Simple and not so Simple things

Recently a Tamil cine actress was arrested for running a brothel. It became a huge controvery after a Tamil daily reported her alleged statement exposing other famous actresses as part of the trade. The editor was arrested after the police were put under huge pressure from the cine world which came together in protest. But this issue raises a larger question. Should prostitution be made legal? Afterall it is also an occupation. My personal opinion is that a person has the liberty to choose how to use his\her own body. I am only against forced prostitution and brothels. This act in private should not be a criminal act. Give your opinion on this matter!

I always had this feeling that it won't workout

After three hectic months I have a break of five days. I so wanted this.

There is this long held notion that philosophers do not make good poets. This thought has been validated by many in history. But a great exception to such a notion is Vedanta Desika. Considered as probably the greatest philosopher-poet of India, if not the world, the works of Vedanta Desika in poetry can be matched only by Kalidasa in its grandeur and excellence. It is not only poetry that Desika was a master of. His mastery includes every known area of literature and knowledge and this is the reason why he is hailed as ‘Sarva-tantra-svatantra’, the master of all knowledge. The sheer quantity of literature that Desika is credited with and the variety of his writing makes him stand out among the greatest of writers in Indian history. And unlike many other writers, Desika was a master of two languages, Tamil and Sanskrit. He has written works which have a combination of these two languages and are termed as ‘Mani-Pravala’ literature.

Some of Desika’s poetry includes Yadhavabyudhayam, an epic of twenty four cantos that depicts the glory of Lord Krishna and his life. This work is considered as his magnum opus. Scholars compare this poem of his with works such as The Bhagavata, Sisupalavadha and the Narayaneeyam in its magnificence and depiction of characters. The work brings out all the rasas of bhakthi and also, like all other works of Desika, expounds the theology of Alwars and in a subtle way, the philosophy of Ramanuja. Some of the verses in this work where he depicts the childhood plays of Krishna and his acceptance of the love of the cowherds take you straight to the banks of Yamuna, the Brindavan. When one reads his depiction of rasa-leela, he might very well find Krishna dancing with his Gopikas right next to him. In his Paduka Sahasra, he writes one thousand and eight verses on the glory of the sandals of Lord Ranganatha. This work signifies the importance of the spirit of service to the Lord and also projects the uniformity in the teachings of the Upanishads and Thiruvaimozi, the songs of the Alwars. His other poetic works include Hama Sandesa, Subhasita nivi, Dramidopanishad Tatparya Ratnavali etc

His works in Mani-Pravala, a unique form of literature in this part of the country, include the extraordinary work of Rahasya-traya-sara in which Desika expounds the three rahasyas or secrets of Vedanta namely the Mula mantra and Saranagati mantra which includes the two parts of the chamara sloka of the Gita. This work, in comprehensive detail, teaches the entire philosophy of Ramanuja and Prapatti, the philosophy of self-surrender. ParamataBanga is a work that refutes every other school of philosophy present at his time and establishes the validity of Visishtadvaita. His poetical works in Mani-Pravala include artha panchaka, prabandha sara, Sri vaishnava dinachari etc.

Not only was Desika a great poet, he was also a great logician and a philosopher par excellence. In the field of Tarka or logic, works such as Satadushani and Paramatabanga stand out as examples of his mastery of this part of knowledge. And in all these works Desika maintains dignity and reverence both to his own acharyas and his opponents unlike modern logicians who flirt with obscenity in their refutations. His tolerance towards the ideas of his opponents teach a lesson or two to the so called modern protectors of Hindu religion who resort to needless violence. Works of drama written by him includes Sankalpa Suryodhaya, the first of its kind, which teaches the means to attainment of salvation through the teachings of Vedanta in a dramatic form.

One can only be awestruck at the achievements of this man. Any one of his serious works would take a lifetime to understand and comprehend. We can only wonder how talented this person was to write hundreds of such works in a span of hundred years. The works mentioned above in this short feature is only a miniscule of the number of works Desika has written. But it is unfortunate that Vedanta Desika is not a well know figure in Indian literature. When we talk about great poets we refer to Kalidasa or Magha or even to western poets such as Keats and Milton but seldom to Desika. Infact even scholars who study Indian literature overlook this giant of a poet-philosopher. Serious research must be taken up on the writings of this superhuman who was rightly given the title of Kavi-Tarkika-Simha, lion among philosophers and poets.

I had to interview Anirudh Athreya, an up and coming Kanjira artist for a project of mine. Here is the transcript of the interview. I found his replies very very interesting.