Kaun Banega Crorepathi -2: Our Preparations.
On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays form 9 to 10 PM none of us at home is available to the world. We all turn into ‘Couch potatoes’ watching the Big B. On the night of 6th August, Amitabh Bachchan, posed this question: “In Hindu mythology, which God is known to have died after being shot by an arrow on his heel?”
“Lord Krishna, of course”, I said without waiting for the options.
“Appa, you are ok. Cool.” complimented my son, because the answer was right. The soup tasted better.
But what my family does not know is that I have this hectic parley with ‘the Secret 8’ (the children of the Merry Land Primary School, just opposite to our house) almost every other evening learning these piquant tit–bits through active participation in their pleasantly exciting, appetizing discussions. It took some time to gain admission into their ‘Ivy-league’ as I call it because like in the Ivy league we are 8 of us.
Let me get you all straight into a typical conversational quizzing day of our Ivy League, the average age excluding me being twelve . Cut to:
Location: Culvert in front of Merry Land School
Time: After school hours
Participants: Students and 1 Senior Citizen
Subject: Preparation for KBC-2: Hindu Mythology
“Name the Shankhs(Conch shells) of Krishna and the 5 Pandavas?”
“That’s easy”, I volunteered
Sri Krishna -Panchajanya
Yudhishthira -Anantavijaya
Bhima -Paundra
Arjun -Devadutta
Nakula -Sughosha
Sahadeva -Manipushpak
“There is a particular order in which the incarnations of Vishnu are supposed to have appeared. What’s peculiar about this order?” (This was a classic from my late father)
“Any hints uncle?”
“ UMMM lemme seee. The answer has to do with science...”
Long silence.
“The answer is that the initial few avatars are in the order of evolution of vertebrates:
Matsya (fish) >> Kurma (reptile) >> Varaha (mammal) >> Narsimha (higher mammal) >> Vaman (short-statured ape-man??) >> The human avatars
“You are right, uncle - the ten avatars do appear in an evolutionary order!”
“Do you know what is Vishnu’s mace or gada called?”
“Vishnu’s gada= Kaumudaki”, that response was from the 5 year old. Of course she is armed with Amar Chitra Katha.
“On to much more recent mythology now..” That was our Vice President.
“Believe it or not. Tulsidas is said to have been visited by SreeRam and Lakshman once, when he was sitting at a Ghat in Varanasi.. But he didn’t realize it was THEM, and sent THEM off after tilak, prasad, and having THEM recite: ’Jai Shri Ram’.. After a while, a parrot made him realize their true identity.. Can you tell me who the parrot really was? Bonus points for telling me what the parrot said..
“Hanuman”, I shouted excitedly and “he said, -
chitrakoot ke ghat pe lagi santan ki bhid;
tulsidas chandan ghise tilak det raghuvir.
“.Exact-Lee!!! Wow uncle you are cool”
(I only know the difficulty I went through in SIES to learn Hindi and Kabir ke dohe etc.)
“How did Krishna get the name ’Damodar’?
“ I know of a river Damodar, where the Dam refers to bunch of Algae! “
“Yeh! Stop joking yaar. Be serious da”
”But here it could be ropes with which Yashoda used to tie Krishna up..”, I intervened to
sort out the fight.
“Yup that’s right! “
“Probably refers to the incident when Yashoda tied Krishna to an ’Okhli’ and Krishna dragged it in between two Kadamb trees and uprooted them.. and..”
“That’s enough uncle”
“Which of Krishna’s wives did he win by ’Haran’?”
“Well, By ’’haran’’ you mean theft? is that it?”
”In that case Rukmini would be the one..”
“Yes, Rukmini’s right!”
“Who was it that lost one of his/her eyes due to being disrespectful to Seeta?”
“Kaakaasura!”
“You’re right! Although Tulsidas refers to him as Jayant..”
“But Jayant is Indra’s son.. How he came to be known as KAkASURA is difficult to imagine..”
“That’s not part of the question. So leave it at that”
“In how many re-incarnations did Raavan become unified with Vishnu, and how many would it have taken him if he wanted to do it in a friendly way?
“.Something to do with...Jai and Vijai ? “
“Yes, Vishnu’s bodyguards Jai and Vijay were cursed that they would have to be born on earth - 3 times if evil, OR alternatively 7 times if good - before they could come back to Vaikuntham”..
“But do you know why they were cursed?”
Well here goes the story..
The learned sage Narad once fell into the influence of Maya, and got enamoured with a girl on earth.. He asked Vishnu to make him handsome for some time.. Vishnu asked him what he wanted to look like.. He asked to look like Hari himself..
So Vishnu decided to play a jest with him and gave him the face of Hari (a monkey) instead of Hari (Vishnu himself)..
When he was returning red-face) from the girl’s house.. the two bodyguards happened to look at him, and could not control their laughter..
Narad, already fuming, turned around, and condemned them both to Mrityulok.. It was only after Vishnu appeased him a little, when he assured them that they would return to Vaikuntham after three/seven births..
It would take Seven births to reunite with Vishnu in a friendly way.. While it would take only Three births if he was hostile to gods in each birth. They opted the latter choice obviously to be with the Lord as early as possible even if it meant taking the evil route!
“Is there a moral here?”
“ Hey! You have a set mind da”
THE DAYS PROCEEDINGS CAME TO AN END. THE CHILDREN LEFT ME FORLORN WAITING FOR ANOTHER DAY. But then I had become 5 years younger in their company. I wiped my moist bifocals and put it away. I took a deep breath and reflected on how wonderful my life was. Indeed, I was a rich man. I will always be grateful for the numerous times my children have helped me see things differently. Everything I Really Need to Know, I seem to learn from Children. My wife and I have been blessed with two lovely kids. Early in my role as father, I vowed to do my utmost to help our children realize life’s most precious lessons and to instill core values. I thought I was going to be their teacher. I soon learned it was I who was in training like it happens here with my “Secret 8-the ivy League” I once asked my friend SRP,
“How have you brought the kids up so well?”
“I? By leaving them alone”, he laughed.
That spoke volumes! Didn’t it?
V V R ( a retired Air vice Marshal)