sree Krishna Temple, South Perinkulam, Palakkad district, Kerala

A web site has been created on this ancient temple NEAR ALATHUR in Kerala State's Palakkad district.
The link is http://sites.google.com/site/perinkulamsrikrishna/
At the time of creation of the web site, the main focus was on the performance of a Kumbhaabhishekam. The kumbhaabhishekam was performed on 24th june 2010.
Selected Photos of this event have been loaded on to the web site.

A write up on the annual Bhrahmothsavam of the temple for over ten days, in the month of Kumbham (February 15th to March 15th) has been added. Some of the photos of the events taken during the previous years, are given in the GALLERY in the web site. Sequence and descriptions of the photos are given below:

Festivals and Events - The car Festival

The most important festival celebrated at the temple is the Brahmothsavam. The period of one month from 15th February to 15th March corresponds to the month of Maasi in Tamil calendar It is also known as Kumbha Maasam in Malayalam and Sanskrit. All the four temples of Perinkulam village celebrate their annual Brahmothsavam during this period.. Right from olden days, Siva temple and Krishna temple have been celebrating Brahmothsavam together. Since Lakshmidevi is the consort of Sri Varadaraaja (Vishnu) and will step out of the temple only in His company, those two temples have to be together in all celebrations. Human nature being what it is with ego and possessiveness dominating over reason and cameradarie, there were occasional conflicts among the villagers in the past. About 80 to 90 years back, at a marriage where the bridegroom was from the South village and the bride from the West village, a dispute arose on some issue. It escalated and soon became a dispute between the two villages. A decision was taken that West village would have nothing to do with South Village and since the latter was managing both Sree Krishna temple and Siva temple, West village and Kariot village (having the Lakshmi devi temple) would celebrate their Brahmothsavam during Navaraathri. Their festival would start with the sukla pratthhama in Kanni month corresponding to the period 15th September to 15th October each year and culminate with the Ratthha yaathra (procession in decorated chariots) on vijayadasami day, 10th day of the waxing moon.
This was the practice during my childhood. Late Sri P.N.Ananthanarayana Ayyar, Advocate, one of our villagers, who had a photographic memory and a penchant for history, used to refer to the break, in a humourous way. It seems there were eight families including mine, where the bridegrooms were from the South village and the brides from the West village. He used to refer to these bridegrooms as Ettu Veettu Pillamaar, though the split occurred only during one of the marriages. It is stated that in the history of Travancore, eight families known as Ettu Veettu Pillamaar, dominated the political scenario and made it well neigh impossible for the King to function. The King ultimately surrendered his Crown to Sree Padmanaabhaswaami, the ruling deity of the place, and decided that he would rule over the land as the servant of the Lord, assuming the title Padmanaabhadaasa..
Leaving the humourous aspect aside, this arrangement had its own plus and minus points For us, youngsters, it was fun to have two car festivals in the same year. In the prosperous years we used to have four elephants for the procession on the ninth day although there were only two idols to be carried. We could have a joy ride on the elephants. Sumptuous prasaadams distributed at the temples, were also an attraction to us. But to the ladies, Navaaraatahri had a special significance of its own with the festival of dolls, good dresses and moving about from house to house for Manjal Kumkumam.. Clubbing it with the car festival, meant foregoing the pleasures of one of the festivals Rain was a nuisance as the month of kanni is usually the tail end of the south-west monsoon. Often rain played spoilsport and the decoration on the chariots was soaked and the procession itself made laborious due to drizzle and slush. With the deprivation of lands, dwindling of incomes of the temples and escalation of costs, the burden on the temples became heavy. Some of the youngsters of the villages pioneered a movement for reverting to the earlier system of all the four temples jointly celebrating the car festival during the month of Kumbham.
Only those who have experience in tackling local sentiments and convincing rural public to adopt a course of action can appreciate the magnitude of their task. Around late fifties or early sixties of the last century, they succeeded and re-integrated the four villages for this purpose. This resulted in economy and better use of resources, more aesthetic presentation and a happier atmosphere for the devout public who attended and participated in the festival. Of necessity, this calls for closer rapport and co-ordinated approach which implies a strict adherence to the give and take principle. By the Grace of the Almighty, this is forthcoming in abundant measure.
Certain changes also came to be made in the pattern and schedule of the festival. The chariot procession, which used to be completed in one day, is now extended to two days. Hence the total duration of the festival is extended by one day. Processions common to all the temples like the procession on elephants on ninth day and the Pallakku procession on 11th day, commence from the Siva temple, which is common to all the three villages.
Though daily routine is attended to by the permanent archaka of each temple, an Aazhwaar specially trained in Vaikhsanasa Aagama Sampradaaya takes over the worship during the brahmothsavam in the Sree Krishna temple, Sree Varadarajaswami temple and Sree Lakshmidevi temple. At the Siva temple, a Gurukkal well versed in Saiva sampradaayam does the worship during the period. At the Siva temple, the festival starts two days after the commencement at the other three temples and is observed only for 10 days.
Our main focus is the celebration at the Sree Krishna Temple, but as it is a common event at all the temples, the practices at other temples are also touched upon where relevant.
There is a room in the inner quadrangle of the temple called the Yaagasaalai, where the Aazhwaar does special poojas and homams (offerings through fire) during the festival. On the first day, the Aazhwar starts the rituals by doing punyaaham, (purificatory ritual), Vishwaksena Pooja, Rakshaabandhanam, Kalasastthhapanam, Anguraarpanam, Vaasthu Homam etc. Nine kalsams filled with water and representing the Lord and other devathas, are kept and worshipped both in the morning and evening. Homams are also performed likewise. At night, an effigy of a human being made of straw is lighted from the Vaasthu homam fire and the burning effigy is taken round the village to the chanting of Manthras and sprinkling of holy water. This is known as Vaasthu bali. The intention is to purify and rid the village, of evil forces and ensure the smooth conduct of the processions of the deity during the festival days.
On the second day, the Dhwajaarohanam (hoisting of flag) is done. The temple has a tall flag mast on the outer peripheri. A bamboo frame of about two square feet is covered with white cloth and a picture of Garuda , a large bird resembling an eagle but with a deep brownish body and white patch at the neck, which is believed to be the vehicle of Lord Vishnu and his incarnations, is drawn on it. This constitutes the flag of Lord Krishna. The flag hoisting is done to involve all the divine forces, the Dikpaalakas etc in the festival and also to keep the evil forces under check during the festival. The parivaaradevathas ( the demigods in and around the peripheri) are propitiated twice everyday during the festival by offer of “bali”.
Abhshekams are performed and the deity is decorated in different attires every day. Varieties of naivedyam (food for the deities) are offered. The temple mantapam is also decorated with “Neramaalai and neravilakku””(rows of flower garlands and lamps). Each day’s rituals are referred to in common parlance as “Vilakku” and one or more devotees offer to bear the expenses.
Besides the Moola Vigraham ( main idol sculptured out of granite and installed inside the sanctum), a smaller portable one made out of bronze (or panchadhaathu, which is an alloy of five metals) and known as the Uthsava moorthy, as well as a replica of Sudarsana Chakram ( discuss, the chief weapon of Lord Vishnu), are also kept inside the sanctum. The Uthsava moorthy is the one taken out in procession around the villages on various occasions. The chakram is taken out for daily bali on the outer peripheri as the representative of the Lord. Both these, suitably decorated, are kept on a swing in the mantapam during the festival.
On the fifth day of the festival the deity is mounted on a Garuda Vaahanam (carved out of wood and decorated) and taken in procession around the village. On Ekaadasi day (11th day of the waxing moon), which is specially auspicious for worship of Lord Vishnu and his Avathaaras, the deity is taken round the village in a small chariot. This chariot is known as Thoppa Theru (probably a corruption of the Tamil expression Theppa Theru). It is stated that at one time, there was a theppam (float) festival
There is a huge tank at the northern end of the village. It seems that the deity was taken on a float on this tank once a year. Lotuses were also cultivated in the tank. Anyway, these are old stories of customs prevalent more than a century ago. Now the small chariot
is used on Ekaadasi day during the Brahmothsavam. for the procession of the deity. These processions are confined to the South village. Incidentally, the South village has two rows of houses facing each other known as the Eratta vari (double row) and behind the row on the eastern side there is another row which is known as the Otra vari (single row), which extends beyond the two rows. A row of houses formed at right angles to the Otrai vari brings one back to the double row and passes beyond the temple’s southern compound wall.. This used to be known as the Thalakaani Tharai ( a row formed like a pillow for the double row). The Sree Krishna temple, being located at one end of the cluster of villages, has several advantages, which the other three temples do not have. It has a full compound of its own and people can circumambulate on the outer peripheri without hindrance. The other three temples are on the public roads and hence they have a limited frontage and one side is actually on the roadside.
Ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth days are eventful. On the ninth day, deities of all the temples are taken out in procession on caprisoned elephants. The elephants arrive by morning. Now-a-days, they are transported by trucks as per orders of the Kerala Government. By noon, the drummers and pipers of the percussion ensemble which is a speciality of Kerala tradition, also arrive. Side by side, the artistic decoration of the chariots for the procession on the tenth and eleventh days, also commences. Well before the commencement of the festival, the chariots are taken out of their sheds and repairs to woodwork, metal sleeves on the wheels, etc. are attended to and a touch of warnish or oil is also applied to them to make them shining. At this stage it is only the base of the chariot plus wheels. Thereafter a temporary structure or frame is fitted with pre-designed pieces of wood, to make it five tiered. The first tier is about eight feet in height and the rest are smaller. The first tier is covered in front and rear by what is known as Padal, made of pieces of wood covered with gilt paper and glass pieces, which glitter brightly in sunlight and artificial light. At the center of the Padal, there are openings to allow onlookers to have a view of the deity, which will be placed on a pedestal at the center of the deck of the chariot. Bamboo rings are fixed to the higher tiers and bunches of artificial flowers made of bark of a species of trees and dyed in white which pieces of mica at the ends, are hung on these rings. Dummies of horses with riders, bunches of ripe bananas, coconuts and arecanuts are hung from frames on the base chariot while those of five hooded snakes etc are fixed to the bamboo rings on the higher tiers. On top of all these, a five tiered dome made of brass and well polished, is kept. Pictures can be seen in the Gallery of this webpage.
To come back to the ninth day, in the evening, one of the Padals to be kept on the chariot, is placed in the temple front porch with the Uthsavamoorthy, fully decorated, inside the opening in the Padal, as it will look in the chariot.
After the Sandhya Deepaaraadhana, a troupe of drummers (usually a maddalam, a chendai, a beek (which gives a bass note) and a person with a pair of symbols known as Elatthaalams, gives a short performance at the temple porch. This is known as “Kelikkottu”
For those who are not very familiar with Kerala traditions, a word about the percussion instruments, which are a speciality of the land. Rhythm is in-built in everything in this universe and it appeals to all, if properly handled. The most popular instruments used in Kerala festivals can be grouped into two large patterns. One is called the Panchavaadyam. It is an ensemble of five instruments, namely, Maddalam, Thimila, Edakka, Thaalam and Kombu. At the commencement of the session, but rarely thereafter, a conch shell is used to blow a loud and resonant note. The first three are skin instruments, with wooden shells covered by skin at both ends which are held by straps. Maddalam is fixed to the player’s waist with the aid of a waist band. On one side of the instrument, there is a black patch more or less like that on the right side of the mridangam.The other side is covered by skin and is very hard. So the players wear caps made of white cloth on their fingers. The caps are made of layers of cloth fixed with gum and dried, so that they become hard. Thimilai is about two feet long and is made of hollowed -out wood, with a constriction in the middle. The two ends which are about six inches each in diameter, are covered with skin and are held together by strings. While playing, it is suspended from the left shoulder of the player, by a piece of soft cloth. The player uses both his hands while playing, but with chopping motions of the palms. Fingers are not spread out. Edakkai is a smaller instrument, about 12 to15 inches in length, made of hollowed -out wood , wide at both ends and a constriction in the middle. The ends are covered with discs made of skin. The discs are much bigger in circumference than the wooden shell, with the result that the shell can be moved up and down while playing and different sounds can be produced. While playing, the instrument is suspended from the left shoulder of the player with a piece of cloth. He holds the wooden shell with his left hand and plays on the instrument with a round stick in his right hand. The stick is about 12 inches long, has a diameter of about an inch at the base and tapers with a slight bend at the end. Whenever an instrument is played with a stick in Kerala tradition, wrist movements are very important. Edakkai has the advantage of being a percussion instrument and at the same time, as the octaves can be effectively produced in this instrument, even songs can be played, if the player has the required expertise.
Kombu is a wind instrument and comprises three pieces of pipe which when joined together, form a semi -circle. The mouth piece is small while the end of the pipe is wider. At the appropriate stage in the performance of the other instruments, when the tempo increases, this is blown to accentuate the rhythm.
At the commencement of the procession, the conch is blown three times. The Thimilai, Maddalam, Edakkai and Thaalams start playing in unison with such accuracy of timing that one would wonder how such co-ordination is possible. After a few strokes, the pattern changes to two of the individual units (like Thimilai and thimilai, or thimilai and maddalam, or thimilai and edakkai or maddalam and edakkai) getting into a dialogue pattern. Often they swing into different nadais like Thisram, khandam etc. After a few exchanges, all the instruments play together and the tempo is also quickened to a crescendo. Again they go back to the earlier pattern. “”Korvais””or “”Mohras”” and “”Mutthaippu”” which are important in the laya vinyaasam in Carnatic music are practically absent in this pattern. For those who have a grounding in rhythm, panchavaadyam and chenda melam described below, will be a treat to the ears. .
The other pattern of percussion ensemble peculiar to Kerala, is the CHENDA MELAM. This consists of Chendai, Thaalam, Kuzhal and Kombu. Chendai is a cylindrical instrument, about two feet long made of hollow wooden shell with a circumference of about 12 inches at both ends which are covered with skin and joined by straps. One side gives the upper octave and the other gives the lower octave. It is played with round sticks about 12 inches long and slightly tapering and curved at the top. While playing, the instrument is suspended vertically on the left shoulder of the player with a cloth tied to the top and bottom of the instrument. The top portion will normally be the one with the higher pitch. Usually, there will be a supporting set of chendais, where the bass sound alone is produced by single strokes indicating the rhythm or thaalam. In colloquial terms, these are referred to as “”beek”. In an ensemble, if there are about eight or nine chendais, there will be three of these beeks, stationed behind the row of chendais. Behind them will be the thaalams or symbols who mark the rhythm pattern. Facing the chendai, there will be a few pipers playing on short pipes made of wood with brass mouth at one end. The other end, which is the mouth piece while playing, is narrower. A particular weed is fixed at the mouth piece while playing.. The Kombus will be behind these pipers. In chendai melam during processions, all the chendai artistes follow the same pattern and play in unison. There are different patterns called Paandi Melam, Panjaari Melam etc. Chendai also offers tremendous scope for solo performance which goes by the name of “”Thaayambaka”” Intricate rythmic patterns are woven in such solo performances and the sessions last for a few hours some times. Besides all these, chendai is also a percussion accompaniment in some of the visual arts like Katthakali which are special to Kerala and the Yaksha Gaanam of South Karnataka. Maddalam, Edakkai and Thaalam are also part of the percussion troupe in Katthakali,etc
Each of the temples hires an elephant for the procession on the ninth night, and, except for the Siva temple (where the chariot is quite small), for pushing the chariot on the 10th and 11th days.
A brief description of the way elephants are decorated and employed in the procession will not be out of place here. The articles for decoration plus the equipments to be used on each elephant during the procession are collectively called “”Aanakkoppu”. Elephants are bathed before the procession. A piece of cloth embroidered with gold plated bubbles and coloured border is tied on the front to cover the elephant’’s head and trunk up to half of the trunk. Its back is covered with a piece of cloth to enable people to sit comfortably.
Four people sit on each elephant. The first one holds the Uthsavamoorthy (the portable idol of the respective temple, decked in colourful attire and ornaments). The person behind holds a decorative umbrella, the next one behind holds a pair of ven-chaamaram (a bunch of fluffy hair-like strands which are waved by devotees positioned near the idol as a fan) and the last one seated near the rear of the elephant holds a pair of Aalavattams (circular discs in colourful designs with peacock feather on the peripheri of the discs). When the Kombu is blown corresponding to the percussion reaching crescendo each time, the persons holding the Aalavattam and Venchaamaram stand up. The Aalavattam is held , one on each hand by the person, while the person holding the chaamaram waves it skillfully in front and back of the Aalavattam. Of course this is done only when the elephants are stationary at pre-designated points during the procession.
The elephants, with the idols of the respective temples, assemble at the Siva temple around 10 pm. The Conch is blown thrice and then in unison the panchavaadyam ensemble starts its performance. They spend almost half an hour at that spot. Then the procession moves south towards the South village and slowly passes the single street of the village, then stop in front of the Sree Krishna temple. The performance or Melam as it is called in local parlance here is for about 15 minutes. The temple priest does deepaaraadhana and the procession moves on stopping at specified places for short interludes so that the artistes can play standing at one place for a few minutes and the Aalavattam and Venchaamaram can be used effectively. The procession passes the Siva temple and moves on to the other two villages and reaches the northernmost end of Kariot village. There is a short break for rearrangement for return journey.. The panchavaadyam troupe gives place to the chendai ensemble.
En route, some of the householders offer neivedyam to the deities and these as well as drinking water are supplied to the performers and the public. At each of the temples, deepaaraadhana is performed.
The procession returns to the starting point around 4 a.m. the next day. The idols are taken back to the to the respective temples.
Almost within an hour, preparation for the next day’s rituals start.

The Tenth and eleventh days: chariot procession.
At all the four temples there are Ganapathy homams around 5 or 5.30 a.m. on all the days of the festival.
On the tenth day, there will be special abhishekam at all the temples. At the Siva temple, it will be Rudraabhishekam. At the other temples, it will be what is known as Kalabhaabhishekam.
At the Sree Krishna temple, there will be kalabhaabhishekam. Nine Kalasams, filled with water are kept at the temple Mantapam. The Central one is for Lord Krishna and the others for other devathas .
Around 8 a.m. each temple sends people on its elephant, with brass or copper pots for fetching water for the Tirumanjanam (abhishekam). In local dialect, this is called Thirumoonjalam. In olden days, water was fetched from Gaayathri river at Thrippavallur, about a kilometer away. Now this trip has become a symbolic ritual. The procession goes a short distance and comes back. with water, but not from the river, which dries up and gets covered with weeds during summer.
The sankalpam for the abhishekam is done at about 8 – 8.15 a.m. Preliminary rituals like kalasastthaapanam, worship of the devathas and japam for sanctifying the water in the kalasams are done. Then, the alankaaram and attire of the main deity (Moola Vigraham) and Uthsavamoorthy are removed. One by one, abhishekam with different liquids like, Gingelly oil, panchagavyam, panchaamritham, milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugarcane juice, lemon juice, tender coconut water and sandal water, is done to the accompaniment of repeated chanting of Purushasooktham. After these, abhishekam is performed with the water in the sacred kalasams. The central kalasam is taken out last. Then the entrance to the sanctum is covered with a screen and the deity is decorated with sandal paste, flowers, garlands and jewels and all the lamps inside the sanctum are lit.
During the alamkaaram (decoration) of the idol, vedic scholars on the temple mantapam chant the first three Prasnams of Thaitthiriya Upanishad. The screen is taken off and deepaaraadhana is performed. The idol is, by itself fairly tall and beautiful. With all the decorations, it is a breath-taking and sublime sight to behold.
During the abhishekam, the uthsavamoorthy and Chakram are kept near the main idol. Afterwards, they are kept on a swing in the mantapam.
Then the upachaaras like Dhoopam, Deepam and Neivedyam are done.. The neivedyam is about 100 litres of paayasam in a large vessel made of an alloy of brass and lead known as oattucharakku. This alloy has the quality of preserving material kept in it for hours without spoiling. The ingredients of the paayasam are rice, jaggery, coconut milk and powder of dried ginger. Neivedyam is simultaneously offered at the shrine of Ganapathy also. After this the mahaadeepaaraadhana is performed. Then the uthsavamoorthy is taken out for the Ratthaarohanam ( getting into the chariot).
Preparatory to the Ratthaarohanam, the chariot is sanctified by appropriate pooja and punyaaham. After circumambulating the inner peripheri, the Uthsavamoorthy is placed on an elephant at the entrance to the temple. This time, the elephant’s head and trunk, up to the tusks, are covered with a thick gunny (jute) cloth to provide a cushion, as it has to push the chariot with its head. The deity, thus placed on the elephant, takes three rounds of the beautifully decorated chariot and then it is lifted on to the pedestal kept on the deck of the chariot and fixed firmly with nuts and bolts. Karpoora aarathi is performed .All this time, from the commencement of the abhishekam, the music is provided by naadaswaram artistes. Of course, fire works and devotees hailing the Lord, people throwing plantain fruits to the crowd are all part of the jubilation accompanying the Deity being placed on the chariot.
Now chendai takes over. The chariot is provided with Vatam ( long ropes) for devotees to pull. Elephant supports them by pushing the chariot from behind. The movement of the chariot is regulated and turnings managed by experts by manipulating the front wheels with conically shaped wooden blocks with handles. These are called “chennai”.
The chariot is moved a few yards as a token of the commencement of the Ratthha Yaathra and then the devotees adjourn to the temple to take their prasaadam and partake of the food at the mantapam at the rear side of the temple.
The chariot procession is resumed around 5 pm.

A little digression is called for at this stage.
Since the Brahmothsavam of all the four temples in Perinkulam is conducted simultaneously, at every stage co-ordination is called for. We saw that the ninth day procession on caprisoned elephants starts from Siva temple. Lord Siva (Visweswara) and his consort, Devi Visaalaakshi, give the lead for the chariot procession also. The morning rituals at the Siva temple on the tenth day are quite simple and are generally over by about 10 a.m. ( The elaborate abhishekam at the temple during the festival, which is called Poornaabhishekam, is normally done on the eighth day afternoon, coinciding with Pradosham.) The uthsavamoorthies of Lord Visweswara and Devi Visaalaakshi fixed in a single frame, are installed in the chariot around 10 a.m. and the chariot is taken round to the Sree Krishna temple. It is parked just a few meters down the street till the procession is resumed in the evening.
Like the Sree krishnaswamy’s Ratthhaarohanam, (entry into the chariot), the uthsavamoorthies of Lord Varadaraja (with Sreedevi and Bhoodevi in the same frame) and Lakshmidevi, are installed after kalahbaabhishekam, in their respective chariots at the two temples. Certain conventions evolved on the belief that Lakshmidevi is the consort of Lord Varadaraja, are followed whenever the idol of Devi is taken out on processions. For the ninth day procession, the idol of Lord Varadaraja is brought to the Lakshmidevi temple first and then the Devi’s idol is taken out of the temple and placed on the elephant. In the same way, for chariot procession also, the Lord escorts Devi from her sanctum to her chariot and goes back to His temple to mount His own chariot. At these two temples also, the idols are mounted on the chariots on the tenth day following this convention and then the chariots are moved a few meters to mark the start of the procession symbolically.
Around 5 pm, when the fury of the sun is subdued, the chariot procession is resumed to the accompaniment of chendai groups preceding each of the chariots. All the chariots move towards the end of Kariot village which is the North-eastern end of the cluster of villages called Perinkulam. With tar roads, steel rims to the wheels of the chariots and help of elephants for the three chariots (other than that of Siva temple), the journey takes only about two to two and a half hours. En route, there are some tricky bends to negotiate. The persons handling the chennais, those pulling with the vatam and the mahouts of the elephants managing the elephants, act in close co-operation with one another. The idols are then unfastened and re-fixed to face the reverse direction for the return journey next day. The chariots, with the idols inside, are parked there till next evening when the return journey starts.

Whenever possible during the festival, some religious or cultural programme is arranged during the day-time or in the evenings, at the temples.

Around 4 p.m on the next afternoon i.e. 11th day, representatives of the West village and Kariot village arrive at the Sree Krishna Temple. The visit is a formal one and the elephants and the chendai ensemble of the two villages accompany the representatives. Even as they leave their villages, a single shot of kadanai ( a cracker which makes a huge noise) is fired. Representatives of our village formally receive the representatives of the other two villages, offering them the Kalabhaam (sandal paste) applied on the deity the previous day, plantains, betel leaves and betel nuts and sugar candy etc. By this time, the elephant hired by our temple and our chendai troupe are ready. All the elephants, are lined up before our temple and the chendai troupes give a joined performance for about 15 minutes. Then the representatives of the other two temples depart. As soon as they reach their villages, again a Kadanai shot is fired. Our village people and the elephant and chendai troupe move to the Kariot Village, where the chariots are parked, to commence the return journey. The chariot of Sree Krishna will be leading on the return journey. It takes about two hours for the chariots to reach the tank (known as Perumkolam) in front of the Siva temple. The tank bund road forms an arc at this point, its beginning at the Eastern end of the West village and its end at the beginning of the South village. All the four chariots are stationed for some time on this arc, the Sree Krishna temple chariot at the beginning of the South Village, followed by the chariot of Siva temple, that of Varadarajaswami temple in the middle and the chariot of Lakshmidevi at the tail end of the procession, close to the end of the West village. It is a grand sight in the bright moonlight, following the full moon the previous day. This divine sight, with the reflection cast by the chariots on the shimmering waters of the tank and the large crowd of devotees gathered to witness it, will move any devotee to tears.

After a halt for about fifteen to twenty minutes, the idol of Lord Siva is taken out of the chariot and placed inside the temple. The chariot of Siva starts the procession and it is therefore the first one to complete the round and enter the shrine back. Fireworks and jubilant cries of devotees saying “”Hara hara Mahaadeva”” marks the return of the idol to the shrine.
The other three chariots proceed to the Sree Krishna temple. The chariot of Sree Krishna is taken closest to the temple and the idol is taken out and ceremoniously mounted on to the elephant’s back. Then the elephant circumambulates the chariot three times and is brought to the temple portico, to the accompaniment of naadaswaaram. One of the villagers takes over the idol after Aaratthi and Thaalapoli by ladies. Fireworks boom in the background. After a round of the outer peripheri (praakaaram), the Lord enters the shrine. Again after a round of the sanctum sancrotum, the idol is placed on the swing in the temple mantapam. A short archana, neivedyam and aarathi are performed.
The chariots of Lakshmi Devi and Varadarajaswami which remain stationery near the Sree Krishna temple till the Krishna idol enters the temple, now proceed to their respective temples. The rituals connected with the return of the other two idols to their respective temples are more or less similar to what is described above.
One difference is that Lord Varadaraja will escort Devi Lakshmi to her temple, and then enter his own. .
After dinner, there is usually some cultural programme at one or other of the temples.
The Pallakku Yaathra on the 11th night
Mahaadeepaaraadhana at all the temples is generally over by about 10 p,m. on this day.
After a break of about half an hour, the idol of Lord Krishna is mounted on a beautifully decorated palanquin, drawn by bullocks and proceeds to the Siva temple, to the accompaniment of naadaswaram. There the idol of Lord Siva is also placed on the palanquin side by side with the idol of Lord Krishna.
The idols of Devi Lakshmi and Varadarajaswami, similalrly mounted on another palanquin arrive at the Siva temple almost simultaneously.
The two palanquins slowly proceed side by side in a grand procession to the accompaniment of naadaswaram. First they cover the South village where the Sree Krishna temple stands and .then proceed to the other two villages. After reaching the end of the Kariot village, they return to Siva temple around 4 a.m. Then the Siva idol is dismounted and taken inside the temple. The other three idols are taken to the respective temples.
Though at each of the temples, there is a small shrine of Lord Ganapathy (at the Siva temple, Lord subrahmanya as well), these are behind the sanctum sanctorum in the inner quadrangle. Siva temple also has nandikeswara in the mantapam facing the Lingam. These are worshipped daily, but the focus for the festivals is generally on the main deity. Lord Ganapathy, Lord Subrahmanya and Nandikeswara are not taken out of the temples.
The Twelfth day.

The celebrations on the twelfth day mark the culmination of the festival and expression of joy, with a little bit of fun and frolic. As a general practice in our tradition, there is a mangala snaanam (Avabhritha snaanam) after auspicious functions. In the context of our car festival, this is called Manjaneer Aaraattu. Around 10 a.m., the uthsava moorthies of all the four temples, each covered only in a small towel, are taken round the villages. At every house, ladies bring water mixed with turmeric, and pour it over the idols and on the people in the procession. The procession proceeds to the Sooryappan tank, at a distance of about half a kilometer. There the idols and all the people in the procession have a dip. After this, the idols are decorated and taken to the shade of a banyan tree on the tank bund. A small shrine has been built for Naagadevatha at this spot and pooja is being performed on days corresponding to Aayilyam star. A short worship is offered to all the four deities and then the procession returns to the respective temples where the idols are re-installed in their positions.
In the evening the flag hoisted on the 2nd day of the festival, is brought down with ceremonial rituals. Then the Aazhwaar performs the concluding rituals which include a homam, abhishekam to the main deity and uthsava moorthy with water in several pots kept in yaagasaala and sanctified by manathras, alankaaram, deepaaraadhana and Aaseervaadam.

The rituals conclude with a Kshamaayaachanam, where the Aazhwaar, on behalf of the villagers, beseeches the Deity to condone the mistakes of omission and commission in the observance of austerities and worship at the temple and especially during the performance of the Brahmothsavam and prays for the peace, prosperity and happiness of the villagers and all those who contribute to the functioning of the temple and successful conduct of the festivals.
What now remains is only dismantling the superstructure on the chariot and pushing the chariot back into its shed, cleaning the utensils, settling the accounts, etc. which are done over the next few days.
In the olden days, there used to be a Graamakkoottam (meeting of the villagers), before the car festival, to discuss and decide upon various matters like repairs, scale of celebration, budget, and even the cultural programmes during the festival. There would also be a meeting on the twelfth day to review the conduct of the festival, auction the materials used for the superstructure of the chariot and so on. The amounts realized would be credited to the temple fund. Only elders were allowed to participate in the discussions. “Storm –in- the- tea-cup” type of heated exchanges were common. If anyone infringed the code of discipline and showed disrespect to the Deity, the “house” or elders, he would .be asked to prostrate before the assembly and apologise. It was real fun for us, youngsters, to watch the proceedings from a distance. Now there are hardly four or five of the old families in the village. So no such meetings are conducted. Employment opportunities and earning potential outside the village, are plentiful. Persons available for actual work at or in connection with the temple activities are few. By and large, enough funds come in by way of donations. But, most of the people who donate are too busy and are quite far away. They are happy so long as the activities are carried on well. Those who can spare the time, do manage to attend the festival at least on the most important days. By God’s Grace, the functions and festivals are conducted quite well, in spite of these constraints..

Selected pictures of the festival can be viewed in the GALLERY. Sequencing of photos is given below:

Some are likely to feel that the write-up is elaborate and even minor aspects are covered and there are descriptions and digressions at several points. In our experience, many claiming their origin to Perinkulam have not seen the village and for that matter, do not know the practices prevalent in our community temples in Kerala. A background of the temple and rituals will be helpful for them to appreciate the strong faith of the villagers and devotees in our Lord and their sentiments and eagerness to preserve and foster the traditions handed down to us by our elders. I crave pardon from those who feel that I have tested their patience.

May the Lords grant good health, peace and happiness to all!!!



SEQUENCING OF PHOTOS:


9TH DAY OF FESTIVAL

1 The elephant in readiness for the procession at night.
2 The padal (decoration for chariot) and Aanaikoppu or Chamayam (decoration for the elephant, aalavattam and venchaamaram) in the temple portico.
3 Uthsavamoorthy with decoration, on the temple mantapam
4 Lord being taken out to mount the elephant
5 Panachavaadyam in front of Siva temple, the starting point of the procession on elephants at night
6 Procession on elephants
7 ----do----in front of Sree Varadarajaswamy temple
8 ----do—Aalavattam and venchaamaram in action
9 The chandai melam

10TH AND 11TH DAYS ( Procession in chariots)

10TH DAY MORNING

1 Temple portico showing the paintings on the walls
2 Sankalpam for the kalabhaabhishekam
3 Lord Krishna (Moolavar), Uthsavamoorthy and Sudarsana Chakram inside the sanctuam preparatory to abhishekam
4 Thirumanjana kalasams proceeding to fetch water
5 Temple mantapam with all materials and kalasams before the rituals start
6 Japam before the abhishekam (two photos)
7 Thaithireeya paaraayanam during decoration of the Lord after abhishekam
8 The sanctum door opens after alankaaram – deepa jyothi
9 Lord in full Chandanakkaappu
10 Decorated chariot
11 Uthsavar being taken out for Ratthhaarohanam (mounting the chariot)
12 Lord on elephant, doing pradakshinam (circumambulation) of the chariot before entering it. (Two photos)
13 Karpoora aaratthi after the Lord is placed inside the chariot
14 The chariot procession starts
15 Vedic scholars being served food after the Ratthha yaathra starts

10TH DAY EVENING

1.Elephant ready to push the chariot
(the small Theppattheru used now for Ekaadasi procession and the
Aanappandal, are in the background)
2. Elephant pushing the chariot (5 photos)
3. The Chennaikaaran, with the Chennai, for regulating the speed and steering the
chariot


11TH DAY EVENING

1. CHENDAI MELAM in front of Sree Krishna temple, when representatives of the West village and Kariot village formally visit in the afternoon

2. The procession in the fading light of the afternoon (4 photos)

3. All the chariots on Perumkolam Tank bund in front of Siva temple (2 photos)

4. Siva temple illuminated for the festival

12TH DAY FORENOON

1. The Uthsavamoorthy being taken around for Manjalneer Aaraattu
2. The ceremonial MangalaSnaanam in Sooryappan Kulam

3. Uthsavamoorthies of all temples being worshipped after the ceremonial bath, under the banian tree on the Sooryappan kulam bund

MANGALAANI BHAVANTHU - SARVE JANAAH SUKHINO BHAVANTHU
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Control your desires

Control your desires

This too was an advice given to me by my grandmother through one of her nicely spun stories.
To comprehend this story one must have an idea of the typical set-up of a Tamilian agrahaaram in South India as it existed more than a hundred years ago. Houses were in rows having common walls on either side, except for those at the end of the rows. Life styles differed depending upon economic circumstances, but basic pattern was the same for all. Most of the households had a cow or she buffalo for milk. But those who did not have the facilities and who could not afford to keep such animals had to look to those having them for their milk supply. Coffee or tea was unknown. Match boxes had not been discovered. There is an important dictum that in a Brahmin household, fire should not be allowed to die out. Propitiation of Agni, the fire God offering dried sticks, ghee etc. to the accompaniment of appropriate hymns is a must both in the morning and in the evening. Usually an Oupaasana paanai (earthen pot) is the receptacle for the fire for this purpose. The fire is kept alive overnight by putting cow-dung cakes in the pot. Women folk also keep their kitchen fire alive by putting a dried ball of cow-dung in the oven before closing the kitchen after the cleaning up, once the dinner is over. Of course, these were the practices observed about a century ago. Now-a-days, oupaasanam is done only very rarely and fire for this or for other homams (propition of gods through offerings on the fire) is created lighting a piece of camphor.
If by chance, the fire in any household died out, the people used to take a twig or piece of wood to their neighbour’s residence and get it lighted from their oven and bring it to their own house. Nobody objected to this and no permission was required to enter a house for this purpose.
One day, the fire in a poor brahmin’s house had died out. The householder’s daughter, who noticed this, took a piece of dry wood and went to light it at the oven in the neighbouring house. The neighbours were rich and had, besides vast farm lands, a number of cows and buffaloes in their backyard. There was no one in the kitchen when the girl entered it. When she neared the oven, she found that creamy milk was boiling in a pot on a low fire and the cream was giving out a nice aroma. Being poor, she never had the opportunity to smell such fragrance, not to think of tasting it. Her mouth started watering and she earnestly wished to have a little of the creamy milk. But having been brought up in good tradition and with strong moral values instilled in her through the teachings of her parents, she immediately felt guilty that such a thought should have crossed her mind. Without a moment’s hesitation, she applied the lighted twig on her tongue so that it would never nurse such a desire again. It did give her a stinging pain and she gasped. Then she went with the fire to her house. She never uttered a word to anyone.
It so happened that one of the sons of the neighbour was standing on the verandah of the first floor of the house. He could see the kitchen. He noticed the action of the girl and immediately guessed why she did so. The neighbours were a very noble household and they valued good behaviour and conduct. When the boy told his parents what he saw, they decided that such a girl should be their daughter-in-law. The marriage was performed without delay and all were happy.
My grandmother concluded “so, my boy, never aspire to have what is not rightfully yours and never yearn to have something which is clearly far beyond your station in life. Craving for something which is beyond your means is the basis and breeding ground for unhappiness and unethical thought and conduct. If you are destined to get it, you will find a proper way to earn it. It is not wrong to aspire for higher achievements and a better life. But the goal has to be realistic and one has to work hard and intelligently to achieve it. Patience and perseverance will overcome mountains. Look at the star “ Dhruva”. And once you set a goal and decide to work for it, be prepared to sacrifice small pleasures which may come your way easily, but impede your progress in achieving the main objective.” Life is essentially a series of trade offs.
I have followed her advice all my life and have never regretted it.
I have seen people with unreasonable aspirations grumbling all the time, even though they normally get what they want. I remember one gentleman, who had this habit. His son was weak in mathematics during his school days. Since I was a bachelor and had some free time, he requested me to coach him up and I took it up as a gesture of goodwill. After the boy’s examination, the gentleman came to me and said “he has secured very good marks in mathematics, but what is the use? He is still lagging behind in geography.”” Once he invited me for evening tea. His wife had made very good masala dosai. I really enjoyed the dish. But my friend said “”what is the use? By the time you eat half, the other half becomes cold and loses crispness.””
I have also seen some persons who are just the opposite of this.
They would never take what they considered as more than their due and even that used to be quite low. This happened at Madras. My family priest could not come for officiating at a function. Another senior priest came. I knew that he had a large family. So I offered a remuneration which was in excess of the normal sambhaavana. He took what he considered as reasonable (which was lower than what I used to give to my family priest) and left the rest on the plate. I asked him to take the remainder. He declined saying “” you may be prepared to give more. But I should limit my expectations to what people would normally consider reasonable.”” I also remember all my Gurus who taught me to play mridangam. They were all uniformly generous. There was no time stipulation for my classes and the duration would extend to a couple of hours or even more, though what I paid as fee was nominal. I started giving public performances while studying under my fourth Guru. It is customary to have an Arangetram (first entry as a stage performer) and offer a good remuneration to the teacher/s. After I became proficient enough to give public performances, my Guru took me to an Aaraadhana celebration in memory of Saint Thyagaraja. That was on 6th January 1961. After the main worship, my Guru put some sugar candy and raisins offered as prasaadam, in my mouth and asked me to sit and play for a performance. He said “”this is your arangetram””. After the performance, I said that I should suitably remunerate and honour him. He said your playing well is remuneration enough and the way the audience applauded you is honour showered on me.””. In fact he refused to take any more fees from me although I continued my lessons under him. Again, when I gave my first performance over the All India Radio and received the cheque, I rushed to him and requested him to take the proceeds of this cheque at least. He said”” place it before the pictures of our gods and prostrate. Then take the cheque and put it in your bag. The money is for the persons who played. Should not the Guru be happy with the credit given for producing a good performer?”” Actually, he himself was not in the well-to-do category at that time. He had just enough to lead a very simple life. But he was quite contented.
A third instance comes to my mind. Sri Ramakrishna Mission has brought out many books written by””Anna” Sri Subrahmania Iyer on various religious topics. He was a great person. The incident that I narrate happened when he (in his eighties) was the President of the Ramakrishna Students’ Home and Vivekananda College council. As a disciple, I was fairly close to him. On one occasion a family friend wanted to meet Anna for some purpose. He was very affluent. He took me along with him as he did not know Anna. During the conversation, he mentioned to Anna that he was regularly contributing a sum to the Ramakrishna Mission. But of late, the rise in prices had affected him very much and he had discontinued his donations. Anna smiled and said. “”I have no such problem. The Mutt has given me quarters and they are giving me a pension of Rs.30/ per mensem. I am able to lead my normal life and carry on with my special poojas periodically, for which a good number of people congregate””. His was a very simple life.
That leads us to two verses which are very relevant in this context.
“”Sa Thu Bhavathu Daridro Yasya Thrishnaa Visaala
Manasi cha Parithushte Koartthavaan Ko Daridrah””
A poor man is he whose desires are vast. If the mind is satisfied and happy, who is rich and who is poor?
“”Adhoadhah Pasyathah Kasya Mahima Noapacheeyathe
Uparyuparyupari Psyanthah Sarva Eva Daridratha””
The person who is able to perceive his own better fortune in comparison to those placed in less comfortable position, and derive satisfaction, is always happy. One who always compares himself with those having more wealth and better position in any aspect, will ever remain steeped in poverty and sorrow.
Though abject state of poverty such as, want of food, clothing, shelter or persistent ailments which make a person’s life miserable, cannot be ignored, poverty and misery are very often creations of one’s own mental make- up. They are comparative rather than absolute. Contentment is a mental state. In a way, it can be made a matter of habit and it can be cultivated, if only a person recognizes that complaining is also a matter of habit.
As a phenomenon, this need not be elaborated at this stage. But I have dealt with it elsewhere. When the work is published, I shall give a reference to it in this write-up.
P.G.Krishnamoorthy
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Reply to questions on ""a few general observations on valmeeki raamaayanam

A friend and well-wisher of mine had raised a few points for clarification on the write-up titled ""A few general observations on Vaalmeeki Raamayanam"". Relevant portions from my reply are appended.
"" Many thanks for your letter. I welcome comments and criticism on my little efforts at writing, from well wishers.
I did not touch on Sage Vaalmeeki’s background as it is fairly well known and in an article for a magazine, paucity of space is a consideration for elaboration of topics; even without it, the article came to 6 pages. I find that in the latest issue of Mangayar Malar, someone has questioned our popular belief that he was a robber turned sage, quoting from Utthara Kaandam.
You have expressed resentment at the statement that Rama’s giving asylum to Vibheeshana was also a shrewd diplomatic move in addition to his innate compassion and commitment to offer help and protection to anyone who approaches him even once with an appeal for it. You felt that this would amount to duplicity on Rama’s part. I would refer to a few situations described by Vaalmeeki.
When Rama, Lakshmana and Seetha proceed to the forest on exile, multitudes of citizens follow them intent on accompanying them, disregarding Rama’s pleas and appeals to them to return to Ayodhya. Towards dusk, they reach the banks of the river THAMASA. Rama has to shake them off. So the next morning, the trio get up early. Before proceeding to the river, Rama tells the charioteer Sumanthra to take the empty chariot towards the city for some distance so as to make the people believe that Rama had returned to Ayodhya. Then Sumanthra was to bring back the chariot through another route carefully erasing the hoof marks. The trio then speedily cross the river with the help of Guha. Citizens, who had followed Rama earlier, were therefore dodged using this ruse (Sargam 46 – verses 30 and 31, Ayodhya kaandam).
A second instance is the way Rama banishes Seetha. Seetha is pregnant and Rama’s love for her overflows all boundaries. They drink delicious liquor called Maireyakam and eat good food and spend a lot of time in happy thoughts and deeds. Recalling their happy days in the company of Rishis and their families in the saintly atmosphere of the forest, Seetha expresses a desire to spend at least one night there –sargam 42 - Uttarakaandam. It is at this juncture that the spy Bhadra tells Rama that some of his subjects are not happy at his taking back Seetha, who had been held captive in Raavana’s place.
Despite Seetha emerging unblemished at the Agnipareeksha after Rama’s victory over Raavana and celestial beings endorsing her chastity, Rama decides to banish her. Her desire to go to see the abode or Rishis and stay in that serene atmosphere comes in handy as an excuse and Rama uses it. She is told of her banishment only after she reaches the place. Mahakavi Kaalidaasa’s description of this is more touching.
First impression one gets of this, is that it is an act of cowardice, cruelty and deception. Rama’s position as a king makes it different and significant as a model of raaajadharmam (king’s conduct).
If he had told the people about the Agnipareeksha, many would be sceptical and would not believe it.
If he had continued to live with Seetha, at least a section of the people would dub him as lacking in moral values and moral courage. The result will be that eventually, he would not be able to punish anyone committing a serious crime and his rule would collapse.
If he had abdicated the crown, there would be anarchy as none of his younger brothers would accept the crown. The empire built up by his ancestors (Pithri-paithaamaham raajyam) would be open to exploitation by outsiders.
So he had to abandon Seetha. If he had given publicity to this, those who knew of the Agnipareeksha would oppose it. Hence he had to do it stealthily and conceal his intentions even from Seetha who willingly followed him, through thick and thin, like a shadow.
Kaalidaasa describes the turmoil in Rama’s mind succinctly when he describes it as a “”swing in action”” ( kimaathmaniravaada-katthaamupekshe/ Jaayaamadosshaamutha Samthyajaami /Ithyekapakshaasrayaviklabathvaath/ Aaseethsadolaachalachitthavritthi).
It is noteworthy that Rama calls his brothers and tells them of his decision -- no discussion or consultation.
These are not to be treated as instances of falsehood uttered or deception practiced.

Not only Rama, but even Aanjaneya had to make statements which were not true.
In the beautiful dialogue between Seetha and Aanjaaneya in Sundarakaandam, at one point Seetha asks Hanumaan, “”you were able to cross the sea. Perhaps, one or two more will be able to do so. But what about the rest?” Hanumaan replies “”madam, there is no one in Sugreeva’s army who is less powerful or less resourceful than me. Only the weakest one is sent as a messenger – not the really powerful ones””. How far this is from truth, is evident from the discussion in Angada’s camp about each one’s ability to cross the sea, see Seetha in Lanka and return.
But it is fully justified in the circumstances in which Hanumaan was placed vis- a-vis Seetha at that juncture. Hanumaan enters the scene when she is about to commit suicide in desperation. Allaying Seetha’s fear is of paramount importance.
Hanumaan assumes human form, the form of a Brahmachaari (Bhikshuroopam – vide Saragam 3 of Kishkindhakaandam) and human speech at his first meeting with Rama and Lakshmana.
Similarly, he sings Rama’s story from his hiding and speaks in human voice and chaste language when he sees Seetha in the Asokavanam and she is about to commit suicide.
“” POIMAIYUM VAAIMAIITATTHA PURAI THEERNTHA NANMAI PAYAKKUM ENIN”” Says Thirukkural.
There was no intention to deceive and derive advantage.
The instances quoted are different from the deception practiced by Maareecha coming as golden deer or Raavana appearing as a Sanyasi. Their intention was to deceive, and the legal jargon Mens rea of which you know much more than me, would very much apply.
II ABOUT DIPLOMACY ANGLE IN VIBHEESHANA SARANAAGAATHI
Rama being a kshathriya, his first source of pride is his prowess, both physical land weaponry (please note that Sugreeva tests both before accepting Rama as his ally. He asks Rama to move the skeleton of the demon Dundubhi and Rama just lifts it with his toe and propels it very far. Next Sugreeva asks Rama to shoot an arrow at the Saala tree and Rama’s arrow pierces seven of them in a row and pitches far away Sargam 11, Kishkindhakaandam.)
The next noticeable trait (we should call it virtue ) in a kshathriya is the way he takes to heart an insult or injury and deprivation and his determination to avenge himself of it. Someone had abducted his wife and he had to recover her and PUNISH THE OFFENDER – RAAVANA.
If his intention had been only to recover Seetha, he should have sought alliance with Vaali. Vaali specifically tells Rama that, had he approached him instead of Sugreeva, he would have got Seetha back within one day and would have brought Raavana with a noose round his neck and placed him before Rama (verses 49 and 50 – Sargam 17 – Kishkindha kaandam) . Raavana had tried his pranks on Vaali when he was doing his Sandhya oblations and, without even turning round, Vali had him bound hand and foot and suffocated him with his tail. Raavana pleaded for mercy and then entered into an alliance with Vaali (Utthara kaandam).
It is noteworthy that after hearing Sugreeva’s version, Rama does not wait to hear the other side and consider a rapprochement between the estranged brothers. That would not have furthered his purpose of revenge on Raavana. He simply decides to support Sugreeva and enter s into an alliance.
One sequence in Sundarakaandam is significant. In the course of the dialogue between Hanumaan and Seetha, Hanuman tells her that if she permitted, he would take her on his back and unite her with Rama on the same day. Seetha laughs at this as Hanumaan’s diminutive form, assumed then for stealthily entering Raavana’s fortress, made the suggestion ridiculous and she says so. Hanumaan then assumes his gigantic form. Seetha is amazed and admits that she could believe his capacity to take her and cross the sea. But detailing the risks of her falling off, she comes to the main objection to the suggestion. She says as a kshathriya, Rama should kill Raavana and his entire troupes and then redeem her. That would be befitting Rama ( Thatthasya sadrisam bhaveth)
Rama himself declares, with pride, his being a kshathriya, while countering the allegations levelled against him by Vaali from his deathbed.
When Seetha is brought before him after Raavana is killed, Rama tells her “” I did not come here to welcome you. I came to fulfil my duty as a kshathriya, to redeem my honour by killing Raavana.
I recall a small verse given at the beginning of one chapter in Sir Walter Scot’s novel “”Fortunes of Sir Nigel”” It runs like this “” Give way, give way, I must and shall have revenge/ Where I am injured, there I shall sue redress/ I have a heart to feel the injury and a hand to right it/ and, by my honour, that hand shall grasp what greybeard law denies me”” That gives in a nutshell,the mind of a kshathriya. Even in Dhruvachariatham, in naaraayaneeyam, Bhattathirippad refers to this trait of a kshathriya, describing Dhruva as “”Maanee (one who is conscious of hurt to his pride)””.
For a kshathriya ( or any leader for that matter), strategy is very important. Rama is advised by Kabandha to enter into alliance with Sugreeva. Therefore, giving asylum to Vibheeshana had a twin purpose- one purely humanitarian and the other superbly diplomatic. It is not derogatory for a kshathriya to be diplomatic, as it is the dharma of a king. He adopts it for the general well-being of his country and his subjects –not for his individual personal benefit.
The only individual in Rama’s camp ( at the time when Vibheeshana seeks asylum), to propose asylum to him, was Hanumaan, who is credited with the sharpest intellect (Buddhimathaam varishttham). All the others were quick to deny it. Rama endorses Hanumaan’s proposal. That again shows Rama’s greatness as a leader. A good leader is generally able to get a decision which he favours, by way of a suggestion from his advisors. If Rama had put it as his own suggestion, it would not be so effective.
I hope I have put my side of the case properly.
As I mentioned at the beginning of my article, for me Raamaayana is not just a religious epic, though it is certainly a story of God incarnate. It is a boon to humanity and the best and most inexhaustible source of teachings for healthy living, and gives the ideal codes of conduct for all strata of society and serves as an unfailing guide to moral and ethical values.
It was pleasure to put down these and I assure you that I welcome more of your views and criticisms as you call them, though, to me they are sources of inspiration to read and reflect more on the divine subjects.""
P.G.Krishnamoorthy
I

""Neerkumizhi Saakshi (the water bubble is the witness)

“Neerkumizhi Saakshi (The water bubble is the witness)”


My paternal grandmother never attended any school. She was an illiterate in the real sense of the term. But she had hard common sense and a natural flair for story telling. As the youngest of five children, I had the maximum advantage
of this. She would pour out many many stories, some from the puraanas and some from the village history. Many others were woven beautifully by her fertile imagination. All her stories were suitable to my age at the particular time. It was her intention that I should absorb them fully as practically all of them contained a moral or a lesson for the future practical life. The one which I am narrating now, was told when I was about 10 years of age i.e. more than 60 years ago.
Two vedic scholars from a village near my place had been invited to participate in a religious function at a far off place. They were able to travel part of the distance by bullock carts, but the rest had to be covered on foot. A good part was through uninhabited or sparsely populated areas and jungles. They reached their venue safely and participated very successfully in the function. Their knowledge was very much appreciated and they were richly rewarded with materials, gold and cash.
On their way back, they were caught in heavy downpour with loud claps of thunder, in mid-jungle. So they took shelter in an old dilapidated structure, which was unoccupied. Day turned into dusk and soon it was night. It was very dark and gloomy and rain was not abating. Their gay conversation of the morning soon faded into total silence and a pall of gloom descended on them. Suddenly one of them got up and told the other. “Look, after this trip, I do not want to venture out of our village. We have earned enough during this trip.” The other one simply laughed and said. “You may be satisfied, but I am not. In fact, I could do with a lot more wealth and I am prepared to venture out.” Soon an argument ensued and the first one accused the second one of greed while the latter stung the other with the remark that he was a lazy coward. A quarrel broke out and the one who showed greed said “all right. Since you say that I am greedy, I intend to take your share also. I am going to kill you. No one comes this way. The wild animals and carrion crows will eat away your body. I shall tell the people in the village that you went out alone and probably lost your way. No one will hear even if you shout. There is no witness to the murder nor will there be anyone to find out about it in future.” The other one pleaded for mercy and seeing that the first one was bent upon carrying out his threat, he said “look, there are ripples in the rain water. You may think that they are inanimate and have a very short life as they burst in minutes. But I call upon them to be witness of this horrible act of yours and to expose you.”” He said in Tamil “Neerkumizhi Saakshi” when the other one strangled him to death.
The other one went back to his village. He made a big scene as though he had lost a close relative and told the people that his companion, such a nice person, went out alone and was killed by robbers. Over a period of time, the incident was forgotten. After a few years, the person went again on a long trip for a similar function. This time also, he was accompanied by someone. While returning, they were caught up in rain again and had to take shelter in a similar shack. Both of them had similar qualities and both were bantering and bragging about their exploits. The rain water was rushing in a swirl and ripples were caused. Unwittingly, the murderer let out a peal of laughter and said “the fool who accompanied me earlier, appealed to the water bubble to be witness of my act when I finished him off. Can a bubble last for more than a minute?” But unfortunately for him, a representative of the magistrate who had also gone out on an errand, was taking shelter in another corner of the shack. He was not noticed by the two as it was quite dark and the rain and thunder and their own voices were drowning outside noises. Immediately, he was pounced upon by the law officer, who bound him hand and foot and produced him before the magistrate. A search of his house revealed the articles robbed from the deceased person. Trial was much quicker and decisive in those days and release on technical grounds or hair-splitting of law and language was not permitted. The offender was beheaded quickly.
Concluding her narrative my grandmother said “ No one should think that he is unseen, that his acts and omissions will go unnoticed and therefore he can indulge in unethical or criminal acts. Even the elements will get the power to notice and reveal the correct state of affairs at the appropriate time. If one escapes for some time, it is only to get a more stringent punishment. If the human agencies fail in this, then nature will take over and inflict a more agonizing punishment.”
I used to wonder at this statement. But later I came across a Sanskrit verse which runs as under:
“Aadithyachandraavanilonalascha dyowrbhoomiraapo hridayam yamascha
ahascha raathrischa ubhe cha sandhye Dharmascha jaanaathi narasya vrittham”
“the sun, moon, Vaayu (air) agni (fire) the sky, earth, water, ones own mind, Yama the God of death, the day, the night , the two Sandhyas i.e. dawn and dusk as well as the Lord Dharma (righteousness) know the actions and omissions of all.”
These are always watching us. While fourteen of these are external, the mind, being internal, knows not only what we do or do not do, but also what We THINK.
That makes one point clear. In any criminal case, the prosecution has to prove not only that a criminal act has been committed, but that there was MENS REA that is criminal intention. Very often this aspect is not proved because motive is not established.
Thus many a criminal escapes punishment even if other aspects are proved. But our ancient wisdom puts one word of caution to the criminal who feels elated when he is exonerated for want of clinching evidence. “Remember, your mind is not only the unseen witness to your actions, but it is in complete knowledge of your thought process, your intentions, the factors which led you to behave in a particular fashion, the loss, physical injury and mental agony you have inflicted upon others, the undue advantage you have derived for yourself or for others. You can escape the external arms of the Law but that mind is always there till you die to punish you at the appropriate time.” Rarely though, it goes one step further and even after death, the body is ill treated by people who have been wronged.
One need not go far to realize the truth of these statements. I recollect several instances of persons who perpetrated frauds and escaped the clutches of law and legitimate punishment. But their end was miserable. In some cases, the divine retribution came much sooner and caused immense suffering to them. Take the classic example of Harshad Mehta who caused loss of crores of rupees to many. He escaped immediate punishment while innocent persons suffered agony during the investigation and lost jobs or had to be in black list for years.
Mehta was hailed as an expert in stocks and securities manipulation and he even addressed some gatherings. But ultimately, at the age of 49, he died while in prison. Some time back, there was a news item that one of his flats which was sealed by the legal authorities for several years, was leaking and emitting strong stench and the people of the neighbouring flats had applied for opening of the flat. The same comments apply to people who torment others in various ways which do not come under the legal definition of crime. Even they cannot escape divine retribution.
The irony is that very often, the culprits cry out when they receive punishment at the hands of Fate “Oh God, do I deserve this? Have pity on me”. Some try to compensate for their wrongful actions by liberal charity. How this will act as an atonement for their misdeeds, is a moot question.
No doubt, clever lawyers, manipulators and manouverers can get reprieve to the criminals for some time. But then, Fate never leaves them.
Before concluding I think we should say a word about the abettors and passive onlookers who could and should have done something to prevent a misdeed. The Indian penal code makes it clear that abettors are to be punished. The others too cannot be let off easily. Mahabharatha says that for the sin of uttering a falsehood which was sought to be made true by manipulation, Yudhishtira had to witness suffering of sinners in Hell. He uttered “Aswatthhama hathah kunjarah” which helped to disarm Dronacharya and to kill him. Even talking ill of great people and indulging in mud-slinging or maligning other peoples’ character is bad. Kaalidaasa goes one step further. He says in his Kumaara sambhavam “Na kevalam yo mahathopabhaashathe srinothi thasmaadapi yah sa paapabhaak (not only the one who abuses great persons, but even the one who listens to it is a sinner).
It is not as though people are not aware of this. They are very much aware. But what happens is that they look at the ultimate downfall of an unscrupulous person or criminal, not as an instance of Divine Retribution, but as a lack of cleverness on his part. They say “the fool should have anticipated the pitfalls and risk element in his ventures and devised ways to get over them.” It never occurs to them that they have to succumb to the Will of the Almighty sooner or later. All the stories in our puraanas indicate how, evil-minded people, demons and asuras, performed austere penance to propitiate Gods and got boons whereby they thought they had hedged themselves against defeat by other forces. The story of Hiranyakasipu, Raavana, Bhasmaasura and so on and so forth go to prove that however much they try to protect themselves from the hands of God, ultimately, the Divine Will finds a loophole in their boons and destroys them en bloc. .
Raja Bharthrihari says “Vyaghreeva Thishtthathi Jara Paritharjjayanthee, Rogaascha Sathrava Iva Praharanthi Deham, Aayuh Parisravathi Bhinnaghataadivaambhoh, Lokasthatthhaapyahithamaacharatheethi Chithram”.
(Old age stands threatening us like a tigress; Diseases torture us like enemies; Life flows out like water from a cracked pot; It is a wonder that still people continue to engage themselves in misdeeds and unethical practices.) Curiously enough, very often, the people who do these are themselves adepts at quoting Bhagavath Geetha and Dharmasaasthram, Hithopadesam etc when it applies to other people – clear examples of Devil quoting the Scriptures.
“”Sathyameva jayathe”” is ok. But the question is, “”when does it really emerge victorious””? Until that time comes, evil forces hold sway over good ones. That is where we are led to believe in the theory of past karmas. One who comes into this earth with a load of past sins has to suffer till they are washed off, even though he may be a virtuous person in this birth. In the same manner, one who has accumulated punyam or the benefit of good deeds in the past, will continue to enjoy fruits of his past good deeds till they are exhausted even though he indulges in bad deeds.
Again we are led to Bharthrihari’s words “””Bheemam vanam bhavathi thasya puram pradhaanam/ Sarvo janah sujanathaam upayaathi thasya// Krithsna cha bhoorbhavathi sannidhirathnapoorna/ Yasyaassthi poorvasukritham vipulam narasya// ( To that person who has vast poosravapunyam,even the dense forest becomes (as comfortable as) his capital city, all people will be good to him, the entire earth will be full of gems and gold)””
What Bharthrihari has not mentioned in this sloka is the fact that very often such persons become arrogant over a period of time and indulge in bad deeds. But he makes up for it in the sloka quoted earlier. The evils of excessive prosperity are more dangerous than those of poverty. One should be very fortunate to be level-headed and good even in times of prosperity.
My prayer in this birth has always been that, come what may, I should not develop unhealthy and socially unacceptable temptations and desires which have a tendency to snow-ball, nor should I be associated with people who have these. Probably some of these can be fulfilled only through unethical means. Even if I live and die in penury and misery, let me not swerve from the path of virtue traversed by noble souls. Let me firmly hold on to the advice “”Sprihaneeyagunairmahaathmabhischarithe Varthmani yacchhathaam Manah/ Vidhihethurahethuraagasaam vinipaathoapi samah samunnatheh”” (May the mind be bestowed on the virtuous path traversed by great persons. Even failure which is attributable to Fate (circumstances beyond one’s control) and not to mistakes on ones part are to be considered as equal to success.””

I do realize that I have touched upon two distinct aspects in the write up viz. i) that all our actions, utterances and even thought processes are under constant surveillance by certain forces and none can escape reward or retribution as the case may be, which Fate meets out to each person based on the surveillance; and,
ii) the results of our past karmas follow us in the present birth; hence it is unwise to be excessively elated at our successes and “”lose our heads”” and it is unnecessary to become too much depressed and “”lose our hearts”” if things do not work out in our favour.
May be, I should have put them in two issues. But I am not enunciating any new concept. I have only tried to re-state what is known to most people, but which people tend to forget often. So long as readers find the matter useful, I shall be satisfied.
P.G.KRISHNAMOORTHY
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Sri Palghat Mani Iyer - Reminiscences of my association with him

“ Poornathvam petra oru vidwaanaippatri pesuvatho ezhuthuvatho poornathvatthai adaiyaathu” (Any attempt to write or speak about a Vidwan, whose personality is complete and comprehensive in itself, is bound to be incomplete). A great man wrote these lines while describing some of the virtues of Sri Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar, in an article contributed to the Tamil magazine kalki which was reproduced in the souvenir published while celebrating the completion of 50 years after the latter’s debut as a carnatic music performer. The writer, Sri Palghat Mani Iyer, was himself worthy of such a compliment. He was and ocean, deep and vast, unfathomable in depth, immeasurable in expanse and full of “gems of purest ray serene”, beyond the ken of the common man and therefore sometimes dubbed as unpredictable. He ruled supreme as the uncrowned king in the carnatic percussion field for over 50 years and left a style distinct and well-developed, for hundreds of to follow. Like the mighty ocean, he had immense capacity to influence the course of any concert in which he took part and make it brilliant, even where the main artiste was not in form. Like the mighty ocean, which, although it encircles the entire land, exhibits different characteristics in different places, which is perceived differently by different persons and which serves diverse purposes, he too was viewed and his actions evaluated variously by different people. Some worshipped him like a God, some attempted to emulate his style in handling the instrument, some his personal styles – hairstyle, dress, gait, habits and mannerisms while some others covertly criticized and vilified him. Sri M.S.Ramaiah, a senior mridangist at Bangalore, was muttering to himself after listening to this great artiste in 1978 at a concert “ Ucchistam - what we are having as knowledge of percussion instrument, consists of the leftovers from this man’s performance. Can we ever learn enough to understand and appreciate him, not to speak of coming anywhere near him in performance!” Yet there were others who covertly despised him, accused him as unorthodox, lacking in consistency of views and even stubborn.
My object in this write-up is only to put down some of the occurrences, anecdotes and observations during my association with this great man, which would afford some glimpses of his personality, his keen intellect, his large-heartedness, his ideals, his vision and perception that impressed me and which have been guiding me as a beacon light in my own life, both official and personal.
One thing which comes uppermost in the reminiscences, is his forthrightness and courage of conviction. I am reminded of two incidents which I had personally witnessed and one or two which had been narrated to me by the Master. It was at the Experts Committee demonstrations during the annual music festivals of the Music Academy at Madras on a Sunday morning in the Sixties. The pandal in the courtyard of the auditorium was packed to capacity and many were standing outside. The session included a demonstration of ‘Jadis’ set to different thaalams by a guest artiste from Andhra Pradesh. The special feature was that he would be indicating the Angams of different Thaalams simultaneously using both the hands, both the feet, the shoulders and the head, while uttering the Jadis. The Thaalams having different maathras, would synchronise after several rounds, at which point, the Jadis would also end. Starting with two different Thaalams counted on two hands, the artiste, demonstrated the feat of oral presentation of Jadis, keeping seven different Thaalams simultaneously. The applause from the audience was spontaneous and many admired the performance. Master, however, stood up and asked the artiste a few pertinent questions. He asked the artiste whether he could indicate the calculations or at least generally state the principles underlying the demonstration. The reply was in the negative. Then he asked the artiste whether he could state any part of the jadis in the three speeds (Thrikaalam). The reply was again in the negative. The next question was whether the artiste could put any portion of the Jadis into a different ‘gathi (nadai)’ like ‘Thisram’ and again this drew blank. Finally, he asked the artiste whether in simple Aadi Thaalam, he could say “Thakadhimi” seven times, followed by a “Thadhikinathom, thus coming to ‘level’ in the fifth round”” Still there was no positive response. Meanwhile, the audience was hurling all sorts of insults against Master. They said that he had no business to question an honoured guest artiste; that it was his uncurbed arrogance which made him do this; that he was unnecessarily teasing and exposing the artiste’s weakness and they even shouted “can you do such a feat?”. We were really worried as to what would happen. Master, however, stood up calmly, raised his voice and said “ I am one with you in appreciating the difficult feat performed by the artiste, but pleases remember that this is a session of the Experts Committee in the music field. Any discussion or demonstration will have to be related to the theory and practice of music. If a performance cannot be explained in terms of these, it may partake of the nature of acrobatics only and, however difficult and novel it may be, this is not the forum to exhibit it. We are entitled to know how far the performer can relate it to the general principles”. I could see the persons who had shouted against Master, acknowledging the correctness of his argument - “ of course, that is true” was all that they said. His perception was different and lofty.
A second occasion was in late 70’s, when I saw his firrnness in sticking to principles. A function had been arranged in memory of Master’s coeval and fellow student under the late Sri Chaatthappuram Subbaier. In the evening, there was a music programme at which percussion support was provided by Master. As usual, it had been announced that there would be no loudspeaker arrangement. The organizers had allowed unrestricted entry of listeners, little realising the consequences. After a very good start, the artiste had got into saint Thyagaraja’s ‘Dinamani vamsa’ in Harikaambhoji The audience had increased in number and as the hall was in a temple complex, there were external disturbances. Audibility of the music was therefore low. There were requests from the audience for provision of a loudspeaker. Master told the organisers to explain to the audience that the kutcheri was announced as a mikeless concert and that if they had patience, in a matter of minutes, their ears would get adjusted to the sound. Still, there were persistent calls for a loudspeaker and it was likely that there would be trouble. Any other person would have yielded and agreed to the provision of loudspeaker which could have been arranged soon. But Master simply asked the veena vidwan to play ‘Mangalam” and concluded the concert, notwithstanding the threats of injury to his person unless the concert was continued with loudspeaker. Of course, nothing untoward happened; usually, nothing untoward happens to one who takes a bold stand on the basis of declared principles.
A lot has been said about his aversion to loudspeakers for the performances in which he took part. A few years before he declared it as his policy to avoid the microphone in his performances, I was with him at one of the concerts in the Egmore Museum Theatre, Madras. That was the time when at Madras, Bharathanatyam and Dramas were holding sway among the music and fine arts sabhas. Light music was also gaining prominence and carnatic music programmes, even by celebrated artistes, did not have as much of an appeal for the audiences as before. To tell the truth, including the artistes on the stage, we were only about 75 persons in the hall for the programme. After the programme, Master told the organizers “ Look, this is going to be the pattern for quite some time. Carnatic music is not going to draw large audience. Why pollute the music with microphone, which will distort the sound and sometimes make it very unpleasant? I am prepared to reduce my rates substantially, if you avoid it during my programmes”.
In later years, he imposed a total ban on mike for his programmes. He had several reasons for this. When I had become sufficiently close to him to discuss these matters, without much of inhibitions, I asked him, whether, in his opinion, mike was responsible for our losing the voice culture technique. The response was quick and emphatic. He said “where is the doubt? It is only that kutthuvelakku – he compared the mike to the traditional oil lamp lit at our worship – which spoils the voice. (Samsayam enna, andha kutthu velakku thaan kedukkarathu). If one wants to strengthen and refine his voice, he should sing at ‘ 2 ½ kattai’ and it should be full-throat, full-volume effort, if possible, in the open, preferably sitting on the terrace of the building”. He had, of course, male singers in his mind while saying this. He also believed that, with fairly good acoustics in the concert hall, the listening power of the audience would substantially improve within minutes and get adjusted to the absence of the mike. After his decision to do away with the mike, he gave scores of performances, accompanying vocal and instrumental music, including mellow ones like veena. .Many of these were in quite large auditoriums and to fully packed audiences. Music lovers did enjoy the performances. He had the knack of ensuring that his handling of the mridangam, never affected the audibility of the rendering by the other artistes and all the time, it embellished these and brought the performances to full-blossomed beauty. I am reminded of a remark by Trichur Sri Sankara Menon, one of the old veteran mridangists of the times of doyens like Kallidaikurichi Sri Vedantha Bhaagavathar. He used to say that a mridangist would pass through four stages before becoming a competent accompanist. According to him, these were “Adi (uncontrolled sound), Idi (muffled, but identifiable pattern of sound) kottu (a fair degree of clarity in sollukkattu, but loud in volume) and Vaayana (clear and appropriate sollukkattu rendered with pleasing and sweet naadam). Practice and nothing but practice would elevate one from stage to stage. Master had practiced endlessly, researched every facet of construction and potential of the instrument, its preparation for use at different types of concerts and handling under all circumstances. He had amply substantiated his views on the supremacy of mikeless concerts and his ability to handle the mridangam in an exceedingly effective manner to support the main artiste, whoever it was. In his hands it was truly a ‘mridu angam’ (soft and sweet instrument), an aspect of this percussion instrument, which, long back, Sri Kunisseri Mani Iyer, who taught me for some time, used to stress. Of course, Master used to bring the effect of a super-fast jet speed or a tempestuous thunderclap to enliven or prop up a slackening tempo or sagging performance of the main artiste. Why should he not have his way?
His respect for traditional values and maintenance of standards was phenomenal. In the article on Sri Ramanuja iyengar, referred to at the beginning, Master wrote “ Melum naadavidyayyil puthithu puthithaaka cheivatharku viseshamaaka onrumillai; Cheithathaye thirumba thirumba thapas pannuvathupola cheithu arul peruvathuthaan mukkiyam enpathu en abhipraayam (further, there is nothing particularly novel to be done (invented) in naada vidya (music). In my opinion, doing the same thing over and over again like doing penance and be blessed, is the important thing).”” That is essence of any branch of fine art. Refinement and adding aesthetic appeal by constant practice should be the aim of any artiste. Fertile imagination and assiduous practice are absolutely necessary.
He knew that perfection was impossible; he was fully aware that one should make allowance for many imponderables and external forces, but he never slackened his efforts towards achievement of perfection. He would never compromise on quality, be it his personal attire, the maintenance and even the general appearance of his instruments or the planning and performance of a kutcheri. He had expressed his immense happiness at the increasing spread of classical South Indian music in recent times. But he lamented the deteriorating standards of practice. It was not as though he was unaware of the problems of the present day students of the art, such as, lack of time, diversions and the need to be well up in general knowledge and awareness of the happenings so as to be able to converse and compete where necessary, with others in the society. More than anything else, he accepted the practical impossibility of taking to music as the sole occupation or profession at least in the initial stages, due to the change in the economic and social scenario. He shared the feeling of some of the old-timers that the role of amateurs in fostering traditional arts would become increasingly prominent in times to come. (I recall a conversation which I had with late Sri Rajamanickam Pillai in 1966, if I remember right, when he was bed-ridden. I had expressed the constraints in practising mridangam due to my touring job and said that all the same, if someone could measure the sincerity and devotion to music, it would probably be found that it existed as much in the amateurs as in the professionals. He said “lakshatthil oru vaartthai” and added that spread of music and its development in times to come will depend solely on the interest and the efforts of general public and notably amateur artistes, as old time samasthanams and princely houses were disintegrating). And yet, Master did feel that practice of Carnatic music - be it vocal or instrumental – had to be more strenuous and well-structured. Complacency and compromises had no place in the development of art, nor did he accept the craze for quick results, abandoning quality. He had once referred to the lack of care in learning or teaching the fingering and formation of sollu in the initial stages. A student must develop awareness of the potentialities of the instrument which he handles and also what type of fingering would bring out the best notes from it. Dedication and concentration were basic necessities. He would say “ take the example of an American learning mridangam. Once he is instructed to keep his thumb hooked to support the forefinger and to keep his middle finger raised to produce a particular sound, he will never forget it. (Master admired their attention to details and emphasis on maintaining quality). But our boys will have to be reminded often; if not, they will allow their fingers to spread out like the legs of a spider”. He would say that if a student approached as a ‘fresher’ or in the early stages, it would be possible to re-set the fingering. But if he had reached the advanced stages, the fingering would have already set and few would have the inclination or patience to practice the ‘paatakkai’ to correct the fingering. The advantages of a little longer practice and attention to the first lessons could not be ignored.
Likewise, he had his own views about music competitions and schemes for selection of candidates for award of scholarships, etc. It was his firm conviction that there should be a minimum standard of performance to be expected from the competitors and awarding of prizes or selection for scholarships should not be on the basis of ‘the best among those who participated.’ He narrated an incident when, as judges on the panel for selecting eligible candidates for scholarship in a very advanced stage of learning of music, himself and the late Sri Alathur Srinivasa Iyer, had boldly expressed their view that none of the participants had the minimum standard required for the award.
His criticism was never destructive. He had a genuine concern for improvement. He had done everything possible to encourage younger artistes by tendering advice, by accompanying them at concerts and guiding them and unreservedly complimenting them when they did well. In this respect, he had no complexes, no airs and never was he casual or half-hearted. In fact, he had looked into all aspects right from the seating arrangements, selection and sequencing of krithis and building their morale and mutual understanding before the performances. I distinctly remember a rather difficult situation which master diffused very beautifully and ensured the conduct of an excellent concert. I had moved over to Bangalore in the last week of August 1976.. Master was to give a performance at a sabha .in October 1976. I met him at his lodgings at 11 a.m. The first thing he mentioned to me on seeing me was that there was a problem and it was even likely that the concert might be cancelled. The sabha had, after some unsavoury experiences, decided that artistes engaged for programmes would be offered a remuneration, which would include the cost of travel, board, lodging and incidental expenses. The sabha would help in booking accommodation, travel tickets, etc. but on no account would they pay the bills for these. It was up to the artistes to pay them. In this particular case, the main artiste had not accepted these terms and had insisted that their remuneration was exclusive of the expenses of travel, stay and incidentals, which the sabha had to meet. There was a stalemate and finally, the sabha had sent a telegram asking the artistes to come, but it had not mentioned anything about the main issue. The artistes had come and they had taken up lodging in the hotel. No representative of the sabha met them at the railway station or at the hotel, though the performance was to commence at 4.15 p.m. The artistes were firm that unless the representatives of the sabha undertook to meet the bills for accommodation and other expenses, they would not perform and they would return to Madras. It had now turned out to be a matter of prestige also.
Master asked me to immediately rush to the sabha office and convince the office-bearers to send a representative to meet the artistes at the hotel and reconcile the differences. It was a question of the prestige and good name of the artistes and the sabha and more than anything else, avoiding disappointment to music lovers from all parts of the city, who would be thronging the auditorium in a few hours. He was a good conciliator. In a matter of minutes, he was able to counsel the parties to settle the differences. The concert got off to a good start as scheduled and drew rounds of applause after applause.
One curious thing I found, when I joined Master at the hall, was that the artistes were seated on a carpet on the floor, abandoning the stage. Master explained that he had suggested this arrangement as he found the platform too high and far away from the audience. His ideas of audience rapport and involvement were excellent.
I was with him when he accompanied Sri Chittibabu at one of the Chamber music sabhas at Madras. The code of conduct for the listeners was very stringent. They were to be in their seats well before the commencement of the concert; they should not clap their hands or make any sound during the performance and they should not also leave the auditorium before the conclusion of the programme. The concert was excellent and the Thani Aavartthanam was in Misra Chaapu.( if I remember right, after the krithi “neethu charanamule”). As usual, the Thani was crisp and colourful, but the audience had to keep silent. Chittibabu applauded loudly and asked “why are you bowing down to restrictions on your freedom to appreciate a masterly effort like this?” and there was a thunderous applause. Master said that in our system, the artiste expected open expression of encouragement and appreciation. In this he drew a comparison with western audience which is ‘ very polite, disciplined and respectful, but which reserves its applause till the completion of a piece or sometimes, the entire concert’. He narrated his own experience in England, where he was given due respect and standing ovation after his performance. He said it was all very good, but he really missed the visual and audible expression of appreciation during a raga exposition or a sangathi or good swaraprasthaaram or Thani, which he was used to, back home. It must be recalled that he accepted very few engagements abroad.
Master used to say that normally, a good part of our audience for a concert comprise those who ‘love’ music than those who know the intricacies. A good artiste should, therefore, take note of this important aspect while choosing and sequencing the compositions, making a balanced time allocation and setting the ‘kaala pramaanam’ etc. in such a way that there would be a number of popularly known compositions in different tempos, ‘madhyama kaalam’ being given predominance. There should be some portion set apart to cater to the tastes and expectations of scholars and intricate aspects should definitely find a place so that the depth of knowledge of the artiste and skills in presentation are understood and appreciated. These will provide guidance to the younger aspirants in the field. He also used to emphasise the need for proper understanding and co-ordination among the performers to avoid ‘virasam’.(discord). After all, as far as the listeners are concerned, while they would expect each individual artiste to give his best, their main desire would be to get a full, satisfying and memorable kutchery, as a co-operative effort of the entire team.. Master did really take pains to achieve this objective. Generally, his own ‘Thani’ used to be brief, weaving colourful rhythmic patterns with adjustments of pleasing variations of sound and resonance. Complex technical aspects were also masterfully ingrained to make the performance delectable, dignified and weighty without being ponderous or procrastinating.

Reflecting on my association with him, a flood of episodes comes to my mind. It is difficult to record them in detail, but I would like to narrate a few more.
Once, after a performance I was taking him back to the hotel. He asked me whether I was finding enough opportunities to perform in kutcheries. I told him that I was new to the place and therefore, apart from the A.I.R programmes, there were not many opportunities. I added that there was some resistance to new entrants, especially to those from a different State. He patted my back and said “music field has never been free from politics. God has given you a good job and position and therefore you can afford to treat mridangam purely as a hobby. Do not compete with professionals who have to contend with several problems. For them, Ethics and fair-play may not be compatible with survival and success. Times and values have changed. Spontaneous respect, which the old-time vidwan received from disciples and patrons may no longer be available to the professional of the future, as a matter of course. Everything will be governed by contractual relationship rather than sentiments. Continue to practice with devotion and be of assistance when a request is made to you for a performance, keeping in view the dignity of the art. Then no one will feel that you are usurping his chance”. What a rational way of looking at the somewhat unhealthy competition and the preference-prejudice feelings which do rear their heads quite often in this field!! Incidentally, when I prostrated before him, when I met him first, he blessed me “to rise to a high position in my office” and advised me to give priority to studies related to my career and also be a good mridangist, without affecting the career prospects. .
Master’s outlook to even commonplace things too was very logical. Once, at the railway station, I stooped to pick up the mridangam and his luggage from the car boot. He stopped me and said “look, there are enough number of porters who eke out their living by doing this job. If we do not employ them, they will have to get their livelihood by other methods, which may not be strictly healthy. Once they are successful in those methods, they will be harmful to the society. Why not employ them and pay them their just wages?” He was liberal but not lavish in remunerating persons who worked for him and they were fully satisfied and grateful. He would not, however, hesitate to pull up anyone if the work was slipshod or half-hearted. I had occasion to study ‘Maxims of Chanakya’, a compilation of Chanakya’s principles by Sri V.K.Subramaniam. In the chapter on ‘Causes of discontent’, denial of payment of one’s legitimate dues is mentioned as the first cause of discontent. Great minds think alike! I do not think Master would have been less of an administrator, had he chosen to enter that field.
A trivial but significant aspect also comes to my mind. He used to love to give tips to the hotel staff and menials in crisp notes. He used to ask me to get fresh notes of Rupee One denomination for this purpose. Before I could hand over the bundles to him, he would insist on his paying me the value in denomination of hundred rupee notes. There was no question of his taking obligation.
Master knew the art of managing finance well. He was one of the few old-time professional artistes, who earned well by hard and intelligent effort, spent judiciously blending considerations of utility, dignity, simplicity and consistency and invested wisely. Long before the average public knew it, he had understood the implications of tax-saving incentives and he had availed of the schemes for tax planning. He had a quick and clear grasp of any subject of general interest. He would never skip his reading of a standard newspaper. I remember an occasion when he had to take the commuted value of some annuity certificates in which he had invested. I was present when he discussed the implications and procedural aspects with the officials concerned. After about five minutes with them, he had mastered all the aspects.
He was fully aware of the ways of the world and he was pragmatic to the core. Once a dynamic office-bearer of an organization, who was very well known in the music circles, lost his position due to the efforts of an opposition group. He asked me whether I was aware of it and how it happened and I explained it to the best of my knowledge. However, within a matter of months, the organization started languishing and the general body voted him back to position. At the next opportunity, I passed on the information .to Master. He had a hearty laugh. Then he said that he had expected it.. He said “ you know, the really aggressive go-getter, will have to bull-doze obstacles sometimes. He may not break the law, but will not have much of regard for procedures, which can often cause serious delays and frustration and he is also not likely to follow the democratic principles always. But the organization will flourish. The same thing is true of those whom we employ for our personal work. The easiest way is to wink at the faults of such persons, unless they are likely to be serious or done with bad intention, causing loss or hurt to others.”
Master had his own unique and fascinating way of putting across his ideas. One evening I had gone to him at the common room of Woodlands Hotel at Madras. His second son was also there. A very interesting piece of conversation took place regarding the son’s job at Karaikudi (if my memory is correct). Master asked his son about the job, the date of joining, etc. and then he enquired “ so, how much will you be getting as salary?”
Son: “about Rs.250/-“
Master: “ so you keep Rs.100/- and send me Rs.150/-. Is it not so?”
Son : “How can it be? I will not be able to live there with just
Rs.100/-“
Master: “Alright. Then you keep Rs.150/- and send me Rs.100/- What do
you say?”
For Master, these were very insignificant figures, considering his affluence and the remuneration that he was receiving for his performances. It was not that Master wanted his son’s monthly remittance; that was part of his strategy of teaching his son to inculcate the habit of thrift.
There was nothing slipshod, nothing which would not reflect his characteristic care for details and dignity, about him. Even a simple and small action of ;his would be indicative of his planning and perfection. For some time, he had to take a number of tablets in different combinations at different times of the day. He had organized it wonderfully well. He had a plastic container with a number of compartments for the tablets. He had very clearly marked the time at which each had to taken and he also; had a beautiful pair of small scissors to remove tablets from the aluminium foils.
He had a keen time sense and he would never linger in the concert hall or place of work after his job was over. In fact, even before the conclusion of the concerts, often, he would have dispatched one of his disciples sitting behind him on the dais, to fetch a taxi for his going from the concert hall. Some of his fans used to notice this and they used to say “Mani Iyer has sent his disciple to get a taxi. The concert is about to end.”
There was a unique greatness in everything about him and one great musician had, while speaking about him, punned using his name ‘Mani’, meaning “jewel’, ‘time, ‘money’ ‘beauty’(as in ‘mani-maniyaana ezhutthu’), ‘best’, or ‘adept’ (as in Gaayakamani’ or ‘Thiruppukazhmani’)
His circle of friends was not unduly wide. He would scrupulously avoid taking favours from others. As a professional, he had to move with thousands of persons and yet, he knew exactly who should be close to him; and who should be kept at a distance. There were few errors in his judgment of persons. He believed in trusting and delegating work to his chosen disciples and servants or friends and would generally leave them to do their job unless they sought his instructions. In the unfortunate event of
of anyone proving untrustworthy, he would not get unduly perturbed, but quietly keep him away. For him, the world was large enough for people who could not see ‘eye-to –eye with each other’, to remain apart. Not that he would be unreasonable or refuse to patch up where an earlier misunderstanding could be resolved. The manner in which he accepted and appreciated the efforts of some mutual friends who brought about a rapprochement between the late Chembai Sri Vaidyanatha Bhaagavathar and himself after a few years of drifting apart, would abundantly illustrate that he had no grudge or sustained ill-will towards anyone.
His appreciation of the greatness in other artistes was unreserved and healthy, though he never believed in outward show or exhibitionism. His brief, but splendid write-up on Ariyakudi Sri Ramanuja Iyengar amply brought out his admiration for that vidwaan. Likewise, he felt genuinely sad when several doyens like Alathur Sri Subbaier passed away. I distinctly remember the way he spoke about Kumbakonam Sri Rajamanickam Pillai , in the condolence session, broadcast by the All India Radio.
He said in a grief-stricken voice “Pillaiwal and myself had participated in innumerable performances over more than thirty years and, seated face to face with each other on the dais, we had such excellent rapport that I shall miss him very much. Many of the old veterans have disappeared from the field and, with them, the traditional pattern of rendering is also slowly disappearing; I am left standing as a mendicant yearning for good, old-time music (“Sangeetha Bhikshukanaaka Nirkiren). I recall a concert of Thitte Krishna Iyengar, a very senior vidwaan hailing from Karnataka State, at Bangalore, at which Master provided mridangam accompaniment. Krishna Iyengar sang a pallavi and it was evident from the beginning that Master enjoyed it thoroughly. At the end, Master announced “Pazhaiya kaalatthu pallavi” ( a very old pallavi).
Even Master’s reprimands used to be subtle, but they were very effective. He would not waste words and not a single word would be inappropriate. One there was a mild communication gap between us. This was sometime in 1978 or 79. He was to take part in a kutcheri. I had received him at the station and put him in his hotel. There were some other artistes, and one of them, my namesake, was very keen that Master should visit his residence. When finally the programme was settled, Master said “Krishnamoorthy Iyer will take me there by about a 4.15 p.m.” I was not used to the suffix ‘Iyer’ to my name and therefore, it never occurred to me that Master had meant that I should take him in my car. I had presumed that he had referred to the other gentleman. However, around 4 p.m, I had a feeling that probably I would also be required and I immediately rushed to the hotel. It appears that Master had been waiting for me and had just left. So later I told him that I missed him by a couple of minutes. He asked “you usually keep your watch advanced by a few minutes, is it not so? Hereafter you keep it slow by a few minutes so that you may involuntarily start in advance especially when you are pre-occupied with many things as you will sub-consciously be worried about your watch being slow.”
Masster scrupulously observed etiquettes. He provided mridangam accompaniment to Smt. D.K.pattammal at a concert at Nijaguna kalyana Matapam at Bangalore. They were teamed together, after a long time, at this performance.. She had asked her daughter-in-law (Master’s daughter) to sing along with her. Smt Pattammal mentioned this to Master just before the commencement of the programme. Master said “oh yes, once I have entrusted her to your care, I know that you will mould her wonderfully well”. The performance was excellent. Some of the pieces, notably “ eego nammaswami” in Manirangu, “Seetha vara sangeetha gnaanamu” in Devagaandhaari and a pallavi in khanda nadai, were outstanding. Smt. Sivakumar gave very good support to her mother-in-law. After the performance, Master complimented Pattammal on the excellent performance. He never said anything to his daughter about her part in the programme, nor did he mention it to Smt.Pattammal. An ordinary person would have praised his daughter. Later, when I was driving him back to the hotel, I mentioned to him that Smt.Sivakumar had risen up to the occasion and sung well. His comment was “Yes, it was a pleasant surprise, especially because of the difference in the basic “Sruti” and the very chaste style of rendering which Smt.Pattammal follows. She has taken great pains to teach Lalitha.””
There are many, many such examples of his noble qualities.
My last association with him was in 1979. I was under orders of transfer to a place where chances of his visits were remote. Therefore, when an occasion arose for me to be with him before my departure to the new place, I spent as much time as possible in his company. After his kutcheri, I had accompanied him to the station. Unfortunately, that day, at Bangalore city station, the departure platform for his train had been changed from No.1 to No. 4. We had to walk through the sub-way. At the head of the steps for climbing down, he paused and said “ I can walk some distance on level ground, but climbing steps is a problem.” Then he added” the body has become quite weak. Only the fingers have retained their strength. If somebody puts me on the stage, I can go on playing”. It was a statement which I could never have expected from him. Tears welled up in my eyes. He had an iron will and an indomitable spirit. It was not in his nature to admit of physical fatigue or weakness. His was a life full of tough challenges boldly and successfully met. (As a matter of fact, he was reported to have kept several mridangams in trim condition ready for concerts, even at the time of his demise). Instinctively, I knew that I was seeing him for the last time. The ironical part of it was that, for a couple of days, I was at Ernakulam, where he was hospitalized and finally passed away. Had I known about it, I could have visited him. I knew of his demise only when I saw the newspapers later.
I have no claim or competence to be Master’s Boswell. He started hils career before I was born. My knowledge of music is too shallow and there were too many fine aspects in his performance which baffled me. As Sri S.Y.Krishnaswami had stated in his memoirs after Master’s demise, Master started at the top and stayed there for over five decades. There are many who know him much better than me and were closer to him. All that I had in mind, when I started recording my reminiscences, was the desire that glimpses of the multifaceted personality of this truly great Master, should be available to my children and their contemporaries, who did not have any occasion to see him as a man and a maestro, although they can view and listen to his recorded performances. For myself, this serves as a faithful remembrancer of a Divinely gifted person at whose feet I shall ever remain a devotee.
Sri P.K.Ramakrishnan, who was always with Master for over two decades as a disciple in the Gurukula parampara, used to pray that if ever he was reborn on this earth, he should have opportunity to serve this Master, birth after birth. I remember him also at this juncture as it was he who took me to Master.
Note: A few of the episodes narrated here were translated and published in the Tamil weekly ‘’SAVI’’ in their issue dated 28.6.1989. The caption of the write- up was “Sila Apoorva Sangathigal””and Master’s photograph was also published.
P.G.Krishnamoorthy

Table,Temple, Temperament

Table, Temple, Temperament


Chapter eight of Varaahapuraanam (date approximately 10th Century A.D.) gives a very interesting story. A righteous and pious hunter lives in a forest. He kills just one animal a day for food for himself and his family. After cooking it, he makes offerings first to the Gods, then to the departed souls in the family, then to his guests and shares the rest with his family and servants. He has one son and one daughter. He brings up these two as ideal children, instilling in them the virtues of good and righteous conduct and religious beliefs. When his daughter grows up to be a fine maiden of upright character and conduct and well educated, he decides that she deserves a husband equal to her in learning and virtues. He seeks alliance for her with the great Rishi (Sage) Mathanga’s son Prasanna. The sage readily agrees because the hunter’s noble qualities are known far and wide. After the marriage, the hunter’s daughter goes to live with her husband at the sage’s residence. She endears herself to everyone by her intelligent and helpful conduct and everyone is happy.

After some time, the atmosphere is suddenly vitiated. For some trivial lapse, the sage’s wife teases the girl that, being the daughter of animal killer, she does not know how to practice penance or to attend on her husband. The girl returns to her parents in distress. The hunter, after getting an account of what transpired, goes to the sage, who is unaware of the background. The sage welcomes the hunter with all affection and respect and invites him for food. The hunter prefers to cook his own food and asks for some rice. When it is given to him, he looks at it and immediately says “ I refuse to have food with you. Do you know how many living beings are destroyed when you prepare your food? And you do not offer your food to the Gods and others as prescribed. After all, I kill just one animal a day and take my food prepared out of its meat only after I offer it to the Gods, departed souls, guests and family including servants”. Then he narrates to the sage the manner in which his daughter is abused. Finally, he throws a curse “there shall be no mutual trust and amity between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law”. Curious isn’t it that this has been by and large true over the ages!!

Well, this left me wondering because, our elders never told a story, especially in the form a Puraanam or Ithihaasam without a message, often discernible only to the inquiring mind. Probably, the stress was on incompatibility of food habits, sense of values or lack of tolerance as some of the major causes of domestic discontent. In the current scenario, we may add a few more factors to this list i.e., the problems created by generation gap, excessively possessive attitude and fast changing social set up.

I remembered an incident, which occurred in my life almost two decades ago.
I had a very good friend (a South Indian Brahmin), much older than me, who would come to my assistance at any time most willingly. A confirmed optimist and always radiating goodwill and jubilant mood as he was, I was surprised to find him totally confused and downcast when I visited him one day. The atmosphere in his house, which was otherwise very lively, often punctuated with peals of laughter at the jokes, which he used to crack, was gloomy. The problem was that his daughter was insisting on marrying a boy from a different State and caste and linguistic group. They had developed attachment when they were working at a place. They had moved away to different towns about five years previously and did not have any chance to see each other, nor did they correspond with each other. In spite of this, their mutual affection had increased and both had decided to remain celibate if they could not be united in marriage. The factors against the alliance, according to my friend, were the caste difference, divergent practices and possible problems in social acceptance. I do not know what happened to me, but I just told him “ uncle, if they could nurture their mutual affection though they had not seen each other for over five years, do you think anyone has a right to obstruct the union? So long as their TABLE, TEMPLE AND TEMPERAMENT (food habits, religious faith and sense of values and likes and dislikes) are compatible, not necessarily congruent, they will be happy”. My friend jumped up and embraced me very emotionally. The marriage was performed and the couple is happy.


I got a copy of Varaaha Puraanam much later, for reference in connection with another work. I was surprised to find that Chapter Eight supported my statement by referring to the converse. I am not, even for a single moment, advocating that we throw our old customs and entire social structure overboard, lock, stock and barrel. After all,
there must have been some reason and justification for our traditions. While it is easy to distort and destroy these, such a step, without a viable, stable and enduring alternative, will lead to chaos. Even the most cosmopolitan parents become conservative when it comes to marriage of their sons and daughters. Pearl S. Buck has amply demonstrated this through her novel “Come, My Beloved”. Yet, let us also remember that times have changed; technological advancement has revolutionized not only the way of life, but also the outlook. Grown ups of both sexes are thrown together in academic pursuits, work situations and social and religious gatherings and nature plays cupid by instinct rather than choice. Of course, marriage as a bond, must be enduring and should be based on mutual understanding and support through thick and thin. What instinct promotes must be put to test through reasoning and assessment of compatibility. All over the globe, intellectuals struggled to raise human species far above the rest of the animal kingdom. Marriage as an institution has to survive trials and tribulations and the couple should remain in permanent bond which only death can separate. Society has to survive on the basis of permanent commitment in certain important spheres of human existence. Submission to fleeting infatuations will only destroy the social fabric. All over the world, even animals look after their progeny till they become self sufficient, capable of getting their food, etc. This period ranges from just a few minutes to a few months. In the human specie, it used to be about 12 to 15 years. With the advancement of education and technology, dependence of progeny on parents in our society (Indian background) extends to even 20 to 25 years. A few years back, a parent in his sixties, confided in me that he has to continue to work because he had to finance his son’s post-doctorate research. He lamented “ the poor boy is only 28 and he is ambitious”!!! This is probably an extreme case of possessiveness and misconceived sense of responsibility. Probably in such cases, acceptance of a daughter-in-law as part of one’s family will also be difficult as the parent is likely to mistake her as an intruder in the relationship between himself and his son.

Leaving this digression apart, in our set up, parents will be bound to counsel and guide their children in the selection of life partner. But to become over possessive and get excited if the choice is not theirs, destroying the peace of several and one’s own self, is, I am afraid, totally uncalled for. Graceful acceptance of what happens under the circumstances will probably be the best course. I hope the story in Varaahapuraanam will lend authenticity to this view.
In my personal experience, there are many families where children have married outside their groups and still the atmosphere is cordial and happy. There are also many cases where marriage within the same community or groups have failed. This proves that ultimately, it is the compatibility, the spirit of tolerance that makes a marriage successful.
Society should also have a broad outlook and should not look down upon a family merely because one of its members has married a person outside its religious, linguistic or geographic group.
I wrote the basic structure of this article for consoling a family who were distressed that their social group looked down upon them for their daughter marrying a person outside their linguistic group. I thought I should put it on my blog as I find that even now people are not ready to accept such marriages.
I am sure that at least some people will benefit by this.
P.G.Krishnamoorthy

A LESSON FROM THE DISTANT PAST

A lesson from the distant past

My grandmother, whose capacity as a story-teller was matchless, narrated to me this incident, which occurred in our village when she was very young. That would put it about 150 years ago. In those days, there were no proper roads and transport and communication were very deficient. Still people used to travel long distances for purposes such as pilgrimage, learning, and participation in debates conducted at courts of native kings and Lords. It took months and sometimes, years for such persons to return. Sometimes, they never did. Often, when they did return after long periods, their own relatives in the village would not be able to recognize them. There would be no proof of the relationship either. All the same, they would be accommodated as guests and treated well on the basis of their statements or dropping names of common relatives or friends, or mention of particular incidents which occurred in the village.

In those days, as a custom, there would be practically no long conversations between husband and wife in the presence of outsiders. None addressed his wife by name. It was only “adiyei” and a woman was not allowed to utter her husband’s name – not to speak of addressing him by name. Women in general had no say in the management of properties, finances or social contacts. Their role was confined to running of the household such as cooking, looking after children and upkeep of the house. This tradition was common to all Indian communities.

It was in this setting that one man descended on a fairly well-to-do family in our village. They were just husband and wife (let us call them Krishnan and Lakshmi), living in harmony and peace. The visitor (let us cal him Ramu) claimed that his father was Krishnan’s great uncle, who had gone to Kaasi (Varanasi) on pilgrimage, got married and settled there. Ramu said he had been told about his native village and many anecdotes involving people and incidents in the village and he developed an urge to see his ancestral place. He learnt that his cousin was living in the village and it was thus that he landed at Krishnan’s house. Ramu had gathered a lot of information about the village and his conversation left no room for doubts on the authenticity of his statements.

So Krishnan welcomed Ramu to stay with him. Special dishes were made for his lunch, evening repast and dinner. Ramu enjoyed the hospitality for a couple of months. He befriended the villagers and regaled them with tales of Varanasi and other place, which he claimed to have visited. He would often talk to Krishnan when they were sitting on the verandah of the house or visiting their farm. Likewise, he would talk to Lakshmi when Krishnan was away on some work. He had a mischievous mind and tendency to ask too many personal questions or veer the conversation to embarrassing topics.

Ramu’s hosts and the villagers had their own daily chores to do while Ramu had nothing. Over a period of time, their attention to Ramu became less and less and Ramu was getting bored. He decided that it was time to depart.

One day, during his chat with Krishnan, when they were alone, Ramu dropped a hint that probably Lakshmi belonged to the canine family in her previous birth as she had the habit of licking her hands too often during meals. One practice in south India was that no wife would eat with her husband or in his presence. For that matter, ladies in general would not sit with gents for any meal; men-folk would eat first and then ladies had a separate batch, even at functions. So what Ramu told was a revelation to Krishnan because he had never watched her during meals.

Closely following this, one day, Ramu found an opportunity to talk to Lakshmi when she was alone. He told her in whispers that Krishnan was probably a vendor of salt in his previous birth. He must have been carrying salt bags on his back as he had a tendency to sweat excessively. It was likely that his skin would taste salty even in the current birth. He casually repeated these a few times. Then he left with some gifts kindly offered by his hosts.

The drops of venom administered by Ramu started working and Krishnan and Lakshmi began watching each other for telltale signs of vestiges of their previous birth. The happy couple, devoted to each other and united in their life and activities, became morose and suspicious of each other. A stage was reached when they could not suffer it longer.

The lady was more affected. So one night, when she felt that Krishnan was in sound sleep, she licked his back. Krishnan was actually wide awake and he had been wondering how to verify Ramu’s observation. Lakshmi’s action confirmed to him that she belonged to the canine family in her previous birth and was habituated to licking. Lakshmi, on the other hand felt that Krishnan’s skin tasted salty and that he was a salt vendor in his previous birth. They started fighting and screaming at each other in the dead of night and came out on to the street. Neighbours gathered and somehow quietend the couple. It took a lot of effort to convince Lakshmi that sweat and blood are salty in taste and that there was no correlation between this and previous birth. Similarly, Krishnan had to be persuaded by elders to accept that the crook Ramu had deliberately destroyed their peaceful and happy life by playing upon their gullibility.

Grandma concluded saying “Beware of whom you admit into your household and take their statements with a pinch of salt. Beware of unsolicited and unwanted advice dished out by others. It is very difficult for us to know whether such persons are genuinely interested in our welfare or not. Even if such advices are well meant, it is quite likely that the person giving it does not know all the circumstances. It is always best to sort out differences with others by direct dialogue. Carrying our quarrels to outside world and seeking advice of others may be counterproductive.”

Then she told me of a very wise lady who had a simple method to deal with quarrel between her son and his wife. (In those days children were married off when they were in their teens and joint family culture prevailed) Her larder or pantry, (whatever we may call the place where eatables were stocked in the house), was well- stocked and there were plenty of tit-bits and cookies inside. Whenever the young couple quarreled and the fight seemed endless, she would lock up both inside this room. When left alone like this, they found that they had to sink their differences of views and pull on together. The old lady would open the door only when they promised not to quarrel again. Of course, her cookies would keep off the children from starving if the lock up was too long. P. G. Wodehouse has described Bertram Woosters’ boyhood nurse locking him up and another in a clothes cup-board when they quarreled. A few minutes inside the cupboard saw a change and each one started blaming own self for the misunderstanding and craved pardon from the other. I am not able to recollect which of his novels it was, but the fact remains that the wisdom of the old all over the world was great.

My grandmother’s story may sound gross and absurd. But very often truth is ugly and unbelievable.

That brings me to a related issue. While the story shows us how a mischievous mind can drive a wedge between the husband and wife or for that matter, two close relatives or friends, there are instances where, even well-intentioned, but misconceived or erroneous interference by outsiders (I call them interested third parties) like parents or in-laws or even loyal servants brought the same effect. Classic examples are the roles played by Manthara in Ramayana and Sakuni in Mahabharatha. They believed that they were actually protecting the interests of their loved ones namely, Bharatha in Ramayana and Kauravas in Mahabharatha. But the result was disastrous. A few minutes of counseling (in reality, brainwashing), changed Kaikeyi from her adoration of Rama, to treating him as her bitter enemy and usurper of Bharatha’s fortunes. She wanted him to go immediately. It was like someone flogging a top class horse, already galloping fast, to go faster. And Kaikeyi turned so ruthless that she wanted even Seetha to shed her ornaments and wear the bark of trees, which she herself brought and handed over to Rama. She did not heed the pleas of elders to spare Seetha. It took a volley of abuse from the usually soft-spoken Guru Vasishta to make Kaikeyi relent and allow Seetha to wear clothes befitting her status as a princess. Such is the power of mischievous counseling. The only justification for this, if at all one wishes to exonerate Manthara, is the strong attachment which Manthara had towards her mistress Kaikeyi and her son Bharatha. Her concern, viewed in the narrow perspective of a menial, was their welfare and not the larger interests of the nation.

Opposed to this is the mischievous mind like Ramu’s in our story, where one interferes just to satisfy one’s ego or purely for sadistic pleasure. Most of us would have read or heard the story of the washer-man, his son and their donkey. They listened to gratuitous advices given by every passer- by and came to grief.

Looked at from the other side, let us admit that the tendency to give advice is a general trait among our population. Some such “wise” people even go to the extent of warning us that we would repent if we do not act on their advice. One has to be very circumspect when listening to or acting on other peoples’ advice. I too have incurred losses and gone through unnecessary trouble, by accepting unsolicited advice, though on some occasions even unsolicited advice turned out to be for good. That is why I said one has to be circumspect in accepting it.

At the same time, let us not forget that our scriptures like Upanishads are full of words of wisdom. Thirukkural is another treasure. We have to differentiate between general words of wisdom for the well-being of humanity and those given by individuals to us whether solicited or unsolicited. The greatest and most precious piece of advice which our Ithihaasas and Puraanas contain is Bhagavathgeetha. Even here, Lord Krishna does not voluntarily pour out his advice, unsolicited. Arjuna is confused and refuses to do his duty because of a misconception and indulges in self-condemnation, at a juncture when his inaction would bring total disaster and miscarriage of justice. He seeks the Lord’s advice “Sishyastheham Saadhi maam thvaam prapannam”. It was equally incumbent upon Lord Krishna as the relative, friend and of course, the Lord of the Universe and protector of Dharma, to give Arjuna, a clear vision of his role and duty. A lengthy and meaningful dialogue follows and every point is cleared.

Even then, at the end the Lord says “Ithi the gjnaanamaakhyaatham Guhyaathguhyatharam mayaa/// Vimrisyaithadasheshena yatthhecchasi thatthha kuru” (thus knowledge has been imparted to you by me, knowledge that is most mysterious and secret which is not to be revealed to all and sundry. Please ponder over it critically and thoroughly and act as you please). The Lord does not ask Arjuna to follow the advice blindly. He desires Arjuna to exercise his discretion and decide. Arjuna’s reply is also noteworthy “Nashto mohah Smrithirlabhdha Thvathprasadath mayaachyutha / Stthhithosmi Gathasandehah Karishye vachanam thava” (I am disillusioned. My doubts have been cleared. I shall act according to your advice). Verses 63 and 73 Chapter 18 of Bhagavathgeetha.

We should know exactly when we really need advice, we should know whom to approach for advice, we should know what we should disclose and what not to disclose, for giving too much will only confuse the thinking and cloud the perception, and we should pin-point the aspects on which we need advice. In other words, it should be a language of specifics and haziness should be avoided. No aspect pertinent to the issue should be left in doubt.

I hope this piece will not be consigned to the trash can, but it will be accepted as a useful note, emanating from past experiences of an old man and lessons he learnt.

P.G.krishnamoorthy 8 A/12, Brindavan, Thane West – 400601, Maharashtara State, India.