A Blade of Grass

[Guest guest]

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

A Blade of Grass

 

What would you say is the least valuable and most

insignificant item in the Lord’s Creation? There are supposed

to be 8.4 million types of beings in the world, belonging to various

species, classes and races. Lower in ranking than the humblest of

these are the inanimate objects, due to their not having been blessed

with faculties of cognizance or speech and lacking life in general.

Even among such non-living things, some items like veins of gold,

silver and other minerals and metals command good value and are

deemed precious, as are diamonds extracted from their rocky settings.

Even if they do not rate such high value, other things too are of

great utility to mankind, such as plants and trees, which provide us

with precious food, fruits and shelter. Among other types of plants,

there are those shrubs which provide us with beautiful, fragrant

flowers and those with enchanting leaves and shoots, while yet others

have a medicinal value as herbs, used in various potions for curing

the sick. However, if you think of it, a single blade of grass

appears to be most insignificant and least glamorous item in the

entire gamut of God’s creation, looked at from any angle. Grass

may be used for landscaping and as fodder for cattle, but

notwithstanding these minor applications, it is the oft-used simile,

while a worthless being or object is compared. We often hear people

complaining that they were treated as little better than blades of

grass (“pullukku samAnam”), thus demonstrating the

contempt or indifference this item raises in the minds of people. The

term “Pulliyar” used to denote people of despicable

conduct and character, appears to have had its origins in the lowly

status of the “Pull” or grass. However, when we look into

the Scripture, it provides us with abundant contexts where the

ubiquitous but unassuming blade of grass has figured with

distinction.

 

All of us are aware of the Tamizh saying, “Vallavanukku pullum

Ayudham”, describing how even the humblest and most harmless of

things like a blade of grass could be turned into a weapon of

destruction, in the hands of an accomplished person. Adages such as

these, we find, originate from an actual happening, from which the

saying gains popular currency. It doesn’t need much research to

discover from which particular event this particular saying emanated,

for it immediately draws our attention to the KAkAsura episode in

Srimad Ramayana, where Sri Rama, enraged at the insufferable insult

and physical injury inflicted upon the Divine Mother by the misguided

son of Indra, just plucked a nearby blade of grass (dharbham) and

flung it at the cursed crow, uttering the BrahmAstra mantra.—

 

“Sa darbham samstarAt grihya BrAhmENAstrENa yOjayat

Sa tam pradeeptam chikshEpa darbham vAyasam prati”

 

This simple blade of grass turned into an extremely potent weapon and

hounded the KAkAsura wherever he flew, all over the three worlds. The

renowned Creator BrahmA, the dreaded Destroyer Rudra and the Chief of

Celestials Indra, the father of the crow—none of these worthies

could save the fugitive from the pursuing BrahmAstra. After flying in

vain several times around the three worlds, the crow fell at the feet

of Sri Rama, displaying utter helplessness and

remorse—“threen lOkAn samparikramya tamEvam sharanam

gata:” and was saved by the KaruNA KAkuttsttha, even though he

(the crow) deserved the most stringent of sentences, viz.,

death—“vadhArham api KAkuttsttha: kripayA

paryapAlayat”.

 

This, then, is what a blade of grass of capable of, when handled by a person of attainment.

 

And we are told that when the Lord returned to Sri Vaikuntam on

completion of His mission as Sri Rama, He afforded emancipation to

even the last blade of grass in Ayodhya—“purpA mudalA

narpAlukku uyttanan”.

 

In the TrivikramAvatAra too, the Lord used a Darbham to evict

ShukrAchArya, who, assuming the form of an insect, obstructed the

passage of water from the vessel of MahAbali, who was about to grant

the boon of three feet of land sought by the wily VAmana BrahmachAri.

 

We might talk lightly of a blade of grass, but can you think of a

single vaidika karma, a single solitary ritual or deed, which can be

performed without adorning oneself with a “Pavitram” made

of kusa grass (Darbham)? Darbham imparts purity to the wearer and

makes him eligible for the performance of the Karma. The Shruti tells

us that this type of grass is the embodiment of purity and sanctity-

“SAkshAt pavitram darbhA:”. Whether the entities to be

propitiated are DEvatAs or one’s forefathers, it is Darbham

which is used as a medium for conveying the offerings to them and in

which their presence is ensured, with appropriate AvAhana mantrAs.

The specific mantra which has to be uttered at the time of plucking

Darbha grass for use, glorifies this apparently insignificant object

thus—

”VirinchEna sahOtpanna! ParamEshtti nisargaja!

nuda sarvANi pApAni Darbha! SvastikarO bhava”

 

This grass is so ancient that it was born along with the Creator

BrahmA himself and is capable of relieving us of all sins through

appropriate prAyaschitta karmAs, says the aforesaid sloka. This grass

is so potent, we are told, that VaidikAs used it for sprinkling holy

water, accompanied by the chanting of Veda mantrAs, to protect the

toddler Sri Krishna from evil influences—

 

“ViprA: hutvA archayAns chakru: dadhi akshata kusAmbubhi:”

 

says Srimad Bhagavata Purana.

 

Shastras enjoin BrahmachAris to wear around their waist a belt made

of “Mounji” grass, to act as a protecting and purifying

agent.

 

Srimad Ramayana is a veritable grassy knoll, dotted with accounts of

this holy grass Darbham. When Sri Rama decides to propitiate Samudra

RAja, He lies down on a bed of Darbham—

 

“tata: sAgara vElAyAm darbhAn Asteerya RAghava:

anjalim prAngmukha: kritvA pratisisyE mahOdadhim”

 

Thus these blades of grass were as fortunate as AdisEsha himself, as

the Lord used them as His bed. To this day, the place this event was

enacted stands glorious testimony to perhaps the one and only

Saranagati that the Lord Himself performed, lying down on a bed of

grass. TiruppullANai (or TiruppuLLANi as it is known today) or

Darbhasayanam boasts of a beautiful temple, where Sri Rama can be

seen in a rare reclining posture, sung with verve by Sri Tirumangai

Mannan in all of 20 pAsurams, depicting the beauty of “azhagAna

PullANi”.

 

If grass is thus dear to Emperuman, could it be otherwise to PirAtti?

We find Sri Janaki too using a blade of grass as a medium through

which to communicate with RAvaNa, when he threatens Her with dire

consequences if She doesn’t cooperate with his nefarious

designs—

 

“TriNam antarata: kritvA pratyuvAcha suchismitA”.

 

Rather than communicate directly with the vile asurA, Piraatti plucks

a blade of grass, throws it between Herself and Her abductor and

addresses only the grass, without looking up at the asurA’s

face. By doing this, She signifies several things:

 

1) It is not the “done thing” for chaste women to

even look at other males.

2) RAvaNa was little better than the blade of grass, in view of

his absolute lack of righteous thoughts.

3) Being the distinguished daughter of the venerated Rajarshi

Janaka, the daughter-in-law of Dasarata of great renown and the

beloved wife of Sri Rama of undoubted prowess, it doesn’t

behove the lOkamAta to speak directly to such a “neecha”

as Ravana: hence She communicates with him indirectly, addressing

only the blade of grass.

4) She was conveying indirectly to Ravana that when Rama reached

Lanka and by the time He was done with Ravana, the latter would be

trampled beneath the former’s foot like an impotent blade of

grass.

 

This sloka is considered so significant by Sri PeriavAcchAn PiLlai

that he finds in it and furnishes to us a wealth of purport.

 

We are told that Sri Ramanuja was so attached to the Lord that he

regarded everything else in this mundane world as mere worthless

blades of grass—

 

“YO nityam achyuta padAmbuja yugma rugma

vyAmOhata: tat itarANi triNAya mEnE”.

 

Of what use is grass to anyone, except as fodder for cattle? Similar

was Sri Ramanuja’s disenchantment with worldly relationships

and possessions.

If such is the Bhashyakara’s VairAgyam, can Swami Desikan’s be far behind?

The Acharya expresses his resolve not to waste words of praise on

mortal kings for material considerations, when he has been blessed

with the ultimate wealth represented by the All –powerful Lord,

who adorned the chariot of Arjuna. Swami Desikan says he would neither

seek nor accept even a worthless blade of grass from such

sovereigns—

 

“TriNam api vayam sAyam samphulla malli matallikA

parimaLa muchA vAchA na yAchAmahE maheesvarAn”

 

A meadow of fine, green grass is what constitutes the dream of every

herbivorous four-legged creature. Cows, calves, deer and other cattle

relish a meal of succulent grass and deem it a delicacy. However, if

they were to pause in the midst of grazing, abandon their favourite

gourmet dish and stand transfixed with even the imbibed, half-chewn

grass sliding out of their mouths, the diverting attraction must

indeed be of considerable magnetism. This is the effect the sweet and

mesmerising strains from Sri Krishna’s flute had on these dumb

animals, says Sri Periazhwar—

 

“Surundu irundu kuzhal tAzhnda mukhattAn

Oodugindra kuzhal Osai vazhiyE

MaruNdu mAn kaNangaL mEygai marandu

mEynda pullum kadai vAi vazhi sOra

irandu pAduntulungA pudai peyarA

ezhudu chittirangaL pOla nindaranavE”

 

The BhAgavata Purana too describes the same scene thus-

 

“VrindashO vraja vrishA mriga gAvO vENu vAdya hrita chEtasa ArAt

danta dashta kabalA dhrita karNA nidritA likhita chitram iva Asan”

 

A blade of grass might be insignificant in several respects: however,

when we see the potency and sanctity some of its varieties command,

we are forced to revise our unfllattering opinion about grass. So

much so that a modern poet seeks a birth as one of the humble blades

of grass growing in the meadows of BrindAvanam, so that Sri

Krishna’s tiruvadi would sanctify it sometime or the other and,

even if this doesn’t happen, it would be trodden on at least by

the hooves of cows and calves made holy by their association with

the Lord—“oru PullAi piravi tara vENum- punithamAna pala

kOti piravi tandAlum, BrindAvanam adil oru pullAi piravi tara

vENum” beseeches this poet, placing a birth as a blade of grass

much ahead of that as an exalted, erudite and devout paragon of human

virtues.

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrismha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri

Narayana Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

Dasan, sadagopan