"maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu"- (PART 18)

[Guest guest]

The Story of Tondar-adipOdi: Conquest of “kaama”

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through Reduction (“unification”) of Desire --

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“karma yOga” (continued from Part 17)

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One day while traveling on business to SriRangam in a

palanquin, the glamorous Devadasi and her entourage

rested a while on the outskirts when, perchance (or by

mis-happenstance), she espied the handsome

VipranArAyaNa working diligently in his famous garden

of flowers. Devadevi’s curiosity was aroused. Making

further enquiries from her companion, she learned of

who the handsome gardener of such noble and virtuous

bearing truly was.

 

(QUOTE from A.Govindacharya's "The Holy Lives of the

AzhwArs"):

 

“How did Vipranarayan look to the eyes of Devadevi?

His head and beard were thick and long with hirsute

growth. His body too was downy. He was clad in

milk-white garments. His brow and breast and arms and

neck beamed with the bright and sacred insignia of the

true Vaishnava. He wore the sacred 'tulasi' beads and

lotus gems. And he was busily employed in building

beds for the trees and shrubs, watering the plants, or

tending them in a hundred small ways, as the sole

service of God ("bhagavath-kainkarya") had fallen to

his good share.

 

"The eyes of Devadevi and her companion wistfully

watched all of Vipranarayana's diligent operations in

the garden; but wondered why he never lifted his eyes

from work --- even one look for their fair face? No.

Even if he was aware of their presence he was on the

one hand deeply absorbed in his divine service

("karma-yOga"), and on the other, had no other than

notions of hate and contempt for female charms. This

to her unusual conduct on the part of a man excited

her curiosity. Was he mad? Or was he no man at all?

She wondered.

 

"Devadevi's companion however said, “No, neither is he

mad nor is he wanting in manliness. His whole soul is

bent upon his Godly work (“karma-yOga”). His heart is

turned away from the world. Your charms and smiles,

your curvaceous beauty, your charming tresses, hold no

charm for him. But listen now: if you could melt the

stone of this noble creature’s heart to flow towards

you, indeed I will hold you as the best in our

profession. So let’s make a wager: If you succeed, I

will bind myself to serve you as a maid for 6 months.”

“Agreed”, said Devadevi, “and if I do not succeed, I

will be your slave for 6 months”.

 

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

 

At once Devadevi shed all her jewels and personal

trappings and disguising herself as a common woman of

the street, she went and presented herself outside the

gates of VipranArAyana’s house. When he came out, she

rushed forth and immediately fell at his feet:

 

“Lord”, she cried piteously,”By birth I am mean. This

is due to my past sins. My mother makes me an object

of pleasure (“kaama”) for every male’s satisfaction of

lust. She makes much money by such base trade. I have

said enough and run away from my home. I am in fear

now. I am a destitute and have no protection. Please

deign to look upon me with pity and show me kindness

by giving me employment as a menial servant in your

house. In your absence I will look after your garden

too and bear all other daily burdens of yours. Please

do not turn me away, please”.

 

To a willing helper or volunteer like her to him in

divine service, Vipranarayana could not but say but

“yes”, simple and unaware as he was of the guile

behind Devadevi’s veil. His unsophisticated nature

admitted a servant, and his natural kindness to all

creatures prompted him to share with her his frugal

fare after its usual offering to his household God.

 

"Determined as she was to accomplish her purpose, she

was possessed with all the necessary patience, for she

toiled in Vipranarayana’s garden for 6 long months

performing every menial service, a veritable labour of

love (“kaama”) indeed!

 

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

 

"Devadevi was working thus one day when a heavy

downpour came. She was wet and shivering, but would

not cease her work. Vipranarayana was in his cottage

under shelter. Pity at seeing a creature suffer moved

him to ask her to betake herself to his shed. She

obeyed. She was instantly at his side, dripping with

her wet sari. He saw her plight and gave her his own

dry garment for her to wear. She obeyed.

 

After a while, finding herself alone, half-dressed and

in the company of her master she had plotted to

seduce, the wily Devadevi saw that it was the moment

she had been waiting for all along: “The rain is

outside; and here we are both together alone; His mind

is otherwise unoccupied. This is the moment to

seize!”. “My Lord”, said Devadevi,”allow this humble

servant of yours to press and massage your tired limbs

until the rains abate”. IN all innocence,

Vipranararyana expressed his willingness.

 

As she began to press his limbs slowly, Devadevi also

began to softly use words of endearments, coquettish

gestures and furtive glances…… these were done with

such seductive charm and adeptness, that soon

Vipranarayana’s saintliness began to rapidly melt

away. Weak nature’s erotic flame burned up his whole

frame and held him captive. His body shook with

passionate spasms and his will quickly broke:

 

“angArasadhrshI naarI, ghrthakUmbha sama:pumaan" is an

old saying in Sanskrit, meaning:

 

“Male and Female are Nature’s duo,

One is Fire, the other’s wax”.

 

“Deft at the arts of sensuous touch and massage,

Devadevi succeeded: for Vipranarayana lent himself to

her vile embrace, and she of course lost no time in

teaching him the higher lessons in the arts of Cupid.

She improved upon the occasion too by immediately

sending for all her old jewels and apparel; decked

herself like the very peacock; she displayed her

personal charms to such great advantage that by bow

Vipranarayana became her complete slave.

 

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

 

"In an entirely new aspect now did all the garden

contrivances appear. The shades and seats, the bowers

and arches, the glens and glades, the canopies and

arcades, all invited them to repose and revel and

wallow in each other’s sensuous intimacy. No more were

these for God intended, but were all for their own

flesh and its appetites. To Vipranarayana, it all

seemed a new world unfolded, and thus tempted and

transported, he altogether lost sight of his old

world. He forgot his “sandhyavandanam”, he ceased his

gardening, he gave up the temple services…. He knew no

other happiness in life other than what he experienced

on Devadevi’s couch."

(UNQUOTE).

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

 

To describe such of Vipranarayana’s abject and venal

condition, it may not be inaccurate to once again

borrow from and paraphrase that extremely moving verse

of Wordsworth:

 

“So once it would have been, -- ‘tis so no more;

I have submitted to a new control:

A power is gone, which nothing can restore;

A deep distress has (demonized) my soul.”

 

***********

(to be continued)

Regards,

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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