Miscellaneous - Religion   

Epitome of surrender

CHENNAI: The Ramayana is revered in tradition as the testament of the doctrine of Self-surrender (Saranagati, Prapatti). The Supreme Being incarnated as Rama when the celestials surrendered to Him to restore Dharma in the world. As the purpose of Rama’s incarnation unfolds in the epic it becomes clear that Saranagati is its leitmotif. There are several instances of Rama coming to the succour of those who approached Him like Sage Viswamitra to protect his sacrifice, the Divine Mother Sita, Lakshmana, Ahalya, Guha, Sugriva and the sages in the forest till it reaches its zenith in Vibhishana’s refuge in Him after he parted ways with his brother Ravana.

In their discourse, Damal Sri Ramakrishnan and Srimathi Perundevi Seshadri said Rama was the ultimate refuge of suffering humanity, and His promise to protect those who sought refuge in Him when Vibhishana surrendered to Him remained a perennial beacon of hope for those who yearned for salvation. Saranagati is recommended as the easiest means to liberation as its basis lies in understanding one’s inability to adopt the paths to liberation prescribed in the scriptures, and seeking refuge in God with total faith in His benevolent grace. By doing so the spiritual seeker transfers the responsibility of his salvation to the Lord. His life after Prappati is one of constant reiteration of his faith in God in thought, word and in deed.

One may wonder what was special about Vibhishana’s Saranagati that it has come to occupy centre stage in expositions on this concept. It was the instant decision he took to seek refuge in Rama when all his efforts to bring Ravana to his senses failed. Vibhishana’s faith in Rama as the saviour of the world was total and so he renounced everything without any hesitation and stood before Rama within an hour after he decided. This underscores that a spiritual seeker should not waste any time in approaching the Lord. Nammazhwar says categorically that one must seek the Lord as refuge while young: “Before the radiance of youth fades, it is wise to go without tiring, to Malirumsolai…” thereby emphasising that one should never postpone it as the mind is fickle, and life is uncertain.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword 9203
Solution to Puzzle 9202
Epitome of surrender
dated April 21, 1958: Democratic socialism
dated April 21, 1958: Institute of Technology
dated April 21, 1958: Prof. Vogel dead
Weather

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu