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Devotee par excellence

CHENNAI: It has always been difficult to explain Bhakti. That is why the scriptures, the Puranas and the Itihasas have talked about devotion in a variety of ways to drive home the uniqueness of this quality that very easily bridges the gap between God and man. They recommend prayer, meditation on the attributes of the Lord, recitation of His names, seeking the company of the pious, etc, as some of the ways to worship the Lord. Such practices of worship at best persuade individuals to get involved in these acts, but do not guarantee the individual’s claim to the title of Bhakti, pointed out Sri B. Damodhara Dikshitar in a lecture.

In the Sivanandalahari, a hymn of 100 verses addressed to Lord Siva, Adi Sankara’s plea to the Lord is to confer true and sincere devotion that can alone lead to salvation. It is shown that the essence of pure devotion is not in external acts or words, but is inherent in one’s attitude towards the Almighty. It does not matter if one lives in a cave, forest, mountain or a house; but if one’s mind is fixed in God and constantly seeks His feet, it is true prayer and worship. Salvation is possible only through this method of devotion. Adi Sankara celebrates the exemplary state of Bhakti evinced by the unlearned, rustic hunter Kannappa Nayanar in this hymn. Among the devotees of Siva, Kannappa Nayanar occupies the foremost place. This hunter was devoted to the idol of Siva at a hill top in the wild forests and used to place his sandals on the idol, bring water from the river Swarnamukhi in his mouth to bathe the idol and would offer the Lord cooked meat that he pre tasted to check for tastiness.

Adi Sankara extols him as a king of devotees, saying that the fact that the Lord accepted his sandals as His crown, the mouthful of water as fit for ritual bath and the tasted meat as holy offering only proves that Kannappa Nayanar’s devotion lay in his sincerity and genuine love for God surpassing any personal or selfish gain.

Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita reiterates the same truth and places Bhakti on a pedestal. Though the paths of Karma, Jnana and Bhakti are explained at length, Karma and Jnana practised without devotion would not be effective.

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