Choice is not
yours
The Lord being accused of dicrimination,
has been playing the rounds from time to time. The whys and hows
for, Some people being rewarded with higher elevation of salvation
while some still are lingering around in this cycle of births and deaths,
are some of the 'frequently asked questions'.
Well, the Lord has granted one and all,
the discerning ability to study through good and bad, to follow the right path
and if one wishes to take the contrary path, the results of such choice, vests
with the chooser and hence it is said that
' The Choice is
yours'.
True. Going by the same argument if the
jEvAthmA decides on the initial stage to follow the right ways to reach Him, is
it fail-sure? Is it fool-proof?
Lord krishNA has preached several means to
reach Him. 'nERi ellAm eduthuraitha niRai gnAnathu oru
mUrthy' 4-8-6; are the divne words of
thiru-voi-mozhi.
Which does one follow? Having chosen the
right path -the good one- the soul is thrown at the crossroads, is left in front
of the labyrinth of ways and means, confronts the herculean task of crossing the
ocean of past sins. Added to this, is the limitations of sensory organs of the
jEvAthmAs to acquire knowledge -aLavudai aim
pulangaL.
Then, what does one do? is the question
uppermost in the minds. That is what srEvaishNavism is about. The
thiru-voi-mozhi covers several divine aspects and this is one. It shows the
correct way. thakka-neRi.
Sri nam-AzhwAr addresses this very
question to the Lord Himself. 'en-nAn seigEan ?
5-8-3;" Oh! Lord what can I do?
As an ordinary prpannA -what can I do?
Devoid of capability, knowledge, oh! Lord, what can I do? -You are my only refuge.
The Lord says " I have given you
discerning capablitites and sensory organs. Why dont you acquire knowledge and
perform the procedures ?"
AzhwAr : Oh! Lord this knowledge has
pushed me into a blind end. They have taught me that pursuing means other than
You is not incumbent to the jEvAthmA's innate nature. You
are my only refuge
However, the utmost devotion culminating
into emotional outbursts -bakthi-pAravyasyam, push AzhwAr-s into ecstasy
and make them follow means which are not correct -madal
eduthal, dhUthu vidal etc.= the longingness does not allow them to
be composed.Therefore, AzhwAr says 'en-nAn seigEan'
-You are my only
refuge
Sri piLLai lOkAchAryAr mentions this in
the srEvachana bhUshaNam 43
'agnAnathAlEa prapannar asmathAthigaL;
gnAnAdikathAlEa prapannar pUrvAchAryArgaL;bakthi pAravysyathAlEa prapannar
AzhwArgaL'
and these three stages the stage of
agnAnam-prapannAs;the stage of gnAnAdhikkam-pUrvAchAryAs; the stage of bakthi
pAravyasyam-AzhwAr-s- can be seen in the words from
thiru-voi-mozhi
'en-nAn
-seigEan' --en-nAn seigEan engiRa idathil im-mUnRum
vuNDu.SrE vachana bhUshaNam 46.
It can be understood that we ordinary
prapannAs lack the knowledge, perseverence and requisite capablities to pursue
other means. Therefore, He is the ultimate choice. Though there are several
means, ours is only one - the best -as It banks on His Compassion- This
lack of choice is a gifted position vis-a-vis other means. Let us be proud to be
so in this situation.
obviously--
Choice is not
yours
We look upon His mercy. In fact, the
Choice is
His
dAsan
vanamamalai
padmanabhan
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