Miscellaneous - Religion   

The divine form

CHENNAI: Of the five forms of Lord Narayana that the Pancharatra Agama speaks of, Para (Srivaikuntam) and Vyuha (the four-fold form of Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradyumna and Aniruddha) are available for worship only for the celestials and liberated souls. While Vibhava (the various incarnations in different eras for specific purposes) is recorded in the Puranas and Itihasas, and Antaryami (indwelling self in every embodied soul) is realised only by those whose spiritual attainment is high, the Archa form where the Lord, out of His infinite mercy, is believed to dwell in the temples is the most accessible to everyone endowed with faith for worship.

In the quest for the ultimate truth, the scholarly may seek philosophical statements, but the ordinary common man can gain knowledge of the divine truth easily through the Archa form of the Lord, pointed out Velukkudi Sri Krishnan in a lecture. The hymns in the Divya Prabhandaham venerate the Archa form and the Azhwars have shown the way to experience the bliss of His divine presence in the temples, to worship Him and to remain devoted to him.

The rich allusions to the various Vibhava forms of the Lord as Krishna, Rama or Narasimha springing from the Azhwars' experience of the auspicious qualities of the Lord are capable of evoking a similar familiarity with the Lord when one beholds the deity. One gets drawn to the irresistible Bhakti Bhava of the Azhwars when the divine incarnations are relived and experienced afresh.

Thirumangaiazhwar, in the Bhava of Parakala Nayaki, sings the glory of the Lord at Thirupullani and of the beautiful surroundings with the lovely gardens, ponds with lotus flowers, and the seas. She recalls to her friend the loving Lord who came, spoke with her and went away, and who held her spellbound with His presence. She is not able to remember His words but is filled with His beauty and is unable to bear the pangs of separation.

The truth that the Supreme Being is always ready to help His devotees to not merely cross the trials and tribulations of life, but also to enable them to attain liberation is clearly established as an experiential reality in their hymns. He is the only Purushartha to be attained and worshipping Him with implicit faith is the means to reach Him.

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