Thirupavai Pasuram 28

Continued From: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/02/thirupavai-pasuram-27.html

Therazhundur Amatuviappan with Senkamalavalli Thayar: In this Divya Desam Perumal is seen as Lord Krishna herding cows

As soon as the gopis with Nachiar performed Saranagathi, Perumal asked them to list their day to day activities so that He could qualify them. We think that He saves us by granting Moksham like a mother cat carrying its kittens while He thinks that He qualifies us because we performed the act of saranagathi thus we are like baby monkeys which hug its mother with complete faith while the mother monkeys swings from tree branches.

‘We go after cattle to herd them,’ said the girls.

‘Good! You get good merit for going after cows. If the dust from a cow’s hooves falls on a person it is equal to the water droplets from sacred water body. I will consider that you have taken bath in sacred water bodies,’ Said Krishna.

‘But Krishna we do not just go behind cows! We also walk after goats and buffalos. ‘

‘Then I cannot use this activity. The dust from the hooves of goats and buffalos should not fall on a person.’

It is a sin to walk between 2 goats therefore their first activity is disqualified.

‘We eat our meals in the forest,’ listed the girls.

‘Eating is good. I will consider this as pranagnihothram.’

‘Is it okay even if eat with anyone as well as animals like goats?’

‘No, then I cannot use eating. Do you go to kalakshepams?’

‘We are not intelligent. We can’t even count!’

‘What about your ancestors? Surely they were knowledgeable,’

‘They were worse than us!’

‘Obviously you have nothing I can use to qualify. Why did you ask me then?’

‘We have nothing but you have incarnated amongst us. This is enough to qualify us! You have nothing to lose by saving us because you are complete!’

‘But why should I save you?’

‘We have a relationship which cannot be severed by you or by us!’

 Mannargudi Rajagopalan

Perumal is referred by the “AA” shabdham because everything comes from Him. A saviour is also called as aaha and thus Perumal as our saviour is “Aa”. The ashtakshara manthram explains the nine relationships we share with Perumal. There are also nine types of relationship between Paramatma and jeevatmas. They are as follows. The relationship between father and the son, the relationship between the Saviour and the Saved, the bond between and owner and the thing owned, the relationship between the Knower and the object of Knowledge, the relationship between the Property and Proprietor, the relationship of the Self to the Body, the relationship between the Supporter and the Supported and finally the relationship between the Enjoyer and the Enjoyed. Paramatma fulfills all the relationships. If a person is looking for a friend, that person can worship Paramatma as a friend. If a person does not have any children, that person can worship Paramatma as baby Krishna to fulfill the void in their life. Similarly any relationship can be fulfilled by Paramatma. Arjuna worshiped Lord Krishna as a friend, Sugreeva worshiped Lord Rama as a friend, Meera worshiped Lord Krishna as her husband, to Yashoda he was her child and so on. Many people also worship Paramatma along with Goddess Lakshmi as their parent.

He expects us to love him not to fear him. He wants to develop an intimate relationship with us. He doesn’t want us to move away from him out of fear and respect. To demonstrate this he showed us the ease with which the citizens of Gokulam approached him. He enjoyed the love and affection showered on him by the citizens. He mingled with them like an ordinary child and yet at times when they had to be protected, he revealed his super human qualities.  On the whole Krishna avataram is a beautiful incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Through this incarnation he has showed us that we can love him in any way we want to. He has taught us through this incarnation the ease with which he can be approached. The girls reminded the Lord about His intention for incarnating thus asking Him to save them.

One of the relationships is that between an enjoyer and enjoyed; we are enjoyed by Perumal.  He enjoys us here by making us play to His rules according to our karma. In Sri Vaikuntham He enjoys us when we perform kaimkaryams.

‘How did you know about these relationships?’

‘We came to know because we are related to you. You are one amongst us; a cowherd like us and hence called Govinda!’

Mannargudi Rajagopalaswami herding cows

‘Why didn’t you call me as Govinda earlier? You know how much I like this name yet you never used it!’ said Perumal. He sounded angry as the girls had not used the name Govinda which shows the ease with which He could be accessed.

‘We didn’t know what to do. Out of Bakthi we called you by small names like Narayana when we should have called you as the cowherd Govindan. Please forgive our errors!’

Continued On: http://thoughtsonsanathanadharma.blogspot.ca/2013/02/thirupavai-pasuram-29.html