Dasavatharam, Koorathazhwan and Ramanujar – A Love Story Again!

Dear Brindha,

I too became emotional in the first few scenes of Dasavatharam. That by Kamal's own admission is just fiction and is not supported by any historic records.

I thought if an imaginative incident could have so much impact on us, why not talk about the real incidents involving real persons who had real love in their hearts.

If we shed tears on reading such incidents (believe me I was crying even while I was writing this post) that is the best way to worship Him and His love.

This post has moved my hardware engineer who regularly reads my writings here in IL. In fact he did a mini research on the events I had reported and even wrote to me saying that there is a Kooresan (Koorathazhwan) Sannadhi in Kancheepuram.

I'll try to bring in more when we have time between two episodes of ALS.
love,

Dear Cindhuja,
thanks for the moving post. Even this is not a full story. I have presented only a small bit. There are pages and pages of such wonderful happenings. In fact there is so much to know, that no one can have the complete picture.
I am happy that my story made your day. Looking forward to interacting with you in future in these forums.
love,

Originally Posted by Cindhuja

No words to explain my thanks to you for presenting this information in this space. I have heard bits and pieces of the story, but alwayz wanted to know the full story. That too after watching Dasavatharam i felt bad for not knowing the complete picture. You really made my day. Thanks a ton.

Dear Krithika,

Fighting is a way of life with the human race. Hindu-Muslim fights. And in the 12th century, Saivism-Vaishnavism fights. Even if Vaishnavism alone is there there would be Thenkalai-Vadakalai fights. Organised religions are basically divisive in nature. Experienced religion is unites you with the Ground of the Being. Because the world religion itself means a kind of "re-union."

Stories of Ramanuja and his disciples would make you cry anytime. I read a Tamil book on Ramanujar some 20 years back. I cried at that time. Even after reading the incidents hundreds of times, I cried while rewriting them for IL. As they say for great saints, Ramanuja's life is itself is his message. And we can't understand that in one life time.

Guess you have so much love/affection in your heart that takes wings and flies into our hearts (readers). You've depicted different forms of love...between guru & disciple, husband & wife, lovers, sisters, father & daughter, God & devotee...(that is as far as I've gathered)...need to delve into your other stories to discover other facets !

Sure, at this juncture, I need to give a major portion of your credit to your wife (indusri). Cause only if one's love is encouraged and nurtured can it blossom and multiply and become capable of impressing/moving the readers so much !! :)

Very soothing words, Krithika. But I have to place on record that they are not true. I would love to have that much of love and affection in my heart. I would love to forgive the person who is coming over to kill me. But that's all wishful thinking, day dreaming and a fiction of my imagination. In reality I could not even control my road rage. When somebody irritates me I use all my intellectual prowess to take revenge on them, especially on the road. I have to say all these things because in a weak moment I might accept your words of praise and then I won't grow further. Anyhow I want to thank you from the depths of my heart for the nice words. I will also have them as my long term goals in life.

And neither do I accept your statement that a major portion of the credit belongs to Indhu. (one should be careful not to omit the h in her name) Because all the credit belongs to her.
Thanks for the post which again made me dwell deep inside me in self-introspection.
I am still working on ALS 3. It is pretty demanding. And it might be a little heavy too. I am even planning to ask Malathy to announce a gift for those who manage to read it without shedding tears.

regards,
sridhar

Dear Indhu,

To love even our enemies is the greatest lesson we learn from his life -history & the readers will definitely follow this virtue in future ( me , one for sure ! )

Thanks, Indhu. This only means that you are going to try to love me. You are going to love your enemies, Right? whic is nothing but loving me.ha ha ha. Just kidding.
I know how you love Hariharan. Your love has made me long at times, why did God not give me the gift of music? I would have been able to keep you happy. But now when I sing, neighbours call the police.
When you told that my writing had a similar impact on you as the Hariharan's song, I felt like winning a Booker Award.

About Ramanuja's disciples, an old writer once said, "You can at least describe Ramanuja's love. But his disciples' love - it's beyond comprehension. Villi Dasan, Koorathazhwan, Perianambi, Embar... every sishya is a gem.

Your narrating style is simple ,yet very powerful , sridhar ! A very nice write up !

Like I got a good driving certificate when we drove down the hill from Munar, I have now got a good writing certificate. I am going to print it, laminate it and keep it in a bank locker. ha ha ha...
love,
sridhar

Dear Sindhuja,
thanks for the nice words. These stories constitute our tradition, our heritage and speak about our hoary culture. Remembering them will keep us in good stead in our lives.
BTW, have you read the story Promise, in which you are the heroine?
regards,

Originally Posted by Sindhuja

Dear Sridhar sir,
Thank you so much for writing about Koorathazhwan, Periyanambi and Ramanujar. I enjoyed reading about them. I would not have known about story if I had not read your post. I greatly appreciate, Periyanambi and Koorathazhwan for their Guru Bhakthi.

Thanks again for posting this wonderful story!

Dear Mol,
To hear such words of praise from one's Mol is a real thrill.Thanks for giving that feeling to me.
Actually Devika, there are only two emotions - one is love and at the other extreme is fear. But fear is not a positive emotion. It is absence of love. We cannot say darkness as a state of being. It is just absence of light. So fear or hatred is just absence of love.
Gandhi says somewhere that the detesting feeling we have when we see something like a wounded man, or a leper is not hatred but a subtle fear.

May we all be blessed with the capacity to love others so much without any ulterior motive and with only the need to love so as to help us to grow within us the capacity to love more.

Those are excellent words, Mol. Love is its own purpose and its own fulfilment. Love by its very definition cannot have any other purpose. When we talk of love failure (either between lovers or between parents and children or whatever) love does not fail. But the incidental motives that we had attached to love fails and we in our ignorance call it as love failure. Love failure to me is the best example of an oxymoron.

Perianambi and Koorathazhwan have to be remembered every day so that we can live better and love more.
Thanks once again, Mol.
love,

Originally Posted by Devika Menon

Dear Sir,

Such a wonderful story !!! True love , unadulterated, selfless in its truest form. It is a beautiful lesson for all .If only we can wish for happiness for others the way Koorathazhwan asked for the minister, wow wouldnt this world be blissful?

Sir you have under taken the noble task of spreading the message of love in its various forms. I salute you for that, a thousand times! And I think that Love is the most essential need .It was, is and always will be the primary necessity among all forms of existence. Human and animals .

The story is very beautiful spanning through many years but it is your narratory style that keeps us so involved with it that as we read we can identify and feel the gamut of emotions passing through us.

Love for the Guru is always taught to us as children ," Acharya Devo Bhava", but it is only a few like Koorathazhawan and Periambi who reinstil the importance of it.May we all be blessed with the capacity to love others so much without any ulterior motive and with only the need to love so as to help us to grow within us the capacity to love more.

Thankyou once again Sir, A wonderful post , a lovely lesson!

Love,
Your Mol

Beautiful Story!! Thanks for sharing it with all of us.

Dear Sridhar Sir,
What you have said is true. All these stories really shape us to be a good human being. Keep them coming!
I was totally moved by your story "The Promise." I am not sure if I can do that sacrifice, but happy that atleast my name did that. Thank you!

Originally Posted by varalotti

Dear Sindhuja,
thanks for the nice words. These stories constitute our tradition, our heritage and speak about our hoary culture. Remembering them will keep us in good stead in our lives.
BTW, have you read the story Promise, in which you are the heroine?
regards,

Dear Gowri,
Thanks. You asked for one clarification. I will give you two. First,this is a real incident. Varatharajasthavam is still available in book form. There is a kooresan (koorathazhwan ) sannadhi in Kanchipuram.
The second is that in incidents like these the question we have to address is, how this incident is going to affect me. And not whether this is true or not.
About Ramayana and Mahabhartha, there are enough doubts. Many have proved that they will have to be classified under fiction.But does that in any way affect the value of these ethics?
And Gowri one more thing. Let's say we had been a Balachandar's movie involving some controversial issue. Let's say something like Apoorva Rahangal where a young man falls in love with a much older woman. We know it's a work of fiction. (Of course KB copied from an English movie, 40 carats) We always discuss whether what Kamal did was right, whether Srividya was right in accepting him and so on. My request to you as your friend is that we should approach our puranas and stories like these as if it were a Balachandar movie.

And thank you for the nice words you have for the post. I'll give you a bonus,Gowri. Today evening a man from Chennai came to see me. He has been using my book to tell Values-oriented stories to school children in Chennai. I told him about our site and about this post. I told this story. It seems he knows the story too. And he added another piece to it. He told me that Ramanuja also went to Kanchi along with Koorathazhwan. While Koorathazhwan was praying in the main sannadhi Ramanuja was in the adjoining prakaram. Every minute he was asking has Koorthazhwan prayed for his eyes? And then a disciple came shivering to him. The disciple was afraid that Ramanuja would be angry with Kooresan as he had not obeyed his teacher's command. When he heard about Kooresan's prayer -நான் பெத்த பேறு நாலூரானும் பெறணும். Whatever I got Naaloran (the evil minister) should also get - he throws his utthriyam (the garment that covers the upper part of the body) in air and dances, "I am very proud of him. He has shown to the world, what Vaishnavism is. "

I enjoyed your lines on Guru Bakthi.
Thanks to the wishes and prayers of all the ILites I have completed the draft of ALS 3. Now reading it continuously and making changes every now and then.
thanks once again,
love,

Sriniketan,
Thanks for adorning this fb with the right Kural. Only you can do it sri. Inna seitharai oruthal... that's not just a piece of moral advice, but one of the finest pieces of clinical psychology. May Valluvan be blessed for ever.

And Sri, I need to use this forum to apologise to you for the delay in responding to the next paasuram of Thirupaanazhwar. Little tied up with the serial and a few pre-occupations. Will try to come there by this week-end.

You are right, Religion is all about love and nothing else. The greatest paradox in the human history is the bloodshed that happened because of religious wars, when almost all religions are based on love. We would be providing the greatest comedy show in History to God. Two groups saying that they believe in nothing but love but still fight to death with each other! That's an evergreen, eternal joke.
sridhar