Hindu Article-Primacy of devotion

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Primacy of devotion

 

 

CHENNAI OCT. 11 . Scriptural texts prescribe various

methods to realise God and it is necessary for a

spiritual aspirant to know how to benefit from them.

While different practices are essential to cater to

the level and inclination of different types of

aspirants, for purpose of practical application all

these have been grouped under two— worship of God with

form and contemplation on the transcendental Absolute.

Naturally this will lead to the question as to which

of the two is better. Arjuna raised this doubt to Lord

Krishna to which He replied, "I consider them to be

the best Yogis, who endowed with supreme faith and

ever united through meditation with Me, worship Me

with the mind centred on Me. Those, however, who fully

controlling all their senses and even-minded towards

all and devoted to the welfare of all beings,

constantly adore as their very self the omnipresent,

indestructible, indefinable, eternal, immovable and

changeless Absolute, they also come to Me."

 

On the face of it this seems to accord worship of God

with form more importance than contemplation on the

Absolute. This is not the intention of this scriptural

statement. It is a tactic adopted in literary and

scriptural texts to exalt something to highlight it

but it does not mean that the other compared to it is

less important. In the Vedas, for example, while

elaborating the four Ashramas (stages of life) the

ascetic life is exalted. But in many other places in

the same scripture the pride of place is given to the

householder, the reason being that this is the one

meant for the majority.

 

The same principle must be applied to understand this

context in the Gita. Lord Krishna's commendation of

worship of God with form was because he had Arjuna in

mind, as this was the practice most suitable for him

in the state of mind he was then, said Br. Sarveswara

Chaitanya in his discourse.

 

The qualities of one who worships the Absolute have

also been indicated. In a strict sense one, who

worships the Absolute Reality, cannot be called a

devotee because he is a man of wisdom (Jnani) and

hence both of them cannot be compared in the first

place. It is also apparent that these two are

different stages in spiritual evolution and one has to

progress from one to the other. Naturally one has to

develop devotion to God first and become steadfast in

it. Then by undertaking scriptural study under a

preceptor an aspirant can progress to the ultimate

stage of meditation on the Absolute, which will lead

to realisation.

 

copy right: The Hindu daily.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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