649 Explanation of Grace
I am an innocent boy
Came to your feet
And I begged you to
Bear with my mistakes
You don’t have the nature
Of not having compassion
Nothing wrong in
Proclaiming this (to the world)
Will you remain?
As a riddle?
Will you reveal yourself?
To those who refused to understand
When one comes
With simplicity
Will you deny?
Not receiving by your grace
When one despises you
Because of too much intellect
You will destroy that intellect
Only through the same
When the pride
Goes up to the head
You will hide
The knowledge of Truth
It is not easy
For us to know you
There is no definition
For your grace
You came to show it
Only through your compassion
And you gave an explanation to it
By hanging on the cross
When we think that
Why you have done it
Many questions are
Coming in our mind
How many explanations
We might give
This one till remains
As a riddle
Gurukulam, 18-05-2017, 3.30 am.
Cross is not only a mystery but also a riddle. Though we try to give all kinds of explanation to it, a simple rationality won’t accept it. When the inner burden of sin and failures push me I realize its full meaning and purpose. But when I try to reason it out to understand it intellectually, the cross completely fails. Yes cross fails to reveal all the about it, because of my rational approach to it. My intellect may brag about it, but till the end I need to live with this struggle. Others may say that it is the failure of the intellect and not that of the cross. But I think the cross of the Lord won’t mind accepting such failures before human intellect as its mystery is beyond it.
Though I never clearly understood this yet it is worth quoting Max Warren’s response to Roger Hooker about failure of Muktinath:
Warren: Address III p. 2 par 4. The failure of Jesus. This is a tremendous thought to bring to the Cross.
If we really take the Incarnation seriously then surely we must see that while Jesus was ready for failure he didn’t invite it. It gave him no joy to be rejected by his own people. He appealed to them most dramatically in the ‘symbols’ of his life and action and speech. He wasn’t play-acting his way to crucifixion.
I’m all the way with you in what you are saying. But I’ve not before seen it put so clearly, which is why I want to do a lot of thinking of ‘Jesus and his failure’. We with hindsight claim the victory was on the Cross. But we sometimes do it, at least I do, far too easily. A defeated Jesus has something very great to say to me, a so often defeated man! (Letter 389 2 March 1973).— Graham Kings, Christianity Connected: Hindus, Muslims and the World in the Letters of Max Warren and Roger Hooker, New Delhi, 2002, Indian Edition, ISPCK, 2017. pp. 313
649 கிருபையின் விளக்கம்
அறியாத சிறுபிள்ளை
திருப்பாதம் வந்தேன்
தெரியாது செய்தபிழை
பொறுத்தருள் என்றேன்
இரங்காமல் இருக்கின்ற
இயல்புனக் கில்லை
இதைக்கூறி வருவதில்
தவறேதும் இல்லை
புரியாத புதிராக
நீயிருப் பாயோ?
புரிந்திட மறுப்போர்க்க்குப்
புலப்படு வாயோ
எளிமையாய் உன்னிடம்
வருகின்ற போது
ஏற்று அருளிட
நீமறுப் பாயோ
அறிவின் மிகுதியால்
அலட்சியம் செய்தால்
அறிவை அறிவால்
அழித்திடு வாயே
ஆணவம் தலைக்கு
ஏறிடும் போது
ஞானத்தின் உண்மையை
மறைத்திடு வாயே
உன்னை அறிவது
எமக்கெளி தில்லை
உனது அருளுக்கு
விளக்கமும் இல்லை
கருணையின் மூலம்
காட்டிட வந்தாய்
தருவினில் தொங்கியே
விளக்கமும் தந்தாய்
ஏனிதைச் செய்தாய்
என்பதை எண்ணிட
எண்ணிலாக் கேள்விகள்
சிந்தையில் தோன்றுது
எத்தனை விளக்கம்
தந்திட்ட போதும்
இதுஒன்று மட்டும்
புதிராய் இருக்குது.
குருகுலம், 18-05-2017, காலை, 3.30