The Hindu : God's ways cannot be fathomed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, May 31, 2003

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

God's ways cannot be fathomed

CHENNAI MAY 31 . Inscrutable are the ways of God for even the greatest devotees and realised sages. It is not possible to fathom the working of His will or actions when He manifested in the world. For example, during His incarnation as Krishna even though His sports were divine, impossible for any human being to imitate, it can be seen that His divine nature was apparent only to very few among those who were fortunate to witness them during His advent. It is for this reason that many who study or listen to the exposition of the Puranas, which describe His deeds, fail to understand that His actions must not be judged from the human perspective. The Bhagavata Purana highlights this truth by providing a glimpse into the household life of Lord Krishna in Dwaraka.

Even a sage like Narada was once eager to see how Lord Krishna lived with numerous wives in separate houses all at once when he learnt that He had married over 16000 maidens. In order to ascertain His divine power (Yogamaya) he reached Dwaraka with its numerous mansions and palaces constructed by the divine architect, Viswakarma. When he entered the dwelling of Rukmini, Krishna rose immediately from His seat and accorded him welcome according to the prescribed rules by washing his feet, worshipped him and asked him how He could serve him.

In his discourse, Sri B.Sundar Kumar said the divine sage prayed that His grace should enable him to remember Him always. This is an oft-recited prayer by devotees in which the sage beseeched, "I have been enabled to enjoy the sight of Your blessed feet, which bring to mankind supreme peace and deliverance, which are ever contemplated by Brahma and others possessed of infinite wisdom, the feet which are like a rope with the help of which men fallen into the deep well of worldly life may rise above it. Bless me that wherever I may be their thought may ever haunt me and I may go about contemplating on them."

Narada visited several mansions of Krishna's consorts and in each He was witness to Krishna welcoming him anew and engaged in acts of a householder following Dharma. When he took leave of Him the Lord dispelled his perplexity saying, "I am not only a teacher of Dharma but I practise it in order to teach the world by example."

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