musings 276

वयं गीर्वाण्यां अतीव निपुणाः इति स्वयमेव निश्चित्य त्रुटितैः अबद्ध जटिलैः च वाक्यैः वार्तालापैः च भाषायाः अनुवाचकेषु अनिष्टं अरोचकत्वं दुःखं च जनयितुं उद्युक्ताः केचन पण्डितम्मन्याः अत्र दृश्यन्ते. I यदि एकस्यापि निजं विद्वत्त्वं अस्ति तद् एवं विधं नाटकप्रदर्शनं विना अपि विद्वद्भिः सम्यक् अवगन्तुं योग्यं भवेत् इति मम मतम्I

जीवितस्य आस्वादनार्थं नाटकं अपि एकतमेन उपाधिरूपेण प्रयोक्तुं योग्यमेव.I परन्तु जीवितमेव नाटकरूपेण प्रदर्शनं कुर्वन्तः मूर्खाः एव I

॥न रत्नम् अन्विष्यति मृग्यते हि तत्॥

|ṁa ratnam anviṣyati mṛgyate hi tat||

A precious stone does not run around the marketplace canvassing its own sale.. Wherever it is, it would be sought after by the genuine seekers.

This statement occurs in the great Mahakavyam of Kalidasa, "Kumarasambhava"

Uma is seen doing penance and undergoing severe austerities to get Shankara as her husband

Once the lord visits her in her hermitage, and seeing austerities observed by such a rich, attractive and accomplished her, He is just wondering why she was subjecting herself to such penance..

He goes on to say that for a girl of her beauty and status, eminent suitors would throng around he fathers abode, and it was meaningless to do penance..

A precious Gem need not canvas for itself..

Elsewhere we find

यस्य नैसर्गिकी शोभा तन्न संस्कारमर्हति।

कः कलाम् शशिनो मार्ष्टि कौस्तुभः केन रज्यते॥

yasya naisargikī śobhā tanna saṁskāramarhati|

kaḥ kalām śaśino mārṣṭi kaustubhaḥ kena rajyate||।

an object which has inherent lustre (greatness) will not require further embellishments to make it presentable or marketable. nobody travels to moon to clean its surface, nor anyone ever tries to polish the Kaustuba gem adorning the bosom of Krishna.

I think the modern marketing pundits and many activists in Social Media will not entirely agree.

Window dressing and packaging are part of their promotion drives...

they will better try to polish a metallic piece to such perfection that it sells in the market as lunar crescent

and

with a grinding stone and a more grinding tongue they may market a pebble as the original Gem Kaustubham

and

also make people believe that Krishna in his austerity drive has already sent his prime gem for auction