Talk:The Bhakta and Bhagavān become One

By Vishal Agarwal

The Bhakti Yogī’s intensity of love melts his individuality to merge with the Divine Personality. He becomes a reflection of the Divine, radiating His glory and splendor.

There is no difference between the Lord and His devotees. Nārada Bhakti Sūtra 41

For such a Bhakta, the Lord becomes his personal Protector and Savior

The entire universe is My body. Neither birth not death has any effect on me. When one gives oneself to Me with the firm belief that I am his everlasting support, I think of him at the time of his death and rush to his side even if he has no control over his senses, with his body appearing like a log or stone. I lead him to My supreme abode, where he performs eternal service to Me. Varāha Purāṇa 114.65-65

Several narratives in the Hindu tradition illustrate this principle in various ways. A very popular theme is of Hanuman opening his chest with his hands to show the image of Rama and Sita enthroned in his heart.

The following story depicts the identity of Shankardeva merging in Vishnu to the extent that others saw Vishnu in him.

A Muslim Tailor sees Bhagavān Vishnu in a Hindu Saint

Many people believed that Sant Shankaradeva was an incarnation of the four armed Bhagavān. King Nara Narayana of the kingdom of Kuch Behar in upper Bengal and lower Assam (in eastern India) had become a disciple of Shankaradeva. He wanted to gift a coat to Shankaradeva and deputed his royal tailor Chand Sai to make one. Now Chand Sai, a Muslim was a very arrogant man. He had openly abused Shankaradeva and his disciples several times in the past. Yet, Chand Sai had the skill of measuring the dimensions of a person’s physique for stitch his garments merely by looking at that person. So, following the royal orders, he went to see the Saint grudgingly.

When he stood in front of Shankaradeva, he kept looking at him for a long time. Chand Sai did not say anything, and after staring at the saint for a long time, he left. A few days later, he delivered a coat with four arms! When asked for the reason for this ridiculous design, Chand Sai submitted that he saw the four armed Vishnu in Saint Shankaradeva. He begged the Sant to forgive his past transgressions against him and his devotees. He also requested Shankaradeva to initiate him into Vaishnavism and teach him his ‘Eka Sharan Naam Dharma’ philosophy in which the devotee chanted the holy names of Vishnu for his spiritual progress.

Shankaradeva initiated Chand Sai to Vaishnava Hinduism. But he also asked Chand Sai to cut off the two extra arms to make it suitable for his mortal human body that had only two arms. Soon thereafter, Chand Sai became one of the prominent disciples of the great Sant. Due to his good karma from previous lives, Chand Sai, a Muslim in his current life, had seen the divine greatness of Shankaradeva and was set again on the path of spiritual progress.