THE Tyrant capitulates

God has various attributes which a normal human being, even a king, cannot appreciate. You have to transcend from the gross to the subtle, writes RAVI VALLURI

Aeons ago lived a brave combatant. Upon slaying several of his kinsmen, the intrepid warrior ascended the throne. He imposed a series of taxes on the denizens of his kingdom to raise a professional army. Seeds of an expansionist ideology germinated in his febrile mind. The king had now assumed the mantle unassailable monarch and inviolable emperor with a missionary zeal.

The peasantry, traders, artists, writers, farmers and dancers, all had to bear the brunt of an array of imposts and tithes needed to raise the hefty army. Intimidated and fearful, denizens of the land obeyed the diktats unflinchingly. The ruler was surrounded by feeble and puny ministers who tried to ingratiate themselves by conforming to the decree and not being antagonistic in any manner. In the process, they could luxuriate with the largesse and bounties showered by the despot. The iron clad administrator brooked no dissidence. Those ministers and bureaucrats who dared to challenge his authority were imprisoned or exiled; the recalcitrant were eliminated.

Several intimidated kings brokered peace by accepting his suzerainty, assuming the role of willing vassals. Taxes were raised on their populace to supplement the needs of the now gargantuan army. To protect their fiefdoms, a few minor kingdoms ingratiated themselves by conceding to matrimonial alliances.

A vicious smile that swept across the face of the aggressive oppressor said it all. Sycophants were soon to equate him with the creator, the very Lord of the Universe! His busts and statues dotted the landscape of the entire country. Edicts eulogizing his achievements, panegyrics and paeans penned by supplicant poets and writers further fueled the desires of the malevolent ruler. John Wooden has written, Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.

The tyrant defied these cardinal principles, becoming became hubristic and haughty. He began nurturing delusions of conquering the entire world. Arrogated with absolute power and corrupted to the core, he issued a diktat that he was to be worshipped by all the subjects of the land.

Places of worship mushroomed across the countryside and vast strips of the newly acquired land, where people were forced to venerate new ‘Divine’ power. Priests and monks took to rewriting the scriptures in praise of the ‘new lord’.

Every evening he indulged in merry making. He was also beguiled and enthralled by an array of danseuses. On one full moon night as the revelry reached a crescendo, an attractive danseuse was presented before the despot.

Though she made her livelihood by dancing on occasions before men held in low esteem, the pretty lady maintained her Teflon coating. Never did she succumbed to carnal instincts and always pined for Lord Krishna. Dance for her was not merely an exhibition of talent nor entertainment, but her way of expressing indebtedness and gratitude to the almighty. She danced to the strains of the magical flute of Lord Krishna. Her mind and self were filled with exemplary courage and conviction because of her unalloyed love and devotion to the supreme lord. The inebriated and autocratic ruler asked her to gyrate to the music played. She was not to be intimidated and defied the king, much to his chagrin.

“I dance only if my mind is suffused with Narayana tattva,” she proclaimed emphatically, “and in you I see only the attributes of Kamsa and Duryodhana.” The tyrant was not amused. “I am the new Lord, more potent and formidable than your Krishna.” Piqued with resentment, the tyrant asked the dancer to prove the existence of a lord other than him.

The lady asked for a bowl of milk which was promptly provided. She asked the ruler as to what he saw in the bowl. “Milk,” muttered the ruler, impatiently. The dancer gently uttered, “An ignorant merely sees what is on the surface. A wise man or gyani probes deeper. A discerning observer sees not only milk, but its multifarious attributes too – butter, cheese, buttermilk, curd, sweet preparations made of milk, among others. Thus, almighty God has various attributes which a normal human being, even a king cannot appreciate. You have to transcend from the gross to the subtle.

For the first time in several years the king’s mind was challenged. “But this does not prove the existence of Krishna or God,” he added instantly. The danseuse asked the king to darken the dancing hall and provide her with a candle. The palace was darkened and the lady held aloft a lit candle. “What do you see now, Oh king!” she asked. “A candle,” he replied. The dancer exclaimed, “Just a candle! This is not a mere candle providing light, but the flame that dispels darkness and the seeds of doubt from the human mind to make it resolute and robust.” This dialogue ignited the intellect of the king. “But, it still does not prove the existence of God, that there is one more powerful than me.”

“To acquire this eternal truth, you need to descend from your throne and permit me to sit on it,” was her retort. Mulling it over for a few minutes – parrying protestations of acquiescing ministers – he offered his throne. The dancer gracefully took her place on the throne and at her feet was the indomitable king, hitherto unchallenged. “Yes, now you are on the path of pursuing the reality,” she remarked. “Arrogance, conceit and egotism had ossified your thought process. Today you have surrendered,” remarked the dancer. She politely added, “Today you are at my feet, in your own kingdom. This is nothing but the miracle of Lord Krishna.”

Much to the astonishment of all present, the king broke down and wept inconsolably, accepting his defeat. Donning ochre robes, he left the palace in search of the truth, to discover the creator of the universe.

Rising from the throne the danseuse broke into Tandav Nrtya ...