Hindu Article-Hallmarks of a devotee

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Hallmarks of a devotee

 

 

CHENNAI OCT. 30 . One of the verses in a famous

(religious) contribution by an illustrious

torch-bearer of Hinduism says that a "little study of

the Bhagavad Gita, drinking a drop of the holy river

Ganga and even a casual worship of the Lord (Murari)

will save a devotee from a debate with death". These

words should not be taken literally. A person should

digest the great Sermon of the Lord in its entirety,

what more, he should live as pointed out therein. If

not at one stroke, he can muster a little of it daily

and try to achieve perfection. Likewise, to taste a

drop is to impress an aspirant about the devotion he

should develop. No doubt an elaborate description of

the hallmarks of a devotee is contained in the Gita,

but by stages he can become a true devotee. For

instance he should at least try to stop hating others

and behave with humility.

 

The Acharya, Sri Sankara, in his hymn, Bhaja Govindam,

besides referring to the above, mentions about service

to the Lord; it may be in any form. By such an

attitude, he will become a totally changed person. He

can get liberated from worldly shackles by worshipping

Murari, with devotion, at least now and then, adds the

Acharya, who in his hymn of 37 verses, tells us to

curb desires, cultivate contentment and remain

disciplined, all of which are not impossible to

achieve.

 

In a lecture, Srimathi Sunanda emphasised the need for

acquiring knowledge to find out the "Truth" and

"Reality" as stressed by Sankara in his poem. The

individual should desist from harbouring desires, lead

a contented life, remain disciplined and carry out his

duty without expectations. A nightingale sings not

expecting an audience nor a rose waits for its master

to produce more fragrance than what it does normally.

The company of the pious roots out attachment. Devoid

of this, delusion goes when the mind becomes steady.

Sankara points out that the sorrows faced by a person

will cease of their own accord once he gets the

knowledge of his own "Self".

 

Another aspect on which the Acharya lays stress is

that pleasure and riches of worldly life are delusive

appearances. Why harbour expectations and regret when

they are not fulfilled? A person must understand the

purpose of life, viz., "to discover the Truth that

lies within him." Time loots everything but yet desire

does not leave a man. In another verse, the Acharya

refers to the hold of desires on men, even when they

turn old. "You will be liberated if you worship

Govinda with devotion", the verse adds.

copy right: The Hindu daily

 

 

 

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