Madman or a Guru

It is said in the scriptures that enlightened beings behave in peculiar ways. For the uninitiated, it may appear as a madman acting out but it must be understood that we are in no position to judge anyone leave alone great realized beings who lead very ordinary lives amongst us. The following story relating to Bharathiyar corroborates this view.

We can look at one of the poems of the great Tamil poet Mahakavi Subramaniya Bharathiyar. It seems, Bharathiyar, to escape the persecution of the British for his fierce patriotic outpourings, moved to Pondicherry, a French colony those days. Being of poor means, he stayed with his friend and to keep him engaged and augment his income, he undertook to correct the Vedic texts his friend had translated into Tamil. While doing this exercise, it kindled in him a great desire about the need to get a Guru to hear his upadeśa.

In the road in front of the house where he stayed, he used to see a short man in tattered clothes looking like a madman or a beggar passing every day. That man used to sing, laugh for no reason, play with the kids and at times carry the street dogs and lovingly caress them. Bharathiyar, out of curiosity, checked about this beggar with the neighbours. Some said that he was a saṁnāysi while others said he was a beggar and a madman. Bharathiyar vowed to get to the bottom of this.

On a bright sunny afternoon, when the madman was passing through, as no one was around, Bharathiyar jumped into the street and caught hold of both his hands and enquired, “Who are you? What is your specialty? Why are you wearing such tattered clothes? Why do you gaze like a special person? You look like the Lord himself. Please let me know what all you know” etc., The madman tried to wriggle out but did not respond. When Bharathiyar tightened his grip, he just smiled. Bharathiyar felt some stirring inside him and tried to bow down to touch his feet. At that moment, the madman ran away and went into an adjoining dilapidated house. Bharathiyar overtook him and closed the back door of the house lest he escape.

Now, once again Bharathiyar confronted him with the same questions. The madman, out of no choice, showed Bharathiyar a broken mud wall nearby, the scorching sun, and then took him to an unused well at the backyard and showed him the reflection of the sun in the well and asked, “Have you understood?” Bharathiyar nodded his head in the affirmative.

The following is the verse in Tamil that conveys the above episode (for the benefit of those who can appreciate Tamil). 

அன்றொருநாட் புதுவைநகர் தனிலே கீர்த்தி

அடைக்கலஞ்சேர் ஈசுவரன் தர்ம ராஜா

என்றபெயர் வீதியிலோர் சிறிய வீட்டில்,

இராஜாரா மையனென்ற நாகைப் பார்ப்பான்

முன்தனது பிதாதமிழில் உபநிடத்தை

மொழிபெயர்த்து வைத்ததனைத் திருத்தச் சொல்லி

என்தனைவேண் டிக்கொள்ள யான்சென் றாங்கண்

இருக்கையிலே அங்குவந்தான் குள்ளச் சாமி. 

அப்போது நான் குள்ளச் சாமி கையை

அன்புடனே பற்றியிது பேச லுற்றேன்;

அப்பனே! தேசிகனே! ஞானி என்பார்.

அவனியிலே சிலர்நின்னைப் பித்தன் என்பார்;

செப்புறுநல் லஷ்டாங்க யோக சித்தி

சேர்ந்தவனென் றுனைப்புகழ்வார் சிலரென் முன்னே;

ஒப்பனைகள் காட்டாமல் உண்மை சொல்வாய்,

உத்தமனே! எனக்குநினை உணர்த்து வாயே

யாவன்நீ? நினக்குள்ள திறமை யென்னே?

யாதுணர்வாய்? கந்தைசுற்றித் திரிவ தென்னே?

தேவனைப்போல் விழிப்ப தென்னே? சிறியாரோடும்

தெருவிலே நாய்களொடும் விளையாட் டென்னே?

பாவனையிற் புத்தரைப்போல் அலைவ தென்னே?

பரமசிவன் போலுருவம் படைத்த தென்னே?

ஆவலற்று நின்றதென்னே? அறிந்த தெல்லாம்,

ஆரியனே, எனக்குணர்ந்த வேண்டும்” என்றேன்

பற்றியகை திருகியந்தக் குள்ளச் சாமி

பரிந்தோடப் பார்த்தான்; யான் விடவே யில்லை,

சுற்றுமுற்றும் பார்த்துப்பின் முறுவல் பூத்தான்;

தூயதிருக் கமலபதத் துணையைப் பார்த்தேன்!

குற்றமற்ற தேசிகனும் திமிறிக் கொண்டு

குதிக்தோடி அவ்வீட்டுக் கொல்லை சேர்ந்தான்;

மற்றவன்பின் யானோடி விரைந்து சென்று

வானவனைக் கொல்லையிலே மறித்துக் கொண்டேன்

 குள்ளச் சாமியும் சந்தோஷமாக

பக்கத்து வீடிடிந்து சுவர்கள் வீழ்ந்த

பாழ்மனையொன் றிருந்ததங்கே; பரமயோகி

ஒக்கத்தன் அருள்விழியால் என்னை நோக்கி

ஒருகுட்டிச் சுவர்காட்டிப் பரிதி காட்டி,

அக்கணமே கிணற்றுளதன் விம்பங் காட்டி,

“அறிதிகொலோ?” எனக்கேட்டான் “என்றேன்”

மிக்கமகிழ் கொண்டவனும் சென்றான்; யானும்

வேதாந்த மரத்திலொரு வேரைக் கண்டேன்.

The Guru had spoken and the disciple understood! Alas, we are nowhere near understanding this highest truth in just three signs – showing the broken wall, the Sun and the reflection of the Sun in the well. So Bharathiyar condescends to explain it further to us.

தேசிகன்கை காட்டியெனக் குரைத்த செய்தி

செந்தமிழில் உலகத்தார்க் குணர்த்து கின்றேன்.

“வாசியைநீ கும்பத்தால் வலியக் கட்டி,

மண்போலே சுவர்போலே வாழ்தல் வேண்டும்;

First he said Bharathiyar should control his breath – meaning Pranayama. It is an established fact that Pranayama calms the mind and improves the concentration of the mind and is generally practiced prior to any serious Japa or Pooja. Then he showed the broken mud wall. That means that the mud wall is made up of mud, which is the underlying substance and wall which is nothing but a shape and form that we call Wall – nāma & rūpa in Sanskrit. The mud is the ever present substance whereas the wall is transient and subject to decay. Hence, he said you hold on to that which is substantial and eternal, implying that we should not depend on the ephemeral world of objects, people, relationships etc.,

தேசுடைய பரிதியுருக் கிணற்றினுள்ளே

தெரிவதுபோல் உனக்குள்ளே சிவனைக் காண்பாய்;

Then he showed Bharathiyar the effulgent Sun indicating that it is all powerful but we cannot approach it directly. Instead, he took him to a well and showed him the reflection of the same Sun in a stagnant and still water. When can the reflection be seen? Only when the water is still and not agitated or muddy! So also, the omniscient Lord Shiva, like the scorching Sun, can also be seen reflected in the mind provided the mind is calm and one pointed without the impurities of kāma, Krodha, Lobha, moha, mada, mātsarya (Lust or desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy). These are known as saḍripu.  

We may have a genuine question. Why did not that mendicant say it in so many words? Bharathiyar goes on to explain in the next two lines:

பேசுவதில் பயனில்லை, அனுபவத்தால்

பேரின்பம் எய்துவதே ஞானம்” என்றான்

He says all your talking, questioning etc., should stop. Only in that silence will the true knowledge arise that is not an intellectual appreciation but an experiential bliss. That alone is true knowledge, says Bharathiyar. There are several instances in our Puranas where great masters have been told to remain silent and they did so for the rest of their lives. Arunagiri Nathar, Sadasiva Brahmendral are some such examples.

In the last century, Pau Brunton, a British Philosopher, who came to India in search of spiritual Gurus met Kanchi Paramacharya. He was mesmerised in his presence. But he asked Periyava a number of questions like, “If there is an all knowing, loving God, why is poverty there, why are people dying of wars” and a barrage of similar questions. Periyava gently smiled and responded, “You will gain knowledge only when all your questions stop”, much to the bewilderment of Paul Brunton. This meeting is vividly recorded in Paul Brunton’s classic book “In Search of Secret India”

The crux is Silence!

So whether someone is a madman or a Guru, it is for us to discern. It is said that when a student is ready, the Guru comes on his own. So the least we can do is to prepare ourselves to receive such a revered Guru in our lives!