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Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

 

                              Of Pots and Pans

 

                              Historians usually refer to various periods in 
the history of mankind, by the metal used during the period, for fashioning 
vessels and implements. We thus have the Stone Age, the Iron Age, the Bronze 
Age, etc. Going by this practice, we must dub our present times as the 
Stainless Steel Age, due to the widespread use the steel-derivative has gained 
in all walks of life. Gone are the numerous brass, bronze and copper vessels 
that were in use in all households till about a quarter century ago. Silver 
vessels too are conspicuous by their absence in every day use. The ostensible 
reason for the replacement of the aforesaid metals with Stainless Steel is the 
apparent ease in cleaning and maintaining the latter. Where Brass or Bronze 
required strenuous cleaning with messy blobs of Tamarind or ash, Stainless 
Steel calls for much less labour and is easily washed. While a few households 
still stick to Brass, Bronze and Silver for reasons of aesthetics, orthodoxy or 
health-consciousness, Stainless Steel has comprehensively replaced its 
competitors as the metal of choice for various domestic applications.
 

This piece is not intended as a tirade against "ever-silver", but as a general 
discourse on vessels and their place in the Scripture.

 

Be they animate or otherwise, all creations form the Lord's shareeram, 
according to the tenets of Visishtaadvaita. In as much as they are an integral 
part of the Parabrahmam, there is no essential difference between an erudite 
scholar and a senseless stone. We hence find that even inanimate objects, 
forming part of the glorious Bhagavat vibhooti, are as much entitled to 
recognition and appreciation, as are their human counterparts. And if you think 
long enough and search deep enough, you would always find some beautiful thing 
or the other about even the least significant of the Lord's creations. Against 
this background was born this article is about Pots and Pans, which are 
normally considered to be essential but insignificant parts of our household.

 

Vessels may be inanimate things per se, but they have played extremely 
significant roles in the lives of many. Our scripture has numerous such 
instances, where vessels have made or marred lives.

 

It is a vessel, a golden one, belonging to Sri Ranganatha, that marks a turning 
point in the life of Sri Vipranarayana. Engaged in nandavana kainkaryam for the 
Lord of Srirangam, Vipranarayana falls prey to the charms of the wily Devadevi, 
who practically enslaves the poor Brahmin and drives him away when he no longer 
has any riches to offer her. Sri Rangaraja decides to take things in hand at 
this stage and visits Devadevi's house as Vipra's messenger, offering her a 
golden vessel as tribute. The vessel is one of those used for the Lord's daily 
tiruvaaraadhanam at the temple and is missed immediately. When inquiries reveal 
that it is Sri Vipranarayana's messenger who had delivered it, the King 
imprisons the poor, innocent Brahmin for stealing. Unable to tolerate Azhwar 
pining away in prison, Sri Ranganatha appears in the King's dream, to tell him 
the truth and to reveal that the entire play was enacted by Him to bring to 
light the glory of Sri Tondaradippodi Azhwar, whose devotion had hitherto 
remained unknown and unrecognised. 

 

If we stretch things a bit, we would find that the Lord's avataram had its 
origins in a vessel. When the issueless Dasaratha performed Putrakaameshti 
desiring progeny, out of the sacrificial fire emerged a wonderful figure, with 
a beautiful vessel grasped in his hands, holding the vessel as dearly as one 
would hold his wife (the latter part of the sentence is not mine, but Sri 
Valmiki's). The container was a magnificent one, made of glittering gold, with 
a luminous lid of silver. It was huge in size and appeared to have been made 
with all the expertise at the command of its divine makers. Dasaratha accepted 
the vessel containing the paayasam and carried it reverently on his head. It 
was this divine paayasam that led to the Emperor's three wives conceiving and 
begetting glorious sons, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. Though the 
actual role of the vessel in the avataram may not have been crucial, yet, it 
must have been immensely proud of having been instrumental in the most 
magnificent of the Lord's avataras. Here are Sri Valmiki's words, dealing with 
the wonderful vessel-

 

"Tapta jaamboonada mayeem raajataanta paricchadaam

  Divya paayasa sampoornaam paatreem patneem iva priyaam

 Pragrihya vipulaam dorbhyaam svayam mayaamayeem iva"

 

Vessels' association with the Lord, however tenuous, doesn't stop with the 
Ramavataram. Devas and asuras were once engaged in the mammoth enterprise of 
churning the Milky Ocean in search of Nectar, capable of conferring immortality 
on the consumer. After a long and hard grind, a host of glorious beings emerged 
from the ocean, including Sri Mahalakshmi. The last to materialize from the 
waters was Dhanvantari, the founder of Ayurveda and an avatara of the Lord. And 
He carried in His hand the ubiquitous vessel, a pot full of coveted Nectar. 
Srimad Bhagavatam describes Him thus-

 

"Peeta vaasa  mahoraska: sumrushta mani kundala:

snigdha kunchita kesaanta: subhaga: simha vikrama:

amrita aapoorna kalasam bibhrat valaya bhooshita:

sa vai Bhagavata: saakshaat Vishno: amsaamsa sambhava:

Dhanvatari: iti khyaata: Ayur Veda drik ijya bhaak"

 

It is significant that wherever Dhanvantari has a sannidhi, notably at Kanchi 
and Srirangam, He is depicted with a pot in His hand. 

 

We are told by the Bhaagavata Purana that the asuras snatched the pot of nectar 
from His hands. We are puzzled-why should Dhanvantari, described as being brave 
as a lion, meekly let the precious pot of nectar be snatched away from Him by a 
bunch of asuras?

 

The ever-playful Lord, enamoured of assuming one role after the other, having 
brought out nectar from the depths of the ocean as Dhanvantari, obviously 
desired to take another avataram for its distribution. He then appeared before 
the contending party of Devas and asuras in the form of a delightful damsel, 
Mohini, and charmed the asuras off their feet. The infatuated asuras entrusted 
the pot of nectar to the Mohini for fair distribution between themselves and 
the Devas: what happened thereafter is history. 

 

We have so far seen three occasions on which the pot or vessel had an extremely 
close association with the Lord. One more such instance occurred in Sri 
Krishnavatara too, making the pot indeed fortunate. 

 

Since Gokulam was "seer malgum Aayppaadi", prosperous beyond measure, milk and 
curds were stored not in small vessels, but in big, capacious pots. Once, to 
elude pursuers who were after Him for some misdemeanour or the other, Sri 
Krishna hid Himself in one such huge clay pot, belonging to one Dadhibhaandan, 
who promised not to reveal Krishna's hiding place to those who were after Him. 
However, when the danger passed and Krishna wanted to come out of the pot, 
Dadhibhaandan, having recognised Krishna for the Parabrahmam that He was, would 
not let Him out of the pot, unless He promised Moksham for not only 
Dadhibhaandan, but for his clay pot too. Krishna had to assure both the pot and 
its owner of liberation, before He gained release. How fortunate the pot must 
have been, to have had the Lord's tirumeni sambandham!

 

It is perhaps to commemorate His close association with the pot, that the Lord 
is to be seen during every Brahmotsavam in many Sannidhis, with one of His 
hands inside a pot, with a blob of butter in the other. The "Vennai Taazhi 
Kannan" tirukkolam is indeed one which captures your heart. At Tirumala, the 
Lord dons this role while ensconced on the "Chandra Prabhai".

 

Emperuman is enamoured of not only carrying pots, but also of breaking them, we 
are told by the Bhaagavata Puranam. Once, when Yasoda was busy churning out 
butter from curds, Krishna wanted to be fed, with all the urgency of kids. And 
when the His mother obliged, she found that milk kept on the stove was about to 
boil over. When she left Krishna to attend to the milk, the divine toddler, His 
hunger not fully satisfied, became angry, took a small pestle that was lying 
about handily and broke the pot in which the butter, extracted with much effort 
by Yasoda, was kept. Not satisfied with this, He took whatever butter was left 
and was busy feeding it to a monkey, when the annoyed Yasoda put Him under 
house arrest by tying Him up to the grindstone. It can thus be seen that it was 
a pot again, which led to His imprisonment. Sri Krishna's propensity not only 
to steal butter from the houses of gullible Gopis, but also to bang the emptied 
pots down with force, so that they broke into pieces, is chronicled by Sri 
Periazhwar too-

 

"Vennai vizhungi verum kalatthai verpidai ittu adan osai ketkum"

 

"Uruga vaittha kudatthodu vennai urinji udaitthittu pondu nindraan"

 

As a result, all the households in Nandagokulam sported broken pots and dented 
vessels, all the handiwork of Krishna.

 

 

Emperuman's association with pots doesn't stop there. 

 

All of us have seen or at least heard of the ancient art form, "Kudakkoothu", 
where the artiste dances with a pyramid of progressively smaller pots balanced 
carefully on his head. This sort of dance requires utmost concentration, 
balancing skills and a sure step. The slightest error in movement could send 
the pots crashing down, putting the dancer to shame. Would it surprise you to 
know that this extremely difficult art form too was performed by Sri Krishna 
with ease and abandon? Sri Periazhwar tells us that Krishna was an expert 
performer of Kudakkootthu-"Kudangal edutthu era vittu kootthaada valla em 
Kove!". Krishna was such a perfect performer of this difficult dance, that Sri 
Nammazhwar is reminded of Him, whenever he sees other ordinary dancers 
performing-"Kootthar kudam edutthu aadil Govindanaaam enaa odum". Azhwar is so 
enamoured of Krishna's skills in this regard that he lovingly bestows a 
sobriquet-"Kudam aadi"-on Emperuman. "Kuravai kottha kuzhaganai Manivannanai 
Kuda koothanai" is another tribute to the Lord's dance.

 

You can almost picturise the scene. There is an admiring crowd of Gopis and 
Gopas standing around, with Sri Krishna in the middle, dancing away with 
abandon, with a number of pots balanced on His head. With each facile movement 
of His, the Gopis hold their breath, fearing that the pots would come crashing 
down, but with a graceful counter movement, Krishna deftly restores their 
equilibrium, so that they remain on His magnificent head, forming a strange but 
beautiful crown. Beautiful beads of sweat appear on His forehead, seemingly 
decorating His hairline with a strand of glittering pearls. The carefully-tied 
hair, always irrepressible, is loosened with the speed of movement and truant 
locks of beautiful black hair fall on His forehead bewitchingly. The peacock 
feather, always stuck in His hair at a jaunty angle, manages to stay in place 
by some miraculous feat. The yellow silk (Peetaambaram) tied at His waist 
threatens to come unfastened, its knots loosened by the whirlwind movements of 
the Divine Dancer, and Krishna has to hold it up with one of His hands. With 
such a scintillating performance going on, can the celestials remain in their 
places? All of them, led by Brahma and Siva, troop into Nandagokulam to witness 
the Cosmic Dance. Though a famed dancer himself, renowned as the "ambala 
kootthan", Sivaperuman too is mesmerised by the performance and watches keenly, 
hoping to pick up a tip or two about the art. Unfazed by all the distinguished 
audience, the Divine Dancer whirls away, details of His form hardly discernible 
in the speed of His movement. And with all this, the pots atop His head stay 
put, as if glued to it. 

 

Here are some interesting stipulations about vessels, from the Smritis.

 

During the performance of a Shraddham for one's forefathers, it is customary to 
appoint brahmanas to officiate as Visvedeva, Pitru and Sri Mahavishnu. And all 
of us offer them food on plantain leaves, at the end of the shraaddha homam. 
However, befitting the stature of these exalted guests, food is to be offered 
to them in vessels made of Gold (in the case of Visvedeva) and Silver (for 
Pitrus), say the procedures relating to Shraaddha Prayogam. Since we are unable 
to do this actually, we recite mantras telling the guests that food has been 
served in these valuable containers, instead of on disposable plantain leaves. 
And when oil is given to the invited brahmanas for a cleansing dip prior to 
officiating in the proceedings, it is to be offered in vessels made of copper, 
says Tirukkudandai Sri Gopala Desikan's Shraadha Prayogam. 
 

Even in auspicious karmas, the ubiquitous pot of water plays a prominent role, 
as an accommodation for various Devatas whose presence is requisitioned, 
whether it be a simple Punyaahavaachanam or an elaborate Udaka Shanti.

 

How nice would it be if food kept in a vessel never diminished or was ever 
exhausted! It would solve all problems of having to buy costly groceries month 
after month, wouldn't it? When a horde of guests descends on us without notice, 
wouldn't it be nice to have a vessel which had an inexhaustible supply of food? 
Our normal vessels and containers are designed to hold a particular quantum of 
food and become empty once the same is taken out. However, Draupati had a 
unique vessel-an Akshaya Paatram-which provided unlimited supply of food, 
irrespective of how many there were to feed. This was a gift to her from the 
Sun God, who found that the Pandavas, even during their jungle sojourn, had to 
entertain quite a large number of Brahmins and others as guests, who were 
loathe to parting company with the five brothers, despite their loss of kingdom 
and power. It was this Akshaya Paatram that came to the rescue of Draupati many 
a time, saving her from embarrassment and trouble, especially when the easily 
irascible Durvaasa Maharshi dropped in for lunch along with his large 
entourage, without any notice.

 

If the Lord were to visit your home, what would you think of offering Him first 
and foremost? Shastras tell us that honoured guests like the Lord and Acharyas 
have to be welcomed with a pot full of water-a Poorna Kumbham. Even today, we 
see this being done whenever an Acharya visits a home or public place. If fact, 
the Scripture tells us that the Lord desires little from us by way of 
"upachaaram" (ministration), except for the aforesaid Poorna Kumbham, some 
water to wash His holy feet with and a few words of enquiry as to His welfare-

 

"Anyat poornaat apaam kumbhaat, anyat paadaavanejanaat

  Anyat kusala samprasnaat na cha icchati Janaardana:"

 

                             

Talking of vessels, it is customary to maintain at least three sets of vessels 
in the household-one meant for the Lord's tiruvaaraadhanam, one intended for 
use in Pitru kaaryam like Shraaddham, Tarpanam etc. and the third set meant for 
our own use. Ideally, these different sets of vessels should not be mixed up 
and vessels intended for use by one class should not be interchanged with the 
others. And where there are two or three males in the house, each should have 
his own "Teerttha paatram" for performing Sandhyavandanam, etc. And according 
to Manu, vessels made of bamboo or clay are fit for use by Sanyasis.

 

Sri Mahabharata asks an interesting question. How would you carry an open 
vessel brimming over with oil? You would be extremely careful in holding the 
vessel in your two hands, walking gently and with care, all your concentration 
focussed on carrying the container safely, without spilling oil. This would 
leave you little thought to spare for other matters. 

 

The Lord asked Naarada Maharshi to do exactly this-to go round the world 
carrying a vessel full of oil held in his hands. And on the Maharshi's return, 
the Lord asked him how many times thoughts of Emperuman had crossed his mind 
during the endeavour. Narada laughed and said, "Are you joking? With a full 
vessel of oil in my hands, all I could do was to concentrate on carrying the 
same safely. I can't very well keep thinking about you, with such an onerous 
task entrusted to me." The Lord too laughed in turn and told Narada that if 
people of the mundane world remembered Him even once during their day of toil, 
it would be equal to Narada's normally constant thoughts of the divine. 

 

The point of the story is that the Lord recognises the lives of tears and toil 
that we are forced to lead due to our accumulated baggage of Karma and makes 
due allowances therefor, in reckoning our sincerity and devotion to Him. He 
recognises the fact that we are only "part-time" devotees and refrains from 
comparing us unfavourably with "full-time" ones like Azhwars and Maharshis.

 

Which would you say is the biggest vessel? A cauldron, the biggest you have 
seen? No, it is the Earth which is the biggest ever vessel, says the Yaksha 
Prasna of Sri Mahabharata, for Mother Earth contains everything within Herself.

 

The other day I was watching a craftsman in a vessel store etch the name of the 
customer on the vessel she had bought. Such branding of vessels is essentially 
intended to identify its owner, in case of a mix-up. I realised with a start 
that the practice was very much similar to Samaashrayanam, which involves the 
branding of the devotee's shoulders with imprints of the Shankha and Chakra. 
And just as the initials of the owner are etched on the vessels to indicate 
ownership, the branding with the Lord's insignia is also supposed to indicate 
that we belong to the Lord and to none else, that just as vessels are for use 
according to the owner's whims and preferences, we too are abject Seshas or 
slaves, to be used by the Lord according to His wishes.

 

Let me conclude this piece with an interesting titbit-do you know which famous 
Rishi had his origins in a pot? Extremely short in stature but tall in glory, 
an admirer of Sri Rama whom the Prince of Ayodhya visited at Dandakaavanam and 
from whom He received the Vishnu Dhanus and other divine weapons, one who drank 
up the entire waters of the ocean, one who destroyed the rakshasas Vaataapi and 
Ilvala, one who is held in high regard both by Saivites and Vaishnavites and 
one who is closely identified with Tamizh? This Maharshi, whom Sri Rama Himself 
addresses as "Bhagavan!", is none other than Sage Agasthya, who is also known 
as "Kumbha Sambhava:", "Kumbhee soonu:", due to his having originated from a  
"Kumbham" (pot).

 

So, Pots are not as insignificant and inconsequential as they appear to be, are 
they?

 

Srimate Sri LakshmiNrisimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana 
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan

 

 

 


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



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