INSTINCT FOR POSSESSION

NATIVE  CHARM

INSTINCT FOR POSSESSION

Some forms of life have a natural instinct for accumulating things. We thus see even ants seeking to accumulate grains or tiny bits of sugar . Even rats do gather. Bees collect honey, but man steals it and makes money out of it. But birds, lions and other wild animals, elephants do not accumulate. They live from day to day. But they are attached to their places. Ramana Maharshi used to point to the monkeys visiting the Asramam and advise his devotees who tried  to drive them away that it is they ( men) who  invaded the place of the monkeys and now attempted to drive them away. He would say that the monkeys were the real sanyasis: they had no place to stay ( they did not build a nest or den), they slept on any tree they found, they ate what they got- did not save anything for the morrow! They are our natural teachers.

Bhagavan feeding a monkey devotee. He was fond of animals. He always addressed them as 'he' or 'she' and never as it. He had observed the monkeys closely and knew how they lived under their 'king' and how their society was organised.
Photo copyright of Sri Ramanasramam. Thanks.


Though animals like dogs, tigers and lions, deer and elephants do not save any food for the morrow, they are constantly in search of food, except when they rest after eating. Thus, their situation too is not idealistic.

 So, Avadhuta Dattatreya  took the python as one of his 24 gurus. It just lies in its lair, where it is, and accepts whatever food it happens to get  there , without stirring from its place. This episode is described in the Bhagavatam, Canto 11. Sages take this as the ideal state of absolute dependence on God.  

Picture of the Indian python. From the San Diego Zoo, USA.
By Tigerpython (Own work) [GFDL (CC BY-SA 3.0 creative commons via wikipedia commons.)

Pattinathar Swamigal says the same thing, explicitly:

இருக்குமிடந்தேடியென்பசிக்கேயன்ன முருக்கமுடன்கொண்டுவந்தாலுண்பேன் - பெருக்க வழைத்தாலும்போகேனரனேயென்றேக மிளைத்தாலும்போகேனினி.	5

O Lord! I will eat only if someone  seeks me out and brings food and offers it to me with kindness, knowing that I am hungry. I will not go from here even if I am invited with great insistence. No, I will not go even if my body suffers.


Christ said the same things in his Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5.6

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

King James version. public domain.

 Yet, how many care for such teachings?Man at the pinnacle of creation is the most covetous of the whole lot. There is no limit to how much he would accumulate. The Isa Upanishad, the first of our top ten, reminds us the whole creation belongs to God and we should not take  more than what is necessary for our survival. We mug up the mantra, and ignore its message.

And just what are the things we desire? In the olden days ( say about 60 years ago) our homes were simple. We had no furniture in the European sense or style. A grandfather may have an easy chair or coir cot to sleep on. We all slept on mats on the floor.  No room was earmarked as the bedroom.Our elderly ladies who observed "aacharam" would lie down on the bare floor to steal a quick nap during the day, keeping their own hands or a small wooden block as the pillow- no hint of ease or comfort.  But we are more advanced, and we have stuffed every room with many items. Every room is marked for some purpose- bedroom, study, drawing room etc. And so much space is occupied by dead

things, and men complain of shortage of living space!

What are the things we accumulate in the house? As youngsters, we had dreams- influenced by films and advertisements. We thought  more things would make us happier- this was the American style. Then one could acquire furniture of various styles- this would make us modern!  And the more fashion conscious among us could go in for the branded clothes or shoes or anything. Yet a stage came invariably when the clutter annoyed us, and suddenly we realised what a waste of money it had all been over things, and what a waste of time pursuing the money to purchase the things! Our great friend Shailendra observed this in his own simple but elegant manner:

Kisi ko hare hare note ka nasha hai
Kisi ko suit boot coat ka nasha hai

Some are intoxicated about fresh currency notes. Some are mad after fashionable clothes- suit, boot, coat.
(Everyone is after something)

Yet, what happens in the end?

Albelae armaanon ka  toofan lekar laaye
Naadaan sau baras ka saaman lekar laaye
Aur dhool udhatha chala jaayere

Ik aayae, ik jaayae musafir.
Duniya ik sarai re....

We bring with us glorious ( big,vain) dreams , like a typhoon. And accumulate silly things required for a hundred years. And when we leave, we just raise the dust!

One traveller comes, one leaves, this  world is like a very shallow earthen vessel.

Poet Shailendra. Picture taken from https://shankerdaskesrilashailendra.worldpress.com.

This has been the message of all Indian sages and saints. Pattinathar, one of the great Tamil saints saw the lines inscribed on a slip : "Not even a needle with a broken head accompanies one when he leaves the world".# [Note] And this made him renounce the world instantly. Later, he sang:

பிறக்கும்பொழுது கொடுவந்த தில்லை, பிறந்து மண்மேல்
இறக்கும்பொழுது கொடுபோவ தில்லை; இடைநடுவில்
குறிக்குமிச் செல்வஞ் சிவன் தந்ததென்று கொடுக்கறியாது
இறக்குங் குலாமருக் கென்சொல்லுவேன் ? கச்சியேகம்பனே ! 7

O Lord! We don't bring anything with us when we come. We don't take anything with us when we die. What we get in between is what God has given us. How I pity those given to the life of luxury and glamour who die in vain,  not knowing to give in charity what God has given them!

Image from the cover of the book of the works of Pattinathar, published by Palaniappa Bros. Copyright position not known. Gratefully acknowledged.

Arunagirinatha, our great Master, said it even more tellingly. He sang:

வையிற் கதிர்வடி வேலோனை வாழ்த்தி வறிஞர்க்கென்றும்
   நொய்யிற் பிளவள வேனும் பகிர்மின்க ணுங்கட்கிங்ஙன்
      வெய்யிற் கொதுங்க வுதவா உடம்பின் வெறுநிழல்போற்
         கையிற் பொருளு முதவாது காணுங் கடைவழிக்கே.   ...     18 

Picture from murugan.org. thanks.

Vaiyir kadir vadi velonai vaazhthi varijnarkenrum

Noyyir pilavalaveum pagirmingal nungat ingan

Veyyir kodunga vudava vudambin veru nizhal pol

Kaiyir porulum udavadu kaanum kadiavashikke.

Just as your own shadow does not provide you shade against the sun, your own wealth will not avail you on your last journey. So, help poor people in the name of God, and share with them even the equivalent of  a  broken grain of rice.

And such acts of charity need not be big,grand affairs. They can be very small in scale, but significant in effect. Saint Tirumular, another great Jnani of the Tamil land, sang:


யாவர்க்கு மாம்இறை வற்குஒரு பச்சிலை
யாவர்க்கு மாம்பசு வுக்கொரு வாயுறை
யாவர்க்கு மாம் உண்ணும் போதொரு கைப்பிடி
யாவர்க்கு மாம்பிறர்க்கு இன்னுரை தானே. 

Everyone can offer a green leaf to God.  Everyone can offer a handful of grass to the cow. Every one can share a handful of food when he eats. And everyone can speak sweet words to others!

புண்ணியம் செய்வார்க்குப் பூவுண்டு நீருண்டு
அண்ணல் அதுகண்டு அருள்புரி யாநிற்கும்

One can earn merit by offering God water and flower. The 

Lord is pleased (even with that) and confers his blessings.

This is what Lord Krishna said in the Gita:

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति |
तदहं भक्त्युपहृतमश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: || 26||

patraṁ puṣhpaṁ phalaṁ toyaṁ yo me bhaktyā prayachchhati
tadahaṁ bhaktyupahṛitam aśhnāmi prayatātmanaḥ  9.26

Whoever with devotion offers Me  a leaf, a flower,a fruit, or water,that I accept - that devout gift of the pure-minded. 

National Portraits Gallery, London.

Shakespeare taught us how to live simply and enjoy grandly:

Who doth ambition shun

And loves to live in the sun,

Seeking the food he eats

And pleased with what he gets,

Come hither, come hither, come hither

Here shall he see no enemy 

But winter and rough weather.

Is it that man is not allowed to accumulate anything? No.Man can accumulate knowledge- without end, pursue learning all his life! It does not harm anyone, and one's accumulation does not lesson the chances of another! In fact, a learned man may help many others to become learned, like a lamp can light many more. 

An ancient Tamil poem called "Naaladiyar" - 'Four Liners' tells us that we should always look at those who are poorer than us and feel happy that we are wealthier. But we should always look at the more learned, and feel how poor are we before them in knowledge!

Worldly sciences teach us to accumulate wealth- tireless striving stretching its arms ever towards more accumulation. And Sages teach us to strive for wisdom and devotion.. Thus Christ:

32“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.

 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.

 34For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke,12.

Christ told a wealthy person who wanted to follow him to first go, sell his possessions and distribute the money among the poor, and then come to him. 

The Rich Young Man
…20The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept; what am I still lacking?"21Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

22But when the young man heard this statement, he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property.…

Matthew 19:21

( Today's Christian evangelists ask us to wish for another car, TV, house and may be even a different wife or husband because, well, 'there is more where it comes from'.)

[ I have provided the quotations from the New Testament because churches in India are trying to convert, promising riches to people in the name of their religion, while  the Lord Jesus Christ asked people to renounce and follow him.]

Describing those who are dear to Him in the Gita, Lord Krishna counts among them:

तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्मौनी सन्तुष्टो येन केनचित् ।

अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिर्भक्तिमान्मे प्रियो नरः ॥ 12.19

Tulya ninda stutir mauni
Santushto  yena kenachit
Aniketa: stitarmatir 
Bhaktimaan  mae priyo nara:

One to whom  censure and praise are equal, who is silent, content with anything, homeless, and steady-minded, full of devotion- that man is dear to Me.

Image from ISKCON. Thanks.


NOTE:

PATTINATHAR  used this line in two of his poems later:

.Addressing his own mind, he exclaims: Think of and praise the lotus feet of the Lord  and spend your time. What is the use of the wealth which is not good for anything in the world? What is the use of all the wealth that is kept buried? In the end, not even a needle with the broken head will accompany you on the last journey. The inner teaching of the Veda is that we must give up attachment to women and wealth (possessions.)  Have you not understood this teaching of the Sadguru? One gets enlightenment, as a result of the merits of the previous births. Then one understands that not even a broken needle will accompany one on the last journey. வாதுற்றதிண்புயரண்ணாமலையர்மலர்ப்பதத்தைப் போதுற்றெப்போதும்புகலுநெஞ்சேயிந்தப்பூதலத்திற் றீறுற்றசெல்வமென்றேடிப்புதைத்ததிரவியமென் காதற்றவூசியும்வாராதுகாணுங்கடைவழிக்கே. 10 வேதத்தினுட்பொருண்மண்ணாசைமங்கையைவிட்டுவிடப் போதித்தவன்மொழிகேட்டிலையோசெய்தபுண்ணியத்தா லாதித்தன்சந்திரன்போலேவெளிச்சமதாம்பொழுது காதற்றவூசியும்வாராதுகாணுங்கடைவழிக்கே. Our Master Arunagirinatha too expresses this: கோழிக் கொடிய னடிபணி யாமற் குவலத்தே    வாழக் கருது மதியிலி காளுங்கள் வல்வினைநோய்       ஊழிற் பெருவலி யுண்ணவொட்டாது உங்களத்தமெல்லாம்          ஆழப் புதைத்துவைத் தால்வருமோ நும் மடிப்பிறகே.   ...     Oh ye senseless people, who think of living in this world without  bowing to the feet of the Lord with the flag of cock ( Subrahmanya)! Your diseases resulting from the past karma will not allow you to enjoy  your life. Will all your wealth that you keep safely buried accompany you when you die? The basic idea is that accumulation of wealth and its enjoyment are subject to past Karma - Destiny. This is expressed by Tiruvalluvar thus: வகுத்தான் வகுத்த வகையல்லாற் கோடி தொகுத்தார்க்குந் துய்த்த லரிது Even if one has amassed millions, one cannot enjoy except as ordained by the Ordainer. Therefore all our ancient sages asked us to spend our wealth in charity. The old sangam literature Puranaanooru lays down: தெண்கடல் வளாகம் பொதுமை ‘இன்றி வெண்குடை நிழற்றிய ஒருமை யோர்க்கும், நடுநாள் யாமத்தும் பகலும் துஞ்சான் கடுமாப் பார்க்கும் கல்லா ஒருவற்கும், உண்பது நாழி ; உடுப்பவை இரண்டே; பிறவும் எல்லாம் ஓரொக் குமே; அதனால், செல்வத்துப் பயனே ஈதல்; துய்ப்பேம் எனினே, தப்புந பலவே. Whether it a great king ruling the earth alone, or the the unlearned hunter combing the forests day and night in search of food, what can be eaten at a time is limited, and they can wear just two pieces of clothing. All else is the same. So, the fruit of wealth is charity. If one thinks he alone will enjoy, many (finer/higher) things are missed. Salutations to all our great gurus. Sarvebhyo Gurubhyo Nama:
.
.
.

vudambin verunizhal pol

kaiyir 

Our Sweet Poets!

               POEMS  AND  POETS

               27.Our Sweet Poets!

In the Tamil Saiva tradition, four saints are looked upon as the initiators and exemplars of a  new trend in religious life-that of personal devotion,not necessarily based on ritual worship. Not that they decried it, but their way was simply different. They went from place to place, visiting the temples and singing hymns about the Deity, in various forms, gathering devotees along.. They were also poets, and the hymns they sang were their own, composed extempore, on the spot. Fortunately, thousands of such songs have been preserved, along with the tradition of singing them in their original tunes! They represent an earlier form of the present day Raga system of the classical music of India.

Their hymns are in a baffling variety of poetic forms, even if the tunes are somewhat limited in range. Collectively, the work of three of them are called Tevaram- meaning a garland offered to God. The work of the fourth one is called 'Tiruvachakam"- the Hallowed or Exalted or Blessed Word.

'Appar' ( meaning Father)  (7th-8th century)is the senior-most among them, living up to the ripe old age of 80. He specialised in cleaning the temples he visited of the overgrown weeds. He is always depicted as holding  in his  hand that small tool used for the purpose. 

His poetry is described as 'tender coconut water'! First, coconut has very holy associations for us- it is the best offering we make to our Deities at Puja. But tender coconut has special characteristics. It is cool.It does not require any preparation or cooking-it is taken as it is. It has medicinal value. And it is naturally sweet. So, Appar's poetry has all these properties!

But in medieval Tamil literature, Avvaiyar, a great woman poet sang a verse which has conferred literary immortality on coconut, besides teaching a great truth. She sang:

"When you do a good turn to others, do not

Go about inquiring when it will be repaid.

Look at the coconut palm- how tirelessly tall it grows!

And yet it repays through the head  the water it  has
                                           taken  through its roots!    

There is something in the natural order which ensures that the kind acts and gestures are not forgotten. What is important is that we should not snap the chain of mutual help, but become part of it.

Says Walt Whitman:

Behold!

I do not give lectures or a little charity,

When I give, I give myself.

Adds Kahlil Gibran:

You give but little when you give

                           of your possessions.

It is when you give of yourself

                           that you truly give.

Tirujnanasambandha- Sambandhar for short- is the youngest of the lot. He lived for just 16 years, having begun to compose and sing at the age of four. He and Appar were contemporaries- it was he who called the latter Appar and made that name stick, obscuring the natural name- Tirunavukkarasar, meaning the king of sacred tongue!

Sambandhar's poetry is tough, classical. He introduced many new forms of poetry in Tamil. His hymns are full of the descriptions of the country scene, the sound of the Vedic chanting  by the Brahmins, and the activities of farmers and others observed all over, besides the observations of the rich flora and fauna of the countryside. The Deities he sings of are inseparable from the nature around them! His poetry is compared to the sugarcane! The juice is sweet, but it has to be extracted! Or one must have strong teeth to bite off the cane, and enjoy the juice, as the native boys do! 

The next is Sundaramurti- the handsome one! He lived to be 18. He is also called 'Vantondar' or the tough or quarrelsome devotee. He had the temerity to call God, mad, when He had appeared before him in disguise. He would take great liberties with the Lord. His poetry is compared to milk, boiled and condensed, and sweetened! It just has to be taken and enjoyed! Somebody has done the boiling and all that! His songs embody such intense devotion.

Manickavachakar is the fourth, a category by himself. His hymns embody great majesty in form and content. They also have a deep mystic element, calling forth great maturity on the part of the reader. His poetry is compared to honey. What can excel honey in natural sweetness! And honey is a rare product of nature, becomes both food and medicine! It  does not get spoiled even on long storage and preserves anything that is kept immersed in it! But one can only take small quantities of honey at a time, tasting it drop by drop for total enjoyment!

All divine poets, but we see such variety in their poetry! And their devotion is also classified, being taken as models for certain trends. Appar exemplifies the attitude of a servant- he supplicates God so movingly, pleading for Grace all the time! Sundarar is like the friend- taking liberties with God, as one would from a close friend. Manickavachakar is saintly and serenely majestic, touching the mystic element, and philosophical heights. He exemplifies the Santa bhava. Sambandhar is like the favourite son. He can do no wrong! He is love and grace personified.The father would melt at his sight! He is the Prince of the emperor! The emperor may reign by law, and put some one in prison for wrong doing. But the prince has access to the key, and may release the prisoner, and pardon the remaining sentence! The orthodox law says that one has to face the fruit of one's karma; there is no way out other than by bearing the effect. But our prince gives out a secret :

You fellows! Strange indeed ! You know and repeat
That you have to face here, now the present effects 
Of your past karma. But do you not know
How to seek the remedy? What a shame!
We  devotees will engage our hands 
(and all faculties ) in acts of 
Worshipping the Feet of the Lord! Let me see
How the past karma comes and touches us!
I promise you in the name of the Lord!
                           ( Hymn: Avvinaikkivinai)
This is remarkable assurance indeed. How many saints have said that?

There is an intense debate in our religious circles about Karma. Orthodox stand is that karma will not get exhausted unless its effects are experienced.This birth is due to karma and it has to follow its course- this is the unavoidable Prarabda. This is often called the Brahmalipi-what Brahma ,the Lord of creation writes on each one's head as his destiny. None can escape it. The body is the result of karma, says Arunagirinatha: "vidi kaanum udambu". Ilango Adigal, the Jain monk and author of the Tamil epic Silappadikaram declares that one moral of his epic is to establish that the effect of karma will pursue one through births: "Oozhvinai vuruthu vandu oottum".

Jnanis say that so long as one identifies oneself with the body, one has to suffer the effects of karma attending on the body. But are you the body? If this is investigated and the truth is experienced, then may you see whether there is karma, what are the effects,etc. While we retain our identity based on body consciousness, karma is inescapable.

The Bhaktas or followers of the path of devotion say that the Lord's grace can do away with or at least reduce the intensity of his law. It can save any one. They hold up examples from our scriptures like Markandeya, Ajamila,etc.
But the Jnanis point out that in our entire lore there is but one Ajamila,one Markandeya! It is God who has ordained the law of karma and He is not capricious or arbitrary to interfere in its working.

It is in the light of such debates that the categorical assurance of Jnanasambandha assumes significance! And holds out hope!

Gray's Elegy

                                         POEMS  AND  POETS

                    22. THOMAS GRAY: ELEGY

Elegy in English can mean only one thing: Thomas Gray's poem: Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard. It is so well known wherever English is learned. What has made it so?

There is such a quality and a deeply personal touch. The reader gets the feeling that the poet is opening out his heart, and conveying his inner thoughts-feelings. It is not from the brain. We identify ourselves with those thoughts.

We learn that Gray was deeply affected by the death of dear ones. The near-death of his close friend from childhood,Horace Walpole shook him. He thought about the subject for long. What took shape was not only about death, but about remembering the dead, about the human desire to be remembered after death. And he writes about the unknown, unsung people lying buried in the graveyard.

Indian religious poetry freely talks about death. It is in fact the thought of death that raises serious questions about the quality of life! Transience of life,youth,wealth-is the bedrock on which both serious and simple  religious instruction is based in India. Indeed, birth, old age, disease and death-all four are dealt with seriously. Bhagavad Gita has some telling verses on it. On the contrary, this subject is not openly discussed in the West.

One of our great Upanishads starts from the death of a young student, Nachiketas.There Yama, the Lord of death himself becomes the teacher, and he teaches Immortality! One of our enduring legends is how a young devotee, Markandeya,son of a Muni, overcame death by devotion to Lord Shiva. He becomes a model for later devotees, like Arunagirinatha, who openly challenge Death: 'Dare to come near me, I will show you what! Have you forgotten what happened to you when you approached another devotee, Markandeya?' Then, there is the most endearing legend of Savitri, the devoted wife, confronting Death and bringing   her dead husband back to life! Sri Aurobindo converted  this legend into a Symbol too, immortalising it in the longest English poem, of 24,000 lines! In modern times, a school boy of 17,Venkatraman, became Ramana Maharshi after a 20-minute encounter with death!

During my school days, I had to pass  a Masjid on the way. I used to find one blind 'baba' in rags sitting near the entrance and crying aloud, with extended hand: 

Jo dega, woh marega;
Jo nahi dega, woh bhi marega.

meaning: those who give,they will die; those who don't give- they too will die.
It amused me a lot, but I did not know the meaning, nor did I care.
Over 30 years later, I met a colleague hailing from the North-west  part of Karnataka, who recited this to me! He said it meant that though all have to die, those who lead a good life, practising charity and all that, will have an easy death, and pleasant after-life, while those who are not charitable will also die, but this death being like a cave of permanent darkness! Outward death is common, the state of life thereafter will be different!

Gray had been particularly affected by the death of his aunt, and of  poet  Richard West. Later, he stayed for a time at Stoke Poge, visiting the church and the graveyard, which made him think of death often. The poem was sent to his friend Walpole who liked and circulated it, making it popular even before its publication. But the poem does not mourn any one's death in particular but reflects on the human condition in general. I feel it is where its secret of appeal lies.

Striking Opening Lines: The country scene:

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
   The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,
   And leaves the world to darkness and to me.


For one like me, coming from the old rural area, when there was no electricity and all outdoor activities ceased before or at sunset,  the opening lines dramatically bring out the ethereal quality of a village in the evening, in the fading light at sun-set. In the villages, it could be seen, and felt suddenly! It just grips and overwhelms you!
And the scene of the 'lowing herd' returning after the day's grazing  in the open field is the stuff of our legend and lore- the time, with the dust raised, is considered very auspicious!
How many have actually seen a ploughman- with a plough on his shoulders? I have! And there is an unforgettable story about him!

Narada, the divine sage, gets conceited about his unparalleled devotion. One day he asks the Lord, apparently innocently, about who in the world could be considered the greatest devotee, expecting that the Lord would name him. The Lord sees through him and tells him that an old farmer in a certain village, is the greatest devotee.
Feeling slighted, Narada visits the village and watches the man through the day. In the morning, the fellow takes the plough , uttering the Lord's name once, keeps it on his shoulders and walks to his fields. He is busy with his work through the day. He returns at sun set, keeps the plough down, uttering the Lord's name once. He has his food and goes to sleep. Narada is enraged. This man, illiterate, uttering the Lord's name but twice in a day, and the greatest devotee? He comes to the Lord fuming, and questions him. The Lord does not answer him. Later, they go out for a stroll. They find an open field. The Lord poses a challenge, sporting: Narada has to take a vessel, filled with oil to the brim,and has to walk round the field thrice, without spilling even a drop of the oil. Could he do it? Easy, says Narada, and completes it. Then the Lord asks him: " Narada  did you remember me during your rounds? How many times did you take my name?" Narada is shocked! In his preoccupation with the oil, he forgot the Lord! But the poor village farmer? He did not forget the Lord, in spite of all his work! He was the greatest!
This is the association the figure of the ploughman brings to my mind!

The scene now shifts from the village in general to the graveyard which induces thoughts on the dead.

Beneath those rugged elms,that yew-trees shade,
  Where heaves the turf in many a mouldering heap,
Each in his narrow cell forever laid, 
   The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep.

No familiar village sound is going to "rouse them from their lowly bed".

What sort of people were they? Poor, unknown creatures,or mighty ones? Whoever they were, they have become one in the grave.

Let not Ambition mock their useful toil,
   Their homely joys and destiny obscure;
Nor Grandeur hear with a disdainful smile
   The short and simple annals of the poor.

The boast of heraldry, the pomp of power,
   And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave,
Awaits alike the inevitable hour:
  The paths of glory lead but to the grave.

What if no suitable memorials have been raised for them?

Can storied urn or animated bust
  Back to its mansion call the fleeting breath?
Can Honour's voice provoke the silent dust,
   Or Flattery soothe the dull cold ear of Death?

Perhaps these were men who had ambition, but no fortune.

Chill penury repressed their noble rage,
   And froze the genial current of the soul.

Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
   The dark unfathomed caves of ocean bear;
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
   And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

They could not be great like a Hampden, a Milton or a Cromwell. But their humbler lot also saved them from doing harm!

To scatter plenty o'er a smiling land,
   And read their history in a nation's eyes.

Their lot forbade; nor circumscribed alone
   Their growing virtues, but their crimes confined.
Forbade to wade through slaughter to a throne,
   And shut the gates of mercy on mankind.

The struggling pangs of conscious truth to hide,
   To quench the blushes of ingenuous shame,
Or heap the shrine of Luxury and Pride,
   With the incense kindled at the Muse's flame.

Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
   Their sober wishes never learned to stray;
Along the cool sequestered vale of life
   They kept the noiseless tenor of their way.

But such is human nature that even such humble people desire memorial, for who does not wish to be remembered ?

Yet even these bones from insult to protect,
   Some frail memorial still erected high,
With uncouth rhymes and shapeless sculpture                                                                      decked,
   Implores the passing tribute of a sigh.

For who, to dumb forgetfulness a prey,
   This pleasing anxious being e'er resigned,
Left the warm precincts of the cheerful day,
   Nor cast one longing lingering look behind?

On some fond breast the parting soul relies,
   Some pious drops the closing eye requires;
Even from the tomb the voice of nature cries,
   Even in our ashes live their wonted fires.

Toward the end , the poem describes the grave of a poet, remembered by someone. There is then an epitaph from which we gather that the poet was rather unknown.

Here rests his head upon the lap of earth,
  A youth to fortune and fame unknown;
Fair Science frowned not on his humble birth,
   And Melancholy marked him for her own.

Large was his bounty and his soul sincere,
   Heaven did a  recompense as largely send;
He gave to Misery all he had, a tear;
   He gained from Heaven ('twas all he wished) a                                                                         friend.

So concludes the poem. This poet is perhaps one of those  gems of 'ray serene' of which he wrote earlier.  There is supposed to be an earlier version, but not being a researcher or academic, I have not bothered to look it up. I am happy with this gem.

This poem has always exercised a spell on me. I liked  many passages and expressions immensely, and many of them just registered on my mind on first reading. We  hailed from lower middle class, and thought we would be unknown to fortune and fame. The epitaph had a tragic pull , and I had wept over it! Perhaps our background determines what poems we get to like!

Why has Gray given us a poem of such sad reflections? But its very sadness makes it sweet.

A celluloid poet of ours  Sahir Ludhianvi wrote these lines:

Denge wohi jo paayenge
Iss zindagi se hum.
We can give to the world but that which we will earn here.

P.B.Shelley wrote:


"Our sincerest laughter 
With some pain is fraught;
Our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest                                                                     thoughts."
                                                        
                                                       

This I find has been rendered by one of our poets Shailendra in Hindi:

 Hain Sabse madhur  woh  geet jinhe
Hum dard ke sur mein gaatein hain!

That song is our sweetest, which we sing out of our pain.

But here the poet goes on to an optimistic note:

Jab gham ke andhera giir aaya,
Samjho savera duur nahin.

When it gets darkest ( when your sadness is too intense), just remember morning  is not far away!