The Shameless Strategy

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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Shameless Strategy

 

 

 

You would have seen a recent TV commercial for a mobile phone, in which a youth

climbs to the top of a skyscraper under construction and bawls out for all to

hear, 'Monica! I love you! Please accept me' and so on. Given the large degree

of exaggeration that characterises all advertisement, I wondered idly whether

someone would really resort to such tactics to persuade his beloved to accept

his attentions. All said and done, love is a private matter and none would like

others to know about it prematurely, till it is confirmed to be a two-way

affair. However, what can the boy do if, despite his most sincere and

industrious pursuit, a girl refuses to accept or even acknowledge his

affections? He can't really throw in the towel and look at other eligible

females, because his love for this particular girl is really deep and has

reached a stage where he can't live without her. He has tried all the routine

strategies for communicating with her, like letters, SMS, messages through her

friends, etc., but nothing seems to work. It is in sheer desperation, knowing

not what else to do to win her affections, but convinced that he must do

something, he climbs to the top of the tower under construction and shouts his

love for her, literally from the rooftops, so that people who hear his forlorn

message would perhaps take pity on him and intercede with the girl on his

behalf, or the girl herself would realise from this shameless act the depth of

his love for her and would be sufficiently moved to return his affections.

Whether the strategy succeeds or not is a different matter-but its adoption

indicates to us the desperation behind the youth's action, the almost suicidal

sincerity underlying his love and his brazenness in not caring whether the

entire world knows about his innermost feelings.

 

 

 

Given that love is a basic emotion and has been afflicting boys and girls from

time immemorial, it is no surprise for us to find mention of the phenomenon is

ancient Tamizh literature. In fact, the type of exhibition youth put on in

desperation to attract the notice of their beloved, during times past, appears

to be much more excessive than any even the current day youngsters have come up

with so far (which is definitely saying something). We are told that in the face

of a studied silence on the part of their beloved despite all forms of

entreaties, boys and girls used to forsake food and sleep, tormented by constant

thoughts of the beloved. They drew a portrait of their darling and used to go

anywhere and everywhere along with it, gazing at it with adoration and yearning.

Friends of the lover used to take him or her in a procession through the town,

portrait and all, especially through the street where the unresponsive beloved

resided. At the height of the malady, the boy or girl used to fall at the feet

of the portrait and even die in the same posture, having given up basic

life-saving functions like eating, sleeping and bathing.

 

 

 

This type of rather bizarre behaviour prompted by excessive and unrequited love,

has been given the name Madal Oordal, in Sangam literature. However, whatever be

the circumstance and however excessive be the emotion, women were not expected

to adopt such strategies for securing the attentions of their beloved.

Tiruvalluvar tells us that the ideal girl, whatever be the provocation, never

resorts to such tactics-

 

 

 

'Kadal anna kaamam uzhandum madal era

 

Pennil peruntakkadu il'

 

 

 

The hoary culture of ancient Tamils placed such premium on modesty and

continence in women, that though society was prepared to countenance bizarre

behaviour in males, prompted by a surfeit of love, it preferred women never to

be excessively demonstrative of their affections, even if the separation from

the beloved were to result in the girl's life being lost. It was alright for

women to rant, rave or grieve the absence of their beloved, all within the four

walls of the home, but it was not considered the done thing for females to

resort to Madal Oordal or similar publicly demonstrative strategies for

consummating their love.

 

 

 

We are therefore surprised to find Sri Tirumangai Mannan, the doyen of Tamizh

poets and sporting the title Naalu Kavi Perumal, taking a diametrically opposite

stand vis-à-vis accepted norms of behaviour for Tamizh women. In fact, Azhwar

quotes these norms and makes fun of such women for not adopting the tactics of

Madal Oordal. We thus find Azhwar running contrary to Tamizhar Panpaadu (Tamizh

Culture), not even by oversight, but with studied deliberation. Sri Kalian

spurns the mores of Tamizh women and prefers those of North Indian girls, who

are much more venturesome in their endeavours for attaining their beloved.

 

If you find this hard to believe, here are the poignant words of the peripatetic

poet Parakala-

 

 

 

'Anna nadaayaar alar esa aadavar mel

 

mannu madal ooraar enbador vaasakamum

 

ten urayil kettu arivadu undu-adanai yaam teliyom

 

mannum vada neriye vendinom'

 

 

 

'I have indeed heard Tamizh poets pontificate that women of good birth and

upbringing never resort to Madal oordal for achieving union with their beloved,

even if the prolonged separation is likely to cost them their lives. However, I

do not agree with this school of thought and would much prefer to follow the

models set by Sanskrit literature, where we find such strategies freely adopted

by women to achieve their ends' says Sri Kalian, in his 'Periya Tiru Madal'.

 

 

 

Not content with voicing his disagreement with the Tamizh poets, Sri Tirumangai

Mannan goes on to make fun of the heroines of these poets, who hold their

emotions in such tight check that one wonders whether their love is really that

intense. These girls do not appear to experience any of the torment that

characterises true and unrequited love. These women very obviously do not

realise the deleterious effects of cool sandalwood paste (which burns the skin

instead of cooling it) on those suffering from pangs of separation. They fail to

feel the sadness that sweet strains of music induce, in the absence of the

beloved to share them with. They fail to be moved by the mellifluous chimes of

bells around the necks of mating bulls. The cheery chirping of bird couples in

the throes of conjugal delight fails to move these southern damsels, whereas

their northern counterparts would have been tormented at the thought of what

bliss they too could have enjoyed in the company of their beloved. To sum up,

Sri Kalian concludes that since these women portrayed by Tamizh poets fail to be

moved by romantic sights and sounds, their love must be rather shallow.

 

 

 

Azhwar prefers to toe the line of other girls acclaimed by Sanskrit literature,

who are thrilled to the very core of their being by the company of their beloved

and are pushed to the verge of suicide by separation, displaying the

unfathomable depths of their emotion for those they love.

 

He prefers to say with the Divine Couple in Srimad Ramayanam that he would not

live an hour more, without the precious life partner-'Oordhvam maasaat na

jeeveyam tam vinaa asitekshanaam' .

 

 

 

Sri Kalian's (or the Parakala Naayaki's) words in the two Madals (Siriya Tiru

Madal and Periya Tiru Madal) drip with romance for the Supreme Being, full of

bridal mysticism, the pain of parting, sorrow at what he/she is missing, longing

for reunion with the elusive Divine Lover, determined to attain Him by any and

all means, even at the cost of throwing her modesty to the winds (as portrayed

by the bizarre behaviour of Madal Oordal mentioned above).

 

 

 

The Madals represent a radical departure in phraseology and approach, from the

sedate paasurams of Kalian's 'Vaadinen Vaadi', 'Angan maa gyaalam anja',

'Virperu vizhavum', etc.---. the latter represent the sober words of an Azhwar

describing the Lord, His auspicious attributes and exhorting Samsaaris to

surrender themselves to the Supreme Being. However, the former (Madals)

represent the uncontrollable outpourings of a lady love longing for union with

her beloved. The pangs of separation become all the more unbearable and prompt

shameless behaviour, considering the boundless beauty and auspicious attributes

of the person sought to be courted.

 

 

 

One may wonder whether such romancing is in tune with Azhwar's avowed objective

of Bhagavat anubhavam. Normally, when you want to concentrate on the Lord, such

thoughts prove to be a definite hindrance. However, Sri Kalian's strategy

appears to be to reserve all such passion solely for Sriman Narayana, in tune

with Sri Amudanar's dictum-'Kannanukke aamadu kaamam'-love, in all its myriad

facets, is to be reserved for Emperuman.

 

 

 

If Sri Periazhwar could compose a Pillai Tamizh, placing himself in the position

of a fond mother to Sri Krishna, Sri Parakala puts himself in the position of a

lady love pining away for Emperuman, deriving delirious pleasure in His company

and feeling down in the dumps upon separation. And the depth of his love for the

Lord is such that he is prepared to adopt any strategy, fair or foul, for

achieving his object of union with the Ultimate, adhering to the maxim 'All is

fair in love and war'. And Madal Oordal is perhaps a small price Azhwar is

willing to pay for the coveted prize of Bhagavat laabham. He cares little, like

the youth on the tower top described in the opening para of this piece, of what

the people around him would think of him for adopting such a brazen strategy-in

this, he follows the precedent set by Sri Parankusa, who too is willing to go to

the extreme extent of Madal Oordal for attaining Emperuman, who is playing

truant-'Annai en seyyil en oor en sollil en'. 'Let the whole world watch me

resorting to Madal: let all the women in the town call me shameless and brazen.

I care little for all the criticism, as long as I am able to win the affections

of the Emperuman with the Divine Discus and Cosmic Conch adorning His broad

shoulders' says Sri Nammazhwar too, from whom Sri Tirumangai Mannan appears to

have derived inspiration for adopting the Madal route to attaining the Lord.

Here is Sri Nammazwar's poignant paasuram, contemplating resort to the extreme

step of Madal oordal-

 

 

 

'Yaam madal oordum em Aazhi angai Piraan udai

 

Toomuruval tondai vaai malar kondu chooduvom

 

Aamadam indri teruvu toru ayal tayyalaar

 

Naa madangaa pazhi thoottri naadum iraikkave'

 

 

 

The Madals teach us that nothing, but nothing at all is precious, including

one's self-respect and standing in the eyes of society, when the goal to be

attained is exalted, being none other than the Paramapurusha. Shedding one's ego

completely and broadcasting one's love for the Lord from the rooftops is not at

all unthinkable for Azhwars, who exhort us too to abandon our inhibitions and

demonstrate our adoration for Emperuman for all to see-'Perumayum naanum

tavirndu pidattrumin pedamai teernde'

 

 

 

Emperuman is said to be accompanied by His two Consorts, Sridevi and Bhoodevi,

at Sri Vaikunttam. It would appear that in this world too, He had two Mahishis,

the Paraankusa Naayaki (Sri Nammazhwar) and the Parakaala Naayaki (Sri

Tirumangai Azhwar), whose love and affection were no less than those showered on

Emperuman by His Consorts in the Eternal Worlds.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri Lakshmi Nrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan