91. The Master of the Word

It was Tamil class in the Adult Education Programme.

One student asked the teacher, "Sir! Which character is hailed as the 'Master of the Word,' in Tamil literature?"

"It is Hanuman, who is hailed as the 'Master of the Word,' by Kamban, in his Tamil version of the epic Ramayana.

"Why did Kamban award this title to Hanuman?" asked another student.

"I think Kamban awarded this title to Hanuman, because he would have felt, Sita, the wife of Rama, the protagonist of this story, herself, might have considered Hanuman, a master of the word!"

"How do you infer this, sir?"

"When Sita is kidnapped by Ravana and imprisoned in the Ashoka forest, three sets of people communicate with her. One is Ravana, The other two are the demons guarding her and Hanuman, the messenger of Rama. Let us see how each of these three sets of people talked to Sita.

"The demons, the female guards of the Ashoka forest, spoke to Sita in two ways. They used sweet words to persuade Sita to accept Ravana's proposal and marry him, Though the words they used were pleasant, they were not genuine. They were spoken, not with any concern for Sita, but with an intention to beguile Sita into accepting their plea. When Sita didn't fall for their deception, they threatened her that if she refused to marry Ravana, he would kill her in a cruel way.

"Ravana also adopted the same approach, while talking to Sita. Both Ravana and his female guards used words that masked their guile. There was no truth or concern in their speech. Even when the words sounded sweet, they were not gratifying, since they lack sincerity.

"In contrast, Hanuman's words were pleasing both to the ears and to the heart of Sita. His words didn't mask anything. They were sincere and reassuring. Both Valmiki, the author of the original epic Ramayana, and Kamban, the author of the Tamil version, mention that Sita commended Hanuman for his wisdom, kindness and truthfulness. That is why I believe that Sita herself would have considered Hanuman, the master of the word!"

"Sir! You are also a master of the word" said one of the students.

"How do you say this?"

"Even when we ask stupid or inappropriate questions, you answer them patiently, without getting annoyed. Your words are pleasing and full of profound meaning."

"Thank you. If you follow the teaching of Thiruvalluvar, each one of you can become a master of the word. Ensure that the words spoken by you are sweet, truthful, full of love and devoid of deception!" said the teacher..

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 10
Speaking Pleasantly

Verse 91 (In Tamil)

insolAl Iram aLaip padiRu ilavAm
semporuL kaNdAr vAych chol.

Meaning:

If a person understands the deeper meaning of the message he intends to convey, and delivers it with love and without guile, his words can be characterized as pleasant.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'sollin selvan' by the same author)

Verse 92
Verse 90