[[Mohan K.V 2013-03-12, 00:44:00 Source]]
सदास्वाद
आश्वासयेत् क इव कोसल-वासिनस्तान् सीतेव चेत् त्वमपि साहसवृत्तिरासीः ?
(āśvāsayet ka iva kosala-vāsinas tān sīteva cet tvamapi sāhasavṛttir āsīḥ)
Meaning
“Who would have consoled the residents of Kosala, if you too had been as obstinate as Sītā?” The meaning flows so simply that one almost forgets that the line is in metre! Who is this, being praised for being more accommodating thanSītā herself? Read on!
Context
Today’s phrase is taken from the Pādukā-sahasra of Vedānta Deśika.Vedānta Deśikawas a great Śrīvaiṣṇava ācārya in the line of Rāmānuja, and lived about 700 years ago in Tamil Nadu. He was a poet, philosopher and teacher, and wrote tens of works in both Sanskrit and Tamil. He was an incredibly gifted scholar – by his late teens he had mastered several śāstras, had been awarded the title of ‘kavi-tārkika-kesari’and by age 27 was already hailed as an ācārya, one of the highest grades in the teaching line – and yet was known for his humility and grace. He was one of the foremost of southern Bhakti poets, and many of his works are popular to this day.
ThePādukā-sahasra is a great example of his poetic prowess. In this devotional poem,Vedānta Deśika has composed 1008 verses on the subject of Lord Ranganātha’s pādukas (a type of footwear). Just consider that for a moment – if a verse is approximately 20 words, how many of us could even write a 20,000 word essay in any language on any topic and remain coherent, not to mention the constraints of metre and uniformity of style?! It is all the more amazing that the poet manages to do so about just thepādukas, and in a manner that has survived the test of centuries.He justly became famous in Tamil, by a quotation of AppayyaDīkṣita,as “oru śāṇ kaṭṭaiyil āyiram thuḷaigaḷ poṭṭa thūppul piḷḷai-epiḷḷai” – “The man from Thūppul [his birthplace] who wrote a thousand verses on a half-foot piece of wood – only he is a poet”.
For sure, thePādukā-sahasra is a very different kind of poetry than the kāvya we’ve seen so far. Whilekāvya is usually meant to be read and enjoyed alone, with an all-out focus on literary merit, this work has an incredibly rich social history that upholds it more than its poetic merit does. It starts from its very origin – there are many legends on howVedānta Deśika composed this. One of them goes like this: WhenVedānta Deśikawas in the temple-island of Sri-ranga, he was forced into a poetry contest by a rival group. Whoever made the highest number of verses on their chosen topic in one night was to be the winner.Vedānta Deśika humbly chose the pāduka of the Lord as his subject, while the rival chose the Lord himself. In just one quarter of the night,Vedānta Deśika finished his composition of 1008 verses, whereas the competitor even after having chosen a much easier subject could barely eke out 300! Another legend goes that theŚrīvaiṣṇava community at Sri-ranga wanted a solid work of poetry to call their own, complete in every embellishment considered elite, including forms like citrakāyva. Those were times of great political turmoil and invasions, and they wanted to establish the greatness of the temple for all time in the world of literature.Vedānta Deśika obliged, and in one night made a contribution so steady that even centuries of ravages have been unable to shake it. Remember that 20,000 word essay you had to write? Add constraints of having to do it in one night and having to last several centuries, and you start to get a picture of what our poet has accomplished :-)
This automatically presents another contrast. Whilekāvya is meant to be universal, this work is quite closely tied with a specific history, location and mindset. Further, while there has raged a great debate about traditional forms vs. subject-driven forms, thePādukā-sahasra falls heavily on the side of a very ossified traditional form. For example, a modern reader will be bewildered by the nearly FOUR HUNDRED verses describing just the jewels on the pāduka – to understand and appreciate this, one must have a taste for the tradition of describing specific items that developed following Bhāravi and Māgha. Throughout the poem, the predominant emotion of bhakti is so intense that one must be quite familiar and sympathetic to the social context and culture to enjoy it.
In summary, whereas the method thatVedānta Deśika has applied to ‘solve the problem’ is very clever and universal, the actual solution is one that has several pre-conditions on taste in order to be enjoyed fully. Let us consider both of these as we explore a couple verses.
First off,Vedānta Deśika’s endearing humility pervades the work. At the outset, he comments:
मित-प्रेक्षा-लाभ-क्षण-परिणमत्-पञ्चश-पदा
मद्-उक्तिस्त्वय्येषा महित-कवि-संरम्भ-विषये ।
न कस्येयम् हास्या हरि-चरण-धात्रि! क्षिति-तले
मुहुर्वात्याधूते मुख-पवन-विस्फूर्जितम् इव |12|
mita-prekṣā-lābha-kṣaṇa-pariṇamat-pañcaśa-padā
mad-uktis tvayy eṣā mahita-kavi-saṃrambha-viṣaye |
na kasyeyam hāsyā hari-caraṇa-dhātri! kṣiti-tale
muhur vātyādhūte mukha-pavana-visphūrjitam iva |12|
(śikhariṇī metre, 17 syllables per line)
“With my limited intellect, my speech can perhaps muster a few words in a flash of inspiration. You are worthy of being a subject of a much greater poet! Surely I will be ridiculed, as one who tried to puff at a mighty tree that only a hurricane can move!”. Anyone who has tried to describe something of tremendous value, be it a beloved or a beloved object of worship, can empathize with the poet’s felt incapacity!
As an aside, the tone of humility continues till the end, and even has several clever moments where any slip is requested to be corrected by the pāduka itself. For example,
हरि-चरण-सरोजे भक्ति-भाजाम् जनानाम्
अनुकरण-विशेषैः आत्मनैवोपहास्यम् ।
परिणमय दयार्द्रा पादुके! तादृशम् माम्
भरत-परिषद्-अन्तर्वर्तिभिः प्रेक्षणीयम् |991|
hari-caraṇa-saroje bhakti-bhājām janānām
anukaraṇa-viśeṣaiḥ ātmanaivopahāsyam |
pariṇamaya dayārdrā pāduke! tādṛśam mām
bharata-pariṣad-antarvartibhiḥ prekṣaṇīyam |991|
(mālinī metre, 15 syllables per line)
“Oh grace of the Lord’s feet, I have merely tried to imitate the devotion of true saints, not even to my own satisfaction. Please instill in me the sincerity worthy of the noble.”
Coming back to the main narrative, after several general verses of praise, the poet introduces a very interesting twist. He praises the pādukas as the same ones that Rāma had given to Bharata to console him. This opens up an entirely new vista of literary references, and the poet does a great job of employing them. Today’s phrase appears in verse 107:
रामे वनम् व्रजति पङ्क्ति-रथे प्रसुप्ते
रज्यापवद-चकिते भरते तदानीम् ।
आश्वासयेत् क इव कोसल-वासिनस्तान्
सीतेव चेत् त्वमपि साहसवृत्तिरासीः ।107।
rāme vanam vrajati paṅkti-rathe prasupte
rajyāpavada-cakite bharate tadānīm |
āśvāsayet ka iva kosala-vāsinas tān
sīteva cet tvamapi sāhasavṛttir āsīḥ |107|
(vasanta-tilaka metre, 14 syllables per line)
“As Rāma was heading to the forest, as Daśaratha lay dead, as Bharata was plunged into dilemmas – who would have consoled the residents of Kosala, if you too had been as obstinate as Sītā?”
This is a very famous scene in the Rāmāyaṇa, pregnant with meaning. Consider the emotions of everyone involved. Rāma answers to a higher principle, and foremost in his mind is adherence to Dharma.He unhesitatingly gives up the pleasures of the kingdom, as he is most concerned with keeping his father’s promises.He certainly is aware of the people’s grief at his leaving, but he wouldn’t be the puruṣottama that we know him to be if he was swayed just by public opinion. However, even if he doesn’t want to rule himself, it is his dharma to ensure that the kingdom is ruled well. How does he reconcile these conflicting duties?
Daśaratha has died of grief, after committing a great injustice to Rāma, all to keep a promise he had made in extraordinary circumstances. How many of us toil away like this, trying to please people we don’t even like, all because of an imagined constraint or indecision? Reminds us of an old Will Rogers’ line, “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t like.”
Bharata is a good man placed in a bad situation. He has no desire for the kingdom himself, and yet his mother has handed it to him on a platter. Should he accept? That would seem like he was just playing innocent! Should he reject it? Wouldn’t that be ungrateful, and wouldn’t that make his father’s death and mother’s life go in vain? What should he think of his mother Kaikeyi? As a loving mother who just wants the best for her son, or a scheming villain who cheated the most noble, most deserving Rāma of his kingdom? Of course she is both! What should he do?
Next we have Sītā, who at the same time acts perfectly according to her character, and surprisingly against it, by obstinately insisting on accompanying Rāma to the forest. Perfectly according to her character, because can we possibly imagine aSītā who doesn’t follow Rāma no matter what his hardships are? On the other hand, imaginingSītā, the treasure-trove of endurance and good conduct, as obstinate and directly opposing Rāma’s wishes does require one to stretch one’s imagination. What was going through her mind?
Vedānta Deśika’s brilliance is in tapping into this emotional mother-lode, and suggesting that a personified Padukā-devi solved everyone’s problems by being accommodating. Firstly, Bharata could rest content that he was not forced by circumstances to play a role he would be ashamed of; he would rule under the symbolic superiority of Rāma, and would be more than happy to discharge his duties free of the taint of lusting after power. Next, Rāma could rest assured that Bharata’s humility and superior mettle were firmly established, and that someone who could achieve the delicate balance of employing power without abusing it would surely augur well for the kingdom. In Kālidasa’s words, he could be described as “असक्तः सुखम् अन्वभूत्” (“He enjoyed pleasure without being enslaved to it”). The citizens of Kosala could ease their fears about anarchy.
All this because of a 6-inch piece of wood – one almost starts wondering why one underestimated its poetic potential in the first place! :-)
Thought for today
Our riddles seem to be very popular! Last week’s answer –“The destroyer of the son of the master of the king of birds has a 4-syllable name. May the first half come to your enemies, and the next half to you in battle!” – is Mṛtyuñjaya! The King of Birds is Garuḍa, his master is Viṣṇu, his son is Kāma and his destroyer is Śiva. A 4-syllable name for Śiva that fits isMṛtyuñjaya, “Victor of Death”. The Queen wished the first half, Mṛtyu, on the King’s enemies, and Jaya to him :-)
This week’s question will close out the riddle theme. Have a go!
जाता शुद्धकुले जघान पितरं हत्वापि शुद्धा पुनः
स्त्री चैषा वनिता पितेव सततं विश्वस्य या जीवनम् ।
सङ्गं प्राप्य पितामहेन जनकं प्रासूत या कन्यका
सा सर्वैरपि वन्दिता क्षितितले सा नाम का नायिका ?
jātā śuddha-kule jaghāna pitaraṃ hatvāpi śuddhā punaḥ
strī caiṣā vanitā piteva satataṃ viśvasya yā jīvanam |
saṅgaṃ prāpya pitāmahena janakaṃ prāsūta yā kanyakā
sā sarvairapi vanditā kṣititale sā nāma kā nāyikā ?
“She was born pure. She then killed her father; and yet, remained pure and blameless.
She is much desired like her father, and the whole world depends on her.
She then met her grandfather, and caused her father to be reborn.
Who is she, revered by all?”
A hint to new folks – Sanskrit words for non-living things can still have gender, and often do. But you knew that already, so tell us the answer :-)