Miscellaneous - Religion   

Ways of attaining God

CHENNAI: From the illustrations and episodes in the Bhagavata Purana, it is seen that though the path to salvation is obscure, there are many — celestials, sages, kings, ordinary beings or even demons — who have realised God’s glory and remained devoted to Him. The pertinent doubts raised by Parikshit regarding the unique bond of Bhakti between the Lord and His devotees and the answers of Sage Suka help to clarify many subtle features of Bhakti while also impressing the need to uphold righteous living, pointed out Sri B. Sundarkumar in a lecture.

Parikshit wondered at the absolute devotion of Vrithrasura that seemed strange in a demon. It is then shown that Vrithrasura was actually the realised king Chitraketu in his previous birth, when, because of an inadvertent remark on Rudra, he had been cursed by Parvati to be born as a demon. Chitraketu, who had received instruction on higher truths from Sages Narada and Angiras, had remained calm and unperturbed when cursed, knowing all this was the effect of one’s Karma. God graces and punishes the acts of every Jivatma and is neither partial nor vindictive towards people.

Sage Suka quotes the interesting dialogue between Narada and Yudhishtira when Yudhishtira was wonderstruck at the manner of Sisupala’s emancipation, one that is not attainable even to realised souls. During the Rajasuya Yaga, Sisupala, whose uncontrolled display of enmity to Lord Krishna had finally made him a target of the Lord’s discus, merged into the Lord in the form of an effulgent light.

Narada explained that many have attained liberation simply by thinking of Lord Krishna constantly. Whether it is by enmity, devotional service, fear, affection or desire, what matters is that one should concentrate on the Lord. God is not affected by enmity or friendship. Sisupala achieved such intense absorption in Lord Krishna through enmity that equalled the single minded devotion of realised souls. He and Dantavaktra were actually the divine gatekeepers Jaya and Vijaya who had been cursed by the sages Sanaka and others to be born as demons for three generations before regaining their divine status.

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