Raja Rao

November 7, 2009

praNAms Advaitins,

Nov-08-2008 is possibly the birth centenary of a great writer, Raja Rao.

A great writer and philosopher, his writings show an extraordinary depth of

his understanding of language. Many of the characters in his novels

usually digress into understanding the meaning behind words, either written

by Rig Vedic seers, or poets like Kalidasa, and often Adi Shankara.

As he himself described in one of His talks, " writing is a sadhana " . He

meant that words and going into their meaning is the closest one can aspire

to understanding the true nature of the all pervasive Self. The characters

in his novels usually digress into questioning of reality in a true Advaitic

sense.

He is considered one of the original triumvirate of English writing in

India, with R.K Narayan and Mulk Raj Anand being the other two. His most

famous characters are Rama from the " Serpent and the Rope " , and the

Chessmaster from " Cat and the Shakespeare " . As described by Himself, both of

these are autobiographical in nature. He was recipient of many prizes most

notably the Gyan-Peeth award, the highest literary award in India.

More important than anything else, spiritually, He was a disciple of Shri

Atmananda (Krishna Menon). It seems he met Ramana Maharshi in person

too. On the inside cover of his famous novel, the aptly titled " Serpent and

the Rope " , is the following quotation:

" Waves are nothing but water. So is the sea -- Sri Atmananda Guru "

The above novel " Serpent and the Rope " , is perhaps the only advaitic novel

(!) ever written. Lets remember the great writer by reading his retelling in

the above book, of what transpired between Radha and Krishna.

==

<BEGIN-STORY>

One day Radha had a very possessive thought of Krishna. " My Krishna " , she

said to herself, as though one could possess Krishna as one could possess a

calf, a jewel. Krishna, the Absolute Itself, immediately knew her thought.

And when the absolute knows, the knowing itself, as it were, is the action

of the act; things do not happen according to his wish, but his wish itself

is his own creation of his wish, as the action is the creation of his own

action.

So, Durvasa the great Sage was announced.

" He is on the other side of the river, Lord " , spake the messengers, and " and

he sends his deep respects " .

Then Krishna went into the deep chambers and said to Radha, " Radha, Durvasa

the great Sage is come, my dear. We must feed him " .

" Oh, then I will cook the food myself " said Radha, and Krishna was very

happy at this thought. So he went back to the Hall of Audience, and not long

after, Radha came in with all the cooked food. " Yes, the meal is ready my

Lord. And I will take it myself to Sage Durvasa " .

" Wonderful, wonderful! " exclaimed Sri Krishna, pleased with the devotion of

his wife to the Sages.

" I'll go and come, " said Radha, and hardly had she gone to the palace door

when she remembered the Jumna was in flood. No ferryman would go across. She

came back to Krishna and begged, " My Lord, how can I take the food? the

river is in flood " .

" Tell the river, " answered Krishna, " Krishna the brahmachari [The celibate,

or who has taken the vow of celibacy] wishes that the way be made for you to

pass through. "

And Radha went light of heart, but suddenly bethought herself it was a lie.

Who better than she to know whether Krishna be brahmachari or not? " Ah the

noble lie, the noble lie, " she said to herself, and when she came to the

river, she said, " Krishna, the Lord, the brahmachari, wishes that way be

made for me to pass through " .

And of course the river rose high and stood still, but suddenly opened out a

blue lane, small as a village footpath, through which Radha walked to the

other side. And coming to the opposite shore, she thanked the river, and

saluting the great Sage Durvasa, in many a manner of courtesies and words of

welcome, spread the leaf and laid him the food.

Durvasa was mighty hungry and he ate the food as though the palm of his hand

went down his gullet. " Ah, ah, " he said and belched and made himself happy,

with curds and rice and many meats, perfumed and spiced with saffron, and

when there was nothing left in leaf or vessel, he rose, went to the river

and washed his hands. Radha took the vessels to the waters, too to wash,

threw the leaf into the Jumna and stood there to leave. Then it was she who

remembered, the river was in flood. Sri Krishna had told her what to say

while going and not what to utter while coming back.

Durvasa understood her question before she asked - for the sages have this

power too -- and he said, " Tell the river, Durvasa the eternal

upavasi [He who fasts] says to the river, 'Open and let Radha pass through

to the other shore.' "

Radha obeyed but she was more sorrowful. " I have seen him eat till his palm

enter his gullet, and he has belched and passed his hand over his belly with

satisfaction. It is a lie, a big lie, " she said, but she went to the river

thoughtful, very thoughtful. " River, " she said, " Durvasa who is ever in

upavasa says open and let me pass. "

And the river opened a lane just as wide as a village pathway, and the waves

held themselves over the head, and would not move. She came to the other

shore and returned to the palace in heavy distress. " Yes, nature is a lie,

nature believes and obeys lies. Lord, what a world, " She said to herself and

going into the Hall of Sorrowing, shut herself and began to sob. " Lord,

what a lie the world is, what a lie. "

Sri Krishna knew the cause and cadence of this all, and gently entered the

Hall of Sorrowing. " Beloved, why might you be in sorrow? " he said.

" My Lord, " she answered, " the river believes you are a brahmachari, and

after all who should deny it better than me, your wife? and then I go to

Durvasa and he eats with his palm going down his gullet, and he says, " Tell

the river, Durvasa who is ever in upavasa asks you to open and let Radha

pass. " And the river opens herself, makes a way large as a village pathway,

and I pass over to this side. The world is a fib, a misnomer, a lie. "

" The world, my dear, is not a lie, it is an illusion. Besides, tell me, is

my body your husband, Radha? "

" No, my Lord. "

" Is my mind your husband, Radha? "

" No, my Lord. "

" Then what is it when you say to yourself, 'Krishna, my husband?' "

" Assuredly something beyond the body and beyond the mind -- the Principle. "

" And tell me, my love, can you possess that, can you possess it? "

" No, my lord, how can I possess the Absolute? The I is the Absolute. " And

she fell at the feet and understood, and lived ever after in the light of

the Truth.

</END-STORY>

In His book " Meaning of India " , while describing how he wanted to write in

Sanskrit, but was unable to do so because of his lack of competence in it,

on how he wanted to write in French, but felt that he did not have the

delicacy to handle it, on how he was indiscretely educated in his mother

tongue Kannada to write in it, and ended up creating his own style of

writing in English, He quotes the following:

" Many a man who sees does not discover the word.

And many a man who hears does not hear it.

Yet for another it reveals itself like

A radiant bride to her husband. "

It takes a great blessing to discover that He was referring to the 4th

mantra from 71st Sukta from 10th mandala of Rig Veda, the only one in the

samhita section, with the eulogized diety as GYAna.

praNAmaH to all advaitins

Ramakrishna

November 8, 2009

Dear Ramakrishna-ji,Excellent. Serpent and the Rope is one of my favourite books. Incidentally, I had the good fortune to meet him personally in my official capacity when he came to see me in my office along with some American devotees of Atmananda in 1979 or so in connection with the incometax matters of Atmananda. I had a brief discussion about his works with him. He brings out the essence of advaita in his works.

Best wishes,S.N.SastriOn Sun, Nov 8, 2009 at 1:16 AM, uramakrsna <uramakrishna wrote: