The Saint outside the temple
Updated On: 17 December, 2023 04:51 AM IST | Mumbai | Devdutt Pattanaik
The deity is so upset by this incident that in his dreams, the Brahmin sees the deity bleeding from the head, and the deity demands that the singing saint be carried into the temple
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Illustration/Devdutt Pattanaik
Unlike Christian and Islamic devotion, which is about submitting to God’s law, Hindu devotion is about participating in the many rituals and ceremonies of the temple that make us part of a deity’s world. But while everyone is equal in God’s presence as per Christianity and Islam, in Hindu temple rituals there is a hierarchy between the pure and polluted, with the pure allowed to enter the innermost part of the temple, the semi-pure allowed to enter up to a point, and the impure stay outside. Thus, there is tension between the social idea of purity and pollution, and the spiritual idea of connection between the deity and the devotee. Here are five such stories drawing attention to the tension.
Amongst the Tamil Vaishnavas, we hear the story of Thiruppan Alwar in Srirangam temple, a great singer, who is not allowed to reach certain parts of the Kaveri river, which are considered to be sacred where the Brahmins go to bathe. In fact, one Brahmin throws a rock at the singing saint who accidentally comes to the sacred portion of the river. The deity is so upset by this incident that in his dreams, the Brahmin sees the deity bleeding from the head, and the deity demands that the singing saint be carried into the temple.
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