128. The Devoted Daughter-in-Law

"Do you need anything else?" asked Sumathy.

"Nothing else" said Parvathy.

"Shall I massage your legs?"

"You massaged my legs just half an hour back. How long can you keep doing this? If I had a daughter, even she won't be taking so much care of me!"

Parvathy's eyes began to well, as she said this.

"If a person is not well, someone need to help that person. If it were my mother, wouldn't I be helping her?" said Sumathy.

Parvathy didn't know how to express her gratitude to her daughter-in-law.

Parvathy had been suffering from knee pain for several years, but, till about six months back, she was moving about within the house and taking care of herself, without the need for help from anyone. 

Her knee problem aggravated suddenly and she became bed-ridden.

It was Parvathy's daughter-in-law Sumathy, who was looking after her. From making her sit up on the bed, by gently lifting her and serving food to her, to taking her to the restroom several times a day, by holding her hand and supporting her to walk, Sumathy was taking complete care of her mother-in-law.

Sumathy also gently massaged Parvathy's legs several times a day, in an attempt to ease her pain and make her feel slightly better. Though Parvathy tried to dissuad her from doing so, Sumathy persisted with this service.

Even Parvathy's son Bhupathy confined himself to enquire about her health in a routine way, soon after returning home from work in the evening. But, Sumathy was coming to Parvathy's room every now and then, checking about her requirements and doing the needful. 

Sumathy was sitting in the living room, watching the television, when her friend Sakuntala visited her. 

The friends conversed for some time.

"How is your mother-in-law?" asked Sakuntala.

"She is in the same state. There is no improvement" said Sumathy.

"You are the one, who is taking care of her?"

"Yes."

"Is she awake now? Can I go and see her?"

"She is sleeping. But, if you want, you can go and see her."

"No. I will see her some other time, when she is awake. She seems to be suffering a lot. What a pity!" said Sakuntala.

"Yes. I don't know what sin had she committed in her previous birth. She is suffering and making others suffer too!" said Sumathy.

After Sakuntala had left, Sumathy went into her mother-in-law's room.

Parvathy was lying on the cot, with her eyes closed. When Sumathy tried to massage her leg, Parvathy pulled her leg back. Normally, she won't be able to mover her leg so fast. It should have pained her a lot to do so!

Parvathy opened her eyes and looked at Sumathy. She then said, "No, Sumathy. I have already committed sins in my previous birth. I don't want to accumulate more sins, by making you massage my legs and thereby inflicting pain to your hands!"

Sumathy looked at her mother-in-law's face, wondering whether she would have heard her conversation with Sakuntala.             

Thirukkural
Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 13
Restraint

Verse 128 (In Tamil)

onRAnum thIchchol porutpayan uNdAyin
nanRu AgAdhadhu Agi vidum.

Meaning:

Even if one word that conveys a harmful meaning is uttered, all good intention will come to naught.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'oru sol' by the same author)

Verse 129 (Soon)
Verse 127

550. The Garden at the Mentor's House

"Oh, king! Murder being a punishable crime, how can the king himself commit that crime?" asked the king's mentor Parimala Arangar.

"I don't understand what you are referring to, Guru!" said King Simmendra.

"I am referring to your awarding death sentence to a murderer."

"Guru! Is it wrong to award death sentence to a killer, who had been a threat to the society? As you are aware, the practice of sentencing hardcore criminals to death has been there since time immemorial."

"When the society becomes more and more civilized, should we not give up cruel practices like death sentence? Rethinking, reevaluating and changing are essential components of evolution."

"Guru! Won't you agree that punishment being commensurate with the severity of the crime is a fundamental principle of the justice delivery system?"

"Punishment commensurate with the severity of the crime! If a person murders someone, we should kill the murderer. Going by this logic, if a person is convicted of theft, the palace employees should break into the thief's house and steal things from there!"

The king was momentarily irked by the bizarre reasoning of his mentor. But, considering that he couldn't show his anger at his mentor, he controlled his anger and said, "Guru! As you know, we don't routinely condemn all murderers to death, For murders resulting from emotions or otherwise mitigated by extenuating circumstances, we award only prison sentence to the murderers."

"I don't want to be a mentor for a king who justifies taking away the life of a person, in the name of punishing him. If you ever decide to do away with capital punishment, then send word to me. I will come to your court, to felicitate you on your decision" said the mentor, and left the king's court.

After a few weeks, King Simmendra went to Parimala Arangar's house, by way of making a courtesy call on him.

Parimala Arangar welcomed the king, offered him refreshments, and conversed with him.

After a while, Parimala Arangar told the king, "Oh, king! If you have come here for inviting me back to your court, excuse me. I am not inclined to change my mind."

"No, Guru! I respect your decision. So, I am not going to attempt changing your mind. I came here, only for paying my respects to you. I will take leave of you now" said the king, stood up and walked towards the door.

As he was coming out of the house, he looked at the garden in front of the house. 

He asked Parimala Arangar, "What is this, Guru? Your gardener is plucking out the plants!"

"He is plucking out the weeds, not the plants" said Parimala Arangar.

"Why does he pluck out the weeds? He can just maintain the plants and leave out the weeds!"

"If the weeds are not removed, won't they destroy the plants, by inhibiting their growth?"

Parimala Arangar paused, as if realizing that he had said something wrong.

The king stepped out of his mentor's house, with a broad smile on his face.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 55

The Right Sceptre

Verse 550 (in Tamil):

kolaiyiR kodiyArai vEndhu oRuththal paingUzh
kaLai kattadhanodu nEr.

Meaning:

The king punishing the murderers, by awarding capital punishment to them is akin to (a farmer) plucking out the weeds to protect the crops.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'rAjaguruvin kObam' by the same author.)

Verse 551 (Soon)

Verse 549

549. Two Different Homes

The historian from Greece travelled through various regions of the Samara country. The one message he repeatedly heard from the citizens was, "There can't be another king like ours!"

The impression he gained from what different people had told him during the travel was that King Makarabhupathy was looking after his citizens as a mother would her children.

When the traveler reached the capital of the country, he wanted to meet the king. But the king was not in the palace. He had gone to the border, heading a small regiment of troops, to confront the dacoits, who had been creating trouble for the people living in that region.

"Should the king himself take up the task of fighting the dacoits?" asked the traveler, in amazement.

"The safety of the citizens is paramount to the king. Some dacoits from a neighbouring country have been intruding into our country, attacking and robbing the people in the border region for the past few months. The troops stationed in the border have been driving them out of the border, but the dacoits have been infiltrating into our country repeatedly. After knowing that it was the king of the neighbouring country who had been instigating the dacoits, our king decided to teach him a lesson. That's why he is leading the attack himself. Hearing that the king himself was leading the attacks against them, the dacoits ran away from our country, crossing the border and moving to the other side. The king of the neighbouring country would have realized that if he continued to indulge in such provocative acts, our king won't hesitate to lead our troops into his country and launch an attack. We expect that he won't indulge in such provocative acts again. However, our king has decided to camp in that region for some more time, to infuse confidence in the people of that region" said a palace official.

Unable to meet the king, the traveler desired to visit some places in around the capital. 

One of the places visited by him was an old age home. Old people who had no one to look after them were given accommodation in that home. Arrangements were made to give them food and medical care.

The palace employee, who was sent with the traveler as his guide, proudly told him, "There are many such homes at various places in our country."

"There are two blocks in this home. You took me to one block. Who are residing in the other block?" asked the traveler.

After hesitating for a while, the guide told the traveler, "It is a home for the family members of people undergoing prison sentences, for crimes committed by them."

"Why do you have a separate home for such people? Will that home have poor facilities or will it be like a prison?" asked the traveler, derisively. 

"Not at all. It is identical to the other home in terms of all comforts and facilities. Our king has provided a home for the family members of people convicted of various crimes, with the noble intension that people should not suffer on account of the wrongdoings of one of their family members" said the guide.

"If that was the intention, why should they be housed in a separate home? They could also have been given accommodation in the same home, where people of old age have been given!"

"There are two reasons. One is that the family members of the prisoners should not feel agonized, wondering what others would think of them, since one of their family members has been convicted of a crime. Secondly, the family of a convicted person will have members of various age groups, from children to women. So, each family should be accommodated together, unlike people in old age homes, which will house either individuals or couples. Moreover, facilities for educating the children in the families of prisoners are also available there" explained the guide.

"I am amazed by the compassion shown by your king even towards the family members of people convicted of crimes. But, when your king is so compassionate, he can as well pardon the culprits and spare them the imprisonment!" said the traveler.

"How can it be justified, sir? If a person committing a crime is pardoned and allowed to go scot free, will it not embolden other people to indulge in wrongdoings? Our king is very firm about punishing people who commit crimes. In fact, people consider our king's firmness towards punishing the wrongdoers another of his positive traits" said the guide, with pride.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 55

The Right Sceptre

Verse 549 (in Tamil):

kudi puRam kAththu Ombik kuRRam kadidhal
vaduvanRu vEndhan thozhil.

Meaning:

Punishing a crime, in order to protect and nurture one’s subjects,

is not a blot on the king, but his duty.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'iraNdu vidudhigaL' by the same author.)

Verse 550

Verse 548

548. The Unassailable Leader!

Journalists Kdhir and Sundar were conversing, sitting in the restaurant in which they usually met, occupying a table in one corner, that afforded them some privacy. There was no better place in the public space, where they could converse without being heard or eavesdropped by others.

They were discussing politics, each one often countering the other's views. But, anyone observing their conversation interspersed with loud laughter, would be inclined to conclude that two friends were conversing cheerfully about things they cherished or relished. 

"Four years have passed since Devaraj was elected the President of our country. During these four years, the country has been ruined in most of the areas. The economy has nosedived. Millions of people have lost their jobs. thousands of small and medium enterprises have closed down. Increasing poverty, the consequent suicides and our neighbouring countries getting emboldened to cross the borders and attack our troops are the only achievements of this government!" said Kadhir.

"Some people like you have been making this kind of complaints. But Devaraj has the support of people. There is no leader from the opposition, capable of contesting against Devaraj, in the election to be held next year" said Sundar.

"That may be the case. Raghuveer, who contested against Devaraj in the last election, has been keeping a low profile, from the time he lost to Raghuveer. Occasionally, he would spring up from nowhere, raise an issue and then go into hibernation for a long period. But, I don't go with the popular perception that Devaraj has people's support. It is an open secret that Devaraj won the last election, only by exploiting the divisions among the people. It is also widely accepted that his government has been working against the interests of the common man."

"Even when Devaraj does something good, people like you find fault with him. Recently, his government scrapped the Minimum Wages Act. Taking advantage of the minimum wages rule, employers had avoided paying the workers more than the minimum wages stipulated. With the scrapping of the Minimum Wages Act, workers get a chance to be paid more. Either without understanding this, or refusing to accept this, a section of the workers has been opposing this move and indulging in protests, by joining hands with anti-national forces and some foreign powers."

Kadhir laughed loudly.

"Are you really so naive, or are you pretending to be naive? It is only because there is a law requiring employers to pay minimum wages, that the workers are getting the minimum wages, at least. If this law is rescinded, will the employers feel obliged to pay the employees more? Will it not lead to the danger of the employees getting even less than what they have now been getting, since the employers are not obliged to pay the minimum wages to the employees? What is the basis for Devaraj's supporters claiming that with the scrapping of this Act, employees' earnings will go up? If the government wanted the employees to get more, it should increase the quantum of minimum wages. How can scrapping the Act be good for the employees?

"Devaraj stubbornly refuses to hold talks with the workers' unions. The ministers, officials and celebrities supporting Devaraj denounce the workers' protests and scandalously allege that the protests are instigated and funded by foreign forces. These disparaging attacks are made almost on a daily basis, apparently with the approval and blessing of Devaraj. 

"Devaraj has been leading a luxurious life. He has been touring the world with his family members, on government money. He has bought a very expensive aircraft, fitted with all luxurious facilities. His family members have been using the aircraft every day, the way they will use a car. He has announced his intention to buy a luxurious ship also! Claiming that the present official residence of the President is not big enough, he is constructing a big mansion for use as his official residence. There is no end to his excesses!"

"Whatever critics like you may say, Devaraj is going to win the election again. You people can continue to sulk!" said Sundar, with a feeling of excitement. 

"I don't know. But I am still optimistic that people will put an end to Devaraj's misrule. Even kings with unbridled powers, who ruled tyrannically and oppressed the people, have been dethroned as a result of some unexpected developments. Can't such a development take place in a democracy?" said Kadhir.

"You are entitled to your dreams. But, the reality is that there is no one in the political front to oppose Devaraj. Raghuveer is in deep slumber. Of late, Darwin, a young leader from a remote corner of the country has been making some noises and getting media attention. Maybe he will defeat Devaraj and make your dream come true!" said Sundar, mockingly.

"Even that is a possibility. There is the story of the mighty Goliath having been beaten by the little boy David. That story can take place here. I find the name Darwin to be significant. After all, it is a name linked to evolution and change" said Kadhir.

In the election held next year, to the surprise of all political analysts and experts, Devaraj was defeated by Darwin.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 55

The Right Sceptre

Verse 548 (in Tamil):

eN padhaththAn OrA muRai seyyA mannavan
thaN padhaththAn thAnE kedum.

Meaning:

A king who is not readily accessible and doesn’t rule justly,

will be ruined by his own lowly deeds.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'edhirkka yArum illai' by the same author.)

Verse 549

Verse 547

547. Who Saved the King?

"Come in Vallabharaya!" King Sambudeva greeted the head of the king's personal security force, as the latter entered the king's court.

Vallabharaya bowed to the king and waited to hear from the king why the king had summoned him. 

"Advise your men not to follow me, when I go out in the nights, wearing a disguise, to get a personal assessment of the state of affairs in our country and to find out what ordinary people say about my rule" said the king in a stern voice.

"Pardon me, Your Majesty! For ensuring your security, it is imperative that some guards always remain close to you."

"It is my command that from today, no guard will follow me, during my night outs."

Vallabharaya reluctantly nodded his head and started to leave.

The king stopped him and said, "Don't try to have someone follow me surreptitiously. If you do so, I will deem it a breach of my command."

A few days passed since the king began to go out in the nights, without any security cover. When the minister came to know of this, he pleaded with the king to allow a couple of security guards to follow him, but the king did not accept his plea.

Sambudeva took the additional precaution of leaving the palace without anyones's knowledge, lest some security guards should follow him, despite his strict order against doing so.

When Sambuvaraya was walking in a street, he heard some noises behind him. When he turned back, he saw that a person holding a knife in his hand was overpowered and held by another.

The man who was holding the man with the knife told Sambuvaraya, "This man tried to stab you from behind. I stopped him and saved your life. Go and fetch some men, so that we can take him to the guards and hand him over to them. Hurry up" in a commanding tone.

As Sambudava stood there, not knowing what to do, that man shouted, "Oh, men! Please come here. I have caught a thug, trying to commit a murder."

Hearing his shout, a few people from the neighbourhood rushed to the spot. Some of them joined together and tied the person caught, to a pillar on the pial of a house. A couple of men went in search of a guard, who could be nearby, for handing over the culprit to him.

"How did you catch him?" Sambudeva asked the man, who caught the culprit.

"This man has been roaming about this place for the past few days. When I looked at him from a distance, he appeared to be a foreigner. I had my suspicion about him. Tonight, I was lying awake on the pial of my house, since I didn't get sleep. Hearing the sound of footsteps, I opened my eyes and looked out. I saw someone walking on the street. Now I know it was you. I then closed my eyes and tried to sleep. I heard another set of footsteps. Then I saw this man walking behind you, surreptitiously. Doubting his intentions, I got up, stepped out into the street and walked behind him noiselessly. I noticed the glittering of the knife he was holding in his hand. By that time, he had come close to you. Fearing that he was going to stab you, I ran to him and caught hold of him. Looking at his face, I realized that he was the person I had seen during the last couple of days. Why did he try to stab you? Is there any enmity between the two of you?"

"I have no enemies in this country. But, you say he is a foreigner. Maybe, I have some enemies in other countries" said Sanbudeva, with a chuckle.

"Are you such a notable person to have enemies outside our country?" exclaimed the man. "Anyway, the fact is that someone tried to kill you. It was a miracle that your life had been saved. Do you know who saved you?"

"It was you, of course!"

"Not me. It is the sceptre of our king that saved you. Our king has been ruling this country with integrity and dedication, focusing on the welfare of the people. It is his good rule that saved you" said the person, without being aware that the person saved by him was the king himself. 

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 55

The Right Sceptre

Verse 547 (in Tamil):

iRai kAkkum vaiyagam ellAm avanai
muRai kAkkum muttAch cheyin.

Meaning:

A king protects all the world; he is protected

by the justice that he dispenses resolutely.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kAppARRiyadhu yAr' by the same author.)

Verse 548

Verse 546

546. The Siege That Failed

"We have not been able to conquer a tiny country, that doesn't have a strong army. Even after laying siege of the fort of  Kamudhi's capital for three months, we couldn't force our entry into the fort. We had to beat a shameful retreat. We have never faced such a humiliation in the past."

King Veeraakesary's outburst reflected his anger and frustration. Members of the King's Council assembled in the court received the king's words, with their jaws down, 

"Tell me, minister. How did we lose to a tiny country? Did we not plan the attack properly?"

"Pardon me, Your Majesty. You may recall that I had opined that it was not wise to launch this attack and had suggested that we resolve the issues we have with Kamudhi, through talks" said the minister, somewhat reluctantly.

"You have never supported any of our war proposals. Being a pacifist, you spoke against our going to war with Kamudhi. But, you didn't say that we won't succeed, if we invaded Kamudhi!" retorted Veerakesari.

"That was also one of the reasons for my opposing the war against Kamudhi" said the minister, in a feeble voice. But, the words uttered by him in a low tone didn't reach the king's ears.

Veerakesary now turned his attention to the Head of the Secret Service and asked him, "You had given a report stating that Kamudhi had only a small army and that the country didn't possess an adequate quantity of weapons!"

"Yes, Your Majesty. If the war had taken place, their army couldn't have able to withstand the might of our army, even for a day. But, there was no war, since we couldn't enter the fort" said the Secret Service Head.

"That is true. Their troops didn't open the gates of the fort and come out to fight with us, even after a three months' siege of their fort by our army. There wouldn't have been adequate food for the people, living in the capital city, situated inside the fort. Citizens of that country living outside the fort also had no fear of our army and stubbornly refused to offer any help to our forces. I am amazed by the fierce loyalty of the people of Kumudhi to their king. What do you think of this, minister?" asked Veerakesary, turning to the minister.

"Noticing a sight lessening of the severity in the king's tone, the minister said, "Your Majesty! We should acknowledge the fact that the king of Kamudhi is a just ruler, who has been focusing on the welfare of his people and safeguarding their interests. Even you have admired him for this, while conversing with us. It is only natural that people will be extremely loyal to such a king. That is why we could not conquer him, even though he didn't have a large army or an arsenal of weapons matching what we have. Wise men of lore have proclaimed that a king's sceptre is more powerful than the spear of his opponent. That was the reason for my dissuading you against launching this attack."

The minister looked at the king to gauge how he would have taken his words.

The king's silence indicated that he appreciated the truth in the minister's words. 

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 55

The Right Sceptre

Verse 546 (in Tamil):

vElanRu venRi tharuvadhu mannavan
kOl adhUm kOdAdhu enin.

Meaning:

It is not the spear that gives victory; it is the king’s sceptre,

the one that never tilts unjustly.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'vElai venRa kOl' by the same author.)

Verse 547

Verse 545

545. The King's 'Night Outs'

"I hear that our king has been going out during the nights!"

"I also heard about it. He goes out, even without the knowledge of the king's personal security guards. It seems that the security guards come to know about the king's leaving the palace, only after he returns to the palace. The guards have been having a tough time, unable to make out when the king would leave the palace and when he would return. They couldn't ask the king, either!"

"Well, it is not appropriate for us to talk about this topic. If someone happens to hear us, we will be in trouble. Let us carry on with our work."

The two palace employees who had the above exchange, when they met each other on the street, went their ways.

"I have convened this advisory council, for an important reason. I am going to pose some questions. You should answer the questions truthfully. Even if I am at fault, you shouldn't hesitate to say so" said the king.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" said the minister. "But, before you ask your questions, will you permit me to ask you one question?"

"I know what your question is going to be. The questions I intend to ask you are related to the question you have in your mind. When you finish answering my questions, you will find that your question is answered too! Now, tell me what people say about my rule?"

"Your Majesty! It is well known that under your rule, people are happy and cheerful" said the minister.

"This is not an answer to my question" said the king, with a smile. He then turned to the Secret Service Chief and asked him, "I want you to answer this question." 

Having not expected the king to pose this question to him directly, the Secret Service Chief, stood up from his seat with a jolt and said, "Your Majesty! Except for a few, people have generally been talking in praise of your rule."

''I want to know what those few have been talking." 

"Your Majesty! There will always be a section of people, complaining and finding fault. After all, even Rama* was not spared!" said the minister.

"But Rama did not ignore the criticism. He acted on the criticism by taking an action which he considered appropriate" said the king. 

He then turned the Secret Service Chief and asked him, "Tell me what grievances were mentioned by people in their conversations."

"Nothing particular, Your Majesty. In general, people don't have any grievances. But as per the inputs I got from my men, some people feel that those who commit crimes are not brought to book, that even when they are caught, they are not punished appropriately and that consequently, some bad elements have been committing crimes, without fear. But, as the minister said, there will always be some people, trying to find some fault or other."

"You don't have to hesitate to tell me what your men told you. As your men told you, I myself have heard people airing such views" said the king.

"You have heard such talks!" exclaimed the minister.

"Yes, minister. I heard such talks, when I went out during some nights, in disguise. The question you had wanted to ask me was about my going out alone in the nights, wasn't it? And, you got the answer to your question, didn't you?" asked the king, looking at the minister with a chuckle.

"Pardon me for saying this, Your Majesty. This kind of criticism is voiced by people, who have no understanding of the justice delivery system in our kingdom. Let us not give any importance to this kind of thoughtless remarks" said the minister

"No, minister. I don't want to view this criticism lightly. As you know, there is a widespread belief among the people that if a king provides good rule, the country will have a regular monsoon and that the crops will grow well. Last year, we didn't have a good monsoon. As a result, the crops have withered and the output of foodgrains has fallen steeply. So, thinking that this might have resulted from some deficiency in my rule, I decided to visit some parts of the country, in disguise and listen to what people feel and say about my rule."

"Your Majesty! As you know, these kinds of beliefs are not rational. Viswamitra was a great king. But during his tenure as the king, his country faced a severe amine."

"What you say is true. But, when we come to know that people have some grievances, is it not our duty to redress them? Issue an order to all officials that wherever there is a wrongdoing, they should take strict action on those who commit such wrongdoings. The Secret Service Chief should bring all the grievances being expressed by people in their conversations, to the notice of the minister, whether the grievances are trivial or grave. And the minister should take action to redress them. This is my strict order." said the king.

The minister and the Secret Service Chief nodded their heads quietly.

Suddenly, there was a gust of heavy wind. Many doors of the windows in the palace were shut with a bang, by the force of wind.

"Your Majesty! I think there is going to be a heavy downpour!" said the minister, with excitement.

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 55

The Right Sceptre

Verse 545 (in Tamil):

iyalbuLik kOlOchchum mannavan nAtta

peyalum viLaiyuLum thokku..

Meaning:

In the state of the king who rules justly, as befits a king,

even monsoons and harvests will happen unfailingly.

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

Verse 546

Verse 544