Navaneetham - Guruvayoor / Guruvayur

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The Lord had only intended to subdue
Indra’s pride. He had no intention to
hinder the course of Karma, the rituals.
Therefore, these words, though
seemingly opposed to the tenets of the
scriptures, should not be taken literally.
Nandagopa replied to the omniscient
Lord thus: “O son! All necessities of life
(vegetables, etc.,) for men depend on
rain for their sustenance -especially so
for us. For, our cows-- our entire
wealth-- depend for their very lives on
grass and water. It is thus clear that
rain is indispensable for us and the cows,
which are our source of livelihood.
This rain, which brings happiness to all
in the world, occurs in time, year after
year, thanks to Indra’s grace. It is,
therefore, necessary that every year, we
conduct gratefully and humbly, a
sacrifice for Indra who is unrivalled in
power. The time for this year’s sacrifice
has arrived. It is the preparation for that
Yajna, that we are now happily engaged
in. Men should propitiate God by
offerings of oblations in Yajnas. And
Gods should bless men by timely rain,
etc. By such exchanges, they become
mutually supportive and considerate. If
men become indifferent to Yajnas and
the like, they will become sinners or
thieves. He who enjoys all the gifts
bestowed on him without giving gifts in
return, is surely a thief. So, everyone
should perform the Yajna and suchlike
rites as enjoined in the scriptures.”
On hearing father Nanda’s reply, The
Lord, refuting his statement, did say with
reasoning, but in a pleasing manner,
‘Alas! What a blind belief is this? I do
not accept it. It is not true that Indra
causes rain to fall. Rain falls or fails to
fall, depending upon the good and bad
deeds of living beings.
For the past actions, the latent effects of
which are referred to as Apurva or
adrishta, which make themselves
evident only in course of time, although
one cannot attribute a causation to them,
they are related to the Atman as
precursors in determining the next
transmigratory cycle of the Jiva and the
nature of the being it is to be born as.
These latent effects are, indeed, directly
responsible for the pleasure and pain, the
being experiences. Thus, a being is
born by force of Karma (past actions),
by force of Karma alone, it dies, and by
force of Karma alone, it experiences
pleasure and pain, is subject to fear, and
enjoys security. Therefore, to accept the
theory that there is a deity called ‘Indra’
as the giver of rain is just a delusion.
Or, even if such a theory is accepted,
such a deity can never do anything to us.
Just to keep you happy, let us assume the
presence of such a deity. But how did he
attain such a place of superiority and
splendour? It can only be said that this
particular Jiva, the incumbent of that
position, has attained that state by virtue
of its past actions. If so, it follows that
Indra, too, is subject to Karma. Even if
such a Jiva, subject to Karma, attains
divinity, how can it be capable of
blessing and inflicting punishment based
on its own whims and fancies? If such
great powers can be vested in a Jiva, is it
not quite possible that we, too, by
observance of such karmic austerities,
attain the state of Indra and freely
exercise these powers to realize our
desires ? To think of it, it is wrong to
say that ‘if Indra pleases, it rains;
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