GLORIFYING VISHNU: ONLY REAL WAY TO HONOUR

ARVIND K. PANDEY

Incarnations of Lord play a substantial role in changing the course of human beings. However, it’s the most difficult task to ascertain the exact cause of Lord’s will to play the role of human being. Without taking a shot in the wilderness it could , however, be safely assumed that it’s main purpose is to put a tab on the cycle of abuses ,which come to environ ‘jeeva’ in absence of right path. Perhaps, it allows human beings to restore their loss of well being and thus becoming divine and enlightened. At least, this is what Lord Vishnu does whenever he walks on earth like one of us. He is “Purusa-uttamah” so says he in Chap.15 of Geeta; “Because I am transcendental , beyond both fallible and the infallible, and because I am the greatest, I am celebrated both in the world and in the Vedas as that Supreme Person.” Proclaiming about his various manifestations he dispels all doubts in regard to his incarnations: “Although I am unborn an my transcendental body never deteriorates , and although I am the Lord of all entities I still appear in every millennium in My original transcendental form.”(Geeta Chap.4 Sl.6)Owing to limitations of intellect it’s not possible it’s not possible for human beings to recollect memories of his past births but Lord is not only aware of them but also plays a instrumental role at crucial junctures as we keep on moving from one plane to another.

Lord Vishnu holds a dignified place among the trinity, which is responsible for creation, preservation and annihilation. Puranic tales suggest us that he is the most sought after help in times of crisis. Time and again one finds Devas ,Rishis and Mother Earth at his abode with set of their woes. Only because they are aware of the fact that no one else other than Him has the power to provide them solace. Lord Vishnu represents the Virat(the macro cosmic consciousness) whose individual version is referred to as Visva.The letter A in “AUM” represents Visva; the letter ‘U’ is associated with Taijasa and the letter ‘M’ stands for Prajna.In their collective form they are called namely Virat,Sutra and Akasa.For the masses they are their Vishnu, Brahma and Mahesh.As per Vedantic perception the goal of human beings is to establish the identity of the individual and the Universal soul. Lord Vishnu states without trace of ambiguity that “I am Vasudeva,the all-pervading Supreme spirit and I am “AUM”.In our age modernity has reduced the scope of entering into Nirvikalpa Samadhi—a state in which the duality of subject and object no longer remains .Paradoxically speaking, its inherent contradictions serve as blessing in disguise. The very glamour of the present world could act as the medium to explore our inner world rather than turning into source of distraction. After all, a man chasing mirage can never catch it. It’s matter of time when the real quest begins.

In Uddhava Gita Lord Krishna says, “I am the self of all creatures, their friend and Lord; I am all creature, and the cause of their birth, life and death.” Man is basically governed by baser instincts, failing to distinguish between ‘Shreya’ and ‘Preya’—the desirable and the lovable. Often human beings are trapped between the deep sea and the devil, being in tune with goals that are secondary in nature but because of third deep attachment with them giving the impression of “Shreya’ .Only those actions deserve to be equator with “Shreya” that work in the direction of creating an ideal society. The host of great devotees like Nachiketa,Dhruva and Prahalada were all young but still they had the discrimination power (Viveka) of the highest order. Lord Vishnu too protected them in unheard ways.In other words, faith in Lord creates a way where no way exists. On the other hand, bonds established with the worldly objects wither away with time no matter how strong they are, leading to a state from where returning becomes impossible .Purusa-suktam which depicts the glory of Lord Vishnu states that our visible Universe is just a minuscule portion of his Leela. Therefore, using viveka a conscious individual should take steps to ensure his spiritual growth. If we take a look at the incarnations of Lord Vishnu one would notice that they have been in sync with needs of time, to an extent that He appeared as Lord Buddha to curb the negative impact of the rituals. Which is why his serenity left his followers spell bound as simplicity came to attain new dimensions. As Krishna his words got crystallized as “the song-divine—the Bhagavasd Geeta”, whose impact transcended ma made barriers, proving that Lord is not confined to concerns guided by narrow-considerations. Keeping in mind the binding power of Geeta let me state in jest that lord Krishna vibes well with the global aura.

Well ,natural order of spirituality demands that Lord should always be our guiding star and mentor if we are truly interested in attaining a balance between head and heart. In order to enable Lord to play the role of sheet anchor it’s necessary that a right bent of mind is employed in ascertaining the purpose of life .Viewed in perspective, incarnations of Lord are merely aimed at strengthening our spiritual beliefs. But seekers feel threatened by the grave challenges posed by the murky developments that have eroded the confidence level of average human beings. In order to overcome such problems Swami Chinmayananda suggests that “ such a seeker can discover his inner peace and joyous enthusiasm only when he continues his diligent inquiry ,and discovers and learns to perceive the logical rhythm and the scientific contents of this apparently crazy confusions of happenings ,an equally brutal behavior of things and beings around him.”According to Sri Nisarga Datta Maharaj the way to attain supreme goal is to “wait in silence of the heart an mind. It is very easy to be quiet, but willingness is rare. Stay without ambition ,without the least desire exposed, vulnerable, unprotected uncertain and alone, completely open to and welcoming life as it happens ,without the selfish conviction that all must yield you pleasure or profit, material or so called spiritual”. Yes, it’s safer to have Vishnu in heart and mind than to be on the road to nowhere with baggage full of distortions.