Let us be cautious as Dwarapalakas 

(Extracts from the pravachana of Sri Lakshmipathiraja)

 

We have heard in the Bhagavatadhi Purana about the Dwara Palakas (gatekeepers).  Both the gates are guarded by "Jaya & Vijaya" in Vaikuntam. They are the Dwara Palakas (Gatekeepers).  

Once, the Rishis, sons of the creator-god Brahma, Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara came to Vaikuntam (amukta sthanam) to worship the Lord and to get the aparoksha knowledge. The Jaya & Vijaya were then prevented them from entering Vaikuntam.  The rishis got angry and cursed Jaya Vijaya as "you both be born out of a daemon's womb". Their mistake sparked a demon's vagina because they failed to allow the devotees to be dear to the Lord. The Lord gave them the gift, that is, when they were born three times out of a daemons womb, the Lord will take avatar at the time to give them salvation. 

Jaya & Vijaya, who were guarding the gate at the gate of Vaikuntam, made a small mistake and due to which, they were bound to take birth through an asuri. 

How does this act relate with us? We are like gatekeepers, the dwarapalakas. In our body, the heart is Vaikuntam. It is inhabited by the omnipresent, Narayanan. There are gates and holes to enter and exit the body. It called the Nava Dwara Pattinam because there are nava (nine) holes in our body.

 

That too, the Indriyas (our parts of the body) absorbs the external matters into our body. We see through our eyes.  We listen through the two holes of our ears.  We eat through our mouth hole.  We smell through our two nozzles.  We excrete wastes through our private parts. 

We, are the Palakas for these holes in our body.  We don’t take in good things.  We ignore Bhagawat Prasadams and consume unwanted food.  We hear unnecessary bad things, gossips etc., rather than good devotional songs, speeches, lectures, pravachanas, bhajans etc. 

We do two mistakes i.e., one is, avoiding to do / listen good things, second is giving room for bad things. By stopping the Sajjanas (Rishis) from entering inside the Vaikuntam, Jaya & Vijaya bore the curse and were born for daemons. They did not allow any evil to enter. But we do both the mistakes.  We don’t imbibe good things as well as not preventing bad things. We allow bad things bravely. 

We have been seeing bad things, hearing bad things, eating whatever is not supposed to eatten, and smell whatever is not to be smelt. 

Due to the Prarabdha (karma), this kind of punishment was suffered by the dwarapalakas. Then think about us who were and are doing various kind of sins. Hence, we should realize this and be cautious in performing all our activities. 

Only because of this reason, one of the powerful saints, Vijayendra Theerthar, had composed a stotra called Paapa Vimochana Stotra.  In that stotra, he prays to the Lord on behalf of us for the sins that each of us are doing, using our Indriyas. 

He prays to the Lord with his worried mind as follows: 

“Oh Lord ! I have been eating all other foods and digested other than Bhagawat Prasadam. 

I have been viewing so many bad scenes other than having darshan of Devotees of God.

 

I have been praising un-valuable personalities, speaking unnecessary gossips etc., other than Sri Hari. 

May that Vishnu who is the undercurrent of ‘Charaachara Praanis’ or movable and immovable beings demolish my sins with his benevolence.” 

Hence, not only Vijayendra Theerthar, but also other Dasars guided us and showed themselves begging for prayaschithas (remedies) by realizing their sins and pray to the Almighty.  We, like Dwarapalakas, should know and be alert in what is to be allowed and what is not to be allowed inside us. We should be very cautious in what we speak, listen, see, eat etc., 

We, Dwarapalakas of our human body wherein the Almighty stays in the form of an Eternal Image (Bimba Roopi), should carefully act in what to allow inside and what not to allow inside.  Almighty has given us also eyes, ears, mouth, nose etc., and we should analyze and use these Indriyas properly. 

Almighty Himself blesses us with a devotional mind and power. Whenever we do wrong acts, He gives us indications to our mind not to do such wrong things. At that time, we must not allow those wrong things to enter into our mind.  If we practice this regularly, we can attain Moksha (where there is no re-birth) in a proper manner and Bhagawat Darshan is possible in our heart i.e. (vaikunta of our body) by the grace of Hari Vayu Gurugalu and by ashirwadas of Mahans (Saints). 

Let us (Dwarapalakas), be cautious in above aspects! 

Sarvam Sri Krishnarpanamastu ! 

(Written in English by Sri. Balakrishnan & Srimathi Latha Balakrishnan)