The Lord’s magnanimity

October 01, 2021 09:28 pm | Updated 09:28 pm IST

The Lord is the sole creator of this manifold creation, actions etc, but these do not bind Him in any way. All beings in creation are under His control. But the jiva, being endowed with jnana, desire and prayatna, effort, is solely responsible for his actions good and bad. But all actions of all jivas are under the control of the Lord, says the Brahmasutra.

In a discourse, Asuri Sri Madhavachariar drew attention to the way Vedanta Desika explains the relationship between the Lord’s control with respect to the jivatma’s actions from five stances or viewpoints. The Lord is primarily the ‘Karayitha,’ the facilitator, by whose will the jiva is able to think, act, etc. Second, He is the ‘Karta,’ the doer, as He alone can grant the fruits of every jiva’s actions. He is the doer also from the angle of His engagement with Srishti, Stiti, Samhara, etc. He is ‘Upekshaka,’ that is, He maintains distance from the jivatma’s actions, which are driven by each one’s individual karma. He neither interferes nor does He prevent. He is ‘Anumantha,’ that is, He allows and permits the actions while being a witness to everything.

Finally, He is the Sahakari, the helper, who supports all our actions. He is the unseen force behind every action in creation including a blade of grass. But for His help no jiva can move even his little finger. To highlight the extent of the Lord’s contribution in the jiva’s achievements, the acharya uses the analogy of how when carrying a heavy load, the strong tend to bear the weighty burden and leave the weightless portion to the weak. More than that, when a jivatma surrenders to Him, He carries the burden of our karma and relieves us of all our sins to grant moksha. The Lord’s magnanimity is such that He goes out of the way to help the jiva out of samsara.

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