Poigai Azhvar, in one of his pasurams, says Lord Narayana takes the form in which we want to worship Him. He is glad to be called by whatever name you prefer to call Him, said Kidambi Narayanan, in a discourse. One day, when Parasara Bhatta returned from worshipping Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam, his sishyas asked him if he had had good darshan. Parasara Bhatta replied that he had seen both Rama and Krishna in Ranganatha. His sishyas were puzzled. How was this possible, they asked. Bhatta explained that Ranganatha was chubby and this reminded him of Krishna, who feasted on butter. But while this explanation seemed acceptable, how could he also have seen Rama? Despite being born in a royal family, Rama had spent fourteen years in the forest, living a frugal life.
Bhatta said Rama never had the attitude of a royal and had always been humble before elders and learned sages. Viswamitra had promised to bring back Rama to Ayodhya when His tasks were finished. At the end of the period, Rama did not ask Viswamitra if He could go back. Instead He said to the sage: “I am your servant. Is there anything else you want me to do?” Valmiki says that when elders arrived, Rama willingly gave up His seat for them, and did not hesitate to sit on the floor. During the Panguni utsava in Srirangam, Ranganayaki looks majestic. But Ranganatha looks like one paying respects to someone. Witnessing this, Parasara Bhatta was reminded of Lord Rama. It is the archa form which evokes such emotional responses in His ardent devotees. And one cannot help marvelling at the archa form. The Lord owns everything, and yet He accepts our simple offerings. His strength is unmatched and yet He waits for us to worship Him. Such is the greatness of the archa form.
