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Source: thThe Hindu

(http://www.hinduonnet.com/2002/07/11/stories/2002071100370800.htm)

 

Miscellaneous

-

Religion

  

 

The Lord, accessible to His devotee

 

 

 

 

CHENNAI

JULY 11

 

.. The scriptures reiterate that even they have failed to fathom the glory of the

Supreme Being, who is beyond the ken of the human faculties. But, the same texts

have also underscored the Almighty's accessible nature to His devotees with

instances and how He becomes bound to them by their devotion. When the body,

mind and speech are all engaged in devotional activities a devotee becomes

totally focussed on God. A life centred on God while engaged in day-to-day

activities, is termed as Yajna (sacrifice) in the scriptures because there is no

trace of ego. Such a devotee need not seek God; the Lord Himself singles him out

and does his bidding. It is His nature of being totally accessible to His

devotees that is a constant source of inspiration to both mystics and spiritual

aspirants.

 

Sage Suka while elaborately describing the childhood deeds of Lord Krishna to

Pareekshit goes into raptures recalling the singular grace showered on Yashoda

by the Lord. One day when Yashoda was churning curds to make butter for her

darling son, the maids being engaged in some other task, her mind revelled on

His infantile sports and she celebrated them in song as the Gopis did. Krishna

sought her and demanded her attention and she affectionately started feeding

Him. Remembering that she had kept the milk for boiling on the oven and fearing

that it would overflow she went in haste to remove it leaving Krishna still

hungry. Indignant that she had neglected Him, Krishna started crying and smashed

the pot for churning the butter feigning anger.

 

In his discourse, Sri B.Sundar Kumar said when one forgot God both worldly and

spiritual matters would not succeed. Yashoda when she neglected Krishna for a

moment found to her dismay that the milk had boiled over and on returning the

pot of curds also broken. By then Krishna had gone to the interior of the house

where the butter was stored. Having eaten to His relish clandestinely by

standing on an overturned mortar and reaching the butter kept out of His reach,

Yashoda found Him sharing the booty with a monkey. What an adorable sight He

presented to her with fear writ large on His face and on the horns of a dilemma

whether to run away from the scene or placate Yashoda's anger! He whom even the

Yogis could not reach with their minds controlled ran away like one scared to

escape the wrath of His mother.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

The preceding article sent by Ram Chandran from "The Hindu"

July 11th titled "The Lord accessible to His devotee . . . [with

instances and how He becomes bound to them by their devotion]"

reminds me of a few verses from Nirodha-laksana [Vallabhacarya 1479-

1531] which are said to be an exploration of Nirodha from the

viewpoint of bhakti; that intense mystical path where a "longing

for unification" aims at arriving at the stages mukti or asraya

after having entered into the Lord's Lila (i.e., the play of

Hari).

 

 

Verse 1:

 

The suffering of Yasoda, Nanda, and others experienced at Gokula,

As well as the suffering of the gopis,

Let that suffering somewhere be mine.

 

Verse 2:

 

Will the Lord [krsna] bestow upon me that pleasure,

Which the gopis,

As well as all the residents of Vraja enjoyed in Gokula?

 

Verse 9:

 

Having fully abandoned everything [of this world],

The attributes are always sung by those who have attained nirodha,

With the supreme bliss [of the Lord] kept in focus,

[And] a state of saccid-ananda arising from within oneself.

 

 

Verse 20:

 

No mantra is higher [than Nirodha],

No hymn of higher praise, nor knowledge,

Nor pilgrimage to a sacred place higher [than nihrodha].

 

 

 

Source:

 

For a commentary and translation notes of verses 1-20 see F. M.

Smith, "Nirodha and Nirodhalaksana," Journal of Indian

Philosophy, 1998 (489-551).