Thursday, April 25, 2024

Sipra's Diary:Recollections ......[ stories from Mom]

                                            [ story from mom:  [  + 2. Kalidas;/  3. Akabar  ]

Once upon a time, the herbivores came complaining  to  god  that why there was so much injustice in his Creation ; why they had  no freedom to roam or eat in the forest  freely; why they  often had to be victim to wild animals  in the forest !

Not only the herbivores but also carnivores ,omnivores ,even the fish & reptiles  appealed god to change this order of 'eat or to be eaten'!

God thoughtfully replied,  "In  collaboration with Nature I did my best.   But I want peace for you all." 

"So let me  experiment first for only 'one year' : I bless you to fulfill your wish. Hereby I am changing the previous order ."

 All the living beings came back with happy heart .  ...But after one year they all came back to approach  god to take back the blessing and bring back the previous order in this Creation!

God asked them innocently, "Why, what's the problem now?"

The  sum  and substance of their grievance was  that each specie had multiplied so much that they could not accommodate space to live or eat  to survive. There were no plants left in  the  jungle to feed extra mouths. The herbivores were fighting violently among themselves for food. 

Big fish extinguished for prolonged fasting but the small fish multiplied to accommodate themselves whether in the pond, in lakes or  even in ocean  . They were also fighting  among themselves and became food for one another .

   Omnipotent God smirked  and said ,"OK, go back to your old system  again,  accepting the cycle of food-chain : eat or to be eaten !"

............................................................................................................

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>                                        # (2).  

The story of  the great poet  Kalidas is well known in the world.He  was one of the nine  gems in the court during Gupta empire in 3/4  C.E

The era of Gupta empire is known as 'Golden Age' of India . Art, sculpture literature, music , astronomy , physics, mathematics flourished throughout the country.The great concept of 'zero' originated by Aryabhattya( one of the nine gems )  in this land  of India.

Every year tourists thronged in front of the Ajanta & Ellora mountain caves where amazing painting and sculpture  on the mountain caves witness the  ancient civilization!

Anyway, my story is about Kalidas .In his early life he was illiterate and known as an utterly stupid . [That trails  another story of his life, written by me few years ago]. He became so learned by the blessings of goddess of learning.

He was appointed as the ' Noborotno' 'Mohakobi'  Kalidasa in the royal court.  Those who knew about early life of Kalidasa were unhappy and also jealous. One day a senior Pandit  challenged the emperor about the profundity of wisdom of  Kalidas.

Emperor: "OK, tomorrow  I will summon   a special conference in the court in front of you to prove truth ."

The court was overcrowded with enthusiastic audience. By the order of the emperor  there was an ugly dry branch  was  kept in front of the throne. 

The emperor called the senior pandit  first and asked to describe the branch laid infront of the throne.

The pandit along with the court was surprised for such drama. He answered with negligence ,

   "Suskong  kasthong   tisthoti  agre".......         ( in Sanskrit )

     =A dry piece of log is laying in front ...

Nobody described better than the first one .

The emperor asked  lastly Kalidas to describe. 

Looking at the dry log  Kalidas  recited  sonorously: 

         " Niros torubar purato bhagey"  ......           [in sanskrit]


This is what is known as   'literature '!

To express the ordinary in extraordinary way!

To present even an ugly as a piece of beauty !!

............................................................................................................

 1).  Niros=which is completely  bereft of juice/(liquid)

 2).  Torubar = branch of the tree.

 3).  puroto =.   lying 

 4).   bhagey=  In front of....

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

                                                    (3)

Akbar the Great was most popular  of the  Mughol  emperors in India  during  1556 to 1605. He appointed Birbal as his adviser in his  court.

Birbal was renowned for his wisdom and wit. There are many funny as well as intelligent stories of him. We read those stories  in our school life.  Akbar loved him .Birbal was accompanied by the emperor everywhere. He enjoyed high salary and luxury .

The soldiers and  their chief complained to the king that Birbal did not  do any hard work like them .He did not fight with the enemy to save the country. They did at the cost of lives ;  still he had higher salary and better life .Why His Majesty was partial in judgement?

Akbar replied  Birbal ranked high for his great  intelligence and farsightedness; He would prove them just now.

Akbar summoned one of his army and asked  him to  survey  outside the east side of  the fort wall and report him. When he returned 

 Akbar asked him 'what did you saw there?'

  "Me Lord,I saw nothing but a   barking dog  on the ground".

Akbar: " o! was it a male  dog or bitch ?'

*_ " Am not sure of that ,Lord,"

Akbar asked a second man who  informed that it was a bitch .

*" Had the bitch any puppy with her ?"Akbar asked.

*"It was lying in a shallow and shadowy ditch No puppy were there ."

*Another army was sent who reported that there're  newborn puppy in the ditch who were protected under the belly of the bitch.

"Really, that' s so sweet ! So how many puppies were there?''

*"I did  not  go near for counting , as their  mother was whimpering aggressively".

   Another one was ordered to go for counting .

*He reported that the bitch had delivered six cute babies ". 

Akbar asked "How many of them are male and female ?"

"That was hard to know  for me,Lord.

Then some other one went to the same place and reported ,

"Lord, with great courage I went near & found out of the six four were bitch while two were dogs."

Then Akbar sent his vassal to call the 'Mantri'(minister) from his home .AS the minister came to the court  Akbar ordered  him the same job (like the first army-man ) to do.

The minister went there and came back to Akbar after surveying . 

Akbar  repeated all those  previously asked questions    to the minister.

The minister answered correctly ; the emperor asked some additional questions  also  and  got correct information from the minister .

Turning to the courtiers, the emperor said confidently "the minister was  paid high for his  intelligence  and  ability of keen sight. He  alone could do  the job easily whereas you needed  a dozen of men power !'

The complainers  sat silently with heads down!

>>>>>>>            >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>               >>>>>>>>>

                                               (4)


The story of the Mughal emperor Akbar's experiment is suitable example to prove the importance of ear. Akbar himself was illiterate but he was no less than a pandit ; He learnt  only  by listening from the wise  pandit .Once there was dispute among the people about language  : Which language was god-given and noblest of all. 

To solve the problem, Akbar the Great  ordered his minister to collect 10 babies of six months  from the parents  who  have  unique  linguistic difference  and. to keep these ten babies in ten different  sound proof chambers under proper baby-care.  Only the ten deaf and dumb   care-takers. were  appointed  to take care  for. those  babies.  These babies belong to the parents who  followed the language of   Urdu ,Farsi,  Sanskrit ,  Pali, Maithily , brojobuli and some local ,even tribal language. When  the babies  became  five years old.  they were presented in the royal court.  

The court was overcrowded   of the mass  with  high pitch of excitement . To their disappointment  it was found that  all.  those. ten babies  were deaf and dumb ;  none of them could speak  in any language at all .Thus the emperor convinced the common people  that no language could  claim superior to other as  "God's language". All languages were equal.The baby learn  that language  which they listen from the parent or in environment ;  if  they hear nothing as  sound of language   from the beginning of birth ,they would learn  nothing .

         Though. some. people were not happy , but  they couldn't argue Thus  Akbar the Great  solved the dispute of language  peacefully . He was able to run on with  the same "FARSI".  as court language of the country.He reigned from 1556 to  1605 as most popular Mughal emperor,  in spite of being illiterate but wise  only by  listening. He wrote a book named "Akbar-E-Nama" to compromise the conflict  between Hindu-ism and  Islamist.          

                                                   Sipra Roy  <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<


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