Miscellaneous - Religion   

Hymn for liberation

CHENNAI: The path to salvation is full of hurdles and Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita that out of countless Jivatmas only a very few succeed in this endeavour. That is why the Lord and His consorts, out of compassion for the suffering Jivatmas, are forever engaged in devising ways and means to turn mankind towards this final goal.

It is believed that when the Lord incarnated as Varaha to save Goddess Bhu Devi from the demon Hiranyaksha, He offered her a boon. The Goddess immediately asked Him to show the way for salvation for the Jivatmas caught in the cycle of birth. The Lord proclaimed that by constant chanting of the Lord’s name (Nama Sankirtana) and by offering oneself in surrender to the Lord (Prapatti) one is sure to attain salvation, said Sri M. A. Venkatakrishnan in a lecture.

In reality, the two paths are interrelated and mutually influential in inspiring the strong desire to seek salvation. Lest mankind forget the goal and fail to pursue it in earnestness, Goddess Bhu Devi is believed to have incarnated as Andal amidst the Tulsi plants in the garden of Vishnu Chitta, popularly known as Periazhwar, who was a devout servitor in the temple of Lord Vatapathrasayi in Sri Villiputhur. She is considered one among the Azhwars who were inspired with devotional fervour and sang hymns that echo the very essence of the scriptures. She incarnated with Jnana, Bhakti and Vairagya and right from birth she was totally involved with the Lord.

As she grew up under the tutelage of her devout father, the longing for union with the Lord also increased . The origin of Tiruppavai can be traced to this ardent devotion and she adopted the stance of a Gopi in Ayarpadi, and initiated the vow of austerity (Nombu) for 30 days in the month of Marghazhi among the young Gopis, in accordance to the custom of the times to invoke the rains.

Though the prayer to the Lord was for the items needed for the rituals and for rains, the inner import of the hymns is for the divine grace that can confer genuine Bhakti in the Jivatma so that one engages in devotional service. The Jivatma is urged to renounce the pursuit of worldly aspirations in favour of the goal of salvation.

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

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword 9407
Solution to puzzle 9406
Hymn for liberation
dated December 18, 1958: Canal water talks
dated December 18, 1958: Land problem
dated December 18, 1958: Chinese farm methods
dated December 18, 1958: Music Academy
Weather

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