The Con Artiste

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Con Artiste

 

 

 

All of us would have fallen for the pitch of a Con Artiste, sometime or

the other and however cautious we are. The confidence trickster who has

perfected his art is so eminently believable that we end up buying junk bonds or

worthless appliances at many times their normal price. At the least, we might

lend money to this person, carried away by his credible spiel, persuading

ourselves that we are helping some worthy cause. There have been instances of

gullible investors having bought the Eiffel Tower and the Washington Monument,

believing implicitly in the title of the seller with the apparently impeccable

credentials.

 

 

 

We wouldn't be surprised to learn that the confidence trick is as old as the

hills and has been practiced by eminent exponents of the art, from time

immemorial.

 

 

 

As in everything else, it is the Lord who leads the pack, when it comes to the

question of obtaining things on false premises. Who would be able to forget the

trick He played on the unsuspecting MahAbali, who, from being the undisputed

Emperor of the three worlds, was reduced to a pauper without a pinhead of land

to call his own? When the Lord came to his YAgashAla in the form of a beautiful,

three-foot tall Brahmachari , Mahabali was honoured to receive the VAmana , so

obviously taken in by the latter's demeanour that he intemperately promised to

give the diminutive figure whatever he wanted, despite the advice of his

Acharya.

 

And he made fun of the Brahmachari for asking for just three feet of land, that

too measured with his own tiny foot-a mere nothing, compared to what Mahabali

was prepared to offer. The deceitful Brahmachari was insistent on his demand and

Mahabali gave him what he wanted, wondering at the propensity of some to ask for

mere baubles, when the giver was prepared to part with riches beyond

imagination, in the manner of some devotees praying to the Lord for material

boons, when the latter is prepared to grant Moksha itself, just for the asking.

 

 

 

However, it was only when the innocent student started measuring the land that

the truth came out. Growing from a diminutive dwarf into a gigantic figure

encompassing the broad canvass of the earth and skies, the Lord measured all the

lower worlds with one colossal tiruvadi and the upper ones with the other,

leaving Mahabali in debt for the third foot of the Promised Land. Wouldn't you

agree now that the Lord Himself is the first and foremost con artiste in

recorded history?

 

Bhagavatas should not rise up in arms at this apparent insult to Emperuman. I am

only repeating what Azhwars, and principally Sri Nammazhwar, has to say about

the whole episode-

 

 

 

" ariyAmai KuraLAi nilam MAvali moovadi endru

 

ariyAmai vanchitthAi "

 

 

 

A tasty titbit here for the connoisseur -being a habitual donor, used to giving

munificently all that is sought by Bhaktas, the Lord is entirely unused to

asking for alms. This is reflected in the phraseology of His request for the

three feet of land, and in the improper alignment of the words. Against the

normal " Mavali! moovadi nilam tA " , the Lord, unused to seeking bhikshA, says

" nilam mAvali moovadi tA "

 

 

 

Azhwar reminds the Lord of His unsavoury deed by calling Him " vanjanE " (Thou

Deceiver! " )- " gyAlam koLvAn KuraL Agiya vanjanE " .

 

 

 

There are several people who have taken a leaf from the Lord's book, as far as

disguise, deception, dishonesty and duplicity are concerned, though precious few

ever emulate His other sterling deeds. We have the example of MArIchA, who,

prompted by gratitude towards and fear of Ravana, took the form of a bewitching

golden deer to lure away Sri Rama and His brother, to facilitate the abduction

of Sri Mythili. The extraordinarily beautiful deer had brilliant gems adorning

the tips of its horns, silver spots enhancing its golden hue, an adorable

mixture of black and white playing on its face, its liquid brown eyes resembling

a lotus in full bloom, soft, flower-like ears, a raised neck reminding one of a

graceful dancer's and an upraised tail resembling a colourful rainbow. It had a

reddish glow like the early-morning Sun and spots resembling shining stars.

Anyone who had sighted this deer would have instantly wanted to make it his or

her own, to play with it, to pet it and make it one's constant companion. It is

no wonder therefore that Sri Janaki was mesmerised by this wonderful animal and

wanted to have it at any cost, with predictable consequences. One might hence

say that the asurA was extremely successful in his mission, though he lost his

life in the process as he himself had anticipated.

 

 

 

In Act II of the same drama in Aranya Kanda, we come across

another artistic performance by an equally talented con artiste-none other than

Dasamukha Ravana, who hides nine of his heads and assumes the garb of a holy

man, a sanyAsi - " ParivrAjaka roopa dhrik " . With becoming ochre robes, long hair

worn in a jatA, an umbrella and wooden slippers, a staff that is the constant

companion of sanyAsis and a Kamandalu, Ravana is the very picture of

renunciation and the VEda ghOsham emanating from his lips adds credence to his

demeanour. Ravana could create such an impression on the innocent Sita devi that

She invited him into the Ashrama and offered him a seat and fruits. What

happened next is history.

 

 

 

The same Ramayana recounts the episode of another confidence

trickster, Indra, who, falling for the charms of Ahalya (patni of Goutama

Maharshi), assumes the very form of her husband to satisfy his desire. Ahalya is

so taken in by the identity in looks and behaviour that she falls an unwitting

prey to Indra's debauchery. It is noteworthy that this episode is recounted in

the Aruna Prasna of the TaittirIya Aranyakam.

 

 

 

If men could be such successful tricksters, could women be far

behind? In fact, with their natural reserve of histrionic talents, ladies make

much better con artistes than their male counterparts. Lest this should invite

the ire of lady readers, I would hasten to add that this is not my judgement,

but that of Sri BhAgavata Purana, which recounts in detail the bewitching form

assumed by PootanA at the behest of Kamsa, for killing the infant Krishna. " TAy

uruvAgi vanda pEy " says Sri Tirumangai Mannan, attesting to the endearing beauty

of Pootana, which was not that of a seductive siren, but one aimed at capturing

the attention and affection of an infant. Otherwise, she could have hardly got

past the stringent security in NandagOkulam, tightened further in the wake of

numerous attacks on the divine child from various quarters. She cuddled Krishna

with apparent love and in the most maternal of gestures, bared her poisonous

breast ( " nanju amar mulai " ) to feed the boy. Alas, she knew not that the one

she was trying to trick, was Himself the Master of the art of trickery and

deception and its prime exponent, to wit. She had met more than her match in

the apparently helpless and innocent infant, described variously by His own

devotees as " Vanja KaLvan " , " MAmAyan " etc. In suckling at her breast, Krishna

not only drank the toxic milk but also sucked out the RAkshasi's lifeblood

itself, making her fall lifeless to the ground. This is an object lesson for con

artistes to choose their victims with care, lest the hunter turn the prey.

 

 

 

However, Azhwars talk of another type of confidence tricksters, widely

prevalent in this world. These are more dangerous and more accomplished than any

of the specimens described above and have been practising their art from time

immemorial. Their trickery becomes all the more audacious, considering that it

is aimed at deceiving no less a person than the Lord and His devotees. While the

vast majority of SriVaishnavas are genuine people, there is a minuscule

percentage which sports all the outward signs of an ardent devotee. They wear

dvAdasa Urdhva pundrams, beads of lotus around their necks and all other

requisites of Sri Vaishnava svarUpam. To the uninformed onlooker, they look

verily like the Lord Himself come to the earth, with their eyes brimming over

with compassion, their words full of milk and honey and deeds apparently in tune

with their mission of mercy. The thoughts hiding in the dark recesses of their

hearts are however far from pure, filled with the basest of desires and unholy

strategies for their achievement. They harbour the most nefarious of thoughts,

posing all the while as paragons of perfection, purity and virtue.

 

 

 

According to Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar, this type of tricksters is the worst of

the lot, seeking, as it does, to deceive the Lord Himself and His votaries

through the demeanour of divinity-

 

" uLLatthE urayum MAlai uLLuvAn uNarvu ondru illa

 

KaLlatthEn nAnum tondAi tondukkE kOlam poondu

 

ULLuvAr uLLittru ellAm udan irundu aridi endrE

 

VeLgi pOi ennuLe nAn vilavara chiritthittEnE "

 

 

 

The temerity of these con artists, seeking to pull wool over the eyes of the

Lord Himself, and their failure to realise that He knows each intimate thought

of theirs the moment it is conceived, so tickles Azhwar's sense of humour that

he bursts out into boisterous laughter at their futile audacity and impudence.

 

 

 

Taking stock of one's personal balance sheet is perhaps the most difficult of

endeavours. An honest appraisal of the sincerity or otherwise of the emotions

one displays towards Emperuman often eludes people like me. The only way to turn

one's assumed emotions of piety and devotion would perhaps be to enact them with

greater intensity, in the hope of their turning true sometime in the future,

made possible by the boundless compassion of the Lord, who might laugh at our

antics but never forsakes us for good. He might perhaps mark it up to our credit

that we at least feigned bhakti and being a " SatyakAma " , will the spurious

emotion to be turned into the genuine article.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan