ONE EVENT, MANY PEN PORTRAITS

எடுத்தது கண்டனர், இற்றது கேட்டனர்

(Kamba Ramayanam)

Alakallalalaadaga

Madhyamavati Raga , 22 Kharaharapriya janya
Aa: S R2 M1 P N2 S Av: S N2 P M1 R2 S
Taalam: Rupakam

Lyrics: Pallavi: alakalallalāḍaga kani yarāṇmuniyeṭu poṅgenō Anupallavi: celuvu mīraganu mārīcuni madamaṇacē vēḻa Charanam: muni kanu saika telisi ṣiva dhanuvunu viricē samayamuna tyāgarāja vinutuni mōmuna rañjillu (Thyagaraja Ramayanam )	English verse: As His curls gracefully swayed, How the sagely heart swelled.   As He rent evil Maricha's pride; All limits His charms did elide.   As curls His face lighted, The royal sage delighted. And so, the sage winked "Now!" Lo! He'd rent the Great Bow!

ప. అలకలల్లలాడగ కనియా
రాణ్మునియెటు పొంగెనో

అ. చెలువు మీరగను
మారీచుని మదమణచే వేళ (అ)

చ. ముని కను సైగ తెలిసి శివ
ధనువును విరిచే సమయ-
మున త్యాగరాజ
వినుతుని మోమున రంజిల్లు (అ)

The epic Ramayana has inspired many great poets of India: Valmiki Ramayanam (Sanskrit), Kamba Ramayanam (Tamil), Kalidasa in Raghuvamsam (Sanskrit), Tyagaraja Ramayanam (Telugu) etc. It is interesting to note how the same event in the great epic has evoked different descriptions by the various poets.

The scene: In the Palace of King Janaka at Mithila, Rama bending the formidable bow of Siva which had defied mighty heroes in the past.

In Valmiki Ramayanam, Sage Viswamitra tells Rama “My child Rama, look at this bow.”

Kamba Ramayanam records that the assembled personages saw Rama lifting the bow but then they just heard the sound arising from the breaking of the bow following its being bent. There was little, if any, time-lag between the two happenings.

Kalidasa excels in the use of similes and metaphors. The great bow on its base appeared fearsome like a sleeping large python. Rama lifted it effortlessly to tie the bow string. The poet says that Rama bent the heavy bow with the ease of Manmatha (the god of love) handling his light bow made of sugarcane stalk and flowers.

Thyagaraja in his song set in the Madhyamavathi Raga, differs in that as Rama was capable of taking a hint and acting thereon, it was not appropriate to say that he took the bow on Sage Viswamitra’s oral instructions. The Sage did not tell Rama in as many words; Rama acted on just seeing the Sage’s eye movement.

The composition records the delight and pleasure derived by Sage Viswamitra on two distinct occasions, which brought out Rama’s valour.  Viswamitra was a king until at the end of his severe penance, he was acknowledged as a Brahmarishi (expert among sages with full awareness of Supreme God) by the great Sage Vasishta himself. Viswamitra was thus in   a position to appreciate royal valour as well as divinity in Rama’s actions.  The Sage’s pleasure was caused by his witnessing the movement of the curls of hair falling on Rama’s forehead.  This added to Rama’s inherent beauty and attractiveness. Firstly this happened when Rama conquered the Rakshasa Mareecha. The second event was when, on following the sign from the Sage’s eye movement, Rama took Siva’s bow, bent and broke it.

One cannot but admire the composer’s intense devotion and his inspired poetic skill which delights both the singer and the audience and brings to them the vision of Viswamitra and Rama looking at each other and of Rama bending the bow. This is indeed due to the grace of Rama, the avatara (incarnation) of Supreme God.

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MANAGEMENT ADVICE IN THE THIRUKKURAL

MANAGEMENT ADVICE IN THE THIRUKKURAL

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THIRUKKURAL is the masterpiece of Tamil literature in the form of couplets (two line poems) expounding various aspects of life. It was composed by Thiruvalluvar, who is believed to have been born in 30 B.C.

The first poem says that only after full consideration of an official should responsibility be delegated to him/her. In spite of this universal first principle cases abound of managers interfering in delegated duties leading to project failure.

The second poem says it is not correct to reach final opinion about an official's capabilities without deep consideration: Nor is it correct to entertain doubts about a person selected with full care. These attitudes will only lead to irreversible difficulties. In his drama "Dara Shukoh", Gopal Gandhi refers to the history of Moorat Dara who was reputed to have been tolerant of all religions of India. This had led him to save from the gallows Malik Juvan, an Afgan chief. However when Dara himself sought refuge from Malik, the latter betrays Tara to Aurangzeb. Thus blind faith in some person makes Dara to lose not only his royal position as also his life.

The last poem stresses the need for proper training before positioning of new entrants in suitable posts. This is an obvious need. In "Troilus & Cressida" and "Henry V", Shakespeare refers to the division of labour in a bee-hive. The hexagonal pattern itself of the hive shows that it is selected as the best one for the purpose of all possible patterns. But it is an unfortunate situation in India that responsibility in many cases flows upwards from workers to the managers!  

We have been reading in the Corporate Documents (CD) section of the Economic Times a series articles on "Management &  Mythology". The present post is a sample  of such management principles derived from a secular/non-sectarian Tamil poetic "dharma sastra" (which is in the form of aphorisms.)

 

 

  

 

AVATARA RAHASYA: SECRET OF INCARNATION

अजायमानॊ बहुधा विजायते

(Purusha Sooktam)

He has no beginning (birth) or end (death); He is unborn and eternal. Yet He makes Himself born in many ways and forms on His own determination.

பொய்ந் நின்றஞானமும், பொல்லா ஒழுக்கும், அழுக்கு உடம்பும்,

இந் நின்ற நீர்மை இனி யாம் உறாமை உயிர் அளிப்பான்

எந் நின்ற யோனியுமாய்ப் பிறந்தாய்;இமையோர் தலைவா

(Nammalvar:TIRUVIRUTTAM: 1)

To save us from false knowledge,

From evil ways and the dirt of the body,

To save us from coming again and again,

To all these,

And to give us Life,

Thou, Lord of the Immortals,

Camest down here,

Taking birth in many a womb,

And accepting many a form.

(Translation: A. Srinivasa Raghavan)

The Bhagavad Gita in Chapter IV slokas 5 to 9 elucidates this topic as Sri Krishna’s own declaration. In these slokas, He says that Arjuna would not know anything about his past and future janmas (lives before and after rebirth). On the other hand, He (Bhagavaan or the Blessed Lord) can furnish all these details; He is sarvagnya (all-knowing), as stated in the Chandogya Upanishad. Nammalvar says in Tiruvoimozhi that in his avataras (incarnations), He makes Himself born on His own determination without any diminution whatever either to His divine form or all-knowing capacity.

Whenever there is a diminution of dharma, and a rise of unrighteousness, then the Lord makes Himself born forth. Two interpretations are possible here. The Lord makes Himself born. He also makes born seers who have realized fully the Ulltimate Truth and undertakes the task of re-educating the lay public through them. 

Of particular interest is sloka No.8 which lays down that for the protection of the good, for the destruction of the evildoers, for the purpose of establishing dharma, He gets Himself incarnated from age to age. The conjunction cha, in this sloka, is there, not just for the sake of the rhyme etc. It indicates that the main purpose of the avatara (incarnation) is protection of the good people: the destruction of the evildoers is an incidental event. Perhaps this is the reason why even when as at present many evildoers, similar to Hiranyakasipu, are found, there is now no avatara (incarnation) as there are no good people of the standing of Prahalada.

Sri Krishna states further that His incarnations are divine and that His plays/pranks therein are also divine. Anyone who has known His divine incarnation and divine acts therein in all its subtlety will not have another birth but will attain supreme state having reached Him.   

SRI NARASIMHA AVATARA, GOD’S OMNI-PRESCENCE

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Enggum Ulhan Kannan Endra

Maganaik Kaaindhu

Without in anyway detracting from the divine purport of the Tiruvoimozhi     , Velukudi Sri Krishnan Swami has sublimated the Alwar’s declaration into a little voice play. “Where is He?”  , is the short question his father had asked of Prahalada. “He is everywhere”, is Prahalada’s equally short answer. His father does not understand this short reply. A person can be at one place only. How can a person exist simultaneously in all places?

To clear his doubts, the father asks his son, “Is He in this particular space?”  . The son was expected to answer, “Yes, He is in this space”   . But the son repeats instead that He is everywhere. If Prahalada had stated that He is in the place indicated by his father, in later years, some atheist might argue that since Prahalad had accepted God’s existence in a particular pillar (place)   , it would mean that He is NOT in the next or any other pillar (place)! Perhaps, to avert such a possibility, Prahalada had repeated that He is everywhere.

But his father could not understand the above reasoning either. He therefore indicated a specific pillar (stated elsewhere to have been specially built to his own specifications and supervision) and enquired whether He was there. Prahalada’s answer was “He is also in that specific pillar (among all other places!)”  . It was thereafter that Lord Vishnu appeared out of that pillar as Sri Narasimha. In this manner, God revealed His Omni-presence.   #      end