Saturday, 22 December 2018

Badarayana Sambhandam


  
 Badarayana Sambhanda.

One day I was on my morning walk, trotting with the stick that I had bought on-line recently, I was enjoying a classical music on my mobile phone, when somebody accosted me, patting on my back and said -  “ Hi Brother, Good Morning.” I turned around to find a total stranger. He had a walking stick similar to the one I had, but of different color. With some annoyance I said “Good Morning, but I do not know your ‘Kula’ or Gotra, yet, you addressed me as ‘Brother’. You might be mistaking me for somebody else. He said ‘No. In fact, we have ‘Badarayan Sambhanda’ “ and quoted a Sanskrit Saying
Yushmakam to Badari taruhu,
Baadarayana Sambhandat
Yuyam yuyam, vayam vayam!”

He continued,
The walking sticks of both of us look alike, I bought mine on-line from Amazon during my U.S.visit. I was curious to know if it is available in India also. That is why I struck conversation with you though we do not know each other.

Seeing my blank face, he explained with a story as below;
Badari is a tree grown in Indian forest. It is also known as Ber, or Jijubi in Hindi and Raaya Boray in Kannada . Ber fruit, is very tasty. During Sankranti festival, toddlers are seated on a plank, Elders in the family pour Ber fruits with ellu or sesame seeds on their heads to ward off evil.          The Ber wood was being used to make wheels of Bullock Cart

Baadarayana is a very ancient sage.(about 500 BC) who wrote Brahma Sutra, a  treatise on Vedas. I cannot say if ‘Badarayana’ has any connection with ‘Badari’ tree, except phonetic resemblance. 

Now, coming to the story connected to the proverb:-

Long ago, a newly married couple was living in a small house on the outskirts of a town. There was a Ber tree in front of the house.
The young couple had quarreled on some silly matter and had not talked to each other for 3 days. Both now they had reached a stage when they wanted to come together, without hurting their ego. The husband had gone to nearby village and was to return that morning. The wife was putting ‘Kolam’ at the main door when she saw a bullock cart stopping at their house. A stranger got down and walked wearily towards her. She could not recollect having known him. She assumed, he must be a relative of her husband’s side. As a dutiful wife, in the absence of her husband, she felt it her duty to welcome the stranger who might be a relative of her husband, and attend to the needs of the guest. ‘Atithi devo bhava- Treat a guest as god’ This would please her husband also.  She told the stranger that her husband would   return shortly, offered water to freshen up, and gave coffee, and told he may take rest, till lunch  with her husband. There was no much conversation other than ‘Thank You, Enough please’… She thought he may be too shy to engage in conversation with a lady when her husband was not there. She thought, she would come to know who he was when her husband arrives. She got busy with her cooking.
It was noon by the time the husband returned. When he saw the ‘guest’ whom he could not recognize, he assumed he may be a relative of his wife. There was so much of a crowd during marriage, and he might have missed to recognize him. But since both were tired and hungry, he thought he would inquire about it with the stranger after food.
The wife announced, “Lunch served”. The stranger went out, fed the bullocks with some hay and water and came in to sit with the husband for lunch   
The wife who had quarreled with her husband, was now eager to patch up. She had prepared a delicious and grand feast to please him. An elaborate and nice Lunch was served. Both had their meals in silence
The husband was all smiles. He broke his silence, thanked the wife, and said, Because of your relative, I got such a nice lunch. This surprised the wife. She said “As he was not known to me, I assumed he was from your side. I did not inquire how he was related to you. You better inquire from him how he was related to us”.
The ‘Man-of-the house’ and the Guest moved to the lounge to enjoy the ‘pan’. It was then that he broached the subject of the identity of the guest and his relation to them. Apologetically he asked the guest, “Sir, excuse me. How-ever much I tried, I have not been able to place you and figure out about our relation.” It was then that the ‘guest’ replied in a Sanskrit, poem:

Asmaakam Badari Chakram,
Yushmakam to Badari taruhu,
Baadarayana Sambhanda
  Yuyam yuyam, vayam vayam!”
He explained; I am a traveler. I had travelled all night and was very much tired. I needed rest and food. You people looked kind and obliging. So, I did this ruse. I am grateful to you both for your hospitality. God Bless You.
The couplet means:
 “The wheel of my cart is made of Ber wood, there is a Ber tree in front of your house.  So I can claim a relationship with you, may be, we both can trace our origin to that great Sage Badarayana of yore ,and claim to be cousins .However,  You are Yourself and I am Myself.!!.  Now, I thank you and leave, I have a long journey ahead.”
The couple smiled and waved their ‘Distant Relative’. They went in smiling, ’Thanks to the new Relative, we could forget our silly quarrel and in addition, we did a good act of feeding an Uninvited Guest.
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