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Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00003 Jan 2008

 
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                      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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