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Way to salvation

CHENNAI: The credit for making devotion to God (Bhakti) take centre stage as the means to salvation goes to the Bhagavata Purana. The nucleus for devotion in the Vedic hymns in the word `Bhaja' attained the position of an independent means to liberation in the work of the staunch Advaitin Madhusudana Sarasawati who was a great devotee of Lord Krishna. He describes Lord Krishna as the Absolute Reality and his work Bhakti Rasayanam equates devotion with knowledge (Jnana), which according to Advaita leads to liberation. In the Dvaita tradition Bhakti attained its zenith as the way to realise God.

In his discourse, Sri K.V.Seshadrinatha Sastrigal said the liberation of Dhundhukari described in the prelude of the Bhagavata Purana outlining its glory highlighted the importance of listening to the narration (Sravana) of the Lord's divine deeds in His incarnations and His splendour as a path to salvation. This is one of the nine modes of devotion elaborated in this Purana in the context of Prahlada's extraordinary devotion even in his childhood. This is also the raison d'être for the narration of this Purana to King Pareekshit by Sage Suka when he wanted to realise God in seven days' time as a sage cursed him to die of the serpent Takshaka's bite for his transgression. Though he sought Suka with the motive of atoning for his misdemeanour, he became engrossed in the stories and deeds of the Almighty that devotion took root and changed his outlook totally at the end of the narration.

The reason for the shift of emphasis on Bhakti as worship (Upasana) in the Vedas to an independent means to God-realisation in the Bhagavata Purana must be also seen from the appropriateness of the various paths to salvation to the age in which they can be practised successfully. In the Satya yuga it was possible to perform the rituals (Karma) and meditation by the majority of seekers and with passage of time through the Treta and the Dwapara there was a gradual decline of Dharma until in this age of Kali, the nature of this Yuga itself is not conducive for penance. Hence easy devotional practices like Sravana is recommended for this age.

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