to its rightful place. If there are those who come to know the truth of life and its uncertainties, especially on how much longer one would live, turn over a new leaf, and take care of their health till their last days, there are then the others who equally know this truth tend to see life as impermanent and live life to the fullest drowning in all things pleasurable. We can't blame either, can we? It is all a matter of perspective and where one stands.
As for the handful of us, this is the right moment besides lighting up our homes to light up our lives and most importantly light up the soul by freeing it. Siddha Heartbeat wishes all readers a Happy Deepavali.