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Friendship as devotion

CHENNAI: Unflinching faith and love towards the Supreme Being are the hallmarks of devotion. When love for the Lord supersedes all other considerations the devotee becomes steeped in thoughts of God and worships Him with utmost sincerity. The Lord for His part makes Himself accessible to His devotees according to their love and devotion.

This unique bond between the Lord and the devout is celebrated in the Bhagavata Purana and different facets of devotion are illustrated in the lives of the Gopis (Prema Bhakti), the Pandavas (friendship), Sisupala (enmity), Kamsa (fear), Yadus (family bonds) and realised souls (devotional service). Among those privileged to be in the category of enjoying a rare friendship with the Lord are Sugriva and Arjuna, said Srimati Jaya Srinivasan in a lecture.

The friendship between Sugriva and Lord Rama is well illustrated in the Yudha Kanda when Lord Rama together with Sugreeva and others assembled at the Suvela hill to watch the city of Lanka. On seeing Ravana in his garden, Sugreeva spontaneously jumped across to fight with him. At the end of a long drawn duel, Sugriva caused Ravana to feel fatigued and came back to Lord Rama. Lord Rama chided Sugriva for his reckless and impulsive act that might have endangered his life and embraced him to soothe his wounded body. He exclaims that had something untoward happened to Sugriva He would not have bothered about Sita, Lakshmana, Bharata or Shatrugna, and after killing Ravana and conferring Lanka on Vibhishana would have taken away His life. Sugriva is overwhelmed by the Lord’s show of compassion and concern, and wonders at his good fortune.

Lord Krishna chose to reveal the highest truths to Arjuna because he qualified both as a friend and a devotee. After imparting the paths of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti, the Lord reveals His transcendental form and Arjuna who beheld this awe inspiring magnificence encompassing all and everything in His self was shaken with trepidation. Arjuna feels humble when he realised that he had dealt with Lord Krishna as a mere friend without recognising His tremendous greatness.

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