The Hindu : Devotion endears the Lord to His devotee

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 09, 2002

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Devotion endears the Lord to His devotee

CHENNAI APRIL 9. Among the five aspects of the Supreme Being — the transcendent (Para), cosmic (Vyuha), incarnation (Vibhava), indweller (Antaryamin) and the image (Archa) — His presence in the form of images for worship has afforded both accessibility and delight to devotees. The transcendental and the cosmic aspects are beyond human understanding and it is only in the remaining three forms that human beings can hope to relate to the Almighty. His incarnations are far removed in time in this present age and the Lord present as the indweller in all beings can be realised only by Yogis and hence it is the image form of God in temples that is within the reach of one and all. It is important to bear in mind that the consecrated idols in temples are not mere images but living presence of the Almighty.

In his discourse, Therazhundur Sri Ramabadrachariar said the images of Gods in temples were of three types — standing, sitting and reclining. The reclining form among these has bewitched the minds of the Azhwars and made the all-powerful Lord endearing to them. The reason for this is not difficult to understand. When He is seen with the eye of wisdom God reveals Himself as the omnipotent Lord, whereas, loving devotion endears Him as one's own. There are innumerable instances in the hymns of the Azhwars to substantiate that the Almighty deigns to do the bidding of His devotees. The incident of the Lord following Tirumazhisai Azhwar because he accompanied his disciple Kanikannan who was banished by the then ruler of Kanchipuram comes to mind. This shift in focus is paramount to appreciate the hymns of mystics like the Azhwars.

These different perspectives can be seen in the Ramayana also. When Sage Viswamitra asked Dasaratha to send Rama with him to protect his sacrifice from being desecrated by ogres, the king's reaction was that of a typical parent. His attachment to his son blinded him to Rama's divine nature. The sage however knew about Rama's divine nature and that He would not come to any harm. But, the same sage revealed another facet of his personality when he assumed the role of a preceptor to Rama when he taught Him some mantras. It is not as if he forgot that Rama was God-incarnate. Likewise, Kamban surpasses himself when he describes Rama's bewitching beauty as enjoyed by Viswamitra when he followed Him in the forest, evocative of an Azhwar's depiction of the Lord's beauty.

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Devotion endears the Lord to His devotee

dated April 9, 1952: Teaching of Sanskrit

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