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Different levels of devotion

CHENNAI MAY 29 . A doubt that often arises is why there are so many deities in the Vedic pantheon because the scriptures categorically declare that it is the Supreme Being who indwells in all these forms. Only the man of wisdom will be able to discern the truth that it is the Almighty who assumes all these forms. To the lay people who have different inclinations and levels of understanding it is necessary to worship the particular form of God, which appeals to their taste and gradually evolve towards the stage when it will be possible to intuit this truth.

The Lord has declared during His incarnation as Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, "In the very last of all births the enlightened soul worships Me, realising that all this is God. Such a great soul is rare." He has further clarified, "Whatever celestial form a devotee chooses to worship with reverence, I stabilise the faith of that particular devotee in that very form." It can be seen that devotion to God also is of different types. The majority worship Him for obtaining specific worldly ends like wealth, position and mitigation of suffering while only some worship God with the knowledge that He is Himself the means to realise Him. But there is nothing wrong in worshipping God for obtaining worldly benefits because devotion takes root in the heart only slowly after experiencing concrete instances of His grace. The Lord out of His compassion allows each person to evolve on the spiritual path according to his capacity and Karma. Some may even ask if it is possible to get whatever they desired from the celestials, then why should one worship God for His own sake.

In his discourse, Sri M.A.Venkatakrishnan said worldly enjoyments and benefits were by nature ephemeral even though one could have obtained them with the grace of different deities. A devotee will gain this knowledge only after he enjoys them and realises for himself that he cannot have anything in the world permanently. When a person surrenders to Him finally with longing for liberation from transmigration, then God strengthens his devotion and grants him salvation also. The Azhwars have all highlighted this truth in their hymns and the Tirumalai of Tondaradippodi Azhwar states that the Supreme Being has made Himself accessible as the Lord of Srirangam to grant all the wishes of His devotees.

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