Hindu Article-God submits to devotion

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God submits to devotion

 

 

 

CHENNAI: The spiritual tradition asserts that the Lord's most

important vow is to fulfil the word of His devotees because they are

dear to Him. God does not expect anything from them except unalloyed

love and devotion to Him. He is satisfied with whatever His devotee

offers to Him with love and hence it is the attitude with which

anything is offered to God, which is important and not ostentatious

display of devotion. But, a devotee should offer the very best to the

Lord because whatever he enjoys in life is His blessing. There are

many incidents in the lives of devotees to substantiate that God

submits to true devotion.

 

In his musical discourse, Sri Jayakrishna Dikshitar said the case of

Pundalika who asked Lord Krishna to wait standing on a brick till he

finished serving his parents was a paradigmatic example cited to

corroborate this truth. He did not offer this distinguished guest who

had sought him a jewel-studded seat or a lavish spread. The Lord had

come to bless him for his exemplary service to his aged parents and

he was so engrossed in attending to them that without a second

thought he threw a brick to stand on and asked his guest to wait. And

wait the Lord did till he finished his routine and then enabled him

to envision His divine form.

 

Pundalika was granted boons and this sterling devotee asked the Lord

to stay there permanently. This hallowed place where Pundalika

received divine grace is named after him as Pundalikapuram, which in

course of time came to called as Pandharpur. Lord Panduranga is

popularly known as Vitthala as the deity, along with His consort

Rukmini, stands on a brick. Pundalika sought another boon from the

Lord for the welfare of humanity in this Kali age when it will not be

possible to undertake penance or strenuous austerities for realising

God. He told the Lord that among those who would come to Him would be

sinners and ignorant ones, and he beseeched that He should without

discrimination grace them too just as He would devotees.

 

It is this promise of the Lord that sustains the Warkari tradition in

which laypeople from all walks of life undertake pilgrimage on foot

chanting His glory to receive Vitthala's benediction. Saint Tukaram

has also attested that liberation is certain for those who go on this

pilgrimage with faith.

 

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