THE THAZHAMPOO STORY🔗

Neither intellect nor wealth can help

Once Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma started fighting as to who was greater. Lord Shiva appeared as a light pillar and said, 'If one of you tries to find either my feet or my head, you are the greater person.' Both of them decided to search. Vishnu became a varaha - pig and started digging the earth. He went on digging to find the feet. Brahma became a hamsa - swan, and started flying. He flew upwards to find the head. After 1000s of years, Vishnu was totally tired and decided that it was time to surrender. He took a bell and tied it around the leg of Shiva. In all Shiva's statues, you will see that there is a bell around his leg. It signifies that Vishnu was able to travel only up to that place.

Brahma was flying when he suddenly saw a thazhampoo - a flower, falling downwards. He caught it and asked, 'Where are you from?' It answered, 'One devotee offered me to Shiva. Shiva, instead of keeping me on his hair kept me on his ears. I fell down from there and I am still falling. I have not reached the ground. Brahma asked, 'How long have you been flying?' The flower replied, 'Oh! I have been flying for four ages of Brahma.' Brahma was totally frightened. He thought to himself - if I travel for chaturbrahmayuga - 4 ages of Brahma - I will only reach the ears of Shiva. He asked the thazhampoo, 'Can you do me a favor?' The thazhampoo asked what it was. Brahma said, 'I will tell Shiva that I have seen his head. You be a witness to it.' The thazhampoo thought to itself, 'Anyway, I am falling. What is there in this? I will be a witness.' It agreed.

Understand: when a disciple tries to help another disciple against the Master, he does the same thing. The thazhampoo has no income. It has nothing to gain by witnessing Brahma. It thought, 'Poor guy, he has to suffer, I can after all help him.' The moment you think this way for another disciple, you do this same mistake. Anyhow, both of them agreed and they came down. Brahma said to Shiva, 'I have seen your head.' He forgot that Shiva knows everything. Shiva cursed Brahma, that Brahma will never have any temples and he cursed the thazhampoo that it will never be used for his worship.

Even in the name of compassion, don't cross the rules of the Master.

Who is Vishnu? He is the husband of Lakshmi - wealth. He is the representative of wealth. Who is Brahma? He is the husband of Saraswati - representative of knowledge or intellect. You must understand one basic Truth. Neither by wealth nor by knowledge can you achieve God or bliss. Second Truth - if you try to achieve through wealth, sometimes you will have success of depression and will end up having some intelligence. There is a chance that you may be saved. When you try to achieve through wealth, at some time, say when you are fifty, after you have everything that you wanted to have, you will face success of depression and there is a possibility that you will turn towards God. There is a possibility that you will surrender. This is represented by Vishnu's surrender. But if you work in the path of intellect, you will never be saved. When you go through wealth, you will at least be able to say, 'I can't, I'm done, enough!' But when you try to go through the intellect, not only will you not be able to achieve, you will try to get a witness to show that you have achieved.

Rituals are the false witnesses brought by people who have worked in the line of knowledge to achieve, but who have not achieved the ultimate Truth. Rituals are the thazhampoos! They have not achieved, but they want to show people that they have achieved. They use the false witnesses and the wrong techniques. When rightly done, ritual itself will become a meditation. Wrong techniques and wrong philosophies have been brought in by the people who tried to achieve through intellect but couldn't achieve.

The third lesson - flying high is Rajas - aggressive energy; going low is Tamas - lethargic energy. Neither Rajas nor Tamas can lead you to Bliss or God.

Paramahamsa India

Brahmacharis blissfully perform abhisheka (holy bath) to deities in the main sanctum of Sri Anandeshwara temple, Bangalore ashram, 2007.

Shiva is such a wonderful personality - multidimensional personality; everything playing beautifully into one Being! If you see him, he is the ultimate lover. On the other side if you see him, he is the Master of Death. If you see from the muladhara chakra - the sex energy center, he is the ultimate lover. That is why we worship him in the form of the Shiva linga. Next, if you see him from the swadhishtana chakra

The beauty of the Sanskrit language is that all the possible sounds are described in its 52 syllables. The Sanskrit language is not just linguistic or created to

convey, transmit some ideas, prose or logic. Sanskrit is created to transmit a kind of vibration also. It has phonetic importance also. That is why our mantras are chanted even if you don't understand the meaning. If you understand, it is alright; you can feel connected. But even if you don't understand, those vibrations will work on you.

That is why when an enlightened Master utters a mantra it is called initiation, deeksha. Those vibrations straight away penetrate your being and start working on you even if you don't understand the meaning!

Paramahamsa USA

'Everything is happening by the grace of God', is not a statement to be used by you to justify your actions. No! It is a technique to be experienced by you, to go beyond actions. When you experience that everything is happening by the grace of God, by the grace of the Divine, suddenly you realize, whatever is happening is auspicious, mangalatva...!

Bhoomi puja - offering to Mother Earth

From my own experience to you

Not from my intellectual knowledge but from my experience I am asking you to trust Existence. If you believe me, if you trust my words, when you trust Existence and relax from your tension, headache, worries and problems, be sure that you will be taken care of. Miracles will happen in your life. When you put your energy on trust totally, something happens in you. Alchemy takes place in you. If you live without trust, you will be killed by the fear of death itself. Every moment, you will be dying. With trust, even in your death, you will be living. Trust may or may not give you comforts but you will have tremendous Bliss!

Children from the Nithyananda Gurukul visit the Arunachala Temple, Paramahamsa's childhood passion, in Tiruvannamalai - his hometown. The children absorbed the temple sanctity with heartfelt revere. Picture taken in 2007.

When you know that you don't know, at least you know that you don't know. When you don't know that you don't know, you don't even know that you don't know!

Paramahamsa