बनारस हिन्दू यूनिवर्सिटी - एक अनुपम परिसर

पतित पावनी गंगा तट पर

बसी है काशी तीर्थ महान,

शंकर के त्रिशूल पर अटकी,

विश्वेश्वर खुद विराजमान |

तुलसी की लंका उपनगरी

स्थित जिसका सिंह द्वार,

काशी हिंदू विश्व विद्यालय ,

महामना का परम उपहार |

सिंह द्वार से घुसने पर ही

दिखती जिसकी छटा निराली,

तनिक ठहर कर पथिक यहाँ

अवलोकन करता है हरियाली |

प्रथम दृष्टि में प्यार हो गया

मन में एक सम्मोहन जागा ,

गर मिले प्रवेश यहाँ पढ़ने को

धन्य-धन्य हो जाय अभागा |

परिसर मध्य विश्वनाथ यहाँ हैं!

फिर दर्शन की अभिलाषा जागी,

नेत्रविहीन भक्त संग बैठ कर ,

लालसा पूर्ति हो, मन्नत माँगी |

हुआ सफल जब मिला प्रवेश

घर-परिवार हुए सब प्रफुलित ,

पहन पैंट, बोरिया-बिस्तर संग

चल पड़े, हर्षित मन आनंदित |

साइकिल रिक्शे में होकर सवार

जब छात्रावासों की अवली पकड़ी,

इधर-उधर,चक-पक,चक-पक में

आई रुइया-बिरला-ब्रोचा तिकड़ी |

ब्रोचा का बी सिक्सटी निवास

मुझे पहले से ही था आवंटित,

मिल कर अपने प्रथम दोस्त से,

पाई ख़ुशी हुआ मन आह्लादित|

हॉस्टल का वह पहला भोजन

वह कच्ची इमली वाली चटनी,

स्वादों में यूँ इस कदर बसी है

गंध बिखेरे जैसे गंधा रजनी |

हॉस्टल सीट न मिलती सबको

मेरिट की होती कठिन दरकार,

ऐसे छात्रों की परिसर के बाहर

 छित्तूपूर में,बसती बस्ती भरमार|

काया झंकृत, मन मुदित हो उठा

कुलगीत सुना जब मधुर मनोहर,

दिल में असीम श्रद्धा तब जागी

सुदृढ़ हुआ मन महामना विचार |

परिसर दर्शन की अभिलाषा लेकर

छात्रों की टोली पहुँची अस्पताल,

पहले कुलपति के नाम सुशोभित

अंकित है जो सर सुन्दर लाल |

विविध ज्ञान विज्ञान सुसज्जित

सब विषयों में पारंगत संस्थान,

देखा महामना मूल्य अनुशीलन

 घूमे,पर देख न पाए कला भवन|

आमों-महुओं-इमली के वृक्षों पर

करते हैं पक्षी नित कलरव गान,

सुशांत, मनोरम, अनुपम परिसर

काशी हिन्दू विश्वविद्यालय महान|

भेषज-वनस्पति उद्यानों से होते

साँझ भये पहुँचे हम फिर आवास,

 मालवीयजी की यह कीर्ति निराली

  फैला है उनके ही यश का प्रकाश |

वैज्ञानिक हों या कवि-कथाकार

इंजीनियर हो या फिर मूर्तिकार,

आलोचक, वादक या संगीतकार

   जगमग परिसर, यह अर्धचद्रकार |

सौ वर्षों का इतिहास समेट यह

मना रहा अब शतवर्ष महोत्सव,

अगड़ित जन नत मस्तक होकर

  गाते-सुनते महामना गाथा-गौरव |

                                                   

-राय साहब पाण्डेय

महामना पंडित मदन मोहन मालवीय की स्मृति में सभी भारत वासियों को समर्पित

Unparalleled Revenge in Indian Epics

Part II: Surpanakha with a dagger in new incarnation

Surpanakha, though a princess of Lanka and King Ravana’s sister, has been portrayed as an ugly demoness in Ramayana. Her childhood name was Meenakshi (girl with fish like eyes). This, therefore, casts some doubt whether she was really that ugly as portrayed in the epic. Maharshi Valmiki has very explicitly narrated her as an appalling and obnoxious woman:

            सुमुखम् दुर्मुखी रामम् वृत्त मध्यम् महोदरी || ३-१७-९

                     विशालाक्षम् विरूपाक्षी सुकेशम् ताम्र मूर्धजा |

     प्रियरूपम् विरूपा सा सुस्वरम् भैरव स्वना || ३-१७-१०

                       तरुणम् दारुणा वृद्धा दक्षिणम् वाम भाषिणी |
                       न्याय वृत्तम् सुदुर्वृत्ता प्रियम् अप्रिय दर्शना || ३-१७-११
                      शरीरज समाविष्टा राक्षसी रामम् अब्रवीत् |

The poet has clearly described her with as many as eleven adjectives in negative connotations. He describes her as facially unpleasant, pot- bellied, wry-eyed, coppery-haired, ugly featured, brassy-voiced, deplorably oldish, crooked talker, ill-mannered, uncouth and abominable woman.

When she approached Rama in a forthright manner and expressed her desire for marriage, both Rama and Laxmana played a prank with her. As if this was a lesser insult, Laxmana ‘de-nosed’ her. She was now a living example of disgraced, mutilated and abandoned woman on earth with no one to show her face to! Her modesty was completely shattered. Look at her situation from her point of view. What was her fault? Being forthright? Being a demoness, she may not have known a civilized manner to propose, was that her fault? Falling in love at first sight, was that her fault? Even not being beautiful was not in her hands.

Let us now consider the same situation from a man’s point of view. A man, when forthright is not considered a disqualification or ill mannerism. A man can instantly fall in love and express straight away and this may be appreciated as his open-mindedness! Even the ugliest man on earth may want a most beautiful woman on earth. He may, at worst, be ridiculed. The price will never be as harsh as sacrificing his nose! Laxman, a prince of a large estate, may have known this, yet he indulged in a deplorable act of chopping off the nose of a woman! Oh, really a harshest of punishments! Even in a colloquial idiomatic sense, “chopped nose” is used for a socially disgraced person, who is looked upon so lowly in the society that one is ashamed of showing one’s face. It’s a synonym for an insult and self-degradation in the human psyche.

Here is Surpanakha. A disfigured, lifeless yet living! What was the option left with her other than taking revenge? It is said that revenge is a wild justice, but to be in her position, perhaps revenge was the only justice. She explored all the options for taking revenge at her disposal. Although this is a unique way of portrayal of revenge system by the poet, we may find a somewhat parallel in epics elsewhere. The rejection of the proposal of Ishtar for marriage by Gilgamesh in the great Sumerian Epic resulted in a horrible revenge by a woman, though the contexts were different.

The revenge of Surpanakha in Ramayana and that of Shakuni in Mahabharata bears a great commonality in the sense that the ultimate receiver of its implications were women. Gandhari lost all her sons in the epic Mahabharata while Sita was first eloped by Ravana, kept in isolation in the harshest possible environment and again was banished by none other than Rama himself. The womanhood was the ultimate victim of these acts of revenge.

Surpanakha risked everything she had to take revenge, first from Ravana for killing her husband Dushtabuddhi and then from Rama for disfiguring her. She not only failed in her mission but couldn’t even take away the peace from Sita. Her wishes remained unfulfilled and for this, she waited for her new incarnation in Kaliyug.

Be aware! The beautiful version of Shurpanakha is roaming in search of Laxman, with a dagger in her hand, to fulfill her unaccomplished wishes of the previous lives!

Ray Saheb Pandey

Disclaimer: The views expressed are only academic and not at all intended to hurt anyone’s feeling.

एक अनकही वेदना

अनकही वेदना

तुम्हारे आने की दस्तक से ही

दिल के तारों में झनकार हुई |

हल्का खुशनुमा अहसास जागा,

फिर एक मधुर मुस्कान खिली||

एक उड़ान ऐसी मन में उमड़ी,

कि अनकही कड़ी यूँ ऐसी जुड़ी,

तन अनजाने में ही झूमने लगा,

पर मन को इसकी सुध न रही|

बाट जोहते वर्तमान भूत हुआ,

सुदूर कल पल में वर्तमान हुआ|

तुम्हारे आने के सुखद बोध से,

क्लेश मिटा दर्द भी काफूर हुआ|

माँ बनने से एक नई पहचान मिली,

रिश्तों में भी एक नई शुरुआत हुई|

पर हाय ! नवजात को क्या हुआ?

अभी तो चंगा था, सुन्न क्यों हुआ?

बच्चे को देख माँ ऐसे सन्न हो गई,

पल भर में ही मानो बदरंग हो गई |

ख़ुशी का ये आलम ग़मगीन हो चला,

सुख–दुःख का ये दौर अब पता चला||

देख माँ की पीड़ा को सब हुए विकल,

शब्द-कोष सूखे, हुई सांत्वना विफल |

मौन सन्नाटा पसरा, आँखें भी पथराईं,

कौन नाप सके इस दुःख की गहराई?

वेदना के भार का जब हुआ तीव्र वार,

निकली एक हिचकी बह चली अश्रु धार|

सूनी गोंद माँ ने जब घर में रखा पैर,

दबी हुई सिसकी की फूट पड़ी चीत्कार||

-राय साहब पांडेय

समर्पित: मातृ-दिवस पर उन सभी माँओं को जिन्हें कभी भी इस दुःख से आत्मसात होना पड़ा हो |

  

Unparalleled Revenge in Indian Epics

Part I: Unquenched flame of Shakuni

The very mention of the name ‘Shakuni’ epitomizes with hatred, deceit, wicked and an acme of revenge. Is it possible for a man to smolder the anger and continue fueling it for so long without its being blazed into a flame? Is it possible to fathom extreme patience and wait for an opportune time until the goal is accomplished for once it is a flame, it will extinguish? How deep the mental agony would be!

Well, these are not the new questions. These have been answered and interpreted in great detail. But certainly these questions do haunt the minds of the new readers and that is the novelty and the beauty of a great and timeless epic.

The insult of a lifetime, which could never be appeased even at the worst peril and miseries of his nephews and his own sister. He continued to create the conditions to fuel the fire and to never let it subside and this was possible for him despite the strong opposition of the establishment including the might of the triumvirate of Bhishma, Drone, and Kripacharya. It is said that time heals the deepest of wounds, whereas in this case, the wound got deeper with time.

The predicament is not that of Shakuni alone, but of all the important players in the epic. Everyone is fully aware of the shrewd design of Shakuni. At times he throws the open challenge, ‘come on do whatever you can’. On other occasions, he is tacit and cunning. He senses the pulse of every other so early and so well that he has ready-made plans for every occasion. He even orchestrates his activities that beacon the signal of the inevitable future happenings, but everybody felt helpless. This helplessness was not the creation of others but was an outcome of their own making. The fret of shekels was embedded deep in their minds and therefore not visible. No doubt, they went down in history but for wrong reasons. Wars were the norms of the era. They could not prevent the war is not the failure of the elders, their failure lies much in their abilities for not being able to save the honor (laaj) of Kuru Clan, a woman and more so of their own daughter (in law). The greatest beneficiary of this episode, Duryodhana, too knew the clear distinction of Dharma and Adharma when he says:

जानामि अधरमम्, न चा में निवर्तिति

जानामि धर्मम्, न चा में प्रवृत्ति

(I know what is adharma, but I do not want to forsake it. I know what dharma is, but I do not want to follow it)

Even the most hated villain, Shakuni, the incarnation of crookedness, also knows the truth when he says: “If truth is dead, all men are done. If truth stands firm, so do men.” 

Though Duryodhana, Shakuni, and Karna declare that they are with adharma and want to appease hatred with hatred, but what about those who advocate the truth and dharma, but support and are party to adharma. There were many potential warriors and the members of ruling class who could have averted the disrobing of Draupadi and even the war but eventually turned out to become the mute and deaf spectators. Had there been a little flexibility in their method of action, the Mahabharata could have been averted.  

The success of Shakuni’s schemes owes largely to the absence of Lord Krishna. He never let go any opportunity or incidents to a waste. His tactics of provoking, insulting, humiliating and demoralizing the opponents also bore the desired results when even Yudhisthir, the so-called incarnation of dharma, fell victim of his sinister designs. He converted the threat into an opportunity. He even succeeded in his ways by ensuring that the mediation for conciliation and peace by Krishna, the greatest of philosophers, himself was thwarted.

And the greatest of the predicaments, the teachings of dharma, for the cause of righteousness, was taught in the middle of the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The Shakunis may come and go, it is the truth and dharma that ultimately prevails. It may be understood why Krishnadwaipayana Vyasa says:

धर्मे चार्थे च कामे च भरतर्षभ |

यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् कुत्रचित् |

(What is here is there in the world around and that which is not here is nowhere in the world)

One may wonder why the Lord did not reveal the so many secrets of the players of Mahabharata in advance to the benefits of the Pandavas? The most intriguing being the steely body of Duryodhana except the thigh and the pelvic region and even invited the wrath of his own brother Balraam.  Is there any ambiguity or doubt that He himself was the greatest player in the act!

Lord Vishnu had to incarnate himself to get rid of one Shakuni in Dwapar Yug. Think of the innumerous Shakunis in Kali Yuga, where mass rape has become the norm and there is no Krishna in the sight.

-Ray Saheb Pandey

आम के पेड़ से एक संवाद

एक संवाद: आम के पेड़ से

आम के सारे बागीचे अभी अमियों से लदे पड़े हैं,

गली-गलियारों के बच्चे इन पेड़ों के बीच खड़े हैं |

किसी के पास ईट-पत्थर तो कोई डंडों से है लैस,

लक्ष्य साधने का है जुनून, इनमें हुनर का है तैश||

पेड़ो का क्या ये अचल, खुद चल-फिर नहीं सकते,

डंडों की मार सह कर भी स्वयं उखड़ नहीं सकते,

हाँ वेदना तो होती होगी, कराह भी निकलती होगी,

पर स्वार्थी इंसान का क्या उसकी तो मौज होगी||

आखिर एक दिन एक छोटे पेड़ ने गुहार लगाया,

वह तो नादान था शायद पहली बार था बौराया |

अमियों से लदे नौजवान को था मन में अभिमान,

बंदर-पंछी, इंसानों को तृप्त करने का था अरमान||

बिल्कुल तुम्हारा हक़ है तुमने हमें लगाया है सींचा है,

मौसम की मार से और आपसी तकरार से बचाया है | 

पर हम क्या कम विनम्र हैं फलते हैं तो झुक जाते हैं,

तो डंडे की मार क्यों, हम तो इसे देख ही डर जाते हैं||

तब हमारे भी हाथ पाँव थे, हम बौने नहीं विशाल थे,

प्रजात की भी धाक थी, न हम लूले थे, न लंगड़े थे|

अपना भी एक नाम था, हम मिठवा थे, खट्वा भी थे,

किसी के लिए लोढ़वा, कुछ हमें विसहिनवाँ बुलाते थे||

सोचता हूँ पशु-पक्षी तो नासमझ हैं इन्हें सब्र नहीं है,

मनुष्यों को क्या हो गया ये क्यों इतने व्याकुल हैं?

धरा पर हम तुम्हारे पुरखे हैं हमें फरने दो, झरने दो,

तनिक धैर्य धरो, हमें वक़्त से पकने और  टपकने दो!

-राय साहब