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Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com)

 

The doctrine of surrender

 

CHENNAI, NOV. 16. While sages and saints, by virtue of their

penance and austerities, were able to determine the path which

led them to the doors of heaven, from where there was no chance

to come back to this world, a question arises whether there was

no scope for ordinary men, who also aspired to avoid the cycle of

re-births, to resort to spiritual duties and attain salvation.

God, the merciful, is not so unkind; on the other hand, He wants

all men to reach His world and towards this, He has provided two

main routes of ``devotion'' and ``surrender'' about which Divine

messengers have rendered all details. Of the two, surrender is

easier and can be adopted by anyone through instructions given by

preceptors.

 

The efficacy of this royal route, as compared with the other, has

been clearly enunciated in epics and other scriptural texts. God,

in His incarnations, has unequivocally declared that He will

surely safeguard the interests of any devotee who lays his burden

at His feet and demonstrates his total dependence and faith on

Him. In His manifestation as ``Varaha'', His main duty was to

retrieve the world that was kept hidden under the sea and punish

the culprit. After this, the Divine Mother requests Him to tell

Her about the safe voyage for devotees, when the latter spells

out His firm commitment to protect those who approach Him

pleading their helplessness. Following this, messengers of God

who were deputed to reform the erring mankind, have elaborated

the significance of the Vedic directives and of the doctrine of

``saranagati''.

 

The Varaha Puranam, which incorporates several elucidations of

the Vedic aphorisms, refers to the most important of the

injunctions viz., ``Always speak Truth''. To amplify this simple

but significant statement, a story is told about a devotee

hailing from a backward family who used to adopt the medium of

music to worship and please God. Everyday he went to the Lord (in

the temple) and rendered soul-stirring compositions. One day, as

he was on his way to his shrine, he was attacked by a demon which

wanted to devour him. The devotee (Nampaduvan) swore by the deity

whom he adored that he would sing before Him and return after

which the demon could eat him. The demon was suspicious that he

would escape when the devotee assured it that he would certainly

return and offer himself, failing which he would go to hell. He

stood by his word and the demon, instead of devouring him, learnt

from him a particular tune (Kaisikam). Both got their curses

removed. Explaining the moral Sri Thandri Srinivasa Thathachariar

in a discourse said adherence to Truth will be duly rewarded.

 

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