The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Mark of true devotion

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Tuesday, Jan 11, 2005

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Mark of true devotion

CHENNAI, JAN.11 . Absolute surrender to God (Prapatti, Saranagati) is the cornerstone of Srivaishnava theology and thus is a defining feature of the relationship between the Supreme Being and the individual soul. When a spiritual aspirant is unable to adopt the path of devotion he transfers the responsibility of his salvation to God by surrendering to Him expressing his inability to pursue the other means to liberation from bondage. Self-surrender is defined in the scriptural texts as having five constituents and the first among them is the determination of the devotee to perform only actions that would please the Almighty.

But, this should not be construed to mean that devotion to God is a kind of barter, like going to the temple and appeasing Him with offerings. On the contrary, any devotional act must be without motive, done for the sake of the Lord and, for His happiness and well-being. The hallmark of a spiritual seeker is unalloyed devotion to God and hence all that he does must be out of gratitude that he can be of service to the Almighty. Jatayu is a fine example of such selfless devotion, which made the aged bird, lay down its life for the Lord's sake. It is no wonder that Rama reciprocated its love by performing its last rites. What a blessing indeed! When Dhritarashtra questioned Sanjaya as to why Krishna was partial to Arjuna, he replied that it was Arjuna's love and devotion that appealed to the Lord.

In his discourse, Natteri Sri Rajagopalachariar said Andal in one of the verses of her hymn, the Tiruppavai, had praised the Lord on the lines of Her foster father, Periazhwar in his hymn, the Tirupallandu. When Vishnuchitta (Periazhwar) was blessed with the vision of the divine form of the Lord he started singing showering his benediction on Him lest the worldly people cast their evil eyes on Him. What a reversal of roles! In his concern for the Lord's welfare it did not occur to this sterling devotee that He was the omnipotent Lord of the entire cosmos and he, His devotee.

It is recounted in tradition that the Lord tried to cheer him up by enabling him to see His mighty shoulders, His feet that were the refuge of the three worlds and His divine consort who adorned His chest to convince him of His invincibility but that only further enthused the Azhwar. He started blessing every feature of the divine form that was revealed to him. Andal succinctly portrays the same anguish in a single verse of the Tiruppavai recalling several acts of the divine grace.

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