Vishwamitra draws attention to the ancient lore associated with the various rivers, hills, hermitages, etc, when he leads Rama and Lakshmana through the forests. At every moment of their stay, the sage, aware of Rama’s Paratva, is overwhelmed by His grace that has given him the chance to be His teacher and be near Him. Many a time, the sage is moved to such heights that he wants to propitiate Rama and offer surrender directly at His feet. But owing to his role as their teacher, instead of the sage prostrating at the Lord’s feet, Rama does so in reverence to him every morning and evening.
In a discourse, Asuri Sri Madhavachariar drew attention to the view of interpreters, who state that when Vishwamitra relates the story of Vamana avatar to Rama, he is overwhelmed with the bhava to offer his surrender to Him. The sage describes how then, the devas had propitiated the effulgent Vamana, and quotes their very words in praise of the Lord. “You are without beginning or end and in your divine form we perceive the entire universe. We seek surrender at your feet.” The Lord chooses to reveal Himself to those devout souls who meditate on Him in earnest. This is evident in His vibhava and archa avatars.
Krishna blesses and rewards Akrura with His divine vision when the latter leads Him and Balarama to the court of Kamsa. Azhwars behold the very Lord in the archa form in temples. Such enlightenment, also known by the terms jnana, awareness or realisation, is used in the context of an individual’s perception of the highest reality in the inner consciousness. It is a state which is attained by the grace of the Lord and the acharya by one who continues to do upasana and meditation on the Truth at all times. It is a state that transcends study and learning of the sastras.
