Miscellaneous - Religion   

Role of devotion

CHENNAI: The Supreme Being is the material and efficient cause of the entire creation, and also the intelligence which is responsible for its functioning. His manifestations are out of sport and He has neither a beginning nor an end. In the Bhagavad Gita, which is the teaching of the Lord during His advent as Krishna, He has stated that even great sages failed to comprehend the secret of His incarnations and that those who know that in reality He is birthless is liberated from bondage. Knowledge of the Lord’s nature nullifies the Karma accrued by both past merit (Punya) and sins (Papa).

In his discourse, Sri N.Veezhinathan said all the virtues emanated from God and all beings right from the seven great seers have descended from the Almighty by His mere will. What is the benefit of understanding the origin of creation and the extent of Divine glory, which the scriptural texts describe at great length? Unfaltering devotion to Him, promised Lord Krishna in the Gita. When a devotee worships the form of God according to his predilection it purifies the latent tendencies in his mind (vasanas) which impel him to action. The mind then attains one-pointed concentration which is essential for grasping spiritual knowledge. This, in turn, will remove the primordial ignorance, which is the cause of bondage, and put an end to transmigration.

On the lines of the Bhagavata Purana, the Gita gives a graphic description of a true devotee, “With their mind fixed on Me, and their lives surrendered to Me, enlightening one another about My greatness and speaking of Me, My devotees ever remain contented and take delight in Me.” Its spiritual import needs to be reiterated as this is the Lord’s own affirmation.

Even in such unalloyed devotion the difference between God and devotee exists. How can devotion then lead to Self-knowledge which is a non-dual experience? Lord Krishna has promised here, “In order to shower My grace on them, I, dwelling in their heart, dispel the darkness born of ignorance by the shining light of wisdom.” So the Lord confers wisdom on His devotee, and thus devotion which leads to knowledge by His grace continues afterwards with the insight gained by wisdom.

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