Friday, June 03, 2011

Anyway let us give a try.

व्याळं बालमृणालतन्तुभिरसौ रोद्धुम् समुज्जृंभते
च्छेत्तुं वज्रमणिं शिरीषकुसुमप्रान्तेन सन्नह्यति।
माधुर्यं मधुबिन्दुना रचयितुं क्षाराम्बुधेरीहते
मूर्खान् यः प्रतिनेतुमिच्छति बलात् सूक्तैः सुधास्यन्दिभिः॥५॥
भर्त्तृहरेः नीतिशतकात्
vyāḻaṁ bālamṛṇālatantubhirasau roddhum samujjṛṁbhate
cchettuṁ vajramaṇiṁ śirīṣakusumaprāntena sannahyati|
mādhuryaṁ madhubindunā racayituṁ kṣārāmbudherīhate
mūrkhān yaḥ pratinetumicchati balāt sūktaiḥ sudhāsyandibhiḥ||5||
bharttṛhareḥ nītiśatakāt

The attempt by a person to inject some good sense into the hardened mind of an arrogant and self-sure person through quotes from great scriptures  which give out nectar-like words, 
is more like an attempt by a man to confront and stop a violent dragon or a rogue elephant using the stalk of a lotus plant,
 or cut and break a diamond rock with the tip of a sirisha flower (the flower  is very soft and its petals are  like very tender hairlike protrusion... the flower is called vaakappoo in malayalam  ... from mimosa family  generic name Albizzia lebbeck Benth)
 or  to fill the salty water of ocean with sweetness by pouring a drop of honey,

The great poet is Bhartruhari also a stark realist.
 He penned 
Neetishatakam and Vairagyashatakma perhaps with a view to instill some sense into the minds of the arrogant people for which he used attractive verses containing  numerous similes and vivid verbal pictures.  

But he is conscious  of his  inability to  educate the adamant  persons ..any amount of exhortations or entreaties or even harsher measures  are not likely to make any impact on the mindset of  the selfish and arrogant people who have decided not to lend their ears to  any sensible advice.  
It would be easy to wake a person who is actully sleeping but who can wake a persons who is only pretending that he is asleep?
However greats like Bharthruhari out of their kindness and concern for their fellow beings have created their immortal gems of advice.  
If such entreaties reach and make even the slightest change in the attitude  of even a stray person. towards virtue the world would be better than it is.
Vyaalam connotes the imaginary fire spitting dragon of yore, and it can mean a rogue elephant also.  
Either way, brandishing of a stalk of lotus plant at them will not halt their progress.
The sirish flower is noted for its extreme softness (great poets have attempted to compare the softness with the delicate physical structure of heavenly beauties) and the diamond and similar gems are famous for their toughness. 
 Even very tough alloys sometimes fail to cut the diamonds. 
How can a hair of a tender flower cause any scratch on such hard surface?  

Similarly  attempt to bring sweetness to the waters of the ocean can be only ridiculous.
Anyway let us give a try.


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