🌺 The Crane, the Hen, the Salt, and the Vaiṣṇava

A Vaiṣṇava from Śrīraṅgam (a holy place of Lord Raṅganātha) once asked Parāśara Bhaṭṭar (a great Śrī Vaiṣṇava teacher) about the qualities of a true Vaiṣṇava. Bhaṭṭar asked him to go to Tirumalai Anantāḻvān (a great devotee and teacher) to get an answer.

He did not get a straight answer to his question, but he had a new experience. On the first day, during tadīyārādhana (serving food to devotees), he was asked to sit in the innermost of the seven rows kept for a few respected devotees known for their anuṣṭhāna (regular spiritual practice). On the following days, he was moved one by one to the outer rows.

On the day he was sitting in the outermost row, Anantāḻvān called him and told him that a true Vaiṣṇava would be “like a crane, a hen, a pinch of salt, and finally like the Vaiṣṇava himself.”

kokkaippōl iruppān, kōḻiyaippōl iruppān, uppaippōl iruppān, ummaippōl iruppān.

1. kokkaippōl iruppān (he will be like a crane) — Like the crane, which waits patiently until it gets the right kind of fish to eat, a true Vaiṣṇava will patiently search for a proper ācārya (spiritual teacher) and stay close to him.

2. kōḻiyaippōl iruppān (he will be like a hen) — Like the hen, which picks the grain it needs and leaves everything else as waste, a true Vaiṣṇava would ignore others’ faults and try to take in the true meaning of the Śāstras (sacred scriptures).

3. uppaippōl iruppān (he will be like salt) — Like salt, which gives taste to food while disappearing into it, a true Vaiṣṇava would stay humble while bringing joy and goodness to the lives of others.

4. ummaippōl iruppān (he will be like you) — Like the Śrīraṅgam Vaiṣṇava in this story, he would not feel proud when honored, nor would he feel sad or hurt when ignored.

Finally, the Vaiṣṇava received his answer, and we too learn from it.