Stealing Hearts – Venkata Kavi’s Style

Many poets and composers have adopted a slightly critical and satirical tone while expressing reverence to their favourite God. That kind of ‘negative’ expression helps to highlight the proximity the composer feels with his God. Rajaji’s kuRai onRum illai and Saint Tyagaraja’s naa moralunu vini are classic examples. By juxtaposition, the flow of bhakti rasam becomes even more evident. A bond between the composer and his God is revealed when he adopts such a slightly sarcastic tone. This tone is slightly different from what is popularly known as “nindA stuti” where the composer praises God through apparent criticism. Tyagaraja’s “adigi sukhamu levvaranubhavinchirirA” (did anyone who approached you for comfort, get it?) would qualify for nindA stuti but “nee thAn mechchi kola vEndum” has a different hue.

“thiRai inRi niRkinRAi kaNNA, unnai maRai Odhum gnAniyar mattumE kANbAr” Rajaji veils his devotion by saying sarcastically that “you are standing in the open and yet only saints can see you” There is enough complaint in “....enRAlum kuRai onRum enakkillai kaNNA” . In naa moralunu vini, Tyagaraja even accuses his favourite God of taking a bribe from Gajendra and Draupadi for helping them but ignoring him! Pungent criticism and biting satire of the ways of the Lord! Papanasam Sivan queried “nAn oru viLaiyAttu bommaiyA…ammA ammA enRu alaRuvathai kEtka AnandhamA?”

But it will not be an exaggeration to say that it is Venkata Kavi who has composed the maximum number of songs using either veiled or explicit sarcasm to express his devotion. Venkata Kavi revels in such sarcasm while expressing his reverence to Krishna but all the while complaining about his mischiefs and antics. It is a form of adoration and the complaints belie the fondness of the composer towards his beloved Krishna. Many of his songs carry this overt sarcasm. Adum varai avar Adattum,  anRE nAn sonnathuthAnE, Asaiyinai pAradi, neethAn mechchi koLLa vEndum are typical examples.

Venkata Kavi drips with sarcasm as he lambasts Krishna “ingitham enRAlE vIsai enna vilai enRu kEtpAradi indhe mannan” and criticises Krishna openly “Asaikkum edhaRkum aLavuNdu ivanO aththanaiyum mIRuvAn. He reveals helplessness in “enRu nAm peN enRa peyar koNda nALO, anRE nAm kaNNanin adimai and “kAlam thavaRAthu kOL solla vandhu ninRa mAndharkku vidai solla nEramumillai”. The sarcasm takes very many forms but one never doubts the underlying reverence.

In the following song, the composer pours out the devotion and adoration in the form of complaint and lament. Venkata Kavi lets his imagination come out in full flow as he uses his prolific Tamil to telling effect, to describe the torment he is going through, on account of Krishna. The torment of a little boy stealing away his heart! Unadulterated love and affection being poured out in the form of expressing commiseration.

pallavi

vandhu kEtpAr illaiyO - en

manamAnathai oru siRuvan vandhu

vAri veNNai ena vizhungigiRAn idhai                                       (vandhu kEtpAr illaiyO)

anupallavi

nandhagOpan thanakku chella piLLai - AnAl

nadandhadhu ennavO naLLiravu koLLai

indha azhagil vERu peNgaludan shaLLai

ennavO pO en manam thAn  pOguthu koLLai                         (vandhu kEtpAr illaiyO)           

charaNam

vandhu piRakkum munnE mAman kAththirundhAn

manamAra peTRavarO dhaththu thanthirunthAr

vandha idaththil annai katti pOttirunthAL

adhai vattiyum mudhalumai pazhi vAnga vandhAn                             (vandhu kEtpAr illaiyO)

gAnak kuzhal onRu kannak kOl ayachchu

kannam vaiththa idam kAdhugaLaiyAchchu

anakkAval ainthum Adarangamachchu

andhandhO en manamellAm koLLai koLLaiyAga pochcu                     (vandhu kEtpAr illaiyO)

A thread of stealing, robbery and looting runs through the entire song. The poet begins by lamenting the fact that Krishna is stealing away his heart as though he is stealing a lump of butter. The attention is indirectly drawn, though no mention is directly made to the legend of Krishna stealing butter from the houses in Gokulam. The prank of stealing butter being compared to the stealing of one’s heart implies that Krishna resorted to both with equal ease.

The second reference to stealing or robbery is to the spiriting away of the child Krishna as soon as he was born, from the gaols of Mathura to Yasodha in Gokulam, in the middle of the night. Again, the repetition of the lament that his heart is also being stolen away, highlighting that this happens despite the fact that Krishna was a flirt, a not so noble trait. The rhyme on the ending words of anupallavi is very catchy - piLLai, koLLai, saLLai and koLLai again.

The first charanam is a veiled reference to the reasons why Krishna resorts to stealing – either stealing butter or stealing others’ hearts. Venkata Kavi imagines this as revenge extracted by Krishna for the poor treatment he had received from people who should have showered him with love. It is his justification for the actions of Krishna in resorting to stealing. First, his uncle who was waiting to kill the moment he is born – a welcome no child would want. Second his own father who gave him away in adoption. That it was done to save Krishna’s life is immaterial. What stands out is the desperate act of giving away. Finally, the foster mother Yashoda who tied him up, unable to control him otherwise!

The second charanam continues with the thread of stealing, with even more stress than what the anupallavi portrays. In addition, this stanza is accompanied by brilliant word play. Kavi likens the flute to an instrument with which thieves drill a hole in a house (kannakkOl). And the hole drilled by the robber (Krishna) is nothing but the ear, for listening to the divine music of the flute! The implication that Krishna is playing the flute with the intention of stealing hearts stands out.

The composer brings the song to a poignant conclusion by indicating total surrender, to Krishna and his music. The five senses Man possesses, control and protect an individual. But Venkata Kavi loses all his senses and is rendered powerless by the magic of Krishna’s flute. He goes to the extent of saying that his five senses have become an open theater - a performing stage where his senses dance, literally, to the tune of Krishna. Ultimately, he loses everything, his mind, his heart and even the senses - all having been stolen away by Krishna and the magic of his flute.

(This article was published in the October 2014 issue of Nadhabrahmam)

Forgetting To Remember

The word “bhakti” is a very difficult word to translate into English. The closest is “religious devotion”. It is the adulation felt by the devotee towards his favourite God or ishta devata. But none of these actually convey the intensity the devotee feels towards his or her favourite God and the compulsive need to feel “belonged to” the God, which is what the original root word bhaj really meant.

The ultimate surrender to God at the end of the bhakti marg is the goal of a bhakta. The salvation can be achieved only by total surrender at the time of the culmination of the earthly life. Saints strove at length to retain the thought of the Lord when the end came and resorted to all sorts of tricks to ensure that. Though the story of Ajamilan in Bhagavatam speaks of a horrible sinner being taken to heaven just because he uttered the Lord’s name at the end even though he did so unintentionally, bhaktas were mortally scared of not being able to do so when the time came.

Composers have implored their hearts to never forget the Lord. Tyagaraja’s maravakara *nava manmatha* roopuni and Muthu Thandavar’s maravAthiru *nenjamE are typical examples. Muthu Thandavar says that it is the only way to avoid re-birth. Unakkidhu* piRavA* marundhAmE recognizes the need to continue one’s devotion even in the next janmam.  Papanasam Sivan goes one step further and pleads that he should not be re-born and in the event that it happens, should still remember the Lord’s name.  piRava* varam* thArum* pemmAnE*, piRanthAlum* thiruvadi* maRavA* varam* thArum….This is complete bhakti and comes very close to identifying oneself with God. This way there is no fear of forgetting to say the Lord’s name or remain devoted at the most appropriate time – be it while asking for a blessing or when the end is near.

In Thirumozhi, Periazhwar resorts to a novel method to ensure that he doesn’t miss out on remembering Lord Ranganatha’s name when the end was near. He sort of books “in advance” the name of the Lord lest he forgets or is rendered disabled by disease, when death comes knocking at the door. This from the man who had blessed the Lord himself with his pallAndu* pallAndu!

Eippu * ennai* vandhu* naliyum* pOthu* angu

Edhum *nAnunnai *ninaikka *mAttEn

Appothaikku* ippothE* solli* vaiththEn

Arangath *tharavaNai *paLLIyAnE

 An interesting concept no doubt, considering that the senior-most of the twelve alwars literally spends his entire life praising Narayana. To be able to remember at the appropriate time what to ask of the Lord or even merely utter his name at the end is a task indeed. How does a mortal not be over-awed by the presence of the Lord who appears before him all of a sudden? There are several other impediments which might lead one astray from remaining focused on the thought of just devoting oneself to God.

Mahakavi Bharati complains that he has forgotten the face of Krishna even though his heart still fondly remembers the love. In Asai* mugam* maranthu* pOche, he laments that kaNNan* mugam* maranthu* pOnAl* intha* kaNgaL* irunthu* payan* uNdO. Though this song was purportedly written when he had lost the only photograph he had of his mother, it was couched as a bitter memory loss addressed to Krishna.  “kaNgal*  purinthuvitta* pAvam*, kaNNan* uru* maRakkalAchu”. Dripping with irony, the fiery poet expresses his deep anguish also. He is puzzled by the loss of memory as it is totally unnatural – as the bee forgetting to gather honey or a standing crop not looking forward to rain. The stark juxtaposition between remembering the love a heart feels while forgetting the face is brilliant and thought-provoking philosophy.

Oothukadu Venkata Kavi too forgets to ask what he wanted to, distracted by many things. He begins a song with a fervent plea for a boon or a blessing. In a composition on Muruga, fittingly tuned in Shanmugapriya, Venkata Kavi never really completes the request. More than once he ‘forgets’ what he came to ask, once distracted by the beauty of Muruga and the other time by dance of his vahana – the gorgeous peacock; finally he forgets himself as he utters the name of Muruga repeatedly.

pallavi

varamonRu* thantharuLvAi* – vEla

varamonRu* thantharuLvAi* vadivEla* - engaL

maragatha* mAmayilERum* ARumuga* vadivElA

anupallavi

param* enRa* sollukkoru* poruLE* – paraththil

param* enRa* sollkkoru* poruLE* – iLam

pachaikkum* ichaikkum* nadup* poruLE

palaporuL* kEttunai* adhu* idhu* enAdhu

pattenRu* oru* poruL* kEttiduvEn

charanam

ponnum* maNiyum* enthan* budhiyilE*  pattavai

puLithu* puLithu* pOchE* – EnenRAl* unthan

punnagai* mugam* kaNdathAl AchE

innum* ulagamuRum* inbam* enRavai

eppadiyO* maRanthu* pOche* – EnenRAl* un

ERu* mayil* nadam* kaNdathAchE

Munnum* manamuruga* murugA* murugA* enRu

mOgamIri* thalai* sutRalAchE* – solla* vandha

mozhikooda* maRanthuthAn* pOchE

ponnAr* mEniyan* kAdhil* sonnAyE* andharangam

pOdhumenRu* kEtkavum* AsaiyAchE

madhyama kAlam

punithamAna*  ARupadai* veIdudaiyAi* – pugu* madha* kaLiRu* nadaiyudaiyAi

initha naRu* vainkalavaiyathaninum* – initha* thinaiyinai*  suvaiudaiyAi

enakkum* oru* padham* thantharuLa* – maNa* maNakka* varu thamizh* aruLudaiyAi

annaiyinum* siRanthathAna* aruLodu* niRainthathAna* arumuga *vadivElA

The pallavi begins simply enough with a plea for a blessing as he begs for a boon from Lord Muruga who is also addressed using other names like vadivEl and Arumuga; the peacock acquires a grandiose title as “maragatha mAmayil”.

But the anupallavi is so loaded with superb word-play, multiple meanings and deep philosophical insights that those five lines by themselves deserve a separate essay.  The word param has so many meanings- excellent, Vishnu, God, Heaven, completeness, front, mendicant etc. So the line “param* enRa* sollukkoru* poruLE can, at the face value, can mean that Muruga is the Supreme Being. The line can also mean that he is the only meaning for the word, as oru* poruLE can also intend that there can be no other meanings! It is interesting to note that param can also mean a mendicant or an andi as Muruga became when he renounced everything.

Venkata Kavi has not finished with his word-play. In the next line he hails Muruga as “parathil* param enRa* sollukkoru* poruLE” which means that even among the multiple meanings of param, you are the inner meaning. If one considers that param means heaven, the sentence can also mean that even among the many Gods in heaven, he is the supreme. Considering that the phrase “oru* poruLE” can either mean “one of the meanings” or “the only meaning” and the multiple meanings for the word param, the permutations and combinations become tremendous.

The next line “iLam *pachaikkum* ichaikkum* nadu* poruLE” again contains profound philosophical connotations as the composer places Muruga as the most neutral – between tender green wishes and deep desire. The neutrality of the Supreme Being is clearly emphasized, couched in a beautiful rhyme. And then he avers that he knows precisely what he wants and that he will ask for that. The word “poruL” has been used throughout the anupallvi very cleverly to mean both “meaning” in one place and a “material object” at the other.

In the charanam, Venkata Kavi goes on to ‘contradict’ himself, in his usual inimitable style. He had averred that he knows precisely what “poruL” he wants, but the moment he sees the beautiful smiling face of Muruga, he is disgusted with the thought of riches which were perhaps on his mind to ask for as a boon. The worldly pleasures too are forgotten when he witnesses the gorgeous dance of Muruga’s peacock.

As he chants the name Muruga, he goes into a trance, loses his head to the intoxication of the mere name and forgets to speak as words fail him. Mozhi* kooda* maRanthuthAn* pOchE. He forgets what he wanted to ask, forgets worldly pleasures and finally forgets himself. The smiling face of Muruga, the dance of the peacock he rides on and the mere mention of the name are enough to make him forget the very purpose of the prayer. At the end he manages to blurt out that he perhaps would like to hear the pranavopadesam, what Muruga whispers into the ears of Shiva.

Is it the least in value or the most valuable? After forgetting material wealth, worldly pleasures and even his tongue or ability to speak, the composer settles to ask for something which no one knows. ponnAr* mEniyan* kAdhil* sonnAyE* , andharangam* pOdhumenRu* kEtkavum* AsaiyachE. Irony indeed!

The fitting finale to the melody comes in the form of four lines sung in madhyamakalam, where Venkata Kavi extols the virtues of Muruga; he is after all “initha* thinaiyin* suvaiyudayai”. The composer packs so much into these four lines. He doesn’t “forget” to praise Muruga, doesn’t forget to praise “maNa* maNakka* varu” Tamil, doesn’t forget to thank Muruga for enabling him to write this verse and signs off with a grand reference to mother’s love. He places Muruga above even that which is considered the most supreme form of love.

Compare the three. Venkata Kavi places Muruga’s aruL  above a mother’s love. Periazhwar’s  Kannan Thiruavatara sirappu brims with maternal love. He often described a devotee’s love for God as comparable to Yasodha’s motherly love for Krishna.(Yasodha was after all the adopted mother of Krishna - just like how he was the adopted father of AndAl) Bharati’s profound angst after he loses his mother’s photograph makes him compose a song complaining that he has forgotten Krishna’s face!

Bhakti at its best.

(This article was published in the November 2014 issue of Nadabrahmam)

Nadopasana of thANumAlayan

Classical Carnatic music is totally dominated by compositions on Gods. Since the Trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are an integral part of a Hindu life, it is no wonder that they are very much woven into the fabric of classical music, which is the most ancient of all arts. Every treatise on music discusses how music emanated from the Trimurti.  In his magnum opus Sangita Ratnakara, Sarangadeva mentions that

Nadopasanayadeva

            Brahma Vishnu Maheswara

Bavanthyupasita nunam

          Yasmad yethe tadatmakaha

(If we invoke sound, we also invoke without doubt Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva because they are nothing other than sound)

Saint Tyagaraja who has composed a series of songs on the theme of nadopasana, avers more than once that the Trimurti “shined” because of worship through nada. “nadopasanache shankara narayana vidhulu velasiriyo manasa”. Then, in another kriti (ananda sagara….), Tyagaraja says that those who do not ‘swim’ in the ocean of joy brought about by the knowledge of music are a burden to the universe. In the same kriti, while pleading with Rama, he queries “sri viswanatha srikantha vidhulu bavana murthulu pasincha ledha?” (Didn’t the three murti–Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma do (nada) upasana?) He emphasizes that bhakti is the only route to salvation. In “sangeeta gnanamu bhaktivina sanmargamu galate manasa”, he proclaims that only music (gnanam) that is infused with devotion (bhakti) will lead to sanmarga.

Venkata Kavi echoes Tyagaraja’s sentiments.  He says “bhakti* yoga* sangeeta* mArgamE*, paravapavanamagume*” and goes on to link the two (bhakti and sangeetam) as sakti and shivam (rakthi*rAgamaya*isai* ….bhakti*illAvidil* palan*viLaiyAdhu*………sakthi* illAvidil* sivam* uLathEthu*) and concludes that rAma*nAma*rAsa* nAmam*rAgamOdu*iNaiyum* pOthellAm*anurAgam*”.

Beautiful sentiments expressed unequivocally.

Famous composers have referred to the Trimurti collectively and have also named them individually in their songs. In addition, they have composed severalsongs exclusively on Shiva and Vishnu (and his avatars). But only Muthuswamy Dikshitar has composed a lone song on Brahma. (bhooshapathim manjubashapathim bajeham in raga bhushavathi) Curiously Brahma is not very popular in the temples department either. The temple at Pushkar is very famous but there are not many others. In Uthamar Koil on the out-skirts of Trichy, all the three, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva appear with their consorts in kalyana kolam (in wedding dress). This lack of “worship” could be something to do with the two curses Brahma had incurred.@@

Venkata Kavi too has referred to Brahma in several songs but has not composed a song exclusively on the God of Creation. It is no secret that Venkata Kavi’s favourite God is Krishna but he has composed several songs on Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars Narasimha and Rama. The songs on Krishna take all kinds of hues – satire, criticism, fond love, adoration and at times even erotic but the songs on Shiva and Vishnu almost always portray total surrender. Here he is considering Vishnu as an all-encompassing “gurunathar” and  is showering praises for delivering him from all kinds of evil.

pallavi

ellAm* gurunAthan*karuNai* -thavam

eNNiya*eNNamum* paNNiya* puNNiyam* – kaNNan*

vaNNamalar* pAdham* naNNiya* thiNNam*

anupallavi

allAtha*uRavidam* nEsam*- thavam*

AgAthu* maRaiththidum* pAsam*- nAmam*

sollA* dhurguNaththin* AvEsam*- aththanaiyum*

madhyamakalam

thuraththi* enai* aRam* uNarththi* hari* padham* niRuththi*

manaththil* niRuththi* vaiththavan*

charanam

anthamigu* harigunam* pAduvathum* antha*

Ananthaththil* adiyArgaL* kooruvathum* antha*

Sinthanaiyil* enai* maRanthAduvathum* udan*

dEvaki* bAlanudan* rAsam* Oduvathum*

thiRamighu* maRaimaNantha* sollAnathu*

nilaiyodu*poruLAga*ninRathum*

theeyavinai*maRaviguththavinai*janmavinai*seyal*

maRanthavinai*Anavai*senRathum*

amudham*kasandha*aththanai*iniththavARAi*

ArAvamudhan*harinAmam*uNarnthathum*

aruLodu*kalandhu*thAnAgi*ninRathum*ANavamalam*

aganRathum*gnAnam*uNarnthathum* ….(ellAm*gurunAthan*karuNai*)

After proclaiming in the pallavi that the compassion of the Lord has been the reason for the deliverance, in anupallavi, Venkata Kavi lists out the evils in life – inappropriate relationships (allAtha* uRavidam* nEsam*), affections which spoil penance (thavam*agaththu*maRaiththidum*pAsam*), bad character preventing utterance of God’s name(nAmam*solla*dhurguNaththin AvEsam*) and then credits the Lord with directing him to the path of righteousness. The alliteration and rhyme in the pallavi and anupallavi are noteworthy.

The lines of charanam reiterate the theme of the Lord’s sweet name driving away the evils (amudhum*kasandha*aththanai*iniththa*…..ArAvamudhan*harinAmam*). Again, the poet’s style should be analysed. He doesn’t say that the Lord’s name is sweeter than elixir(amudham) He says that the elixir was rendered bitter in comparison with the Lord’s name! Venkata Kavi emphasizes that revelation comes only if one loses ego; to be above oneself is a pre-requisite to be one with God.

Venkata Kavi continues in the same vein while praising Shiva too. Indicating total surrender, he says that Lord Shiva is everything to him.

pallavi

Unnilum*ennakoru*utRAr*yArumundO*oLimudhalE*sivamE*

uLLum*puRamu*niRaivAna*thunnaruLE*uththamamAna*maRaitharu*poruLE*

theLLaththeLinthidu* gnanamun*aruLE*senjadaimathi*thanakkAnathu*pugalE*

anupallavi

thennampuliyUr* thiruchitrambalam*mEvi*thEdivandhOrukkAi*Adiya*pAdhamE*

theethA* kitathaka*thimithath* thirithaka*thigurthamAna*nadamAdum*iRaiyE*

vEdhAgam*muRai*viLanga*varuthigazh*vigirththanE*nenja*thanniRaivE*

charanam

idamthEdi*unainAdi*EththalAmenRAlO*nee*irukkumidam*mudhukAdAchE*

yerikkuNavuthEdi*EththalAmenRAlO*yeriyunanju*uNavAchE*

vadamAna*ponnAram*vAngalAmenRAlO*vALaravum*elumbum*paNiyAchE*

varameeyum*thiRamenRu*vandhaNainthAlO*pichchai*vAnguvathum*neeyE*ennalAchE*

thidamum*nAdi*unai*uRavenRu*thEda*theLinthathoru*vishayam*idhu*kANum*

seyalum*maRithAna*mAmanum*thuNaithodar*maganum*midiyAnathu*kANum*

nadanamumAdi*sarAsaramengaNum*nallavaiyAnathum*karuNaiyAnathum*

nAdi*vanthathuvum*inRu*tharavEndum*thaNNiya*munathu*pAdham*puNNiyam*peRavENumE*

The common thread in the two songs is that the composer acknowledges and appreciates the compassion he has received from the Lord through delivering him from all evils. But in this song, Venkata Kavi launches into his characteristic sarcastic adoration. “I can’t come searching for you in your abode because you live in a cemetery (idamthEdi*unainAdi*EththalAmenRAlO* nee* irukkumidam* mudhukAdAchE*), I can’t bring anything for you to eat because you drink poison (yerikkuNavuthEdi*EththalAmenRAlO*yeriyunanju*uNavAchE*), I can’t bring you any ornaments to adorn you because you wear skull and bones (vadamAna*ponnAram*vAngalAmenRAlO*vALaravum* elumbum*paNiyAchE*), I can’t ask you for anything because you yourself are begging in the streets (varameeyum* thiRamenRu* vandhaNainthAlO*pichchai*vAnguvathum*neeyE*ennalAchE*)

Venkata Kavi concludes on the same lines of the previous song. Your compassion has instilled righteousness (nallavaiyAnathum*karuNaiyAnathum*) and begs for blessings from the Lord (*thaNNiya*munathu* pAdham*puNNiyam*peRavENumE*). Despite having a favourite God in Krishna, Venkata Kavi is not partial in surrendering - be it Vishnu or Shiva. That would be true of most composers. While they recognized the trimurti and individual existence, they did not alienate one from the other and often spoke of brahman as one.

Kautsya’s hymn of praise in Maitriya Upanishad (200 BC) – “thou art brahma, thou art Vishnu, thou art rudra” is echoed often by other poets and composers. Sarangadeva’s  opening hymn “the consciousness of all living beings which has changed itself into the world the (nada-)brahman , the form that delights, that is One, without a Second, is what we bring to mind”. The thought is reflected by Kalidasa in his hymn to the trimurti:

“Praise to you O trinity, one before creation, afterwards divided, in your three qualities…..”

The great poet repeats this in more than place. In Kumarasambhava, (II.4), he says:

namastrimurtaye tubhyam praksrishteh kevalatmane

gunatraya-vibhagaya paschadbhedamupeyushe

(Bow to you who was only one before creation divided into three gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) and obtained three forms)

And again in Raghuvamsa ( X, 16),

namo visvarije purvam visvam tadanubibhrate

atha visvasya samhartre tubhyam tredhasthitatmane

(Bow to you who are in three different forms, you were Brahma while creating, then Vishnu while protecting and Mahesha while destroying this)

The rich baritone voice of M.D.Ramanathan singing his own composition reverberates for eternity “hariyum*haranum *onrE* enRu *ariyAthavarum *uLarO?”

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Legend has it that Brahma, after killing the demon Vajranabha, decided to do a yagna. But his wife Saraswati or Savitri was delayed coming to the venue because she was waiting for Lakshmi, Parvati and Indrani. Since the yagna could not be completed without a consort, Brahma took a Gurjari woman named Gayatri as his wife and performed the rituals. When Saraswati finally arrived at the scene, she became very angry and cursed Brahma that he will never be worshipped.

The other legend pertains to Vishnu and Brahma competing with each other to prove their superiority, set out to find the top and bottom of Shiva who appeared as a beam of light. Whoever reached their destination first would be deemed to be the winner. Vishnu assumed the form of a boar and started digging while Brahma, as a swan, started flying up.  Vishnu gave up because even after going very deep, he could not find the base of the column. However, Brahma, while flying up encountered a ketaki (thazhampoo) flower falling off the head of Shiva. He laid a claim that he had reached the top and the flower vouched for his lie. Infuriated, Shiva cursed that the flower will never again be used in a puja and cursed Brahma that he will never be worshipped on earth.

This article was published in the December 2014 issue of Nadhabrahmam.

The Rock Pool

A natural depression in a patch of rock, right in front of the house always used to hold some water after a rain. An occasional crow hopping in to take a sip gave rise to the idea of a bird bath. The well constructed pool with Lilies failed to attract much wild life except the lonely Pond Heron and the White-breasted Water Hen, both diving in to hunt. The depth and the rim probably deterred others even though there were sufficient plants to serve as perches.
But it took quite a while - almost ten years - for the depression to be made into a decent pool. Blame the stone-mason but eventually, the dream did became reality. And much to our delight, the pool started attracting birds of all kinds and sizes - from the tiny White Eye to the massive Pariah Kite, from the tame Jungle Babbler to the elusive Shikra.

Pariah Kite - a rare visitor

A Pied Wagtail hunting around the pool

An immature Coucal gathering courage

Jungle Babbler hopping into the pool

The ever present Spotted Dove

A pair of White Eye enjoying a bath

Chloropsis taking a break from mimicking others

The resident Shikra testing the water

Caveat Emptor -Buyers Beware-Ebay is bad

Shopping in most Indian cities can leave you exhausted, not because of the variety but because you have to be really alert to ensure that you are not taken for a ride. Very rarely you can find an honest trader and because their number is so few, I can very safely make a general statement that they are out there to make a fast buck. I learn from very reliable sources that even the opposition to VAT was because it makes a trader accountable as to where he bought the stuff from.

This propensity to cheat a customer seems to be in-built in traders. There is never a buyers’ market in India probably because the sheer numbers ensure sufficient sales to the trader that he does not mind losing a customer. Unfortunately, this trend continues on the modern method of “On-Line Shopping”. The trend is catching on and this blog is an attempt to warn potential buyers of the potential pit-falls in shopping through the Internet.

The biggest culprit is the internationally renowned site ‘ebay’. While individuals listing their used items are generally honest, the same cannot be said of dealers who display their wares on the site. The variety is tremendous and sufficient lures are offered in the form of discounts to attract customers. But what is disgusting is that it is a sellers’ market in as much as the attitude of ebay is concerned. If your purchase goes through clean, consider yourself lucky because if there is a dispute, you had it. Despite all the high sounding words and sweet talking, ebay does nothing to help the buyer. One gets a very strong feeling that ebay is supporting the seller. Every single item I have bought through ebay had some short-coming or other but nothing ever comes out of the feedback or complaints.

Ebay has earned sufficient bad reviews in mouthshut.com and I wish I had seen them before buying from this portal. Someone had commented that ebay gets its commission from the sellers and that the site needs the support of sellers, to survive. Once the sale is through they care tuppence about the buyer. Very true. This has been my experience too on more than one occasion. Couple of examples to give emphasis to my words. An item called ‘electric lighter’ was listed with a photograph showing three lighters. I felt that there is something wrong and sent a query to the seller who confirmed that the price is for three lighters. So I bought the item but before I could pay for it, I received a mail from the seller where he had indicated that the price is for one unit. So I refused to pay. Pitiably, ebay threatens me with a black mark for not paying but despite repeated mails did nothing to pull up the seller for his dishonesty. Even more maddening was that I had to repeat my story every time I sent a mail, because different persons handled the same dispute. Nothing happened and the seller Shifa-on-line continues to peddle his wares, probably cheating many more, right under the nose of ebay. I would have been satisfied with an apology from the seller saying that he made a mistake but ebay refused to entertain my request.

I paid dearly for not reading the fine print. Ebay shouts from the roof tops about its “buyer protection programme”. Do you know that the buyer gets no protection if the parcel is lost in transit? How can a buyer establish that he did not receive the goods that he paid for? How does the buyer establish that he has shipped the goods is not mentioned. Can ebay accept a booking receipt merely scribbled ‘Sundar, Hosur’ as possible proof of shipping and not compensate the buyer? Courier companies are known to leave a full book of the booking receipts with the customer if there is scope of sufficient business emanating from the organization. Romachoithani, the seller in this case, was so poor in communication and had to be prompted several times before he would reply. I have wasted a fortune on telephone calls trying to trace the shipment. Again ebay takes no action on the seller but makes me wait 30days before allowing me to file a claim and another 30 days to complete the ‘investigation’. I have seen Government offices working faster!!

Moral of the story – check twice, thrice your horoscope and luck for this week before buying anything on ebay. If you get even a whiff of negative wind from the stars, keep off ebay, because if luck doesn’t help you ebay will not.

Smoking Stones, Hogenakkal, India

Cauveri falls into Tamil Nadu, literally, from Karnataka and the place is known as Hogenakkal. The word means ‘Smoking Stone’ in Kannada, as the river cascades into the rocks below and the force of the fall breaks the water into such a fine spray that it looks like smoke from a distance; hence the name. The turbulence and the roar as a huge volume of water tumbles down will hold the visitor in awe for several hours. This Nature’s wonder has such a mesmerizing effect on the viewer

A ride in the ‘parisal’ as the coracle is called is a must. The boatsman takes one up the river where the fury of the water is manageable. The shape of the craft, a perfect round, makes it almost impossible for the coracle to be toppled by the swift current. It simply goes round and round absorbing the kinetic energy released by the current, without actually opposing it.

The spray often throws up a “rainbow” as the water crystals act as prisms breaking the light. The effect is very ethereal.

A word of warning though. The facilities for stay and the quality of food available are poor. Typical apathy of the Government in not developing this as a beautiful tourist spot. So at best it can be a one day trip, a picnic with your own food and water packed for the trip. Avoid visiting this place on weekends as bus loads of noisy crowd affect the tranquility of the place.

Real Illusion

Naini Tal is a typical hill station. All the standard features, a lake, boating, a Mall lined with shops for the tourists, ponies, rickshaws et al one finds in a hill station are present. But there is one huge feature, literally and metaphorically, which sets it apart from the other hill stations. There is a place called the China Peak, which is the highest point on those ranges. It affords a view of the distant ranges beyond- majestic, alluring and sadly beyond reach.

Not many tourists venture up the hill. It is quite steep and it is not one of the ‘sights to do’ on the tourist trail. Who has the heart to toil hard on a holiday? But I always look for off-beat trails to take me away from the crowd and so ventured up the trail. Wife and daughter cried a halt half way up but I decided to soldier on. By the time I reached the top I was panting quite hard and the legs were close to buckling. When I reached the peak and looked beyond, I gasped, this time in awe not for want of breath. I was treated to one of the finest spectacles in my life. There was not a soul in sight, nobody to spoil the silence; all hair on my body standing on end as I drank in the spectacle. The peaks Panchtuli and other peaks nearby, standing tall and magnificent provided such a sight that it literally took my breath away. The valley separating the mountain range where I was standing and these peaks were so low that I could not see the bottom. This resulted in giving an illusion that I was standing on the edge of the world and that those peaks were a different universe. It was so ethereal, so surreal and for a minute or two, I was wondering whether I was dreaming or really experiencing. I don’t know which effort was more – the arduous climb or the effort I put in to tear myself away from the spectacular sight..

Symphony in Stone-Dilwara -India

The Jain temples of Dilwara in Mount Abu are as beautiful as any carvings one can see anywhere in India . No, it is not an exaggerated statement one finds in travel brochures and pamphlets. Words fail to describe the beauty of these temples and I believe that even good photographs don’t do justice to the splendour. One has to see this grandeur to believe these exquisite carvings is made in one of the hardest natural material known to man. It is simply impossible to imagine how anyone could have shaped marble as though it is synthetic clay children play with. This architectural marvel left me gaping in awe and too dumbstruck even to take photographs.

The ceiling of the central grand hall itself is worth watching for several hours if one can crane one’s neck in all possible angles. But believe me, the pain in the neck, for once, is worth it. Every doorway, every pillar is covered with intricate carvings and there is not one square inch of the wall in the corridors is bare. Each arch is a monument by itself. These 11^th to 13^th Century temples are magnificent enough to be considered one of the Wonders of the World.

Symphony in Stone- Belur, India

It is said that it took one hundred and three years to build the temple complex of Belur. The construction, as has been accepted by historians, commenced in 1113 AD during the reign of Vishnuvardhna popularly known as Bittideva. Legend has it that the temple was conceived to commemorate the conversion of the King into Vaishnavism. Another version says that the temples were to commemorate the victory over the Cholas. Whatever be the reason that prompted the construction, it is now being celebrated as an exquisite work of art. One can readily accept the statement that the Hoysala architecture which was based on Chalukyan style with an emphasis on sculptural profusion, found its maturity and perfection in this time.

The exterior walls of the temple are covered with a variety of intricately carved sculptures and friezes. The interior contains superbly carved pillars and exquisite panels. In the main hall, four madanike (meaning a lovely maiden) figures standing atop the four main pillars are considered work of rare beauty. They are said to portray queen Shantala and are true masterpieces of sculpture.

The statue of Mohini, an avatar of Vishnu is a remarkable piece of filigree work in stone. The statue conforms to all the standards of a perfect woman as stipulated in Samudrika Lakshanam. Every frieze, every statue, every panel is flawless and should be considered as an individual work of art. All around the temple an eight-level railed parapet enhances the beauty of the temple. The bottom most row consists of elephants some 2800 of them and it is said that no two elephants look alike!

A very tall pillar seen in the temple complex is a marvel because it is free-standing, meaning, it is not moored to the ground.

Time and vandalism has taken its toll and the beauty of the sculptures, already ravaged by Mohammedian invasion, is fast fading. It is a pity that even today visitors show little appreciation for the beauty and the sculptures come in for some rough handling by ignorant louts. It is very sad to see broken hands and chipped noses undoing the intricate work of fine chisels.

As a work of rare beauty, Belur is worth traveling miles to see.