Of maturity and humility

NAMMAZHWAR, DOYEN of the South Indian Srivaishnavite Azhwars (Azhwar means one immersed in devotion to God), was one day walking towards Kumbakonam. On the one side of the road was a field of ripe paddy crop.

The grain and stalks had turned golden yellow and due to the weight of the grain, had fallen prostrate. Azhwar thought that these paddy plants were like the great devotees whose devotion had attained maturity (like the hardened rice) and had brought in a lot of humility so that they seemed to be prostrating before the Lord of Kumbakonam.

On the other side of the road was also paddy crop, still green. The fluid (milk) in the rice grain had not hardened and was consequently not heavy.

The stalks were erect and swayed in the wind. Azhwar likened them to those whose devotion had not matured and were swaying because their heads were light.

We can see examples of people mature in their thoughts and deeds and whose style of life itself is an example of honest humility. These are however rare, and the vast majority are like the weightless paddy crop swaying with the wind.

In the field of music and dance one can recall two examples of matured devotion.

Lalgudi Rama Iyer, a direct disciple of Tyagaraja, after the passing of the Guru, had agreed to be the Asthana Vidwan in Mysore. Here, obviously challenged, he once had a lemon on his head and sang a chowka-kala pallavi. This required extraordinary motionlessness even while singing. Lalgudi Jayaraman, Rama Iyer's great grandson says, they do not know why Rama Iyer performed this feat but it was obviously to prove that great music can be produced without anga cheshtaigal (contortions and distorted movements of the face and other parts of the body).

Others might not have done this but one can recall how little of facial or bodily movements were there when Tiger Varadachariar, Ariyakkudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and others sang. They produced great music without ``anga cheshtaigal''.

One can understand musicians sitting upright and singing without moving their limbs but there have also been dancers like Balasaraswathi who proved that constant movement was not essential even in the art where body movement is the main feature.

When she danced for the keerthana, ``Krishna nee begane baaro'', with a minimum of body movements she would send a myriad messages through her eyes - now a Gopi pleading with young Krishna, now Yasoda herself trying to get him and so on. When she danced for the padam ``Aligithe'' her eyes were enough - she would express her contempt for the unreliable Nayaka in scores of different ways.

- GD

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