Miscellaneous - Religion   

Value of Bhakti

CHENNAI : The Lord's feet and the dust from them (Pada Renu) are considered sacred and have been extolled by great devotees. The experience of service at His feet, and the power of protection that His feet symbolise are central to the spiritual tradition. In accordance to His vow of protection, His feet have been the unfailing support for countless Bhaktas, and this is the essence of the principle of surrender (Saranagati) leading to liberation, said Srimati Jaya Srinivasan in a lecture.

When Vibhishana surrendered at Lord Rama's camp prior to the war with Ravana he fulfilled all the requisites of a true devotee seeking the Lord because he had left behind his brother, family, material possessions, etc., and had come seeking the Lord's succour with implicit faith in Him. An ardent devotee of Lord Rama, Vibhishana took the right decision to quit his erring brother when all his persuasions to restore Sita to her lord failed.

The Bhagavata Purana extols the unique value of Bhakti and the Lord's partiality towards His devotees. In the love of the gopis for Lord Krishna is typified a unique kind of self-surrender that they achieved with no knowledge of scriptures nor any strenuous training. Sage Narada quotes them as models of devotion. While engaged in their daily routine such as selling butter, their thoughts were fixed on Lord Krishna and they chanted His names. Such was their devotion to Lord Krishna that they gave their very hearts to Him and this is exactly what the Lord expects of His devotees. In the Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna promises the greatest status — liberation — to His devotees.

The Azhwars, Nayanmars and saints have exemplified the path of Bhakti with their display of extraordinary devotion and loving service to the Lord. In their perception, heaven, hell or liberation appear the same, and if there is promise of service to God in hell, they are willing to go there.

The only concern for great devotees is to be immersed in thoughts of the Lord. They repeatedly ask of the Lord help to concentrate on His feet and not allow them to get distracted even for a fraction of a second. They long for the Lord's Pada Renu that is capable of protecting and purifying the entire universe. They hold all else as unimportant and are not attracted towards the worlds, the sidhis, achievements, etc.

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