Fwd: Re:Thank you for the 3 part on Mukkur Swami-(PART 2 Concluded)

[Guest guest]

tiruvengadam, "Sudarshan M.K." <sampathkumar_2000>

wrote:

(Contd. from previous post on this same subject):

 

Parashara Bhattar led his disciple down a SriRangam

street to a large "pandal" (a sprawling make-shift

canopy erected on street-kerbs on festive occasions).

He pointed to one of the bamboo-poles supporting the

structure and asked :

 

"Tell me, boy, what is this ?"

"It is a bamboo-pole, sir," replied the disciple.

"And what is this that has been wound around the

pole?"

"It is a streamer, Sir, woven out of the bark-fibre of

the coconut tree".

"And how does it look?", asked the Bhattar.

"It looks very pretty and colourful, Sir. They have

painted it all for the occasion, as you can see,"

remarked the disciple.

"And what is this here?", continued Bhattar.

"It is a festoon of the leaves of the banana-tree.

("thOraNum")".

"And how does it look ?"

"Why, it looks very lush and pleasing to the eye,

Sir," replied the disciple.

"And, boy, tell me what is this here?", Sri.Bhattar

persisted.

"It is a colourful banner made of leaves of the

mango-tree ("mAvalai-kodi'), Sir."

"And how does this banner look, boy?".

"It's been plaited together with floral wreaths; its a

festive and colourful sight, Sir, indeed !", said the

disciple.

 

Sri.Parashara next drew the boy closer to him and

looked him in the eye and spoke to his disciple :

 

"Now, answer me, boy. The streamer, the festoon and

the banner here, which you say all look so pretty, why

have all these been strung up here on this pandal?".

 

The disciple thought hard for a moment.

 

Then he answered,"Sir, these have been put up here for

the occasion of our Lord Ranga's "utsavam"."

 

"Smart boy!", said the Bhattar gleefully, "I say,

however, that the streamer, festoon and the banner

have been put up here not so much for the occasion of

Lord Ranga's procession as for the purpose of

ornamenting this structure of a "pandal" here! To make this

thatched structure look more beautiful. Now

what say you to that, eh?" asked Bhattar.

 

The disciple fell silent and contemplated

Sri.Parasharar's remark for a full minute.

 

It was then that Sri.Bhattar's lesson slowly sank into

his comprehension.

 

The boy looked up into Bhattar's face. The tears then

welled up in his eyes. He fell at his guru's feet and

prostrated and said,

 

"Honourable Sir, please forgive me! Please pardon this

sinner. I have understood your lesson on "virakthi" now truly.

Out of ignorance and inexperience I mistook your

sartorial bearing today as a sign of your insincerity

to the values of true "virakthi" and "vairAgyam". But

now I have understood what you truly mean, Sir!"

 

The Bhattar gathered his young disciple up in his

arms, stroked his tearful cheeks and whispered in his

ears :

 

"My pet, my little pet, if it were not for the Lord's

procession this morning would there be need for this

"pandal" here ? Similarly, if it were not for the

Lord's Will ("ichcha") would there be any need for

this world("prakriti")? Would there be need for even

you and me ("jivAtmA's")? Now when they decorated this

"pandal", this thatched canopy here with streamers, festoons

and banners,they did it, of course, to enhance its beauty;

but what is the real purpose for display of

such beauty ? It is for our Lord Ranga's procession,

really, isn't it? If Lord Ranga didn't come by this

way this morning, would any fool take the trouble of

hanging streamers and festoons around this dumb and

dead timber ? If it were not for the Lord's "utsavam"

and His Exclusive Pleasure, where would we confine, I

ask you, these silly things like festoons and banners?

In the dust-bin, isn't it ? We would treat them all

with a kind of "virakthi" (indifference) isn't it?

They would have no more lofty purpose other than to be used as

menial things like domestic broom-sticks

("thOdappam") or kitchen firewood ("varatti"),

isn't it ?"

 

"Likewise, my boy", Sri.Parasharar continued,"when we

talk of "virakthi" and "vairAgyam", we refer to them

as appropriate emotional responses to a world NOT

serving the Pleasure of the Lord

("bhagavth-AgnyA","bhagavath-icchai"

etc.). So long as the things of this world serve us

NOT in offering Ranga His Due Pleasure

("bhagavath-kainkaryam"), they deserve nothing but our

unqualified revulsion (virakthi). But occasionally

even such worldly things -- like the streamers,

festoons and banners here did today -- do serve The

Lord's Purpose or Pleasure! At those times, my dear

boy, we should embrace the world, and freely rejoice

and indulge in it! Even the objects of our "virakthi"

would then turn into objects of Pleasure for the Lord!

It then becomes our duty as His servants ("sEsha"), my dear

boy, to offer Him, our Lord ("sEshi"), and for His Sole Pleasure,

the very same "material" world which otherwise would

deserve our revulsion!

 

"Tell me, which is greater to us, after all -- the Lord Ranga's

Pleasure or our own lofty "vairAgyam"?".

 

"It is in that spirit of "virakthi" or "vairAgyam", my

dear little boy, that I wore all these fine clothes

and diamond ear-studs on my body today. These are but

like your streamers, festoons and banners for this

body ("sarira") of mine akin to this "pandal" here

erected for the Lord's procession!".

 

"Understand, my dear disciple," said Sri.Parashara

Bhattar finally, "that the practice of "virakthi" or

"vairAgyam" (self-abnegation) in life, by itself, will not

carry you very far towards the Lord if there is, within

your heart, no awareness that it is the "sEsha-sEshi

sambhandham" (Master-Servant equation) that is the bed-rock

of the "sarira-sariri sambhandham" (the

'body-soul' nexus). Without that understanding, my

dear boy, the practice of "virakthi" or "vairAgyam" in life

will not only be vain and empty but also fruitless

effort."

 

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

END

 

(with my deep homage to the memory of Sri.Mukkur Swamy),

dAsan,

Sudarshan

--- End forwarded message ---