Re: guru kripA vilAsam (On the Greatness of the Guru)
pages 36-39
He recited a nIti shloka:
गोशतादपि गोशीरं प्रस्थं धान्यशतादपि ।
प्रासादेऽपि च खट्वार्धं शेषाः परविभूतयः ॥
goshatAdapi goshIraM prasthaM dhAnyashatAdapi |
prAsAde&pi cha khaTvArdhaM sheShAH paravibhUtayaH ||
ane explained its meaning. While doing so he also recited another shloka:
धेनुर्वत्सस्य गोपस्य स्वामिनस्तस्करस्य वा (च) ।
पयः पिबति यो यस्याः (यस्तस्या) धेनुस्तस्येति निश्चयः ॥
dhenurvatsasya gopasya svAminastaskarasya vA (cha) |
payaH pibati yo yasyAH (yastasyA) dhenustasyeti nishchayaH ||
--pingalagiitA,23
and he asked, "Know why I have told you this shlokas?" Only SrInivAsan gave an appropriate reply to this too.
Although a man might possess hundreds of cows, riches and abundant grains, what is used for his own jIvanam (living) is svalpa (very little). In the same way, although the Vedas are ananta (endless, countless), as the saying goes, 'yatsArabhUtaM tadupAsitavyam' (note #1), only he who absorbs their essence is bhuddhishAli (intelligent).
The sAvukAra (zamindar) who heard all these started speaking: "SvAmi! I don't support this. I think what SannidhAnam spoke about go-saMrakShaNa (safeguarding cows) and other points are only for my sake. Because, it is my mistake that I keep hundreds of cows and don't safeguard them properly, and even beat them. It is also a mistake that I sell their milk and use the money for my family. Henceforth, I shall use the milk of those cows for devatA vishaya (deity worship) and feeding sadhus. This is certain." He promised and kept his promise. SannidhAnam too was happy saying, "ekA kriyA hi arthakarI babhUva" ("the same action has multiple meanings"):
That is, (1) the meaning of the pankti (row, series) pasvAdibhishchA-visheShAt (cognitional activity of animals like cows) that came up in today's bhAShya pAThaM (lecture on Sankara's 'bhAShya') became vichatam (Tamil)(evident, clear). (2) As SrInivAsan pointed out, only sArAgrahaNam (grasping the essence) is pradhAnam (important). (3) As the sAvukAra mentioned, it is clear that go-saMrakShaNa is also a great dharma.
After they reached the kuTIraM (cottage), SrInivAsan was talking to the other boys. "Had I been asked, I would have given another point too. That is, since the meaning "the upAdhyAyas (teachers) should not beat the boys; they should correct them to good ways in the same manner that the cow was controlled using a bunch of grass" is also explained by this, it should have been mentioned as 'chaturarthakarI babhUva'. He told this in a voice that could be heard by this Lekaka, and by his prankish laugh that went along with that, became dear to our minds. Thus this Lekaka has many times experienced such skills of speech that followed the boy along with his medhAvilAsam since his bAlyam (boyhood).
Although our GurunAthAL was always remained in the great jIvanmukta state, during the times of vyavAha (worldly life), he would talk just like the normal people. Sometimes he would speak humourously and for tamasha and would delight his disciples. One day when going to the KAla Bhairava temple, after testing the students in the RaghuvaMsha Shlokas he asked: "They call it RaghuvaMshaM. Can you tell me who were all in that VaMsha?" After some names were mentioned, he asked, "Let it be. rAmasya pitA kaH? (who was Rama's father)?" The boys replied, "DasharathaH." When he asked "tasya pitA kaH? (who was his father?)" the reply "AjaH" was given. Again he went on asking, "tasya pitA kaH? tasya pitA kaH?" The boys too replied with the names Raghu, DilIpan, but they couldn't go beyond that. When the GurunAthAL said, "There is a folk tale about this. Have you heard it?", we prayed to him to tell us the tale.
GurunAthar started narrating with mandahAsa (smile): "There lived a great prabhu (lord) in a place. He was a kRupaNa shikhAmaNi (the crown of misers). But he 'did sambhAvana' (honoured) some VidvAns so that the people might think that he was a dAtA (donor). As many VidvAns started coming to him on hearing this, he came up with an upAya (stratagem). That is, he set a nibandhana (binding, condition) that he would give money only to those who answered his questions without giving up, and nothing to others. For this purpose, he was ready with a question. He would ask those who came to him, "What have you studied?" The VidvAns would say something like tarka (logic), vyAkaraNa (grammar), Vedanta and would expect questions to be asked in their area of study. But he would only ask a question from the RaghuvaMsham. That is, he would start with the question, "rAmasya pitA kaH?" and would go on, "tasya pitA kaH, tasya pitA kaH?" The VidvAns who arrived, would give up after a few names and return without getting any money from him.
TenAli RAmA, the vikaTakavi (cown-jester-poet of the Vijayanagara kingdom), heard about this and went to the prabhu with some proper preparation to counter his questions. The prabhu as usual asked him, "rAmasya pitA kaH?" and he replied, "DasharathaH". To the question "tasya pitA kaH?", he replied, "EkAdasharathaH". To the next few questions "tasya pitA kaH?", he went on replying, "dvAdasharathaH", then "trayodasharathaH" and so on. The rich man got tired of these replies and entreated the poet, "aiyA, namaskArams to you. Please do not tell this reply to anyone else. I shall give you the required sambhAvana", and sent the poet away.
"How is the story I told you?", SannidhAnam asked us, laughing. We too were laughing for a long time. At length he gave us leave saying, "You people too don't tell this story to others and cheat them. Forget it and pay attention to your studies."
This humourous incident experienced by us with SannidhAnam seems to have taken place today. SannidhAnam asked us to forget it, but forget we couldn't, however much we tried. Thus even in his jIvanmukta state he was a paramarasika (having taste for art and speech).
Note:
1. The reference is to the following subhAShita that occurs in the uttaragItA-bhAShya:
अनन्त-शास्त्रं बहु वेदितव्यं
अल्पश्च कालो बहवश्च विघ्नाः ।
यत्सारभूतं तदुपासितव्यं
हंसो यथा क्षिरमिवाम्बुमिश्रम् ॥
ananta-shAstraM bahu veditavyaM
alpashcha kAlo bahavashcha vighnAH |
yatsArabhUtaM tadupAsitavyaM
haMso yathA kShiramivAmbumishram ||
The scriptures are endless; what is to be learnt is vast;
The life-span is brief; hindrances are many.
What is essential must be acquired and practised,
Like the swan separating milk mixed with water.
रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥
To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.
--viShNu purANam
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