Intentions

Many centuries ago, southern India was covered in a dense jungle and populated by many tribes worshiping different deities.  In this land, there was a hunter born with the name "Thinnan". 

Thinnan's tribe did not worship Shiva as a form of God.  So while he was hunting through the woods, he was surprised to come upon a shrine.  The shrine was simple yet elegant and contained only an aniconic image of Shiva in the form of a Lingam.

A digression: The Lingam itself has become a matter of controversy for those who study religion.  There are some who insist that the Lingam exists as a phallic symbol that when combined with the Yoni, an icon of the female reproductive organ, symbolizes the power of creation.  However, this interpretation often accompanies cynical and disparaging commentary from those with Victorian sexual viewpoints or those who want to portray Hinduism as a very superficial and primitive faith.  Hindu apologists often insist that the Lingam is a depiction of a "pillar", and therefore shows strength of character, morality, conviction, and piety.

To me, the Lingam represents power through goodness.  If sexuality is used in a positive manner as a mark of love, then that is goodness.  If we live our lives in an upright manner and do not bend to the winds of greed, hatred, and malice, then that is goodness.  Those are the things that the Lingam represents for me.

Thinnan did not know of any meaning for the Lingam, but was for some reason drawn to it.  For the rest of the day, the image of the Lingam was in the back of his mind.  Thinnan found himself thinking of it as he hunted and in his dreams as he slept.  The next day, he went to the shrine early.  He watched from a distance and saw priests there that were anointing the Lingam with sacred water and making offerings of flowers and cooked rice.

Thinnan was impressed with these rituals and decided he would also make offerings to the Lingam.  That afternoon, Thinnan returned to the Lingam.

Thinnan, however, was a hunter and could only make offerings of what he had upon him.  He took the finest of his meats and placed it before the shrine, smearing the floor with the blood of the animals.  Then, as he had no pots with him, he went to the river and filled his mouth with water and returned to spit it upon the Lingam.  He would sit there for hours, talking with the Lingam and making offerings of the best meat and rejoicing for having paid his respects.

Every day, the acts repeated.  In the morning, the priests came and beautified the shrine and made offerings of flowers, cooked rice, and fruits.  In the evening, Thinnan would make his own offerings of meat and river water.

One day, the priests came upon the Lingam and were surprised to see a miracle.  The Lingam had, imbedded within the stone, two eyes staring forward intently.  The priests rejoiced at the divine sign until they noticed the blood dripping from the corner of the right eye.  They decided that the blood was an inauspicious omen and were frightened. They immediately decided to flee.  As they were running, a voice was heard from above that said "Nillu. En thiruvilaiyaddal parungal". "Stop.  Watch this divine act of mine."  They found themselves frozen in place and unable to move.


Soon after, Thinnan arrived and was preparing to make his offerings.  The priests were at first disgusted to see a man enter the shrine with the carcasses of dead animals.  However, their disgust quickly changed to horror.  Thinnan saw the eyes on the Lingam and rushed forward and embraced it.  "Lord!" he cried, "You have graced me with your Darshan, your glance."  He then saw the blood trickling from the corner of one of the eyes.  "Why Lord," he wept, "should this hunter be able to see, when you cannot?"  Without a moment of hesitation, he removed an arrow and pulled it closer to his face.  The priests watching all of this cried out, "No! No! Do not do it!"  Thinnan was not deterred.  He immediately plucked his eye out with the tip of his arrow and replaced the bleeding eye in the Lingam.  Ignoring his own pain, Thinnan rejoiced to see that the blood had stopped flowing from the Lingam's eye.

At this point, however, the Lingam's left eye began to bleed.  Thinnan was horrified, but found himself in a dilemma.  If he was completely blind, how would he be able to replace the left eye on the Lingam?  He raised his foot and placed it on the icon and placed his big toe where the eye was.  He then motioned to remove his other eye. 

Before he could remove his other eye, divine voices called out "Stop! Stop!".  His eyesight and his eyes were immediately restored and divine beings came down and garlanded him.   The priests, themselves helpless to stop the preceding events, found themselves unfrozen. They rushed forward and fell at Thinnan's feet and praised his devotion.  Thinnan was known from that day forth as "Kannappa"...he who gave his eyesight for God.

I have heard time and time again the saying that "The road to hell is paved with good intentions."  The meaning?  That whatever our intentions may be, it is our actions that determine our fate.

However, I think that to live with "good intentions" is the best and perhaps the only way that one can live.  Thinnan, now known as Kannappa, spit on a religious icon, offered raw meat, and even placed his foot on it.  These acts would be considered sacrilegious today.  However, there isn't a single Hindu who would consider him anything but a spiritually pure individual.  It is his intentions of pure faith, and not his offensive actions, that define him today.

A few weeks ago, I got into a debate with someone over religion.  Their stance was that whether you show piety or humility, if it is to the "wrong God", it is all in vain.  What does it mean to worship the "wrong God?"  Is faith only pure if we use the correct name for the deity? Kannappa never even knew the name of the deity he worshiped.  He had his own faith, religion, and way of life.  Yet, his faith was pure. 

I believe the saying about good intentions coming from individuals who have their own personal interests in mind. If your intent is to only protect yourself, or to only protect your family, your community, your country, etc, then your road may lead to hell.  It works the same with faith.  Those who see evil in all faiths other than their own and live with hatred in their hearts, have paved a path to hell.  God does not work on small scales. Neither does morality.  God, Isvara, and morality, Dharma, work on universal levels.

If you live life with the good intentions of all mankind and all life forms in your heart, you can do no wrong.  As long as you live with good intent in your heart, whether you have faith or not,  whether you profess a religion or you do not, you can do no wrong. There is no hell for those individuals who walk a path that was paved by Kannappan.

Happy Mahashivaratri.