“Just one request, dear
friend... when ever you 'plan' to go on a long leave, please tell me
a little ahead of time”... that was what a very close friend and
a good colleague asked of me, as an 'obligation'! It does not cost
me anything at all, to pass this information, on to him, even 'ahead'
of that formal written request-application... But it did not take me
too long, to grasp 'his-purpose' of such request... He was
classified as a 'leave-reserve' for that 6-month-period. Every six
months, the duties are 'rotated' at the place where I worked for 30+
years, within the workplace itself... It was a win-win situation,
but for a few, who liked to grow roots, and remain rooted cozily, it
was an irritation. When a 'replacement-clerk' has to 'take-care' of
a work-desk only for a short period, like a day or two, the task is
at-once simple... The dependents of that work-table would listen to
a chant 'the permanent fellow is on leave today... come after he
comes..'... and this chant constitutes the 'bulk of the work'...
But at some tables, work has to be done/performed! No time to even
chant! That makes the job a little difficult!
Strangely enough, even
long before I had the need to apply my mind to such
'replacement-of-job-doers' concepts... I found myself asking a few
close friends of my kid-age thus, one day: “Arey yaar! Suppose,
that Sage Durvaasa is going to request for a long-leave... to his
boss (whoever it is, Brahma-the-writer of destiny/Vishnu-the incharge
of company's routine-daily-affairs/ or even that Maha-Eeesh,
Maheshwara/etc), ... who would volunteer to take that 'role'?...
He (Durvasa),is said to be a 'permanent-staff' with a permanent
set-of-duties... stretching into eternity!”.. ... My friends
became wide-eyed, at such a proposal, though they knew as well as
me... that such people as Durvasa were on 24-hours-duty, without
any leave of any kind!... At work place the rules too, reminded us..
'rules of any kind is not a matter of right, to an employee, and
therefore the discretion rests with the sanctioning authority, who
has to take into account the 'exigencies' instead of turning down any
request indiscriminately.
Durvasa, the name itself
reminds us of that 'curse' he distributes so liberally, when the
anger is his main-fuel, which gets a spark at the 'drop-of-a-hat'!
Not that people did not take 'ample precaution'.. We have the
example of a 'Kunti' who ... 'in-order-to-prevent' Durvasa's fuel
getting ignited, served him 'self-less-ly' (which sense of that
'self' was what I became curious about, when I saw that the 'boon'
she received instead of a curse, did not really-benefit-her! It
benefited the 'happening of a great epic'.. but she did get the role,
of regretting that boon being used so prematurely, primitively...
when, Karna stipulated much later ... when it was already-too-late,
that 'she would still have 5 of her sons left...' when it was about a
'either-or-survivor' basis, between Karna and Arjuna!....
Durvasa, unlike other
sages, did not need a replenishment of 'power' when he curses (it is
said that the power of austerity diminishes, when used-up to pronounce
a curse!)...
I tried to draw the
attention of my friends to the possibility that Durvasa is unlikely
to have too many friends and well-wishers around him! Even the
admirers would keep a 'safe-distance'.. There are side stories too,
where Durvasa himself failed to curb his 'tendency to become angry'
... The kind of anger he invoked within, seemed to be 'intune' (not
asur, 'bay-sura'... ) with the embedded-designs of Maya-Madam! I was
not interested at that point of time, into other details, like 'how
and why, Durvasa happened to take up such a role?'.... Obviously, he
fitted into that role too well! My friends, for the next few days
started looking at characters around them, who took-up such
not-so-attractive roles in our daily lives!... We discussed the
'blessings-in-disguise' aspect of such un-sung heroes, who scripted
our own mind's growth into a life-positive direction, when they did
not bother about any acknowledgement/recognition, and more
importantly, when they did not mind the reciprocal
'feel-good-gestures' of warm affection of people around ( it is so
difficult to visualise ourselves giving a 'warm-hug' to a porcupine
when it 'blushes' with its quills!
History tells us, that
'Kings of ancient India' did take care to institute a
one-man-organisation at least, when they realised that people around
would not dare to find-fault with the king... and they were called
court-jesters, who were insulated by a heavy insurance policy which
indemnified them from a punishment-curse, by the king... Today,
criticism itself is so-commercialised... the curse is also a
commercial-one(as we 'feel it' .. not 'the way it is'... But,
nature catches up too soon with commercial-considerations, and we
call it a calamity/disaster/etc! ).
I even tried that role of
'criticism' with all the care it needs, but, the care, at a very
basic level only, since the commercial-needs for a survival was
already kept at a very low profile within me.. and the 'experience'
helped me to learn and gain a deep insight into a spectrum of
varieties, of things that affect a mind, labelled as 'criticism'!
What goes into making it into a 'curse' was a deeper aspect, and
required a 'mystic's mind' to explore into it! Astrology could only
'indicate' the possibility or scope, looking into the birth-chart of
a person, whose 'pronouncements' often 'take-shape'...! Such people
are 'mini-Durvasa's' , if we may like to 'classify' them into a homogeneous group/cluster!
And to think of our
ancients who even managed to find a way to 'have reverence' to a role
like that of Sage Durvasa!!! His curses seldom attracted any
adverse comments from auditors! And he did not spare the 'auditors'
even!
Unsparingly yours,
psn(21st August, 2014)
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