633. The Indignant Prince

"Father! Why should we invite the king of Valliya country to our palace? Valliya is a small country. Should we give so much importance to that country?" 

"Yes, son. I also feel the same way. But this arrangement has been made by our minister. I have given him a certain amount of discretion. He has been acting within that discretion. It won't be appropriate to question his decision" replied the King.

"Who is the monarch, you or the minister?" asked Komagan, angrily.

"Your Majesty! We have received information through our intelligence network that Malaya country is making preparations to invade Kundala country. Kundala country has always been friendly with us. So, I suggest that we send our troops to support the Kundala army in its war against Malaya country" said Minister Arulmozhi.

"Honourable Minister! I am unable to understand why you have so much concern for the welfare of other countries. Some time back, you invited the King of a small country like Valliya to our palace and had him as our guest for a few days. Now you want us to send our troops to fight along with the troops of Kundala country. Have we built up our army for the sake of fighting the wars of other countries?" flared Komagan. 

"Komagan! Though you are not a member of the Elders Council, I invited you to the meeting of the Council, since I wanted you to get acquainted with the developments relating to our country's engagement with other countries. You may speak, if I ask for your opinion. Otherwise, just listen to what others say. I disapprove of the way you spoke to the Minister" the King reprimanded his son.

Minister Arulmozhi told the King, "Your Majesty! It is my duty to clarify the doubts the Prince may have."

The King nodded his head, signaling his consent. 

Arulmozhi then turned to Komagan, smiled at him and said, "Prince! When people who have stood by us in the past encounter a threat, we have a moral obligation to extend our help and support to them."

Komagan did not appear to be satisfied by the Minister's terse reply.

"Minister! The dangerous development we have been apprehending since long is now at our doorsteps!" said the King, his voice betraying his concern and consternation.

"Yes. The army of Kari country has launched an attack on our troops stationed at the border. The Kari army is trying to invade and capture our country. Our army is not strong enough to fight the mighty army of Kari country. What are we going to do?" asked Komagan.

"We have a three tier defence setup. so, we will be able to thwart the attack of the Kari army" said the Minister.

"What is this three tier setup?" asked Komagan, perplexed.

"Valliya country had been friendly with Kari country. We invited the King of Valliya to our palace, befriended him and made him our ally. Therefore, Valliya country will not send its troops in support of Kari country, as they did in the past during Kari's war with another country" said the Minister.

The King interjected and told Komagan, "You questioned our inviting the king of Valliya to our palace and having him as a valued guest in our country for a few days. If we had not extended our hand of friendship to him and alienated him from the king of Kari, Valliya's troops would have joined the war on the side of the Kari troops, making the fight more difficult for us. Do you understand the significance of the Minister's move in inviting the king of Valliya?"

Komagan nodded his head silently. 

"Secondly, the troops of Kundala are going to attack the Kari country from the eastern border, even as the Karmi army is trying to invade our country from their southern border. Kundala country will do this in return for our help in sending our army to support its army in its war against the Malya country. With Kundala attacking Kari from the east, Kari will be forced to abandon its invasion into our country, since it cannot fight the war on two fronts" the King added.

"You spoke about a three tier setup. What is the third tier?" Komagan asked with interest.  

The Minister looked at the King and told him in an apologetic tone, "Your Majesty! I did something without seeking your prior permission."

"What is it?" asked the King, feeling apprehensive.

"We know that your cousin who left the palace after a misunderstanding with you has taken shelter in a place near the border and been building up his own army to fight you."

"Yes. You told me that since the local tribes near the border have been protecting him, we have not been able to arrest him."

"Pardon me, Your Majesty. I had located his hiding place with the help of our intelligence network. A few days back, I went to his hiding place secretly and met him. He is remorseful of acting against you. He wants to apologize to you, return to the palace and serve you, as he did in the past. Since, for the past few months, you have been seized of the looming threat of a war with Kari country, I thought of bringing him to you, after the situation eased."

The King cut short the Minister saying, "We can deal with it later. What has that to do with the present war?"

"Your cousin has a small army comprising a few hundred men. But they are experts in launching clandestine attacks on the enemy troops by hiding themselves in strategic places. By making use of them, we can stun the Kary army" said Arulmozhi

"Minister! Forgive me for speaking to you harshly, without understanding your intricate planning and strategic moves" Komagan told Arulmozhi, folding his palms together. 

"What is this Prince? You are the Crown Prince" said the Minister, holding the Prince's hands.

The King beamed in satisfaction about his son son having gained an understanding about the Minister's thinking.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 633 (in Tamil):
piritthalum pENIk koLalum pirindhArp
poruththalum valladhu amaichchu.

Meaning:

The minister is one who can bring about discord (among foes), maintain the good-will of the king's friends and restore to friendship of those who were estranged from the king.

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

Verse 634 (Soon)
Verse 632

145. The Broken Spectacles

"I am unable to put up with that man's amorous advances" Parvathy told her husband Sankaran.

"What does he do?"

"When madam is in the house, he will keep away from me, pretending to be a gentleman. During the times madam is not there, he will act funny. When I am sweeping the floor, he will come and stand near me, almost touching my body with his and say, 'See, there is a bit of dust here,' showing some spot on the floor. When I turn to look at the spot, he will brush against me, as if by accident. When I am cleaning the vessels in the kitchen, he will come to the kitchen, pretending to be looking for something in the kitchen shelf, stand there for a while and stare at me. He will exhibit such inappropriate behaviour, in many other ways. Being a woman, I can't describe them to you elaborately."

"Why don't you go there for work, during the time he won't be in the house."

"I have to go there twice every day, once in the morning and once in the evening. He will be at home, at least during one of the two slots."

"Parvathy, I have a job in a government organization. Though I am only a low level employee, I am getting a good pay. After a couple of years, I can even get a house allotted to me in the government quarters. He is a senior officer. I cannot afford to antagonize him. Even if we give a complaint against him, it won't have any effect. It may even lead to my losing the job. If you feel that you can't put up with his behaviour, quit the job. You can get a job in some other house. Even if you don't, it doesn't matter. We can manage to run our family on my income alone" said Sankaran.

Parvathy didn't say anything.

Sankaran was employed as a low level employee in a public sector undertaking. The undertaking had residential quarters for the employees. Parvathy was employed as a maid in some of the quarters including the house of Arumugam, a senior executive in the undertaking. 

What she narrated to her husband was the inappropriate behaviour of Arumugam towards her.

When Parvathy went to Arumugam's house that evening to do the chores, only Arumugam was in the house.

"Is madam not there, sir?" asked Parvathy.

"Don't you see that I am here?" replied Arumugam.

Parvathy began to sweep the floor.

As she was sweeping the floor with a broom, bending her back, she sensed a shadow falling on her and turned back.

Arumugam had quietly come near her and stood behind her.

"What do you want, sir?" asked Parvathy, politely.

Without replying, Arumugam tried to hug her from behind.

"Leave me!" said Parvathy, in protest.

"Yield to me just for once. I will never trouble you again. See this."

He opened his palm and showed a five hundred rupee note he was holding. 

Parvathy picked up the broomstick and began to hit him on different parts of his body including his head, back, chest. hips and legs. Arumugm's spectacles slipped and fell on the floor and broke into pieces.  

"Stop! What do you think you are doing? I will ruin you. Do you want your husband to lose his job?" Arumugam shouted, jumping in pain and shock, 

"You think that if someone is poor, you can do anything to him or her? Just see what I am going to do to you" Parvathy yelled back, in anger.

She then called out "Senthil!"

"I am here, sister!" answered a voice from nearby. A young man made his appearance before them, as if from nowhere.

"Who are you? How did you enter my house? You are an intruder. Shall I call the police?" shouted Arumugam, feeling angry and helpless.

"Please call, sir!" said Senthil, laughing.

"You scoundrel! What do you think of yourself? Do you think we will be scared, if you just mention the word 'police?' Call the police, by all means. Let the police come here. Senthil will show the video taken by him to the policemen. They will then decide whom they should take to the police station" said Parvathy.

"Video! What do you mean?" asked Arumugam, rattled by Parvathy's words.

"When I came here to work in the morning, madam told me that she won't be at home in the evening. I knew that you would try to misbehave with me, when madam was not present. That is why I brought Senthil, who is my neighbour, with me. He was standing near the entrance of the house and observing what was happening. The moment you came near me, he sneaked into the house and began to shoot the video, using his mobile phone."

"Listen to me. Delete the video. I promise that such a thing won't happen again" Arumugam pleaded with Parvathy.

"Hereafter, I can't work here. I will cite some reason to madam and quit the job. If you try to sabotage my husband's career, by misusing your authority, by way of taking revenge on me, I will send this video to your higher officials. If you give even a small trouble to my husband, you will lose both your job and your honour" said Parvathy.

She then told Senthil, "Let us go" and walked out of the house. 

Arukugam stood transfixed, gazing the broken pieces of glass on the floor.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 145 (In Tamil)

eLidhu ena il iRappAn eydhum engnAnRum
viLiyAdhu niRkum pazhi.

Meaning:

One who indulges in adultery with another’s wife, considering it to be simple (without anticipating the consequences), will beget a blame that will stay forever.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'udaindha kaNNAdi' by the same author)

Verse 146
Verse 144

632. The Successor

"Minister! I want you to accompany me, when I do the rounds in some parts of our country, in disguise, tonight" the King told the Minister.

The Minister nodded his head acknowledging the King's command, puzzled why the King wanted to take him along.

That evening, the King and the Minister disguised themselves as ordinary people and went to a place about ten miles from the palace. It was quite dark when they reached that place.

They got down from the chariot in which they travelled and sent the chariot back to the palace, instructing the charioteer to bring the chariot back to the same spot, the next morning around the time of sunrise.

After entering the village, the King stopped a man walking on the street and asked him, "Sir! We are coming from a far off place. We are heading towards the palace with a desire to see the King. Since it has become dark, we would like to halt at this village and resume our journey tomorrow. Can you suggest a place where we can stay for the night?"

"I can have you stay in my house. But there is a rule in our village that if any stranger visits our village, we should inform our village head about it. So, I will inform our village head about your visit and come back. I will be happy to accommodate you in my house, after I get the clearance from our village head" said that man. 

"Why should you inform your village head about a stranger visiting your village? Is your leader an autocrat?" asked the King.

"Sir! Please don't use such words about him. Our leader is a noble person. He has made this rule, only for the purpose of protecting us from any harm from unsavoury visitors" said the man.

"What if someone doesn't inform him?"

"Our village head is a kind man. But, if someone violates rules, he will act strictly against that person. That is why every one in the village loves him, even while respecting him. Till now, no one in the village has acted against his instructions. You can come with me and meet our leader. You can see for yourself what sort of a person our leader is."

When they went to the village head's house, he was reading some palm leaves.

The man who took them there, told the village head about the purpose of their visit.

The village head told them, "My family members are away. So, you can stay in my house. Just a minute, I will arrange some food for you two" and got up from his seat. 

"Don't bother, sir. We had had our food on the way" said the King.

The person who brought them there took leave of them. 

The King and the Minister took their seats on the pial of the village head's house.

"May I know what book you are reading?" the King asked the village head. 

"This is a book on the moral values to be followed by people. Since a leader has to be well versed in ethics, morals and principles of justice and equity, I am reading this book."

"If there is any dispute among some people in your village, will you adjudicate the dispute?" asked the King.

"People will come to me with a request to adjudicate the issue. I will have a wise man sit with me while hearing the dispute, take his advice and then decide" said the village head.

The King and the Minister returned to the palace the next morning.

"What do you think of the village head we met yesterday?" the King asked the Minister.

"Oh, he is a fine man. Even at the young age, he has maturity of thinking. He has the welfare of his people in his mind. He has created a system of getting any visitor to the village vetted by him, by making a rule that any stranger visiting the village should be reported to him. He has been enforcing the rule strictly for the safety of the villagers. Care and concern for his people while also being strict with them if they violate any rule, realizing the need to be well versed in the principles of ethics, morality and justice and reading books on these subjects to enhance his knowledge, taking the counsel of wise men when needed - these are the qualities which we were able to see in him, even during the short period of our interaction with him. He has the noble traits of wisdom, love and affection, learning and firmness. May I know how you came to know of him? Why did you take me along when you went to meet him?"

"During my rounds in various parts of the country, I came to know about this person For a few days, I observed him from a distance. The reason I took you along with me is to facilitate your meeting him and then ascertain from you whether he has the qualities needed in a minister" said the King, with a smile.

"What do you mean, Your Majesty?" asked the Minister, even as he began to discern the meaning of the King's words.

"Sometime back, you have conveyed to me your intention to retire from your post. So, I not find a replacement for you. How is my selection?" asked the King, with a feeling of pride.

"Your choice is excellent, Your Majesty. But, I am wondering whether I possess the traits of the person you are going to appoint as my successor" said the Minister. unpretentiously. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 632 (in Tamil):
vankaN kudi kAththal kaRRARidhal ALvinaiyOdu
aindhudan mANdadhu amaichchu.

Meaning:

A sense of determination in tune with the task, protecting the citizens, learning and sustained efforts -

a minister is one who possesses these five qualities.

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

Verse 633
Verse 631

146. A Shadow From the Past

"How I wish that my elder brother had chosen some other place to conduct the marriage of his daughter!" remarked Sivamani.

"Why do you say so? Your brother is a person who commands good respect in the village. He is wealthy. He has a big mansion in the village. He has people around him, who would do things at his command. Why should he forego all these advantages and choose to conduct his daughter's marriage in another place?" asked his wife Santha.

"I had not been to my village for the past fifteen years. If I go there now to attend the marriage, people known to me will find fault with me for not visiting the village for such a long time."

"Should you be worried about it? Everyone knows that after my father passed away soon after our marriage, you have settled down at this place, in order to look after my father's business."

"That is true. But the villagers will still question me for having not visited my village even once, during these fifteen years."

"Yes. Even I have wondered why you didn't show any interest in visiting your native village all these years!" said Santha.

"There is no particular reason for this. Once I started looking after your father's business, I was unable to move out because my presence was always required here for the day-to-day running of the business. If you can't understand this, how are people in my village going to?" said Sivamani.

That incident had happened one year before Sivamani's marriage. His brother being a wealthy and influential person in the village, Sivamani was living a carefree life. Driven by the energy of his youth. he was roaming about the village in the company of hos friends, 

One day, he went to the house of Utharapathy, a resident of the village, to convey a message from Sivamani's brother. When Sivamani went there, Utharapathy was not home. His wife Susila was at home alone. Sivamani conveyed the message intended for Utharapathy to Susila and got up to leave. At that time, due to some impulse, Susila pulled Sivamani towards her and hugged him. Though stunned by this, Sivamani yielded to her desire.  

After that, Sivamani and Susila met quite a few times ensuring that nobody saw them together. Though both had the apprehension that they could be caught, neither did anything to end the relationship.

Eventually, the illicit relationship was sensed by someone in the village and through him the news began to spread. But no one dared to bring this to the knowledge of Sivamani's brother, out of the fear people had for him.

As soon as Sivamani came to know that his affair with Susila had become a talking point in some circles in the village, he stopped meeting Susila. But, even after ending is relationship with Susila, he was living in the constant fear of the information about his affair with Susila reaching the ears of either his brother or Utharapathy.

Once, when Sivamani was walking on a street in the village, he saw Utharapathy walking towards him from the opposite side, carrying a sickle in his hand. For a moment, Sivamani froze in fear, almost feeling sure that Utharapathy was going to cut off his head with the sickle.

But, after coming near him, Utharapathy passed him with a smile. Sivamani felt as if he was given a new lease of life. 

A person walking with a sickle in his hand is a common sight in village. Reflecting on the fact how such a common sight had created the fear of death in him, Sivamani cursed himself for having committed the wrong of having an affair with the wife of another man.

One day, Utharapathy committed suicide by hanging himself. His suicide was attributed to the insurmountable debt problem faced by him.

However, Sivamani had a lurking suspicion that Utharapathy could have committed suicide, driven by a sense of shame on coming to know of his wife's affair with Sivamani.

After a few months, Sivamani married Santha. With Santha's father passing away one month after the marriage, the responsibility of carrying on his business fell on Sivamani's shoulders. Sivamani shifted his residence to his father in law's place and took over the business. After that, Sivamani did not visit his native village.

'As pointed out by Santha, I have been avoiding visiting my native village. Now, I have to visit my village to attend the marriage of my brother's daughter!' reflected Sivamani.

Many people in the village exchanged greetings with Sivamani and conversed with him. He was not sure how many of them knew about his affair with Susila.

When Sivamani had a chance to be alone with his childhood friend Muthu, he asked Muthu, "How is Utharapaty's wife doing?'

"After the demise of her husband, she has seldom stepped out of her house. She has leased out her lands and been living on the income she gets from the lease. Why are you asking about her?" replied Muthu.

"Well. I remembered some people in the village gossiping that she had an affair with me" said Sivamani, reluctantly.

"Yes. I had also heard such a talk."

"Are they still talking about it?"

"In the village, such talks will always remain in the air. They may subside over time but will never go away. They will be carried from one generation to another."

"Do you believe it to be true?"

"Don't I know about you?" replied Muthu.

Sivamani was not sure what Muthu's reply meant.

"Why talk about it now?" asked Muthu, apparently intending to move away from that topic.

But, he continued to talk about Utharapathy's family.

"You know that Utharapathy had a son. He has grown big. He has done his bachelor's degree from the college near our town. He told me that he wanted to meet you."

"Why does he want to meet me?" asked Sivamani, shocked by Muthu's words.

'Has he known the truth? As it happens in films, is he going to take revenge on me?'

Questions like these surfaced in Sivamani's mind.

"He wants to start a small business. It seems someone in the village advised him to seek your advice, since you have experience in running a business."

Sivamani felt as if his breath had stopped for a while and got revived.

'How long am I going to live in regret, shame and the fear of sin and vengeance for a wrong I had committed many years back?'

Sivamani had no answer to this question.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 14
Possession of Propriety 

Verse 146 (In Tamil)

pagai pAvam achcham pazhi ena nAngum
igavAvAm il iRappAn kaN.

Meaning:

Animosity, sin, fear, disgrace; these four will never leave a person who had a liaison with another man's wife.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'eththanai kAlamdhan' by the same author)

Verse 147 (Soon)
Verse 145

631. The People's Army

"Minister! You have not taken any steps to put down the agitation that has been taking place in the region, near our western border" the King told the Minister, in an accusing tone. 

"Your Majesty! The people in that area are angry with the government. I have been thinking of ways to pacify them. I have been discussing the issue with the officials in that region. I will soon submit a plan of action for your approval" said the Minister.

"Why are you trying to pacify the people, instead of sending the troops to that place and quelling the agitation?"

"Pardon me, Your Majesty. It is a region adjoining our border. Our enemy country has been waiting for an opportunity to annex that region. If we try to put down the protests of the people using force, people may become alienated from us and fall a prey to the schemes of our enemy. Therefore, we should approach the issue carefully, by empathizing with the people" 

"Why are those people agitating? Have we not provided them adequate facilities?"

"Those people have not been protesting seeking facilities. To check the infiltration of people from our enemy country in that region, our army has implemented certain stringent measures. The army arrests people on suspicion, takes them to the army camp and interrogates them. In this process, some innocent people are also being subjected to harsh treatment. The people have been mainly agitating against the highhanded measures of the army."

"What can we do about? Unless the army follows stringent measures, how can it identify the infiltrators and punish them or expel them?"

"I have discussed the problem with the army officers in that place and devised a plan. I planned to submit this to you for your approval, after finalizing the details. Now that we are discussing this issue, I will outline the plan to you.

"The plan involves creating a people's army, comprising people living in that region since long. The members of the people's army will operate in secrecy, identify the infiltrators and report them to the army. The army will take the infiltrators into custody secretly and interrogate them. Since the members of the people's army will be citizens living in a particular place for a long time, they will be able to identify the strangers trying to infiltrate their places. That way, the chances of innocent people getting arrested on suspicion will be minimized. By arresting and interrogating the infiltrators, the army will also be able to extract information from the infiltrators about the plans of the enemy country and thwart those plans and thereby protect our border regions."

"This appears to be a good idea. Why are you delaying the implementation of the plan?" asked the King.

"Your Majesty! The people's army is a tool to resolve the issue of infiltration. We are still working out the details of implementing the plan, by discussing the with our army chief about the modalities of implementing the plan, after identifying the challenges in implementing it and formulating the steps to implement it.

"First, we need to give some time for the people's anger to subside. We should reduce the army's operations for a while. We should then identify the people who could be included in the people's army, talk to them discretely and after getting satisfied about their suitability and inclination, tell them about the plan and enroll them. With the help of those recruited, we could enroll more people, following the same screening process.

"We should exercise extraordinary care to ensure that no infiltrator gets recruited in the people's army, inadvertently. After recruiting the people, we should keep a secret watch over them for some time through our intelligence men, to satisfy ourselves about the integrity of the recruits. Only if we carry out these steps carefully, will the plan succeed."

"Very well, Minister. As outlined by you, work out the plan in detail and implement it carefully. I am now giving you the permission to do whatever is required to execute this plan" said the King.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 64
Being A Minister

Verse 631 (in Tamil):
karuviyum kAlamum seygaiyum seyyum
aruvinaiyum mANdadhu amaichchu.

Meaning:

A minister is one who can envisage a great deed,

the resources and time entailed, and the means to execute the deed.

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

Verse 632
Verse 630

630. A Miserable Life

"I consider only Madhavan as my competitor. I am not concerned about others" said Vivek.

"Twenty of us have joined this company as management trainees in this batch. Why do you consider only Madhavan as your competitor?" asked Murthy, another trainee.

"A competitor is a rival. 'Rival' also means 'enemy.' Vivek seems to view Madhavan both as a rival and as an enemy" commented Madhu, another trainee.

"Why do you have such an antagonism towards Madhavan?" Mohan, another trainee asked Vivek.

Vivek, who was quietly listening to the observations of his co-trainees, did not respond. 

Born in a wealthy family, Vivek had the advantage of studying in educational institutions of repute and having access to facilities like tuition, coaching etc, which helped him complete his education with high scores.

Vivek was one of the twenty people selected as management trainees by the company through a vigorous selection process, from hundreds of people who had applied for the position, .

Vivek made no secret of his conviction that he was the best among the twenty candidates selected as management trainees. Several among the twenty people in the batch, swayed by Vivek's wealthy status and the impressive personality built up by him, with the help of the high level education and training he had and his self-confidence resulting from his feeling of superiority, acted as if they had accepted him the best in the group of twenty.  

For some reason, Vivek developed an antagonism towards Madhavan, one of his fellow trainees, from the time he had first met Madhavan. 

Madhavan hailed from a poor, socially backward family. He had his education in government schools. He excelled in his learning through sheer hard work. 

After completing his college education in a government college, Madhavan applied for the job of a management trainee in the company and got selected.

Since the training program was residential, the trainees had the opportunity to get acquainted with one another, when they were in the hostel every day, after the training sessions were over

After coming to know about Madhavan's background, Vivek looked down upon him. He even developed an antagonism towards Madhavan, after observing during the training that despite his disadvantageous background, Madhavan excelled in knowledge and skills. 

One day, after the dinner, the trainees sat together in the common room of the hostel for a chat. One by one, each of them shared their experiences about their childhood days and the interesting experiences they had had in their school and the college.

Madhavan was listening to the narrations with a smile .

When Madhavan's turn came, Vivek announced mockingly, "Now, Mr. Madhavan will share his experiences starting from his childhood."

Madhavan began to narrate his life's events,.

Madhavan talked about his life in a hut situated near a drainage canal which constantly released a stinking odour, in unhygienic surroundings, where he ha lived with his parents and four siblings. 

He spoke about the hunger and malnutrition suffered by his family and how he and his siblings were sent to school only because meal was served to the students free of cost in the school, about the chronic illness of his mother resulting in her getting hospitaized every now and then and about the insults and humiliations suffered by him in addition to the deprivations suffered by him.

He spoke about his misfortunes and sufferings with a smiling face, as if he was telling a story.

"How do you manage to be so cheerful while narrating your harrowing experiences?" asked Madhu, expressing his astonishment.

"I don't know. I was always been thinking that I was living a happy life in the company of my parents and siblings. During the times we were starving, with no food to eat, we suffered the pangs of hunger. But, when we had something to eat, we would rejoice. We would even celebrate that experience. My parents didn't feel depressed about being poor. They were always cheerful and were often talking about the good things we had in life. Maybe because I had been witnessing my parents being cheerful and happy even during trying times, I also learnt to be happy, by not focusing my mind on my problems" said Madhavan

Vivek got up from his seat, went near Madhavan and embraced him. "You are great" he said, with genuine admiration. 

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 63
Unfazed in the Face of Trouble

Verse 630 (in Tamil):
innAmai inbam enak koLin Agum than
onnAr vizhaiyum siRappu.

Meaning:

If one accepts adversities as pleasures,

his adversaries too will acclaim him.

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

Verse 631
Verse 629

629. A Lesson From Tulsi Leaves

"How true are Avvaiyar's* lines 'Poverty is cruel. Poverty during the younger age is still more cruel!'" I exclaimed.

"Is it so?" asked my friend Alagesan.

"What do you know about poverty? You are a person who can afford to use rose water for taking bath and milk to gargle your mouth!" I retorted. 

"But I take bath in cold water. If I have to gargle, I will use salt water. I eat rice and gravy like you do. My lunch box contains idli covered with a paste of chilli powder and oil, just as your lunch box does!" said Alagesan, laughing.

"You can talk lightly about life. Only if you had suffered from the pangs of poverty like I had, you would have realized the agony poverty would cause. As a boy, I have watched my father and mother fight over a few pennies. Can you believe it?"

"My parents also used to fight over several things."

"What did they fight about - whether to drive to the beach or to go to a movie in the car?" I asked sarcastically. 

Alagesan was not provoked by my outbursts. He laughed, as if he enjoyed my humour.

Though I often prided myself about having scored over Alagesan in the sparing contest, deep in my heart, I realized that I had been rhetorical, rather than reasonable.

Alagesan and I were classmates in our school. Alagesan hailed from a family for whom money would never be an issue. In contrast, our family had been struggling to meet both ends meet. 

For some reason, a strong bond of friendship had developed between Alagesan and me.

Even though I have always considered Alagesan my friend, I would, now and then vent out my grudge against him that sprouted out of my jealousy, resulting from my comparing the economic status of both of us. 

I should have discerned even at that time that though Alagesan, having been born in a wealthy family, was in a position to enjoy the good things of life, he was more interested in enjoying the company of friends like me than in enjoying the comforts he could get by spending money. But, the jealousy that was underlying in the deep layers of my mind had blinded me to his sense of detachment.

His magnanimity in not getting hurt by my snide remarks, combined with his geniality and the affection he had for me, had gradually pushed out my feelings of jealousy and made me reciprocate his geniality and friendliness.

They say that time is a great leveler. It acted as one in our lives.

After competing my studies, I landed a plum job, earned well and attained a fairly high financial status, in a few years.

The reverse happened to Alagesan. Even before Alagesan could complete his studies, his father suffered a heavy loss in his business. Within a short period, the wealthy family was reduced to a lower middle class family.

Alagesan could not get a good job. He was sticking on to a mediocre job he was able to get and was just surviving.

The friendship between Alagesan and me remained as strong as it was during our school days.

I felt a sense of pride and satisfaction in continuing to be a close friend of Alagesan, even after the steep fall in his economic status, by contrasting my jealousy towards him, when he was wealthy.

"Don't you feel frustrated by comparing your present position to the wealthy state you were in during your younger days?" I asked him. 

"I have no such feelings" said Alagesan. "I have always had the attitude of accepting what comes to me. You know that I go to the temple every day. In the temple, they will offer Tulsi leaves as prasadam**. Some days, the Tulsi leaves will be fresh and green. When I munch the leaves, I will experience a stimulating taste. But, some other days, the Tulsi leaves would be dry. They would taste bitter. But, I would always accept the Tulsi leaves as God's offering, munch the leaves and eat them, not minding the bitter taste. I have been adopting a similar attitude to the experiences that happen to me in my life. My mother had taught me this lesson in my childhood. I think that that lesson is deeply ingrained in my mind. That may be the reason why I have been able to accept misfortunes with equanimity."

Reflecting that I had been jealous of a person with such a noble attitude, I felt ashamed.

* Avvaiyar - A female Tamil poet

** prasadam - a food item offered to the idol in Hindu temples, then distributed to the devotees as a divine offering.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 63
Unfazed in the Face of Trouble

Verse 629 (in Tamil):
inbaththuL inbam vizhaiyAdhAn thunbaththuL
thunbam uRudhal ilan.

Meaning:

He who does not yearn for pleasure in joyous times, will not

be distressed in times of sorrow.

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

Verse 630
Verse 628