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The divine form

CHENNAI: : All spiritual practices are designed to enable the seeker's mind attain the blissful meditative state of union. But control of the mind is easier said than done. The devotional modes of singing and listening to God's glory, especially about His advents in the world, are recommended because they enable the mind without effort to become enraptured by the Lord's beautiful form and His inimitable auspicious qualities.

In her discourse, Srimathi Jaya Srinivasan said the incarnation of the Supreme Being as Krishna had inspired more devotional works than His other descents. Besides Krishna's childhood deeds, which endeared Him to one and all, His bewitching form enthralled the minds of those who were fortunate to behold Him. Periazhwar has extensively sung about Krishna's childhood and his hymn is an outstanding example of devotional mysticism in which the devotee looks upon the Lord as his child. So he could describe with minute detail the finer emotions of a mother. The hymn Madhurashtakam describes that every feature of Lord Krishna is beautiful.

Bhattatiri visualised the Almighty in the Lord of Guruvayur and composed the Narayaneeyam. In this hymn he gives a rhapsodic description of how the members of the Nandagopa household, particularly Yashoda, were granted His singular grace of beholding the soles of Krishna's feet, when as a baby He started crawling around. He notes that their minds were captivated by His charming form and pranks. Andal, the best exemplar of bridal mysticism, celebrates in song the rapturous divine form in her hymn Nacchiar Tirumozhi, "My sweet Lord Arangar has beautiful locks, beautiful lips, beautiful eyes and a beautiful lotus on His navel."

The cowherd maidens (Gopis) were also privileged with Krishna's company right from the time He arrived in Gokul soon after His birth till He left for Mathura. Their prayer to Him when He disappeared from their midst during the Rasa play best sums up the heights of devotion that a spiritual seeker must aspire for, "Munificent are those men who extensively recite on the Earth Your nectar-like story, which is life-giving to the afflicted, has been celebrated by the wise and eradicates all sins, which is auspicious to hear and is most soothing too."

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