28. An Examination at the Library

Gunaseelan is a publisher. I got his acquaintance through a friend of mine. He invited me to visit his office sometime.

I went to his office after fixing up the time with him. All the books published by him were neatly stacked in a shelf in chronological order. He told me that he had published 247 books so far.

"Oh, you have published 247 books to match the 247 alphabets in the Tamil language" I said.

"I have not stopped publishing. So the number of books may exceed 247!" he said, smiling.

"Okay. Here is the list of books I have published. Quickly go through the names of all the 247 books and their authors. There is a test for you" he continued, handing me a printed sheet.

"If I had known that I would have to face an examination, I wouldn't have come here!" I said, in a lighter vein.

As asked by him, I quickly went through the list, wondering what kind of a quiz I was going to face.

After going through the list, I nodded my head signaling my readiness to take the test.

"Okay. The test is simple. Randomly recall as many names of the books and names of the writers from the list as you can" said Gunaseelan.

Feeling relieved that the test was not as tough I feared it would be, I tried to recall the names from the list I had browsed through. I was able to recall the names of ten books and three writers. 

"Fine! I will tell you something I found surprising. Many people visiting my office have taken this test. The names recalled by all of them are nearly the same. What can you infer from this?" asked Gunaseelan.

I would have liked to say, 'Well, they should also have been dullheads like me!' but wisely chose not to answer his question, awaiting what Gunaseelan was going to say.

"What I found interesting was that though the names of books and authors recalled by people were random, these ten books were written by these three authors!"

"Oh, it is surprising!"

"It may appear surprising but it is really not so. Many people write many books. Some of the books become best sellers. Some receive acclamation from the scholars and connoisseurs. Some books fall under both the categories. But only a few books stand the test of time. These books live for ever radiating the wisdom of the scholars who wrote them for generations of people and perpetuating the glory of the authors.

Fortunately, Gunaseelan didn't ask me, 'What do you infer from this?' If he had asked, I would have said, 'The inference I draw is that people like me shouldn't attempt to write books!"

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 28 (In Tamil)
niRaimozhi mAndhar perumai nilaththu
maRaimozhi kAtti vidum.

Meaning:

The glory of people who have spread their wisdom through their words will be revealed to the world through the books they have left behind.

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

Verse 29 

Verse 27

27. The Connoisseur of Food

Rajagopal, employed in Nilakantan's house as a home cook was upset on seeing Murthy visit Nilakantan that morning.

'Oh, my God! This carper, an expert in finding fault with cooked dishes, is here!' he thought, feeling tense in anticipation of Murthy's carps about his cooking.

"Hi Murthy! I am about to have my breakfast. Please join me" invited Nilakantan.

"Thank you, sir. But, it is too early for me to have my breakfast. You may have it. I will talk to you as you are having your breakfast" said Murthy.

"Okay. But you can at least have a cup of coffee."

"Sure. Given the culinary skills of your chef Rajagopal, I am sure that the coffee made by him will have an exquisite taste" said Murthy, looking at Rajagopal.

Wondering whether Murthy's appreciative remark about his culinary skills was genuine or sarcastic, Rajagopal made coffee, taking extraordinary care, and brought it to Murthy.

"You know Rajagopal?" asked Nilakantan, in a tone of surprise.

Before Murthy could answer, Rajagopal was quick to pitch in. "He met me in a marriage, in which I was the chief cook. He came to the kitchen and appreciated my cooking."

Murthy just smiled.

As soon as he took the coffee cup in his hand, Murthy told Rajagopal, "Mr. Rajagopal! The milk seems to have been overboiled. I can smell the overboiling."

'Here he goes. He can't help finding fault' thought Rajagopal, containing his irritation.

"But I couldn't sense it!" said Nilakantan.

After taking a sip of the coffee, Murthy said, "Great! What a flavour!" and looked at Rajagopal in appreciation.

He then turned to Nilakantan and asked him, "You usually buy A.R. brand of coffee powder. Now, you seem to have switched over to M.K. brand."

"What! You can detect the brand of coffee powder used by taking a sip of coffee!" exclaimed Nilakantan.

'Why, he can even detect in which place the coffee was grown! His nose and tongue have such an acute sense of perception. Have I not experienced it?' reflected Rajagopal.

About two months back, Rajagopal had taken the catering contract for a marriage.

Murthy, one of the guests at the marriage, after having his lunch, came to the kitchen and confronted Rajagopal.

"Are you the chief cook? The food was good but you had messed up on a couple of aspects" he said.

"Which aspects?"

"You have have used some rotten coconuts while preparing the coconut chutney."

"I have used thirty coconuts. Only, one was rotten" said Rajagopal.

"Isn't one drop of poison enough to spoil the quality of one pot of milk? Then, while preparing the buttermilk kuzhambu, you have used too much of turmeric powder. Because of this, the buttermilk kuzhambu tasted a trace bitter."

"A lot of people relished the buttermilk kuzhambu and conveyed their appreciation to me" said Rajagopal defensively.

"After conveying their appreciation, they would have been wondering why a bitter taste was still lingering in their mouths! Then, the cashew nuts used in the milk kheer seems to have been of stale quality. They smelled like naphthalene balls!"

"Anything else?" asked Rajagopal, trying to control his anger.

"There are a few others but they are not significant. I don't want to sound like a carper by bringing them in. There is no doubt that your culinary skills are excellent. If only you take care to avoid these kinds of lapses, you would excel even more. Oh, I almost forgot. You have put coriander leaves in rasam and boiled it. Ideally, you should add coriander leaves when the rasam begins to boil and then put off the flame. Otherwise, the bitterness of coriander will sink in and affect the taste of rasam, the bitterness increasing with time. For those who take lunch in the last batch, the rasam will taste  like a bitter syrup!"

When Murthy left after making these remarks, Rajagopal felt like having the experience of having been hit by a tempest that struck unexpectedly, caused extensive damage and then receded.

'Thank God, today he didn't have his breakfast here. If he had had, he would have said things like 'the idli was not cooked enough, the pongal had a little excess salt, the dosa was burnt' etc.

Nilakantan, having completed his breakfast, went to the washroom in the adjoining room.

When the two were alone in the dining room, Murthy told Rajagopal, "Don't feel bad about my not eating the dishes you have made for breakfast. I told Nilakantan that it was a bit too early for my breakfast only as an excuse. This is my breakfast time, alright. In your cooking, you use oil, ghee and spices a bit too much. That's why I avoided taking my breakfast here. Though I have a fine taste for food, I am not a gourmand. I am careful about what I eat. I have no health issues. But I want to be restrained in my food habits both because I want to preserve my health and because I want to live a disciplined life. Next time when I come here, I will definitely taste some of the dishes cooked by you."

Murthy then looked at the bowl of sambar kept on the table and said, "It seems that the sambar has not been boiled adequately. I sense the flavour of chilly powder. This flavour would have been contained, if the sambar had been boiled adequately. Poor Nilakantan won't perceive these things!" and smiled at Rajagopal.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 27 (In Tamil)
suvai oLi URu Osai nARRmena ainthin
vagai therivAn kattE ulagu.

Meaning:

One who has mastered the perception of sensory objects through the five senses taste, sight, touch, sound and smell but is restrained in pursuit of pleasures through them will control this world.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'sAppAttu rAman' by the same author)

Verse 28

Verse 26

26. An Indefatigable Spirit Called Manga

When Krishnamurthy died at the of thirty, the only assets he had left for his wife Manga were their three year old son and one year old daughter.

"What are you going to do?" asked Manga's elder brother Karthikeyan. "Come and live with me. I will take care of you and your children." He turned to his wife Uma hoping for her approval but she turned her face away as if signaling her disapproval.

Sensing Uma's reaction, Manga said, "It won't work out, Karthik. I will take up a job and look after my family."

"Given your level of education, what kind of a job will you get? Anyway, you can stay with me till you get a job. How will you be able to pay the rent for this house?" 

This time, Uma showed her disapproval by throwing a stern look at her husband. She then asked Uma, "Won't you get any money from your husband's company?"

"He had worked there only for a few years. So, I may not get anything substantial" said Manga.

"I will manage to stay here, Karthik. Please help me get some job" she told Karthikeyan.

Manga went to her landlord and told him, "Sir, I am not in a position to pay the rent. Please allow me to stay here for three months. We have paid you six months' rent as rental deposit. If I decide to move out of this house, you can deduct the rent due from the deposit and refund the remaining amount to me. If I get some job, I will pay the rent due and continue to live here."

After hesitating for a few minutes, the landlord acceded to her request.

During the next few days, Karthikeyan came to Manga's house a few times. Every time, he came with a job offer for Manga. The jobs were those of a housemaid or a home cook. Manga, not willing to accept those offers, just told him, "I will think about it" and sent him away.

After a few days, Manga went to the office where her husband had worked, met the Branch Manager, and asked him, "Sir, can you give me a job in your company?"

"What is your educational qualification?" asked Vasan, the Branch Manager.

"I have studied up to the 10th grade. My parents didn't want me to study further, in view of their financial constraints. But, I am sincere and hardworking. I am also a fast learner. Whatever work is given to me, I will quickly learn to do it and do my job with efficiency and sincerity."

"I am sorry. We don't have any job matching your educational profile. Moreover, we can't recruit anyone, without getting the approval from our head office at Mumbai."

"Can I go to your head office at Mumbai and request them to give me a job?"

Vasan looked at her with surprise. "Our General Manager from our head office will be visiting our branch tomorrow. Please come to our office tomorrow. I will talk to him and see if anything can be done."

When Manga was introduced to the General Manager the next day, she told him about her having been good at studies, her flair for learning things, her perseverance and her hard working nature.

Seeing that Manga was talking non-stop in Tamil, a language the General Manager couldn't follow, Vasan tried to stop her. But the General Manager restrained Vasan and signaled Manga to continue.

After Manga had completed presenting her case, the General Manager told Vasan, "Did you notice one thing? This lady is not talking about her problems and she is not asking for our sympathy!"

"How did you understand what she had spoken in Tamil?" asked Vasan, in a tone of surprise.

"I could gauge this from her tone and face expression. I find that this lady has a remarkable sense of self-confidence and drive. I have a feeling that her services would be useful to our company. See whether you can fit her in some position" said the General Manager.

Vasan thought for a while and said, "Our lady-typist has also been looking after receipt and despatch of letters. She complains that she is being overburdened. Moreover, she is getting married next month and she may quit her job after the marriage. I think we can recruit this lady for the job of a despatch clerk." 

"Go ahead!" said the General Manager. He then smiled at Manga and said, "You are appointed."

Manga said, "Thank you, sir" speaking in English for the first time.

Deploying her natural traits of sincerity, curiosity to learn new things and deep involvement, Manga became skilled and efficient in doing her tasks within a short time.

Since she was handling both inward and outward correspondence, she had an opportunity to read through the letters. She made good use of this opportunity and got apprised of what was going on in her company in general and in her branch in particular.

Since the lady-typist didn't have much work to do and was idle most of the time, Manga learnt basic typing with her help. When the typist resigned after a few months, Manga offered to do the typing work also. Vasan readily accepted her offer.

Once, there was a discussion in the office about the receipt of a particular letter from the head office. The employee concerned asserted that that letter was never received. Manga stated the content of that letter from her memory and also showed her entry of that letter in the register she was maintaining. After that, a thorough search was made for that letter and it was located.

This incident revealed to everyone in that office that there was a person in that office who was functioning with alertness and efficiency. This earned Manga a sense of respect from everyone.

The time for admitting Manga's son to a school came. Manga wanted to admit her son in one of the best schools in the city. But she learnt that the school followed the practice of admitting only those children whose parents had a graduate degree.

A few days after submitting the application for admission of her son in that school, Manga went to the school to meet the Principal. She was informed that the Principal won't meet any of the applicants' parents, unless they were called by the school for an interview.

Manga was standing outside the Principal's cabin for more than two hours. The Principal came out of her cabin a couple of times when she noticed Manga. She called Manga in.

"Madam! I am aware of your school's policy. But I would like to make a submission. I am not a graduate. After my husband died, I requested his company to give me a chance by offering me a job, though I was not well educated. They gave me a job. I learnt the job in two months' time. I am now doing the job which a graduate is expected to do. If you also give me a chance, I will do my best to ensure that my son studies well. I don't have the competence to help him in his studies at home. I am sure that you won't expect me to do that. But I will monitor his studies and guide him properly" said Manga.

The Principal looked at Manga with interest but didn't say anything.

"In fact, I have located a house near your school for taking on rent in anticipation of my son getting admission into your school. The house-owner has agreed to give the house to me on rent. I only have to pay the rental deposit to confirm my renting it" continued Manga.

"You can pay the deposit!" said the Principal, with a smile.

On returning to the office from the school, Manga went to Vasan's cabin to explain to him that she was late for the office since she had been to meet the school principal.

Even before she could apologize to him, Vasan told her, "Congratulations, Mrs. Manga! You have secured admission for your son in a good school."

"How did you know, sir?" asked Manga, with surprise.

"The school principal rang me up just now."

"For giving this information?" asked Manga, in disbelief.

"Well, not exactly. She wanted to find out whether you could afford to pay the school fees!"

"Oh, my God!"

"Don't worry. I told her, 'if you want to know what her remuneration is, I won't be able to give that information. But I can assure you that Mrs. Manga is a person who keeps her commitments at any cost. So, if you give admission to her son, she won't default in paying the school fees!'"

Vasan looked at her with a smile.

"I don't know how I should thank you, sir. You are an angel!" said Manga. She couldn't control her tears.

"It's fine. I hear that their fee structure is quite steep. How are you going to manage it?" asked Vasan, with genuine concern.

"I don't know, sir. I am hoping that I will manage somehow."

"Okay. The fee for the kindergarten classes may not be so high. You can manage for the first two years. Once the boy completes the kindergarten and enters Grade 1, I will suggest you a plan."

After two years, Manga asked Vasan, "Sir, my son has completed the kindergarten. He will be entering Grade 1 now. I managed to pay the fees for these two years. You told me that you would suggest a plan, when he enters Grade 1."

"Well, I thought, in two years, you would get several promotions, overtake me and become the General Manager. But you have managed to get only one promotion!" said Vasan gravely.

Manga was perplexed. She felt like crying. "Sir!" she said, not knowing what to say.

"Oh, I was just kidding, Mrs. Manga. Don't get upset. In fact, in the history of this company, you are the only person to earn a promotion within two years of joining!" 

"It was entirely on account of your support and encouragement, sir. I am indebted to you" said Manga, gratefully remembering his help from giving her a job to elevating her to a higher position.

"No, Mrs. Manga. It was entirely on account of your dedication and hard work. Coming to the point, there are some private trusts that have been helping the deserving students by granting them scholarships. But they have been doing this quietly, with no publicity. I will give the address of one such trust. Approach this trust and request for a scholarship. I learnt about this trust from a friend of mine. Since people who run this trust don't like publicity, they shouldn't know that my friend gave this information. If this is known to them, my friend will feel embarrassed."

"I won't reveal the source of information to them, sir!" assured Manga.

When Manga met the administrator of the trust and requested for a scholarship for her son, the first thing he asked her was "Who told you about this trust?"

"A friend of mine told me" said Manga.

"What is the name of that person?" persisted the Administrator.

Manga remained silent.

"Look, madam. This is a private trust. We grant this scholarship only to students from the families known to us. We can consider granting the scholarship to your son, only if you tell us who told you about us."

"I am sorry, sir. The person who told me about your trust asked me not to reveal his name. So, I won't be able to reveal the source of my information" said Manga, politely.

"In that case, we won't be able to help you" said the Administrator, stubbornly.

Manga got up with disappointment and walked towards the door. As she was about to step out of the room, the Administrator called her.

"I appreciate your integrity. I will make an exception in your case and help you. Fill in this application form."

After going through the details given by her in the application form, the Administrator said, "Okay. We will grant the scholarship to your son. We will send the payment for tuition fees, other fees, books etc. to the school directly. But there is a condition. The student should score more than sixty percent every year."

"Okay, sir. This condition will serve as a motivation for my son to study well."

"Most of the parents, on hearing this condition, will feel worried that if their children fail to score sixty percent in a particular year, the scholarship will be terminated. But you have taken this condition in a positive spirit" said the Administrator, appreciatingly. "You have a daughter. Won't you need a scholarship for her also, when she enters Grade 1?" he continued.

"Yes, sir. But how can I ask you to grant a scholarship to her also?" said Manga, smiling.

"You are right. We give the scholarship only to one person in a family. But I know another trust. When your daughter is ready to enter Grade 1, come to me. I will recommend your case to them."

Manga stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Then she said, "Sir, you are like God. So, there is nothing wrong in my prostrating at your feet" and bent down to prostrate before him.

The Administrator stopped her.

Many years passed. Manga's son was in the final year of his Engineering degree. He was recruited by a reputed firm in the campus interview. Her daughter was studying in the college.

Manga also had climbed up many steps in the ladder of her career and became a senior executive of her company. Vasan, who was the Branch Manager earlier, earned his promotions and moved to the head office at Mumbai. He eventually became the Executive Director of the company.

Manga who was always one of the first persons to come to the office didn't come to the office that day.

Murali, the Branch Manager called the Deputy Branch Manager Kumaran to his cabin.

"Kumaran! One shocking news. Mrs. Manga is no more. She died in her sleep. I got the information just now" said Murali.

"I am unable to believe this, sir. It is as if a machine that was working non-stop has stopped suddenly" said a visibly shaken Kumaran.

"I should convey the news to Mr. Vasan, the Executive Director. He was the Branch Manager here, when Mrs. Manga joined. In fact, he was the one who gave her the job. He has spoken to me many times in admiration of her traits and capabilities" said Murali. 

He then called up Vasan.

After Murali spoke to Vasan, Kumaran asked him, "How did Mr. Vasan take the news?"

"He was dumbstruck for a minute, then said 'A remarkable woman.' He couldn't speak any more."

When Kumaran got up from his seat to leave, Murali told him, "The Executive Director told me that all our branches would remain closed tomorrow as a mark of respect for Mrs. Manga. Please circulate this information to all our staff."

"It is surprising, sir. This has not been done in the case of any employee in the past" said Kumaran.

"True. Mrs. Manga has created history. She is a legend" said Murali.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 26 (In Tamil)
seyaRkariya seyvAr periyar siRiyar
seyaRkariya seykalAthAr.

Meaning:

Great are the ones who can do seemingly impossible things. The ones who can't do such things are ordinary people.

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

Verse 27 

Verse 25

25. In the footsteps of Indra

"From the time I joined this company, I have worked hard and contributed to the growth of the company's business, by bringing more orders month after month. But my Manager is unable to stomach my success. He keeps sabotaging my efforts"

"What does he do?"

"He refused to accept some of the orders brought in by me on some excuse. He delayed sending supplies against some other orders and thereby undermined my reputation with the customers. Now he has assigned me a tough area, where it will be difficult for me to sell our product."

"It appears that he is apprehensive of your success. He may be worried that you would overtake him."

"Even if that were the case, why should he do these kinds of things?"

"This is nothing new, bro. Such incidents find a place in our mythology also."

"Oh, is it so? I didn't know that."

"Don't you know the story of Menaka luring Sage Viswamitra and sabotaging his penance?"

"Yes, I have heard this story. Menaka was sent by Indra to entice Viswamitra and disrupt his penance. Viswamitra fell for Menaka's charm and carried on a love life with her for sometime. Sakuntala was born to them."

"So, you are well-versed in this story after all. Do you know why Indra tried to disrupt Viswamitra's penance?"

"I don't know."

"Some mythological stories talk about a belief that if a man controls his senses and does penance, he will become one among the celestials. Such a person can even pose a challenge to Indra, the head of the celestials, Fearing that those who do penance and become celestials may unseat him and take his place as the head of the celestials, Indra would often disrupt the penance of the ascetics. He has disrupted the penance of several people including Viswamitra. What your Manager is doing is similar to what Indra had been doing!"

"Oh! Controlling our senses and practicing asceticism can be so powerful! I didn't know this. This is amazing!"

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 25 (In Tamil)
ainthaviththAn ARRal akalvisumbuLAr kOmAn
indhiranE sAlum kari.

Meaning:

Indra himself stands testimony to the power of someone who has controlled his five senses.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'indhiranE sAtchi' by the same author)

Verse 26 

Verse 24

24. Controlling the Wild Elephant

"I had bought some snacks and kept in this jar. The jar is now empty. Have all the snacks been exhausted?" asked Mukundan.

"If you keep opening the jar and taking a bite every now and then, how will it not get exhausted? You have cholesterol but you are unable to resist the temptation of snacking all day!" said his wife Sunitha.

"Well. My parents and your parents also have the habit of snacking. They take pills for diabetes, hypertension etc, while also consuming eatables without restraint. The only person in our family who observes restraint is my grandpa!" said Mukundan.

He then turned to his grandfather Narasimhan and asked him, "How do you manage to be so disciplined in your food habits, grandpa?" 

"I am restrained not only in my food habits, but also in other aspects relating to life. I do this not only because I want to be healthy but also because I want to reach heaven after my death" said Narasimhan. 

"How are discipline and self control related to reaching heaven?" asked Sunitha.

"I will explain. Take the elephant. It will look serene and composed. But sometimes, it will become wild. At that time, the mahout will control it using a hook. Our senses also will sometimes go astray and seek to enjoy pleasures. During those times, they need to be controlled by wielding the stick of self-restraint. When our senses are struck by desires, we need resoluteness to ward off those desires and protect our senses from going astray. Using the stick of self-restraint and controlling our desires is the seed we sow for attaining heaven. I don't know whether you people will accept this idea. But you have been saying that you are risking your good health by eating foods and snacks without restraint. If you develop your sense of discipline, it is primarily good for your health. You don't have to think of ways of reaching heaven at this stage" said Narasimhan.

.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 24 (In Tamil)
uranennum thOttiyAn Orainthum kAppAn
varanennum vaippiRkOr viththu.

Meaning:

One who controls the elephant named five senses, using the hook called resoluteness, is sowing the seeds for gaining a place in the Heaven.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'manathil uRuthi vENdum' by the same author)

Verse 25 

Verse 23

23. Should we tell Ashok's Parents?

Ashok and Kumar studied in the same school. Ashok was outstanding in his studies. Kumar also studied well but didn't excel as much as Ashok did. 

Ashok got the first rank in his school in the school final examination.

Both Ashok and Kumar got admission in the same college. Both stayed in the college hostel and pursued their studies.

After dropping off Kumar at his hostel room, his father Neelakantan told Ashok, "Please take care of Kumar." Perhaps, he felt that Ashok, being a better at studies, would be able to guide Kumar.

Soon after joining the college, there were some changes in Ashok's behaviour. The freedom he enjoyed by being away from parental control made him cross his own limits of morality and discipline. He spent a lot of time with his new friends in the college by going out with them for movies and other entertainments quite often, sometimes even skipping his classes. He also fell prey to habits like smoking and drinking.

Kumar tried to restrain Ashok but his efforts were in vain.

"These are small pleasures one should relish in life. If we can't enjoy these pleasures at this young age, we may never get an opportunity to enjoy them in the later part of our life. In fact, I keep wondering why you are not joining me. You act like a saint!" said Ashok.

When Kumar came home for vacation, he reluctantly told his father about Ashok's unhealthy habits and ways.

Neelakantan was not surprised. He said, "It is inevitable that teenagers like you will get exposed to unhealthy habits and vices at this stage of your life. One should have the maturity to restrain oneself and not fall prey to them. I am happy that you have that maturity. It is unfortunate that Ashok doesn't have it."

"I thought Ashok would have better maturity than you and asked him to look after you!" he added.

"Are you going to apprise Ashok's father of Ashok's actions?" asked Kumar.

"I should, but I think I won't. My acquaintance with Ashok's father is limited. I am not very close to him. He may be feeling proud of his son doing well in his studies. If I go and tell him about Ashok deviating from the path of virtue, he may not take it well. He may think that I am jealous of Ashok being better in studies than you! In general, parents don't like to hear bad things about their children. Ashok's parents will come to know of his distractions sooner or later. I don't want to mar their happiness and the good relationship we have with them by talking to them about Ashok now.

As envisaged by Neelakantan, Ashok's parents came to know of Ashok's problems very soon. Ashok's father received a phone call from the principal of the college telling him that drugs were found in Ashok's hostel room and asking him to take Ashok home immediately.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 23 (In Tamil)
irumai vagai therinthu INdu aRam pUNdAr
perumai piRangiRRu ulagu.

Meaning:

The greatness of those who have known the nature of both worlds (like good and evil, this life and the life after death, birth and attaining heaven etc.) and have eschewed desire to live a righteous life, is most admirable in this world.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'kallUrich chAlai - gavanam thEvai' by the same author)

Verse 24 

Verse 22

22. A Customer at the Bank.

There was only a small number of customers inside the bank. 

The old man had been patiently waiting in front of the Savings Bank counter, while the clerk at the counter was attending to other customers ignoring the old man.

After a few minutes, the old man politely asked the clerk, "Have you made entries in my pass book?"

The clerk sitting behind the counter got annoyed by the question.

"Look here, man! Asking for pass book entries to be made during the busy hours is improper. And you can't even wait for five minutes till I attend to other customers?" he flared.

The customer standing beside the old man thought, 'Should he not consider the person's age and treat him with some respect?' but didn't say anything.

After a few minutes, the clerk opened the ledger and began to post entries in the pass book. Presently, he looked up at the old man with a look of surprise and asked "Whose account is this? Is it your employer's?"

"It is my account" replied the old man.

Perplexed by the simple appearance of the man whose bank account showed substantial credits and a huge balance, the clerk quietly completed the entries and handed over the pass book to the old man.

"Thanks" said the old man.

The clerk did not even bother to acknowledge it.

When the old man was leaving the bank, he had to pass by the Branch Manager's cabin. The Branch Manager, on sighting the old man, came out of his cabin, greeted him and said, "Sir, please come in!"

When the old man was sitting in the Branch Manager's cabin and talking to him, the clerk who had made the passbook entries for the old man came into the Branch Manager's cabin to seek some clarification. He hesitated a little when he saw the old man.

"Come in, Bhaskar," said the Branch Manager. "Bhaskar, this is Mr. Damodaran, a renowned businessman. Although his company accounts are in another bank, his savings account is in our bank. The accounts of his family members are also with us. He also has many fixed deposits with us. You wouldn't know he is a millionaire by looking at him. He is so simple. He speaks very respectfully to everyone. How many people have been deceived by thinking he is an ordinary person! He remains as simple as he was when he first started his business in a small way! I can go on and on about him. I have told him many times that he doesn't have to come to the bank, but can send his driver or servant. But he won't listen." 

He then turned to Damodharan and told him. "Sir, this is Bhaskar. He has recently come to our branch on a transfer. He is the one who looks after the Savings account."

"Yes, I know! Just now, he made entries in my pass book" said Damodharan, smiling at Bhaskar.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 22 (In Tamil)
thuRanthAr perumai thuNaik kURin vaiyaththu
iRanthArai eNNik koNdaRRu.

Meaning:

Trying to quantify the greatness of those who have given up attachments is like counting those who have died till now (It is so difficult a task.)

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

Verse 23 

Verse 21

21. The Saint's Choice

"Who was on the phone? You were so excited?" asked Sivakami.

"Swamiji* is visiting our town!" said Dharmaraj, in a voice bubbling with enthusiasm.

"I can't believe this! Normally, he would never steps out of his ashram** at Delhi."

"As you know, a conference on 'Confluence of Religions' is scheduled for next month in our town. He is coming here to participate in that conference."

"Who was the one that gave you this information over phone?"

"It was Swamiji's secretary who called me up. The conference will be held for three days. Swamiji will arrive at our town the day before the conference and will leave the day after the conference. He is going to be in our town for five days!" said Dharmaraj, with the enthusiasm of a child.

"I am so happy to hear this. We have gone to Delhi many times to meet him. It is our good fortune that he is coming to our town and staying here for five days. He will be staying in our house, won't he?"

"His secretary didn't say anything about it. He told me that he would give me the details later. Since there is one month time for his visit, he might have thought of telling me about this later. Since our house is the biggest in the town, he will stay here only" said Dharmaraj.

"Is it possible that people who are organizing this event may make his arrangements for his stay?" asked Sivakami.

"Possible. But I am sure that Swamiji will prefer to stay in our house only!" asserted Dharmaraj.

 
One week before the scheduled arrival of Swamiji, Dharmaraj called up Swamiji's secretary and asked him, "I expect that Swamiji will be staying at my house. But I have not heard anything from you. That's why I am calling you."

"Oh, I am sorry. I seem to have forgotten to tell you when I called you earlier. Swamiji is staying at the house of Vallimuthu, another devotee from your town" said the secretary.

"I know Vallimuthu. Though he is a well-to-do person, he is stingy. His house is small. It doesn't have adequate facilities for Swamiji's comfortable stay. The house has no air-conditioning either. Swamiji will not feel comfortable staying there" said Dharmaraj, in a tone of disappointment.

"What you consider stinginess may appear simplicity to Swamiji. Maybe that's why he is staying there! Anyway, it is Swamiji's decision" said the secretary and hung up.

Before Swamiji's departure after the conference got over, Dharmaraj met Swamiji at Vallimuthu's house. When he got a chance to speak to Swamiji in private, Vallimuthu conveyed his disappointment to Swamiji. "Swamiji, I have been your devotee since long. It is disappointing to me that you didn't choose to stay at my house."

Swamiji smiled at Dharmaraj and asked him, "Dharmaraj! Have you read the Mhabharata?"

"I know the outline of the story."

"When Krishna came to Hastinapura, people like Bhishma, Drona and Duryodhana expected him to stay at their house. But Krishna stayed at Vidura's cottage."

"Swamiji! Am I a wicked creature like Duryodhana?"

"I mentioned the names of Bhishma and Drona also, who were noble people. But Krishna ignored them also and chose Vudura because of Vidura's simplicity and ascetic way of life. You are a good person. You are wealthy and use your wealth for many charitable deeds. You are devoted to me. I also esteem you well. It is only because of the goodwill I have for you that I asked my secretary to inform you about my visit to your place" said Swamiji.

"But, you didn't want to stay at my house, Swamiji" said Dharmaraj, grudgingly

"It is not that I didn't want to stay at your house. But my first choice was Vallimuthu's house. Like you, Vallimuthu is also a wealthy person. But he has chosen to discard the luxuries that money can buy and has been living a simple life. There is no air-conditioned room in his house. You might have noticed that though there are many air-conditioned rooms in my ashram at Delhi, there is no air-conditioning in the room I live. It is only natural that an ascetic like me prefers to stay in the house of an ascetic like Vallimuthu. When I come here next time, I will stay at your house. You may also practice giving up some comforts and live an ascetic way of life. Renunciation will take us closer to God. Renunciation does not mean renouncing your family, going to the forest and doing penance. It only means giving up at least some comforts that we have been enjoying. My best wishes to you and your family!" said Swamiji, touching Dharmaraj's head and blessing him.

* A Hindu saint is respectfully referred to as Swamiji.

** ashram - abode of a saint, a monastery

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 3
The Greatness of the Ascetics

Verse 21 (In Tamil)
ozhukkaththu nIththAr perumai vizhuppaththu
vENdum panuval thuNivu.

Meaning:
It is the considered opinion of the scholars that the greatness of people who observe discipline and give up desires deserves to be glorified.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'ennai En odhukkinIrgaL' by the same author)

Verse 22 (Soon) 

Verse 20

20. The King's Concern

King Chandrachuda was brimming with anger, when he talked to his minister.

"For the past few months, incidents like theft, robbery, housebreaking, looting of shops etc. have gone up steeply. Did these come to your notice?"

"Yes, Your Excellency. I myself wanted to discuss this problem with you" replied the minister.

"What is there to discuss with me? You just have to advice the Chief of Security to nab the culprits and punish them severely!"

"Your Excellency! The Chief of Security has been taking action. Most of the culprits have been nabbed and put into prison. But I think this is not enough."

"Are you suggesting that the punishment has to be more stringent? You have the authority to make the punishment more severe!"

"Pardon me for saying this, Your Excellency, but I think that awarding severe punishments for these kinds of crimes is not the right thing to do" said the Minister, somewhat reluctantly.

"If people who commit crimes are not given severe punishments, how will the crimes come down?"

"What you say is true, in general. But it is my humble opinion that crimes like the ones happening now should be looked at in a different way."

"How do you think that they should be viewed?"

"Your Excellency! There were no rains during the last one year. In many parts of our country, there is severe famine. This is the reason for the increase in thefts in recent times."

"Attributing poverty as the cause for theft has been a conventional argument to justify such crimes" said the King.

"It is true that stealing is an act of immorality. Not all those who suffer from starvation resort to stealing. People who follow the moral code will not resort to acts like theft under any circumstances. On the other hand, we can't say that all those who indulge in acts like thefts or robberies do so only out of starvation. A sizeable number of people who steal do so only because they want to earn their living without doing any hard work. But, when the rains have failed and there is shortage of food grains, some of the honest people begin to lose their morality and indulge in acts like thefts etc. The recent spike in the number of thefts has resulted because even people with morality have been forced to steal for the sake of feeding their families. I am tormented by the question whether it is proper to cause more suffering to these people who have already been suffering a lot because of poverty caused by the paucity of rains, by giving them punishment."

"What you say sounds strange, Minister! Are you suggesting that rather than punishing these people, we should reward them?" asked the King in a tone of mockery.

"I am not saying that. My submission is that Your Excellency, being a noble monarch, should understand that starvation caused by the failure of rain could force even honest people to pursue immoral paths and should take steps to mitigate the sufferings of the people."

"What kind of steps?"

"Feeding the poor is taking place in temples and is in some charitable institutions. We can help these institutions to feed more people by donating funds and food grains to these institutions. We could take up public works like deepening of the wells, desilting water bodies, digging more wells etc. This will generate jobs and provide some income to the poor and will also mitigate the sufferings of people by increasing the availability of water, both in the short run and in the long run. We can also think of other ways to help the poor. These steps will go a long way in alleviating the suffering of the people and will also prevent people from being driven to resort to immoral activities like stealing from others. My opinion is that taking these steps will help to bring down the incidence of crime."

The minister looked at the King's face, wondering how he would react to his suggestion.

He noticed the livid expression on the king's face giving way to an expression of deep contemplation.

Thirukkural
Section 1: The Path of Virtue

Chapter 2
The Glory of Rain

Verse 20 (In Tamil)
nIr inRu amaiyAdhu ulagenin yAryARkkum
vAn inRu amaiyAdhu ozhukku.

Meaning:
World cannot survive without water. Morality can't exist without rains.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'arasanin kavalai' by the same author)

Verse 21 

Verse 19