This morning,as usual had a wonderful walk, what with the cool breeze blowing, the hazy sky and the sun just coming up,I enjoyed my walk totally and as is usual everyday made great mental plans for the days schedule while walking.Came back home after the walk and even as I sat to remove my shoes I told myself no sitting in front of the computer, until I finish my yoga,kriya, prayer etc etc.....
And inspite of all this going on in my mind,I sat with my lap top,checked my mails, read today's thought for today(of Shri Sai),put it up on my blog and was just getting up, when a fwd from a dear friend popped up.I promised myself will get up after the mail and this went on and on till it was 10am before I finally got up.Came after bath,and lo! to my utter disppointment once again started surfing,and my yoga, kriya, prayer all postponed for the evening.Though I was sitting and surfing I was some how feeling very guilty today and this reminded me of the beautiful story from Srimad Baghavatham..'Ambarisha charitram...and thought would put it down here right away before my mind over powers !!!
There is a story about Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu too,where it says whenever he was in Puri Jagannath he used to himself clean the temple everday.May be sometime later will write that story in more detail.
Srimad Baghavatham illustrates with the example of a wonderful story of King Amabarisha, how inspite of being a king and looking after his subjects with great care and love,Ambarisha made time to clean the temple premises himself with the help of his queen,make garlands for the Lord, and worship Lord Vishnu.
This is just to bring to our notice that it is very important to make time for our daily prayer.If a king inspite of his responsible and busy schedule can do it,then we have no business saying, 'I was very busy today,so had no time for prayer'......Read on...
Ambarisha was a pious king who inherited all the good virtues of his father Nabhaga. He always worshiped Vishnu Bhagawan, with his wife's help, he cleaned the temple premises himself ,made garlands of good flowers to the diety every day from his palace gardens. He performed Ekadasi vrata regularly fasting from the dasami day to the dwadasi day paranai,all the times.Once Ambarisha performed a special Ekadasi vruta for one year and on the concluding day, in the month of Karthik. Ambarisha fasted for three days preceeding the Ekadasi and spent the days and nights in prayers and worships. On the fourth day,dwadasi day he took bath in the Yamuna and did the worship and prayers and then waited for some guests to come for the feast and had food with them after receiving their ashirvadams. He always wanted pious brahmins or rishis for those days. And on this day his purva janma punyam that Bhagawan Durvassa came unexpectedly to his doors. Ambarisha was happy and asked Durvassa to accept his request for the Dwadasi feast. The rishi agreed and went to Yamuna for his prayers before the food. For long hours Durvassa did not turn up,Ambarisha was in a Darma Sankata because the time for the paranai was coming to the end and if he did not take paranai at this muhurtha, his vritham will have no effects,and if he takes the paranai he'll be doing a mistake of eating before his invited guest . Then the Purohitas suggested that the paranai can be taken by drinking the Theertha water by which he will not be insulting the guest. On this advise Ambarisha took the theertha paranai before the Muhurtham expired and thus completed the vritham and was waiting for the guest to arrive for the food to be served to him.Durvassa by his deerga thrushti came to know about it and came to Ambarisha with red hot eyes. He said that Ambarisha had insulted him and he deserves punishment for that. He took out one hair from his long Jada and made a Rakshasa and sent him to kill Ambarisha. Ambarisha thought that if he had done anything wrong he should get the punishment and remained silent. But the Sudarshan Chakra ,which was given to him by Lord Vishnu, could not see his devotee getting hurt, so the chakra came instantly and killed the Rakshasa and started to attack Durvassa . The Rishi knew that if Pilli Sunyam was directed against wrong purposes, it will bounce back on the same person,he started to run away fron the Sudarshan Chakram. He went through the earth and the skies and then went to Brahma and Shiva,both of them advised him to go to Vishnu. Then he went to Vaikunta singing the Bhajans on Vishnu. "Atchyutha Anantha Sadeepsitha Prabho.............". Bhagawan Hari knew why Durvassa was there and He said that He can't save him from the Sudarshana Chakra , only Ambarisha can save him,because...........
'Aham Bhaktha Paradeeno........
Vashee kurvanthi Mam Bhakthya'................
So Durvassa Maharshi went to Ambarisha's saranagathi.Ambarisha performed a Sudarshana Pooja and requested the Chakra to save the Rishi. After this Ambarisha concluded his Ekadasi vritham with giving a feast to Durvassa Maharishi. This episode has left Durvassa to do nothing other than praising Ambarisha whereever he went.
There is another wonderful lesson that this story brings out..Sage Durvasa went to everyone narrating the incident and thus spreading the greatness of Ambarisha,at his expense.Gurus do everything for the good and benefit of the disciple.
So Hari's bhakthas and anyone doing bhakthi to Hari will never have to worry about anything inthis world.
My sincere and earnest prayers that Hari will be with me ever moment and take care that I do not miss HIS worship.......
Jai Guru Dev!!!!
Stay tuned for more.....
No comments:
Post a Comment