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SrimatE Raamaanujaaya Namaha //
SrimatE Nigamaanta Mahaa Desikaaya Namaha //
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya/
SrIman! SrI Ranga Sriyam anupadravam anudhinam Samvardhaya//
KAvEri VardhathAm kAlE, kAlE varshathu vAsava: /
SrI RanganAthO jayathu Sri Ranga Sri cha VardhathAm//
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SRI RANGA SRI VOL.04 / ISSUE # 23 dated 31st May 2003
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EDITORIAL:
Dear BhAgavatAs:

TIRUNAKSHATRAM OF HIS HOLINESS SRIRANGAM SRIMAD ANDAVAN
Usually, Tirunakshatrams of all Acharyas of our Bhagavad Ramanuja ? Swami Desika Satsampradayam,are celebrated privately at our kuDisai (home) with Tirumnjanam to Swami Desika's vigraham and the Padukas of asmad Acharyan and recitation of select Stotras and Tanians of all the Acharyas of the Ashram am / MaTam concerned on such special occasions.

This year, Srirangam Srimad Andavan's Tirunakshatram (Vaikasi Thiruvadirai) falls on Monday 2nd June 2003. It is proposed to celebrate this event in our home as stated above on that day around noon.

It is also proposed to celebrate the event during one of following weekends elsewhere in Atlanta, GA. The details are being worked out. The venue, date and timing will be announced when finalized.
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IN THIS ISSUE:

1. DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 4
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
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2. DESIKAMRUTHAM II:
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
THE CRITICAL CONCEPT- 2
SRI SADAGOPA IYENGAR SWAMIN (OF COIMBATORE),
?SRIKAARYAM? OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS OF ?SRI RANGA SRI?
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3. GOTRAS AND PRAVARAS ? AN OVERVIEW ?
PART 8 THE GLORY OF VASISHTA GOTRAM ? Section 1
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
Based on Monograph of MahaamahOpaadhyaaya Sri Srivatsaankaachaar Swami, now Head of Dept. French Indolgical Research Institute, Pondicherry and ?MaharishigaL Charitram? by Mimamsa SirOmaNi Mimamsa Vidvan Mimamsa Kovida, Ubhaya Mimamsa Saaragjna, Veda Vedanta ChooDaamaNi Sri N.S. Devanathachariar (referred by Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami)
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4. FROM MAHABHARATA: YAKSHA PRASNAM? Part 23: Prasnams 66 and 67 By Sri M.K. Ramaswamy Iyengar Swami, Senior Officer of Govt. of India.
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106 Regular issues have been released, so far (besides several Special Issues) -
-       27 Issues of Vol. 1
-       15 Issues of Vol. 2
-       42 Issues of Vol. 3 &
-       22 Issues of Vol. 4
These issues have been archived for public view at -
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/srirangasri.
Sri Diwakar Kannan who is archiving these in the files section has moved to India. He is busy relocating. He is requested to update this as soon as he finds time.

We strongly urge you to kindly peruse the "Regular Issues" archived in the ?Files? Section and view the Contents at ?srsindex.html?
(Not the individual postings allowed encouraging "Reader participation").
We are sure that you will be convinced of the quality of the contents.

IF you are satisfied with the quality and contents of
?Sri Ranga Sri?:
Tell your friends to join by sending an email to ?
"SriRangaSri-Subscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"

IF not:
Tell us, as to how we may improve.

Dasoham
Anbil Ramaswamy
Editor & Publisher
?Sri Ranga Sri?
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IMPORTANT:
The ?Files? Section also contains
- The full text of ?Art of Living?? (a write up on the Life and works of Swami Desika)
by Sri M.K.Sudarshan of Kuwait.
- Important days in the year Subhaanu, with text of Sankalpams for different occasions like Amavasya etc. by Sri K.P.Narasimhan Swami.
Kindly also peruse the following files at the sites indicated:
http://members.tripod.com/~sriramanujar
(Maintained by Sri Madhava Kannan from Singapore) ? for
-       Biography of Bhagavad Ramanuja ?
-       Biography of Swami Desika ?
-       Acharya Vamsa Vriksham ?
-       Srimad Rahasya Traya Saram
-       and other links.
http://www.srivaishnava.org/sgati/
(Maintained by Sri Venkatesh Elayavalli from California)
SDDS Volume 1 / Issues 1 to 33
SDDS Volume 2 / Issues 1 to 26
SDDS Volume 3 / Issue 1
SaraNAgati Vol. 1 / Issues 1 - 24
SaraNAgati Vol. 2 / Issues 1 - 04
For ?Hinduism Rediscovered?
and other links
http://www.srivaishnavam.com
(Maintained by Sri R.M. Venkat from Bahrain) for -
- Dasavatara Stotram meanings
-?Srimad Rahasya Traya Saaram? and other links
in the ?Philosophy? section
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1. DESIKAMRUTHAM I:
?HAMSA SANDESA OF SRI VEDANTA DESIKA? Part 4
Prof. Narasimhacharya, Retd. Professor, Madras University (now a visiting Professor in the Oxford University) EXCLUSIVELY for publication in ?Sri Ranga Sri?. The learned Professor delivered this ?The Sripad Endowment Lecture? on 5th February 2003. (Text of the lecture received from Dr. Miss M.S.Ramesh, IAS)
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The inspiration to Desika to compose the Hamsa Sandesa comes from the Sundara khaaNda of Valmiki Ramayana. In canto 36, Verse 30 reads as follows:

na chaasya maataa na pitaa cha naanyah
SnEhaad visihTOsti mayaa samO vaa /
Taavattvaham doota! JijivishEyam
Yaavat pravriitim sruNuyaam priyasya //

These are the words of Sita to Hanuman who came to Lanka searching for her.
? Neither for his mother, nor his father, nor for any other does Rama have the kind of love he cherishes for me. I shall live only as long as I hear of him?

These words gave Desika the clue and necessary impetus to write the lyric, the Hamsa SandEsa. Of course, the theme of the poem is very simple. Rama chooses a royal swan on an autumnal day and sends a message of cheer and hope to Sita living in Lanka. The message proper comprises 14 Verses (VV.33-47).

He states how difficult it is for him to pass the nights and days without her; how fragrant flowers have become as source of agony for him; how the sweet songs of the cuckoos and the humming of the bees and the murmuring Malaya breeze torment him. He promises to build a bridge across the ocean either with rocks or arrows and make Lanka a veritable garland of flowers in the hands of the monkeys. Within a few days the twangs of Lakshmana?s bow will pour nectar into her ears. Soon thereafter Sita and Rama would return to Ayodhya by the aerial car Pushpaka and be coronated by elders like VasishTa. Rama asks Sita to somehow embolden and protect herself. She is asked to remember the plight of Sachi Devi and Paarvati Devi in olden days who also suffered separation from their husbands and got united later.

After consoling Sita with suitable words, the Swan is asked to go his own way and be united with his own consort (Raajahmsi) even as Vishnu is associated with Lakshmi. Our poet concludes the poem on a happy note unlike in Meghaduta. There the sequel i.e as to what happened after the delivery of the message by the cloud has not been mentioned. But, in Hamsa Sandesa, Rama after sending the message of hope to Sita, is said to have gone to Lanka by means of a bridge built by the monkeys, killed Ravana, returned to Ayodhya with Sita and began to rule the kingdom which was till then protected by his sandals.

In the Megha Sandesa, the accursed Yaksha is said to have come to earth and stayed on the Ramagiri Mountain, which is identified as the modern Ramtek near Nagpur. Before the advent of the rainy season, he saw a dark cloud on the mountain resembling an elephant. He sent a message to his wife through the cloud, although it was an inanimate entity. So intense was his lovesick condition that he did not even distinguish between the animate and the inanimate. He then described the route to be taken by the cloud to reach Alaka. With this, the first canto comes to an end. The second half of the Canto describes Alaka situated on the top of the Himalaya, and the wife of the Yaksha suffering and anxiously waiting for the return of her husband. The message the cloud was supposed to convey her is also stated. It is to the effect that the curse was going to come to an end in four months and she had to somehow spend the time ?closing her eyes? (Seshan maasam gamaya Chaturaah lOkEna milayitvaa). Yaksha asked the cloud to go wherever he wanted to go, after delivering the message. The second Canto comes to an end with this.

In the Hamsa Sandesa, the hero is Sri Rama who was not a semi-divine being like Yaksha but the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself who manifested Himself as a man out of His will. He saw a swan on a beautiful morning on the Rishya Mooka Mountain situated in the modern Karnataka state. The event took place after Hanuman returned successfully from Lanka locating Sita and gave Rama her crest jewel as a token of recognition. It was the beginning of the autumn. The swan had come from the Maanasaa Lake. It reminded him of Sita and he wanted to support her by sending a message of hope and cheer. He requests the swan to take the message to his beloved living in the AsOka garden in Lanka which was located on the other shore of the ocean, guarded by cruel and frightening demo nesses.

Here, the messenger is a living creature, Swan, but not a lifeless entity like the cloud. The wan is white in color unlike the cloud that is dark. It may be observed that Desika chose the royal swan as the messenger taking the ides from the NaLOpaakhyaana of the Mahaabhaarata. There King NaLa sends a message of love to Damayanti through a swan.

Desika mentions the route to be taken by the swan as covering various holy places (Divyadesas) like Tirupati, Conjeevaram, Tiruvellarai, Srirangam and Tirumaalirumjolai. If one compares the description of the temples and other holy [places as found in the Megha and the Hamsa, one cannot but see a striking difference between the two. For KaaLidaasa, reverence and temple worship is a matter of routine based on habit. But to Desika, they were an absorbing passion to which everything else is subordinate.
e.g. kurvan sandhyaabalipathahataam soolinah slaaghaneeyam
aamandraNam phalam avikalam lapsyase garjitaanaam
(Yaksha asks the cloud to come to the temple of Lord Mahaakaala at Ujjain and roar there. This roar would be like the beating of the drum in the temple of the Lord at evening twilight. The cloud would receive the full merit of doing such a service)

For Desika, religion was all in all. It was his very breath and life. His faith in Sriman Narayana, the Divyadampathi was absolute and his life was but a true translation of that faith into practice. For him, worship and divine service are not just acts of routine. They are not even mere duty. They are a rare privilege and prerogative granted to him by the compassionate divine couple. For him, God is not a mere indweller of temples. The swan is advised to render service to the Lord and His consort with no other thought or desire. Kainkarya is according to the Srivaishnava philosophy, the summum bonum of life both here and in the hereafter. In this manner, the description of holy temples and sacred spots found in the Hamsa Sandesa is superior to that of KaaLidaasa where the description of temples and sacred spots is a matter of incidence and sources of tentative inspiration for the cloud messenger. His sole aim was to convey the message of the Yaksha to his wife and nothing more than that. KaaLidaasa is primarily interested in describing the north Indian country, its topography and geography (e.g.) Avanti and other kingdoms, Ujjain and its mansions, its wonders and splendors, wealth and pleasures. But, for our Desika, temples and holy places are more important than the mere mundane life and its enjoyments.
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2. DESIKAMRUTHAM II:
SRIMAD RAHASYA TRAYA SARAM
THE CRITICAL CONCEPT- 2
SRI SADAGOPA IYENGAR SWAMIN (OF COIMBATORE),
?SRIKAARYAM? OF THE BOARD OF ADVISORS OF ?SRI RANGA SRI?
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We saw how the Primary Principle of our Sampradaya is the SharIra_SharIri bhAvam or the relationship of the Body with its Inner Dweller, subsisting between the individual souls and inert matter on the one hand and the Lord on the other. We saw too how this concept highlights the existence of three distinct relationships between the Lord and ourselves, viz., the Support and the Supported (DhArakatvam and DhAryatvam), the Universal Controller and the Controlled (NiyAmakatvam and NiyAmyatvam) and Master and Servant (SEshI and SEsha).

There are three states for each Jeevatma-Existence, Continued welfare and Activity (respectively known as SattA, Sthiti and Pravritti). According to Swami Desikan, the Lord forms the source of support for all beings in all the aforesaid three states, both physically (through His SvarUpam) and His divine Will (Sankalpam).

Since the Lord forms the indwelling spirit of all beings and objects and since they have no separate existence from that of the Lord, we say that all beings and objects owe their Existence to Him in a physical sense. "nAn unnai andri ilEn kandAi NArananE" says Sri Nammazhwar, confirming this. It is thus that the Lord is responsible for the SattA, Stithi and Pravritti of all JeevAs, through His SvarUpa.

Here, one may ask-since the Lord is eternal, shouldn't the non-sentient
matter, which forms His body, also be eternal? In that case, how is that we find matter perishing, decaying and undergoing destruction? If they really form the Lord's body, they should be as permanent as He is!

Sri Koorattazhwan clarifies this, in the sloka "IcchAta Eva tava visva padArttha sattA". Sri Azhwan says that the Lord's will is of two types, one of them permanent and the other temporary. He wills certain of the objects/beings to have a permanent existence, as for instance the Jeevatma and the Lord's own auspicious attributes (kalyANa guNAs). Accordingly, these exist forever, without undergoing any mutation despite passage of time.

These are due to the Lord's nitya icchA or eternal will.

On the other hand, certain objects attract only the ephemeral attention of the Lord, as for instance physical matter like the human body. As such, they become perishable, because the Lord's desire is such.

Thus, the existence, continued welfare and the Activities of all beings, sentient and non-sentient, are dependent both on the Lord's physical support and His divine Will. If the Sun, the Moon, the Planets, the Stars and the Sky itself remain in their respective places in the universal firmament, if the uncontrollable waters of the vast oceans confine themselves to their shores and refrain from inundating land masses, if the earth doesn't sink in the surrounding body of water, it is the Lord's will that is behind all this, says the Mahabharata-

"dhyou: sa Chandra arka nakshatram kham dishO bhoo: mahOdadhi:
VAsudEvasya veeryENa vidhrutAni mahAtmana:"

The Upanishad too confirms that it is the Lord's Sankalpam that shores up the skies and prevents them from falling on us-"Etasya vA aksharasya
prasAsanE Gargi! DyAvA prithivyou vidhrutE tishtata:"

To reiterate, the very basis of existence of all beings and objects is
dependent upon the Lord's Will (Sankalpam) as well as His supporting
everything as their inner dweller (SvarUpam). If this is a bit confusing, the following example, which clarifies the respective roles of Svarupam and Sankalpam, should help.

While we are awake, it is our (Jeevatma's) will that prevents the body from falling down and extends support to its activities. However, when we are in deep sleep, there is no such Sankalpam or will in operation. In such states, it is the physical support of the Jeevatma, as the antaryAmi, that ensures the continued existence and welfare of the body.

Redefining the nature of support extended by the Lord to the Jeevatmas, Swami Desikan lays down that wherever the support is physical, it is known as "AdhAratvam" and where it is due to divine Will, it is called "Niyantrutvam". When these properties are applied to the Jeevas, their enjoying the Lord's physical support reflects their position of "AdhEyatvam" while their being supported by the Lord's will results in their "NiyAmyatvam".

We have seen how the Lord provides us with the physical support essential for our existence and also controls our activities, represented respectively by His being the "AdhAram" and "NiyantA". The third relationship of His being our undisputed Master and we His eternal slaves, existing solely for His uses, is brought out by the following slokam of Sri Bhattar-

"upAdattE sattA sthiti niyamanAdyai:chidachitou
svayam uddisya SrimAn iti vadati vAk oupanishadI"

The Lord creates us, sustains us and directs us to act, solely for the
benefit of Himself and His Consort. Thus, though we might imagine ourselves to be independent agents with our own respective agenda, all our actions are in fact aimed at generating pleasure for the Lord, and are directed by Him towards this goal. The TaittirIya Upanishad says that all beings are born from the Lord, are sustained by Him and re-enter Him when their time comes-
"yatO vA imAni bhootAni jAyantE, yEna jAtAni jeevanti, yat
prayantyabhisamvisanti, tat vigigyAsasva, tat Brahma". It is thus clear that we owe our creation, existence and activities solely to His will, and are but eternal slaves created for His own pleasure and servitude. This makes the Paramatma our Eternal Lord and Master, the "nirupAdhika sarva SEshi".

Just as our bodies are ours to use or abuse as per our whims and fancies, so too we exist solely at the disposal of the Lord, who is free to utilize us as He wills.
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3. GOTRAS AND PRAVARAS ? AN OVERVIEW ?
PART 8 THE GLORY OF VASISHTA GOTRAM ? Section 1
(Anbil Ramaswamy)
Based on Monograph of MahaamahOpaadhyaaya Sri Srivatsaankaachaar Swami, now Head of Dept. French Indolgical Research Institute, Pondicherry and ?MaharishigaL Charitram? by Mimamsa SirOmaNi Mimamsa Vidvan Mimamsa Kovida, Ubhaya Mimamsa Saaragjna, Veda Vedanta ChooDaamaNi Sri N.S. Devanathachariar (referred by Sri Srivatsankachariar Swami)
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The Chief Pravartaka of this GOtram is Sage VasishTa. His name appears as the foremost of the Pravara Rishis of several GOtras (e.g.) KouNDinya, Upamanyu, Paraasara, JaatukarNya, Sankriti, LOhinya etc.

INTRODUCTION
Sage VasishTa needs no introduction. His name reverberates through the entire gamut of our holy scriptures so that there can be none even remotely acquainted with Srutis and Smritis who could ever miss this Sage. He spans like a colossus over ages and eons, being associated with the galaxy of Gods and Goddesses, dynasties of Kings and emperors, lineages of Sages and Savants. We have a famous Slokam, which literally details his heading the genealogical tree. While introducing Sage Vyaasa, it says-
Vyaasam VasishTa naophtaaram SaktEh poutram akalmasham /
Paraasara aatmajam vandE Sukha taatam tapOnidhim //
?Vyaasa was the great grandson of VasishTa; Grandson of Sakti; Son of Paraasara; father of Sukha?. Thus, generations of famous Maharishis belong to the lineage of VasishTa.

?THE MOST BRILLIANT?
We all know how Sage Viswaamitra struggled hard to get recognition as ?Brahma Rishi? at the hands of Sage VasishTa. It is this Viswaamitra who used the expression ?MahaatEja:? (Most brilliant) to describe VasishTa, his archrival!

Aham vEdmi mahaatmaanam Raamam Satya paraakramam /
VasishTOpi mahaa tEJaa yE cha imE tapasi stithaah // (VR 1.9.14)

He was one of the ten sons of Brahma. Valmiki Ramayanam attests to this fact saying ?VasishTo BrahmaNa Suta:? (VR 1. 52.6)

His strict adherence to the codes of conduct prescribed in the Sastras(anushTaanam) is proverbial and has become a by-word for referring anyone with a high record of moral rectitude and scrupulous adherence to the religious rigor and discipline being called ?Saakshaat VasishTa?

One such Sage living amidst us today is H.H. Srimad ANDavan, Srimad Gopala Desika MahaaDesikkan of Poundarikapuram Swami Ashramam, Srirangam hailed verily as ?VasishTa? by all the Prakrutam Acharyas today.

ARUNDATI
If VasishTa is so renowned, his wife Arundati is equally venerated as the exemplary chaste spouse, the perfect wife for the perfect husband!

Even to this day, showing the bride Arundati star is an integral part of Hindu Weddings. The significance is that the wife-to-be is exhorted to follow the example of Arundati in upholding steadfast fidelity to the would-be husband.

VEDAS
Prior to Vyaasa?s times there was no division of Veda into Rik, Yajur, Saama and Atharva, All the Vedas were in one whole. Like father the four faced Brahma, (though VasishTa did not have four faces), he had mastered all the four Vedas in their entirety. VasishTa is the Pravartaka of for innumerable mantras lying all over the Vedas. (e.g.) Rik Veda has 10,000 Riks. This forms only 10% of the Rik Samhita and VasishTa is reputed to be the mantra drishTa for a majority of these. The whole of the 7th MaNDala containing 100 Sooktas and 819 Mantras are attributed to him. In Saama Veda, there are special sections called ?VasishTa Nivaham?, ?VasishTa chapam?, and ?VasishTasya ankusam? etc. KaaLIdaasa describes VasishTa as the very treasure of Veda:
? atha atharva nidhE tasya vijitaari poorNa: /
Arthyaam arthapatir vaacham aadadE vadataam vara: // (Ragu Vamsam 1.59)
He adds further tributes like
?VasishTam rOga naasanam? (Ibid 6.44.2)
?VasishTam veerudhaanaam? (Ibid 6.21.2)

NANDINI
Though he could have commanded all the wealth one could dream of, he deemed Jnaana and AnushTaana as the only real wealth. All that he could call his own was a cow named ?Nandini?. Nandini could produce instantly whatever he desired and all that he needed were the ingredients (saamgri) for the homas that he conducted innumerable times. And, Nandini never failed in providing all this and more.

ENCOUNTER WITH VISWAAMITRA
Nandini was also the one source of trouble for him all the time!
Once, Viswaamitra who was a Rajarishi visited his hermitage with a huge entourage. With the help of Nandini, VasishTa treated the host of guests to a fabulous treat almost instantly. Viswaamitra was nonplussed at the bewildering rapidity with which the cow could produce the feast, in the midst of the deep forest where nothing could be procured. He demanded Nandini and offered a thousand cows in barter. VasishTa would not oblige.

When Viswaamitra tried to take away Nandini by force, at the command of VasishTa, it created an invincible army that routed the forces of Viswaamitra.

Worsted and humiliated at his defeat, Viswaamitra did severe penance for no better purpose than acquiring powerful weapons including the mystic ?Brahma astra?. Having got them, he hurled all of them at VasishTa, the ?Brahma putra?. VasishTa merely planted his holy staff consecrated with the brilliance of his power of penance (TapObalam). All the weapons of destruction of Viswaamitra were disarmed, demolished and rendered impotent before this staff!

Viswaamitra gave up declaring that the ?Power of prince was no match to the power of penance (Brahma tEjas)?
? Dik balam kshatriya balam, Brahma tEjO balam balam? (VR 1.56.23)

His only ambition now was to be recognized as ?Brahma Rishi? and that
?Right from the horse?s mouth? ?as they say - the mouth of VasishTa. It was thus, the expression ?VasishTar vaayaalE Brahma Rishi? has become popular.
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4. FROM MAHABHARATA: YAKSHA PRASNAM?
Part 23: Prasnams 66 and 67
By Sri M.K. Ramaswamy Iyengar Swami, Senior Officer of Govt. of India.
PRASNAM 66:
YAKSHA:
?KIMARTHAM BRAAHMANE DAANAM??
?WHY IS GIVING CHARITY TO BRAHMANA CONSIDERED SPECIALLY VIRTUOUS??
YUDISHTIRA:
?DHARMAARTHAM BRAAHMANE DAANAM?
?GIVING CHARITY TO A BRAHMANA IS VIRTUOUS BECAUSE THAT DEED PROMOTES RIGHTEOUSNESS?

NOTES:
Man in his natural state is Taamasic, Raajasic and Saatvic. All these three qualities are present in everyone in varying degrees and in different proportions. In his Taamasic nature, man is subject to inertia; he obeys the compulsions of the environment or the desires swell in his mind. In his Raajasic nature, man is constantly in action. He struggles, conquers, destroys, creates and generally battles along to go forward. In his Saatvic state, man is able to see a better law than that of desire and ego. He is drawn to truths, which are eternal, and a knowledge, which sheds undimmed luster on everything, all the time. In such a state, he erects an ideal and more importantly, follows it in his real life. He observes righteousness, the Dharma for its own sake. For him, it is ?kartavyam karma? ? everything has to be done solely because it is right. As Sri Aurobindo would explain, in his action, he rejects all motives of egoism, all initiation by self will, all rules of desire and he makes himself the complete surrender of all the ways of his being to the Supreme.

By tradition, by training, by cultivation and by constant reflection, such a Saatvic attitude is attained and retained far more readily by one who is a Brahmin.

Therefore, an act of charity intended to take care of his minimum needs, promotes righteousness. Therefore, an act of charity to a Brahmin is highly rated.

PRSANAM 67:
YAKSHA:
?KIMARTHAM NATA NARTAKE??
?WHY SHOULD MUNIFICENT GIFTS BE OFFERED TO ACTORS, DANCERS AND SUCH LIKE ARTISTS??
YUDISHTIRA:
?YASORTHAM NATA NARTAKE?
?GIFTS SHOULD BE OFFERED TO ACTORS, DANCERS AND SUCH LIKE ARTIST PERSONS BECAUSE SUCH AN ACT LEAVES IN ITS WAKE EVERLASTING FAME?

NOTES:
Artists like actors, dancers, musicians and so on fulfill a vital need of the society. People need something at the end of the day to blow their blues away. Artists help them to do so easily. Actors and dancers usually pick an incident or a tale that has a moral embedded in it and through the medium of entertainment weave the moral into the onlooker?s mind. This is the way, in ancient days, kings patronized all those well versed in the various arts, like painting and sculpture, music and dance, literature and theater and so on.

Since such persons benefit the entire society by their actions with their skills and harm no one, honoring them is a noble deed. As it happens, to all noble deeds, an aura of fame envelops a noble deed as well.

Artists are an integral part of any healthy society. They are not a superfluity to be remembered and patronized only on some occasions and left to their inconspicuous and subsistence level of existence during other times. Even in the distant Ramayana times, they had a well-appointed place in the society. When Bharata decided to bring back Sri Rama from the forest, the entire city of Ayodhya heaved towards ChitrakooTa. There is a special mention in Sloka 15 of Sarga 83 of AyOdhya KhaaNdam of the dancers and women in their group as being part of the city?s citizenry that traveled to ChitrakooTa. ?Sailooshaas cha saha streebhir yaanti kaivartakas tathaa?

Again when Sri Rama started an Asvamedha Yajna, he ordered a mini city to be constructed on the banks of the river gOmati in the Naimisa forest. Among the citizens who were asked to and who themselves wanted to take up residence there, were musicians, instrumentalists and dancers
(VR. VII: 91.22)
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