Miscellaneous - Religion   

Abounding grace

CHENNAI: The Supreme Being is the Absolute (Para) beyond the grasp of human understanding, but the scriptures state that He is easily accessible to mankind because of His gracious nature. Such scriptural statements may seem paradoxical at first sight but it is necessary to remember that the Almighty is unique, and hence what may seem improbable by human standards, will be natural for Him. The Lord exhibited these traits for all to experience in His incarnations. Rama, for instance, befriended the likes of Sugriva and Guha. Had it not been for His graciousness such friendships would have been impossible.

In his discourse, Sri M.V. Ananthapadmanabhachariar said the Lord was benevolent towards His devotees and did not brook any wrong done to them. The life of Ambarisha illustrates this. When Durvasa tried to harm the king who was a great devotee, the Lord’s discus (Sudarsana) sprung to finish off the sage and he fled. Finally he took refuge in the Lord. He told him that He could not retract it, and asked the sage to surrender to Ambarisha, which he did when it spared him.

Vedanta Desika in his hymn Dayasataka embodies the Lord’s compassion as Dayadevi and portrays His unfailing grace, which offers eternal hope to human beings suffering in bondage. Desika compares Dayadevi to the waterfalls in the Tirumala hills which torrentially flow unreservedly over mounds and dales alike sweeping away all the dirt. Similarly, the Lord’s Daya is unbounded and ever flowing towards the bonded souls tormented by worldly suffering to liberate them from rebirths by washing away their Karma (both sin and merit).

If divine grace is always ready to redeem an individual from bondage, what has he to offer to the Lord in return as a token of his gratitude? Only his sins, which he wraps with the veil of surrender (Prapatti), and submits it to the Lord like an offering to Him says Desika. What else does a human being have except the bundle of sins accumulated from countless births since time immemorial? Dayadevi who is the very epitome of compassion rushes towards the penitent devotee and eagerly accepts him because he has sought refuge.

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