Divine couple

October 19, 2014 09:50 pm | Updated May 23, 2016 04:39 pm IST

In his Mummani Kovai, Vaishnavite Acharya Vedanta Desika talks of the auspicious qualities of the Supreme One. This world is like the little water bubbles that appear, when it rains. The water bubbles look pretty, but soon disappear. During the deluge, this world disappears, and the only One who remains is Lord Narayana, said M.K. Srinivasan, in a discourse.

In his Achyuta Satakam, a work in Prakrit, Vedanta Desika expresses the same idea. He says that devotees of the Lord will not aspire even to positions such as that of Brahma, because they know that even these exalted positions are like disappearing water bubbles. Lord Narayana is the essence of the Vedas. Lord Narayana has Mahalakshmi as His Consort. He is the One who is associated with all kinds of auspiciousness and wealth. His association with Mahalakshmi makes Him auspicious. And He in turn constitutes Her wealth. Thus with regard to auspiciousness, the Divine Couple play mutually supportive roles, and together they bless their devotees.

Vedanta Desika says in his Mummani Kovai, that just as the Moon and its cool light are inseparable, so are the Lord and His Consort inseparable. In the Ramayana, Sita says that She cannot be separated from Rama. Just as the Sun and its brightness cannot be separated, so it is with Her and Rama. But Desika uses the Moon as an example, rather than the Sun, because he is talking about the Lord’s grace, and the cool, soothing light of the Moon becomes a more apt example than the harsh rays of the Sun. Parasara Bhatta says that whenever the Supreme One is spoken of, the Goddess too is indicated. He is Supreme because of His inseparable association with Her.

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