Fw: Fun with a Pun

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sadagopan

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tiruvenkatam ; ramanuja

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Friday, August 26, 2005 9:13 PM

Fun with a Pun

 

 

Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

 

 

Fun with a Pun

 

 

 

All of us envy poets. They are facile communicators, often converting prosaic

matters into exciting ones. What the rest of us say in pages of verbose prose,

these gifted poets manage to convey in a few well-chosen words. On the other

hand, the simplest and shortest of tales is often spun out by them into works of

epic proportions, adding to the enjoyment and entertainment of readers.

Exaggeration, embellishment, flowery styles, ornamentation-all these are poets'

own strategies, which endear them to connoisseurs of literature.

 

 

 

If these are the accomplishments of even mundane poets, need we say anything

about the distinction of divine bards? Sri Valmiki, the venerated Azhwars,

Acharyas from Sri Alavandar to Swami Desikan and Sri Manavala Mamunigal, have

all resorted to poetry to portray their devotion and to enlighten ignorant

mortals. What sounds good in prose sounds even better and appealing in poetry,

as any litterateur would attest.

 

 

 

While poets employ numerous creative strategies to capture the heart of the

reader, the one adopted by Sri Venkataadhvari Kavi of Arasaanipaalai, is indeed

interesting. He creates two fictitious characters in his " Visva Gunaadarsa

Champoo " , two Gandharvaas by name Krisaanu and Visvaavasu. These celestials

travel in the skies, commenting upon various places and people of interest they

observe on different parts of earth. Krisaanu is a die-hard cynic, finding only

black spots in whatever and whomever he sees, while Visvaavasu sees only the

positive side of things. Together, the pair serves to bring out various facts

about people and places, with Krisaanu listing out their shortcomings and

Visvaavasu their plus points. The tirades of Krisaanu the disparager, often

serve to emphasize the good things in men and matters.

 

 

 

Let us enjoy what the pair has to say about Sri Krishna, while the Gandharvas'

flight takes them over Mathura.

 

 

 

Speaking of the Yamuna, Visvaavasu pays obeisance, to the river which has been

sanctified by the embrace of Sri Krishna ( " tooya peru neer Yamunai turaivan " ),

to the Gopis inhabiting the sand dunes of the river, waiting patiently for

Krishna to come and hold them in His strong arms, and to Sri Krishna Himself,

who is the object of these Gopis' undying adoration.

 

 

 

Intervening, the detractor Krisaanu tells Visvaavasu to halt his praise of

Krishna, who is at best a terrible thief and cheat, a Casanova trifling with the

affections of Gopis. To illustrate Krishna's duplicity, Krisaanu quotes two

instances, where He took advantage of word play, to do exactly the opposite of

what He was told to do.

 

 

 

Sri Krishna has the habit of barging into other people's homes, appropriating

for His own use the pots of butter, milk and curds gathered by Gopis with

considerable strain and labour. Adding insult to injury, He not only consumes

all these delicacies, but also bangs down the empty pots with considerable

force, shattering them to pieces. His raids are not only nocturnal, but carried

out brazenly in broad daylight too, when the inhabitants of the selected house

are away or asleep. And the damage caused is substantial, as the brat always

moves about in gangs, of which the other unholy members too have no less an

appetite for butter and curds. To avoid the little monster from accessing dairy

products, clever Gopis fashion slings and suspend the pots of butter and curds

from the ceiling, far beyond the reach of the short Krishna. However, this

hardly stops the ingenious infant, who fashions a human ladder to climb and

reach the pot. He puts His beautiful hand inside the vessel, scoops out a

handful of butter and stuffs it into His pearly mouth.

 

 

 

The long-suffering Gopi, who is the day's victim, returns much before

anticipated and catches Krishna and His accomplices red-handed. She marches

Krishna to His mother, with tell-tale smears of butter very much in evidence on

all parts of His black tirumeni, making it impossible for the devious brat to

deny His crime.

 

 

 

The pained Yasoda asks Krishna, " Have I not told you not to pilfer dairy

products from others' houses? If I have told you once, I have told you a hundred

times- " Maa navaneetam luntee: " ( " Maa " -Don't, Navaneetam-Butter,

" luntee " -steal----Don't steal butter). The wily Krishna says, " Mother! I did

exactly as you said " . The astounded Yasoda scolds her brat, " What do you mean? I

told you not to steal butter and You have done exactly the opposite. On top of

it, you have the temerity to tell me that you have done what I said! " . Krishna

reiterates, " Indeed, I did exactly as I was told, Mother. You said, " Maanava

neetam luntee: " ( " Maanava neetam " -that obtained by humans, " luntee: " -steal).

Thus, it was you who told me to steal that which was obtained by Gopis and I did

exactly that! " .

 

 

 

Thus, by splitting and realigning the words in Yasoda's dictum, " Maa navaneetam

luntee: " , representing an injuction not to steal butter, Krishna turned the

sentence into " Maanava neetam luntee: " , which He conveniently interpreted as an

approval for pilfering dairy products.

 

 

 

" It is such wily one that you want to adore! " says Krisaanu, highlighting

Krishna's dexterity at wordplay. The detractor goes on to quote another instance

of Krishna's play with words, to extricate Himself from an extremely

inconvenient situation.

 

 

 

Yasoda has warned Krishna to be home by sunset and not to overstay. She has told

Him to rid Himself of all mischief and misdemeanour, to turn over a new leaf and

to be a good boy with whom none can find fault- " Maa bhoot aparaadhika: "

( " Maa-Don't, " Bhoot " -become, " aparaadhika: " -culprit). However, the very next day

after delivering this homily, she finds Krishna missing all night and returning

only the next morning. When an inquiry is held, Krishna again protests that He

was only carrying out orders- " I did exactly as I was told, Mother! " . Yasoda can

never get used to her brat's wiles, despite being constantly exposed to them.

She asks patiently, " Did I not tell you to eschew all mischief? Then why do I

find you at it again? " Krishna reiterates, " Mother! You told me to be with

Raadha always. I hence spent the whole of yesterday with her, at her home, as

you told me to. Did you not tell me, " Maa (don't) bhoot (be) apa (without)

Raadhika: (Raadha)? " . Since you told me never to part company with Radha, that

is what I did, and now you are blaming me for adhering to your word! " .

 

 

 

The word " aparaadhika: " was cleverly split by Krishna into " apa " and

" Raadhika: " , giving Him carte blanche to stay with Radha.

 

 

 

Replying, the good Visvaavasu tells Krisaanu, " Stop villifying the glorious

Paramaatma, who is the personification of sanctity, righteousness and all

auspicousness. It is He who has come down to earth and moves among mortals, for

washing away their baggage of sin. It is He who confers on His devotees

happiness and all that is good for them, and ultiamately ensures their

emancipation. You may call Him a thief-but what He steals is our sin, ridding us

of our accumulated misdeeds of innumerable births " .

 

 

 

The dialogue between the two Gandharvas concludes with a glowing tribute to Sri

Krishna-

 

 

 

" Kamsam dhvamsayate, Muram tirayate, hamsam tathaa himsate

 

Baanam ksheenayate, bakam laghayate, Poundram param lumpate

 

Bhoumam kshaamayate, balaat balabhido darpam paraakurvate

 

Klishtam sishta ganam pranamram avate, Krishnaaya tubhyam nama: "

 

 

 

" O Krishna! You destroyed the wicked Kamsa, slayed the terrible Mura, killed the

Hamsa asura, slaughtered Baanaasura, vanquished Poundraka Vasudeva (who claimed

himself to be the true Paramatma, sporting a conch and discus), killed

Narakaasura and cured Indra of his pride and arrogance. And it is You who afford

protection to all those who surrender to you heart and soul. We bow our heads in

obeisance to You. "

 

 

 

No poet considers his words worthwhile, unless he sings the glorious praises of

Sri Krishna.

 

 

 

Sri Venkataadhvari Kavi was an exceptionally talented poet, who could make words

dance to his tunes. Apart from the " Visva Gunaadarsa Champoo " , he has authored

another remarkable work, " Sri Raaghava Yaadaveeyam " , in which each sloka sings

the praise of not only Sri Rama, but Sri Krishna too. The uniqueness of this

work is that each verse, when read straight, relates the story of Sri Rama,

while a reversal of the couplet portrays the glories of Sri Krishna. Here is

the first sloka, for a sample-

 

 

 

" Vandeham Devam tam Sreetam rantaaram kaalam bhaasaa ya:

 

Raamo Raamaadhee: aapyaaga: leelaam aara Ayodhye vaase "

 

 

 

Read straight, this sloka pays tribute to Sri Rama, who, with His heart pining

for Sri Mythily, travelled across the Sahyaadri Hills, returned victorious to

Ayodhya after slaying Ravana and delighted for long thereafter in the company of

His Consort.

 

 

 

If you read the sloka in reverse, that is, beginning with the last word of the

second line of the verse and going on to the first, it reads as follows-

 

 

 

" Sevaa dhyeya: raamaa laalee gopyaaraadhee maaraamoraa:

 

Ya: saabhaalankaaram taaram tam sreentam vande aham Devam "

 

 

 

Read in the reverse, this verse says, " I bow down to Sri Krishna, whose broad

chest is the home of Sri Mahalakshmi, who is to be contemplated through penance

and sacrifice, who delights in the company of Sri Rugmini and other Consorts,

who is the object of adoration for Gopis, and who is adorned with brilliant and

lustrous ornaments. "

 

 

 

What a beautiful and unique compostion! The 30 slokas of this work " Raaghava

Yaadaveeyam " double as 60 if we take the reverse readings into account and

provide a magnificent portrayal of two avataara purushas simultaneouly.

Admittedly, there have been earlier works too, simultaneouly dealing with the

praises of two heroes, but they mostly employ the double entendre ( " slesham " ) to

achieve their objective. Sri Venkataadhavari's work is perhaps the only one

using the " Anulomam " and " Pratilomam " method (straight and reverse readings) to

narrate the stories of two different divine personalities. The poet's

comprehensive mastery over words, grammar and metre are evident in each and

every verse of the beautiful work.

 

 

 

The difference between secular poetry and the devotional, is the latter's

ability to melt hearts and move even the most hard-hearted of men. The aforesaid

verses are but a small sample of the exceptionally uplifting literature that is

available in all languages, which has acquired the same sort of immortality as

its subject. Irrespective of what standards men may adopt for defining

literature, only that which deals with the Lord can ever qualify for the name

and stand the test of time-for, He is the only one worthy of

adulation- " Stavya: " -as the Vishnu Sahasranamam says.

 

 

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana

Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

dasan, sadagopan

 

 

 

 

 

--

 

 

 

 

Version: 7.0.296 / Virus Database: 267.10.15 - Release 8/23/2005

 

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Version: 7.0.296 / Virus Database: 267.10.15 - Release 8/23/2005