Miscellaneous - Religion   

Path of penance

CHENNAI: Human birth is a valuable opportunity for the Jivatmas caught in the cycle of Samsara to strive to know the Supreme Brahman. But knowledge of God is not easy to come by and Lord Krishna makes it clear that it is very likely that perhaps one amongst the countless Jivatmas through various births is able to know God in reality.

Such a realised soul experiences God's abiding greatness as present in everything and hence has his mind fixed on Him and takes refuge in Him. Krishna also enumerates the arduous steps by which this can be attained — continuous striving for perfection through dedicated and single-minded penance with the desire to know God in all sincerity. There are thus no short cuts in this process.

Out of compassion for the Jivatma, who has lost the moorings and is cast into Samsara, the Lord incarnates time and again to establish His Truth and also sends His emissaries to help Him in this effort. In a lecture, Velukkudi Sri Krishnan drew attention to the perfect pair of Guru-Sishya in sages Narada and Valmiki, when Narada imparted the glory of Lord Rama's sterling qualities to Valmiki.

Narada fulfils the role of a preceptor because he is one who upholds the saintly way of life, and does penance. He has mastered the Vedas and practises what the Vedas teach.

Valmiki is a model student because he studies the Vedas, is well versed in them, and follows the Vedic way of life; yet he is desirous of knowing and learning more to travel on the path of realisation, in the spirit of a seeker of truth.

He had earlier practised austere penance when, on the advice of Narada, he meditated on Rama Nama with utmost sincerity that he did not even realise the anthill that had enveloped him. The Jivatma gets a chance to learn about the Lord through His incarnations. When Valmiki asked Narada about a person who was endowed with all auspicious qualities, Narada referred to Rama.

There is no limit to the Gunas of the Lord. Just as the Vedas claim that they cannot express His glory adequately, we have limitations to know His greatness.

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

Stories in this Section

Cartoonscape
The Hindu Crossword 10118
Solution to puzzle 10117
Path of penance
dated April 02, 1961: The coming elections
dated April 02, 1961: Settlement in Laos
dated April 02, 1961: Soviet aid for Third Plan
dated April 02, 1961: Centurions
Weather

Copyright © 2011, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu