Musings 23

Of course God is the best by definition.. and I believe in God, and accept that God is the best too

To accept God that way is easy because he does not seem to care whether I accept him or not .

Some people, I do not know whether the impression is right or not, seem to me that they are lacking in a lot of things..

maybe a false idea and a sort of silent arrogance on my part..

Anyway that gives me a feeling that I am very superior, a legend or at least a candidate for sainthood.

But I meet, see, and watch many people, who impress me as far more superior to me in many respects..

Somehow i am not able to accept such superiority.. I am rather intolerant..

I try to dig out some defect in them, real or imaginary, which wold give me an impression that they are either equal to me or inferior to me in some way or other..

If I am not able to find anything in that direction, I become miserable .. in mind and spirit.. 

I know it is a defect in my pshyche..

Yes, every man struggles and fights with himself to accept realities..

Remember the story of a frog.. which was exchanging ideas with another colleague... 

The former resided in a deep well all its life, but the latter had just jumped along to the world around the well too, and had finally landed up in the well presumably for a short visit..

Of the many experiences it had while wandering around, the second frog reported to his friend about the shape and size of an elephant he had seen.. 

An elephant according to the visitor was too huge and its size could not be explained in words or gestures in the frog tongue.. 

The permanent resident of the well, the first frog was very sure that there could not be anything anywhere which could be bigger than him.. 

So he drew a lot of air into his lungs and his whole body swelled.. and asked his friend whether the elephant could be as big as that..

When the friend replied that the elephant was far, far bigger, the frog of the well tried to increase the size of the body more and more by filling himself with a lot of air.. 

This happened half a dozen times.. 

Still the friend and visitor, the frog of the wide earth was not able to agree on any comparison of the size between the elephant and the well -resident and inflated colleague..

The colleague was not ready to give up.. 

He drew in further quantities of air.. and finally it happened.. The well conceited frogs body could not withstand any more intake of air, and the frog and its body just shattered giving a loud noise akin to burst of a cracker.. 

Of course with that burst, the misery of the frog of the well was over once for all..

Sooner of later such things can happen to people like me too..

measured silence...

भो भद्रं कृतं मौनं कोकिलैर्जलदागमे।

वक्तारो दुर्दुरो यत्र तत्र मौनं हि शोभनम्॥

bho bhadraṁ kṛtaṁ maunaṁ kokilairjaladāgame|

vaktāro durduro yatra tatra maunaṁ hi śobhanam||

ഭോ ഭദ്രം കൃതം മൌനം കൊകിലൈര്‍ ജലദാഗമേ 

വക്താരോ ദുര്ദുരോ യത്ര തത്ര മൌനം ഹി ശോഭനം

As the clouds gather as a prelude to rains, cuckoos stop singing.. 

This action looks very apt.. 

They must be knowing that the best thing to do is to keep quiet when the spokesmen and orators of the season are the frogs..

A nice lesson to learn from the happenings in nature.. 

In the spring season when nature is at here loveliest best, the cuckoos and nightingales sing to their hearts' content and add to the beauty and merriment.. 

There they are appreciated too.

Come the rainy season, the birds of song choose to keep quiet.. 

But the frogs embark on their noisy exercise.. perhaps, their pleasure is in making the noise and they hardly care if they are heard or not

Saying thus, Gangadatta, the King of frogs bolted

Saying thus, Gangadatta, the King of frogs bolted.

Another episode from Panchatantra of Vishnusharma.

In a well there lived a king of frogs named Gangadatta. Most of his relatives were inimical to him and in spite of all his attempts to conciliate them, the enmity was growing and he was impatient and was eager to wreak vengeance on them. Once when someone had put a wick basket into the well for some purpose and was dragging it back to the mainland, he jumped in and reached the surface of the earth. 

While sighing with relief for having escaped from the relatives who were finding fault with him always, he thought. "I want to get even with the kinsmen who have tormented me. It is akin to gain a second life for oneself if one is able to retaliate for the insults heaped on him when his time was bad." 

While he was engrossed in such thoughts , he saw a cobra entering his hole nearby. One idea stuck him like a flash. " If this cobra is infiltrated into our well, he will do the needful and finish off all my offending relatives. It is always a good idea to turn one stronger enemy against another. One can ensure the destruction of at least one of the enemies, without any personal exertion. If a thorn has stuck into one's leg, the thorn can be removed only using another thorn. "

He slowly approached the entrance of the hole, and respectfully addressed the cobra.. "My dear beautiful black cobra, please come out. I am calling you to offer you a favour." 

The cobra thought, "Who is calling me? It is definite that the caller is not one from my own race. What I hear is not the sound of a snake. If it is from human race, it is always dangerous. I am now settled in a hole which is strong and safe. It is already taught by Brihaspati that one should not keep company with a person whose character, nativity and clan are not known. If it is some sorcerer who is having some spell or herb to capture the snakes, then I have to play absolutely safe. Maybe someone who is having an enemy is inviting me and prompting me to bite one of his sworn enemies.

After protracted deliberation, the snake called back, "Who are you?". 

The frog replied, " I am Gangadatta, the king of frogs. I have come all the way to the entrance of your abode with a view to establish permanent friendship with you."

The cobra was wonderstruck. " Oh my goodness, what is this? It is indeed incredible. Is it possible that the dried grass will come seeking the friendship of fire? By nature, you are my food. How come that you are rambling incoherently like this?'

The frog replied, " It is true, Sir. Judging by species you are a natural enemy for me. But I have come to you after incurring insufferable insult at the hands of some people of my own clan. When I am faced with destruction and humiliation, is it not right on my part to approach even an enemy for friendship, offering some quid pro quo in return?"

"Tell me who caused you insult?" asked the cobra.

" It is my own kinsmen", replied the frog.

The snake asked, " Where do your relatives reside? Is it in a pond, or a well or a ravine ? “

"They are in a well with stones paved as steps”.

The snake replied, "How unfortunate, I cannot enter a well. We snakes do not have legs. And even if I manage to reach there I cannot come out so easily. Where can I reside inside the well? So you please get out of here. I am interested in my own welfare. So I will try to eat only things which can be digested inside my stomach with comfort." 

The frog replied." Do not despair, Sir. I have already found ways and means to introduce you into the well. There is a beautiful hole along the stone paving of the well and it can be an ideal residence for you. Sitting there, without any physical effort, you can eat away all my relatives one by one."

The snake thought. " I have already grown old. I am just keeping my body and soul together by catching some lean dry rat once in a while. This wretched frog who is the enemy of his own clan has now shown me a way to live in comfort with breakfast, lunch and dinner readily provided in the shape of fat frogs, that too without any exertion on my part."

So he told the frog king, " Friend, go ahead and show me the way"

" I have one request, Sir," said the frog, 

" some persons who are very close to me are living in that well. Please promise me that you will not trouble them."

The Cobra replied in mock anger, " What is this? You are my friend and benefactor and all those who are close to you are like my own life. How can I think of giving trouble to them. You just identify them. I will never cross their way."

The snake came out of the hole and gave a friendly hug to the frog. Both set out to the place where the well was situated. Both of them occupied the wick basket placed near the well, and reached the residence of the king of frogs well in time and in good shape. From there Gangadatta led the snake to the comfortable abode inside the well premises. He identified his enemies-cum-kinsmen very meticulously and true to his words, the Cobra made breakfast, lunch or dinner of them one by one with constant regularity.

Finally, all the enemies-cum-kinsmen of Ganagadatta the king of frogs existed merely in memory alone. And when Gangadatta felt that the mission was successfully completed, he called upon his friend the snake, and after thanking him profusely for the meritorious services rendered, told him. " Now my sweet friend, you can go back to your old hole. I shall inform you when the wick basket comes down the next time." 

The cobra could not conceal his displeasure. 

" Gangadatta my friend, I cannot endorse your views. How can I go back to my old hole? It would have been already occupied by now by someone else during my fairly long absence. So I suggest that you just identify your close relatives one by one so that I can have my food at regular intervals. If you are not agreeable to this proposition, I shall be left with no choice other than eating all of you in a single bunch, and proceed further as I may deem appropriate" ( Please listen to ring of the voice of the bureaucratic boss for the first time)

Poor Ganagdatta thought, " It was foolish on my part to invite the nuisance of a snake to punish my relatives. But he is very powerful.. If I try to defy him, he will eat all of us together with immediate effect. So it is better to offer him for food my dear relatives one by one, like paying installments to a taxman. This way I may be able to save at least my closest kin.. I do hope the snake will not try to eat me or my wife and children as he is a close friend of mine. If the destruction of everything is in sight and there is no way to defend all, it is better to offer some sops and try to get away with least damage."

Accordingly, he identified his brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces and in-laws (that is nice anyway) one by one for the breakfast, lunch and dinner of the long lean friend. And the snake would eat the relative offered for dinner with a flourish and then as if taking some bonus, would eat away a few other relatives in the sly. There is no wonder about this. Only a person wearing clean clothes has to worry about the cleanliness of the table and chair he occupies. For a fellow mired in muck everything around is according to law and everything is law. A man with no character is the most care-free person in this world. He need not worry about anything. How can one make a chimney covere with oily soot dirtier in any way? 

And finally, after gobbling up all the relatives of Gangadatta the king of frogs, the snake made a breakfast of young Yamunadatta, the darling son of the Royal frog. When the senior frog learnt about this, he started beating his head and crying. He could not control his tears. 

Before long, the snake ate up the queen frog as well as the other frog princes also. All that was left was the old man Gangadatta. Quite unlike humans and especially bureaucrats some trace of sense of propriety and fair-play was left in the snake. Even he could not think of eating his own long-time friend, the elderly frog Ganagadatta. However, he sent a note of warning to the frog. " I am now really hungry and no food is left. You may do the needful, or may face the consequences.”

Now some good sense dawned upon the frog. He replied with a lot of diplomacy. " Sir, it is quite unthinkable that you should starve when I am alive. I will explore and find some ways and means. I think the proper action to be taken by me in this case is that I should visit some other well, and talk to the frog occupants there and persuade them to visit this well and then you can finish the story by affixing proper dots and dashes in the script wherever necessary. " 

Saying this, the frog alighted the wick basket when it came down the next time. He never looked back. 

It was a period of very hungry wait for the snake. Days converted themselves into months but nothing was to be heard from the frog. The anxiety coupled with hunger made the snake desperate. But the snake was now weak and he did not have any means of getting out of the well. So he approached the lady iguana (udumbu) which was residing in the same well in the next apartment hole. He requested her to go out in search of the frog and deliver to him an urgent summons from his dear old friend, requesting the king of frogs to come back immediately with his contingent of fresh frogs. After a lot of persuasion and entreaties from the snake, the lady went out and found the frog somewhere and delivered the message from the snake.

The frog replied, " My fair lady, please pay my best compliments to my dear old friend, Priyadarsana, the snake, and tell him that I am constrained not to pay a visit to him as my life will be in peril. Please tell him that a desperate person like the snake who is in hunger and penury will not hesitate to do anything, and therefore I am not in a position to accept his hospitality in inviting me back to the well."

Saying thus, Gangadatta, the King of frogs bolted.

Yes, even if Individuals may be of trifling value, when they come together with clear-cut plans, nothing is impossible for them.

Yes, even if Individuals may be of trifling value, when they come together with clear-cut plans, nothing is impossible for them.

A story from Panchatantram of Vishnu Sharma.

Atop a jungle tree, a sparrow and his wife built a tiny but beautiful nest and stayed there peacefully.. It was a sturdy rosewood tree. The sparrows, in time begat tiny darling children (in the shape of eggs). It was a family full of love and happiness.

They say happiness is always short-lived.. it is only a precursor to disaster. It came to thid family of innocent birds also. Once a rogue wild elephant in rut came that way and gave vent to all his unreasonable rage by hitting his forehead against the tree which housed our tiny family. He did not stop with that. He broke the branch of the tree where the nest was, and threw it down hard on the floor. The eggs of the sparrow were all shattered and along with that the dreams of the tiny birds. The couple of tiny birds escaped death miraculously.

The female bird could not control her sorrow. She was crying her heart out in utter misery. 

However, quite unlike amongst we humans, there existed words called compassion and empathy among the wild creatures.. Seeing the lady sparrow in tears, her friend the wood-pecker came out to console her.

He started to pacify her. " Madam, there is no use in crying. What was to happen has happened. The wise do not cry over the past misery and in fact this quality distinguishes the wise from the fools. When you shed tears, you are making the almighty to drink them. So please stop crying and let us sit together and decide about the future course of action. 

In time, the Lady sparrow composed herself and said. " I agree with what you told, my dear friend. You are my special friend, no doubt about it. The rogue elephant has killed my children for no reason other than his arrogance. This elephant should also be killed. Then alone the grief of this mother over my lost darling children will abate. You, my friend, should plan something to wreak vengeance.. I am too much grieved to think and plan properly. The real person of character is one who retaliates in suitable manner the insult heaped on him when his times were bad, and return the sarcasm in equal measure at the first opportunity. "

The woodpecker said. " A true friend will be with you even at the time of danger. When your times are bright all the world would be friendly towards you. What a person requires for good life are, a friend who will be there to support him even in great danger, a servant who is conscious of the welfare of the employer and is faithful and obedient, a wife who is always devoted and a son who will make the father proud with his praiseworthy activities. Now I will show my ingenuity and help you in executing your action paln. I have a friend, a honey-bee whose name is Veenaarava. I will call her here. We can plan together." 

The friendly honeybee rushed to them when called. The woodpecker presented the case. 

" Young lady, our friend, madam sparrow here is in utter distress . Her darling eggs were shattered by a rogue elephant. We expect your help us in teaching that mammoth a lesson." 

The honeybee replied. " My dear friend, why should you present the facts in so many details? I am your friend and a friend of my friend is also my dear friend. Is it not our duty to help such friends? I have a nice friend, a frog called Meghanaadha. We will take his considered opinion also while chalking out our plan of action. Is it not better to have the counsel of righteous, intelligent persons of impeccable character when we are embarking on a difficult mission? "

Accordingly they made a visit to the wise frog. 

The frog said." In normal times, the elephant may be very strong and capable and would be possessing authority. But when he has incurred the wrath of a large mass of people, he becomes insignificant against them. You do as I say. You honeybee of very sweet voice, you sing your enchanting song emulating the lute and fly around the ear of the elephant. He will remain still enchanted by that music. Let my friend woodpecker make effective use of the opportunity and hit his hammer-like beak on the eyes of the elephant. I will gather my fellow frogs, sit near a mire and start our usual symphony. Hearing our songs, the blind elephant will mistake the mire to be a pond for drinking water . He will enter the mire and perish for ever."

And true to their words, the plan was executed to perfection, and the elephant lay dead engulfed with dirt in a mire.

Yes, even if Individuals may be of trifling value, when they come together with clear-cut plans, nothing is impossible for them.