Charity: Trying to play God?

The kindly visitor from a foreign country visits the orphanage. Trim and tanned descends the actress, her presence preceded by the wafting perfume that bears her name on the label. Her personal photographer, having graphed out the perfect spots, is busy sushing the curious onlookers away from his tools that probably cost more than the collective lifetime earnings of many of them. Uniformed security guards stand at the perfect distance to avoid spoiling the visuals. As the star alights from her bullet-proof Suburban, the television anchor races to meet her, keeping her breathless monologue going. A brief interview, the right words about caring and sharing, which had been vetted by the publicist and, of course, the lawyer. Clicks, clicks, and more clicks– the picture of the outsized check with the donation figure perfectly legible, the benevolent celebrity, the beaming staff, the handpicked boy and girl are instantaneously transmitted to the living rooms, laptops, and cell phones of a world craving for a feel-good story. All world hails the philanthropist star. The children say goodbye to their angel; the parents thank God for sending His ambassador. The earth is a better place today than it was yesterday! But, what about the benefactor?
Many an altruist has fallen prey to the temptation of playing God. Philanthropy, no doubt, is a pillar of the society. The community usually benefits from it irrespective of the true intentions of the giver. The gains are not so straightforward for the giver. Sharing our blessings with the needy is, indeed, insisted upon by every major religion– Charity in Christianity, Tzedakah in Judaism, Zakat in Islam or Dhaana in Hinduism, to name a few. Benefaction, however, carries the risk of leading us into the jungle thicket of self-righteousness and arrogance.
Kannadasan's song: மனிதன் என்பவன் தெய்வமாகலாம் Manithan enbavan deivam aagalaam,  starts seemingly with a naive premise–Man can become God through charity.

மனிதன் என்பவன் தெய்வம் ஆகலாம்
வாரி வாரி வழங்கும்போது வள்ளல் ஆகலாம்
வாழை போல தன்னை தந்து தியாகி ஆகலாம்
உருகி ஓடும் மெழுகு போல ஒளியை வீசலாம்

Loosely translated, Man can become God. By donating endlessly he can become a philanthropist, by giving of himself a martyr and exude a glow as a melting candle.

This appears to be directly contradicted by Sri Adi Sankara in Bhaja Govindam (verse 17) as he exhorts, nay whips the seeker into his senses.

कुरुते गङ्गा सागर गमनं
व्रत परिपालनमथवा धानम्
ज्ञ्यान विहीनः सर्वमतेन
भजति न मुक्तिं जन्मशतेन

Pilgrimages to where the Ganges meets the ocean, observance of vows, gifts of charity, in hundreds of lives cannot be your deliverance if done without the right knowledge.

King Bali, in Bhagavatham, lords over the three worlds with his immense prowess and valor. Wealth, possessions, fame, and pride, unbeknownst to him, had condensed into a dense cataract obscuring his spiritual perception.

Who else but the Lord to clear Bali's vision! Assuming the role of a dwarf Brahmin boy, Lord Vishnu descends into Bali's palace. Bali, as is the custom, offers anything that the boy wishes for in charity.  The Lord asks for three steps of land.

It doesn't take Bali's guru long to recognize the threat. He warns Bali,"This boy is none other than the Lord Himself. With His first step, He will take away the earth with all the wealth that you have earned. With His next, you will lose the heavens that you have suzerainty over. Left with nothing more to offer as the third step, you will suffer ignominy and shame as a defaulter on your promise."

Bali now runs the risk of losing his material wealth, his fame, and also the spiritual virtues that he had earned. At this moment of reckoning, when everything that he had strived and earned, cherished and protected was at risk of being forfeited, Bali stands firm. The boy will get his three steps as promised. His guru curses Bali that he would go to hell, literally!

As the Lord, in His majestic glory, straddles the earth and the heavens with two strides, Bali has nothing more to offer but his ego. He kneels and offers his head as the landing ground for the third step. Bali, thus, stoops to conquer his ego and gets liberated from its shackles.

If right attitude is the prerequisite in our spiritual sojourn, what does Kannadasan have to say?

...யாருக்கென்று அழுத போது தலைவன் ஆகலாம்
மனமிருந்தால் பறவைக்கூட்டில் மான்கள் வாழலாம் 
வழி இருந்தால் கடுகுக்குள்ளே மலையைக்காணலாம் 
துணிந்துவிட்டால் தலையில் எந்த சுமையைத்தாங்கலாம் 

A leader he becomes when he sheds tears for another. Never shy of hyperbole, with unapologetic poetic licentiousness, he declares: If you have the heart, a deer can be accommodated in a bird's nest. A way can be found to see a mountain in a grain of mustard.

Take pity on those around you. Fear not. The challenge may be immense. A noble heart, with a zeal, can find a way, appears to be the unspoken message.

What is then the benefit to the giver? As Kannadasan avers, மனம், மனம், அது கோயில் ஆகலாம்– The heart verily becomes a temple. Charity, when done with the right attitude of service and surrender, cleanses the heart of its self-absorption to allow the Lord to descend into and take residence.

My Second Inning

My Second Inning

Padded up and ready to go,

I walk with my partner by my side.

Afraid, nervous? – not really,

But a smidge anxious? Sure as hell.

I am thankful to the Captain

For His confidence in me,

Giving me a second chance in spite of

My middling first inning.

 “Don’t watch the scoreboard!

Don’t be scared!

It is just a game;

Go have fun!!”

His words had been simple,

And straight to the point.

Hadn’t grasped their import,

Glad I can do so now.

I realize that, all along,

My partner had been the steadying hand

That anchored our innings
And helped me play.

I plan on giving her

More of the strike,

Support, stand back and admire

Her day in the middle.

There is a crowd, no doubt

Family, fans, and quite a few friends

To clap and cheer and egg me on

And to stand by me come what may

The pitch is imperfect–

It was never pristine and looks more worn now,

With ugly scuffs and threatening cracks;

No chance of an even bounce

The field is different–

That’s for sure.

What was once a deep point

Is nothing but a silly point

The harmless, deep fine leg,

Which favored my sideward glance,

Is, now, I find out,

A treacherous crouched short leg.

Time, time,

Time is the key.

I’ve got to bat time;

Can’t ever forget it.

The ball may reverse,

Stop, turn, and soar,

Or, like a hissing cobra

Skid and strike.

I am smarter now

Than the first go around;

I won't be fooled by a half volley

That lands just short and swings away.

The spinner, Ah- I can handle,

I don’t mind the flipper,

And his googly, I can pick

From a mile afar

There is no shame in blocking,

For, survival is the key;

If I miss a loose ball,

I won’t fret but wait for the next.

But, I know for a fact

That there will be

A straighter one

Right in my reach.

I won't be scared to step forward,

Bend my knees if need be,

To drive it with all that I’ve got

To pierce the cover and extra cover too.

…Venkat Srinivasan

The Devil Can Cite Scripture: Deivam Thantha Veedu

The prince had a moment of epiphany. He woke up in the middle of the night, abdicated his throne and abandoned his wife and young son. Having sat down to meditate under perhaps the most famous tree in the world, he returned as the Buddha, the enlightened one.  Billions have been and continue to be inspired to walk the trail blazed by this great soul. 

But not every dead-beat dad that abandons his family is a Sidhartha; not every homeless wanderer is a Buddha.  Many an escapist in life has attempted to justify their actions with words that sound philosophical. But, as Shakespeare unmasks their hypocrisy, declaring, "Even the devil can cite scripture for his purpose;" they are nothing but "a goodly apple rotten at the heart."

Kannadasan's தெய்வம் தந்த வீடு Deivam Thantha Veedu takes the listener down the tempting path of sweet justification that every loser would love.

தெய்வம் தந்த வீடு வீதி இருக்கு 

தெய்வம் தந்த வீடு வீதி இருக்கு 

இந்த ஊரென்ன? சொந்த வீடென்ன? ஞானப்பெண்ணே 

வாழ்வின் பொருளென்ன, நீ வந்த கதை என்ன?

God given home, the street there is

God given home, the street there is

What is this town, what is this home, my enlightened lady

What for this life? Whence is your story?

Disheveled, dirty, inebriated, and stubbornly insolent, the protagonist feels the need to justify himself with a seemingly logical sense of intellectual honesty.  Thus, from the pulpit of the dusty streets, he waxes eloquently on his philosophy.  He absolves himself of any moral responsibility towards his family. 

நான் கேட்டு தாய் தந்தை படைத்தாரா, இல்லை 

என் பிள்ளை எனை கேட்டு பிறந்தானா...

Did my parents create me with my consent?

Or did my son ask me before he came

கொண்டதென்ன கொடுப்பதென்ன 

இதில் தாயென்ன மணந்த தாரம் என்ன 

What is that we had and what is that we give

In this, who is the mother and who is the wife

In the Bhaja Govindam, Adi Shankaracharya lovingly whips a sense of urgency in the deluded. He indicates a line of inquiry to get over our misguided attachments:
काते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः
संसारः अयमतीव विचित्रः
कस्यत्वं कह कुतायात
तत्त्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः
Who is your wife? who is your son?
Very strange is this world that we are in
Of who are you? Whence do you come?
Ponder thus my dear brother

Continuing later, Sankara asks:
कस्त्वं कोहं कुत आयातः
का मे जननी को मे तातः
Who are you? Who am I? Where do I come from? Who is my mother? Who is my father?

The lines sound eerily similar. On the surface, the drunkard's words seem to echo Adi Sankaracharya–one of the greatest poet-saint-philosophers that ever lived. However, it would be blasphemous to even consider comparing the two speakers.

Sankara and his disciples have seen the likes of this aimlessly wandering, empty vagabond. They are merciless in dismissing the hypocrite, who attempts to cloak his laziness with the entrapments of sainthood.
अग्रे वह्नि पृष्ठे भानुः
रात्रौ चुबुक समर्पित जानुः
करतल भिक्षस्तरुतलवास
तदपि न मुञ्चति आशापाशः
Fire in front, Sun in the back
Sits crouched at night with chin drawn to knees
Begs with open hands and lives under a tree
Yet he lives bound by his endless desires

How are we to identify a saint? How does he look? On the surface, a yogi's appearance may not be very dissimilar to the wandering madman. One could visualize a Ramakrishna Paramahamsa walking in an ecstatic trance as we read the following verse:
रथ्याचर्पट विरचितकन्थः
पुण्यापुण्य विवर्जितपन्थः
योगी योगनियोजनाचित्तः
रमते बालोन्मत्तवदेव
Wearing a garment made of nothing but rags
Walking the path free of virtue and vice
The yogi with his mind fixed in nothing but yoga
Enjoys verily like a child or a madman

The yogi and the drunkard could walk side-by-side and we may not be able to tell the difference.  So, how are we to distinguish the saint from the charlatan? Obviously, it is not from the external markings.

We go back to Sankara to explain the true saint:
योगरतो वा भोगरतो वा
संगरतो वा संगविहीनः
यस्य बृह्माणी रमते चित्तम
नन्दति, नन्दति नंदतत्येव
Reveling in meditation (yoga) or rejoicing in pleasure, 
Frolicking in company or content in solitude,
One whose mind is riveted in the Supreme
Enjoys, enjoys, verily he enjoys!!

A saint is he who is happy; nay, he is delirious with joy. A Vedavyasa living a Spartan life in the forest or a Janaka with all his royal entrapments in Mithila, a Ramana Maharishi staying rooted in a cave in Thiruvannamalai or a jet-setting Chinmaya. Their one distinguishing mark? very simple- they are truly happy!!

The Unfairness of Having a Conscience: Ullaththil Nalla Ullam

Conscience is cruel– it is unforgiving, not amenable to any apologies– sort of a Professor Snape wth his piercing, emotionless eyes.  The diabolically evil, unrepentant souls rest assured in their perverted sense of righteousness. Be it the Nazis, who attempted to cleanse their nation of their "racial inferiors," or the ruthless aggrandizers, who don't hesitate to eviscerate the community financially, clothing their naked ambitions in the garb of capitalism, they seem to be unaware of even a whisper from their conscience.  And yet, the very same inner voice becomes an unbearable scream to the solitary traveler on the path to self-improvement.

The noblest of hearts weighed down by guilt, squirms in moral misery. This seeming injustice is highlighted by Kannadasan in his song, உள்ளத்தில் நல்ல உள்ளம்... Ullaththil Nalla Ullam

உள்ளத்தில் நல்ல உள்ளம்

உறங்காதென்பது

வல்லவன் வகுத்ததடா , கர்ணா,

வருவதை எதிர்கொள்ளடா

That the purest of the hearts

Doesn't rest well

Is fixed by the Skilled One, Karna,

Behold what is to come.

Stars were aligned to create an immortal moment of magic– the grand stage of Kurukshetra, the mythical characters of Lord Krishna and Karna, the majesty of NT Rama Rao and Sivaji Ganesan, who were the closest to royalty of 20th century South Indian cinema, the heart-rending rendition of Sirkazhi of MSV's magical melody, and to cap it all– the inspired genius of Kannadasan. It is a privilege to be familiar with the Tamil language and our hearts plumbed to its depths by this song.

Karna was not a perfect man– Unlucky? Most certainly: denied of his legitimacy, derided by his peers, disrespected by the public. Political expediency had created a friendship with Duryodhana. Misplaced loyalty had resulted in Karna not only accepting, but also actively encouraging and exhorting his friend's repugnant acts. An emperor should have been, a mercenary had become.

Karna lay sprawled on the lap of Kurukshetra, braced against the wheel of his chariot. His heart had been pierced, both physically and metaphorically by the arrows of Arjuna, his brother, and bitter rival as also history's anointed hero. The proud embers of his spirit, however, refused to die down. Unsurpassed martial skill, unfettered courage, unparalleled acts of charity, and unflinching loyalty had come to this– all because of a debatable sense of ethics.

The valiant warrior who had battled and overwhelmed his opponents had to feel a sense of remorse for his share of mistakes– the indefensible attempt to publicly disrobe Draupadi, the lying to Parasurama, and the slaughter of Abhimanyu.

It is easy to blame circumstances for our acts– it is easier on the soul. It is the handiest tool in the drawer to white-out our dark spots that are too stubborn to erase. The conscientious few are painfully aware of their blemishes, even if they are unseen, considered irrelevant, or, surprisingly, admired by others.

Humans are mortals; to live is to be pock-marked by our decisions. Perfection is never accomplished. Yet, the striving for perfection is enjoined upon every one of us by our scriptures. Once a seeker sets out on this path, he is verily a saint.  To be led by the Divine, to walk along, the soul has to be ready to give up its attachments, both tangible and intangible, to the mortal world.

The noblest of the chains tethering us to the cycle of births and deaths is the sense of comfort that we feel in our own virtues (Punyas); it leads to smugness resulting in spiritual complacency. Many a seeker considers them as the positive balance in the spiritual bank. They are considered the currency to enter the gateway of heaven. According to our scriptures, even these are considered temporary. The ego is forced to crash back into the mortal world from the heavenly worlds upon exhaustion of these Punyas– क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्य लोकं विशन्ति

Sins and virtues are, no doubt, very useful coordinates in the initial part of the spiritual voyage. But, to reach the unchartered land of Immortality, the brave traveler has to abandon them. If he needs help in doing so, the Lord with His infinite compassion comes and rip them off, to lead the soul to immortality.

The Lord adopts any role in leading the sincere seeker– be it the role of a son (Yasodha), a friend (Sudhama), a lover (Radha). Why not a cheat? வஞ்சகன் கண்ணனடா!  Assuming the risk of being caviled as a crook that would plunge to any depths to help his friend, Arjuna, Lord Krishna sets out to offer the highest possible gift to Karna- liberation from the cycle of births and deaths. As He advises Arjuna: போற்றுவார் போற்றலும் தூற்றுவார் தூற்றலும் போகட்டும் கண்ணனுக்கே

Let all praise and insults go to Me (Lord Krishna)

Lord Krishna, assuming the form of a poor Brahmin, approaches Karna and asks for his Punyas as charity. It is a tough ask– Karna had lived his entire life based on a few simple premises, one of which being an unfailing commitment to charity.  As his life draws to an unfulfilling and disappointing end, cursed by fate and plagued by ill luck, all he can look forward to is a better providence in his next birth as a reward for all his good deeds. Even that opportunity would be lost if he were to donate his Punyas.

Karna, however, takes the giant leap of faith and is unafraid to renounce his attachment to even his Punyas. Knowing fully well that it is Krishna who has come in disguise, unhesitatingly, he acquiesces to the Lord’s solicitation. In return, he gets rewarded with the divine vision of the Lord in all His glory– the Viswaroopa Darsana

सर्व धर्मान परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज

अहं तवां सर्व पापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि माशुचः

Renounce all dharmas and take refuge in Me alone. I shall liberate you from all sins; grieve not (Gita XVIII: 66)