Kalaignar's Tholkappiya Poonga - Book Discussion in Tamil

 11 ஏப்ரல் 2021 அன்று நடந்த 'நூலோடு உறவாடு' நிகழ்ச்சியில், கலைஞர் மு. கருணாநிதி அவர்கள் இயற்றிய 'தொல்காப்பிய பூங்கா' என்னும் நூலினைப் பற்றி யான் அளித்த கருத்தாய்வே இக்ககாணொலியாகும்.  இக்காணொலியைக் கண்டபின் தங்கள் பின்னூட்டங்களைப் பதிவிடுமாறு நான் தங்கள் அனைவரையும் தாழ்மையுடன் கேட்டுக் கொள்கிறேன்.  நன்றி!  

காணொலியைக் காண பின்வரும் இணைப்பை சொடுக்கவும்:

தொல்காப்பிய பூங்கா - ஒரு கருத்தாய்வு

மகள்களுக்கு மடல்-1

சென்னை, 

12.03.2021

என் அன்பிற்கினிய மகள்களுக்கு,

உங்கள் அன்பு அம்மா வரையும் மடல்.  இம்மடல் மு°லம் உங்கள் இருவருக்கும் மேலாண்மைக் கல்வியின் முதல் மற்றும் மிக அடிப்படையான பாடத்தினைக் கற்றுக் கொடுக்க விழைகிறேன்.  

மேலாண்மைக் கல்வியின் முதல் பாடம் யாதெனின், இல்லை என்று சொல்லக் கற்றுக் கொள்.  என்ன?  ஏதும் புரியவில்லையா உங்கள் இருவருக்கும்?  இல்லை என்று சொல்லக் கற்றுக் கொள்வது தான் முதல் பாடமா என்று நீங்கள் இருவரும் வியப்பால் பீடிக்கப்பட்டுவிட்டீர்களா?  நிற்க! இதனை விளக்க ஓர் உண்மை நிகழ்வினை இவண் காணலாம்.

இன்று 'சோனி' என்னும் ஜப்பான் நாட்டு நிறுவனம் உலகறிந்த மற்றும் உலகம் போற்றும் மின் மற்றும் மின்னணு கருவிகள் வடிவமைக்கும் நிறுவனமாகத் திகழ்கிறது.  நம் வீட்டிலும் மற்றும் நம் எண்ணற்ற உறவினர்கள் வீட்டிலும் அந்நிறுவனத்தின் தொலைக்காட்சியிருப்பதை நீங்கள் இருவரும் அறிவீர்கள்.  ஆனால் இன்று ஆலமரம் போல் அந்நிறுவனம் செழித்து விளங்க என்ன காரணம் தெரியுமா?

 சோனி நிறுவனத்தைத் தோற்றுவித்தவர் ஒரு ஜப்பானிய பொறியியல் வல்லுநர்.  அவர் பல ஆண்டுகளுக்கு முன்னர் ஒரு சிறந்த Transistor கருவி ஒன்றை வடிவமைத்து, அதனைத் தயாரித்து சந்தையில் வெளியிட அமெரிக்க நிறுவனம் ஒன்றின் உதவியை நாடினார்.  அக்கருவியைப் பற்றி அறிந்திராத காலம் அது.  அந்த அமெரிக்க நிறுவனம் அவர் வடிவமைத்த அக்கருவியை தயாரித்து சந்தையில் வெளிவிட விழைந்தது.  ஆனால் அதை தங்கள் நிறுவனத்தின் பெயரில் தான் வெளியிடுவோம் என நிபந்தனை விதித்து அதற்கு அவருக்குப் பெரும் பொருள் வழங்குவதாகவும் கூறியது.

அவர்கள் விதித்த நிபந்தனையை ஒரு நிமிடம் ஆலோசித்த அந்ந ஜப்பானியர் அதை ஏற்க மறுத்துவிட்டார்.  பிறகு ஜப்பான் நாட்டு மன்னருக்கு ஒரு விளக்கமான கடிதம் வரைந்து அதில் அவர் வடிவமைத்த அக்கருவியினை பெருமளவில் தயாரித்து சந்தையில் வெளியிட ஜப்பான் அரசாங்கம் அவருக்குப் பொருளுதவி செய்ய வேண்டுமென வலியுறுத்தினார்.  அவ்வாறு ஜப்பான் அரசாங்கம் அவருக்கு உதவ தவறினால் தன் சொந்த நாட்டின் மு°ளை மற்றும் பொருளாதாரத்தினை அமெரிக்காவிற்கு ஜப்பான் அடகு வைக்க நேரிடும் என்றும் தெளிவாக இயம்பினார்.

ஜப்பான் அரசாங்கம் அவர் வேண்டுகோளுக்கு இணங்கியது.  பின்னர் சோனி என்னும் நிறுவனத்தின் விதை ஜப்பானில் விதைக்கப்பட்டு இன்று உலக அரங்கில் அந்நிறுவனம் ஆலமரமாகத் திகழ்கிறது!

என்ன மகள்களே! மேலாண்மைக் கல்வியின் முதல் பாடம் பசுமரத்தாணி போல் உங்கள் உள்ளத்தில் பதிந்து விட்டதா?  உங்கள் தன்னம்பிக்கைக்கு மாறாக நடக்கும் ஒன்றை ஏற்காது திடமாக 'இல்லை' என்று கூறி மறுப்பீர்கள் என நம்புகிறேன்.  மற்றவை அடுத்த மடலில்.  

இப்படிக்கு,

உங்கள் அன்பு அன்னை

Destiny Cannot be Deterred

 Case-1:

Saint Arutperunjothi Vallalaar aka Ramalinga Adigalaar was born as the fifth child of his father's sixth wife. About 150 years ago, he attained oneness with The Almighty. He is still revered by many in Tamil Nadu and across the globe as a great Saint. He performed countless miracles and sowed great virtues during his fifty and odd years of stint on the Earth.

Case-2:

Osama bin Laden was born as the 13th son of his father's twelfth wife. He was believed to be a notorious terrorist. He was killed on the 2nd of May 2011 at a place in Pakistan, where he had been living with undisclosed identity.

Moral:

Whether good or evil, if it is destined to happen, it will, indeed, happen!! So, don't ponder over anything rather incessantly beseech the grace of The Omnipotent!!

Moral Values and Virtues in Ramayana

 Ramayana, literally ‘The History of Rama’, is revered as a holy scripture by some people while the others consider it as a mere literary work that boisterously depicts heroism and eventually deifies an imaginary character called ‘Rama’- the principal character of the epic.

Whether or not one regards the epic of Ramayana as a holy scripture, it does convey innumerable moral values and virtues.  If a human being imbibes and adopts those moral values and virtues, it would certainly make him/her unique and above board. So, now let us temporarily set aside our personal opinions on Ramayana and discuss those moral values and virtues that are worth imbibing and adopting in our daily lives.

Rama is introduced in the epic as the oldest of the four Kshatriya Princes born to King Dhasaratha of Ayodhya through his first Queen Kausalya.  Kaikeyi, the second Queen of King Dasaratha bore him Bharatha and Sumithra, the third and the most favourite Queen of King Dhasaratha bore him the twins, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. 

The most peculiar thing that is ubiquitous in the epic of Ramayana is the depiction of the impeccable love between the step siblings.  Lakshmana and Shatrughna, albeit twins, share a unique, inseparable bonding with their step siblings, rather than the one between them.  Lakshmana is inseparable from Rama.  So is Shatrughna from Bharatha.  This very pristine love between the two pairs of step siblings conveys one of the highest human virtues, which is, the selflessness.  Selflessness, by itself, is believed to be one of the manifestations of Divinity.

As Dhasaratha becomes old, he decides to make Rama as his successor to the throne of Ayodhya.  Rama, the unadulterated, infallible Prince of King Dhasaratha was loved and adored by every subject of the kingdom.  The news of Rama’s impending crowning kicked off exuberance in the entire kingdom.  Just on the eve of his crowning amidst exuberance in the entire kingdom, Rama is being informed with a heavy heart by his father Dasaratha, in order to keep up two of the promises that he had earlier made to his second Queen, Kaikayei, that Rama has to abdicate his Princely life and lead the life of an ascetic for the next fourteen years in a forest.  Also, Rama is informed that Bharatha, the son of Kaikeyi, will become the successor of Dasaratha.

Quite contrary to the normal human behaviour of retorting or revolting such an unfortunate decision made by the father, Rama, the Deified hero of the epic, whole heartedly accepts the decision of his father with unwavering composure and with a smile.  He instantaneously moves ahead to abdicate the Princely life and sets off to the forest to lead the life of an ascetic.  He is accompanied in that quest by his obedient, chaste, wife Seetha and by his beloved brother Lakshmana.  Such an act of Rama expresses the other virtue of complete obedience to the parents.

When Bharatha learns all the conspiracies leashed out by his mother, Kaikeyi, against Rama, he becomes crestfallen and scornfully scolds his mother.  He visits the harem of his step mother, Kausalya, and begs her pardon for all the wrongdoings of his mother.  He immediately sets off to the forest with the belief that he could console his beloved brother, Rama, and get him back to Ayodhya and enthrone him as the King. 

However, iron willed Rama ends up consoling Bharatha and sends him back to Ayodhya to fill the lacuna that was created by the sudden death of King Dhasaratha.  Bharatha, one of the lovable brothers of Rama, is also equally iron willed.  He agrees to obey the orders given to him by his amenable brother Rama.  However, he goes back to Ayodhya carrying on his head the pair of sandals that were adoring the feet of his dear brother, Rama.  There in the kingdom, the actual seat of the Majestic King of Ayodhya was adorned by the sandals of Rama.  Bharatha chooses to serve as the proxy King of Ayodhya until Rama goes there back after fourteen years of exile.

Also, during his voyage to the forest to meet Rama, Bharatha is confronted by Guha, the head of a group of hunters.  Guha had earlier met Rama, Seetha and Lakshmana and was wholeheartedly accepted by Rama as one of his siblings.  Initially upon seeing Bharatha, Guha felt that Bharatha was craving to serve as the unquestionable successor of King Dhasaratha and was planning to kill Rama.  However, once Guha learns the righteousness of Bharatha and his peerless respect, love and good will for Rama, he ends up hailing Bharatha as, “Even several thousand Ramas are not equivalent to one Bharatha”.  This emphasizes how Ramayana extols and highly regards righteousness and a righteous person.  In the epic of Ramayana, Bharatha even superseded Rama, the deified character, by virtue of his righteousness.

After mighty Valee had learnt that he was clandestinely attacked by Rama to restore Justice in his kingdom of Kishkintha, he disparagingly talks about the cowardice of Rama, while counting his last few minutes on the Earth.  Rama gracefully accepts that it was not a wholly acceptable act of his to clandestinely kill Valee. He also begs the pardon of Valee and remarks that he had no other way to restore Justice in the kingdom of Kishkinta.  Here, we could see that the greatest virtue of submissively accepting one’s own mistakes or faults is strongly conveyed by Ramayana. 

Also, it is described by poet Kambar in Tamil, that Lakshmana upon looking at Thara, the widowed wife of Valee, empathizes with her for the same grief that would have stricken his widowed mother Sumithra and his two step mothers upon the loss of their husband Dhasaratha.  The virtue of empathy, which actually makes a man prudent, is deep rooted in Ramayana.

In Kambar’s rendition of Ramayana in Tamil, Rama says, “We became five siblings, along with Guha and with Sugreeva, we became six.  Finally, we became seven siblings along with Vibheeshana".  This very statement of Rama conveys that race, caste and creed based discriminations were acrimonious to Rama, since Guha is portrayed in the epic as the head of a group of hunters, Sugreeva is portrayed as the eventual King of the monkeys and Vibheeshana is one of the siblings of Ravana, the antagonist of the epic Ramayana.  

The peerless love and respect for every living being is seen almost everywhere in Ramayana.  After the King of Eagles, Jatayu, in his endeavour to rescue Seetha was killed by Ravana, Rama and Lakshmana performed the last rites for Jatayu, as how the sons would normally perform the last rites for a deceased father.  

Jamabavan, the monstrous bear that gave unbearable kicks to Ravana, that finally led to his downfall is regarded and respected by the brothers.  Mighty Hanuman, the son of wind God, who took up the Herculean task of identifying where and how Seetha was in the clutches of Ravana and a squirrel that did its best to help Rama in constructing the bridge across the sea are also loved and regarded by the brothers.  Thus, It is clearly seen that apart from human beings, even birds and animals are given pivotal roles and regarded in the epic for their roles.  It is equivalent to corroborating the most famous statement of nature lovers that the Earth is not only for humans!

Mandothari, the wife of Ravana, is portrayed as a woman with the same degree of chastity as that of Seetha.  The high degree of chastity of Mandothari made even Hanuman wonder whether it was Seetha, when he first saw Mandothari in her harem.  Such a peerless virtue being bestowed on the wife of the antagonist does exalt Ramayana as a virtuous epic.  

Summing up, the epic Ramayana, is, indeed, a didactic poetry as it conveys some of the highest virtues that deify a soul, like, abiding by the promises, righteousness, empathy, selflessness, pristine love and respect for every being and above all chastity, a virtue which could or should never be compromised.  Hence, through this forum, I sincerely declare that Ramayana or The History of Rama should not be confined by religious boundaries.  It is, indeed, a guide for every soul that craves to attain proximity to The Divine.  

Read, recite and revere Ramayana to exalt your soul!