THIRUKOLUR PEN PILLAI RAGASIYAM-74

“Enneipol endreno Uparacharanai polae”

We have an important lesson to learn from this story . Let's see that .

There lived a king named Vasu who followed the Dharma shastra and was very dutiful. 

So the goddess of Dharma (Dharma devathai) gave him a boon that granted him the power to fly low on earth. Even his chariot could fly.

‘Upari’ means ‘above’ and ‘chara’ means ‘journey’. So Vasu also gained the name ‘Uparichara Vasu’ - the one who can fly on earth. He was a very successful king. During a Yagna, the Rishis and Devas were arguing about animal sacrifice. The Devas said that a goat must be given as a sacrifice, but the Rishis said we need not kill a life; instead, we can make a goat out of dough and do the sacrifice, or else make an idol out of pulses, but the Devas disagreed.

The debate went on, and no one reached a conclusion, so they all went to Uparichara Vasu. Uparichara Vasu listened to both sides of the argument.

Uparichara Vasu was very kind to all living beings.

He thought, “If I cut my hand, it will hurt. In the same way, it will also hurt others. Just like us, all kinds of life have the right to live, so he agreed with the Rishis and accepted what the Rishis told him. Empathising with others’ pain, struggling for other living beings, and being kind-hearted were qualities of Uparichara Vasu.

The Devas were unhappy with this decision, so they cursed him, saying

“You will lie on Bhoomi (Ground).” Soon after, Vasu’s chariot fell to the ground; hence came the name “Therezhandhur – Ther (chariot) Ezhandhur (fell to the ground).” But Vasu was not sad at all. He was not sad about losing his boon just because he was caring for other living beings.

Thirukolur Penn wonders, “Just like Vasu, I don’t have the resolve to empathize with other living beings. What eligibility do I have to live here?”

Swami Ramanuja nods his head in agreement and explains further, “The one (Perumal) who gave life to all beings in this world is very kind, filled with Karuna (pity) - Karunakaran. Similarly, we should look at all lives with the ‘Karuna’ guna. A heart filled with kindness and pity is considered the best.

Our Koorathazhwar thought that even while plucking a leaf from a plant, the plant would get hurt. However small the living being is, it has feelings, hurts, and pains associated with it.

One day, Koorathazhwar saw a frog in a snake's mouth and felt bad. He felt that the frog was begging him to save it from the snake. He got hold of the snake's mouth and took the frog out without worrying about himself. Similarly, Uparichara Vasu was also a kind-hearted king. Kindness, pity, and non-violence should be virtues that are naturally present in human beings. Share the sorrows and respect other living beings. So now, who are you going to tell me about?”

Thirukolur Penn says “Yaan Siriyan endreno Thirumalai nambiyai polae"