"maRRai nam kaamangaL maaRRu"- (PART 17)

[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 16)

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Tondar-adipOdi was born as “Vipra-nArAyana” in the

county of Mandangudi in South India many centuries

ago. Descended from a devout Brahmin family, he

underwent all the proper education and “samskArAs”

that, traditionally, Brahmins underwent those days.

Vipra-nArAyana grew up to be a handsome and

intelligent but extremely gentle youth with a rather

shy or self-effacing disposition.

 

One day in his youth Vipra-nArAyana visited the famous

temple of SriRangam and worshipped the Deity Lord

Ranganatha there. The experience changed the course of

his life. It was the beginning of a life-long

“love-affair” with the Lord! Bewitched by the iconic

beauty of the Almighty there, and of the temple

environs and its sylvan surroundings, Vipra-nArAyana

made up his mind to give up all the evanescent

vanities of mundane life and devote himself solely to

rendering some useful and daily service to the temple.

He took up the vocation of a garden-keeper.

 

On a sprawling plot of land on the outskirts of

SriRangam, not very far from the temple, he began to

cultivate and grow a large flower-garden and

fruit-orchard. He toiled all day happily and by the

sweat of his brow and sinews daily produced an

abundant ration of floral-offerings of the most

exquisite variety --- roses, jasmine, gardenia,

hyacinth, daisies,violets, “paarijaata”, “sAmandhi”,

“marikozhundhu”; and then mango, jack, fig, lemon,

pomegranate, cocoa and areca and more too--- all of

which he then offered to the temple. The fruits were

used in the temple-kitchens that served the Deity the

daily sacrament of victual later distributed to

pilgrims as “bhagavath-prasAdam”. The fragrant wreaths

and garlands served to adorn the beautiful idol of the

Almighty there.

 

Years passed by in such happy and devout labor.

Vipra-nArAyana’s work soon became the talk of the

town, so to say. The idol of Ranganatha bedecked

bright with those flowers presented a most marvelous

sight to the masses of devoted pilgrims (“tondar”)

that thronged Srirangam for worship. And

VipranArAyana’s own cup of joy simply brimmed over

with delight every time he witnessed the sight of the

Deity amongst the milling surge of adoring crowds. Not

a day passed for him without visiting the sanctum of

Ranganatha to enjoy in “vacant or in pensive mood” the

experience of pure “bhakti” which is “bliss of

solitude” indeed.

 

Vipranarayana's way of life was fit indeed to be

described as “nish-kAma-karma”: the un-alloyed

pleasure (“kaama”) of the true “karma-yOgi” -- he who

is passionately devoted to God-centric work of the

world without as much as a thought for personal

reward.

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

 

Vipra-nArAyanan’s life at this time was truly “a thing

of Beauty, a Joy forever”. It was filled with Elysian

innocence, happiness and tranquility. The spirit of

Beauty itself, like some sweet guardian-angel, seemed

to have wafted into his life from all quarters to keep

watch over him.

 

There was beauty in his gardens, in the flowers he

grew; there was beauty in the sight of the distant

temple-ramparts emerging out of the mist on a

bright-spring morning; beauty in the sound of the

temple-bells echoing across distant fields that ringed

SriRangam; there was beauty in the gushing waters of

the River Kaveri; in the din and bustle of

pilgrim-crowds wending their way to the temple-gates;

and finally, there was strange, ineffable Beauty too

(a beauty that “surpasseth understanding”) in the very

sight of the Lord’s idol as it lay supine and graceful

inside the blessed sanctum of SriRangam.... His was a

state of being that best characterized the memorable

phrase of the Bhagavath-Gita, “buddhi-yogam

upâsritya”. A later poet from different times and

climes, who came long after Tondar-adipodi, might well

have described the happiness of the AzhwAr in these

words:

 

“A picture had it been of lasting ease,

Elysian quiet, without toil or strife;

No motion but the moving tide, breeze,

Or merely silent God’s breathing life.

 

Such, in the fond illusion of my heart,

Such picture would I at that time have made;

And seen the soul of truth in every heart,

A steadfast peace that might not be betray’d.”

 

“Pleased rather with some soft ideal scene,

The work of fancy, or some happy tone

Of meditation, slipping in between

The beauty coming and the beauty gone”.

(William Wordsworth)

 

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

 

Alas, very soon the spirit of Beauty that had come

“like moving tide and breeze” into VipranArAyaNa’s

life --- the life that might well be described as “a

soft ideal scene” --- was about to be destroyed; and

the “steadfast peace” that had ruled so long over his

life -- “like a fond illusion of the heart” indeed --

was going to be badly “betray’d” too.

 

The betrayal was brought about by a “devadAsi”, a

royal courtesan of the palace of the local Chola King

of Uraiyoor country. Her name was Devadevi, a lady of

extraordinary beauty but rather easy virtue, who

hailed from a neighboring hamlet, Tiru-Karambanoor.

This lady whose clientele included the King himself,

not to mention so-called "nobles" of the royal court,

was a paragon of voluptuous Beauty.

 

The moment this "Beauty" came into Vipranarayana’s

life, the other Beauty was, at once, gone.

 

***********

(to be continued)

Regards,

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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