The Trivial Tribute

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Trivial Tribute

 

 

Poverty had them in its crippling embrace. Its cruel manifestations

were there for all to see-in the tiny, ramshackle house with the roof ready to

fall on one's head at the slightest sneeze, the empty shelves and almirahs with

provisions and condiments conspicuous by their absence, the hearth full of

ashes, sole remnants of the cooking fire made a full seven days ago, the

absolute lack of cheer on the face of the emaciated inhabitants who had been

starving for days and had nothing major (or even minor, for that matter) to look

forward to, the muted whimpers of children too hungry and exhausted even to emit

a full-throated cry, the uniformly unseemly clothes the residents wore, with

innumerable patches trying in vain to join torn cloth which had served out its

life-the tell-tale signs of abject penury were only too evident in the

household. The head of the family, however, remained unaffected by all the

privations poverty could impose, and spent most of his time in blissful

contemplation of the Lord and His auspicious attributes. He dwelt mostly in the

past, constantly cherishing memories of the glorious days spent in the company

of that boisterous brat Krishna, sharing everything from a morsel of stolen

butter to the most private of secrets, with nary a care in the world. Those were

the days, filled with youthful adventure, fun and frolic, in the bewitching

company of glorious GopAla, the epitome of mischief, whom everybody loved so

much and who loved everyone back with the same measure of wamth and goodwill.

It was unadulterated affection, prompted solely by mutual love, without any

expectations of quid pro quo whatsoever. Mere thoughts of those fun-filled and

sunny days in the company of the youthful Yadava were enough to make one feel

satiated, even if the stomach remained unfilled and growled in hunger.

 

 

 

The gentleman's wife was however a more practical lady, who thought more about

where the next day's food was to be scrounged from, with an army of infants to

be fed. Children grew up fast and it was indeed unseemly for grown-up girls to

be clothed in the rags they sported, for want of anything better to wear. Her

eyes filled with tears at the pitiable sight of the children's lean frames with

hardly any fat clinging to them, their eyes full of expectations and dreams, all

of which remained in the realm of imagination. And how long could one go on the

way they had, with square meals a thing of the distant past and even morsels

difficult to come across? It pained her to think of their helpless state, with

no light at the end of the long tunnel which seemed to stretch away endlessly.

They had borrowed from everyone possible, till there was none to lend to them.

 

 

 

Racking her brains for some source of aid, she thought of and discarded

relatives, neighbours and acquaintances as likely providers of succour. At that

moment, she heard her husband's lips muttering Sri Krishna's name, as he did

often when he was consumed by nostalgia and longed for the boyhood friend's

company. An idea struck her forcefully: why not ask her husband to seek some

help from his friend Krishna, who was doing extremely well, by all accounts? He

was reputed to be quite well-off and endowed with all sorts of riches. Even if

He were to spare them a minuscule bit of His wealth, they could eat comfortably

for days together. And, if He were all that close to her husband, He would

definitely not refuse the need-based appeal.

 

 

 

However, like all husbands to whom brilliant ideas have been voiced by their

better halves, SudhAma too demurred, preferring to look upon his friendship with

Krishna as something to be cherished and treasured, rather than to be

materially exploited. He couldn't bear the thought of going to Krishna with a

begging bowl, whatever be the current privations-not that the latter would

refuse him anything, for the bonds of friendship that bound them together were

too strong to be strained by mere requests for alms.

 

 

 

Much in the fashion of every wise husband, who knows what is good for himself,

having dutifully made his protest, Sudhama too fell in line with his wife's

suggestion, albeit with extreme reluctance. It was more the deep desire to see

Sri Krishna again, rather than any inclination to seek alms that made him agree

to go to Dwaraka. Thus He consented to go to his friend of yore and to request

him for aid, if only to enable them to keep their body and soul together.

 

 

 

There arose a problem-if he was to meet Sri Krishna, he couldn't very well go

empty-handed. Even if he couldn't afford something valuable enough to be offered

to DwArakAdeesa, he had to carry some little thing at least, which could serve

at best as a poor substitute to what the latter was acccustomed and entitled to

be offered. His wife came to the rescue, putting together four fistfulls of

" aval " , borrowed from neighbours in an act of scraping the barrel. With the

humble offering securely bundled in his upper cloth, Sudhama set off on the long

journey to Dwaraka.

 

 

 

Though the city lay at a long distance from Sudhama's residence, the very

thought and eager anticipation of meeting Sri Krishna and the mere notion of a

reunion with the best of friends kept the poor brahmin going, without any

thought of hunger, fatigue or other incoveniences, minor and major. He walked in

a trance, with his thoughts fixed solely on Krishna and His exploits. And in no

time at all (it appeared to KuchEla) he had arrived at the bewilderingly big

city of Dwaraka.

 

 

 

Sudhama didn't need to enquire the way to the Lord's residence-his instinct

guided him unerringly to the largest and most magnificent of palaces, like a

week-old calf finding its mother accurately in a huge herd of cows. The striking

splendour of the palace made him hesitate for a moment at its portals, mindful

of his own extremely humble appearance, in vivid contrast to the beautiful

clothes worn by even the lowliest of Sri Krishna's servitors. However, picking

up courage, he entered and, after passing several magnificent halls and rooms

filled with every imaginable form of wealth, reached at last the splendid abode

of the Lord, brilliant with the radiance of gems and jewelry adorning every nook

and corner of the place, where Sri Krishna was engaged in friendly banter with

Sri Rugmini, every bit equal to Him in beauty and boundless magnificence.

 

 

 

Surprisingly, it never occurred to Sudhama to wonder about the sort of reception

he was likely to be accorded, for he was banking solely on a distant, childhood

friendship. He did not for a moment doubt that his friend of yore would remain

the same and would retain the same degree of warmth He had displayed earlier,

several long years ago. He never imagined for a moment that his efforts to renew

the bonds of affection could be spurned by the rich, powerful and glorious

Krishna, who might no longer remember nor desire the company of those

incomparably low in social, economic and other status. Not for a trice did it

occur to him that his childhood friend, now the exalted Emperor of Dwaraka,

might develop a convenient amnesia, where poor playmates of infancy were

concerned. Such was Sudhama's implicit faith in the genuineness of the Lord's

dealings.

 

 

 

As it happened, every bit of the poor brahmin's trust was proved true, when Sri

Krishna, espying His bosom friend of yesteryears, came rushing down from His

throne and locked Sudhama in a bear hug indicative of the depth of emotion. It

was indeed a scene for jaded eyes-the all-powerful Emperor of Dwaraka embracing

intimately an emaciated brahmin who was poor as a dormouse. It brought to memory

the embrace bestowed by Sri Chakkravartthi Tirumagan on the bestial hunter Guha.

Tears of joy at the reunion emanated from the lotus eyes of the Lord and coursed

down His beautiful cheeks-the Lord was crying unashamedly at the sight and feel

of the long-lost friend, with whom He had spent many an hour of fun and frolic.

 

 

 

Reminded of His duties as a host, the Lord reluctantly disengaged Himself from

the embrace and seated the protesting Kuchela on His (the Lord's own) throne,

washed Kuchela's feet, weary with treading all those miles of hard travel, with

scented water and, in an endearing gesture, sprinkled the same on His lofty

head. He personally applied sandalwood paste and perfumes on Kuchela, affording

him an exhuberant welcome fitting a rare visitor of royal descent. It was a

sight to behold, Sri RugminI personally fanning the ill-clad and emaciated

brahmin who was little more than a bag of bones, the coat of grime from head to

foot resulting from travel doing little to enhance his already unimpressive

looks. Those in charge of protocol at the Dwaraka palace were flabbergasted at

the blatant breach of all norms of etiquette governing royal conduct and were

about to protest when the all-knowing Krishna silenced them with a stern glance.

The amazed and astounded courtiers looked on, stunned at the good fortune of the

poor brahmin seated on the exalted throne, being waited upon hand and foot by

the Lord and His Consort and the abundantly apparent love and affection the Lord

had for His unimpressive visitor.

 

 

 

As is common to old friends who had been apart for long, Sri Krishna and Kuchela

picked up the threads of their once- intimate association and began swapping

nostalgic memories of the times that were, each interrupting the other's

narrative with cries of " Do you remember when. " . They caught up with all that

had happened to each other since their parting and were so much engrossed in

themselves that even Sri RugminI began to feel ignored and a trifle jealous of

the visitor.

 

 

 

It did not occur to the humble Kuchela, amidst all this uproarious welcome, to

offer Sri Krishna the humble aval that he had brought from home; and if it did,

he must have been consumed by shame at the thought of offering the trivial

tribute to the exalted Emperor. He therefore kept quiet, whether due to

forgetfulness or design, we are unable to vouchsafe. However, remembering the

old friend's affectionate offerings during childhood, Sri Krishna told Kuchela,

" What have you brought for me now? And why are you hiding it in your uttareeyam

instead of handing it over immediately? " . So saying, the Lord snatched Sudhama's

upper cloth, untied the knots, found the humble " aval " and with a cry of

delight, tossed a fistful into His mouth. Pleased beyond measure by the modest

offering, because it was brought by the devoted Kuchela with overwhelming

affection, the Lord relished it much more than all the delicacies the palace

kitchen had to offer. It afforded the Lord's taste buds such pleasure as had not

been occasioned in a long time, because true friends or true devotees were

indeed scarce ( " sa mahAtmA sudurlabha: " ). When He was about to take a second

helping, Sri Rugmini held His hand, telling Him that whatever purpose He had in

mind had been achieved with the first fistful He had consumed. Kuchela spent a

day of unalloyed enjoyment in the Lord's company, fed with the choicest of royal

delicacies and gourmets' delights, enjoying the loving ministrations of the

royal couple, totally forgetting for the nonce his usual state of impoverishment

and domestic concerns involving his army of unfed and ill-clad children.

 

 

 

All good things come to an end and so did the blissful visit. With very great

reluctance, Sri Krishna bid au revoir to His soulmate with tears in His eyes,

accompanying Sudhama for just seven steps in the homeward direction, as

prescribed by Shastras. Kuchela's heart was overflowing with the bliss

occasioned by the Lord's uplifting company and had no place for any other

emotion.

 

 

 

After covering quite a distance, it struck him that he had absolutely forgotten

his wife's bidding, to ask Sri Krishna for aid. Thus the principal mission, for

which he had set out as prompted by the better half, remained unaccomplished and

he would return empty-handed, bearing nothing but disappointment and dismay for

the family waiting for him with bated breath in eager anticipation of the gifts

he would be bearing them from Dwarakadeesa. His joy at the reunion with Sri

Krishna had been so great that he had totally forgotten to ask the Lord for

anything.

 

 

 

A stray thought occurred to him. True, he had not sought alms from Krishna: but

wasn't the all-knowing Emperor perceptive enough to appreciate his predicament

and poverty? If He was, why did He not offer His friend even a single coin,

leave alone riches, to alleviate the obvious suffering Sudhama was undergoing?

Were the sweet words, the tears of joy and the expressions of endearment all

confined to the lips, without reaching the heart and, more important, the purse?

 

 

 

Sudhama instantly dismissed the thought as unworthy, preferring to focus his

reflections on the boundless bliss resulting from the reunion, which was its own

reward and would sustain him till the next meeting with the Lord, whenever that

happened. True to the saying " ParamAtmani yO rakta: virakta: aparamAtmani " ,

Sudhama bothered little about matters other than Bhagavat anubhavam, totally

leaving his dEha yAtra in the hands of the Almighty.

 

 

 

Approaching his home, such as it was, Sudhama steeled himself to tell his wife

of his failure to garner any aid or assistance. When he drew near, he was

astounded to find that his modest hut had disappeared and there stood in its

place a palatial residence fit for royalty. Nor were his wife and children,

instantly recognisable from their ill-fitting and torn apparel, anywere to be

found. Accepting this as one more cruel arrow from the apparently unlimited

armoury of fate, Sudhama resigned himself to the possibility of some rich man

having taken a fancy to his humble plot of land and having constructed a

mansion, after driving away the poor family with probably a pittance as

compensation. To his utter amazement, however, he found his wife coming out of

the mansion, welcoming him with open arms. And he could hardly recognize her,

for she was clad in the finest of apparel, bedecked with glittering jewelry from

head to foot. Gone were the signs of crippling poverty and killing penury,

replaced by all outward symbols of unlimited prosperity. His children too were

obviously beneficiaries of the same phenomenon, for they looked very much like

Princes and Princesses right out of a palace.

 

 

 

Sudhama rubbed his eyes in disbelief, demanding an immediate explanation from

his wife for the magical transformation from poverty to prosperity. The tale she

had to tell was equally astonoshing, for all she could recount was the sudden

and inexplicable change, miraculously converting their humble hut into a

palatial mansion filled with riches beyond imagination. It was then that Sudhama

remembered Sri Krishna's snatching and partaking of the trivial " aval " with

great gusto. This was the fabulous prize the Lord had showered on them in return

for just a fistful of aval, offered with all affection. Tears flowed freely from

Sudhama's eyes, overwhelmed by the Lord's boundless munificence. The unlimited

wealth attained suddenly and without effort, wrought absolutely no change in

the brahmin's demeanour or conduct, and he continued to be as happy in the

mansion as he was earlier in the dilapidated cottage. Sudhama continued his life

of blissful contemplation of Sri Krishna and His kalyANa guNAs, and in time,

attained the Lord's lotus feet for an eternal life of joyous service.

 

 

 

" Patram pushpam phalam tOyam yO mE bhaktyA prayacchati

 

tadaham bhaktyupahritam asnAmi prayatAtmana: "

 

 

 

" anyat poorNAt apAm kumbhAt anyat pAdAvanEjanAt

 

anyat kusala samprasnAt na cha icchati JanArdana: "

 

 

 

" YA; kriyA; samprayuktA: syu: EkAnta gata buddhibhi:

 

tA: sarvA; shirasA dEva: pratigrihNati vai svayam "

 

 

 

" aNu api upahritam bhaktai: mama bhOgAya jAyatE

 

bhooryapi abhaktO upahritam tanna mE bhOgAya jAyatE "

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrsimha divya paduka sevaka Srivan Satakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

Dasan, sadagopan