Miscellaneous - Religion   

Divine Mother's grace

CHENNAI: Central to the Sri Vaishnavite tradition of worship is the concept of Saranagati which rests on the Lord's promise of succour to all those who seek His refuge, provided they adhere to the spirit and tenets He has prescribed for this purpose.

While it is a fact that the Divine Couple are forever vying with each other to look after the welfare of all Jivatmas, and are constantly engaged in enabling them to cross the ocean of Samsara, the compassion of the Divine Mother is certainly a cut above that of the Lord, for She is extolled as the recommending authority who pleads on behalf of the erring humanity, pointed out Velukkudi Sri Krishnan in a discourse.

In the quest of the Jivatma to redeem itself, the sins of the past and present far outweigh the efforts to wash them away, and the chances of attaining salvation remain distant unless the Lord chooses to give a waiver. In such a situation, the Lord hesitates to grace, being aware of their faults and cannot excuse them. It is then that Her intervention becomes essential as She can influence the Lord to favour all Her children, though they might have committed sins. She pleads on their behalf and is always ready to correct and show them the right path. Andal alludes to this important factor when she calls upon Nappinnai, Lord Krishna's consort, to wake up the Lord and grant the wishes of the Gopis, who had undertaken the Marghazhi Nombu.

That the grace of the Divine Mother is essential to ensure the efficacy of surrender is well illustrated in the Ramayana. When Lakshmana sought permission to accompany Lord Rama and Sita to the forest, after the initial hesitance, it is believed that the benign grace of Sita made his plea efficacious. He got an opportunity to be engaged in exclusive service to the divine couple.

Vibhishana had rejected his family, brothers, position and status and sought Lord Rama's refuge. His surrender at Lord Rama's camp was accepted because of the influence of Sita who wished to bless him since he had never been tired of offering sane advice to Ravana entreating him to hand over Sita to Lord Rama.

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