A measureless ocean of kindness is what is meant by apara karuna sindhum. Kindness can only be had by the person who is better endowed than the other. This endowment is in terms of jnana, bhakti, and vairagya.
Jnana is qualified knowledge. If the person who goes “inside” the movie and gets immersed in the ups and downs of the story may suffer the sorrow of the storyline and grieve. The one with the jnana that it is only a temporary act, an illusion at the best, and doesn’t exist in “reality” shall take the sorrowful scenes with detachment and get unaffected by them. it is true to the acts of our life as well, when the ephemeral nature of the world is remembered in every thought and acted in every deed, there is no moha and shoka (false identification and sorrow). This is easier said than lived.
Bhakti is pure devotion. The qualifying pure here is required as there is no quid-pro-quo arrangement in the bhakti. One doesn’t worship for the sake of reaping a few benefits. Bhakti ideally is from the higher level of love where one identifies with the other, in this case, God Almighty. God is a looked-up form to which we attribute all good qualities. One of which is karuna, kindness. From Karuna stems empathy, the quality required at a human level to stretch the hand to the person in the need. If we observe the conduct of the elephants or monkeys when their associate is trapped, they surround and try to help. Humans are an exception. They derive vicarious pleasure or make use of the opportunity. The third quality is vairagya. Raga is often referred to as biased perception. Without raga is called “vi+raga” or “vairagya”. This quality is essential to stay balanced so that one can help others.
Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham’s Swami Chandrasekhara Saraswati demonstrated the above qualities during his time. For more than eight decades he was touring and in touch with devotees, guiding them on material and spiritual matters. His kindness, empathy, and ready-to-help approach made him the master of heart for millions. The phrase “apaara karuna sindhum” refers to him, and was revered as “walking god”.
(Prof S Ainavolu is a teacher of tradition and management. He is with VPSM, Navi Mumbai. Views are personal. You can read more at https://www.ainavolu.in/blog)
