Fun and Games

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta

Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Fun and Games

 

 

Generally speaking, religion

is a serious business, with no place for such

frivolous pastimes as games. However, we do find quite

a few references to games and fun in our Scriptures,

especially in relation to the Lord, which are worth

going into. A few of these are recounted here.

 

In the Ramavatara, we don’t find the Lord resorting

much to fun and games: Sri Rama was a Man with a

Mission, who perhaps had no time or inclination for

frivolities. Though Sri Valmiki has nothing much to

say about Sri Rama’s childhood, and still less about

the games He played, Sri Nammazhwar states

categorically that Sri Rama used to play with a

catapult, and with an accurate shot, straightened the

hunchback of Mantara. For those who might find it

difficult to visualise Chakravartthi Tirumagan

wielding a catapult, here is Sri Nammazhwar’s pasuram:

”KoonE chidaya uNdai vill nirattil teritthAi GovindA”.

Commentators elaborate that since Azhwar too had a

problem associating the sober Sri Rama with such an

act, he ended up calling Him “Govinda”, a sobriquet

normally reserved for Sri Krishna, to whom any act of

mischief can be readily attributed, without fear of

contradiction.

 

Notwithstanding Sri Rama’s sobriety, Sri Mythili

appears to have been more enthusiastic about games.

Sri Tirumangai Mannan describes Her with a ball in

Her hand, apparently engaged in ball-play-“Pandu

irukkum mel viralAL pAvai”. And in one of the numerous

versions of Srimad Ramayana, we have the five-year-old

Sita playing with her companions with a ball, which

rolls under the box in which the Shiva Dhanus is kept.

We are told that the small girl just lifted the box

with the notoriously heavy bow (which later vanquished

most of the kings of the land, and which broke when

Sri Rama lifted it effortlessly) to retrieve Her ball.

If we were to go by this story, Sri Janaki seems to

have been as strong as DAsarathi, despite Her delicate

looks.

Perhaps when Sri Ramanuja says that Piratti matches

the Lord in all aspects, he includes physical strength

too! (“Bhagavat Narayana abhimata anuroopa svaroopa

roopa guNa vibhava ishwarya seelAdi anavadhika

asankyEya kalyANa guNa gaNAm”).

However, the moment we mention games in connection

with the Lord, it is to that mischievous darling of

Yasoda that our mind naturally flies. From all

accounts, Sri Krishna’s entire life seems to have been

filled with fun and frolic. If Sri Rama was serious

and sober by nature, Sri Krishna was anything but

that. In fact, among all His avataras, the only one

that afforded full play to the Lord’s sporting

instinct was the Krishnavatara. His momentous

childhood and youth are fun-filled, if Sri Periazhwar,

Sri Andal and the Sri BhAgavata PurAna are to be

believed.

 

It is on Sri Periazhwar that the good fortune

of witnessing (in his mind’s eye) the Lord’s games

falls, and from his accounts, he appears to have had a

ringside view of Sri Krishna’s innings.

Sri Krishna’s entire childhood and youth are

spent in fun and games. He never plays alone, but

always in the company of the cowherds of NandagOkulam

(“tan nEr Ayiram piLLaigalOdu taLar nadai ittu

varuvAn”). And His team includes not only the YAdavAs,

but the cows and calves too, which participate in all

games with full vigour. It is perhaps because they led

such enjoyable lives filled with fun and frolic in Sri

Krishna’s company, that the cows and buffaloes of

Gokulam were so productive and practically rained

milk:

(“vAnga kudam niraikkum vaLLal perum pasukkaL”

“kanaitthu iLam katru erumai kandrukku irangi

ninaitthu mulai vazhiyE nindru pAl sOra

nanaitthu illam sErAkkum”).

Sri Krishna’s games are of the rough-and-tumble

variety, and often lead to His rolling over and over

on the ground, resulting in His glistening black body

being covered by a thick layer of dust, which sticks

to the body all the more, due to His constant

partaking of dairy products, mostly stolen. Sri

Periazhwar describes this in the pasuram beginning

with “veNNai aLainda kunungum vilayAdu puzhudiyum

kondu”. And Balakrishna plays all day long in the hot

sun, roaming all over the forests in the company of

His band of faithful followers, that His already dark

complexion is rendered pitch-dark due to sun burn.

Laments Sri Vishnuchitta-“KAnagam ellAm tirindu un

kariya tirumEni vAda”.

When there is horseplay, can song and dance be far

behind, especially when Sri Krishna leads the gang?

The playful YadavAs sing, dance, and play musical

instruments, accompanied by Sri MuralIdhara on His

flute, producing bewitching melodies-

“taNNumai ekkam matthLli tAzhpeeli kuzhalgaLum

geetamum Agi engum GOvindan varugindra koottam”.

 

One of Sri Krishna’s favourite games is to wait till

the gopis get into the river for bathing and playing

in the water, and then to make off with all their

clothes, leaving them stranded in the water, unable to

come out without outraging their modesty.

“Atril irindu viLayAduvOngalai

SetrAl erindu vaLai tugil kaikoNdu”

Not only does He steal their clothes, but adds insult

to injury by throwing mud on them. If we were to

realign the words “SetrAl erindu” slightly, we can

find Sri Krishna throwing mud on the girls, as well as

on their fine apparel. It is perhaps such atrocious

conduct that prompts Sri Andal to describe Him as a

“dharumam ariyA kurumban”. That the Lord of Gokulam

derived considerable enjoyment from this escapade is

evident from Sri Periazhwar’s words-“KanniyarOdu

engaL nambi karia pirAn viLayAttu”. Though Sri Andal,

being a lady, is unable to appreciate this act, the

game so endears the Lord to others, that several

Acharyas make a special mention of this, notably Swami

Desikan in his Gopala Vimsati:

“VAsO hritvA Dinakara sutA sannidhou vallaveenAm

leelAsmErO jayati lalitAm Astthita: kunda shAkhAm

savreedAbhi: tadanuvasanE tAbhi: abhyartthyamAnE

KAmI kaschit kara kamalayO: anjalim yAchamAna:”

 

A favourite game of the girls of Gokulam was to build

castles in the sands of the Yamuna (we find children

doing this on the sea shore even today). These castles

were known as “Chitril”. And it was Sri Krishna’s

favourite game to wait and watch till the girls

painstakingly built beautiful edifices of sand “(Ongu

venmaNal kondu chitril mutratthu izhakkaluril”) and

then to destroy them with a well-aimed kick from His

lotus feet. Sri Andal says that these sand castles

were built with considerable labour throughout the

day, and the budding architects even developed

back-pain due the long-drawn construction-“indru

muttrum mudugu nOva irindu izhaittha chitril”. Espying

Sri Krishna coming their way, intent on His favourite

sport, Sri Andal beseeches Him to spare their labour

of love in sand –“engaL chitril vandu chidayElE”.

 

Scriptures ascribe to Emperuman another game, more

elaborate and magnificent than any ever invented. This

is the game of initiating the process of creation,

with its myriad varieties of sentient and non-sentient

beings, and consisting of a bewildering array of

colourful flora and fauna, creatures often opposed to

each other, and creatures that depend upon each other

for subsistence. And having created all the world, and

innumerable worlds and Universes, the Lord again

engages in the sport of their protection, from

external and internal forces, and at times, from each

other. He provides for them, caters to their every

need, physical and otherwise, in appropriate measure,

and sustains them. And, when it is time for the Cosmic

Floods, He wraps the world up, with all the creatures

in His stomach in subtle form, and lies on a fig leaf

in Yoga nidra, assuming the form of an innocent

infant.

All this is a giant sport (“alagilA viLayAttu”, as Sri

KambanAttAzhwar remarks) to the Lord. This is brought

out by the Brahma Sutra vakya, “lOkavat tu leelA

kaivalyam”.

The Lord has whatever He wants, and is in no need of

anything (“avApta samasta Kama:”). The question

therefore arises, why does He indulge in Creation,

Protection and Destruction? What motive drives Him to

undertake these functions? What is the purpose of the

entire elaborate exercise?

 

Inquiring into these and allied questions, Sage Vyasa

determines that all this is pure sport for the Lord,

just as people engage in games for enjoyment.

The Vishnu Dharma says that Emperuman plays with

creatures as a child would with a ball-

“HarE! Viharasi krIdA kandukairiva jantubhi:”

The same theme recurs in the following Mahabharata

sloka too-

“krIdatE Bhagavan bhootai: bAla: krIdanakairiva”

The Lord derives immense pleasure from this elaborate

sport, as would a child with its favourite ball-

“mOdatE Bhagavan atra bAla: krIdanakairiva”.

 

It is thus clear that as in other activities, people

are only following His example when they play, have

fun or indulge in games of any sort, for He is the

Primordial Player, who never tires of the game, a game

without a beginning and an end. The next time we

witness a cricket, baseball or football match, it

would surely remind us of the Eternal Player and His

glorious game.

 

Srimate SriLakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka Srivan

Satakopa Sri Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

Dasan, sadagopan.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Sir,

 

Now a days archery is considered as a sport, people

get medals for it.Archery could be real fun, its how

you take it that really matters. If you see that way

the entire ramayana is a big game. The entire

mahabaratha is a consequence of a game that the

pandavas played.

 

Besides have you heard of the story where in a ball

used for playing falls into the well and is later

recovered using a rope made by joining grass end to

end? There are several instances only thing is that

you will have to really really search.

 

||Om namonaryanaya||

 

Vipul.S.Rajan

 

--- sadagopan iyengar <sadagopaniyengar

wrote:

> Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta

> Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

>

> Fun and Games