DEIVATHIN KURAL # 171 (Vol #3) Dated 03 Jan 2010.

DEIVATHIN KURAL # 171 (Vol #3) Dated 03 Jan 2010.
(These e-mails are translations of talks given by Periyaval of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, over a period of some 60 years while he was the pontiff in the earlier part of the last century. These have been published by Vanadi Padippagam, Chennai, in seven volumes of a thousand pages each as Deivathin Kural. To day we are proceeding from the last para on page No 785 of Vol 3 of the Tamil original. The readers are reminded that herein 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too, mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitam. blogspot. com constantly updated.)

44. Mal Yuddham - Wrestling. For a livelihood money is also needed. We cannot be talking of dispassion and renouncement only all of the time. Such things are not good enough for practical living. That is why Artha Saastram has been evolved and so is Dhanur Vedam. Another aspect of it is unarmed combat such as boxing and wrestling, based purely on physical prowess. Wrestling was known as Mal Yuddham and the contestants used to be known as ‘Malla-s’. There was a King of the Pallava dynasty who was known as ‘Maha Mallan’. When somebody is ready to join issue on any point of dispute, people used to say, “What is the matter with you? Are you ready for a ‘mal yuddham’ or something?” Sri Krishna fought this unarmed combat with Chanura and Mushtika before killing Kamsa. Bhimsena fought Jarasandha like this only and killed him.

45. Dharma Yuddham. Dhanur Vedam thus talks of many ways of fighting the opponents with ‘mukta, amukta and muktaamukta’ weapons, missiles and unarmed combat. The idea is to protect oneself and one’s country from opposing forces. Whatever the mode of fighting, there were some moral rules and regulations. 'Fair is foul and foul is fair in love and war', was just not acceptable to our Indian way of thinking! That is why it was called the 'Dharma Yuddham'! The most important rules were that, the fight was between the armed forces on either side and battle should be restricted to the well defined battle field. Other civilians should not be attacked or their living areas affected in any way.
46. When Alexander the Great came to India, evidently he was flabbergasted by the very disciplined behaviour of Indian fighting forces under Porus and totally floored by the loser's demand that he be treated as equal and not as a prisoner! It was not the rebellion by his troops that was the reason for his making an 'about turn'! It was the dilemma of having to come to grips with the moral ascendancy of the Indian forces that was the reason! By the time the Muslim marauding hordes came to India, there were no more ground rules except 'might is right'! Indians invariably suffered a cultural shock in every encounter right down to, as far South as Halebidu! Britishers and other Europeans lodged themselves as traders initially and then became powers in being. They were quite adept at playing one local ruler against the other and exploit .

47. In the present day world however, it is the civilian population, children and women folks who are all human fodder to air attacks and bombings. In olden times acts such as destruction after entering the city, poisoning of water sources, burning of hutments and molesting the women folk were rare till the Muslim hordes were the first to do so! Even then it was not copied by the Hindu Kings. On similar occasions Sivaji, instead of doing any harm to Muslim women, sent them safely behind enemy lines with due protection in Palanquins!

48. Amongst sins there are some beyond any redemption or expiation! Those who do so are referred to as 'Aatataayee'! Those who do arson, loot, dacoity, use poison, kill unarmed innocents, misappropriate others property, land or women; can all be included in this. Modern terrorists are very much to be included in this. From this we can gather as to how our concept of Dharma had percolated right down to our battle field attitude and behaviour!

49. I told you earlier as to who can fight with whom. That is, the horsed cavalry should fight only with horsed cavalry and man on elephant should fight with another similarly mounted. That is to say the fight was always between people of equal power or capabilities. You are not to kill or even hurt someone who is putting both his hands up in surrender. You are not to hurt or kill the one exhibiting fear or some one taking rest, even temporarily. That is, some body who is not fighting in the direct front but is on the sidelines on stand-by duty so to say! Even in the thick of battle, if the opponent says 'wait, let me have a glass of water, or let me change the horse or let me adjust my armour', you are not to attack him till that opponent is ready once again. Messengers, assistants like the batmen, unarmed helpers, suppliers, bandsmen etc., are not to be attacked. Thus Sri Rama told his Army of Monkeys to refrain from doing anything against such people as mentioned above, before they went in to battle against the not very well behaved Asura army of Ravana! Fighting and killing was restricted to the battle field only and not out side that area. While moving in and out of the battle field, the opposing forces were supposed to be gentlemanly if not friendly! There were exceptions like Aswattama's foray in to the camping grounds and killing the sons of Pandava-s, for which he is roundly ridiculed. Such things were only exceptions and not the rule!


50. Now in the world it is all Adharma Yuddham only. In the name of chemical and nuclear warfare and scorched-earth policies, much damage is caused to the atmosphere and environment! Though we are permitted to give full expression to all our needs and desires in the form of Artha and Kaama, Dharma and Moksha are the Arann (fort and moat) on either side, keeping us within these limits as though; the four Purusharta-s have been mentioned as Dharma-Artha-Kaama-Moksha! Not money for money's sake and not desire for desire's sake; but all through Dharma for the sake of Moksha, is the concept! In the process, if it comes to a fight unavoidably, then do it as a Dharma Yuddham through Dhanur Vedam, was what our great Rishi-s had evolved.

51. During the battle of Maha Bharata in Kurukshetra, in the evening when they did not have the means of getting water, the soldiers gave the dust in Argyam, says the author Vyasa. This is a clear indication of the fact that even in the thick of battle they were not letting the Nitya Karma Anushtaana go by default and Dharma was not lost sight of! In Tamil there is a word 'marakkarunai', meaning 'harsh kindness'! For the Sake of maintaining and thriving of Dharma, you may have to resort to harsh measures as a corrective. Dhanur Vedam is to be observed, practiced and understood in that light.

Sambhomahadeva.