From the Discourse of Sri.MV.Anantha Padmanabhachar Swamy

[Guest guest]

Pinnacle of devotion

Devotion to God is the most popular path to liberation adopted by

spiritual seekers as it can be followed by all. The Supreme Being is

the dispenser of man's Karma and devotion is the way a human being

can express his gratitude to God for all that he enjoys with the

knowledge that he owes everything to Him. As devotion takes root, a

devotee begins to see the Lord as the very basis of his existence

and it finally blossoms into love of God for His own sake and gets

expressed as service to Him. The Azhwars were such exalted devotees

and their hymns in the Nalayira Divyaprabandham afford insight into

the heights of devotion they reached.

In his discourse on the Tiruppavai, Sri M.V.

Ananthapadmanabhachariar said the people of Gokul by any reckoning

were simpletons as they tended cattle for their livelihood. But,

they were singularly blessed as the Lord chose to live among them

during His descent as Krishna.

They became great because they were the Lord's kinsmen and also due

to the fact that they performed their duty (Svadharma) — looking

after the cows — well. Krishna Himself has taught in the Bhagavad

Gita that performance of one's Svadharma was the best way to

progress spiritually, which is the secret of Karma yoga. Scholars

point out that when Rama's coronation was announced the people of

Ayodhya worshipped different gods for its success (when the Supreme

Being Himself was amidst them), whereas the people of Gokul

considered Krishna the be-all and end-all of their lives. It was

their exceptional love for Him that made them so privileged.

For Andal, the only lady among the Azhwars, the Gopis became the

leitmotif of devotion, so much so, She imagined Herself to be one of

them. Being the foster daughter of Periazhwar, whose original name

was Vishnuchitta meaning " he whose mind is centred on Vishnu " , Andal

naturally imbibed his devotion. While all the Azhwars also pined for

the Lord (He being the only Purusha) on the lines of the Gopis,

being men they could only imagine themselves as women (bridal

mysticism), but Andal alone was fortunate in that this emotion came

naturally to Her, and She eventually married Him.