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Shree • January 3, 1998 


The Supreme Being is impartial 

              Date: 03-01-1998 :: Pg: 24 :: Col: c 

              Cl: Religion 

              CHENNAI, Jan. 3. 

              It is reiterated in the scriptures that the Supreme
              Being does not show partiality for anyone and
              showers His grace on all who are devoted to Him
              and surrender to Him. A perusal of the scriptures
              will show that the celestials (Devas) had always
              enjoyed His bountiful grace. Does this mean that
              the Lord had been partial in their case? Such a
              doubt was raised by King Pareekshit during the
              course of listening to the Bhagavata Purana from
              Sage Suka. The king submitted, ``How did the
              Lord who is alike to everyone and is the beloved
              friend of all created beings, kill the demons (the
              sons of Diti) for the sake of Indra like a partial
              being, O holy one?'' 

              In his discourse on the Narayaneeyam Sri B.
              Sundar Kumar said, the sage explained the
              reason for this by relating His incarnation of
              Narasimha in the unique form of a man-lion for
              the sake of protecting His child-devotee Prahlada
              who suffered untold sufferings at the hands of his
              own father, the demon-king Hiranyakasipu. The
              Almighty incarnates whenever there arises an
              occasion to punish those who pose a threat to
              Dharma and in the process trouble those who
              adhere to the path of Dharma. 

              Hiranyakasipu who started hating the Lord after
              his brother Hiranyaksha was punished by Him
              went to the extent of threatening everyone to
              accept Him as the most powerful in all the worlds
              and punished any one who dared to praise the
              Supreme Being. It is ironical that Hiranyakasipu's
              own son Prahlada grew up to be a great devotee
              of the Lord and the Almighty Himself incarnated
              to save His devotee by assuming the form of
              Narasimha to fulfil the conditions of the boons
              Hiranyakasipu had obtained to make himself
              invincible. He did so because the demon-king had
              violated Dharma and troubled others who
              pursued the righteous path. 

              That the Lord considers it His duty to punish the
              sinful was explained by Sage Narada to Yudishtra
              during the Rajasuya sacrifice he conducted when
              the Lord had to kill Sisupala but He also blessed
              him when all in the assembly were witness to the
              manner in which the soul of Sisupala merged into
              Lord Krishna. 

              When Yudishtra remarked that the Lord had
              granted the most beatific state to one who had
              insulted Him, which was the end sought by those
              who were exclusively devoted to Him, it was
              Narada instead who resolved his doubt. There
              have been exceptions like Kamsa, Hiranyakasipu
              and Sisupala who realised God because they
              remembered Him due to fear or hatred. But saints
              have cautioned that these cases are exceptions
              and when the royal path of devotion is open to all
              one should not resort to such means. 

-- 
Regards,
Shree
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