"Emperuman and the Elephant"

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Emperuman and the Elephant

 

Of all the animals, the most fascinating is the elephant. Its sheer size makes

us stare at it in wonderment. The small beady eyes, totally disproportionate in

size to the rest of its body, the broad, fan-like ears, legs resembling huge

pillars, beautiful white tusks that are as much an adornment to the face as

deadly weapons, a soft, rubbery trunk that serves as a conveyor belt for passing

on food and drink into the cavernous mouth, the noisy trumpeting that strikes

fear in the timid-hearted, the huge torso resembling a hillock-all these prompt

us, irrespective of age, to stand and stare with enthralment. Children, left to

themselves, would probably spend all their waking hours gawking at the pachyderm

and would have to be literally dragged away from its vicinity. And adults are

not far behind in their fascination for the oversized animal.

 

Whenever we search for an example for something huge, the first thing that

strikes us is the elephant. For all its size, the elephant is extremely graceful

in its movements and has a majestic gait. Poets are fond of comparing the

bearing of their heroes with that of an elephant ("Gaja Simha gatI veerou"). In

temple festivals too, the "YAnai vAhanam" is the favourite of many devotees,

with the Lord ensconced on the glittering golden elephant, with the archaka

riding close behind, attired in a flowing gown as a mahout, with a funny

headgear. I remember with nostalgia the days of the Thiruvallikkeni

Brahmotsavam, when, as children, we used to run along with the SrIpAdamtAngis

bearing the YAnai vAhanam, when they adopted a trot, to simulate an elephant on

the rampage.

 

It is therefore no wonder that Sri Thirumangai Mannan, searching for an apt

simile for the Lord, plumps for the elephant-

 

"VEdattai, Vedattin suvai payanai, vizhumia munivar vizhungum

KOdil in kaniyai nandanAr kaLittrai, kuvalayatthOr tozhudu Etthum

Adiyai amudai ennai ALudai appanai oppavar illA

mAdargaL vAzhum MAda mA Mayilai ThiruvallikkENi kandEnE"

 

Sri Parakalan compares the Lord to an elephant (KaLiru). He is not alone in

this. Even Sri Nammazhwar refers to the Lord with possessiveness as "en Anai"

(my own elephant). This sets us thinking. Though animals there are aplenty, why

should the Azhwars choose the elephant for comparing the Lord with? Not only

Azhwars, but Sri Sita Devi too likens Him to an elephant and Ravana to a puny

cat-"yadantaram hasti bidAlayO: vanE tadantaram DAsaratE: tathaiva cha" When we

turn our thoughts to the matter, we are struck by the several similarities

between Emperuman and the elephant:-

 

1.Anybody who looks at an elephant would never be satisfied with a single

glance. Even if we saw the animal just yesterday, our fascination never wanes

and we would not deny ourselves an opportunity to gape at it today too.

Similarly, Emperuman too is an "ArAvamudhu", affording the onlooker unalloyed

pleasure, making it impossible for him to pry his glance away from the Lord's

tirumEni. The Veda Purusha reports that the celestials, loath to losing even a

moment of visionary bliss, dare not wink their eyes while drinking in the Lord's

splendour-"sadA pasyanti sooraya:"

 

2.The pachyderm is known for its phenomenal strength and is often used to haul

extremely heavy cargo like wooden logs. The Lord too is renowned for His might

and "balam" or strength is counted as the second of His six principal attributes

( gnAnam, balam, iyshwaryam, veeryam, shakti, tEja:).

 

3.In majesty of gait and deportment, the Lord is similar to an elephant.

Impressed with their dignified bearing, Sri Janaka's thoughts fly to the

elephant, immediately upon witnessing the brothers Rama advancing towards

him-"Gaja simha gatI veerou sArdoola vrishabhOpamou"

 

4. The elephant is totally uncontrollable and fiercely independent. No

amount of might can make it submissive, once it decides to be otherwise. The

Lord too is a "nirankusa svatantran", totally free and independent, beyond any

sort of control by anybody.

 

5. Despite its irrepressible nature, the elephant voluntarily submits to being

chained by its keeper, due to the love and affection he showers upon the animal.

It is thus amenable to control only through love. The independent Lord too can

be brought around by Bhakti. The omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent Supreme

Being can be tied down by a mere flimsy rope, the rope of selfless love, as He

demonstrated to Sri Yasoda, who was able to secure Him to the grindstone, as a

punishment for a minor misdemeanour-"KaNNi nuN siru thAmbinAl kattuNNa paNNiya

perumAyan".

 

6 For the observant, the elephant's eyes would appear to have a permanent

tinge of reddishness. So do the Lord's eyes-they are always red-lined, if we are

to believe Sri ThiruppAnAzhwar ("sevvari Odi neenda ap periavAya kaNgal")

 

7 For catching an elephant, people prepare deep pits and cover it over

with green leaves and twigs, into which the animal falls, attracted by the

greenery and unaware of what lies beneath it. The Lord too falls for even a mere

show of bhakti. Some of us (like me) adopt the mere outward symbols of a

devotee, with a mind filled with thoughts totally out of tune with the external

affectations. The Lord is so kind-hearted that He is pleased with even such

insincere imitations, pretends not to detect the underlying hypocrisy and

showers us with all that we seek. In fact, it is His proclaimed promise not to

forsake even those who come to Him only with feigned friendship and lip-service

love-"Mithra bhAvEna samprAptam na tyajEyam katanchana"

 

8 When in an ugly mood, the elephant can be pretty devastating. It can

pick up human beings like mere rag dolls with its mighty trunk and throw them to

their death, when in a rage. The normally peace-loving Lord too resorts to

destruction of the dastardly, as a means to preserving the rule of Dharma and

for the protection of the righteous. The sacking of Lanka, the killing of Ravana

and others of his ilk and the slaying of countless asurAs, are testimonies to

what destruction this divine elephant can wreak, if it is so minded.

 

9 The elephant, mighty as it is, is extremely gentle with children, and

many a time picks them up like flowers and places them on its neck, giving them

the ride of their lives. The Lord too is not averse to displaying extreme

submissiveness towards His devotees. He is a "bhakta parAdheenan", totally at

the disposal and control of true devotees and delights in blessing them with

everything they can possibly require.

 

10 While feeding the elephant, we have to do it with due care and ensure that

it has all that it likes. A hungry or offended elephant can wreak unimaginable

havoc. Shastras say that while performing ArAdhanam to the Lord, we must perform

it as if we are doing it to a mighty elephant, with true devotion and offering

to Him all that we can afford, with love, affection and respect-"YathA tu mada

hastinam".

 

11 The elephant is credited with a long and sharp memory. It never forgets

its foes and gets even with them even after decades. The Lord too is renowned

for His memory. The only difference is that the Lord remembers only the good we

do and is extremely forgetful, as far as our lapses are concerned, says Sri

Valmiki-"katanchit upakArENa kritEna EkEna tushyati

 

Na smarati apakArANAm satamapi AtmavattayA"

 

12. The elephant is known to be voracious eater and consumes food in bulk.

What would normally feed an army for a week would probably form a day's diet for

the pachyderm. The Lord too is known to have a huge hunger and expects to be fed

a large quantity of food and drinks during every meal. The Vishnu Sahasranama

Stotram calls Him "MahAsana:", attesting to His insatiable appetite. He is the

"ulagam uNda peru vAyan" of Sri Nammazhwar.

 

How futile it would be for a total cripple, bereft of all his limbs and lying at

the bottom of a deep pit, to aspire to ride on the back of a mighty elephant,

towering majestically over him! However, if the pachyderm were to take pity on

him, kneel down to him, pick up the cripple gently with its soft trunk, put him

on its back and give him the ride of his life, the cripple's cup of joy would be

full. Similarly, looking to the unbridled supremacy of the Lord (Paratvam), we

might despair of His inaccessibility to frail mortals like us and of interacting

with Him in any fashion. However, Emperuman Himself, aware of our frailties,

reaches down from the heights of His supremacy and is born time and again in

this humdrum world to live as one with us mortals, to share in our happiness and

sorrow. And, for the sake of those who were not around when He took His

avataras, He contracts His glorious form and resides in idols made of stone,

metal and mere mud too, consecrated at various temples, as the "arcchA

moorthi''.

 

The next time we set eyes on an elephant, would it not remind us of the glorious

Lord, in all His majesty and grandeur, untiring in His efforts to emancipate us

and ready to kneel down, put us on His shoulders and carry us on the journey to

the Eternal Land, if only we would show Him the mere semblance of love and

affection?

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya Nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan