Among the Supreme One’s many avataras, the Varaha avatara is particularly important, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse. Bhu Devi asks Varaha to suggest some easy way for atmas to be liberated. Varaha says that a person must think of Him when he is healthy in mind and body. If such a person is unable to think of Him when he is on his deathbed, then that does not mean that the Lord will not grant him liberation. The Lord will think of the person’s devotion and will grant him moksha.
The Lord pointing to such an easy route for us is significant. One can resort to one of the three yogas spoken of in the Bhagavad Gita. But there are many hurdles that we will have to surmount. One may resort to bhakti yoga, and may focus on Him throughout one’s life. But the last thoughts of a person must be of the Lord for bhakti yoga to have its effect of achieving liberation for the jivatma. If a person’s last thoughts are not of Him, then an entire life spent in bhakti will still not get him the desired result, namely moksha. This difficulty is avoided if we surrender to Him when we are strong and healthy. So, thinking of Him when the end is near is not necessary.
But then it may be argued that if this is the case, then it goes against the Sastras which say that ‘thought’ is necessary at the end of one’s life. That it is not so is explained by Acharyas. They point out that the Lord in the Varaha avatara promises that He will think of a person’s devotion to Him. So thought is not absent. The only difference is that instead of the jivatma doing the thinking, it is the Paramatma who does the thinking! It is because Varaha revealed such an easy way to attain moksha that He is known krtAnta krt — the One who gave us a valuable krtAnta (siddhanta).
