Hindu Article-Exceptional devotion

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Exceptional devotion

 

CHENNAI: : A distinctive feature of Hindu religion is the conception

of Brahman (the Ultimate) as One with a form and having auspicious

attributes. Scriptures hail the Supreme Being as one without birth,

who incarnates in different forms to establish Dharma and destroy

evil. Countless are the forms in which He is worshipped, giving rise

to the evolution of a number of traditions over the ages.

 

The Bhagavata Purana speaks of the various incarnations the Supreme

Being had taken and details the different contexts in which He had

made those advents.

 

Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita authenticates this when he tells

Arjuna that he is born again and again for the protection of the

virtuous, the destruction of evildoers and for establishing Dharma.

It is obvious that by their very nature and design, the different

Avatars were unique, in the sense they were determined by the

circumstance and the specific purpose to be achieved. So they cannot

be replicated. But the incarnations and the related episodes that

exemplify the Lord's qualities — His omnipotence, compassion, mercy

and so on — open up limitless opportunities for an aspirant to focus

on power and greatness of the Lord, cultivate Bhakti and pursue the

goal of God realisation in a dedicated manner.

 

God's concern and love for a devotee is such that He responds in

exceptional ways to the latter's call, said Sri P.V. Vijayaraghava

Sastrigal in a discourse. Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita,

that whatever celestial form a devotee seeks to worship with faith,

He responds to it by assuming that very form, stating in unambiguous

terms a willingness to respect His devotee's wishes. Scriptural texts

assert that should the Lord choose to answer the prayers of a

devotee, He will manifest Himself in the very form the Bhakta had

visualised and worshipped Him. Each individual can visualise and

experience God and through sheer devotion feel a closeness to God.

Scriptures and Puranas speak of God who is seen in varied roles — as

a friend, servant, king, preceptor, father, mother, brother or even a

lover — depending on the wishes of His beloved devotee. Many devout

beings have been able to experience and believe a benevolent God who

is ready to help, whose boundless kindness establishes that His love

for the devotee far exceeds that of the devotee's love towards Him.

 

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