Absolute Love Gives Absolutely

You must have the will to give God whatever you have. Have you ever thanked God for granting you a healthy life, house, spouse, children, wealth and vehicle? Have you ever mounted a plaque on your gate declaring that your life was on low profile till God granted you such wonderful possessions? On the contrary, you are keen on having your name chiselled as donor, on a half-a-penny worth tubelight that you give to the temple. Your dealings with God are very business-like. Rather, devotion must be an expression of gratitude towards God for all that He has conferred on you.

If you happen to come across a Sivalinga whose eyes are bleeding, will you decide to pull out your eyes and offer them to the Lord, like Kannappa Nayanar (the erstwhile Thinnan) did? (‘Kannappan oppadhor anbinaal kann appavallom allom; magavarindhu oottavallom allom’.) Lord Siva tested the hunter Thinnan’s faith by causing one eye of the Sivalinga to bleed. Thinnan reacted by pulling out one of his eyes, inserting it in place of the bleeding eye of the Linga. When the other eye on the Linga started bleeding profusely, Thinnan placed his foot on the bleeding eye for locating the position before he could pull his other eye to offer to the Linga. The Lord was obviously pleased with the hunter’s devotion, and stopped him saying, ‘Nil. Kann appa’ (Stop. Don’t pull out the eye). That is how Thinnan secured a place as Kannappa Nayanar alongside Lord Siva in all Saivite temples. How would you fare in God’s tests?

Devotion to God must be out of absolute, overwhelming Love for Him.  In that state, even Moksha (Salvation) does not seem important.