Character alone distinguishes a person

The acts of a human being are subject to severe limitations. He may plan a scheme with diligence. and care but while on stream, it may unexpectedly collapse. When it turns out to be a success, he will take the entire credit upon himself and boast of his skill and technical perfection without caring to acknowledge the grace of God If by chance the scheme fails, he will attribute it to the lack of Divine sanction A devotee should never rely on his personal endeavour but submit himself to the dictates of the Almighty and seek His blessings for any venture, as the decision of the unseen mysterious power is final, unquestionable and unalterable. Episodes in scriptures din this theme into us and highlight the fact that man's ability is puerile and ineffective before the strength of the Supreme Being Sri Rama's exile proves this by His coronation being called off at the last moment Likewise, events went contrary to all expectations for the unscrupulous elements in God's incarnation as Sri Krishna Kamsa who was deeply attached to his cousin Devaki, was even reluctant to part with her company after her marriage but he wanted to kill her on the spot when informed that her son-to-he-horn would cause his death.

Sri Embar Vijayaraghavachariar in his discourse in said through the characters of Kamsa, Sisupala and Jarasanda on the one hand and Vasudeva etc. on the other, God compares the conduct of the wicked and the virtuous and Dharma and Adharma. As Sri Krishna, God not only demonstrated His Supremacy (Paratwa) but also His easy accessibility (Soulabhya). He has also shown that character alone distinguished a person and other considerations like his birth in a higher caste were irrelevant. Sages who wanted to realise God were struck by the manner in which Yasoda, unable to bear the mischievous pranks of the Divine child, attempted to tie Him to a stone mortar but miserably failed till He himself volunteered to be bound. God is ready to reveal to devotees who plead their helplessness and seek His guidance.
                                                                      December 17, 1977

Devotion leads to God realisation

All God's creations -beasts, birds, insects, human beings and plants perform many identical functions. They experience hunger they breathe, they have thirst and they grow. But man stands superior by virtue of the special privilege conferred on him by the Almighty -the power to grasp, judge, discriminate and act judiciously. Using his intellect, he can overcome hurdles. But this birth has come to him because of his noble deeds in the past and unless he makes the best use of this rare opportunity, he is likely to be deprived of this special favour. Even as a person who comes to possess wealth by his hard work will take steps to multiply it, every God-fearing man should aim at obtaining total liberation by adopting the procedures laid in the religious texts. But his mind can function as his friend or foe. The enemy within will entangle him in worldly pleasures and ruin him. But if he is careful, he can win over the deadly influences like lust, anger and malice and tread the path of virtue and righteousness.

Sri Kaviseri Subramania Sastrigal in his discourse said that methods like conduct of Homam, Yoga and Japa were only means but not an end in themselves. Like agriculture where the operations were to be repeated after every harvest, these chants are to be constantly recited. There would also be plenty of obstacles. The best way to enjoy Divine Bliss was to develop Devotion (Bhakti) which could be perfected by intense practice, driving away the impurities in the mind and enshrining God's form therein. Once his mind becomes conditioned, he can brave all hazards in life. A wealthy landholder who was mad after money, suddenly turned a pauper but within a short period he was able to know the misery attached to opulence and turned a recluse totally oblivious to joy or grief Contentment would also enable one to remain impervious to tests Devotion helped a sincere soul to realise the Supreme Being.
                                                                      December 20, 1977

God's concern for devotees

Devotion has many facets and devotees display different attitudes Not all may desire to secure total liberation (Moksha) although that should be the aim Some may cling to God only when danger stares at them. Even atheists are bound to feel perturbed when some calamity strikes them. God will welcome to His fold even such confirmed non-believers if they seek His help. In dire need of a medicine for his dying mother at midnight, in a downpour, a villager approached a medical shop owner, an agnost, who after a good deal of persuasion dispensed it. After the customer left, he was bewildered to notice that in the semi-darkness, he had included, a poisonous drug in the mixture Shuddering at the consequences (enquiry, charges, punishment etc). the pharmacist "threw" a challenge that if God saves him, he will become His servant. A little later, the villager returned to his shop to report the breakage of the bottle and spilling of the medicine due to his slip very near his doorstep There are others who are extremely devoted but harbour doubts about the powers of the different forms of the Supreme Being To them, God provides necessary enlightenment. Yet others pray to Him for obtaining material benefits, in the nature of quid pro quo The best and fourth type of Bhaktas are "Gnanis" (the illumined) who do not expect any favour but wish well of God (like Periyazhwar).

In his discourse Sri S. Jayarama Sarma said God is certain to embrace those who submit themselves to Him without any reservation, though they may not be aware of the manner in which the protection is extended. God's concern for His devotees has been compared, in Srivachanabushanam to that of an aged father, who in spite of the deep affection shown towards him by his well-placed sons, on a festival day, remembers his prodigal child which ran away from home years ago. The episodes of Gajendra, Uddhava, Dhruva, Prahlada and others serve to remind us about the intensity of dedication and God's ready response. God descends from His celestial abode, at the same time making man ascend. But for man, the "call of the stomach" eclipses that of the "inner voice". To enable him to retain His form. God presents Himself in consecrated idols.
                                                                      January 9, 1978

Distress makes man turn to Almighty

Invariably, anyone of these factors -scholarship, intellectual superiority, wealth, power, fame or valour -makes a person forget God, the Giver. Imagine the rare instance of a person combining in himself all these -he will have no time to think of the Almighty. But he will certainly look to God the moment he is forced to face problems or is pushed into the ocean of sorrow. It is no secret nor is it strange that a person seeks refuge in Him only when he experiences grief. There is nothing surprising therefore, in a man pleading with God not to make him suffer.

But an outstanding character in our scriptures - Kunti, the mother of the illustrious Pandavas, requested Lord Krishna to keep her ever immersed in distress, as that alone would compel her to turn to Him, and pray for His help. She was aware that God would never allow His sincere devotees to endure agony for ever.

The Bhagavatham, which spells out several philosophic doctrines for man's emancipation, refers to the supplication of Kunti to project the relationship between God and His creations, However, a thin veil of ignorance-cum-illusion separates the two, which can be torn asunder by devotion, detachment and performance of prescribed duties.

The Bhagavatham was made available to posterity by the folly as well as the wisdom of a mighty ruler. He committed a grievous crime against a sage in trance but on realising his mistake, renounced everything and rushed to get this text expounded. Almost the very first piece of advice tendered by this book to posterity is never to test the spiritual powers of God-men or insult servants of God or be discourteous to them. Any such attempt is sure to recoil and ruin the wrongdoer.

In a discourse, Sri K. Gopala Dikshitar referred to the incident in recent times when the ruler of Thanjavur who desired to test the attitude of Sridhara Ayya, a devotee of Lord Siva, towards Lord Vishnu as some sycophants had carried tales to the former that he was anti- Vishnu. The king had hidden a small idol of Lord Krishna with him in his palanquin and sought to test the saint's ability to identify it. Sridhara Ayya just threw before him, a piece of paper containing eight verses in praise of Lord Krishna. From then on, the King's dynasty started crumbling.
                                                                      April 6, 1983

Sure way to get rid of cycle of rebirths

The span of human life, though theoretically fixed centuries ago, is reckoned as 100 years. Half of it is spent in vain in sleep, consigned to blind ignorance. Twenty years are spent in boyhood and adolescence. Ten years are "dedicated" to family life, when he suffers from attachment to worldly pleasures and infatuation. The declining years are miserable for him, because he would have turned infirm, his faculties would not function well and he would be of no use to anyone.

How can a man, whose senses have not been conquered, hope to liberate himself, bonded with powerful chords of affection? One who is wise should hence practise devotional service, as enunciated in the Bhagavatham, even from his childhood. Human life is the rarest of all, but is transient, as, at any moment, it might ebb away. Hence such a rare opportunity should be utilised to go through spiritual exercises and secure the moral power to resist temptation and meditate on God and get rid of rebirths.

In elaborating the message of extraordinary significance given by Prahlada, the boy-devotee, who surrendered himself totally at the feet of God and showed the least concern for the threats of torture held out by his father, Swami B.P. Yati Maharaj pointed out that for an ordinary man, attached to worldly enjoyments, who feels pleasures of the palate and carnal appetite as the be-all and end-all of human life, cannot discard his desires suddenly. God cannot be won over by wealth, birth in high society, personal charm, austerities, scholarship, splendour, authority, wisdom and other acquisitions.

But God is pleased with a sincere appeal to save him and with the display of one's helplessness to steer through this ocean of life without His assistance. One should remember the nature of devotion of the elephant Gajendra for whose sake the Almighty rushed from His abode.

A person with rare distinction and meritorious attainments, but devoid of unflinching devotion, may be considered inferior to a low-born, like a dog-eater who has dedicated his mind, body, soul, wealth and all that he possesses, to the service of God While He may not accept worship from men without devotion or agnostics He is ever merciful to the faithful Prahlada proved that God would be ready to extend His succour to anyone taking shelter under Him For the child's sake, the Lord took a special incarnation of "Nrisimha".
                                                                      May 27, 1986