Acme of devotion

CHENNAI: The sacred abodes of God which have been praised by saints and mystics are important in spiritual tradition not only for their association with the Lord’s manifestations but also because of devotees who had experienced divine grace in these places. One such hallowed place is Tirukadalmallai (Mahabalipuram) which is one of the 108 Divyadesasas glorified by the Azhwars.

There is an anecdote about a great devotee here who on learning that the milk-ocean of Lord Narayana was far away, kept aside the lotus he had plucked to offer Him on the seashore there and started emptying the ocean with a coconut shell in his ardent desire to reach Him. Moved by his zeal and devotion the Supreme Lord came down from His transcendental realm to accept His devotee’s offering. It was in this sanctified abode that Bhutatazhwar, the second of the trio of Mudhal Azhwars (Poygai, Bhutam and Pey), was born.

In his discourse, Sri K.B. Devarajan said Bhuatatazhwar’s name was an indication that he was steeped in the knowledge of the Supreme Being. There is an Upanishadic dictum which declares true knowledge to be that which liberates man from worldly bondage. Hence one who has this wisdom (Jnana) is truly free as he knows that he is a serf of only the Almighty. That Bhutatazhwar possessed this Jnana is apparent from the opening verse of his hymn Irandam Tiruvandadi: “Love is my lamp, eagerness is the oil, and my heart is the wick. Melting myself, here I light a lamp and offer this Tamil garland of knowledge.” This knowledge is the zenith of devotion, love of God for His own sake.

There is a distinction between devotion that is pursued as a path to liberation (Sadhana) and devotion that is an end in itself. In the former the devotee adopts devotion as a means to attain liberation from worldly bondage, while the latter is the fruit of surrender to God totally by abandoning all other efforts to realise Him. Absolute surrender is possible only when the devotee becomes aware of his limitations. The resulting wisdom is the manifestation of divine grace. The Azhwars possessed that wisdom in full measure and their hymns thus have the stamp of their experience of God.

Published - November 14, 2008 12:00 am IST