Miscellaneous - Religion   

God’s accessibility

CHENNAI: The overt expression of the Supreme Being’s accessible nature is His manifestation in the world from time to time to redeem humanity from bondage. Though He is compassionate it is not possible for human beings caught in the throes of worldly sorrows to experience His grace unless He deigns to make Himself accessible by coming down from His divine abode. This He did during His incarnations and He is always present in consecrated images in temples which are a concrete form of His abounding grace.

In his discourse, Sri M.A.Venkatakrishnan said though the Almighty was omnipotent with indomitable will, He submitted to His devotees. This aspect of His nature was demonstrated by Him during His advent as Krishna. Among the Divine names, Krishna instantly evokes His accessible nature for in this manifestation everyone identified with Him. He became the darling of the cowherd community in Gokul with His endless childhood pranks from the moment Vasudeva left Him with Nandagopa and Yashoda to protect Him from Kamsa.

Periazhwar, who has exhaustively sung child Krishna’s glory in the guise of His mother, observes with awe, “People who see you wonder what penance Your mother did to beget You. Such is the credit You have earned for me…” Andal’s reference to Him as Damodara in the Tiruppavai while mentioning that He brought glory to His mother is very significant.

Krishna’s childhood supernatural deeds were at once a proclamation of His divine nature and easy accessibility, and thus a constant reminder to His devotee to what extent the Almighty would go to grace him. One outstanding example is the incident when Krishna allowed Yashoda to bind Him with a piece of rope to a mortar to punish Him for being naughty when He saw her tiring from her repeated efforts to do so. He stood bound with tears in His eyes. He came to be called Damodara after this incident for the tight rope fastened on His tender waist left a scar. Perhaps this was the Lord’s way of reciprocating His devotees’ expression of eternal surrender to Him by marking their arms with the symbol of His conch (Sanku) and discus (Chakra)!

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