Smile, Please!

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra

Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

" Smile, Please! "

 

 

 

Doctors say that a smile does us a power of good. They follow

it up with statistics to show that it takes almost a hundred muscles to assume

an expression of anger, whereas the number required for a smile is much less.

Even the normally humourless Incometax Department has tried to cash in on the

ubiquitous smile, with its catchy slogan, " File, Smile and Go " (it is however a

moot point whether anyone would still be in a position to smile after an

interview with one's Incometax Inspector). We are very particular, while posing

for photographs, that we should be shot with a smile on our face, for we would

like posterity to remember us as benign, amicable specimens of humanity. We have

heard of smiles that launched a thousand ships and of enigmatic smiles like that

of Mona Lisa, in unravelling the purport of which people have spent futile

hours.

 

 

 

Somehow, we tend to associate a smile more with women than men.

Perhaps the male population is too weighed down with familial care to smile

often. This is not to say that ladies are any the less responsible, but smiles

somehow appear more natural on the fairer sex than on their harder counterparts.

Whole treatises have been written about ladies and their smiles. A smile

enhances considerably the attractiveness of a woman, says Sri Tirumangai

Mannan- " vAl nilA muruval sirunudal perunthOL mAdarAr " , attesting to how

difficult it is not to be floored by the radiant smiles of delightful damsels.

Ladies' laughter could also be dangerous, as the Mahabharata teaches us: the

Kurukshetra war appears to have had its genesis in the intemperate laughter of

Draupati, occasioned by DuryOdanA's inability to distinguish between land and

water, while on a visit to the " arakku mALigai " constructed by the PandavAs.

 

 

 

When we come to think of it, we find that Scripture has quite a few

smiles and laughs embedded in it. One would be surprised, for the popular

perception is that of ithAsAs and purAnAs being heavy and sober stuff. Let's

look for a few smiles then.

 

 

 

When somebody smiles at us in derision, we feel quite infuriated. It

is this feeling that Sri Yasoda tries to exploit, when she exhorts her

boisterous brat to have a much-needed bath. Sri Krishna's tirumEni is a deep hue

of black. Adding to this is the grime and dust of horseplay with fellow

cowherds. None needs to announce the arrival of this Ayar kozhundu, for the

smell of milk, curds and butter wafts ahead of the little Lord, wherever He

goes. He just smells. Sri Yasoda, like all mothers desiring fair-skinned

offspring, does harbour a grievance that her son is a blackie. Even black could

be beautiful, if properly cared for by timely and frequent baths, staying in the

shade, applying appropriate creams, etc. However, Sri Krishna is absolutely

uncooperative in all this. Even getting Him to bathe daily is quite an arduous

task, as Periazhwar recounts in " VeNnai aLainda kuNungum " . Having used all

persuasive measures for bringing the elusive Krishna to the bathtub, Sri Yasoda

tells Him finally that His girl friend Nappinnai would surely smile at Him in

derision, if He persisted in looking grimy and unwashed- " Nappinnai kANil

sirikkum " . This ruse proves effective and Krishna comes running immediately.

This only goes to prove the power of the ladies' smile and the fact that even

the Lord Himself is not proof against the bewitching smile of His ladylove. It

is not that all smiles, derisive or otherwise, are equally effective. An earlier

threat by the same Yasoda in the same decad, that Gopa girls would surely laugh

at Him ( " cheppiLa men mulayArgaL siru puram pEsi sirippar " ) if He remained dirty

and unwashed, leaves the Lord unmoved, while the possibility of Nappinnai's

derisive smile galvanizes Him into having a cleansing dip.

 

 

 

The Lord's smile is something the entire world longs

to look at. It is no insincere baring of the lips as is usual in most cases, but

is a beautiful, beaming and bona fide smile, which gladdens the heart of the

onlooker. It is filled with compassion, goodwill and affection, and touches the

innermost corners of the heart, generating instant and overwhelming bliss. If

the Nitya SUris of Sri Vaikuntam keep their eyes fixed forever on the Lord

( " SadA pasyanti sooraya: " ), surely this bewitching smile on His magnificent

visage must be the reason! This is why Sri KrishnAshtakam characterises the

Lord's smile as " ChAruhAsam " .

 

 

 

For those who missed this enthralling spectacle enacted during the Vibhava

avatArAs, the Lord at various divya desams, in His arcchA form, still continues

to wear the same beautiful smile, if only one cares to look closely. A case in

point is Sri Parthasarathy of ThiruvallikkENi. Whoever looks at the majestic

countenance is rewarded with a broad and beaming smile, accentuated by the

roguish moustache the Lord sports. Cartoonists would agree that the best way to

make a person look sad and depressed is to paint him with a drooping moustache.

In contrast, the one adorning Sri Parthasarathy's visage curls upwards at the

ends, bestowing Him with a virtually beaming expression. And those who have

visited the Govindarajan Sannidhi at Tiruppathi would attest to the benign and

beautiful smile of the TayAr, saying so much with just a simple smile.

Unfortunately, most of the sanctum sanctorums are not well lit, with the result

that we are unable to appreciate the Lord's smiling face at most of the

divyadesams.

 

 

 

Sri Alavandar is so captivated by the Lord's smile, that he characterises it as

" suchi " -pure and unadulterated. Swami Desikan, expanding on this phrase, quotes

the saying, " smayan iva nripa: hanti " . You can't really believe Kings-they would

be sporting a smile one moment, but the next, they would order your execution

with the same smile still in place. In contrast, the Lord's smile is the genuine

article and is filled with nothing but goodwill and mercy for the suffering

mankind. The Lord's smile comes as soothing balm to those tormented by the

travails of samsara, says the Poushkara Samhita-

 

" Poorva karma anala ArtAnAm dhyAyatAm khEda shAntayE

 

svadantE induchayOtthEna hlAdayan gOgaNEna tu "

 

 

 

Both the Kousheetaki Upanishad and the " Soozh visumbu ani mugil " decad of

Tiruvaimozhi provide a graphic account of the enthusiastic welcome the Jeevatma

is accorded upon his entry into SriVaikuntam.

 

After being greeted by the various nitya sUrIs and others with flowers, when the

Jeeva approaches the Lord, ensconced on His snake-bed, the ultimate welcome is

provided by the Lord Himself, who beckons to the Jeeva to come closer. While

doing so, the Lord greets the Atma with a warm smile of welcome, says Sri

Bhashyakara, in his Vaiknta Gadyam-

 

" Sasmitam Ahooya " . From this phrase, one gets the impression that the invitation

to come closer and to ascend the Paryankam (snake bed) is conveyed by the

precious smile itself, without words being used. Thus the " inviting smile " is

another aspect of the Lord's beauty.

 

 

 

Depending on one's own frame of mind, one is able to read a wealth of meaning

into the Lord's smile, especially at divya desams like Thiruvallikkeni, where

the Lord wears a beautiful smile. When one has committed an infringement

recently, the smile seems to be tinged with annoyance or remonstration. When we

find an occasion to be of service to His devotees, the very same smile appears

to convey appreciation and approval. And when we find ourselves unable to toe

the right path laid down by the Shastras, the Lord's smile seems to be laced

with sadness and despair at the incorrigibility of the human nature, despite any

amount of guidance provided by generations of merciful Acharyas. He appears to

be smiling ruefully at the propensity of the errant human race to ignore divine

injunctions and to persist in sinning, despite the numerous avatArAs He had

taken for curing it of its delinquent ways-

 

" maNmisai yOnigaL tOrum pirandu, engal MAyavanE

 

kaNNura nirkilum kANagillA ulagOrkaL "

 

 

 

It is not only the Lord who wears a smile-the arcchA tirumEni of Swami Desikan

at Thooppul wears a beatific smile too. We cannot but be captivated by the

Acharya's prasanna vadanam, which appears to reflect the eternal bliss that he

is enjoying in the service of the Lord at Paramapadam. It is also indicative of

the immeasurable contentment and vairAgya Swami Desikan displayed during his

sojourn of five score and odd years on this earth, spurning riches and honours

for the pleasure afforded by Bhagavat BhAgavata kainkaryam. We agree cent

percent with Sri Kumara VaradAcharya's mangalasasnam- " nin thoomuruval koNda

mukham vAzhi! "

 

 

 

In recent times, however, Swami Desikan's smile also appears to be laced with

irony. The inability of the Thooppul temple establishment to cope with the

mounting expenses and dwindling income has made those in charge of the

administration throw up their hands in despair and appeal to Swami Desikan

himself to shower upon them the wherewithal for running the temple without any

let up in daily TiruvArAdhanam or utsavAms. Swami Desikan seems to smile back at

them, apparently saying, " When I was in your world, I did not care for the

untold wealth that sought me out, firm in the belief that my only wealth was the

Emperuman at Hasthigiri ( " asti mE HastisailAgrE vastu paitAmaham dhanam " ). Do

you expect me to strive for funds for my own tiruvArAdhanam now? "

 

 

 

As beneficiaries of the Acharya's munificence in showing us an easy and

effective path to liberation, it behoves us to ensure that the daily worship of

Swami Desikan at his own avatAra stthalam of Thooppul is not hampered by funds

constraints and the corpus trust is replenished adequately, so that the

tiruvArAdhanam can flourish unhindered for all time to come.

 

 

 

Coming back to the Lord's smile, we find that He is capable of not only a

bewitching smile that gladdens the heart, but also a horribly harsh and loud

laughter, which strikes terror in the hearts of the unholy. Thus, compared to

His normal " ChAruhAsam " , He also uses an " attahAsam " occasionally. In the

NrsimhAvatara, we are told that the Lord's laughter was terrifyingly loud and

made the whole world shake on its foundations and effectively killed

Hiranyakasipu, even before he was physically dead- " satA patala bheeshaNE

sarabhasa attahAsa udbhatE " says Swami Desikan in Sri KAmAsikAshtakam, attesting

to the variety of the Lord's laughter.

 

 

 

Have you ever laughed at yourself? There is any number of lessons on practical

living, to be learnt from Azhwars' sreesooktis. One of these is the ability to

smile or laugh at one's own behaviour. When we indulge in hypocritical conduct,

especially in the spiritual realm, we realise that irrespective of how good an

act we put on, we can never pull wool over the ubiquitous eyes of the Lord, who

is present at very close quarters as our antaryAmi, watching every action of

ours. Thus our very attempt to con the unconnable Lord brings to our lips a

derisive smile of disgust at our own deceit and duplicity. The following

ThirumAlai pasuram teaches us to laugh at ourselves-

 

" uLLatthE urayaum MAlai uLLuvAn uNarvu ondu illA

 

kaLlatthEn nAnum tondAi tondukkE kOlam pooNdu

 

uLLuvAr uLLittru ellAm udan irundu aridi endrE

 

veLgi pOi ennuLE nAn vilavara siritthittEnE "

 

 

 

If we do not learn the art of smiling at ourselves, and initiating due

corrective action in our conduct, we would land ourselves in a position where

others would laugh at us, for this world has the rather nasty habit of laughing

at the foibles of others while being blissfully unaware of its own.

 

However, once we are convinced of the righteousness of our conduct, we should

persevere on our course, oblivious to the amusement of people who do not share

our thoughts. Staunch devotees of the Lord, who indulge in song, dance and

other types of exuberant behaviour, unable to contain the ecstasy occasioned by

the Lord's sweet name and thought, are usually laughed at by worshippers of

Mammon. Notwithstanding this, they stick faithfully to their chosen path and are

ultimately venerated even by the Celestials, says Sri Nammazhwar, confirming

that it is not always bad to be laughed at-

 

 

 

" VAr punal anthaN aruvi Vada ThiruvEnkatatthu endai

 

pEr pala solli pidattri pitthar endrE pirar koora

 

oor pala pukkum pugAdum ulOgar sirikka nindru Adi

 

Arvam perugi kunippAr amarar tozhappaduvArE "

 

 

 

If the Lord laughs at us, then so do we, at Him. We smile at His naiveté in

believing that we can be brought around to toe the perfect path, irrespective of

the innumerable innings of sin we have had on this earth.

 

We laugh at His perseverance in trying to ensure our liberation, despite our

determination to wallow in the mundane morass. We are amused at His untiring

efforts in taking any number of avatArAs, in being born amongst us as fish,

boar, turtle and Man, for the sole purpose of inspiring and guiding us through

His exemplary conduct.

 

 

 

It is a moot point as to who will have the last laugh-ourselves or the Lord.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan.