DEIVATHIN KURAL #190 (Vol #4) Dated 14 May 2011

DEIVATHIN KURAL #190 (Vol #4) Dated 14 May 2011

(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. Today we are proceeding from the last para on page number 1,071 of Vol 4 of the Tamil original. The readers may note that herein 'man/he' includes 'woman/she' too mostly. These e-mails are all available at http://Advaitham.blogspot.com updated constantly)
33. The Subtlety of Friendship Turning into Enmity. When people not well acquainted interact, when something untoward is said or done, our own minds imagines an explanation for this. We cannot expect this man to understand our views and so he may or may not respond appropriately. We cannot take offence to their behaviour. Or when the other person is talking something against our stand point on various issues, we may get annoyed but not so much. It will not look too huge an offence and we will not exhibit our anger or dislike. But when the other person is well acquainted with our views, we feel, “Despite knowing our mind on the subject, why is he talking like this?” This anger grows as the persistence on the other side continues.
34. It was thus that the Sozha king felt not properly respected by Kambar and in turn Kambar felt that the king did not take his words in the right spirit! Like KaaLidaasa, Kambar too had to face a similar insult when the King told him to get out of his kingdom. “When I said that a huge empire is under my control, you had the gumption to say that I am under your control, is it not so? So, now as my subject, you have to get out of the limits of the Sozha Kingdom! Get out!” he said.
35. For such a royal command, others would have crawled and begged for mercy. Anybody else in the position of ‘Poet Laureate’ would have quickly backtracked and apologised, so as not to lose their position and status! But do you know what Kambar did? He felt badly insulted and said, “Mannavanum neeyo? VaLanaadum unnado? Unnai arindo “Tamizhai odinen?”* That means, “Are You the King? Is your country a fertile land? Did I become a poet just after having come to know you?” He said something more. “How does it matter if you are not there to support me? There are many kings who would love to be my patrons willingly. The king of lands is always secondary to the king of poetry! The one man about whom you are scared, the Chera King, him I will make my lackey and demonstrate in front of you”, he challenged. (*The second part of the SeyyuL he composed was like this: “yennai viraindu ertrukkoLLaada vendundo? Undo kurangu ertrukkoLLaada kombu?” This means, ‘Is there a king who does not accept me? Is there a stick not acceptable to a monkey?’ The allusion is to the fact that any monkey will dance to the slightest shake of a stick. So he is asking, is there a stick unacceptable to a monkey. Kambar here is the stick and the King is the monkey!*)
36. He further told him that he will make the Chera King into an ‘adaippakkaaran’! In those bygone days, when people of high standing go about, a coterie of followers would accompany. Amongst them there will be a man who will be carrying a small box like thing, that was known as ‘kaLaainji’ in which betel leaves and areca nut powder with some 64 other ingredients that are added to what was known as Taamboolam in Sanskrit, Vetrilai Pakku in Tamil and Paan in Hindi. Whenever looked at askance from the VIP, with a quick nod of his head this man known as ‘adaippakkaaran’ will respond with a mouth watering ‘Paan’ to be chewed on by the VIP! Kambar claimed that the King of Chera would willingly play that role to perfection and the King of Sozha will be witness to this display!
A Comparison of Kambar & KaaLidaasa
37. Having been Bhoja Raja’s bosom friend as known to all and sundry till that day and even after having been banished from his kingdom, Kaalidaasa was not ready to reveal this break to the whole world, whereas Kambar wanted to make a display of the rift between himself and the Sozha King. One may wonder as to whose action is right or wrong. I would say that both KaLidaasaa’s and Kambar’s reactions were both right and appropriate in their own way.
38. What was the point on which there was a difference of opinion between KaaLidaasa and Bhoja Raja? On his being asked to sing a Sarama Kavi as though Bhoja Raja is dead, KaaLidaasa refused. Why did the Bhoja Raja ask for it? He did so, because he had so much attachment for Kaalidaasaa’s power and artistry over words that, he sincerely wished to hear what he could never have heard, Kaalidaasaa’s outpouring of grief over his friend Bhoja Raja’s death! So, though there was a difference of opinion, it was basically due to Bhoja Raja’s love of KaaLidaasaa’s poetry, which was strong enough to overcome what everyone in the world is afraid about, the fear of one’s own death! After leaving such a ‘die – hard’ fan, how can a man like KaaLidaasa ever think of going to another patron? So he decided that what poetry cannot be heard and enjoyed by Bhoja Raja may not be available to anybody else in the world, he decided to become a mad Sanyaasi and vanish from the scene! In his state Kambar also would have done almost the same thing!
39. Now, what was Kambar’s case? What he said in the freedom of his familiarity with the Sozha King should have been taken by the King also in the same spirit, is it not so? Or instead of becoming too serious, he should have taken it as in a lighter vein. At the least he could have had the decency to say, “Listen, my dear Kambar! All said and done, as a King, I should be seen to safe guard my position, status and protocol. At least for that sake, do not make a display of your hold over me. If you take too many liberties, that will be tantamount to lessening of my power and hold. So, watch out what you say and how you behave in public!” That would have been a light rebuke serving the purpose. Instead when the King over reacted with a, “Ha Ha and Hoo Hoo! Let us see who is under whose control.....! It is the King’s Royal Command”, Kambar also got thoroughly disconcerted! In a similar situation KaaLidaasa also would have reacted the same way! Later in the story we are also made aware of Kambar’s large heartedness!
Kambar’s Visit to Chera Kingdom and Chera King’s Attitude
40. As promised Kambar went to the Chera Kingdom. He won over the King’s heart by his literary abilities and got encomiums of praise, awards, name and fame. Here the Sozha King was in doldrums. He was also a lover of arts and crafts. He also had real royal qualities. That a man who was recognized as the ‘Kavi Chakravarty’, Emperor of The World of Literature, who used to be a decorative jewel of his Royal Assembly, is missing from that assembly; was a loss unbearable for him. So, he was keeping track of any news about Kambar by sending his ambassadors, spies and investigative reporters in all directions! Finally he got wind of the fact that Kambar was with the Chera King, much supported by him. He sent his envoy there also. He also sent written messages to Kambar to forget the past and come back to his rightful place in the assembly. The old affections did grab the heart of Kambar too.
41. He took leave of the Chera King with a heavy heart and was returning back. The Chera King knew the past stories. He reminded Kambar about that part of the challenge as per which he was to accompany Kambar as the ‘adaippakkaaran’ stooge carrying the ‘kaLaainji’ in his hands. He insisted that he must play his part of the role in the drama and so, told Kambar to wait for a few minutes by which he will get dressed up for his role in the arrangement. Here we can see the nobility of the Chera King’s character. He had that much control over his own pride that he was ready to give up his reliance on pomp and show, even if only for a short period. The same story while describing the hot tempered nature of one King brings out the humility the other was capable of! That is why, though these stories are such that their veracity cannot be ascertained, we should still study them for the lessons learnt!
42. Kambar’s reply at this juncture is classic indeed. “It is alright, Your Highness the King; in the heat of the moment, he might have said something, I could have said something in retaliation. It is not for me to keep remembering my past challenges. It would be in the rightness of things for me to be magnanimous enough to forget the past and humble enough to correctly identify my place in relation to that of a king in the society. You are an active King in command of a country. It is your greatness that you have offered to act as an ‘adaippakkaaran’, that too in your opponent’s court! I should not make use of your offer unless it was inescapably necessary.” Having said so, he started out on his journey! His own character was shown more brightly later in the episode!
(To be continued.)
Sambhomahadeva.