Bhakti: The Monkey and the Cat

In the Vaishnava sampradaya there are two popular arguments – ‘markata kishora nyaaya’ and ‘marjara kishora nyaya’.
‘Markata kishora nyaya’ refers to the behaviour of a baby monkey. A baby monkey takes firm hold of its mother. The mother monkey does not bother to hold the baby but it is the baby who holds on tight to the mother. Vedanta Desikan propagated this philosophy. This philosophy says that one should take hold of the Lord just as the baby monkey takes hold of its mother.
‘Marjara kishora nyaya’, propagated by Manavala Maa muni refers to the behaviour of kittens. In this case it is the mother cat that protects the kitten. The kittens remain peaceful while the cat, which has given birth to kittens is restless in safeguarding them. Wherever she goes, the cat carries the kitten with her to safety. She cannot rest in peace unless the kittens are within the range of her protection. In the same way, we need not catch hold of the Lord but it is the onus of the Lord to have us in His protective hold. .
Scriptures speak of both these philosophies.