{"id":9684,"date":"2020-07-31T17:47:30","date_gmt":"2020-07-31T21:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/?p=9684"},"modified":"2020-08-01T22:17:12","modified_gmt":"2020-08-02T02:17:12","slug":"9684-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/9684-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Few hundred years ago"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Following is one more instance which occured few hundred years ago in the life of a great devotee called Poonthanam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He was ardent devotee of Lord Guruvaayurappan (Lord Krishna).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He led his life of 90 odd years reading the Bhagavatam and singing the Lord\u2019s glories in simple Malayalam, just to please the Lord.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He used to walk about 100 kilometers to take darshan of Guruvaayurappan every month.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">The route to the temple was very dense and it was very unsafe to walk through that way even in the day light.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Once on his way, in the forest he was attacked by some robbers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He gave them everything he had the money and his ring, still they were at him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">They were after the small packet he was clinging to.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">It was his whole treasure the Bhagavatam book, which he did not want to part with.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">When Poonthanam said it was only a book, the thieves were not convinced.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He closed his eyes and cried out for Lord\u2019s help.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">That lonely place was filled with the roars of the robbers and the loud Narayana chanting of Poonthanam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Hearing the noise a man came on the horse and fought with those dacoits and got the money and the ring back for Poonthanam.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He introduced himself as the minister of the Zamorin Raja who happened to be passing by.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Poonthanam was very happy; he thanked the young man and offered him his ring as a gift.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">The minister accepted the gift and guided him up to the temple and disappeared.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">The same night, the head priest of the Guruvayur temple had a dream wherein he was told, \u201cYou will find a ring on the Deity. Give it to Poonthanam, who will come tomorrow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Quite miraculously, next morning when the head priest went to the temple to do the puja he saw a ring on Deity\u2019s finger.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Poonthanam was promptly there at Guruvayur temple for darshan.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Head priest came out from the Deity\u2019s room and gave Poonthanam the ring and told him what happened.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Poonthanam was flabbergasted to see that the ring was his own, which he had presented to minister, the day before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He then realized that indeed it was his beloved Lord Guruvayurappan Himself, who came personally in the guise of a minister to rescue him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Moral of the story:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Just like how Uddhava prays in Srimad Bhagavatam 11.19.9 \u2018pashyaami naanyac charanam tavaanghri\/ dvandvaatapatraad amrtaabhivarshaat\u2019,<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">\u201cI do not see any possible shelter other than Your two lotus feet, which are just like a refreshing umbrella that pours down showers of delicious nectar\u201d, we need to firmly trust that the Lord is the only shelter unconditionally.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">This is a beautiful prayer by Queen Uttara when Ashwathama shoots the Brahmastra weapon to kill the the baby in her womb.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">uttarovaaca<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">paahi paahi mahaa-yogin \/ deva-deva jagat-pate<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">naanyam tvad abhayam pashye \/ yatra mrtyuh parasparam<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Uttara said: \u201cO Lord of Lords, Lord of the universe! You are the greatest of mystics. Please protect me, for there is no one else who can save me from the clutches of death in this world of duality.\u201d Srimad Bhagavatam 1.8.9.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">In the above pastime we see how Lord at once took up His personal weapon to protect His devotees, who did not know anyone other than Him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">In his wonderful purport to verse 1.8.13 His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada explains \u2013 \u201cAshwathama released the weapon just to finish all the male members of Pandu\u2019s family; therefore in one sense it was more dangerous than the atomic bombs because it could penetrate even the most protected place and would never miss the target.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Knowing all this, Lord Sri Krishna at once took up His personal weapon to protect His devotees, who did not know anyone other than Krishna. In the Bhagavad-Gita the Lord has clearly promised that His devotees are never to be vanquished.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">And He behaves according to the quality or degree of the devotional service rendered by the devotees.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">We have heard many pastimes wherein the Lord personally comes and helps immediately as soon as His devotees call.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">He immediately came to help King Gajendra, Draupadi, Kunti Maharani, Uttara, the Gopis, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">The quality of all the devotees in the above pastimes is that all of them cried to the Lord and believed only Him to be the sole protector.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">They completely surrendered to the Lord 100%. So as and how we surrender unto Him, the all merciful Lord reciprocates according to the level of surrender.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: verdana, geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;\">Lord loves all of us and He would definitely help us if we call Him devotionally. He is our only savior.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; Following is one more instance which occured few hundred years ago in the life of a great devotee called Poonthanam. He was ardent devotee of Lord Guruvaayurappan (Lord Krishna). He led his life of 90 &hellip; <a class=\"kt-excerpt-readmore\" href=\"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/9684-2\/\" aria-label=\"Few hundred years ago\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":8582,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-03 16:39:53","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.isvara.org\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}