A Fruity Tale

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Srimate Srivan Satakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

A Fruity Tale

 

 

 

"An Apple a day keeps the Doctor away" goes the adage,

emphasising the importance of fruits to our health. No dinner table is complete

without an assortment of seasonal fruits, which form the ideal dessert. It is

perhaps with this in view that the Shastras too tell us to conclude our meal

with a sweet (fruit)-"madhurENa samApayEt". There is a wide variety of fruits in

God's creation, to suit every taste, palate and purse. If the rich man has a

basket of Alphonso mangoes, the not-so-well-to-do can have bananas, which are

cheaper and more nutritious. The Fruit thus occupies an important place in our

everyday lives and represents the culmination of the tree or shrub's creative

endeavour. Here are a few ripe ones, for the connoisseur's sampling.

 

 

 

The Lord might have created any number of fruits for human

consumption, but devotees consider Him to be a tastier and more fulfilling fruit

than any other. He is the "KOdil in kani" of Sri Kalian ("Vizhumia munivar

vizhungum kOdil in kani"). Other fruits may have blemishes such as over ripeness

or immaturity, but this Divine Fruit has the perfect degree of "pakvam" and is

ever ready for consumption by the devout. Mangoes, apples, oranges, pomegranates

or guavas--most of the fruits are seasonal and are available only during the

respective season: in comparison, the Divine Fruit is always available,

throughout the year, 24 hours a day, to all those who seek it sincerely. This is

thus a Fruit with absolutely no shortcoming or blemish ("kOdilin kani"). This is

no "forbidden fruit" denied to mankind, but a fruit which welcomes everybody to

have a bite. While ordinary fruits are the result of a process of evolution from

flower to fruit, this Fruit Extraordinaire doesn't undergo any change or

"vikAra".

 

 

 

Fruits which have already been tasted by birds and bees are extremely sweet, we

are told. By this standard, the Lord too should indeed be delicious, tasted as

He has been by the most pious of devotees like Azhwars, Acharyas and MaharshIs,

who have dedicated their thought, word and action solely to Him ("vizhumia

munivar vizhungum kOdil in kani").

 

If the Vedas are to be described as a giant tree with branches spread far and

wide, then the Lord is verily its ultimate result, the raison-de-etre, the

Fruit-

 

"VEdattin suvai payan".

 

 

 

If this is what Sri Kalian has to say, then Sri Nammazhwar must have already

said it, for Sri Parakala's poems are but products of Sri Parankusa's

outpourings.

 

Predictably, we find a reflection of the aforesaid verse in Tiruvaimozhi, with

but negligible variation-

 

" mikkAr vEda vimalar vizhungum en akkAra kaniyE"

 

Here too, the Lord is described as a delectable fruit, so sweet that it could be

made of sugar candy- "akkAra kani". This akkAra kani is consumed with delight by

no less than the Celestials-"vEda vimalar".

 

Sri Nammazhwar seems to consider the Lord to be a "fruity" person, for there are

several related references-'nei suvai tEral engO kani engO pAl engEnO",

"kattiai tEnai amudai nan pAlai kaniyai karumbu tannai" etc.

 

 

 

The lips of the Lord resemble a beautiful red fruit, say all the Azhwars-

 

"kani irundu anaya sevvAi KaNNanai kaNda kaNgaL"

 

"kovvai chevvAi"

 

 

 

If Sri Parankusa and Sri Parakala consider the Lord to be a "Kani", can Swami

Desikan be far behind? For his part, the Acharya too likens the Lord to a

fruit-bearing tree. However, this is a fruit with a difference. Tall people can

pluck fruits from trees without much effort, while short ones may have to take

recourse to ladders etc. This, however, is a tree that yields fruits to tall

ones and short ones alike, but only to those who bend down to it, irrespective

of their height. Whether you are tall or short, you can reach the fruit only if

you bend down. Irrespective of one's stature in the academic, social or economic

spheres, the Lord bestows Moksha only on those who "bend down" or perform

Sharanagati to Him. Here is the beautiful sloka from Sri ParamArttha Stuti-

 

 

 

"SrImat Gridhra saras teera pArijAtam upAsmahE

 

yatra tungai: atungaicha praNatai: grihyatE phalam".

 

 

 

Talking of Moksham, the Lord appears to have bestowed the ultimate reward on

some people, just because they offered Him fruits. And these were not gourmet

items to be found in rare lands or of exceptional taste. They were fruits of a

mere common garden variety, to be found aplenty without much effort in the

forest. The person who could wangle out liberation from the Lord in return for a

few fruits, is none other than Sri Sabhari, whose offering the Lord accepted

with great gusto, because it was accompanied by exceptional devotion and love.

The Ramayana Mangala sloka records this for posterity-

 

 

 

"SAdaram SabharI datta phala moolAbhilAshiNE

 

Soulabhya paripoorNAya sattvOdriktAya mangalam"

 

 

 

In accepting Sri Sabhari's humble offering, the Lord appears to have been guided

by the dictum He Himself was to enunciate later in Sri Krishnavatara-that it is

not the preciousness or price of the offering that matters, but the degree of

piety and love that accompanies it-

 

 

 

'Patram pushpam phalam tOyam yO mE bhaktyA prayacchati

 

tadaham bhakti upahritam asnAmi prayatAtmana:"

 

 

 

However, is it true that Sri Sabhari, out of her anxiety to offer Sri Rama only

the best, tasted the fruits first and offered the half-eaten ones to the Prince

of Ayodhya, as is depicted in some versions and in popular television serials?

The answer appears to be No, for there is no mention in Srimad Ramayana of this

happening. While Sri Valmiki does speak of Sri Sabhari's offering of fruits and

roots ("mayA tu vividham vanyam sanchitam Purusharshabha!-tavArtthE Purusha

VyAghra! PampAyA: teera sambhavam"), nowhere does he speak of the devotee

savouring them first to ascertain their tastiness. In fact, to the contrary, Sri

Valmiki tells us that all of Sri Sabhari's offerings were "proper" and as per

ShAstrAs-"PAdyam Achamaneeyam cha sarvam prAdAd yathA vidhi".

 

 

 

Srimad Bhagavatam too recounts the tale of the Lord offering the priceless

jewels adorning His infantile tirumEni to an itinerant fruit-seller, in return

for a handful of "nAval pazham". Sri Yasoda tries to tempt the elusive Krishna

to come and be dressed up decently, with an offer of fruits, and, in particular,

"nAval pazham" and Jack fruit-"uNNa kanigaL taruvan", "nAvar pazham koNdu

vaitthEninia palA pazham tandu" etc.

 

 

 

Imparting an interesting twist to the fruity tale, Sri Periazhwar tells us that

the jewels that the mischievous Lord offered to the fruit-vendor were not His

own, but confiscated from an unresisting Gopi and when summoned to account for

His misdemeanour, the Lord just laughed away the accusation-

 

 

 

"illam pugundu en magaLai koovi, kayyil vaLayai kazhattri koNdu

 

kollaiyinindrum koNarndu vittra angorutthikku av vaLai kodutthu

 

nalla nAval pazhangaL koNdu nAn allEn endru sirikkindrAnE"

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord's weakness for fruits is thus well demonstrated and chronicled. It

would appear therefore that if you need some favour from Him, all you have to do

is to offer Him some fruits: however, the catch lies in the phrases, "bhakti

upahritam" and "prayatAtmana:"-the fruits, however humble or cheap, have to be

offered to Him with impeccable devotion and love. Otherwise, He doesn't even

touch, leave alone accept, costly offerings, if they are bereft of piety and

sincerity. During TiruvArAdhanam, while submitting fruits for the Lord's

consumption, it is customary to offer them duly cleaned, peeled and ready for

use, and not just as they are available in nature.

 

 

 

Speaking of peeling fruits, there is the tale of a devotee, whom the Lord had

honoured with a visit to his (devotee's) home, who, unable to take his eyes off

the Lord's bewitching countenance and tirumEni, ended up offering all the banana

skins to the Lord and throwing away the fruits inside, mixed up in his

preoccupation with bhagavat anubhavam. This was none other than Sri VidhurA, who

was so taken up with Emperuman's beauty that he offered the Lord what was to be

thrown away and dutifully threw away the sweet bananas that were to be offered

for consumption. However, since the banana peels were offered with the best of

bhakti and piety, though by mistake, the Lord consumed them with all relish,

without once drawing VidhurA's attention to the mix up.

 

 

 

Though the Lord appears to be quite fond of fruits, there are some that He looks

askance at and doesn't partake of. The MundakOpanishad talks of a tree, which is

inhabited by two beautiful birds, of which one eats the tree's fruits while the

other doesn't.

 

 

 

"DvA suparNA sayujA sakhAyA samAnam vriksham parishasvajAtE

 

tayO: anya: pippalam svAdu atti, anasnan anya: abhichAkaseeti"

 

 

 

This beautiful allegory refers to the human body as the tree and the JeevAtma

and Paramatma, who inhabit this shareeram, as the pretty-winged birds perched on

the tree. The fruits of the tree represent "Karma phalam" or the results flowing

from our accumulated baggage of merits and demerits, which the Jeevatma

continues to enjoy or suffer, while the Paramatma, as the antaryAmi, just

watches the Jeevatma's antics, without partaking of and being tainted by the

fruits of the former's action or inaction.

 

 

 

We have seen the immense benefits that fruits, ordinary or otherwise, can confer

upon us. However, there are instances of fruits proving fatal. We are told that

ParIkshit Maharaja, who was told that he had only seven days to live and would

meet his death through a snake, barricaded himself in a specially constructed

enclosure with airtight security to prevent access to serpents. The wise King

failed to reckon with the long arm of fate, which presented itself in the form

of a Brahmin come to bless the monarch, carrying a citrus fruit in his hand as a

token of respect. Daksha, the King of Serpents, who had hid himself in the fruit

in the form of a tiny worm, came out hissing, at his venomous best, and struck

the King dead.

 

 

 

Depiction of nature, in all its enticing beauty, comes automatically to Azhwars,

who see the same as yet another manifestation of the Lord's Creation in all its

myriad variety. Here is a sample of the same from the Third TiruvandAdi, in

which fruits play an important role--

'PArttha kaduvan sunai neer nizhal kaNdu

 

PErtthOr kaduvan ena pErndu-kArttha

 

KaLam kanikku kai neettum VenkatamE- mEl nAL

 

ViLam kanikku kandru erindAn verppu"

 

 

 

A monkey, looking down into a well and finding its reflection, imagines the same

to be another of its species and beseeches the latter to give it the black but

delicious kaLA pazham. And where does this happen? At TiruvEnkatam, the abode of

the Lord who, in His Krishnavatara, felled two mangoes in one stone, so to say,

by dashing an asurA, who had come in the garb of a calf (VatsAsura), against

another asura, who had transformed himself into a ViLA tree(KapittAsura). The

moment the calf was flung with force at the tree, all the ViLA fruits rained

down due the force and the tree itself was totally destroyed, along with the

calf.

 

 

 

Azhwars appear to be enamoured of this "fruitful" episode, for it receives

their repeated attention and recording-

 

"kattru kuNilai ViLam kanikku kandru erindAn",

 

"kandru kuNilA erindAi kazhal pOttri"

 

"MElAl ViLavin kAi kandrinAl veezhttavan!"

 

"tAzhnda viLam kanikku kandrerindu vEttruruvAi"

 

"kandrinai vAlOlai mAtti manigaL udira erindu") etc.

 

 

 

It is perhaps to commemorate this event that even today, the offerings to the

Lord on the SrI Jayanti day include KaLA pazham, ViLAm pazham etc.

 

 

 

Another instance where the innovative Krishna used fruits as ammunition for

destroying an asura is recounted by Sri Tirumazhisai PirAn. DhEnukAsura was one

more messenger of death dispatched by Kamsa to eliminate the apple of Yasoda's

eye. The asura came in the form of a mule. Instantly identifying the marauder

for what he was, the Lord caught him by his four legs and threw him against a

sturdy palm tree ripe with fruit. The asura dashed against the fruits with such

force that he was blown to smithereens. Says Sri Tirumazhisai PirAn-

 

"VAsiyAgi nEsam indri vandu edirnda DhEnukan

 

nAsamAgi nAL ulappa nanmai sEr panam kanikku

 

veesi mEl nimirnda tOLin illai AkkinAi kazharkku

 

AsayAm avarkkalAl amarar Agal AgumE?"

 

 

 

To bring the "fruity" tale to an end, all of us like fruits, but do fruits like

us? What a silly question, you might feel. However, fruits do have likes and

dislikes. There are instances of fruits appearing suddenly on branches of trees,

quite out of season. Even in these days of hybrid crop varieties and genetically

treated seeds, it would be difficult to find mangoes on tree branches in

November or December. We are told, however, that prompted by the joyous occasion

of Sri Rama's homecoming after fourteen long years of exile in the jungle,

fruits appeared on their own on all trees, quite out of season, even on those

which had stopped bearing fruit years back-

 

"Bhoomi: sasyavatI chaiva phalavantascha pAdapA:"

 

Contrast this with the sudden disappearance of flowers, fruits et al from all

trees, when Raghunandana left for his jungle sojourn-

 

"api vrikshA: parimlAnA: sa pushpAnkura kOrakA:---RAma vyasana karsitA:"

 

Therefore it appears to be indeed true that the affinity between the Lord and

fruits is mutual: He likes them and they too love Him.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Dear Bhagavathas,

Sreemathe Ramanujaya Nama:

Indeed I find the long, beautiful and soul satisfying articles of Sriman

Sadagopan Iyengar and Sriman M.K.Sudarsan, invigorating reading. They are

divinely informative. Their writings offer a contrast in style. One is

Kadali Paakam and the other is Naarikela Paakam. Wish you both many many

fruitful years of writing Bhagavat Vishayam.

Dasan,

Rmanujam.

 

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