Truth shines forth from a pure heart
From the book Liberation Here Itself Right Now Pt3
Goddess Kanyakumari performed severe penance to marry Lord Shiva. The Lord finally accepted her and said He would come at sunrise to marry her. Kanyakumari made arrangements for the marriage. Meanwhile sage Narada wanted her help to kill the asuras and this could happen only if she remained unmarried. So the sage devised a novel plan to prevent the marriage; he made the rooster crow before sunrise! On hearing the rooster, Lord Shiva who was on His way to wed Kanyakumari stopped at a place called Suseenthram. As He failed to arrive at the appointed hour, in a fit of anger Kanyakumari threw the food and wedding ornaments into the sea and started doing penance as a sanyasi. 14 January 2001
I went to Kanyakumari, (the place at the southern most tip of India where the temple of the goddess is situated) to have the darshan of the goddess. During meditation at the temple:
Vasantha : Swami! Why did you ask me to come to Kanyakumari?
Swami : Come, I will show you.
AT THAT TIME, A YOUNG GIRL about twelve came to me. She was wearing a red silk skirtbordered with big blue lace and a yellow half-sari. I realized she was goddess Kanyakumari herself. She said, “I will give my shakthi to you” and took me out to sea. I thought to myself, she is taking me to the sea... how will she give me shakthi? She sat on a rock and I sat with her. She gave me three small balls of milk rice, which I ate. She then disappeared. I cried out, “What mercy!” The vision of the goddess as a child was beautiful. In what way can I show my gratitude for this grace? After this our group went to the seashore and watched the sunset. The sun appeared as a beautiful golden ball in the sky. In a few moments it glowed brightly with an orange hue. Above the orange ball, I saw Bhagavan Baba. Slowly the orange sun touched the horizon and disappeared.
Swami has already told us that after some years we will see Him as an orange dot. I told the
others, “This sunset is a reminder of that statement.” On the morning of the 15th during meditation, I asked Swami about the vision at Kanyakumari. He said, “Find out for yourself.” I could not and asked Swami to give me a clue. Swami said, “There is a connection between renunciation and the darshan of goddess Kanyakumari.” Still I did not know. On the 16th I went to my son Aravindan’s house. Swami
came in the afternoon meditation and I asked again about the milk rice given by the goddess. Swami said, “When one takes up sanyasa, the mother gives three balls of milk rice. Your mother is goddess Kanyakumari. She did penance to destroy evil. Likewise you have taken up sanyasa to destroy evil nature in the world. Lord Shiva had told that He would marry Kanyakumari. Sage Narada prevented the marriage, so she had the power to destroy the evil asuras as a young virgin; she then renounced the world and began her penance. Similarly, your refusal of the mangalya will destroy the evil in the world.” I have thought on many occasions, why I refused the mangalya that I had wanted so much.
Now I had the answer. For years I have been in penance, crying for God, expressing my feelings
in songs and poems. When the time came to enjoy the fruits of my penance, I sacrificed it all!