Unsurpassed servitor – The Hindu
In Sri Vaishnava terminology, the word sesha is used for devotees of Lord Narayana, and the Lord is called seshi. The seshas must serve the Lord. The Lord is easily pleased. Visiting temples, offering Him flowers, participating in utsavas — all of these please Him. However, there is one devotee of the Lord, who is…
In Sri Vaishnava terminology, the word sesha is used for devotees of Lord Narayana, and the Lord is called seshi. The seshas must serve the Lord. The Lord is easily pleased. Visiting temples, offering Him flowers, participating in utsavas — all of these please Him. However, there is one devotee of the Lord, who is unsurpassed in the services he offers to the Lord. That devotee is the serpent Adi Sesha, elaborated V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. As a servitor of the Lord, he has no match. Poigai Azhvar, in one of his verses, describes the various ways in which the serpent serves Lord Narayana. If the Lord decides to stand, the serpent spreads its hood over His head and serves as an umbrella. If He wants to sit, the serpent becomes a throne for Him to sit on. If He decides to recline in the milky ocean, the serpent becomes a comfortable bed. The serpent also serves as His garment at times. If it is dark and the path needs to be lighted, the serpent shows the way, using the brightness of the gem in its hood. So in such cases, the serpent becomes a lamp too.
This pasuram of Poigai Azhvar is significant because it not only sheds light on the multifarious duties of the serpent Adi Sesha, all of which he performs with enthusiasm, but it also shows us the importance of devotion to the Lord. It shows us that our bhakti should be selfless. We must not expect any quid pro quo from the Lord. Compared to what Adi Sesha does for the Lord, what can we do? And yet, we are ready with a list of demands from the Lord, expecting a reward for every little offering of ours to Him. A visit to a temple must be to take in the beauty of the form of the Lord, to concentrate on Him, without letting our thoughts wander. It must not be with a view to getting something from Him.
Published – April 03, 2025 04:56 am IST
