The Celebrated Chauffeur

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Srimate SirivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

The Celebrated Chauffeur

Many of us have cars, especially those living abroad, for

whom the four-wheeler is not a luxury, but a dire necessity. And some of the

car-owners have chauffeurs, to whom they entrust the safety of not only their

vehicles, but also of themselves and their precious families. It is the

considered opinion of some car-owners that it is as providential to land a good

driver, as it is to wed a good woman. Not only marriages, but also the

owner-chauffeur relationship too would appear to be made in heaven, for, as many

would attest, drivers are a lackadaisical lot. They have a penchant for

reporting sick or just not turning up, especially when you require them the

most. They have a short memory for favours received and the niggling notion that

they are grossly underpaid, however handsome be their wages. MahAkavi BhArati

refers perhaps to drivers, when he says in " KaNnan en SEvakan " -

 

 

 

" Kooli miga kEpAr, koduttadellAm tAm marappAr

 

Velai miga irundAl veettilE tangiduvAr

 

PAattiyAr setthu vitta pannirandAm nAL enbAr

 

PAnayilE tEL irundu pallAl kadittadu enbAr "

 

 

 

And woe betide the master who dares to discuss family matters while travelling

in the car with his wife or others-in no time they would be dutifully

communicated to jealous and gossip-mongering neighbours.

 

 

 

This piece is not a diatribe against the worthy profession of drivers-the object

is entirely different, viz., to extol the praises of a member of the same

profession, who, despite His exalted stature, comported Himself so excellently

as an obliging chauffeur to a demanding master, that the whole world sings His

praises till date.

 

 

 

There might be any number of instances of the Lord's extreme accessibility

(Soulabhyam) and His readiness to mingle as one with lowly mortals

(Souseelyam)-but there is no other single act of His which demonstrates the

aforesaid traits explicitly, than His role as a charioteer to Arjuna. When

DuryOdana and Arjuna both seek the support of Sri Krishna in their battle royal,

the former is content with material assistance in the form of the vast YAdava

force, all of them fierce warriors of exceptional calibre. Arjuna, on the other

hand, asks Krishna for the rather strange favour of having Him (Krishna) as a

simple charioteer, one who would wield no weapons, but would merely pilot the

chariot wherever required at His master's command. One knows not what made the

PANdava ask this of Sri Krishna, but the former, in hindsight, appears to have

displayed admirable perspicacity in doing so.

 

 

 

Thus begins a relationship, which would last the duration of the battle between

the PANdavAs and the KouravAs at KurukshEtra. From day one of the battle, Lord

Krishna transformed Himself from the omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent

ParamAtmA, into a humble charioteer implicitly obeying the dictates of his royal

master. Gone were the Divine Discus and the Cosmic Conch from His handsome

hands, to be replaced by the reins of the horses and a stick with which to goad

them on. Gone were the urbane appearance and debonair demeanour, with attire and

ornaments better than the best royalty could afford, to be replaced by the

humble clothes of a driver, His face and torso coated with the grime and dust of

the battlefield, His benign countenance (normally resembling a blooming lotus)

covered with pockmarks from arrows which were aimed at the master, but which the

chauffeur thought fit to intercept bodily, saving the master from certain death

on many occasions. The normally broad, beautiful and lotus-like eyes were now

red-lined and half-closed with fatigue and battle-wearines. The curly, jet-black

hair, the envy of even women, was not coated with dust and grime. While the

overhead canopy provided shade and comfort to the master Arjuna, the SArathy had

no such advantage, with His already dark visage made the more so due to constant

exposure to the blazing Sun. His entire body was covered by a fine film of

sweat, as He manoeuvred the horses and the chariot in appropriate directions,

weaving between the vehicles of opponents with expertise and expedition,

confounding enemy warriors with the speed and dexterity of movement.

 

 

 

Sri Ramanuja is so enchanted with this endearing portrayal by the Lord that he

devotes quite a few majestic phrases to its depiction-

 

 

 

" GnAna shakti bala ishvarya veerya shakti tEjasAm nidhim, sva sankalpa krita

jagat udaya vibhava laya leelam, HrishIkEsam, parAvara nikhila jana antara bAhya

karaNAnAm sarva prakAra niyamanE avastthitham "

 

 

 

Marvels Sri Bhashyakara- " It is this exalted Parabrahmam, the repository of

innumerable auspicious attributes, having for its sport the creation, sustenance

and destruction of this entire universe of sentient beings and non-sentient

objects, the Supreme Controller of all the faculties (external and internal) of

all beings in this vast world-it is this ParamAtma who stood as a humble

charioteer, in front of Arjuna's chariot. " Adducing reasons for this apparently

impossible role-change, Sri Ramanuja says, " Asrita vAtsalya vivasa tayA " ,

chronicling the glory of the Lord who permits Himself to be ordered about like

the lowliest of underlings, all due to His overwhelming love and affection for

His devotees. Unable to shake off his wonderment, Sri Ramanuja exclaims, " Ratham

stthApaya iti achOdayat " (Arjuna ordered the chariot to be parked between the

two armies ready for battle), moved beyond measure by the ParamAtmA, the Supreme

Lord of all Universes, being ordered about by a mere mortal and, on top of it,

carrying out the orders meekly. Supplements Swami Desikan, " Sarva prashAsitA

niyOjya: abhavat iti Ashcharyam iti bhAva: "

 

 

 

When ordered by Arjuna to place the chariot amidst the two armies, the Lord

obeys instantly and with alacrity, with all the world watching His menial

demeanour, says Sri Ramanuja, still unable to shake off his wonderment at the

Almighty's greatness in putting Himself at the beck and call of a human

master- " Sa cha tEna chOdita: tat kshaNAt Eva BhIshma DrONAdInAm sarvEshAmEva

mahIkshitAm pasyatAm yathA chOditam akarOt " .

 

 

 

Sri Tirumangai Mannan too is extremely moved by the SArathI's role assumed by

the Lord- " Indiran siruvan tEr mun nindrAnai TiruvallikkENi kaNdEnE " . Indra, the

chief of all celestials, is himself a non-entity vis-à-vis the ParamAtmA: his

son Arjuna, being a mortal, is more so. Despite all this, the Lord consented to

be SArathy of this PANdava prince, who did not have a bit of land to call his

own, solely out of love and affection. And while Arjuna was ensconced

comfortably on the chariot's cushioned seat, with a canopy to protect him from

rain and shine, the Lord stood on the ground ( " tEr mun nindrAnai " ), the

personification of servility and submissiveness, holding the horses' reins and

the goad ( " KOl kaiyil koNdu PArtthan tan tEr mun nindrAnai " ) in His beautiful

hand.

 

Sri Kalian's emotion is all the more understandable, when we consider that the

Azhwar enshrined the Lord in a glorious chariot, made up of the glorious verses

of Tiruvezhukoottrirukkai.

 

 

 

Arjuna might have been attired in princely robes and presented a picture of

virility and might, but the real adornment to the chariot was the Lord, who,

despite His humble habit and meek demeanour, shone like a thousand Suns despite

the coating of grime and grist of the battlefield, says Swami Desikan, in

VairAgya Panchakam- " Dhananjaya syandana bhooshaNam dhanam " . And because of its

Distinguished Driver, the Chariot itself acquired glory, which is evident from

the descriptions of Sri Kalian ( " PArtthan selva tEr Eru SArathiyAi " ) and of Sri

Ramanuja ( " Mahati syandanE " ).

 

 

 

We know only too well that the Lord adapts Himself admirably to the role He

chooses from time to time. He delivers a stellar performance, whether as a

Magnificent Monarch, an angry young Rishi bent upon annihilating the ruling

classes, a diminutive bachelor come to beg for an insignificant three feet of

land from an Emperor or a ferocious Man-Lion materialising out of a palace

pillar to put paid to one of the vilest of asurAs. He puts His life and soul

into the performance, so to say, to emerge as a player worthy of a million

Oscars.

 

 

 

In His role as a chauffeur too, the Lord excels, as is His wont. We are struck

with wonder as to how Emperuman is able to play diametrically opposite roles, as

the Prince of Ayodhya, used only to riding in chariots driven by the best of

charioteers, to that of a lowly chauffeur, piloting the carriage to the

directions of a perishable human master. Listen to Sumantra, the exalted

minister of Dasaratha and a charioteer par excellence, praying to Sri Rama to

ascend the chariot for a quick drive to wherever He might wish-

 

" Ratham ArOha bhadram tE Rajaputra! MahAyasha:

 

Kshipram prApayishyAmi yatra mAm Rama! vakshyasi "

 

We are told too that Sri Rama's chariot was magnificent, glittering with a

golden body studded with precious stones, verily like the Sun- " tam ratham Soorya

sankAsam "

 

" athO jvalana sankAsam chAmIkara vibhooshitam

 

tam Aruruhatu: toorNam bhrAtarou RAma LakshmaNou " .

 

 

 

It is not only the Lord who is accustomed only to riding in a chariot, when but

His constant Consort too is accustomed to ride with splendour in a glorious

chariot ( " ashva poorvAm, Ratha madhyAm " -Sri Suktam), which appears

irreconcilable with the Lord's occupation during the Kurukshetra war. Despite

all these, if Emperuman could turn in a commendable performance as a charioteer

to Arjuna, executed with admirable aplomb and effortless ease, it is no mean

tribute to His histrionic talents.

 

 

 

When He takes up something, the Lord does it perfectly. As a charioteer, He

tended to the horses with the high degree of love, affection and commitment,

which prompted them to turn out their best on the battlefield. He never ate

before ensuring that the animals had their belly-full and ensured that they were

always well-fed and cared for, with their strong, white bodies gleaming in the

Sun, their heads held high with the pride of performance. At the end of each day

of battle, the Lord washed down the horses, cleansing them of the dust and grime

of the day and applied soothing salve to their wounds, before having a wash

Himself.

 

 

 

Once, in the midst of raging war, sensing the horses slowing down due to

dehydration, the Lord even arranged for an impromptu spring on the battlefield,

from which the horses drank their fill and were fit and rearing to go once more.

This is not mere canard, but well-chronicled history, to which the following

pasuram of Sri PeriyAzhwar bears testimony-

 

 

 

" Mannar maruga maitthunanmArkku oru tErin mEl

 

mun angu nindru mOzhai ezhuvittavan "

 

 

 

 

 

Swami Desikan's Acharya, Sri KidAmbi AppuLLAr, sees Arjuna's chariot and the

Lord's own position therein, as representative of Emperuman's role as the

Universal Saviour. The picture of Sri Krishna seated ahead of Arjuna at the

front of the chariot, protecting Arjuna from all possible dangers, is

reminiscent of the " akAra " (the letter " a " ) in the PraNava mantra depicting the

Lord's role as the Saviour, and ArjunA's own position at the rear of the

chariot, of the last letter, the " makAra " (the letter " im " in the Pranava)

representing the JeevAtma-

 

 

 

" abhirakshitum agrata: stitham tvAm PraNavE PArttha rathE cha bhAvayanta: "

 

 

 

When we stand before Sri Parthasarathy Swami at TiruvallikkEni and throw our

thoughts back to that battlefield of Kurukshetra, we find our eyes brimming with

tears at the sight of the Lord, whose handsome visage sports innumerable

pock-marks, bearing testimony to His boundless love for his bhaktAs and His

readiness to do anything, but anything, to please His devotee. The word " infra

dig " appears not to figure in His lexicon, as far as doing the bidding of His

bhaktAs is concerned. If we perform Prapatti and entrust to Him the job of

piloting the vehicle of our lives, He would surely guide us unerringly to the

Promised Land, steering us with care amidst the minefield of SamsAra. All that

we have to do is to hand over the reins of our lives to Him and relax, with

absolutely no care in the world, saying with Swami Desikan- " nirbharO

nirbhayOsmi " .

 

 

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmINrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

Dasan, sadagopan