17. The Seas Dry Up

Who is the seller of gems?

The Lord came to Madurai to sell high quality jewels. So long as everything in the universe is a manifestation of the One, the jeweller  too is that One. But only those traders who are honest, not greedy and conduct business transactions ethically, they are all Sadasivamurthys. We should understand that one such visited Madurai.

Who is Abhisheka Pandya?

The Lord gave the boy blue sapphire for his crown. This boy will rule Madurai well and be known as Abhisheka Pandyan. The word Abhisheka has two meanings – one is washing and the other is the crown. This name indicates that he was highly spiritually evolved.

Abhisheka Pandya allowed himself to be guided by his gurus so that he may rule with heightened awareness. People came from far and wide to observe his rule. What especially drew the people were the various Abhishekams he conducted and the explanations he gave for the rituals.

The lure of camphor

He understood the significance of each libation he was performing and so benefited fully from them. He especially performed the camphor mixture libation, which has the power to overcome our weaknesses, properly. That is why Somasundar is also called Karpura Chokkar and the lady, Karpura Valli.

He had the qualities of camphor and so was worshipped by his people like a god.

Indra feels jealous

Indra felt very jealous of the deification of Abhisheka Pandya. He could not accept that instead of worshipping in the temple consecrated by him, people where worshipping a king!

He instructed Varuna to submerge in tidal wave. Abhisheka Pandya, realising the threat to his kingdom and people, worshipped Somasundara to send clouds that would dry up up the water. He also worshipped the Sun god to come to his aid. As his prayers were answered and the sea dried up, Varuna too realised his mistake and begged forgiveness.

The inner meaning

Indiran is Abhisheka Pandya’s hidden sensual desire. Will it let him off easily? It will resist a life steeped in spiritual awareness. That is why instigates the water-like mind (Varuna) to flood the city, his thoughts. The sun, which is the realisation of the truth, and the clouds – which is knowledge, come to the rescue.

All the stories so far only deal with our struggle between knowledge and awareness. How do we deal with this? Think about it.

Om Namah Sivaya!