The Lord’s munificence

Every individual has to contend with the constant clash

between the desire for salvation and desires for worldly

attainments. When Kardama Prajapati, born of the shadow of Brahma, was instructed to propagate the human race, he began meditating on the Lord for ten thousand years.

Pleased with his penance, the Lord, mounted on Garuda,

appeared before him. Kardama was overwhelmed at this vision and burst forth in eulogy. The Lord blessed him and said he would marry Devahuti, the daughter of Swayambhuva  Manu and that he would have nine daughters. The Lord also told him that He would be born

as his tenth child Kapila.

The Lord’s munificence is boundless and it is the Jivatma’s

good fortune that this bounty far exceeds what one deserves, said Sri V. S. Karunakarachariar in a  lecture. Not only is He ready to grant the wishes of His devotees, but He is also keen to mitigate their sorrows. Azhwars and Acharyas have

extolled this compassion where the Lord’s gifts appear disproportionate to the merits of the devotee. Even a small act like doing an Anjali, a gesture beseeching  Him with folded palms, is enough to melt Him with grace and concern.

Kardama, whose vision of the Lord would have given him salvation, was granted the purpose of his penance — married life. The marriage of Kardama and Devahuti was arranged by God’s  will. Devahuti served Kardama  with faith and sincerity even as he was totally involved in worship of the Lord. He then realised that time had flown. Had he not taken Devahuti for granted and by ignoring the demands of

domestic life?

He decided to make amends and by the power of his penance, brought youth into their life. Nine daughters were born to the couple. He then wanted to renounce life and seek salvation. But he remembered the Lord's promise and awaited His birth. A Jivatma’s natural tendency is to seek God through devotion and human birth is ideally suited

for devotional practices. But this natural inclination gets disrupted when the artificial trappings of the world beckon and distract us from our purpose