Saturday, July 24, 2010

Rikshaw Puller Analysed Sanskrit Sloka

One of Bangalore’s coldest seasons…
The cosmopolitan city was not only in the grip of ferocious chill but also going through a bout of Kannadiga Fanatic fever. The religious, cultural and entertainment centers of Tamilians were their focused target. A Series of Musical Discourse by a Tamil Harikatha exponent drawing tumultuously huge crowds at the heart of the city glared the fanatics’ eyes. The Ancient cultural Association which organized the discourse series was given an ultimatum to stop the program or face violence. The organizers rushed to the Legend and pleaded for advice. The Legend was calm and cool. He requested the organizers to wither the threat and assured that discourse would continue uninterrupted..
The day’s discourse started on time. A group of hooligans with deadly weapons descended at the front gate. They could distinctly hear the sole stirring Harikatha that permeated the ambience. The speech was in English mixed with lilting songs in Kannada, and Telugu interspersed with vibrant rendering of slokas in Sanskrit. Not a word of Tamil……!
The clueless fanatics did not retreat but mingled with the audience quietly and got soaked themselves in the waves of the Legend’s inimitable oratorical ocean. As waves do, they kept coming day after day, in the process, unmindful of the fact that from the next day there was liberal mix of Tamil too in the discourse.
The self believing Legend who possessed such a depth of knowledge and repertoire was none other than Brahmasri T.S.Balakrishna Sastrigal. Yours sincerely is fortunate to be his younger son.
A Senior Executive of State Bank of India, my illustrious father started learning the wide spectrum of fundamentals required for performing Harikatha at the very tender age of 8 under the guidance of his father, himself a doyen in Puranic Upanyasakams known as Brahmasri Sambamoorthi Ganapaadigal. The enlightening package included Vedas, Puranas, Sastras, Carnatic Music, and Multiple Languages like Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit, Malayalam, Kanada and English.
True to the width of his perceptions, the range of his audience also varied – from the elite of Music Academy to the mass of Royapuram, and Choolai, from the Asthikaas of Mumbai and Delhi to the village folks of interior Thirunelveli and Thanjavur, from the Asian Indians of United States of America to the strangers to Tamil in interior Kerala and Andhra.
A day of discourse in one of his formatting years……at Choolai, a typically down to earth ambience……My father was returning back in his regular Rickshaw after a much appreciated performance of Sundarakaandam in Ramayana. The Rickshaw puller casually remarked “Unga Appaaru ungulukku sariya paadam sollikodikkalayaanga? (Did your father not teach you fully?). He reasoned too.
At the point when Raavana comes to Ashoka Vana to coerce Seetha… Seetha plucks a tiny grass, places it in her front and starts speaking to it as though it was Raavana, not looking at him through out the address. The relevant Sloka in Sundara Kaandam of Valmiki Ramayanaa “Thrina mantratha Hruthakruthvaa” was recited by the Rickshaw puller. He continued to opine “your father used to give several interpretations to this Sloka but you gave only a few interpretations”.
Do we realize the value base in those days?
An opportunity to perform discourses in USA came to Brahmasri Sastrigal. But he went to Kanchi Paramacharyaal for advice, (His Holiness was his revered Guru and to whom my father was a pet performer. Paramacharyaal used to engage him in several intriguing conversations and arguments on various finer elements of Sanaadhana Dharma and Carnatic Music) His Holiness countered Brahmasri Sastrigal’s enquiry with a question “Have you performed in all rural areas of Tamil Nadu?” My father was searching for words since he was not endowed with so much of time to perform in all villages due to his Official commitments. He quietly came back, took voluntary retirement from his employers and went about performing in every nook and corner of not only Tamil Nadu but also entire South.
After years of this happening, the offer to perform in USA recurred and this time Paramacharyaal did not have any hesitation in granting permission.
Blessings of Gurus came unabated to Brahmasri Sastrigal because of his own respect for all concepts of Hindu Dharma. He was blessed fondly by Sringeri Mahaa Sannidhaanam, Baghwan Satya Sai Baba and Sri-La-Sri Pandrimalai Swamigal to mention a few greats. My eldest sister (Late) Padma was a devotee of Satya Sai Baba. Baba came to Chennai and was giving a discourse in “Sundaram: near our residence. My father drove the car and dropped Padma at “Sundaram” and was waiting in Parking Bay incognito for her to return,. Baghwan Baba’s speech was flowing in the air and Brahmasri Sastrigal was taken deep in to it.. Baghwan completed the session and Sastrigal was anxious to receive his daughter back when a passing car stopped by his side in dark. The car glass went down and it was indeed Baghwan Baba who said “Sastrigaaru,.. naaku thelusu meeru ikkada unnarani” ( Sastrigaaru, I know you are here). Quickly getting down from the steering wheel, Sastrigal bowed his Pranams to Baba on the road, Baba fondly accepted and His car sped away.
His sense of humor apart from his own soul strength was in to play in his very last days spent in Dialysis ( CAPD) for kidney failure He used to convert dialysis sessions in to Harikatha sessions, the only listener being one of my associates Aravind or Parthiban, trained themselves to do CAPD. Both the preacher and audience enjoyed those sessions and looked forward to the next dialysis session. I could not but ask him “Appa, you were used to performing before thousands and thousands of Bhaktas. How can you deliver a discourse to one person? He said. “When Sri Krishna delivered Srimad Bagavath Geetha the audience consisted of only one person – Parthiban / Arjuna”
If I am ever born again, I pray to God to give me the birth as “son of my Father”

16 comments:

  1. a well written posting, heart warming, i should say, about your illustrious dad, dear SBK. Pl blog in Tamil too. I await to read in these pages your observations on the evolution of the Tamil stage - a green room / orchestra pit P.O.V of an ace director

    ReplyDelete
  2. A good Beginning. Hope to read more enlightening and informative stuff in the future. All the Best!

    Swati & Amar

    ReplyDelete
  3. When I was a kid, I used to attend your dad's discourses in Venus Colony and Rajeswari Kalyana Mandapam. Even today I listen to his old Ramayana recordings. What impresses me most is his command of Tamizh and Samskritam :-) He has not used a single English word in the entire series. Amazing. Such audio renditions are true literary treasures. Radhakrishnan, Cupertino, CA.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Kanthu - your father was a true insipiration to me. I learned Ramayanam and Mahabharatham from his discourses at the Sringeri Mutt in RA Puram. Even now, I can close my eyes and hear your fathers booming voice in my ears. Great work on this blog.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sir,

    It is nice to hear about your father from a sincere son. I heard his discourse in early childhood days.

    It is also surprising to note that you two ventured into a different field (no offence intended). Atleast, if one would have continued his foot steps, it would have been great service to 'Katha Kaalakshepam' with your immense talents.

    Thanks for reminding on 'Great Mahaan' on Guru Poornima day.

    Regards,
    MCE

    ReplyDelete
  6. It is indeed a true blessing to be born in this family. He satisfied every role that a man has to perform in his life, and as a grandfather I think he was the best. To us, (I speak on behalf of all his grand children) he was a petting, cajoling, entertaining and supportive grandfather. He was always regaling us with humorous anecdotes and who else would have been so fortunate to have heard his “katha kalakchemam “whenever asked for and that too for free! The best time for stories was when we all sat together at the dining table. There was always a scope for lively conversation. His sense of humor was impeccable and of course contagious.

    He was a real "foodie” and I always gave him company when it came to sweets. There were always plenty of snacks when he was there. In the weekend, after his afternoon nap, we would sit together to watch old Tamil movies (bhama vijayam , kadhalika neram illai etc) accompanied with mixture, sweet and coffee. I still remember the way he used to make faces after tasting the sugarless coffee and would teasingly ask me to have some saying " besh besh romba nanna iruku, niyum kudichu paaren". I enjoyed watching "Here is Lucy “, "Small Wonder” and other sitcoms with him.

    Sometimes I wish he was there to clear all my doubts and help me take the right decisions in the most anxious moments of my life. Am sure his humorous take on life would have been an instant pill.

    My restless nature as a kid did not allow me to understand the nuances of his discourses in depth. The more I am listening to it now, the more I am awed at his profound knowledge. He was and will always be a great inspiration to all of us and we can proudly boast that we were all his close pets.

    The only thing I lament about is - I never got to spend time with him in his last days. Whatever reason it be, I gradually allowed myself to get past that reasoning. Nothing can be done now except to fondly cherish those memories which always brings a smile on my face.

    P.S: Quite a long one. But who has ever been able to stop the flow of emotions. ;)

    Rama Rama

    ReplyDelete
  7. It is indeed a true blessing to be born in this family. He satisfied every role that a man has to perform in his life, and as a grandfather I think he was the best. To us, (I speak on behalf of all his grand children) he was a petting, cajoling, entertaining and supportive grandfather. He was always regaling us with humorous anecdotes and who else would have been so fortunate to have heard his “katha kalakchemam “whenever asked for and that too for free! The best time for stories was when we all sat together at the dining table. There was always a scope for lively conversation. His sense of humor was impeccable and of course contagious.

    He was a real "foodie” and I always gave him company when it came to sweets. There were always plenty of snacks when he was there. In the weekend, after his afternoon nap, we would sit together to watch old Tamil movies (bhama vijayam , kadhalika neram illai etc) accompanied with mixture, sweet and coffee. I still remember the way he used to make faces after tasting the sugarless coffee and would teasingly ask me to have some saying " besh besh romba nanna iruku, niyum kudichu paaren". I enjoyed watching "Here is Lucy “, "Small Wonder” and other sitcoms with him.
    Sometimes I wish he was there to clear all my doubts and help me take the right decisions in the most anxious moments of my life. Am sure his humorous take on life would have been an instant pill.

    My restless nature as a kid did not allow me to understand the nuances of his discourses in depth. The more I am listening to it now, the more I am awed at his profound knowledge. He was and will always be a great inspiration to all of us and we can proudly boast that we were all his close pets.

    The only thing I lament about is - I never got to spend time with him in his last days. Whatever reason it be, I gradually allowed myself to get past that reasoning. Nothing can be done now except to fondly cherish those memories which always brings a smile on my face.

    P.S: Quite a long one. But who has ever been able to stop the flow of emotions. ;)

    Rama Rama

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks a lot to all those who responded to this posting. I have noted the points made.

    @(mis)Chief Editor: My grandfather gave a way of living to my father from the age of 5 which provided the enlightening knowledge package. That was an impeccable foundation on which all my father's reperoire was based.
    In my and my elder brother Moulee's case, when we were young, my father was a hectically busy person, managing his banking career and harikatha mission together. Infact, we could see our father at leisure only during week ends. So, the much needed foundation could not be laid. But, probably, because of the gene that we are what we are today in our respective avocations.

    ReplyDelete
  9. dear Khanthu, first of all congrats for your blog, that makes interaction more easy.now,, what can i add to emphasis your father's brilliance, greatness! he was a banker, orator, story teller, musician multi linguist, human encylclopaedia of knowledge in general, Vedas, Upanishadhs, Hindu Dharma in particular. he was perhaps the greatest exponent of 'harikhatha' a different and difficult genre of discourse. A versatile man in true sense of the term who outshone others in his life. i had a special bonding with him being a SBI man,he used to reminisce about his yesteryear experiences in SBI in his own , inimitable humorous style with me., we rarely come across such wonderful and interesting personalities in our life.he was a gentle, soft , kind ,intelligent human being in a class of his own. a doting father to you all. an altruistic man of the mass with a heart of gold who had never harboured the difference of caste and creed. needless to say you and mouli have inherited his genes in ample measure as both of you have been excelling in your chosen fields with true application, and acumen and a natural flair. with obeisance to the memory of the great soul called Balakrishna Sastrigal

    , humbly,Krishnamurthy Ramesh

    ReplyDelete
  10. hi..GREAT begining.Nice to know BABA recognised appa & gave dhashan.parthy & arvind are blessed people.
    vichu

    ReplyDelete
  11. TKN Pacha wrote

    I have had the pleasure of listening to the discourses of the your illustrious father at Venus colony and other places during my boyhood but never realized that his linguistic skills . I am able to visualize the puzzled faces of the hooligans ! what they got ultimately was some great discourse in their own language ! if hooligans were blessed with this I can imagine what the sincere admirers would have got .

    Sathya Sai Baba telling him that he knew that your father was there means so many things if one can read beyond these lines . He was a blessed person indeed , I must say .

    It is hard to believe that this is your maiden posting . If your great father excelled in story telling you will be a great story writer and what I see is a bit of everything that takes to make an interesting reading material .

    The well informed rickshaw puller or a sincere follower who resigned from his well paid job and took his Guru’s words seriously are things of the past and I hope these things will come again .

    Good hearted people will not have a rebirth as per our understanding and I sincerely doubt your making a comeback ( yes sir, you are the noble business of making people laugh ) after putting in the proverbial innumoru nootraadindirum blessings from all of us but your closing lines only showed the true love of a son . I see Your father smiling with sheer satisfaction half way through his discourse to the Gods , Sages and Saints in Heaven .

    His delivering a discourse to a sole audience in his last days especially while undergoing the painful dialysis proves that he was following Azhwar’s words Thunjum bodhu Azhaimin , thuyar varil Ninaimin , Thuyarillel solloinum nandraam , nammudai vinaikku Naraayanaa ennum Namam .

    Please keep writing so that we the gullible get enlightened . God bless innumoru nootraadindirum

    ReplyDelete
  12. A worthy son of an Illustrious father indeed !!
    I remember your father's discourses at the Pillaiyar Temple next door and the short snippets he used to give inbetween his discourses and also the frequent visits to your home along with thatha. :) Continue to write more frequently.
    _Raji

    ReplyDelete
  13. A very poetic, emotional and an informative collection of memories!
    Thank you for having started a blog chitapa! I have been very eagerly waiting for one from u for a long time.

    Indeed, we have all been very fortunate enough to be born in the legendary household. Thatha has always been an inspiration to all of us. I have been awed by his sense of humor, profound knowledge, hardwork, intelligence, enthusiasm, dedication & several other attributes.
    Singing in front of the legend has always given me cold shivers. But, no matter how bad I was, he’d still enjoy my music very much. The best period of my life has been my early years of growing up in rajah annamalai puram. So happy & so together- exactly the way thatha wanted!
    I vividly remember thatha longing for some sweets & we stealthily picking some laddos & jangris from the store room for him. Some of my best memories of thatha was that of Ramayana & Mahabharata at nights that was exclusively for us (dvija & I), the matinee movies we used to watch together, the evening walks at the terrace, & some fantastic anecdotes of his past that used keep us in splits.!
    I remember being a little confused on what to write on one of my essays given in school, on ‘home remedy was the best remedy’. When I had no one to help me out, it was thatha who stunned me with his brilliant ideas quoting some instances from Ramayana!
    To me hes a genius, the best ‘story-teller’ on earth & the world’s best grandfather!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Comment by Srini

    Hi Kanthu

    This is one of the most interesting blogs that I have read in recent times both about Harikatha and the great Brahmasri Sastrigal. SBK I congratulate you to have written the blog so well and made it interesting, touching and educative.

    Congrats once again - "chip of the old block"

    R Srinivasan

    ReplyDelete
  15. Dear Kanthu,

    I was fortunate to be very close to your father for many years. There are a lot of things I saw in him up so close that it would take a booklet to merely throw light on a few. I shall endeavor to do just that in the near future. Though I knew most of what you had blogged, it still was just splendid to read through the lines, a kind of flashback running in the background of my mind. Thank you for some great memories of a truly noble man. Keep writing. More often. Affectionately, S V Badri

    ReplyDelete
  16. Dear sir

    Recently came to know about Brahmashree's Harikatha kaalakshepams! And its really great pleasure to listen to the late legendary. I tried to translate into Telugu little bit while listening to his sita kalyanam- i could do only first 15 or so minutes and it was mind blogging to observe how he builds the story. With regards
    you can see the translation in my blog - its just trial to catch up his speed but not that possible easily.!
    zilebi
    http://www.varudhini.tk

    ReplyDelete