24 August 2001, 02:26am IST
MUTHUSAMY VARADARAJAN.
My erudite son has this telling explanation of why he grew up to be a non-believer - that dad forced him and his elder brother at a tender age, to recite the vishnusahasranamam or 1000 names of vishnu. he was put off for good. perhaps the fault is mine, but then in those days it was the done thing. my grandmother taught me when i was barely six, margabandhu or the wayfarer's friend, shiva stotram and along with it, the story of its author appayya dikshitar. my aunt sang annapoorna or the food-giver ashtakam in dulcet tones that initiated me into the glories of carnatic music as much as it educated me on the power of the goddess and the contentment of shiva himself at receiving bhiksha or alms. my father recited kandar which is tamil for kartikeya anuboothi in all its lively cadences, and alongside he briefed me on the genealogy and exploits of the shiva family. and my mother completed my education by singing the praise of rama; and established in my young mind that rama was not a mere mythical figure for whom a temple had to be erected somewhere, come what may, but a living symbol of satya or truth and dharma or duty. i did not relate all these to my children. i did not tell them that it is precisely because the ramayana is a compendium of sanatana dharma or eternal laws - that it endures as long as the mountains and rivers do. just like a million other fathers, i fear i too forgot to tell my young ones that our gods and goddesses are not make-believes but that each incarnation had a purpose to fulfil, an ideal to be perceived, a lesson to be conveyed, ideals and lessons that taught one to lead a ``complete'' life. my grandfather was particular in seeing that i did not leave even one grain of rice uneaten, on my banana leaf. wishing to inculcate in me the upanishadic dictum annam na nindhyat tadvrtam , he told me the story of indra who, having fallen on hard days, went to kubera, the god of wealth, for what we might call an ``overdraft''. kubera was out in his farmland and indra waited for him in the parlour. when kubera returned home and had greeted indra, he crouched on all fours to gather up grains of paddy that were lying scattered on the porch. seeing this, indra prepared to leave. kubera asked indra why he had come and what he could do for him. indra mumbled: ``nothing''. sensing his need, however, and the reason for his visit, kubera said: ``look, if i did not take care of the little grains on the ground, would i be rich enough today to warrant even the mighty indra to seek me out for help?'' no, i did not tell this story to my children, i merely told them not to waste food. shiva had this unique mango which, he said, he would give to that son who circumambulated the world first. young and agile, kartikeya took off on his peacock. roly-poly ganesa knew he was no match for his supple brother. but he had a brain wave: is it not said that shiva and parvati are verily the parents of the universe? so he went around them not once but thrice and claimed the fruit. pleased with his perception of the nature of the universe, shiva rewarded him with the fruit, to the chagrin of kartikeya who returned what seemed like aeons later. i learnt this story along with the moral ``revere thy parents'' at my maternal grandfather's knee - who later became a sanyasi . i did not tell this story to my children. the least i could have done was to tell them that this was the ancient version of the tortoise and the hare; and they might have learned the lesson that ``haste makes waste''. my sanyasi grandfather also educated me on the immortal content of bhaja govindam which extols the fecundity of naana sankeertanam or musical chanting of the lord's name or in a spirit of true devotion. the author was adi sankara, the manifestation on earth of shiva himself - the same sankara who, walking the streets of kashi, confessed, ``be he a twice-born or the so-called untouchable, he is my guru who has realised the truth of aham brahmaasmi , or `i am that.' '' he thus brought home to humanity 1,400 years ago, what albert schweitzer was to say in modern times: ``ethics is responsibility without limit towards all that lives,'' for he realised that the selfsame universal motivating force is within and impels everyone. alas, i did not tell my children about sankara, jesus, buddha, mahavira, zeus, or zoroaster...
MUTHUSAMY VARADARAJAN.
My erudite son has this telling explanation of why he grew up to be a non-believer - that dad forced him and his elder brother at a tender age, to recite the vishnusahasranamam or 1000 names of vishnu. he was put off for good. perhaps the fault is mine, but then in those days it was the done thing. my grandmother taught me when i was barely six, margabandhu or the wayfarer's friend, shiva stotram and along with it, the story of its author appayya dikshitar. my aunt sang annapoorna or the food-giver ashtakam in dulcet tones that initiated me into the glories of carnatic music as much as it educated me on the power of the goddess and the contentment of shiva himself at receiving bhiksha or alms. my father recited kandar which is tamil for kartikeya anuboothi in all its lively cadences, and alongside he briefed me on the genealogy and exploits of the shiva family. and my mother completed my education by singing the praise of rama; and established in my young mind that rama was not a mere mythical figure for whom a temple had to be erected somewhere, come what may, but a living symbol of satya or truth and dharma or duty. i did not relate all these to my children. i did not tell them that it is precisely because the ramayana is a compendium of sanatana dharma or eternal laws - that it endures as long as the mountains and rivers do. just like a million other fathers, i fear i too forgot to tell my young ones that our gods and goddesses are not make-believes but that each incarnation had a purpose to fulfil, an ideal to be perceived, a lesson to be conveyed, ideals and lessons that taught one to lead a ``complete'' life. my grandfather was particular in seeing that i did not leave even one grain of rice uneaten, on my banana leaf. wishing to inculcate in me the upanishadic dictum annam na nindhyat tadvrtam , he told me the story of indra who, having fallen on hard days, went to kubera, the god of wealth, for what we might call an ``overdraft''. kubera was out in his farmland and indra waited for him in the parlour. when kubera returned home and had greeted indra, he crouched on all fours to gather up grains of paddy that were lying scattered on the porch. seeing this, indra prepared to leave. kubera asked indra why he had come and what he could do for him. indra mumbled: ``nothing''. sensing his need, however, and the reason for his visit, kubera said: ``look, if i did not take care of the little grains on the ground, would i be rich enough today to warrant even the mighty indra to seek me out for help?'' no, i did not tell this story to my children, i merely told them not to waste food. shiva had this unique mango which, he said, he would give to that son who circumambulated the world first. young and agile, kartikeya took off on his peacock. roly-poly ganesa knew he was no match for his supple brother. but he had a brain wave: is it not said that shiva and parvati are verily the parents of the universe? so he went around them not once but thrice and claimed the fruit. pleased with his perception of the nature of the universe, shiva rewarded him with the fruit, to the chagrin of kartikeya who returned what seemed like aeons later. i learnt this story along with the moral ``revere thy parents'' at my maternal grandfather's knee - who later became a sanyasi . i did not tell this story to my children. the least i could have done was to tell them that this was the ancient version of the tortoise and the hare; and they might have learned the lesson that ``haste makes waste''. my sanyasi grandfather also educated me on the immortal content of bhaja govindam which extols the fecundity of naana sankeertanam or musical chanting of the lord's name or in a spirit of true devotion. the author was adi sankara, the manifestation on earth of shiva himself - the same sankara who, walking the streets of kashi, confessed, ``be he a twice-born or the so-called untouchable, he is my guru who has realised the truth of aham brahmaasmi , or `i am that.' '' he thus brought home to humanity 1,400 years ago, what albert schweitzer was to say in modern times: ``ethics is responsibility without limit towards all that lives,'' for he realised that the selfsame universal motivating force is within and impels everyone. alas, i did not tell my children about sankara, jesus, buddha, mahavira, zeus, or zoroaster...
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