"KEzhvAnam.."

From the Bhakti List Archives

• December 23, 1998


SrI RAma is camping on the seashore before proceeding
to Lanka and suddenly VibhIshaNa appears in the sky
with four rAkshasas requesting admission.SugrIva as
the commander of SrI RAma's army while reporting this
incident to the Lord,makes a fervent plea to finish
him off as an undesirable intruder.SrI RAma then asks
the others also to advise him as they are all extremely
capable intelligent wellwishers (suhrdA..budhimatA satA
samarthEna..).While replying they tell him,"There is
nothing in the three worlds that is unknown to you; but
while being fully aware, you are asking us to advice you,
calling us your friends,
   "
You are intending to give us credit for advising you.You
are thereby establishing that you treat us as your friends.
While giving us credit you are also getting credit from
the world for your  and  that the
greatest person in the universe is equating Himself with
an ordinary mortal.

Why does the Lord do it ? Because He wants to be one of
us.He wants to make us equate ourselves with him and
treat him like a familiar.Like a grandfather seriously
asking his grandchild to advise him.It also serves another
basic purpose.He is the SEshI (Lord) and we are His
SEshabhUtas(servants).A servant's Being itself is
dependent on his service  .    What service can we do to a
Lord who is Supreme and has everything (avApta-samasta-
kAma)? So in our own interest He creates artificial
opportunities for us to serve Him.He sits there helplessly
in the archA form waiting for us to bathe and clothe and
protect Him.

So too in today's pASuram "keezhvAnam",said Sri BhoovarAhA-
chAriAr in his discourse on TiruppAvai,there is a girl who
is a special favorite of KrishNa .She has apparently not
got up and the others come to wake her.They say,"We know
that you are more partial to the BhAgavatas than to the
Lord Himself; and in fact that is the reason He gives you
a special place in His heart.And today you're demonstrating
your liking for us by waiting to be awakened by us.That
would give us the credit(taram) in the eyes of the world.
And you are doing it deliberately for the good of our Being
(nAngaL sattai peruvadarkAga),just as the Lord does it with
His devotees,and RAma did it with His army leaders on the
seashore."

It is the vAtsalyam of the PirATTI and the Lord which gives
sustenance to our being.

EmberumAnAr TiruvaDigaLE SaraNam!

adiyen
Bharat