Below is the discourse "The Lord's Feet" as published by AMPS Publishers in "The Electronic Edition of the Works of PR Sarkar":
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The Lord's Feet
December 1971, Patna
Tripurásura, the father of Gayásura, was a great devotee of Lord Viśńu [a mythological god]. Many devotees of Lord Shiva [a great yogi worshipped as the Lord] wanted him to become a devotee of Shiva instead. But how could Tripurasura go against his Iśt́a [beloved goal of life]? “Though I know that there is no difference between Viśńu and Shiva, for me everything is Lord Viśńu, for He is my Iśt́a. ”
But the devotees of Lord Shiva still put pressure on Tripurásura, in order to see him also become a devotee of Shiva. His conversion might have been possible if the worshippers of Shiva had made a logical appeal to Tripurásura’s understanding that there is actually no difference between Lord Shiva and Lord Viśńu, and that both are only the functional counterparts of Parama Puruśa. But under the pressure put on him by the devotees of Lord Shiva, Tripurásura initiated a crusade against all the devotees of Lord Shiva, until he finally came upon Shiva Himself. But however powerful Tripurásura was, how could he fight against Lord Shiva? He was defeated by Lord Shiva and met his death.
After the death of Tripurásura, his son, Gayásura, became the king. He, too, was a devotee of Lord Viśńu. He worshipped Him with all his heart and devotion, and finally succeeded in attaining a boon of immortality: not to be killed by man, demon or god, in earth, heaven or hell, by day, night, evening or morning. Endowed with such a great power, Gayásura went all over the world conquering people, torturing them and making their lives miserable. None were spared – not even the devotees of Viśńu or Shiva.
But as the saying goes, “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Gayásura, who had received his power from Lord Viśńu, thought to defeat the Lord Himself. Is not the tamboura [a musical instrument used by Shiva] a fool if it thinks that the persons bowing before the Lord are, in fact, paying respect to it? Gayásura started thinking that the great power he possessed was actually his power. He finally challenged Lord Viśńu, and since Viśńu Himself had granted the boon, how could it fail? Viśńu was defeated by Gayásura. Gayásura bound Viśńu to a tree and then went all over the world with a very bloated ego.
When things had become intolerable for the people, they approached Lord Viśńu, still tied to the tree, and recounted their miseries, requesting Him to do something. Viśńu pleaded helplessness, as He Himself was in a precarious condition! Then the devotees reminded the Lord that He had given the boon of immortality to Gayásura in the physical realm only. The devotees urged Lord Viśńu to use His psychic and spiritual power to defeat Gayásura, and relieve the people of their miseries. Lord Viśńu assured them that He would do something in the matter.
When Gayásura returned to Lord Viśńu to offer his prayers, Viśńu said, “Gayásura! I once gave you what you asked, and you have defeated me. You should now give me a boon.” Gayásura readily agreed to it. Viśńu then asked that Gayásura be turned into stone. Gayásura had no alternative but to say, “So be it.”
Gradually Gayásura’s legs started turning to stone. When he was stone up to his waist, he said, “Wait! I have three conditions!” His first condition was that the Lord put His two feet in Gayásura’s heart. The Lord agreed to it, but asked the reason for such a condition.
Gayásura said, “So that people should know that the feet of the Lord are always in the heart of a devotee, good or bad.”
The second condition was that all those who had the Lord’s feet in their hearts would surely get liberation. The Lord agreed to this also.
The third and last condition of the almost petrified Gayásura was, “If even a single person having the Lord’s feet in his heart fails to get liberation, then this petrified Gayásura will again become a living Gayásura.” Lord Viśńu agreed to it. Very soon Gayásura was turned completely into stone.
This story, from one of the Puráńas [ancient scriptures] has the following three lessons for humanity. First, the Lord will seat Himself in the heart of the devotee without bothering Himself about the nature of that person, good, or bad. It is enough to be a devotee, in order to have the Lord inside. Second, all those who have the Lord’s feet in their hearts are bound to get liberation – liberation is a sure guarantee for them. Third, since Gayásura had been turned to stone by the Lord, and since He would again arise if anyone having the Lord inside failed to be liberated, the Lord would have to grant liberation to all such persons for all time to come; it is a matter of the Lord’s prestige!
December 1971, Patna
