689. A Close Shave!

Sravanan, who was sent by his king as an emissary to a neighbouring country, conveyed the message to King Abhishekavallabhan. 

Abhishekavarman was impressed by Sravanan's way of conveying the message and his pleasant manners. So, he conversed with Sravanan for a while.

During the course of the conversation, Abhishekavallabhan remarked, "I hear that your king's step-brothers have been creating problems for him."

"It is not true" said Sravanan briefly, not willing to discuss the internal affairs of his country with the king of another country. 

"It was your king who told me this. When I met him sometime back, he told me that his step-brother Suryakesi had been conspiring against him" asserted Abhishekavallabhan. 

"I am not aware of such a thing, Your Majesty. All I know is that our king is loved by the people, because he has rightfully..."

Sravanan quickly checked himself and said, "I mean he has been ruling the country in the right way!" and smiled.

'Thank God that I was able to check myself in time from saying 'our king has rightfully climbed the throne.' If I had said so, Abhishekavarman, who is an illegitimate son of the late king, would have construed my statement as a veiled reference to his ascending the throne by killing the legitimate sons of his father. If he had concluded that I made the remark with an intention to degrade him, the mission successfully carried out by me by deploying a lot of care and by using nuanced strategies, would have turned into a disaster. It could even have led to an enmity between the two countries. I saved myself and my country from a grave danger, by stopping in the middle of a sentence and changing my statement, as if I was correcting the structure of my sentence to make it grammatical! It was a close shave. I will use this experience to be even more careful in my speech in future' Sravanan told himself.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 689 (in Tamil):
vidu mARRam vEndharkku uraippAn vadu mARRam
vAy sErA van kaNavan.

Meaning:

An emissary conveying his ruler’s message to another,

should be firm enough never to denigrate him even by a slip of his tongue.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'solla ninaithathu' by the same author.) 

Verse 690 (Soon)
Verse 688

688. The Minister's 'Impropriety'

"We are sending Chithiraichelvan as an emissary for the first time. Will he able to perform the role effectively?" the King asked the Minister.

"Your Majesty! There will be a first time for every person. After all, Nandi country is our friendly country. The experience Chithiraichelvan will gain by going as an emissary to a friendly country will prepare him well to take up challenging assignments in future."

"Okay. Let us see how he performs" said the King. 

"Minister! Chithiraichelvan has come back after completing his mission. He seems to have done a good job" said the Minister.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I can confirm it" said the Minister.

"How?"

"You should forgive me, Your Majesty! Without seeking your approval, I arranged to have the emissary monitored."

"How did you monitor him?"

"I sent a message to one of our intelligence agents operating from Nandi country to keep a watch over Chithiraichelvan. The agent monitored every activity of Chithiraichelvan, from the time he stepped into Nandi country. Even before Chithiraichelvan returned to our country after completing his mission, I received a coded message from the agent about Chithiraichelvan's performance."

"Is it not improper to have an emissary monitored by an intelligence agent?"

"It is, Your Majesty! But there was a need to assess how an inexperienced person going to another country as an emissary for the first time performs. Your Majesty also expressed some concern about his ability to perform the role!" said the Minister, apologetically. 

"Ok. What did the intelligence agent say about Chithiraichelvan's performance?"

"Chithiraichelvan had been steadfast in maintaining his character, while being in Nandi country. The intelligence agent set a honey trap to him, by sending a seductive call girl to entice him. But. Chithiraichelvan spurned her seductive moves and sent her away. Secondly, Chithiraichelvan got acquainted with a wise and courageous citizen of Nandi country to get some help he might have needed while being in that country. Thirdly, while conveying your message to the King of Nandi, Chithiraichevan had been bold and unequivocal. He answered the King's questions truthfully. When the King repeatedly asked Chithiraichelvan about things which he was not expected to talk about, he told the king that he had no information on that subject and added courageously that even if he had, he wouldn't reveal it."

"Minister, I am happy about the assessment you made about the emissary. But, as to your act of asking an intelligence agent to follow our emissary..."

The King paused.

The Minister looked at the King, with apprehension. 

"It was an act of impropriety. But, I can't fault you for it, because I also committed the same impropriety!" said the King.

"How, may I ask, Your Majesty."

"Just like you, I also engaged a spy to monitor the emissary. The report given by my source is in concurrence with the report you received from your source!" said the King smiling. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 688 (in Tamil):
thUymai thuNaimai thuNivudaimai immUnRin
vAymai vazhi uraippAn paNbu.

Meaning:

The qualifications required of a person who faithfully delivers his king's message are purity, ability to seek support from sources in the country of his visit and boldness. In addition to the above three, he should also be truthful.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thUtharaip pin thodarndhu' by the same author.) 

Verse 689
Verse 687

687. The Emissary Who Became Ill

"You said an emissary had come from Maragatha country!" King Subhakeerthy, asked the Minister.

"Yes, Your Majesty! He arrived here last night. We have put him up in our guest house. We told him that he could meet you this morning. But, this morning, he suddenly became ill. So, we can get him to the palace only tomorrow" said the Minister. 

"What if he is not well? He can come here, convey the message, go back to the guest house and take rest!" said the King, showing his displeasure.

"He is suffering from severe dysentery, Your Majesty" said the Minister, with embarrassment.

The emissary could not come to meet the King the next day, either. The Minister informed the King that the palace physician was treating the emissary, but that the emissary was still not cured.

"In that case, you may meet him and get the message from him" the King told the Minister.

"I tried to do so, Your Majesty. But, the emissary told me that the King of Maragatha had strictly instructed him that he should personally communicate the message to Your Majesty" replied the Minister.

"In that case, I will visit him at the guest house this evening and hear the message from him."

"Your Majesty! It may not be appropriate for you to go to the place where the emissary is staying and see him."

"There is a dispute between us and Maragatha country about the ownership of the Cardomom island. I am curious to know what message the king of Maragatha had sent to us through the emissary. I am impatient of waiting for the emissary to recover from his illness and come to meet me."

"How is your health, Emissary?" asked the King.

Meganathan, the emissary, who was lying on a cot, was momentarily startled by the King's voice and made a strong effort to get up. 

"Don't strain yourself. You can convey the message to me, lying on the cot" said King Subhakeerthi, in a commanding tone.

"Your Majesty! How can I be llying down, when you are standing?"

The King sat on a seat near the bed and told Meghanathan, "Now, convey the the message to me!"

Meghanathan said something, but his voice being feeble, the King could not hear him clearly. The King bent down, kept his ear near Meghanathan's lips and listened to him. 

After listening to the message conveyed by Meghanathan, the King became livid with anger. In an impulse, he almost drew out his sword to strike Meghanathan, but restrained himself and got up from the seat. 

Observing the King's reaction, the Minister, who was standing nearby asked him, "What was the message conveyed by him, Your Majesty?"

"The King of Maragatha asserts that the Cardomom Island belongs to his country and demands that we immediately withdraw our troops stationed there. If we don't, he will send his warships there and decimate our troops stationed in the island! This was the message conveyed by this sick man, lying on the cot! If he had conveyed this message to me in my court, it would have caused me immense disgrace. In such a situation, I don't know what I would have done to him. Driven by an impulse, I could have even beheaded him, violating the tradition of not harming an emissary. Whether the emissary recovers from his illness or not, ensure that by the end of tomorrow, he is taken away from here and left at some place outside the border of our country."

The king left the place in anger, after instructing the minister.

When the minister looked at Loganathan's face, he discerned a faint smile at the corners of his lips.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 687 (in Tamil):
kadan aRindhu kAlam karudhi idan aRindhu
eNNi uraippAn thalai.

Meaning:

Foremost among envoys is one who knows the task,

weighs the time and place, and speaks with sagacity.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thUthanin udalnilai' by the same author.) 

Verse 688
Verse 686

686. The Minister's Suggestion

"We have to send an emissary to Kalanjiya country. Servarayan, the king of Kalanjiya is a scholar. He has read books on a wide range of subjects. He will try to convince our emissary that he is being fair and reasonable. He will cite many historical events to justify his point of view. Therefore, the emissary we send should be an erudite person, be able to present the facts to him boldly and answer his arguments in a logical way. He should be able to convey our message to Servarayan clearly and boldly, without mincing words.

"Servarayan has the habit of trying to intimidate the other person if he fails to convince the other person, or if he finds that the other person is firm in his convictions. Though there is an unwritten rule that no harm should be caused to an emissary, Servarayan will try to intimidate the emissary, using an angry gaze and veiled threats. The person we send as our emissary should be capable of facing these challenges."

The minister listened to the king's words, without saying anything.

"Why are you silent? Are you not able to think of anyone with the capabilities mentioned by me?" asked the king.

"Your Majesty! There is one person who fits the requirements mentioned by you. But, I am not sure whether we can send him as our emissary" said the minister, in a tone of hesitation. 

"Who is he? Why can't we send him as the emissary?"

"If you permit, he can be sent. He is in prison now!"

"Whom are you referring to?"

"Your cousin Nandivarman" said the minister and looked at the king, wondering how he would react to his suggestion.

"Nandivarman! He was sent to jail for his disloyalty to the throne. You are picking up that man for this job!" remarked the king, angrily. 

"Your Majesty! You had entrusted him with with certain duties relating to the administration of the country. But, you were displeased with some of his activities. When you questioned him about his deeds, he justified them from his point of view. You didn't accept his explanation. He averred that he acted after careful thinking of the issues involved and that his actions were aimed at the good of the country. His crime was that he reiterated his views, without being intimidated by your disapproval of his line of thinking. If you can look at his actions from another perspective, you can see that he has the qualities required of an emissary, the qualities listed by you. It is my humble opinion that you should release him from the prison, send him as your emissary to Kalanjiya country and subsequently make use of him in the performance of tasks relating to governance!"

The minister waited with bated breath for the king's response to his suggestion. 

The king was silent for a minute and then said, "Minister! After listening to you, I have realized that the qualities of an emissary listed out by me are possessed not only by Nandivarman, but also by you! Ask Nandivarman to be released, treat him with honour and bring him to me. I will request him to accept the assignment of going to Kalanjiya country, as our emissary" said the king. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 686 (in Tamil):
kaRRuk kaN anjAn selach chollik kAlaththAl
thakkadhu aRivadhAm thUthu.

Meaning:

A good envoy is well learned, can look anyone in the eye without fear, has compelling speech and comes up with timely strategies.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'thEvai oru thUthar' by the same author.) 

Verse 687
Verse 685

169. A Man of Noble Heart

When lyricist Kasilingam came to the film studio, he brought a young man with him.

"Who is this young man? Is he your assistant?" asked the producer. 

"His name is Ilavarasan. He pens good lyrics" said Kasilingam.

"How did you find him?"

"He had been sending his poems to me by post. I have always been receiving poems from a number of budding poets. I won't read most of the poems. I would randomly pick a few poems and read them. Among them were the poems sent by Ilavarasan. I found his poems to be interesting. I sent him a letter appreciating his poems. He came to Chennai from his native place to see me, bringing my letter along, as if it was a call letter for an interview! I told him,' Hundreds of budding poets are roaming about the streets of Chennai, hoping to get a chance to write lyrics for films. But, getting a chance to write for a film is not easy' and sent him away. But he had been visiting my home every morning and waiting at my doorstep. I ignored him all along. However, considering his persistence and talent, I brought him here, to request you to give him a chance in one of your films" said Kasilingam.

The producer told Ilavarasan "Please wait outside the room. I will call you after a while."

After Ilavarasan had gone out, the producer told Kasilingam, "What is this, sir? The film world is notorious for the fierce competition among the various kinds of artists. Each artist is trying to drive others out so that he could monopolize the field. But, you have brought in a person to be your competitor. And, you are asking me to give him a chance!"

"I thought I could help a person who had talent. If he comes up in this field and overtakes me in future, I am not going to grudge his success!"

"You are a person with a golden heart. I don't think I can find another person like you in this field. I will give a chance to this boy, only out of my respect for you" said the producer.

The very first song written by Ilavarasan earned a name for him. He began to get chances to write songs for a number of films. His graph was rising very fast. A stage was reached when the leading actors began to insist that Ilavarasan should write the songs for their films. Within a short time, Ilavarasan reached a height above the reach of other lyricists in the field. 

"Sir! You will be writing three songs for this film. Lyricist Mani will write the remaining two songs" said Ilavarasan's secretary. 

"No way. Hereafter, I should be the only lyricist for the films I am working for. Tell the producers who come to book me for their films that I would write for their films, only if they agree to this condition" Ilavarasan told his secretary. 

"Why do you want to insist on this condition, sir?"

"If a song written by another person for the same film becomes more popular than the songs written by me, then people will start talking that the other lyricist writes better than me. Should I have to listen to such nonsense?"

'If Lyricist Kasilingam had thought this way, you wouldn't have been able to enter the film world at all!' thought the secretary. 

Though the producers did not like the condition insisted on by Ilavarasan, they were forced to accept it, since the leading actors were adamant that Ilavarasan should write the lyrics for their films. As a result, the other lyricists found opportunities for them dwindling.

When Kasilingam was coming out of the studio, film director Kittu, a long time friend of Kasilingam, ran into him. 

"How are you, Kasilingam? It has been long since we met. After all, I have not directed any film during the last few years" said Kittu.

After conversing for a few minutes, Kasilingam took leave of Kittu. 

"Where is your car? Is your driver bringing it here?" asked Kittu.

"I have no car and hence no driver. I have no money, either. I alone exist!" said Kasilingam, using poetical language.

"What happened, Kasi?" asked Kittu, shocked by Kasilingam's reply. 

"Just as opportunities have dwindled for other lyricists, after the rise of Ilavarasan, opportunities have become scarce for me also. With my present level of income, I can't maintain a car. So, I have sold my car. I use only public transport and on rare occasions, a cab" said Kasilingam.

An Audi car went fast them. 

"It is Ilavarasan!" said Kittu, looking  at the fast moving car.      

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 17
Bearing No Envy

Verse 169 (In Tamil)

avviya nenjaththAn Akkamum sevviyAn
kEdum ninaikkp padum..

Meaning:

The wealth of a man of envious mind and the poverty of a person with a good heart need to be analysed.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'uyarndha uLLam' by the same author)

Verse 170 (Soon)
Verse 168

685. Kathirvelan's Questions

"Are not emissaries expected to go alone, when they are on a mission?" asked Kathirvelan.

"Yes, in general. But, why do you ask this question?" asked Kumaravyasan.

"You are the emissary. Why did they ask me to accompany you?"

"They might have sent you along with me, thinking that you would be of some help to me!"

"But I didn't render any help to you. There was neither a need nor an opportunity for me to render any help to you!"

"In that case, you will have to think and find an answer to the question why they sent you with me."

"The minister has not left even that task to me. While briefing me about this mission, the minister told me that he was sending me as your assistant, with a view to give me an opportunity to learn things from you. He exhorted me to keep my mouth shut, quietly accompany you and just observe the things you say and do."

"Why did you ask me the question, then?"

"I asked you with a fond hope that you might give me a different answer! By the way, may I know what the minister told you about me?"

"Of course. He told me, 'Someday, this boy would become an excellent emissary. I am not sure whether you will be alive at that time. So, learn things from him now itself!'"

"Please don't ridicule me. I have a keen desire to learn a lot from you. Can I ask you some questions?"

"You can. But just now, you told me that the Minister had asked you to keep your mouth shut?"

"Again, you are pulling my leg! I am asking you for this favour, only out of my strong desire to learn things from you."

"Okay. Shoot your questions."

"First of all, I would like to convey my astonishment at the way you communicate. You collected your thoughts in an organized way and conveyed the message given by our king in a concise and coherent way, yet ensuring that the communication was comprehensive and clear. I noticed that the king of this country was impressed by the way you delivered the message to him." 

"Communicating the message in a concise and coherent way, ensuring that no point is missed, is the foremost skill to be mastered by a person wishing to serve as an emissary. If you want to become an emissary, you should acquire this skill first."

"I understand, sir. I have another question. When the king asked you how the crop yield in our country was, you told him that since a part of the crops had been damaged by heavy rains, the harvest was lower than normal this year. But, we had a bountiful harvest this year!"

"While travelling in this country, I noticed that there was famine in some parts of this country. If I had said that we had a bountiful harvest in our country, the king would have felt bitter about the famine in his country. A person, however good he is, will be inclined to compare his status with that of another. Such a comparison will invariably create a feeling of bitterness towards the other. This has nothing to do with a person being good or bad. This is human nature. When I told the king that our crop yield was lower this year, that information would have given some consolation to the king. That is why I gave a slightly gloomy picture about the crop yield in our country. This does not amount to telling a lie."

"I understand. But, you also lied about one thing!"

"What was that?"

"You told the king that people of this country were very hospitable and that they offered food and shelter to us, during our travel within the country. But this was not true. No one offered food to us. We had to starve during the major part of our journey, since there were not many places that offered food for money, either."

"If we speak to a king highly about his people, will he not feel proud and elated? When he is in a happy state of mind, he will be more inclined to listen to us. The chances of his giving us a favourable response will also be good, won't they be?'

"In fact, that is what has happened! By accompanying you, I have learnt how an emissary should conduct himself to make his mission successful and secure benefits to his country through his mission" said Kathirvelan, with a feeling of happiness and satisfaction.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 685 (in Tamil):
thogach chollith thUvAdha nIkki nagach cholli
nanRi payappadhAm thUthu.

Meaning:

Being coherent in speech, avoiding harsh words, and speaking in a pleasing manner are the ways an envoy should adopt, to get an outcome favourable to his country.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kadhir vEndhanin kELvigaL' by the same author.) 

Verse 686
Verse 684

684. The Emissary

Arivanandam, who returned to his home country, after completing his mission of carrying a message to the king of a hostile country, met the king of his country and conveyed to him what transpired in the meeting he had with the enemy king.

After Arivanandam had briefed the king and left, the king summoned the minister and told him, "Arivanandam's mission has been successful. King Kathirvelan has accepted our proposal."

"Very happy to know this, Your Majesty" replied the minister.

"I don't see any sign of happiness in your tone or on your face!" said the king, with a chuckle.

"I am happy, Your Majesty."

"I understand that you are unhappy about my sending Arivanandam as our emissary, instead of Ramadasar, recommended by you."

"Your Majesty! I recommended Ramadasar, considering that he is intelligent and erudite and hence highly appropriate for the mission. But, I am not unhappy about your sending Arivanandam as our emissary."

"Acting on your recommendation, I asked Ramadasar to accept the mission. But, he told me that he won't be the appropriate choice for the mission and recommended Arivanandam, instead. I requested him to advise Arivanandam about the intricacies of functioning as an emissary. Accordingly, he advised Arivanandam. Arivanandam went as our emissary and performed his task successfully. Since you were indisposed and confined to your home as per the advice of the palace physician, I had no opportunity to appraise you of these developments, earlier" said the king. 

"Your Majesty! I am perplexed by the question why Ramadasar considered himself unsuitable to act as an emissary.When he had considered himself unsuitable for the job, how could we consider his advising Arivanandam appropriate?" remarked the minister. 

"Minister! When I told Ramadasar that you considered that he possessed the intelligence and erudition required to serve as an emissary, do you know what his response was?" 

"What did he say?"

"He said 'An emissary should have one more trait - an impressive appearance. I don't have that. The minister might have overlooked this disqualification, because of the affection he has for me. But, a good appearance is also important for an emissary. Only a person with good appearance, a keen intelligence and erudition is competent to serve as an emissary.' He then recommended Arivanandam for the job" said the king and looked at the minister. 

The minister recalled Ramadasar's face studded with freckles and wondered how he had failed to consider his unattractive appearance, while recommending him as the emissary. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 69
The Ambassadorial Mission

Verse 684 (in Tamil):
aRivu uru ArAyndha kalvi im mUnRan
seRivudaiyAn selga vinaikku.

Meaning:

Intelligence, good appearance and thorough learning - he who has these three in abundance, let him be the one to go on a diplomatic mission.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'amaichcharin parindhuraiyai ERkAdhadhu En?' by the same author.) 

Verse 685
Verse 683