आमुक्तमाल्यदा (विजयनगर सम्राट् श्रीकृष्णदेवराय - गोदा देवी आण्डाल भक्ति एवं साम्राज्य-नीति)

52 Goda's Garland of Devotion
for that person who is pure of heart and habit and who alone
can save me from this hateful life. If sincere devotees like you
cannot come forward to help the like of us, where then is hope
for me? People like you can save us just as the Philosopher's
Stone transforms iron into gold".
Then he told the Dasari how he had been condemned to be a
sinful demon. If the Dasari could give him the fruits of his musical
worship of the Divine, the demon would be freed from the curse.
But the Dasari would not part with his good deed. Giving up the
fruits of Vishnu bhakti for saving one's skin was like exchanging
camphor for salt. "Not even half of the fruits? Does the sea-water
grow less because the fish drinks it?" The demon appealed to the
Dasari's pity.
How can a devotee of Narayana be so hard-hearted? There
was Ramanuja who braved the fires of hell and the wrath of his
guru to be able to teach the common humanity the Great Truth.
He had got up the spire of the temple and blazoned forth the Tiru-
mantra, the Dvaya and the Charama sloka. It was this great teacher
who had converted ignorant followers of non-Vedic religions at
Tirunarayanapuram to Vaishnavism. He had travelled all over
areas like Andhra Pradesh and taught people to revere Vishnu.
Donning the ochre robe Ramanuja had illumined the spaces of
philosophy, cleared the shadows within the human psyche and
disseminated the message of Narayana-bhakti. Again, there was
Vedanta Desika, an unswerving devotee of Lord Hayagriva. This
teacher had lived a frugal life and written scores of volumes to
proclaim the supremacy of Narayana. Our gratitude towards such
path-finders should ever be acknowledged. The Dasari too should
follow the steps of such great people. Death would not bring relief
to the Brahmarakshas. One must attack the roots of his malady.
Even a quarter of the fruits of singing the Mangala Kowsiki raga
would yet save him.
The Dasari's heart overflowed with compassion. The Brahma-
rakshas related his tale with humility. He had been a learned
Brahmin in the Chola land. But pride of scholarship had been his
weakness. Gradually he became a trickster. At Madura he got mixed
up with Brahmins who sold their traditional calling for money. By
lending, he became very rich. One day he took a fresh oil-bath,