92. Karna and Yudhishtira

Prelude 

This is a fictional story featuring the characters in the epic Mahabharata. 

The Pandavas, the five brothers led by the eldest Yudhishtira, were ruling Indraprasta. Their cousins, the Kaurvas, the hundred brothers led by Duryodhana, were ruling Hastinapura. 

The visually handicapped Dhritarashtra was the Kaurava king, but his son Duryodhana wielded the real power. 

Prompted by Duryodhana, Dhritarashtra invited the Pandavas for a game of dice at his palace. The Pandavas lost everything including their country in the game of dice. 

They were banished from the country and commanded to live in the woods for twelve years and then live incognito for one year. If they completed this successfully, they would get back their country, they had lost in the gamble.

Krishna, a prince belonging to the Yadava dynasty, was a friend of the Pandavas. Krishna was an avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu. This was known to most of the characters in the epic but they treated him as a fellow human being. Various people sought his counsel at different times, though. 

Kunti, the mother of three of the Pandavas, while being a teenager, was granted a boon by a sage that she could beget children by invoking any of the celestials. 

Kunti playfully tested the boon, by invoking the Sun God. As a result, a male child was born to her, which she subsequently abandoned. 

The child was picked up by a charioteer, christened Karna and brought up by him.

Duryodhana made Karna, the king of a small province Anga, that was a part of his kingdom. Karna, was therefore beholden to Duryodana. 

Karna remained a strong supporter of Duryodhna and despised the Pandavas, without being aware that they were his brothers. 

Karna had the reputation of being a munificent person.

The above introduction will help those not familiar with the story of the Mahabharata to understand the following story, built using the setting and characters of Mahabharata.

Karna and Yudhishtira

At the time the Pandavas were residing in the woods. Karna had a chance meeting with Krishna, when the latter had been to Hastinapura.

"Krishna! I have a question for you!" said Karna.

"Shoot!" said Krishna.

"What is your assessment about me?"

"You are a great warrior and a highly skilled archer."

"Anything more?"

"You are also adept at using the dagger. You are well-versed in other types of martial arts, as well!"

"I am not asking for your assessment of my skill in the use of weapons!" said Karna, feeling disappointed.

"What are you asking me about?" queried Krishna.

"People say that I am a benefactor."

"Yes. I have heard it, I have had no personal experience of witnessing your munificence, though!" quipped Krishna.

"Does it mean that you won't acknowledge me as a benefactor?"

"I didn't say that. I have heard that you donate to people whatever they ask for. I am aware that you have been observing a vow of giving people what they ask for, without saying 'no.'"

Karna was silent.

"What is your problem, Karna? Unless you spell it out, how can I help you?" prompted Krishna.

"I am the King of the Anga country. Every day, many people come to me, receive gifts from me and return happily. They hail me as a benefactor. But I find that quite a few people walk a long distance and throng to the woods to meet Yudhishtira. Why are they doing this? To my knowledge, Yudhishtira has not donated much to people. In his present status, he doesn't have things to donate, either. But even when he had been a prince of the Hastinapura kingdom or the king of Indraprasta, he didn't donate much to people. Why do people flock to him?"

"You have answered the question, yourself, Karna!" said Krishna, with a smile.

"I don't understand what you mean, Krishna!" 

"People who go to Yudhishtira, don't go there with the expectation of receiving any gifts from him."

"Then, why do they go to him? That was my question."

"They go to him, for listening to his pleasing words."

"What do you mean, Krishna?"

"Just as you have been observing the vow of donating to people whatever they ask for, Yudhishtira has been following the principle of speaking without hurting anyone's feelings. Therefore, only words pleasing to the ears and the heart will come out of his mouth. People residing in the cities and towns in the country go to his abode in the forest, to listen to those pleasant sounding words!"

"I also speak only pleasant sounding words!" said Karna.

"Do you? Are the demeaning, derogatory and mortifying words you used against Pandavas and Draupati, in the court of Duryodhana, after the Pandavas lost the game of dice, pleasant sounding? In contrast, Yudhishtira won't use harsh words against even Duryodhana, who had committed such vicious and cruel acts against the Pandavas."

Karnan was silent.

"Yudhishtira's resolve to speak only words that are pleasant and to desist from using offensive language against anyone is much superior to your vow of donating to people whatever they ask for" said Krishna.

Thirukkural

Section 1
The Path of Virtue

Chapter 10
Speaking Pleasantly

Verse 92 (In Tamil)

agan amarndhu Idhalin nanRE mugan amarndhu
insolan Agap peRin.

Meaning:

Being someone who speaks sweet words with a smile

is even better than being philanthropic with a happy heart.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'karNanum yudhishtiranum' by the same author)

Verse 93
Verse 91

1101. Gopal's Weekends

It would be very difficult to locate Gopal during weekends. He would be on an outing, visiting a restaurant or a theatre or attending some entertainment program.

Since Gopal had a well-paying job, his parents were not bothered about his being on a spending spree during the weekends. They were confident that once he got married, he would mend his ways.

Gopal preferred to spend the weekends in the company of his friend Senthil. But, Senthil found it difficult to accompany Gopal during every weekend. Spending substantial sums of money every weekend was financially burdensome to him. His parents didn't encourage this habit, either.

However, Gopal would insist on Senthil accompanying him. Some times, Gopal would even talk to Senthil's parents and obtain their permission to take Senthil along with him.

Senthil told Gopal, "Why are you crazy about filling the entire weekend with entertainments? You can at least restrict the weekend activities to one day and use the other day, to rest at home!"

Gopal said, "Life has to be enjoyed. God has given us five senses. Should we not delight all the five senses with pleasure? When we watch a film in a cosy theatre, it is a treat to the eyes and the ears. Sitting in the cool comfort of air-conditioning is a pleasure to the body. The perfume we smell in the theatre is a treat to the nose. Eating exquisite dishes in a good restaurant is a treat to the tongue. Again, the atmosphere in the restaurant gives pleasure to the other senses, as it happens in a theatre. Is this not the right way to enjoy life?"

"You are a connoisseur, indeed!" said Senthil.

For three weeks in a row, Senthil could not meet Gopal.

When Senthil was waiting for Gopal to come to his house during the weekend, Gopal didn't turn up.

When Senthil called up Gopal on Monday, Gopal told Senthil that he was busy with some domestic work.

The next weekend also, Gopal didn't turn up.

When Senthil called up Gopal, Gopal didn't pick up the call.

During the next weekend, Senthil went to Gopal's house, but Gopal was not home.

"He left home after breakfast, as he always does on weekends. I thought he was going out with you!" said Gopal's mother.

Senthil returned home disappointed.

Next morning, Gopal came to Senthil's house.

"Sorry. I was not home, when you visited my home yesterday!" said Gopal.

"Where have you been? I couldn't see you during the last two weekends too!" said Senthil.

Gopal looked around, and after satisfying himself that Senthil's parents were in another room, told Senthil, "I want to tell you something. I am in love with a girl!"

"Congrats! Since when?"

"For the past one month!"

"Oh! Is that why you have been giving me a slip for the past three weeks and going places with your lover? You could have told me. I wouldn't have been waiting for you!" said Senthil, in an accusing tone.

"How can I tell you about my love, without confirming that the girl reciprocated my love? It takes time, doesn't it?" said defensively.

"You have been going places with the girl for the past three weeks! What more confirmation is required? Where have you been taking the girl to? Restaurants and theatres? You might have been taking her to the shopping malls too!" 

"Not at all. She is not interested in going to theatres, restaurants etc. She likes to visit places like temples, parks, zoo, museum etc. So, we visited only such places. Will you believe me if I say that it has been three weeks, since I had been to a movie theatre!" said Gopal, smiling. He seemed to be feeling proud of having broken a habit!

"What has happened to your philosophy that we should allow all the five senses to enjoy the pleasures?" asked Senthil, mockingly.

After a brief pause, Gopal said, "She makes all my five senses experience pleasure. Looking at her beautiful face, listening to her sweet voice and the clinking of her bangles, feeling the touch of her hand while holding her hand, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers she wears on her hair and..."

"Ok, ok. You don't have to describe the pleasure enjoyed by your fifth organ..." interjected Senthil.

"What is wrong in my describing how I enjoy the taste of we both eating the ice cream from the same cup, drinking a juice from a single glass etc?" asked Gopal, smiling. 

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 111
The Joy of Being Together in Love

Verse 1101 (in Tamil):
kaNdu kEttu uNdu uyirththu uRRaRiyum aimpulanum
oN thoDi kaNNE uLa.

Meaning:

The five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch come alive only with this girl, wearing gleaming bangles.

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

Verse 1102
Verse 1100

419. The Professor's Jokes

Students would be enthusiastic about attending the classes of  Professor Gurumurthy. 

This was because, Gurumurthy, in his classes, would often talk about many extraneous topics.

He would particularly take jibes at incompetence of the college principal and the stupidity of the people managing the college.

Sometimes, he would even comment about some political leaders. But, the references would always be indirect.

Most of the students found this distraction a welcome change from the boredom of listening to the lessons. 

Mahesh was among the few students, who were not happy about the professor's meanderings.

"Are we coming to the college to study or to listen to gossip?" lamented Mahesh, while talking to his classmate Kesavan.

"What is your problem? We find his diversions welcome, since they provide us some relief from the monotony of the lessons. This is not a school, but a college. We don't have to learn things from the teacher. We can study by reading the books and score well in the examination. Let us get some entertainment in the classroom!"

This was Kesavan's response.

Mahesh knew that Gurumurthy had a master's degree, but not a doctorate degree. Gurumurthy himself revealed this in one of his classes.

"I have not done my Ph.D. What was the need? A person with a Ph.D. degree will be paid one thousand rupees more than a person with a master's degree. For getting this paltry incremental sum of one thousand rupees, should I have done a Ph.D, begging a senior professor to consent to be my guide and running errands for him, for a couple of years, so that he would approve my thesis? One may argue that unless one has a Ph.D. degree, one can't go up in one's career ladder. But, what is the reality? In our country, people with only a master's degree had become vice-chancellors of universities!"

When Gurumurthy laughed, the students joined him, without even having an idea of whether what he had said was true and if so, whom he was referring to!

When Mahesh had the opportunity to interact with a student placed in another section of the same course he was pursuing, he asked him about the professor who was handling the subject that Gurumurthy was handling for Mahesh's section. 

"It is Professor Dhanapal" he replied.

"How are his classes?"

"Hos classes are very interesting. In his classes, he won't talk about anything other than the subject. He has profound knowledge in the subject. So, he can go on and on about the topic he teaches. Sometimes, he will even touch upon certain advanced concepts, not included in our syllabus, to kindle our interest and make us appreciate the topic better. No student will like to miss any of his classes. I have gone to the staff room a few times, to meet him. During those times, I have observed that while other professors would be chatting, Professor Dhanapal would be reading some book. Once, seeing that he was reading a magazine, I asked him what that magazine was. He said it was a technical journal on his subject and that it was his practice to read such journals and get him updated on the latest developments in the subject. At present, he has gone to Mumbai, to attend a seminar. Initially, thought that he might have been sponsored by the college. But, subsequently, I came to know that he had taken leave and gone to Mumbai, at his own expenses!"

Mahesh reflected on the fact that in a college where there were professors like Gurumurthy, with a casual approach to the subject they were teaching, there were also professors like Dhanapal, willing to spend their own time and money to improve their knowledge, by listening to scholarly presentations, even at far off places.

The next day, Gurumurthy said in the class, "There are people in this college, who would take leave and go to far off places like Mumbai and Kolkatta, at their own expense, to attend some seminar there. This is what is called hoisting one's own petard!" 

He laughed out aloud, enjoying his own joke.

The entire class joined him in his laughter

Thirukkural

Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 42
Learning through Listening

Verse 419 (in Tamil):

nuNangiya kELviyar allAr vaNangiya 
vAyinar Adhal aridhu.

Meaning:

One who has not acquired learning through listening is not likely to be a person of humility in speech.

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

Verse 420
Verse 418

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

418. Quiz Partner

"Our friend Ganapathy's hearing sense is very sharp. He can clearly hear people talking, even if they are at some distance from him" said Krishnan.

"If that were the case, people living next door to him should be very cautious, while talking among themselves" said Suresh. 

"I think that even people living in his house are being very careful with their conversation, when Ganapathy is at home! I had been to his house once. I was talking to him sitting in the living room. His brother, who was in the adjoining room, received a phone call. He went out of the house, completed the conversation and then came back. Maybe, he was afraid that if he attended the call from his room, Ganapathy would hear him!"

"Are you making this up? This appears to be exaggerated!"

"I am not making up anything. I only narrated what I had seen. Ganapathy has another skill too. If he hears anything once, it will be impressed in his mind, like a recording!"

"If that were the case, then Ganapathy is gifted, no doubt!"

Suresh had an opportunity to verify that what Krishnan had said about Ganapathy was true.

During the Anniversary Day of their college, there was a competition. The prelude of a film song would be played. The task was to identify the song and recite the first line of the song. Whoever identified the song first would be the winner.

To everyone's amazement, for almost all the preludes played, Ganapathy was able to sing the first line of the song within a few seconds.

"How did you do it? You are not someone who listens to film songs often?" asked Suresh.

"I would have heard the song a couple of times. So, I remembered the prelude and the first line!" said Ganapathy, as if it was a natural thing for him to do.

There was a Science Quiz in their college. Suresh took Ganapathy as his partner. But their team could not answer most of the questions. The score received by their team was among the lowest of the scores received by all the teams.

Suresh told Krishnan, "I took Ganapathy as my partner, thinking that he would have known the answers to many questions. But he didn't know the answers to even as many questions as I did!" 

"Choosing him as your partner for the quiz competition was a wrong decision on your part!" said Krishnan.

"You told me that whatever he listened to would be deeply impressed in his mind. That's why I chose him as my partner."

"Yes, he would retain whatever he listened to. But he doesn't attend the classes regularly. In fact, he skips most of the classes. When he has not listened to the lectures given by the professors, where is the question of his remembering them? He will read the textbooks a few days before the examination, and manage to get the minimum score required!" 

"He has such an extraordinary talent, but he is not making use of it!" lamented Suresh.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 42
Learning through Listening

Verse 418 (in Tamil):

kEtpinum kELath thagaiyavE kELviyAl

thOtkap padAdha sevi..

Meaning:

The ears that are not pierced by aural learning are (to be considered) deaf, even when they are capable of hearing.

(This is the English version of the Tamil story 'viyakka vaikkum thiRamai' by the same author.)

Verse 419
Verse 416

1100. A Request from the Bride

After the traditional 'Seeing the Bride' event was over, the groom's family was about to depart. 

At that time, the bride's mother Gowri came near her husband Pasupathy and whispered something in his ear.

After hesitating for a moment, Pasupathy told Ramaswamy, the groom's father, "If you don't mind, our daughter Kala wants to have a word with the boy, in private!"

"What is this? We have not come across this practice in our tradition!" said Sumathy, the groom's elder sister, conveying her disapproval of this request.

The groom's mother Sundari threw a look of disapproval at her daughter, presumably, for coming out with an opinion, without waiting for the elders to respond, and then looked at her husband Ramaswamy, quizzically.

Ramaswamy signaled to his wife, seeking her approval to accept the request of the bride, and after she conveyed her consent to him, through her facial gesture, turned to the bride's father, and said, "By all means!"

Having noticed that the bride's parents were still feeling embarrassed about the "unusual" request made by the bride, Ramaswamy looked at them, and said, "The present times are not like what they were, when we got married. This is the year 1970. Man has landed on the moon. Nowadays, it is common for the bride and the groom to talk to each other and understand each other, before the marriage is finalized. My daughter Sumathy got married last year. Perhaps, she is feeling that she missed the opportunity of demanding that she talk to the groom, when he had come to see her before the marriage! That may be the reason for her remark that this was not the practice. Don't mind what she said!" 

He then looked at his daughter Sumathy and smiled. Sumathy looked at her father reproachfully, indicating that she didn't appreciate his remarks about her.

Sumathy entered the room adjoining the living room. Sekar followed her into the room. The location of the room ensured that people sitting in the living room could neither see them, nor hear them.

There were no chairs in the room. Kala stood leaning on the wall. Sekar went near her, and stood in front of her.

Kala, who was keeping her face down during the entire 'Seeing the Bride' event, now looked straight into Sekar's eyes. She kept looking at him for several seconds, without blinking her eyes.

Sekar initially felt a little uncomfortable at Kala looking straight into his eyes. Subsequently, overcoming his discomfort, he also looked into her eyes.

After a couple of minutes, Kala told Sekar, "Let us go back to the living room!"

"What is this, Kala? You wanted to speak to me. But after staring at me for a couple of minutes, you want us to go back!" asked Sekar, surprised.

"Earlier, with other people being present, I couldn't look at your face long enough. I requested for a private audience with you, only with the objective of looking at your face, for a fairly long time. Looking directly into your eyes for a few minutes has given me the satisfaction of conversing with you, and understanding you completely!" said Kala.

She then laughed heartily, her laugh conveying the satisfaction she had derived from looking at him, to her heart's content. 

Kala then asked Sekar, "You didn't speak to me anything, either! Don't you want to ask me anything?"

"No. My feelings are similar to yours. When I stepped into this room, I had a desire to speak to you, in private. But, when I kept looking at you, that desire vanished" said Sekar, his broad smile conveying his satisfaction.

The sight of the two coming out of the room together smiling, made their parents rejoice.

.

Thirukkural
Section 3

Love

Chapter 110
Reading the Cues

Verse 1100 (in Tamil):
kaNNodu kaN iNai nOkkokkin vAych choRkaL

enna payanum ila.

Meaning:

When the lovers' eyes meet each other and concur, spoken words will serve no purpose. 

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

Verse 1101 (Soon)
Verse 1098

417. Karunakaran's Reservations.

Attracted by the talks of Swami Thanmayananda, Karunakaran frequented his lectures. During one of the programs, he got acquainted with the sage.

Sometime later, Thanmayananda asked Karunakaran to join his organization as a spiritual speaker.

"You have an abiding interest in spirituality. You are also well-versed on several aspects of spirituality. You can join our organization, get trained and then become a spiritual speaker, spreading our values to the people."

"I am married. I am running a business. I don't want to become a saint" said Karunakaran.

"I am not asking you to become an ascetic. Joining our organization will not hinder your personal or professional life in any way. The classes will be in the evening. After six months of training, you can begin to give lectures. Our organization will arrange for the lectures. You only need to prepare your speeches on the topics given and speak at the event. You can continue doing your business" said Thanmayananda.

After reflecting on this proposal for some time, Karunakaran accepted it.

After completing his training, Karunakaran met Thanmayananda.

"You have successfully completed the training. Congratulations" said Thanmayananda.

"Swamiji! I have a question."

"Ask!"

"During the training program, you told us that people engaged in spiritual pursuit, should not get married."

"Yes. I did."

"In that case, how can I, a married person, function as a spiritual speaker?"

"If someone offers you a job, will you say that you are not qualified for the job?"

Karunakaran knew that the sage was avoiding a direct answer to his question.

"Pardon me, Swamii. During the training, some speeches of your Guru were played. In all his speeches, he says that we should accept life as a gift given to us by God and live our life happily. He doesn't say that one should remain unmarried" said Karunakaran, 

"Are you suggesting that I preach things not mentioned by my Guru? During his last days, when he couldn't speak coherently, he wrote out the ideas he wanted me to preach and gave the notes to me. I have only been carrying out the mission of spreading his ideas. To me, probing into his teachings to find possible contradictions would have been impudent. I will never venture into such an exercise" said Thanmayananda.

Sensing the anger in his reply, Karunakaran said, "Pardon me, Swaniji, if I have been presumptuous. I am still not clear about this point. So, I will take a decision on giving talks on spirituality, after I get clarity about this" and took leave of the sage.

After a few days, Karunakaran received a message over phone that Thanmayananda wanted to meet him.

Karunalkaran went to see the sage, reluctantly, fearing that he would find it difficult to resist the sage, if the sage were to insist that Karunakaran, having undergone the training already, begin to give spiritual talks, 

Thanmayananda greeted Karunakaran, enthusiastically.

"I am thankful to you, Karunakaran!" said the sage.

"What for, Swamiji?"asked Karunakaran, perplexed.

"The question you raised had also been in my mind, since long. But since, we normally don't question the teachings of our Guru, I had quelled my doubt. But, after you had raised the point, my earlier misgivings got revived. So, I went through the notes of my Guru. He had written his notes in English. He had written 'People interested in spiritual pursuits should celebate.' As you know, 'celebate' means to remain unmarried. But, when I took a closer look at his writing, I realized that he had, in fact, written 'celebrate.' The 'r' was small and inconspicuous, as it often happens when we write. He had given a clear message that pursuit of spirituality meant that we should celebrate life. There is no contradiction in his preaching. The anomaly arose because of my misreading his handwritten notes. Because of your clear thinking, you brought out the anomaly, and made me take a relook at my Guru's notes and correct my understanding. You are even more qualified than me, to spread the teachings of my Guru!" said Thanmayananda.

Thirukkural
Section 2

Materialism

Chapter 42
Learning through Listening

Verse 417 (in Tamil):

pizhaiththu uNarndhum pEdhaimai sollAr izhaiththu uNarndhu
INdiya kELviyavar.

Meaning:

People who have profoundly studied and diligently listened to (scholarly discourses), will not speak foolishly, even if they have understood something imperfectly.

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

Verse 418
Verse 416