The Hindu : God's glorious qualities

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 31, 2002

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

God's glorious qualities

CHENNAI AUG. 31. Of what purpose is the very existence of a person who wields enormous power, but who is unapproachable by an ordinary man, in need of dire help? So too will be the instance of one who is humble and sympathetic and who realises the distress of others but cannot extend them any assistance because he holds no position or money. The example given in scriptures is the legendary mountain called "Meru" which is made of pure gold but can anyone go to its place and obtain even a chip of the yellow metal from it? There is one person who is ever willing to listen to the genuine prayers of people immersed in sorrow and protect them. He is God. All about His glorious qualities, His mercy in particular and His sincere desire to give protection to anyone, are detailed in the sacred literature. The Bhagavatham is one such, which narrates all His incarnations to save humanity. The title of the book itself derives from the term "Bhagavan", one who is Supreme, with inimitable traits.

God's appearance amidst the simple cowherd population as Krishna and His actions in eradicating evil from His childhood days prove this. He lived in a village, put down dangerous elements who were bent upon destroying Him and enabled everyone to visit Him, mingle with Him and derive solace. He was in charge of calves, grazed them along with boys of His age. Aware of His presence in the village, the man who knew that He would be the cause of his death, adopted several heinous methods to wipe Him out presuming that He was a mere child and ultimately he himself perished.

Among the several super-human acts Krishna as a boy performed was to grant salvation even to a poor deformed playmate when the latter "saved" Him from being "caught" by women when He was enjoying the taste of butter stored in their houses. Saints, in their outpourings, have adored His compassion, adding that the Supreme Lord would be equally kind and would release us from bondage if we submit ourselves to Him. One moving scene from His life is the manner in which He volunteered to get Himself "bound" by a rope when His mother attempted to take action for His "mischievous" pranks. On three occasions, Krishna had shown His awe-inspiring cosmic form and at almost every stage revealed His identity as the saviour of the tormented souls, explained Sri R. Kannan Swamigal in his discourse, quoting extensively from the words of Azhwars in particular.

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