Monday, July 18, 2011

Can anyone match Him in ingenuity?



Can anyone match Him in ingenuity?
अर्थानर्थान्तरे बुद्धिः निश्चिताऽपि न शोभते।
घातयन्ति हि कार्याणि दूताः पण्डितमानिनः॥
श्रीमद्वाल्मीकिरामायणम् सुन्दरकाण्डं अध्यायः २
arthānarthāntare buddhiḥ niścitā'pi na śobhate|
ghātayanti hi kāryāṇi dūtāḥ paṇḍitamāninaḥ||
śrīmadvālmīkirāmāyaṇam sundarakāṇḍaṁ adhyāyaḥ 2
arthaanarthaantare buddhiH nishchitaa.api na shobhate.
ghaatayanti hi kaaryaaNi duutaaH paNDitamaaninaH..
shriimadvaalmiikiraamaayaNam sundarakaaNDaM adhyaayaH 2


After heroic efforts Sri Hanuman has landed up in Lanka in search of Mother Seetha. 
He is standing outside the walls of the great city and is planning as to how he should enter and search for the Divine Mother.

The very sight of the grandeur and the security arrangements in the city baffles the great strategist a little. 
He comes to the conclusion that if the city is in its present condition of prosperity and care could not be stormed even by the mighty princes Rama and Lakshmana and the huge army of the monkeys. 
For Hanuman at present , even to enter the city and gather information could be a daunting task.

He was evaluating the effectiveness of the form and disguise he could enter the city and how safe he will be.

He is wise enough to realize that even the slightest miscalculation on His part can destroy Himself as also the mission of His master.

The sloka quoted by Ramayanam above is by way of a statement by the great minister and spy and it is a great lesson for all who are engaged in statecraft and especially in undercover operations .


" Even for persons with steady intellect, 
when faced with dilemmas and especially when they are in none too hospitable environment, the brain fails to work properly. 
It is essential that the intellect should be sharpened and put to use properly. 
Some of the envoys who assume that they have great knowledge and skill of execution may blotch up the matter in hand if they do not plan and execute with precision.'

Sundarakaandam in Ramayana is considered as most sacred because the exploits of one of the wisest living beings of all time,
Hanumanji, through his individual prowess could achieve the most impossible tasks. 
But the strategies brought to use by Him all alone without anybody to counsel Him or reaffirm or validate the effectiveness of the strategies, is a marvel in the annals of espionage.
It should form a basic text for statecraft especially in the field of foreign affairs.
The present foreign service officers may have beautiful faces and the gift of the gab 
but what about the minister with monkey-face, that is Hanuman?

Can anyone match Him in ingenuity?

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