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.
Oppiliappan Koil Varadachari Sadagopan
http://www.sadagopan.org
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