Human beings talk of their enemies, but does God have enemies? Who can be inimical to God? Why would God see anyone as His enemy? Gomatam Sampathkumarachariar said Lord Narayana sees the enemies of His devotees as His enemies. Lord Krishna goes to the Kaurava capital, as a messenger of the Pandavas, to ask Duryodhana to be more reasonable in his dealings with the Pandavas. Vidura welcomes the Lord into his residence, and the Lord stays with him. Upset by this, Duryodhana asks Krishna why He had stayed with Vidura and not with him (Duryodhana) in the royal palace. Krishna replies that Duryodhana is opposed to the Pandavas and is therefore His enemy. The Pandavas are devoted to Him, and anyone who is their enemy becomes His enemy too. Thus, the Lord’s attachment to His devotees is unsurpassed.
That is why the Lord is seen as the sole refuge by those with bhakti. He is like a mother to His devotees. When Draupadi is sought to be shamed in Duryodhana’s court, Draupadi realises that no one can save her, except Lord Krishna. So she calls out to Him, and He keeps her from being shamed. The Lord is known as Hari. He who destroys danger is known as Hari. And who but the Lord can destroy the dangers we confront?
Parasara Bhattar explains the complete trust a bhakta has in the Lord by giving an example. Suppose a man who is newly married is taking his wife to his house. On the way, a thorn pricks her foot. Until then, she has been holding her husband’s hand with fondness. But the moment the thorn pricks her foot, she doesn’t cry out to him, but calls out to her mother, who might not even be there at the time! That is because she is used to placing her trust in her mother all these years. She knows her mother will come to her help the moment she knows her daughter needs help. Likewise, the moment he is in trouble, a devotee calls out to the Lord rather than to any human being present on the scene. The Lord is referred to as Bhagavan. The word Bhagavan is used to indicate that He is the One who possesses knowledge (gnana), energy (sakti) and strength (bala), wealth (aisvarya), valour (veerya) and brilliance ( tejas).
