"amOghah pundarikAksha:" -- The Perfect Ally

[Guest guest]

Dear friends in Kuwait,

 

If there is one great truth we learned from international events of

the past few weeks, it is that relations amongst nations can be as

brittle as and no more durable than that between man and man.

 

Watching CNN and BBC here in Kuwait, and reading columns of leading

newspapers in the world, it was a sad sight indeed to witness nations

once priding themselves as "natural allies" or "special friends",

suddenly turning coat at the crucial moment and letting each other

down badly. France and Germany let down the USA; Russia let down UK;

Eastern Europe let down 'old Europe'; NATO let down Turkey; Turkey

might let down USA; the Arabs let down Iraq; the Lebanese let down

Kuwait... and so on and so forth. It is all a merry-go-around of

betrayal after another. And all happening in a couple of fortnights!

 

To a serious student of world-history this moment must seem at once

both fascinating and horrific. O tempora! O mores! Old and honourable

military alliances, military pacts, treaties and so-called trusting

relationships... are all being turned upside-down. They have all been

shown to be fragile and unreliable. To the world's acute

embarrassment, a cynical but age-old maxim stands once again

confirmed:

 

"There are no permanent friends or enemies in this world; there is

only permanent self-interest".

 

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Any serious student of the Mahabharatha will tell you that the

"itihAsa" is one of the earliest and most comprehensive compendium of

human betrayal and loyalty-shifts -- at both State and

person-to-person levels. One has to merely recall at random a few

vivid tales from the "sabhA-parva", "bhishma-parva", "dhrOna-parva",

"karna-parva" or the "souptika-parva" to remind oneself of the

treachery, double-dealing, conspiracy and intrigue that characterized

political intercourse between kings, noblemen and allies in the days

of the Mahabharatha. Evidently, the trend continues to this very day.

 

 

The Hastinapur Crown was never really one large, monolithic empire

ruled, so to say, by one all-powerful sovereign. It was actually a

"Coalition of the Willing" -- i.e. local chieftains, aristocrats,

warlords and noblemen, perennially at odds with each other, willingly

chose one amongst themselves-- the least unacceptable to everyone --

and grudgingly elected him nominal Sovereign to preside over the

Throne at Hastinapur.

 

The regional warlords wielded enormous power in their respective

fiefdoms but had little all-India (or all-bhArath) stature or clout.

They were frequently feuding with each other when they were not

otherwise plotting against or placating each other. The King of

Kauravas, thus, ruled over this unruly pack through diplomatic ruse

and manipulative politics. The Sovereign enjoyed sway only so long as

he could command their loyalty and support. This he did through

subterfuge, matrimonial alliances (marriages of convenience bordering

on incest even sometimes), military pacts and through special

tax-treaties that were really a conspiracy against the common man and

based firmly on the principle that there is honour among thieves.

 

In short, the quality of politics during the time of the Mahabharatha

(when 'kali-yuga' was not very distant) was not very different from

the state of international politics we see prevailing today among

nation-states.

 

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During the time of the Mahabharatha no one, hence, really trusted a

political ally. The word "ally" was generally taken to be euphemism

for a "fair-weather-friend", a "mutual-interest-society" or a

"partner-in-crime". An "ally" was someone who was either a

"friend-in-need" (i.e. either someone who temporarily needed you or

who, for the time being, was needed by you) or else someone who was

your "enemy's worst enemy" and therefore your friend. A debtor-state

i.e. a vassal-state mired in national debt up to its nose also

occasionally came to be enlisted as a "faithful ally". Or else, an

"ally" could be someone who had been sufficiently frightened into

believing that if he was not seen to be "for you", he might well be

regarded being "against you".

 

During the times of the Mahabharatha, allies and alliances were just

as unreliable and shifty as they are today...

 

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The Vishnu-Sahasranamam, which is a part of the Mahabharatha, tells

us that there is only one ally in all the world who can be trusted --

at all times, under all circumstances. He is the Almighty Himself.

 

Now, we ask: Who is a true ally? What may be expected of him? What

are his qualities?

 

The Sahasranamam tells us categorically that the Lord alone possesses

all requisite qualities of an ever-reliable ally. They are set out

clearly in the 12th stanza:

 

vasuh vasumanAh satyah samAtma sammitah samah

amOghah pUndarIkAkshah vrisha karmA vrishAkritih

 

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(1) The first quality an ally must possess is Truthfulness,

Credibility, Integrity -- 'satyah'. An ally does not say one thing in

private and posture differently in public; nor does he say one thing

at one time and then turn around to say the very opposite at another

time. In the Mahabharata, Krishna proclaimed firmly to both warring

parties, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, that no matter what happens,

He would not Himself directly engage in combat. To the very end, our

Lord stuck to His stand. Even in the face of the gravest provocation

to take up arms against the Kauravas at various points of time during

the fratricidal Kurukshetra War, Krishna was steadfast in his resolve

to remain on the sidelines.

 

(2) The second quality of a true ally is denoted by the 'nAma':

"vasuh". He who resides within His devotees, and alongside them,

shoulder-to-shoulder, as it were, is known as "vasuh". It is from

this term, 'vasuh', that we get the Tamil word "vAsi" meaning

'resident'. The Lord of Tiruvengadam is called "SrinivAsa" since

Lakshmi resides in Him. A resident of Madras would be "chennai-vAsi"

these days and it would not be a misnomer to call a

Non-Resident-Indian like me an "agnyAtha-vAsi'.

 

A true ally resides and breathes with us. He shares our problems,

helps out on day-to-day basis, and is always at hand to give counsel,

support and guidance. An ally is not one who will put in an

appearance in the neighbourhood when it's either election or

re-election time, or else, when it is time to set up his military or

naval-base in your own backyard. Lord Krishna, in the Mahabharatha

showed Himself as true 'vasuh': by being physically there for the

Pandavas at all times -- even, and especially during the 12 long

years they languished in exile away from Hastinapur.

 

(3) A true ally should also be a 'vasumanAh'. An ally must befriend

us not out of self-interest alone or for the sake of expediency of

the hour. An ally must have abiding respect for us, our dignity, for

what we are and for our ways of life. The ally may be high and

mighty, and we may be very lowly in comparison, but that is not the

basis on which the ally extends his hand of friendship. Such an ally

does not go around announcing to the world that his God, his

countrymen and their way of life is the best. The Lord -- the

'vasumanAh' who is Lord Almighty -- regards the lowliest devotee with

deep, abiding respect and reverence. Krishna calls them "sa mahAtma

sudurlabhah:". He considers them "rare"; He tends to them carefully

as if they were some rare treasure-chest to be safely secreted inside

some deep, underground vault! He calls them "mahAtmA"! Rama, a royal

prince befriended a tribal chief, Guha. The Lord also befriended the

leader of a monkey-nation, Sugriva. The Lord did not ever once deign

to lecture them on the virtues of democracy, free-market economy or

monogamy (not to mention the "American way of life").

 

(4) Next, a true ally is a "samAtma" and "samah" i.e. the ally treats

all members of the alliance on an equal footing. There are no "old

Europe" and "new Europe" members in God's alliance. God makes no

distinction amongst members of His alliance... "samA atmA -- samOham

sarva bhUtEshu...", He said in the Bhagavath-gita. Nor does God

threaten any member with expulsion from or non-admittance into the

alliance in case the member, for one reason or other, does not

exactly toe His line. When it became clear that War between the

Kauravas and Pandavas was unavoidable, Krishna, like the true ally He

was, made it clear to both Arjuna and Duryodhana that He would deny

neither whatever aid and support they expected from Him! The fatuous

Duryodhana chose to requisition all of Krishna's armed forces, which

the Lord promptly put at the Kaurava's disposal. Arjuna wisely asked

for the services of Krishna as charioteer and chief war strategist.

The Lord readily obliged.

 

In the Ramayana, the Lord proved He was a 'samAtmA'. Rama said:

anyone who comes to Me and says, "Please, Sir, I have no support

other than Thee" … Anyone, without reserve or discrimination, who

simply comes up and says, "Please", will never be denied My

allegiance and protection:

 

"sakrudEva prapannAya tavAsmIti cha yAchatE I

abhayam sarva-bhUtEbhyO dadAmyEtadvratam mama" II

 

To show the world that the above were not mere empty words, the Lord

followed it up saying He would actually implement what was said:

 

"aana-yainam harisrEshTa dattamasyAbhayam mayA I

vibhIshaNO va sugreva yadi vA rAvaNa svayam" II

 

"Be it Vibhishana or Sugreeva or anyone else, I am the ally of

everyone who seeks my protection. Why, I'd give Ravana himself the

same courtesy, if he were to ask me for it!".

 

(5) The next important quality possessed by an ally, who is both true

and reliable, is denoted through the 'nAma', "vrishakarma" &

"vrishAkritih". The Lord is "vrishakarmA" -- the safe ally who will

act first and talk later. He is an ally who will never hesitate to

act ('karma'). Time and again the Lord has shown that he prefers to

act first, and then talk. In the Ramayana, Rama first sorted out His

ally, Sugriva's problems with Vali; it was only after Sugreeva was

safely restored to his throne that Rama sought his help for the march

to Lanka. True allies thus always strive to put their own interest

second. It is not subservience on their part; it is the ethic

expected of all true allies ("saKhA") that they ought to consider

themselves as each other's 'dAsa' -- servant. In the "yuddha-kAnda"

of the Ramayana, we hear Sugreeva voicing this very noble sentiment

to Ravana:

 

"lOkanAthasya rAmasya saKhA dAsOsmi rAkshasa" I (VI.40.10)

 

"D'you know who I am, Ravana? Rama and I are allies ("saKhA"). I have

come here to assist Him in his cause. He regards me as an ally, as if

I was an equal partner of His. But really I am His 'dAsa'. Though in

His judgment I am an ally, truly speaking, in my heart I am his

'dAsa'."

 

The Lord, the Ally Supreme, "promises to deliver" and "delivers on

the promise". Most allies of this world are rather long on words and

short on deed. (An ally will make a grand speech on Monday about the

unity and brotherhood of the alliance, say, like the NATO; and then

on Wednesday will use the veto to shoot down an alliance-proposal for

sending troops to defend a member-state in a time of dire need. And

there also allies who will demand a price and more than a pound of

flesh for the grant of rights to station troops on their soil!). Such

allies of the world cannot be relied upon to "walk the talk", to use

the popular expression! Our Lord, however, is not like that. As seen

clearly in the example of Sugreeva above, the Lord is Supreme Ally

whose acts of loyalty ("vrishakarma"/"vrishAkritih") speak louder

than His words. He acts exactly as bidden by His devotees and

unfailingly too. In Tamil, therefore, they call Him "sonna vaNNam

seyyUm perUmAl" -- the God that "walks the talk"!

 

(6) Finally, we come to the last great quality of the Perfect Ally.

We get a good idea of this particular quality through that

extraordinary 'nAma' the Sahasranamam has shown us:

 

"amOghah pundarIkAksha".

 

Parashara Bhattar (12th century CE), in his commentary called

"bhagavath-guna-darpana", explains this 'nAma' succinctly but very

movingly. He alludes to the Valmiki Ramayana where Rama is hailed

using this very same word:

 

"amOghah darsanam rAma naca mOghastavastavah

amOghasttE bhavishyanti bhaktimantascha yE narAh" (VI.120-29)

 

"Rama! Seeking your 'darsana' and singing your praise ('stOtra')

always yield returns (amOghah)! Never can it be said that a devotee

looked to you for succour and You failed him!"

 

The word "amOghah" means in Sanksrit "useful", "fruitful",

"successful", "profitable"…

The opposite of "amOghah" is (in English) "wasteful", "useless",

"unprofitable", "fruitless" or "futile".

 

The word "pundarika" refers to "paramapada", the eternal and

imperishable abode of God in Vaikuntah. The Lord residing in

"pundarika" is hence called "pundarikAksha".

 

Now what does the "nAma", "amOghah pundarikAksha" mean and how does

it characterize a perfect ally?

 

When anyone wants to make a financial investment there are 2 things

he considers first and foremost: (a) Security and (b) Return, isn’t

it? Anyone who makes an investment wants it to be both secure and

profitable.

 

Life is like an investment. In life we are constantly investing

ourselves into various relationships all the time -- as a son,

brother, wife, mother, teacher, employee… All our life, if you

reflect on it deeply, we are actually doing nothing but making a

series of investments into relationships with other people. And what

are we investing in these relationships? The answer: our Trust. Trust

is the currency with which the investments of our lives are made into

the portfolio of relationships we seek to build in this world.

 

A child and its mother, for example, invest enormous amounts of trust

into their relationship over the years. And what is the expectation:

Security and Return, of course! The security is in the form of the

deep, lasting bonding that develops between mother and child. The

return derived is in the abiding love, understanding and support they

know they will get from each other all their lives. When mother and

child succeed in getting the Security and Return they each desire

from their relationship, it is said to be "amOghah".

 

God as our ally is "amOghah pundarikAksha". When we invest our trust

in Him we are investing in a relationship that is both secure and

profitable. Every dollar of trust or faith that we invest in God goes

into a security house called "pundarika'. And every dollar of trust

invested in "pundarika" returns to us enriched a million times over…

as "amOghah".

 

In both the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha, we see innumerable

examples of the profit that people reaped when they invested in a

relationship of trust with God. He became their abiding ally, the

Perfect Ally, and secured for them bliss of both this world and the

other. Bharatha, Ahalya, Sabari, Sugreeva, Vibhishana and Hanuman in

the Ramayana; Arjuna, Draupadi, Kunti, and Kuchela in the

Mahabharatha… they are only a few notable examples in God's

"Fortune-500" list of successful investors. Draupadi, in her gravest

moment of crisis, called out to the Supreme Ally by the name of

"pundarikAksha". It is significant that she behaved in the same

manner as one, who in the grave hour of a financial crisis, turns to

the most secure and profitable of investments made for rescue:

 

"sri shanka chakra gadhApANE dwAraka nilayA'chyuta

gOvinda pundarikAksha rakshamAm saraNagatam!"

 

 

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

 

The investment we make in a relationship with God is immeasurable.

Trust in God defies valuation. The only stock exchange on which we

can see our investment in God listed is inside our own individual

hearts. The value of our relationship with Him, the value of our

alliance with the Almighty, is a matter that God wants always to

remain intensely private and confidential. It is a sacred but secret

alliance. None can get a true measure of the worth of this special

relationship except our own very selves.

 

And that is the reason why, finally … that is why in the 14th stanza,

the Vishnu-Sahasranamam calls the Lord, our Perfect Ally, as

"sammitah"… the Immeasurable One!

 

Regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

 

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