Nine forms of Bhakti exist:
to listen to devotional works,
to sing devotional songs,
to remember God,
to serve the sacred feet,
to worship God,
to praise God,
to have the attitude of a servant of God,
to have an attitude of a friend of God,
to pray to God from within,
Among the paths to reach god, the path of Bhakti, the wise say, is the most important.
There lived a tribal couple, Naga and Dutta, in the village called Vudumuru in Pothappinad. They were childless for a long time. By the grace of Lord Subramanya, a son, Tinna, was born to them. He learnt archery from his father. Once when he, along with his friends, Nam and Kama, went hunting for boar, he accidentally had darshan of Sri Kalahastheeswara and attained Mukti (became liberated).
We shall now take a brief look into his previous birth and of his deeds of bravery in the Dwapara Yuga.
The story of Arjuna’s severe penance to seek from the Lord the powerful Pasupathaastra in order to destroy enemies and to uphold the dharma of Kshatriyas serves as the origin to the story of Tinna’s life.
Just as we learn about the moral and social values from the lives of the serpent-devotee and the elephant-devotee, we learn about ethical values from the life of Tinna.
We come to know from Goddess Parvati’s utterances the truth that Mukti was destined for Arjuna only in the subsequent birth as Arjuna was fulfilling his duty as a warrior and had no other thought other than vanquishing enemies. We are to understand from what the Primordial Shakti (Goddess Parvati) had to say regarding the two boons sought by Arjuna: one was to obtain the Pasupathaastra and the other was to attain Mukti. The manner which Arjuna was granted the Pasupathaastra in Dwapara yuga and the manner in which Tinna was granted liberation in Kali yuga have unmistakable parallels from which we can glean the connection between Arjuna’s life and Tinna’s life.
Arjuna, the third of the five Pandavas, began his severe penance on Mt. Indrakeela to seek the Pasupathaastra from Lord Siva. To test Arjuna, Lord Siva and his consort Parvati took the forms of a hunter and his wife and transformed the demon (rakshas) Mookasura into a boar. Mookasura, in the form of a boar, created havoc close to the place where Arjuna was in penance.
Arjuna took notice of the movements of the wild boar and in anger immediately sent an arrow towards the boar. Just then, the boar was hit by another arrow, from Lord Siva, in the form of the hunter. Hit on both sides, the boar turned and twisted several times before falling dead.
Each claiming the boar as his prize catch, Lord Siva and Arjuna entered into a fight. Soon the fight, with bows and arrows, grew into a ferocious battle and left the devas and rishis bewildered. A stage came when Arjuna’s quill became empty of arrows. Angered evermore, Arjuna challenged Lord Siva to a hand fight. Pleased with Arjuna and not wishing to delay further, Lord Siva revealed his true self and said, “O Arjuna! I am pleased with your bravery and fearless. Seek a boon from me.” Arjuna, surprised and happy at the sight of the divine couple, fell prostrate at their feet saying, “Ah, You have come in this form to test my devotion and strength.”
Lord Siva asked Arjuna to seek a boon. Arjuna sought Pasupathaastra as the first boon and Mukti as the second boon.
The divine couple blessed Arjuna and said, “O Phalguna! Out of the two boons that you seek, you will be granted the Pasupathaastra and taught how to use it. However, you shall not be granted liberation in this birth, as you are engrossed in waging battles with your kith and kin. Therefore, you shall be born in the next birth as a hunter in a forest in the South. As a hunter, you would come across my Linga Swaroopa. Therafter, love, affection and devotion would grow in you and you would serve me with dedication. You would then be granted liberation.” So saying, the divine couple vanished.
Thus, we come to know that the tribal hunter Tinna born in Kali Yuga was none other than the great Kshatriya Arjuna of the Dwapara Yuga.
to listen to devotional works,
to sing devotional songs,
to remember God,
to serve the sacred feet,
to worship God,
to praise God,
to have the attitude of a servant of God,
to have an attitude of a friend of God,
to pray to God from within,
Among the paths to reach god, the path of Bhakti, the wise say, is the most important.
There lived a tribal couple, Naga and Dutta, in the village called Vudumuru in Pothappinad. They were childless for a long time. By the grace of Lord Subramanya, a son, Tinna, was born to them. He learnt archery from his father. Once when he, along with his friends, Nam and Kama, went hunting for boar, he accidentally had darshan of Sri Kalahastheeswara and attained Mukti (became liberated).
We shall now take a brief look into his previous birth and of his deeds of bravery in the Dwapara Yuga.
The story of Arjuna’s severe penance to seek from the Lord the powerful Pasupathaastra in order to destroy enemies and to uphold the dharma of Kshatriyas serves as the origin to the story of Tinna’s life.
Just as we learn about the moral and social values from the lives of the serpent-devotee and the elephant-devotee, we learn about ethical values from the life of Tinna.
We come to know from Goddess Parvati’s utterances the truth that Mukti was destined for Arjuna only in the subsequent birth as Arjuna was fulfilling his duty as a warrior and had no other thought other than vanquishing enemies. We are to understand from what the Primordial Shakti (Goddess Parvati) had to say regarding the two boons sought by Arjuna: one was to obtain the Pasupathaastra and the other was to attain Mukti. The manner which Arjuna was granted the Pasupathaastra in Dwapara yuga and the manner in which Tinna was granted liberation in Kali yuga have unmistakable parallels from which we can glean the connection between Arjuna’s life and Tinna’s life.
Arjuna, the third of the five Pandavas, began his severe penance on Mt. Indrakeela to seek the Pasupathaastra from Lord Siva. To test Arjuna, Lord Siva and his consort Parvati took the forms of a hunter and his wife and transformed the demon (rakshas) Mookasura into a boar. Mookasura, in the form of a boar, created havoc close to the place where Arjuna was in penance.
Arjuna took notice of the movements of the wild boar and in anger immediately sent an arrow towards the boar. Just then, the boar was hit by another arrow, from Lord Siva, in the form of the hunter. Hit on both sides, the boar turned and twisted several times before falling dead.
Each claiming the boar as his prize catch, Lord Siva and Arjuna entered into a fight. Soon the fight, with bows and arrows, grew into a ferocious battle and left the devas and rishis bewildered. A stage came when Arjuna’s quill became empty of arrows. Angered evermore, Arjuna challenged Lord Siva to a hand fight. Pleased with Arjuna and not wishing to delay further, Lord Siva revealed his true self and said, “O Arjuna! I am pleased with your bravery and fearless. Seek a boon from me.” Arjuna, surprised and happy at the sight of the divine couple, fell prostrate at their feet saying, “Ah, You have come in this form to test my devotion and strength.”
Lord Siva asked Arjuna to seek a boon. Arjuna sought Pasupathaastra as the first boon and Mukti as the second boon.
The divine couple blessed Arjuna and said, “O Phalguna! Out of the two boons that you seek, you will be granted the Pasupathaastra and taught how to use it. However, you shall not be granted liberation in this birth, as you are engrossed in waging battles with your kith and kin. Therefore, you shall be born in the next birth as a hunter in a forest in the South. As a hunter, you would come across my Linga Swaroopa. Therafter, love, affection and devotion would grow in you and you would serve me with dedication. You would then be granted liberation.” So saying, the divine couple vanished.
Thus, we come to know that the tribal hunter Tinna born in Kali Yuga was none other than the great Kshatriya Arjuna of the Dwapara Yuga.
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