The Con-artist

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Oppiliappan, "sadagopaniyengar"

<sadagopaniyengar@v...> wrote:

>

The Con Artiste

>

>In Act II of the same drama in Aranya Kanda, we come across another

artistic performance by an equally talented con artiste-none other

than Dasamukha Ravana, who hides nine of his heads and assumes the

garb of a holy man, a sanyAsi -"ParivrAjaka roopa dhrik". With

becoming ochre robes, long hair worn in a jatA, an umbrella and

wooden slippers, a staff that is the constant companion of sanyAsis

and a Kamandalu, Ravana is the very picture of renunciation and the

VEda ghOsham emanating from his lips adds credence to his demeanour.

Ravana could create such an impression on the innocent Sita devi that

She invited him into the Ashrama and offered him a seat and fruits.

What happened next is history.

> *************************

 

 

Dear SrimAn Sadagopan Iyengar,

 

I read with avid interest your post. My vote for the consummate

'con-artist' of the Ramayana would go not to Ravana but to his

brother Maareecha, who disguised himself as an enchanting deer and

went on to pull more than mere wool over the eyes of not only Sita

and Lakshmana but also Rama! The entire story of the Ramayana hinges

in fact around this single act of Maareecha's deception. It was

con-artistry of first-class order!

 

The lay reader of the Ramayana may be tempted into believing that

con-artists of the world can and do get away with deceiving even the

Lord Almighty. It is Swami Desikan, in his Raghuveera Gadyam, who

warns us not to fall for such facile temptations. A grievous fate

befalls ultimately anyone, who like Maareecha, seeks to con the

Almighty:

 

Verse # 38 :

 

"mAricha-mAyAmrigacharma-parikarmitha

nirbhara-darbhAstharaNa !!!"

 

Swami Desikan here hails Lord Rama for the fantastic job He did of

skinning the deceitful Maareecha and fashioning out of the rAkshasa's

hide a fine piece of "seat-cover" -- "nirbhara-darbhAstharaNa"!

 

There is a grave lesson in this for all of us (including fake gurus

and achAryA-s who abound in ever-increasing numbers around us these

days):

 

We might con some people all the time with our false piety

("brahma-vEsham"); we might con all people sometimes; perhaps we

might even con all people all the time. But ultimately the Almighty

will seek us out like Rama hounded out Maareecha. And when that

happens we should prepare to meet the same fate as Maareecha did --

our hide will be good enough for only one thing: to be skinned alive

and all stitched-up as a beautiful 'seat-cover' for the Lord's

reclining pleasure!

 

Regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

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