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

 

Divine grace necessary to fathom God's glory

 

CHENNAI, JUNE 1. The Supreme Being and His infinite auspicious

attributes have often been compared to a boundless ocean. Some

can only test its waters while others remain standing on the

shore beholding its expanse. Just as only a few can delve deep

into the ocean and gather the pearls from its floor, a handful

alone can fathom the glory of God. Why is there so much gradation

among the devotees in their experience of God? An insight into

this mystery is given in the prayer of the creator, Brahma, to

Lord Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, which says that it is only

by His grace that it is possible to understand His glory which is

merited by devotion to Him.

 

Lord Krishna's accessibility to the cowherd community of Gokul

was a matter of wonder for the celestials. His divine deeds were

legion and these heavenly denizens who witnessed them wondered

what merit these simple folks must have done in a previous birth

to enjoy His company and display such unconditional love by

treating Him as one among themselves. They took liberties with

Him and the Lord reciprocated their love in an equal measure.

Brahma, the creator, having witnessed the deliverance of Aghasura

by Krishna wanted to witness more of the Lord's divine deeds

wrought by His power of Maya. So he hid the calves and later on

the cowherd boys also and waited to see what Krishna did.

 

The Lord true to His quality of omnipresence assumed as many

forms as the calves and the boys he had hidden and returned them

to their respective homes and this facade went on for almost a

year (equivalent to a moment of Brahma's time). Neither the cows

nor the parents found anything amiss; on the contrary, their love

for their offsprings only increased. When the creator witnessed

that as many calves and cowherd boys were there in Gokul as he

had hidden his mind was in a whirl as he was also under the spell

of the Lord's deluding power, said Sri R.Hari in his discourse.

 

As if this was not enough all the cowherd boys appeared as Lord

Krishna in His divine form to Brahma next and later he had the

vision of Lord Krishna as a helpless child searching for His

friends. When Brahma regained his normal vision he saw that it

was indeed the Supreme Being who had incarnated as child Krishna

in Gokul and prostrated before Him extolling His glory which he

had witnessed, ``Even I, Brahma, cannot truly comprehend Your

glory. Many adept in other spiritual disciplines in this world

resigned their activity to You and through devotion attained the

supreme state. He alone who is blessed with an iota of Your grace

can realise Your glory.''

 

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