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--- In Oppiliappan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "sadagopaniyengar"
<sadagopaniyengar@xxxx> wrote:
> 
The Con Artiste 
> 
>In Act II of the same drama in Aranya Kanda, we come across another
artistic performance by an equally talented con artiste-none other
than Dasamukha Ravana, who hides nine of his heads and assumes the
garb of a holy man, a sanyAsi -"ParivrAjaka roopa dhrik". With
becoming ochre robes, long hair worn in a jatA, an umbrella and
wooden slippers, a staff that is the constant companion of sanyAsis
and a Kamandalu, Ravana is the very picture of renunciation and the
VEda ghOsham emanating from his lips adds credence to his demeanour.
Ravana could create such an impression on the innocent Sita devi that
She invited him into the Ashrama and offered him a seat and fruits.
What happened next is history.
> *************************


Dear SrimAn Sadagopan Iyengar,

I read with avid interest your post. My vote for the consummate
'con-artist' of the Ramayana would go not to Ravana but to his
brother Maareecha, who disguised himself as an enchanting deer and
went on to pull more than mere wool over the eyes of not only Sita
and Lakshmana but also Rama! The entire story of the Ramayana hinges
in fact around this single act of Maareecha's deception. It was
con-artistry of first-class order!

The lay reader of the Ramayana may be tempted into believing that
con-artists of the world can and do get away with deceiving even the
Lord Almighty. It is Swami Desikan, in his Raghuveera Gadyam, who
warns us not to fall for such facile temptations. A grievous fate
befalls ultimately anyone, who like Maareecha, seeks to con the
Almighty:

Verse # 38 : 

"mAricha-mAyAmrigacharma-parikarmitha
nirbhara-darbhAstharaNa !!!"

Swami Desikan here hails Lord Rama for the fantastic job He did of
skinning the deceitful Maareecha and fashioning out of the rAkshasa's
hide a fine piece of "seat-cover" -- "nirbhara-darbhAstharaNa"! 

There is a grave lesson in this for all of us (including fake gurus
and achAryA-s who abound in ever-increasing numbers around us these
days): 

We might con some people all the time with our false piety
("brahma-vEsham"); we might con all people sometimes; perhaps we
might even con all people all the time. But ultimately the Almighty
will seek us out like Rama hounded out Maareecha. And when that
happens we should prepare to meet the same fate as Maareecha did --
our hide will be good enough for only one thing: to be skinned alive
and all stitched-up as a beautiful 'seat-cover' for the Lord's
reclining pleasure!

Regards,

dAsan,
Sudarshan 


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