Hari OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!
As with all Sanskrit texts, we begin with the mangala charana. In the version, as presented, there are actually two devotional verses. This one is offered by the 'reader'.
"u:yte ySy ngre r¼yaÇa idne idne,
Tamh< izrsa vNde rajan< kulzeOarm!.
Ghushyate yasya nagare rangayaatraa dine dine,
Tamaham shirasaa vande raajaanam kulashekharam.
I bow my head to king Kulashekhara, in whose city Bhagavaan Shriiranga's chariot procession was announced every day.
The saint king ensured that his citizens never forgot to pay homage to the Lord on a daily basis. He impressed upon them that the Lord is present in all things and at all times - that He is not just a 'when in need' tool. Worshipping from need is not at all the same as devotion.
There are many in the world today who eschew the idea of offering worship to an idol, whatever its form. However, it is the nature of the human psyche, even the most coldly rationalistic, to require a point of focus, something to make getting up each day worthwhile. For the scientist, it may be their pet research; for it to have value, to come to fruition and bring the desired satisfaction, it must be attended with complete devotion. The more theoretical their project, the greater the need for something to anchor it to - perhaps a formula or a sketch of what they consider the thing to look like if 'realised'… It takes scientists many years of study and application to reach a level where they can think all the time in the abstract. Of course, there is the occasional genius for whom it is as natural as drinking water. The genius in spirito-philosophical terms may be referred to as a sage or saint.
In the field of philosophy, to ponder upon the unmanifest, the invisible and immutable, requires a great deal of mental effort. The majority of people, frankly, find it impossible to do so as a constant thing. That much purity of mind and subtle intellect is expected in an advanced seeker, but even with the highest devotion, the majority are left with a need to have a point of focus. Something concrete to which they can anchor their learning. We have to deal with what we have before us first, then move through it to that which lies beyond. To have a Guru, a saint, to look up to and to emulate their values is where most begin their spiritual progression.
To give thanks to such as that is to show some devotion and give appreciation. Here, the Guru is Kulashekhara, a king of spirit.
