"Da, Da, Da": What the Thunder Said (Part-3 CONCLUDED)

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In the Vedic pantheon the god of Fire is 'agni-dEva'.

He is a very important and sacred one. No Vedic ritual

("yagnya") can normally be undertaken without

'agni-dEvata'. This 'dEva' is a benign god bestowing

upon the whole world the comfort of warmth, protection

against dark dangers, the blessings of good health and

the wholesomeness of spirit...

 

The 7-tongued flame of 'agni' ("sapta-jihvA") that

glow inside a sacrificial mound of fire are

reverentially tended to in the ancient Vedic rite

called 'nitya-agni-hOtra". The fire that appears in

such a sacred rite is worshipped as a 'dEva'... only

because it is firmly 'controlled' by the restraint of

'dama'...

 

Yet, 'agni', the same 'dEvata', is feared and loathed

whenever he is seen to lose self-control or 'dama'. A

wild forest-fire that goes berserk is everybody's

nemesis. An accidental fire that suddenly blazes out

of control is everybody's nightmare. An inferno brings

about tragedy and death on an epic scale...

 

No one ever calls such malevolent, uncontrollable Fire

as 'agni-dEvata'...

 

************

 

In the 'Srimadh-Bhagavatham', a Vedic 'purANa' of

lofty spiritual values and insights, there is the

story of Hiranyakasipu, the great 'asurA' who had no

'dayA', not an iota of compassion, in his heart... not

even for his little child.

 

Hiranyakasipu's little son, Prahlada, a mere boy of

six years, in spite of the father's best, and often

violent efforts, could not just be weaned away from

his religious conviction that the the Almighty was

none else than Srimann-Narayana. The father furiously

resented the son's faith. He wished the boy would

instead recognize and defer to Hiranyakasipu's own

power and glory... he being, as he was, the monarch of

all that he surveyed. The 'asura' was indeed a great

one... he had attained superhuman powers and qualities

by dint of long and severe austerity, will and labour.

He had conquered empires and subjugated peoples all

over the world. He believed he was entitled to the

obeisance of all. Why his son alone should think

otherwise and persist in his apostasy in search of

another God, another faith was beyond Hiranyakasipu's

understanding.

 

After subjecting the little child to all manner of

oppression and torment only to make him somehow

recant, and meeting with no success whatsoever, the

'asura' finally decided to have Prahlada murdered in

cold blood by his own palace courtiers.

 

The story of the 'Bhagavatham' tells us that the

'asura' King possessed all great and noble qualities

behoving a world leader. Except one. 'dayA',

compassion... He lacked the unique compassion which

normally would move any father's heart, however

steely, towards his child no matter how errant or

wayward the little one may be. And for the one

solitary virtue that mighty Hiranyakasipu lacked, he

paid penalty with his own life in the end... at the

hands of God Himself.

 

***************

 

There is another story in the Bhagavatham which tells

the story of a 'manushya' and the Upanishadic virtue

of 'datta' or 'dAna'. It is the story of Sudama (also

well known by his alias, Kuchela).

 

This man was a good Brahmin who had a loving wife. The

couple had lovable children. They were all living a

modest but happy life... until one day they woke up to

the rude reality that they were destitute. The

children's next meal was an uncertain prospect and

Sudama desperately had to do something.

 

Brahmins are generally not obliged to give alms. They

are sanctioned by Vedic scripture ("sAstra"), in fact,

to receive charity. Looking around for a kind donor in

town to help the family in dire straits, Kuchela's

wife suggested the husband should try knocking on the

royal doors of his old friend and school-mate, Lord

Krishna, whom Kuchela had not met for several years.

Kuchela the Brahmin, thus set out, a trifle

reluctantly, on the mission to seek alms from his old

boyhood friend and benefactor, Krishna.

 

Krishna and his queens, Rukmini and Satyabhama,

received Kuchela into the royal quarters with all the

courtesy due to an old friend... but no more. They

feasted him, entertained him and Krishna recollected

all their pleasant boyhood memories. And then, quickly

enough, it was time for the guest to go. The Lord and

consorts politely prepared to take leave of him and

Sudama knew it was the moment to exit. A sense of

shame overtook him and prevented him from disclosing

to his host the real purpose of the visit. Kuchela

resigned himself to returning empty-handed to his wife

-- his mission an utter failure.

 

On his way out, Kuchela suddenly remembered he had

brought with him a little gift meant for Krishna...

just for old times sake. It was a little pack of

rice-bran. In his boyhood days, Kuchela had

remembered, Krishna had relished bran so much as an

afternoon snack. "Oh, Krishna, I almost forgot", said

Kuchela as he took leave, "Here is some rice-bran I

brought for you! I remembered how much you'd enjoyed

bran snack back in those young days! Here, please

accept this". The Bhagavatham recounts how Krishna

received the little gift of rice-bran with overjoy! He

embraced his poor Brahmin friend for the kindness.

 

The overjoy, notwithstanding, the Bhagavatam records

that Krishna still let the poor Sudama return home

empty-handed.

 

It was when the Brahmin journeyed back home, however,

that the miracle happened!

 

Kuchela's shabby hutment turned into a grand mansion

with liveried servants on call! His wife and children

were no longer in tatters! They were dressed in finest

silks and all decked up in brilliant gold! Sudama was

invited into his own opulent quarters by a bevy of

hand-maidens who showered petals upon him, washed his

feet with perfume, laid out a moonlit banquet for him

with serenading bards in attendance..!

 

Sudama and his family lived happily thereafter!

 

A 'manushyA's' single act of 'datta' or 'dAna' had

possessed enough power to work God's own miracle upon

Sudama...

 

************

 

Although the story in the BrhadAranyaka Upanishad

gives us the impression that Prajapati is addressing

'dEva', 'manushya' and 'asura' separately, as if they

were three distinctive individuals, actually it is Man

alone, the 'manushya', who is being addressed here. It

would be quite tempting otherwise to conclude that the

virtues of self-control and compassion are of little

concern to Man since, as Prajapati himself makes it

appear in the story, "dama" and "dayA" are for

celestials and demons to worry about! In the story

"dEva" and "asura" are really the Upanishad's metaphor

for the higher and lower self within Man. Each

represents a certain stage of advancement along the

path up the ladder of man's evolution. The "asura"

represents the lower rungs; and the 'dEvas' are the

higher reaches of the evolutionary spiral.

 

**************

 

The 'manushya' with no 'dayA' in his heart is an

'asurA' worse than Hiranyakasipu; and the 'manushya'

who has mastered the senses, that Man of 'dama, is

verily a 'dEva' greater than 'agni'.

 

To Man's eternal question of Life, "To be or not to

be?", the BrahadAranyaka Upanishad thus gives a direct

but profound answer: "If you must 'be' then be with

Compassion. If you must 'not be', then be not without

Self-control".

 

This is the principal message of the story. This is

the call of the ancient 'sruti'. This is the wisdom of

the Upanishad. It is also the eternal song of the

Voice from the clouds: the Thunder which keeps saying

to us: "da, da, da".

 

---------------

 

(CONCLUDED)

Regards,

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

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