Miscellaneous - Religion   

Devotion as end

CHENNAI: The scriptures give three reasons for the incarnations of the Supreme Being in the world: to reinstate Dharma, protect the virtuous and to punish the wicked. A doubt that will arise is why the Lord, who is benevolent and impartial, killed some beings like the demons as the Puranas relate. Such a reservation was expressed by King Pareekshit when he was listening to the narration of the Bhagavata Purana from Sage Suka. The sage gave the example of Sisupala attaining union with Lord Krishna during the performance of the Rajasuya sacrifice by Yudhishthira, which occurs as an interlude in the depiction of the life of the child-devotee Prahlada. Witnessing this act of divine grace, Yudhishthira asked Narada how one who hated God could attain such beatitude—liberation which is difficult for even great devotees.

In her discourse, Srimathi Prema Pandurang said the celestial sage then explained that there was no need for the Supreme Being to punish anyone and hence all beings met their end according to their nature. Even emotions like fear of God or enmity towards Him in the end enabled those who entertained them to realise Him as it made them remember Him all the time. Narada told Yudhisthira that the cowherd women (Gopis) of Vraja attained Krishna, the Lord-incarnate, by love; Kamsa through fear; Sisupala and other kings like him through hatred; the Vrishnis (His kinsmen in this incarnation) through kinship; the Pandavas through attachment, and sages like him by devotion. “So fix your mind on Him by any means,” advised the sage. But love of God (Prema) is unmatched and the most desirable for the Narada Bhakti Sutra states, “Pure love of God is eternal,” and hence an end in itself.

Sisupala and Dantavakra were no other than Jaya and Vijaya, gate-keepers of the Lord hurled from His abode cursed by Sage Sanandana and his brothers to be born in this world in demoniac wombs for preventing them from entering the divine abode. When they sought their pardon the sages mitigated its effect and said they would return to their realm after three births. Their other births were as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu, and Ravana and Kumbakarna.

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