Guest guest Posted June 21, 2002 Report Share Posted June 21, 2002 Respected Ramanuja Bhaktas, Almost all theistic religions share a common belief of a parent-child relationship between the Supreme Being and the soul. Most commonly, the Lord serves as the Father/Mother, while the soul is the child whom He adores unconditionally. However, in the case of Vishnuchitta (He whose very consciousness is filled with the Lord), or PeriyAzhwAr (the Great AzhwAr), whose holy appearance day is today (Ani-swAti), the roles are very much the reverse. In his PeriyAzhwAr thirumozhi, which forms the first part of the nAlAyira divya prabhandam (The Collection of 4000 Sacred Hymns), the AzhwAr experiences the Lord as a parent, and sometimes friend to the parent, of the playful and mischievous Darling, Sri Krishna. In his verses, AzhwAr takes on the mood of Yashoda, Krishna's Foster Mother, adoring and pampering Him as she feeds, bathes, clothes and decorates Him, sings His benedictions, and gently lulls Him to sleep. In her (his) arms, The Supreme One is as accessible and completely dependent as a little baby would be in the arms of his own parents. The Supreme One, Sri Krishna, is completely enraptured by the pure and unconditional Love of His Devotee, that He is unable to do anything else but take on the mood of a beautiful baby, unconditionally accepting the loving caress of His Mother's arms. The hymns of PeriyAzhwAr are joyous in that almost anyone who has ever experienced love for a child could find something within it that draws them in to its deeper spiritual message. Indeed, these verses are so cherished by the followers of Ramanuja Darshanam, that the first among them, thirupallAndu, the hymn of benediction, is sung first to the Lord as part of the daily thiruvArAdhanai (sacred worship). To me, the Mood of the Lord as a Baby is most befitting for several reasons: *Just as a baby's playful mischief is something which is enjoyed, so too can we enjoy His Play in the beauty and mystery of this thing we call " life " *Just as a baby responds with Love to anyone who offers him affection, so too does the Lord is willingly accept affection from any of us, irrespective of our race, caste, creed or gender. *Just as a baby is completely helpless without the care of his loving parents, so too does the Lord make Him Himself completely helpless in the form of the archa vigraha (iconographic form), so that we can enjoy the bliss offering our Loving Service to Him. *Just as the mere presence of a baby in a room brings a smile to just about everyone, so too can the simple acceptance of Sriman Narayana into our hearts fill our lives with utmost happiness and peace. *Just as a baby is a joy and treasure to his parents, so to is the Darling Child of the Universe a Treasure of Treasures for all of us. On this day, let us take a moment to reflect on the greatness of the PeriyAzhwAr and the Darling Sri Krishna who inspired Him. Please take a moment to view the iconographic image of PeriyAzhwAr at his hometown, Sri Villiputtur: http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/alvars/periyalvar/periyalvar- srivilliputtur.jpg adiyEn rAmAnuja dAsan Mohan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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