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The Simmering Sores

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sadagopaniyengar • February 12, 2003 


                                            
Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

                The Simmering Sores

 

        All are agreed that it is the KrishnAvatAra in which the Lord displayed the maximum degree of accessibility or Soulabhyam. There is absolutely no competition to the Boy Wonder from any other Emperuman, in this regard. The closest rival, Sri Rama, having been born a Prince and the scion of the IkshvAku dynasty, had little occasion to display Soulabhyam, though He did try valiantly many a time. Not that He was averse to exhibiting this virtue, but as Sri Bhattar was wont to remark, His calling did not permit a full-blown display of this endearing trait. Sri Krishna is thus the sole avatara, where Soulabhyam was the name of the game. Though every single action of the bewitching boy had accessibility writ large over it, yet there are some of His deeds, which have come in for special mention from Azhwars and Acharyas.

 

Take for example His growing up in the midst of lowly cowherds- would any Parabrahmam worth its name be willing to be seen in the company of cattle, leave alone tend to them lovingly? Whither His exalted stature as the Master of all Worlds, and whither a lowly cowherd! We are simply unable even to imagine the Paramapurusha, surrounded by the Celestials and basking in their adoration, rejoicing in the boisterous company of unlettered urchins. What a come down for Him, from being the object of adulation of distinguished sages and saints, to being called all sorts of names (" VeNnai undAn ivan endru Esa nindra Emperuman") by ignorant Gopis!

 

It doesn't stop with His just growing up among dealers in dairy products. He has to get tied up to the pestle by an irate mother, angered beyond measure by constant complaints of thievery. Again, would the Parabrahmam consent to being tied up to a grindstone like any mortal mischief-monger? It must indeed have been an ironical sight, the Liberator of all from eternal bondage, Himself being immobilised and imprisoned, that too by an ordinary cowherdess! "Etthiram uralinOdu iNaindu irundu Engiya eLivE" marvels Sri Nammazhwar, and wonders again at the incredible Soulabhyam of the Lord getting beaten up by Gopis for stealing butter-"Ayar kouzhundAi avarAl pudayuNNum en mAya pirAn".

 

Another endearing display of accessibility is the Lord taking on the role of a messenger, bearing a note from the PAndavas to the Kauravas. As a last ditch effort to avert war, the Pandavas' war council decides to despatch a courier to the Kauravas, with a final request for the restoration of their share of the kingdom. And whom do they chose for the "prestigious" job? None other than the Supreme Lord, who also willingly consents to act as a mere messenger. No job is too menial for the Lord, if it is on behalf of His ardent devotees. "Pancha PandavarkkAgi vAyurai toodu chendru iyangum en thuNai", "innAr toodan ena nindrAn" says Thirumangai Mannan- Instead of His original identity of being the Paramapursha, it appears that the Lord preferred to be known as "PAndava Dootan".

 

As if to display His readiness to perform the bidding of His devotees willingly and without protest, the Lord again does something which crowns all other displays of Soulabhyam-

Throughout the Kurukshetra war, he acts as the charioteer of Arjuna. What a lowly occupation to adopt-that of an ordinary driver, piloting the vehicle as per the master's wishes! Constantly at the beck and call of the master, taking the chariot from spot to spot as per his instructions, battling with the spirited horses, taking care of them at the end of the day by bathing them, feeding them and ensuring that they had adequate rest (while having little rest Himself), his delicate tirumEni bathed in sweat and encrusted with the dirt of the battle field-all these formed the daily routine of the Lord during the days of the Kurukshetra war. The beautiful hands, which held the divine discus and the milk-white conch, now had only the horsewhip to hold. The curly, jet-black hair, the envy of even women, was covered with a thick coat of grime. The normally broad, brilliant and beautiful eyes were now half-closed with fatigue and battle-weariness. The Paramatma, to whom the entire world offered its food before partak

 

It is this endearing form that the Lord sports at ThiruvallikkENi. Adding injury to insult, He willingly bore the brunt of almost all the stinging arrows aimed at Arjuna by his rivals, but for which the PAndava would hardly have survived the battle. He blocked many a murderous weapon aimed at the master with His own tirumEni, shielding Arjuna from certain death many a time, and acquiring innumerable indelible scars on various parts of His torso, as a result . 

 

In the process, the Lord's beautiful countenance, often compared to a lotus in full bloom, was riddled with arrow wounds. Even to this day, the Lord is to be seen with this pock-marked thirumukha mandalam at ThiruvallikkENi, bearing testimony to His boundless love for his bhaktas and His readiness to do anything, but anything, to please His devotee. The battle-scars must have been so severe, that they still appear to be festering, despite the passage of thousands of years. The beholders' eyes brim with tears whenever they look at the Lord's visage, with all those simmering sores attesting to His eagerness to protect and preserve those He loves and those who love Him, even at a great personal cost.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan 



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