Never abuse

Saint Vallalar prays to Lord Shanmukha that he should

never abuse others or covet what belongs to others.

Greed is the driving force behind many of our sins.

We alienate relatives and friends, because we are

jealous of their possessions and even try to grab what

belongs to others. But how long will wealth last? And

what is the use of wealth, if we have no one to call a

friend?

The Tamil work Naladiyar says that money is like a

wheel. It never stays in one place. It keeps moving from

one person to another. That is why we hear of families

that were rich in one generation being reduced to abject

poverty in the next.

While we sin in many ways, we are quick to point out

the faults of others, said M.A. Manickavelu in a

discourse. Forgetting how many of our own actions fall

in the category of sinful deeds, we turn round and say to

others that they will be punished for their actions. Who

are we to say this to anyone?

A person who does wrong is going to have to pay for

it. That is as certain as the fact that a ball bounced on a

wall will come back to us. There is no need for us to

point to others as sinners.

Instead of mocking others for their actions, it would

be better for us to think of our own, and worry about

how we are going to be punished for our many acts of

omission and commission. We should think of how to

purify ourselves.

Vallalar prays for a pure mind. It was only because

Poosalar Nayanar had a pure mind, that he was able to

build a temple for Lord Siva in his heart, a temple, which

became the Lord’s abode of choice.