OUR STAY AT FREMONT, CALIFORNIA US

OUR STAY AT  FREMONT, CALIFORNIA, US.

Finishing our visit to London, New Castle and the Lake Districts, we arrived at San Francisco on August 30, 2016. We were received at the airport by our son and driven to his residence at  Fremont. We had a momentous period during our stay there. We were visiting his new house for the first time and it gave us immense pleasure. This time we had a wonderful spiritual ambience at Fremont as the Hindu temple was at a walking distance from the house. On the occasion of my son’s Birthday a few events were arranged which were purely spiritual! Rudrabhishekam was grand creating divine vibrations among all of us. A lecture on Nadopasana by Sri Saravana Priyan led us into the intricacies Omkara and a few compositions of Saint Thyagaraja and some other composers. September concluded with an inspiring Sai Bhajan by the Prasanthi Bhajan group that was elevating and soul stirring! The proximity of the temple gave us an impetus to take part in many events organized there!

Fremont Hindu Temple is one of the many important temples in California. Spread out in a vast area, and managed by a private Trust, it has a big hall for all the important deities worshipped by the Hindu community. Shirdi Sai, Vinayaka, Radha, Krishna, Rama, Lakshmana, Sita, Hanuman, and Devi occupy the main hall in their bedecked glory and glittering apparel! In the adjacent annexe stand the majestic Someswara, Venkateswara, Padmavati, Kodandarama,and Jagannath idols beautifully decorated! There are separate sannidhis for Ayappa, Subramanya, Vinayaka and the Navagrahas. In between, Lord Siva sits in meditation on an elevation with the crescent Moon and the Ganga pouring out in a stream down! It is really gratifying to note that the Indian diaspora have maintained their religious and cultural identity by establishing temples all over America! All Hindu festivals and other important days are observed without fail mostly during the weekends and evenings of weekdays to suit the convenience of local people. Most of the people visit the temple in traditional Indian dress-saris. A few come with shorts and all with socks on. Devotees bring fruits, flowers and sweets and offer to the deities. Oil for lamps, pulses, sugar are also offered to the deities and distributed as prasadam

October ushered in Navarathri and homes and temples were decorated with lamps and colorful festoons. Kolus were arranged in homes like in India. Ladies and young girls in their exquisite pattu saris  visited the  Kolus in their friend's homes. Devi alankaram as Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswathi and Mahishasuramardini excelled in all temples. Chandi homam was performed in a few temples in Fremont! In short, festive mood dominated throughout the puja days along with hectic activity. We did not feel like staying in America at all. It was like a mini India. Dipavali was the next festival. In America no festival is celebrated during the weekdays! All are performed

during the weekends! You are not allowed to fire crackers on streets and public places. There is no comparison between Indian Dipavali and that in America. It is on a very low key. Following Dipavali came the sacred month of Karthik corresponding to  November and sacred to Lord Siva!

The archaka in the Hindu temple, from the famous Siva shrine Kalahasthi in India, is a dynamic and passionate person! He is deeply religious and scholarly. He is well versed in sastras and rituals. I have not seen any other person so devout, and sincere in conducting worship! His chanting of Mahnyasam and Sri Rudram with a metallic voice is a treat to watch and hear! Daily abhishekam to Lord Siva was the speciality of the month. We attended them and relished the divine vibrations. Sahasra Deepa alankaram on the full moon day was amazing and drew large number of devotees! Then came the Sahasra Spatika Linga puja and abhishekam that was equally outstanding! It was a symbolic journey of crossing the 16 avaranas, worshipping the respective deities and reaching Kailash, the abode of  Lord Siva! Most astounding of all was the Laksha Rudraksha alankaram in which the Siva Linga is wrapped in one lakh Rudraksha beads! On the last day, the New Moon day, after abhishekam, the Rudrakshas were removed and a new sparkling alankaram was done. Lord Someswara rode on His Nandi in procession!

My son organized a series of cultural events like spiritual discourse and music concerts during the interval between abhishekam and alankaram. Local musicians rose to the occasion and rendered a feast for the ear. This maiden attempt was a grand success. Devotees appreciated the arrangement. Thus our stay till the end of November was spent with devotional and spiritual fervor! It was rare opportunity for us to be here at this time of the year. Closely following is the Koti Kumkumarchana  for Devi for which a special MahaMeru is being brought from India! Many ladies have enlisted themselves already! We are sure this too will be a grand success! We are looking forward to the graduation ceremony of our grandson from Berkeley University in December and shall be leaving for India by early January,2017. It is a memorable trip this time though it was pretty chill and rainy in Fremont!

"JAGAN MITHYA"

Jagan Mithya

The Vedas and the Upanishads declare in their profound statements the world as illusory, that it is unreal! “ Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya”. It challenges our intellect and we are unable to accept the word of the Vedas! How is it possible to accept the statement when we see so many people, their actions before our own eyes? How can we say that what we see is false, untrue and meaningless? There's no proper understanding of what Adi Sankara has stated. Atma is called Truth as it is indestructible, eternal and changeless. “Satyam Jnanam Anantam Brahma”. Related to the individual it is called Jiva. Applied to all creatures it is described as the Brahman. The world, people,and their intentions continue to change and hence cannot be called Truth. It is neither the eternal Truth nor total untruth but an intermediary state which is termed “ mithya” or illusion!!

The Acharyas distinguish three types of Truth. The first is ,’Paramarthika satyam’ or eternal Truth. The second is , ‘Vyavaharika Satyam’ or truth as seen by the society. The third is that which is outside the above mentioned states and called ‘Pratibhasika y satyam’.The tin piece shines like silver reflecting the sunlight! Likewise the shell glitters like silver. But examining closely we find no silver in them! This feeling is superimposition which is not true!  Dreams too belong to this category as they appear to be true but are not so in reality. When we say horse’s  horn, that becomes total untruth .The horse can never have a horn! Stepping on the rope in darkness, you step back in fright thinking that it is a snake! There is no snake at all but it appears like a snake! There is a mixture of reality and and unreality! Reality here is only for a temporary period! The assumption that there is a snake is what is called superimposition!

The rope is the object which is real.This is called ‘adhistanam’. Snake is the superimposition. Because of the shape of the rope and darkness you superimpose the snake on the rope. This is called ‘aropyam’. If we see the object directly superimposition vanishes! According to Vyavaharikaa dasa the world is real! It is unreal when Knowledge dawns!l Darkness stands for avidya or ignorance while illumination represents real knowledge or jnana!

This type of false perception is called “ mithya” or illusion or Maya. It is the quality of Maya to present the real as unreal and the unreal as the real! It is the creation of the Brahman itself. It is the Divine sport of the Brahman to weave the web of Maya and enjoy the working of the universe! It is impossible for human beings and even the Devas to be free from the effect of Maya! Krishna points out in Bhagavad gita, “ mama Maya duraratyaya”-my Maya is insurmountable. Like the spider that weaves the web in which all insects are caught, all creatures are entangled in its meshes and struggle to escape! The spider itself is free and never caught in its own web! Thus, due to the effect of Maya, we think the world we live in is real and everything we see, hear, and enjoy or suffer is real! It is not possible for ordinary mortals like us to realize the profound truth! Only great sadhakas, after deep meditation and penance can understand.

The world is always in a state of constant change! Many ages and Yugas have disappeared. Days and nights alternate.”Dina yaminyau sayam prataha sisira vasantau punarayataha” says  Sankara in his classic ‘Bhaja Govinda’ stotra! It is because of illusion that we think the world is  real. When the world itself is unreal and temporary what about our wife, children, property, kith and kin and all other possessions? Is it not wise for us to contemplate on this glaring truth and conduct ourselves properly? Unfortunately most of us fail to realize this most important fact! Let us realize the transitory nature of the universe and conduct ourselves in such a way that we are not lost in this confusion!!!

THE STORY OF SAGARA

Another great king of the Ikshvaku clan is Sagara chakrvarthi who paved the way for the  arrival of the the river Ganga from Heaven to the earth. It is also believed that the sea is called “Sagara” because of this renowned king! Sagara was the son of Bahuka of the Ikshvaku clan. His father at a later stage retired to the forest and after many years passed away. His wife, pregnant at that time decided to  commit sati as was the custom during those days! But the sages persuaded her not to kill herself. Other wives of Bahuka grew jealous of her as the son born to her would be the heir to the kingdom. They decided to kill her along with the child and poisoned her. But by divine dispensation she did not die and the child survived!The child was named Sagara which means the one born with a layer of poison! (Sanskrit: ‘gara’ means poison)

Sagara grew up and came to the throne as expected. He ruled the country righteously and treated the subjects as his own children. His fame spread far and wide. As it was the custom for the kings of the day, Sagara wanted to perform the Aswamedha Yagna to assert his supremacy. He made all arrangements and sent out the Horse to see if anyone would challenge his  authority by capturing it and preventing its onward progress. Indra, the Lord of Heaven was in jitters on knowing this and decided to thwart the yagna in someway or other! He finally stole the horse of King Sagara and left it at the ashram of sage Kapila in Patala Loka- nether world! Sagara waited for long but the horse didn't come back as expected! Very much worried at the non arrival of the horse, Sagara deputed his sixty thousand sons to go in search of it and bring it back! They went to all the four corners of the world in search of the horse but in vain.

Not relenting, the sons of Sagara dug up the earth to see if the horse by any chance could be found in Patala Loka!!  They discerned a cave in the northwest and a sage sitting in deep samadhi totally oblivious of  his surroundings. To their pleasant shock and surprise, they saw the horse in pursuit of which they had travelled tirelessly and in despair! The horse was safe and secure. Though valiant and indefatigable they were puffed up with ego, pride, and arrogance! They mistook the sage for a thief who had stolen the horse! In their ignorance and momentary emotion they approached the sage to attack him.The sage was Kapila, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself! The moment he opened his eyes, all the sixty thousand sons of Sagara were reduced to a heap of ashes on account of the tremendous power of his tapas! King Sagara at length came to know of this catastrophic news and grieved very much.The Aswamedha Yagna had to be continued and completed!

King Sagara was In a dilemma. He had no other alternative but to depute once again his grandson Amsumantha whom he loved very dearly. He was very well behaved and obedient. He followed the footsteps and the path taken by his predecessors and came to the same cave where the sage was in penance! But unlike his predecessors he was able to recognize the greatness of the sage and his avatar. He praised sage Kapila as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the protector of the universe. He is manifest in all creatures! He transcends all Maya or illusion! He has no beginning, middle and end! He narrated how wrong his predecessors were in trying to attack him! He told about the mahayagna being performed by king Sagara and requested  sage Kapila for permission to take back the horse. to Impressed by the humility and good manners of Amsumantha, sage Kapila blessed him and asked him to take back the horse for the successful completion of the yaga. Accordingly Amsumantha brought back the horse after which the yagna was completed without hindrance!

Sage Kapila informed Amsumantha that his predecessors who were reduced to ashes would reach pitruloka if river Ganges ran over them! King Sagara tried to get the river to earth but  failed. Meanwhile Amsumantha was crowned and he too performed penance to bring Ganga to  earth. He too failed! It was the indomitable will and performance of Bhagiratha that brought the Ganga to earth! He performed severe tapas and through the grace of Lord Siva and Vishnu  could  bring Mandakini- river Ganga to earth and send his predecessors to 'pitru Loka!’! It is believed that the waters of river Ganga filled the great pits dug by the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara and formed the seas! Hence the sea is called ‘Sagara’!

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THE GREAT CLAN OF IKSHVAKU

THE GREAT CLAN OF IKSHVAKU

It is astounding to trace the history of the Ikshvaku clan whose great kings were exceptional warriors!! A few of them were sought after by Indra, king of Swarga, to fight the ever tormenting asuras! One such king was Puranjana by name. The Lord of Heaven Indra once approached him for help in fighting the demons. Puranjana accepted the request on condition that Indra should become his mount--vahana! It was embarrassing for Indra to stoop down for a mortal and become his Vahana. But on the advice of Lord Vishnu he relented and took the form of a Bullock! Riding on this divine Bullock, Puranjana fought the asuras and drove them away restoring the lost kingdom to Indra! From that day onwards he was renowned as ‘Indra vahana’- the one who had Indra as his mount! Later he called himself ‘Kakutsa’ and that started the lineage of the  famous kings of that dynasty!

The story of Yavanaswa, another king of the clan is more interesting and incredible! Disgusted with life since he had no children, he retired to the forest where the sages performed a yagna to   bestow him with a son. They kept a pot with sanctified water intended for the wife of the king. At midnight, Yavanaswa got thirsty and finding the pot with water, drank the contents unwittingly! The sages were shocked in the next morning to see the pot empty and wondered at the turn of the tide! After a few months, Yavavaswa’s right side swelled and he became pregnant!! Surgery followed and a baby boy was taken out! It was an extraordinary child and he cried with insatiable hunger even as he was born! Since it was Indra who was invoked to provide a child for the king, he came to satisfy the boy. He placed the right index finger into the mouth of the baby boy. The blessed boy drank the ‘amrita’- nectar that oozed from the finger and stopped crying!! Yavanaswa lived long and the boy was called Mandhata! He became one of the greatest emperors of the time and was called as the ‘ jewel of Kruta Yuga’!

Much more interesting and unbelievable is the story of Trisanku the son of Satyavrata who wanted to reach Heaven with his mortal body!  Surprised at this strange desire of his disciple, sage Vasishta refused and cursed him to become a chandala! Trisanku went to the great sage Viswamitra who accepted his request and performed a yagna! When Trisanku rose towards Heaven through the power of the yagna, the Devas stopped him at the gates and pushed him down! Sage Viswamitra prevented him from falling down and with the power of his penance created a separate Heaven for Trisanku to live in! He even created stars and was about to create an Indra when he was stopped by the Devas!  Trisanku remained in mid Heaven upsidedown and this state came to be known as “Trisanku Swarga”!

Khatwanga is another great king of the Ikshvaku clan noted for his valour and good righteous rule. It was usual for Devas to approach great monarchs on earth for help in fighting the asuras who used to attack them frequently! Indra again needed the king’s help and requested him to vanquish the asuras. Accordingly king Khatwanga drove out the asuras and pleased Indra. When Indra desired to grant a boon to the king, he wanted to know, strangely, how long he would live on earth! As a special favor Indra told king Khatwanga that he would live for one muhurta which is equal to just twenty minutes!! The king immediately gave up his princely life, family and all belongings! He went to the forest and performed tapas! He wanted to release himself from the cycle of birth and death and come out of the web of Maya or illusion!  Finally he surrendered himself to the Lord and merged into Him!

There were many more kings of this Ikshvaku clan who were brave, righteous and respected. They were noted for their good rule and frequently sought after by the Gods themselves! To us in this Kali Yuga, their lives and incidents may appear incredible and improbable! But they lived thousands and thousands of years ago in different societies noted for the practice of Santana Dharma and righteousness!!

HOW DEVAVRATA BECAME BHSHMA

How Devavrata Became Bhisma!

The story of Bhisma, the grand old man of Mahabharatha is as fascinating as it is rare and interesting! Here is a man with an iron will who sacrificed his life for the sake of his father and remained a confirmed bachelor throughout his life! But for him the Great Chandravamsa and the Kuru clan would not have come into existence? Who was this Bhishma and what were the circumstances that compelled him to take upon himself this great but terrible oath of celibacy? Legend has it that a great king Mahabhisha once went  to Indra, king of heaven. Attracted by his handsome appearance, Ganga, who happened to be there, casts amorous looks on him! Embarrassed at this objectionable behavior, Indra directs her to be the wife of King Mahabhisha in his next birth! Ashamed and downhearted at her indecent behavior, Ganga was on her way back. It was then that she met the “ashta vasus”-a group of celestials, who themselves were cursed to be born as mortals! In spite of the curse, the Vasus abhorred life as mortals and desired to return to heaven as early as possible.

Knowing her plight and predicament they made a request to her. They would  be born to her and that she should throw them all into the river as soon as they were born! This would enable them to go back to heaven. Time rolled on and Mahabhisha took birth as the great King Santanu. He fell in love with Ganga and asked for her hand! Remembering her promise to the eight Vasus, she agreed to marry king Santanu on condition that he should never object to her acts. Seven children were born and one by one she threw them into the river! king Santanu was aghast at this unprecedented cruelty of the mother. He could not tolerate the action of Ganga any more. When she was about to throw her eighth son into the river, he objected to her act and stopped her! Thus he breached his promise to her earlier. Ganga took her newborn son and left the king. The son was named Devavrata and grew up under the care of great gurus. He flowered into a young, energetic and handsome lad. Ganga brought her son back to king Santanu, explained all details and departed.

Now the king had a grown up son but no wife! Moving about his territory on an occasion, he happened to see an extraordinarily beautiful girl, Satyavati by name and fell in love with her. But her father was unwilling to offer her in marriage to the king since he had already a heir to the kingdom. He desired that the son born to his daughter Satyavati should be the heir to the kingdom of Santanu! His condition for marriage was against the principles of the era and dharma. King Santanu did not accede to the condition laid down by the father of  Satyavati.The king was very unhappy and worried. Observing his father and his worried look, Devavrata came to know the cause for his father’s worry and gloom. He went and met the father of Satyavati. He explained to him that there will be no bar for the son of Satyavati to become the heir to the kingdom of his father Santanu! But the words of Devavrata did not impress the father of the girl. He questioned how that can happen when Satyavrata was there already. After Satyavrata, his son shall be the king!

Satyavrata contemplated for awhile. His father’s happiness was the most important thing for him! He had to convince Satyavati’s father regarding the proper heir to the kingdom of his father. He cannot be the king after his father. The doubt that his son may become the heir to the Kingdom  had to be dispelled. Things became clear to him. He declared to Satyavati’s father that he would never marry  and remains celibate all through his life! Devavrata took this terrible oath for the happiness of his father sacrificing his personal desires! The Devas showered flowers on him for this rare virtue of personal pleasures and enjoyment! Thus this sacrifice is considered as terrible or. “bhisma!j” From thence onwards  Devavrata became BHISMA and called so by the world!

Satyavati’s sons Chitrangada and Vichitravirya died without children. But Vichitravirya married Ambika and Ambalika before his demise. Through the intervention of Sage Vyasa, Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura were born.The Kauravas and Pandavas thus were children of Dhritarashtra and Pandu respectively. Bhishma had the greatest responsibility of looking after them in every aspect of their growth and progress! In spite of his lofty stature, rectitude and valour, Bhishma was not at all happy as he was a silent spectator to all the misdeeds of the evil minded Kauravas! He was on the side of adharma and could not override the opinion and misdeeds of the Kauravas! He had the rare and divine quality of deciding the time of his death! Events conspired in his life and he had to die fighting against a transgender, Sikhandi!  Finally he chose ‘uttarayana’ period for his death and breathed his last! He was a towering personality who strikes us with awe  and surprise!

ON SIN OF BEING BORN

ON THE SIN OF BEING BORN

Birth is considered as “ adhi vyadhi”-original disease! Spirituality and philosophy  do not speak highly of birth. It is considered as a misery. Why are creatures born in this world? Philosophy argues that it is because of one’s karma or deeds good or bad.A person or a creature is born with the consequence of the deeds of his previous birth. He continues to perform deeds and accumulates the effect of his good and bad deeds which form the basis of his future birth and  its happiness or suffering. Thus birth is the result of “ prarabda, sanchitha and agami “ karmas. there is no escape from this cycle! That is what Adi Sankara points out: “ Punarapi jananam Punarapi maranam Punarapi janani jatare sayanam.” Is man satisfied in his birth? The answer is no! Under the influence of illusion or Maya he considers life as permanent and forgets  the purpose of his life on earth totally! Krishna was once asked what was the most miraculous thing in all creation, and he replied that a man should wake each morning and believe deep in his heart that he will live forever even though he knows that he is doomed!

His ‘ mamakara’ or attachment to his wife, children, property and kith and kin leads him to intense misery and the various vicissitudes of samsara or family life. More and more insatiable desires torment him and there is no escape from the resulting agony! Every second he loses his longevity, youth deserts him, days lost never return, time swallows up the whole universe, wealth blows up like the bubble on the waves of the sea and life itself is like the momentary flash of lightning! The sea of Samsara is fathomless and abysmal. It is shoreless. It is infested with alligator like wife and children who drag you down further! “ Life and death are illusion. We are in a constant state of transformation.” says a  writer! “ Life and death are one thread, the same line viewed from different sides” according to Lao Tse. According to Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher, “ The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our separate ways, I to die and you to live. Which of these is better only God knows.”

It follows, therefore, that birth is the  result of the sin or the punya that one has  accumulated! Is it possible to live without doing anything to avoid birth? Lord Krishna tells Arjuna that it is impossible. If there is no karma there is no birth! If the body is at rest the mind is active! Mental activity is also karma and that has its effect. As such man is caught in the inescapable grip of the cycle of birth and death! When can man release himself from this everlasting cycle? It is only after innumerable births and deaths after experiencing the effects of all previous births. After all this experience emancipation is granted as per the Sasthras  and philosophy. But that stage is very far and the chances are remote since karma and its effect is continuous and unstoppable!

Man should realize that the world he lives in is unreal! It is an illusion, a make believe. It weaves a web in which we are caught and think it is real! It is like the silver in the seashell. For a look it shines like silver but there is no silver in it! The shell is real but the shine of silver is deception! But we are carried away by the shine of silver and think it is real.  This feeling is also similar to a dream. So long as we dream we feel it is real. We sometimes laugh and cry, feel sad or happy. But the moment we open our eyes the realization dawns that, after all, it was a dream! We still live in this dreamy world imagining it to be real! The world itself is of temporary existence and is it not foolish to think that we would live forever?

How to avoid birth? It is impossible to stop karma or escape from the ordeals of experiencing its gruelling effects! Janmarahitya -- birthlessness can be achieved by an attempt to achieve the aim and purpose of our earthly existence!  We are born not to live to eat. We eat to live. The purpose of our birth is to realize ourselves!  We are the Indestructible 'atma’, a chip of the block of the Paramatma or the Brahma the Supreme Reality! We are not the body with which we identify ourselves! we are not the small i but the big I which is the Infinite! In that constant thought we release ourselves from all our attachments and entanglements. We grow spiritual, detached, meditate on the Supreme Reality, attain Jnana and eventually merge with the Supreme Being! This is called emancipation or salvation or mukti when birth is annulled!

TOTAL SURRENDER

TOTAL SURRENDER

Of the nine types of bhakthi or devotion the most important and the most difficult is total surrender or ‘saranagati’. -The! devotee totally resigns himself to the will of God! He throws all his responsibility on the Providence and involves himself in His meditation day in and day out. He has no other attachment to the material world. He puts himself into the protection of God and in turn God takes over the task of looking over the total welfare of the Bhaktha! The bhaktha is totally devoid of his ego which is the root cause of all entanglements in life. The story of Gajendra in the Bhagavata is a  classical example of how total surrender impels the Lord to run to the rescue of his bhaktha in dire distress! In the beautiful Trikuta range of mountains there was an orchard with a variety of fruits and a captivating lake with crystal clear water. Gajendra

came to the lake with his female elephants and began to play with them by splashing water on them and disturbing the stillness of the cool lake! Rudely shaken by the commotion created by Gajendra, the crocodile in the deep waters grew furious and caught one of the legs of  Gajendra!

Gajendra struggled to extricate itself from the firm clasp of the crocodile. But in vain.In it's arrogancce of power it tried it's best but the more it tried the stronger grew the hold of the crocodile since water was its natural habitat! The tug of war went on for many years and gradually Gajendra grew hopeless. He then thought of God and prayed to Him for succour! There was no other alternative but to pray for the grace of God! Now he resigned himself to the will of God and praised Him with great faith and devotion. He surrendered himself totally to the grace and will of the Almighty! “ You are the creator,protector, and destroyer of the universe. You are the sea of compassion! All creatures finally merge into you at length! The world is full of avidya! In ignorance I thought I could win with my strength and now realize the futility of my effort! I want to get rid of the cycle of birth and death! Save me from the jaws of this monstrous crocodile! I entirely depend on your Grace! O Lord! kindly come to my rescue!” said Gajendra in his pathetic plight.

Potana, the celebrated Telugu poet describes the reaction and response of Lord Vishnu to the sincere prayer of Gajendra very beautifully! He was reclining in Vakunta in the company of Lakshmi Devi when he heard the prayers of Gajendra. Suddenly He got up and started to run! He did not release himself from the apron of his spouse! He did not summon Garuda his mount! He did not care to take the famous conch and the Sudarsana Chakra? Lakshmi wondered at the haste with which her Lord ran! Soon she followed him and with her the conch, Chakra and other Devas amazed at the anxiety and speed of the Lord! Gajendra saw his saviour, Lord Vishnu and lifting his trunk presented Him a lotus as an offering! The Lord was pleased and with the Chakra he killed the ferocious alligator and released Gajendra from its deathly grasp! Lo! Behold! From the dead body for the crocodile emerged a form bright and radiant with heavenly glow!

The form that came out of the dead crocodile was that of Huhu, a Gandharva who was cursed by the sage Devala! He dragged the toe of the sage while he was performing penance standing in water! Huhu apologized for his mischief and requested the sage for relief from the curse.The sage said that when Lord Vishnu comes to save Gajendra, he would be free from the curse and regain his original form! Gajendra in his previous birth was the Pandya King Indradyumna. He was pious and a devotee of Lord Vishnu. He was in deep meditation when sage Agasthya came. The king, in his thoughts on God, did not notice the sage and receive him with due honor! The sage took this attitude as the quality of ‘thamasa’ and cursed him to be an elephant! With the benign touch of the Lord the elephant transformed into the King Indradyumna! Though he became an elephant he remembered his previous birth because of his devotion to the Lord! Thus Indradyumna attained mukti and Huhu regained his Gandharva form!

So long as man believes in his physical and mental strength and becomes proud and arrogant God does not help him. It is only when he throws up his hands in despair and hopelessness and prays sincerely for his Grace, does God respond! In the Kaurava court, while Draupadi was being disrobed Krishna did not come to her rescue immediately! When she gave up all her attempts to save her own chastity and called upon the Lord sincerely did Krishna grant her His Grace and a never ending series of saris to protect her! There are many instances of total surrender in the lives of our ancient saints like the Azwars and the Nayanmars who lived in God and never cared for themselves. It was God himself who cared for them and demonstrated that he takes over all the responsibilities of his devotees if only they surrendered to Him in true faith and devotion!