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   The Story of Saint Poosalar: Conquest of ?kaama?
   ------------------------------------------------ 
         through Sublimation of Desire -- 
         ---------------------------------
                   ?bhakti yOga?
                    -----------
At around the same time that Poosalar was engaged in
his project of mentally constructing a temple for the
Almighty at Tiruninravoor, there ruled a local king
called Kaadavar Komaan at Kanchi.

Kaadavar Komaan too, like Poosalar, had been busy for
many years with a project that had been given royal
commission. It was to erect a grand temple of stone
and marble at Kanchi, endowed with all riches at his
kingly command. After several years, and after several
thousand sums of money spent, Kaadavar Komaan's 
temple neared completion. The King was really proud of
the grand temple that had been raised under his royal
patronage. Excitedly, he began to prepare for its
festive inauguration after which he could throw open
the temple doors to the general public. 

The King consulted his ministers and palace priests
and after much planning and deliberations an
auspicious date was fixed for the "mahA
kumbhAbhisEkam"

Sekkizhar writes: 

"On the day before the date of consecration of
Kaadavar Komaan?s great temple, the Lord came in the
dead of the night in the king?s dream and said:

?Tomorrow I wil not be able to grace the consecration
of your great temple, O king, since tomorrow it is
that my devotee Poosalan too has fixed the date for
the consecration of the temple that he has raised for
me at Ninravoor. So skip tomorrow and fix for a later
date your temple consecration?. The Lord then
vanished.

Waking up from sleep the King was aghast. Impelled by
a desire too meet Poosalan immediately, and to enquire
about the extraordinary temple raised by him for whose
consecration the Almighty did not mind postponing the
King's own invitation, Kaadavar Komaan set out for
Tiruninravoor. 

The King arrived at Tiruninravoor and asked the local
people "Where is the temple erected by the devotee
Poosalan?" They were dumbstruck by the King's inquiry.
They replied: ?There is no such temple, O good King!
We know no such temple here that Poosalan has built!?.
But the king would not relent and after making further
enquiries about the whereabouts of Poosalan, finally
came face to face with the devotee. 

The King worshipped the holy Poosalan and then asked
him gently, ?Holy Sire, which is the temple praised so
highly by the Lord in my dream that has been erected
by you here at Ninravoor? The Lord tells me  today is
the blessed day of the consecration
("mahAkumbhAbhishEkam") of your temple. I have come to
witness the grand event where the Lord Himself is
going to be present and preside?.

When Poosalan heard about the King?s dream he was both
astounded and exultant. His joy knew no bounds. ?O
good King, is that what the Lord said to you in your
dream? What wonder, what a miracle! 

"Your majesty, I have not built a temple in the
physical sense. I built it inside my mind where my
inner eye alone can feast upon the magnificent
structure! If my Lord deemed even me a thing of worth
and graciously said thus, well this is the chimera of
a temple which I erected with my mind since there were
no funds coming forth with which I could build it
otherwise?. 

Saying so, Poosalan narrated and explained in detail
how all the years he had been engaged in mentally
erecting the temple, with his thoughts alone serving
him as as bricks and mortar, limestone and granite,
marble and gravel.

The King heard the account and was simply overwhelmed
and overcome by amazement by the tale of Bhakti. He
exclaimed: ?How remarkable is the greatness of the
devotee Poosalan of the flawless mind!?. Thus he
praised him and fell prostrate on the ground at
Poosalar?s feet.

                  **************

Poosalan later completed the consecration of his
"abstract temple" that had taken shape out of the
purity and extraordinary bhakti of his heart. What had
once been mere petty passion of "kaama" for a personal
home, had transformed itself (through the slow process
of Sublimation) into a greater "kaama" for the Lord,
and now it stood before him, after all the years,
momumentalized as a grand Abode of God, deep within
the landscape of the mind. 

Poosalan thereafter continued to live in
Tiruninravoor, lovingly performing with good effect,
for many a day and many a year, all the necessary
worship unto the Almighty who thus resided in the
temple of the mind. At the end of his days on earth,
the Nayanmaar entered into the haven of the golden
feet of the Lord Almighty.
                   
                **************
              (TO BE CONCLUDED)                 
  
Regards,
dAsan,
Sudarshan







                
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