Sunday, May 08, 2011

virtue is worshippped by all

तदापि निघ्नं नृप तावकीनैः प्रह्वीकृतं मे हृदयंगुणौघैः।
वीतस्पृहाणामपि मुक्तिभाजां भवन्ति भव्येषु हि पक्षपाताः॥ ३-१२॥
महकविभारविकृते किरातार्जुनीये महकाव्य
tadāpi nighnaṁ nṛpa tāvakīnaiḥ prahvīkṛtaṁ me hṛdayaṁguṇaughaiḥ|
vītaspṛhāṇāmapi muktibhājāṁ bhavanti bhavyeṣu hi pakṣapātāḥ|| 3-12||
mahakavibhāravikṛte kirātārjunīye mahakāvye

In the celebrated mahakaavyam Kiratarjuneeyam  of Bharavi, the art of statecraft is dealt with in detail and the story-line is only incidental. As we reach the  third chapter of the work, the king Yudhistira, the queen and the younger foursome are seen to have already discussed ways and means on how to get out of the forced excommunication clamped on them, through a deceitful game of dice.
 Now, the great Author of epics, vedas and puranas and the grandfather of the princes, Krishnadwaipayana the Vyasa, visits the king in exile. 

 The king is surprised beyond limits. Then the great sage explains..
" I know you are not in the best of fortunes at present. But noble hearts like mine which are absolutely devoid of any attachment in worldly affairs, are somehow drawn to you because of the  great virtues of yours. it is  as if  we are drawn to you by some unknown force. Even for those who have renounced all worldly desires and aiming at only mukthi(emancipation) from the whole samsara(worldly attachments) , the mind tends to be partial towards the noble and enlightened gems of men like you."


We can see how the worship and the blessings of jeevanmukthaas(who lived emancipated in this world itself) like Paramaacharaya of Kanchi and other realized souls are very important. Even though they have nothing in this world to achieve, they are all partial to good deeds and if such deeds casually reach their exalted minds, they may be pleased, even if not in a selfish way, and that prasadam will sustain the world.
A parallel to this can be seen in Kumarasamabhavam of Kalidasa. Lord Shiva comes to Parvathi's hermitage in the guise of a young reclues, the epitome of celibacy. The princes was in penance and detached from everything mundane, and was just thinking of Lord Siva. But the celibate who came in was respectable and merited worship.
So

तमातिथेयी बहुमनपूर्वया सपर्यया प्रतुदियाय पार्वती। भवन्ति साम्येपि निविष्टचेतसां वपुर्विशेषेष्वतिगौरवाः क्रियाः॥।

tamātitheyī bahumanapūrvayā saparyayā pratudiyāya pārvatī| bhavanti sāmyepi niviṣṭacetasāṁ vapurviśeṣeṣvatigauravāḥ kriyāḥ||| "the hostess Parvathi, received the ascetic with due respect and oblations.. even for those who are detached to worldly affairs, the duty is cast to give proper respect to noble people." Kalidasa echoes the idea that great men are to be respected even though there may be no worldly reasons for doing so.
 The meeting of Paramacharya and Gandhiji at an agraharam in Palakkad, Nellissery, is history.
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