Renunciation Woes

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Like Charity, Renunciation often tends to be loud and highly visible.

I suppose it would not be worthwhile otherwise.

Renunciation is a topic on which I can write a thesis. But here I confine myself to the trials, tribulations and embarrassments I had to undergo owing to other peoples' Renunciations.

Among Renunciations I include vows, vraths, donations and all such queer stuff.

That one's own Renunciations cause precipitate inconveniences to others, particularly, if the Renouncer happens to be in a position of Power and Politics is documented by Gandhiji's weird lifestyle.

Gandhiji, who was a strict vegetarian, had to depend on the abundantly available and cheap stuff like milk and groundnuts. Once, it seems, Gandhiji happened to visit the Goshala of one of his well-to-do (they were all flocking to him) chelas. And saw with his own eyes the cruelty to which his holy cows were routinely subjected in order to yield the maximum possible liters of milk (like being given painful injections of hormones). Gandhiji, on the spot, renounced milk, once and forever.

His hosts, followers, ashramites (like termites?) and khadi-topi-Congresswalas were bewildered and dismayed on what to feed Gandhiji. As such he was a lean and thin figure. Even the British were worried about his health, because his death could lead to riots and revolts: Gandhi alive is easier to deal with than Gandhi dead!

Eventually, the ever-compromising Congresswalas
proposed a formula: Gandhiji could perhaps be convinced to partake of Goat's milk as a substitute. They went with folded hands and explained their predicament. The ever-reasonable Gandhiji acquiesced when they told him that no one but goat-kids drink goat-milk and so goats are not subjected to painful injections (they are eaten whole!).

Thereafter his chelas had to buy tickets for a couple of milch-goats during his third-class travels (another Renunciation of his which prompted Sarojini Naidu, the sensible hilsa-eating Bengalee Bhadramahila, to remark that it cost the Congress a fortune to keep Gandhiji in penury).

At 13, I left home for College studies for a year, during which period I was staying with my uncle, YVS, a wonderful gentleman 15 years older to me. We became great friends. He was a smoker, fond of playing cards, Hindi film music, cricket; and a good sport all in all.

During the next summer holidays when I was back at home in my Village, he happened to be passing through on an official visit. I prevailed upon him to stay for lunch at my place and go ahead on his official work to the next village. He was very shy but agreed. I received him at our bus-stand and brought him home and he was welcomed warmly by one and all because he was too shy to visit anyone else's home. And I told my mother to cook the most delicious of the available vegetables of the season. We settled on lady-fingers, of which I had bought a tender bagful from the Village Market.

And, when we all squatted on the floor for our lunch, mother started serving the first of two courses: subji. He blushed and declined her offer of subji. My mother was perplexed and started serving the next item on the menu, the delicious sambar. He inspected that and rejected that too.

My mother made a guess and asked him if he had 'Renounced' lady-finger at Kashi during his recent trip there. He blushed pink and said yes. It so happened that I asked my mother to put my precious lady-fingers in both the items.

Tears were welling up my mother's eyes because there was nothing else on the menu except pickles and butter-milk. He was gracious and offered handsome apologies for his fault of not announcing his renouncing in advance. Very embarrassing to one and all. And as a recompense he charmingly agreed to drop down on his return trip in the evening and have dinner with us, this time fixing the menu as per his favorite dishes in advance. That meant he would be staying with us that night and we all had great fun and frolic with him. So, everything turned out for the best!

I happened to pass in flying colors that year and got a prestigious seat in the Andhra University Physics Integrated M Sc. A week before I was schedule to leave for Vizagh to join that great seat of learning sanctified by the footsteps of C V Raman, my mother announced that I had to visit Tirupati on a pilgrimage and get my head shaved clean (tonsured). I was stunned. I knew that Lord Balajee's most favorite item on his menu was the hair of his devotees, symbolizing the Ultimate Renunciation: EGO; because everyone is fond of their hair, as I was very much so of mine. I told my mother that it just can't be done because as a freshman at the University, I would be teased and ragged to death. We hit upon a compromise formula that I would postpone it to early next-year's Summer Vacation, since I would have 3 good months for my hair to grow back to its peak size. And I made my mother promise that she would never again make me a dark and unwilling Renouncer of my hair or anything else for that matter.

This Kashi thing is a gimmick in our families. Actually it is not at Kashi, but at Gaya on the compulsory way to Kashi. There is this famous age-old Vishnupada Temple (Ramakrsihna Paramahmasa visited it because his mother saw the Lord of this Temple in her dream before conceiving him).

Under its centuries-old Banyan tree, the pilgrim-couple, after offering holy tarpan to their
forefathers (as a sweetener for persecuting them while alive and fighting over their property after they are quietly dead) proceed to their Great Act of Renunciation:

Each of the two is supposed to give up forever one of their favorite vegetables and one of their loved fruit.

Since there were only a couple of good vegetables and an equal number of fruit in the Village Market, they and their kids would be forever foregoing half of the Village Produce if they do it sincerely. So, they hit upon a compromise: Both agree to renounce the same vegetable and the same fruit (a wonder!). And suddenly they remember that bitter-gourd (kariyala) and sour lime (unripe orange) happen to be their favorite stuff for the nonce! YVS was too sincere!

Hinduism has survived and prevailed over all other religions of this world by its ultimate flexibility: "Please All!" is its motto: "Sarve Janah Suknhino Bhavantu", including the here and the hereafter.

Let me conclude by quoting a light verse I blogged more than a year ago:

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Friday, March 27, 2009

Narayana, Narayana!
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"..Sixty is the age when all of us should renunciate worldly life": Quote attributed to N. R. Narayana Murthy in DC 27 March: Banner headline with Photo on Page 8 (italics mine):


DC's a law unto itself
Quoting Narayan's good self
It enunciates, denunciates
Pronunciates and Renunciates
As it pleases itself!

Webster should learn anew
How little English he knew!

Posted by G P Sastry (gps1943@yahoo.com) at 2:19 AM


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