Indian Antiquary Vol 09

Author(s): Jas Burgess
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 84

72
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[MAECH, 1890.
happiness :-"Is there anybolt that can shuthands him down as a Kápu or farmer, and his in love?" "The pipe is sweet, the lute is sweet, translator, Mr. C. P. Brown, thinks he lived in say those who have never heard the prattle of the 16th century, but there is reason to think he their own children." "He best labours for lived long before. Several hundred quatrains future happiness who lives well and kindly in are ascribed to him, a large number of which his household"; and he knew as well as the are probably popular sayings that in course of Roman mother that "good children are the time gathered about his name. He embodies jewels of the good wife." The Kural abounds | the popular distrust and hatred of Bråbmang, with wise sayings on the conduct of affairs ; take and is one of the few singers whose works this for example on the necessity of forethought. could be collected from the mouths of the people, "There are failures even in acting well. The who know him by heart, and are always delighted work not done by suitable methods will fail, to fling one of his stinging sarcasms at pretenthough many attempt to further it. The chariot tious purity and asceticism. He well discerned is weak at sea, and the ship on land." And the emptiness of broadened phylacteries. again : "Is aught difficult to him who works "Sanyasis," says he, "affect particular words with the right instruments at the right time? and vests, they wear a brick-red garb and shaven he wins who can think silently, and bide his pates. On these they pride themselves, their time." "Patience is finest gold; to bear with the heads look clean, but are their hearts so ? A ignorant is might of might." In Wilhelm Meis- tiger skin, a staff, bells, and smearing with ashes! ter's Travels there is a passage full of Goethe's what avail these for the worship of God, who far-reaching meaning, when in the Pædagogic is a Spirit ?” In the same vein as Moses proProvince the elders inform Wilhelm that though claimed that the commandment laid upon the a child may be born with many gifts, one there people was not hidden nor far off, neither in is which no child brings into the world with heaven or beyond the sea, but very nigh to them, him, and yet on that one thing all depends for in their mouth, and in their heart, that they may making man in every point a man, when Wil. do it (Deut. xxx), Vemana exclaims, " Kasi, helm could not discover this thing himself, they cty; why roam in pilgrimage to holy shrines " Reverence," they exclaimed, Reverence, all to find the God that dwells within them ? want it, perhaps you yourself; nor is the fear | Wandering in the wilds will not discover sancfelt by rude people for natural convulsions or tity, nor is it in the sky, nor at the confluence similar awful occurrences, an exception, for of holy streams. Make the body pare, and Nature is indeed adequate to fear, but to rever- thou shalt behold the king!" His version of the once not adequate." Tiruvalluvar had also Golden Rule is very absolute: "Though an felt the weight and meaning of this sentiment enemy worthy of death fall into thy hand, whon he wrote, “Never will reverence be found afflict him not, conciliate him by kindness, and with those who have not received careful bid him depart. This is death to him ! Injare instruction."
not others, O men, and live for ever!" The With this small handful of ears from Tiru
following expression is striking in the month vallavar's abounding grainfield, we now turn of a Hindu :-"Why revile a Pariah? Of what to V emana, emphatically a people's poet, the caste is He who speaks in the Pariah ?" Carlyle familiar oracle of the old Telugu race, much highly praises the words of the German Novalis, below the great Tamil Teacher in moral and "There is but one temple in the universe, and poetic sentiment, and sweet reasonableness of that is the human body: nothing is holier peroeption, he excelled him in satirical force and than that high form, bending before men is vehemence of soorn. The mild wisdom of a reverence done to this incarnation of the Tiruvalluvar is never aggressive, but Vêmana Divine." Long before him, however, Vemana deals swashing blows at bypocritical sancti. had written-“Why collect marble and build monionsness, and never wearies in discharging temples? The true temple is the body, the soul shaft after shaft at Brahmaṇical assumption. is the God therein," a strange unconscious echo Nothing cortain is known of his life. Tradition of the words of St. Paul,"know ye not that
• See Ind. Ant. vol. I. p. 102, where this forms the sub. stance of the last verse of some very striking Metrical
Translations by Mr. R. Caldwell from the poetry of Sivavak kiyar,