Hari
OM
Application - that is what 'Workings-days' are about!
The Mukundamala
of King Kulashekhara is the focus, currently, as we seek to raise our devotion.
The
first action of devotion must always be to call upon the Higher and give
description to its qualities. Give it what name you will. In this text, it is
Mukunda.
ïivLl_aeit
vrdeit dyapreit
_a´iàyriy
_avlu{Qnkaeivdeit,
Naweit
nagzyneit jgiÚvase-
Tyalapn<
àitpd< kué ma< mukuNd.2.
Shri-vallabheti
vara-det dayaa-pareti
Bhakta-preyeti
bhava-lunthana-kovedeti,
Naatheti
naaga-shayaneti jagan-nivaaseti
Aalaapanam
prati-padam kuru maam mukunda ||2||
O, Mukunda! Kindly make me engage in crying out (as
did beloved Lakshmi), the giver of boons, the compassionate One, the beloved of
devotees, the expert in destroying worldly sorrows, the Master, the One resting
on a snake, the One in whom the whole universe exists.
The
cry is not one of sorrow, but of joy. A deep request to be pulled towards the
one called and to identify with Him. It is natural for us to turn towards that
with which most strongly identify. It is the very same desire which drives the
nature of 'fandom' in the modern world, youngsters seeing something they really
want to be themselves in their favourite actors and singers. This is the level
of yearning in this verse.
The
devotee of a spiritual 'idol', though, goes beyond merely calling the name of
the desired in the hopes of being seen. He or she acknowledges and names some
of things which their Beloved is and does.
The
'giver of boons' is quite
self-explanatory; it also recognises the Beloved as having status of giver in
the same way a parent might be seen. That same parent might be expected, as is
Mukunda here, to exhibit compassion to the devotee, being understanding and
tolerant of the devotee's weaknesses. This adds to the 'bhaava' - the love the
devotee has for the Beloved - just when you think you cannot love any more,
another drop comes, such is the nature of the Lord. Equally, when we are
distressed, it is the parents to whom we turn and they do their best to
alleviate our anxiety. How much more so can the Lord, if we allow it?
Why
might the snake be mentioned? Mukunda is Shri Krishna, associated with cows.
Forget not, though, He is also an avatar of Shri Vishnu, who does lie upon a
serpent, whose name is Adishesha. Krishna-ji tells Arjuna in chapter three of
the Bhagavad Gita, that if he did not work continuously (setting an example)
the people would 'follow' (copy) Him and thus He would have been the cause of
the world's destruction. In this way, He takes the blame for people's laziness!
It also refers to His true identity as Vishnu. The name of the snake, is 'adi'
which means beginning, and 'shesha' which means end. This equates to the Alpha
and Omega of the Christian tradition. The Lord makes sure of the continued
functions of the world as per divine law from the beginning of time and will do
so till the end of time - all whilst seeming to take it easy on the back of a
snake… the best manager is the one who doesn't manage! By being present and
ensuring that all are doing each the task assigned them, that is the true skill
of management. All this is acknowledged by citing the snake in this verse.
Finally,
it is as well to remember that the face and name we give the Lord as we
perceive him is still only a part of the whole, for the universe exists within
and without this power. It means, too that this world we think we know, is
nothing but Him only. What is more, Vishnu is still only a part of that whole
which is Brahman - that from which all arises, all resides, and all goes back
into.
