You are here: SriPedia - Oppiliappan - Archives - Dec 2005

Oppiliappan List Archive: Message 00097 Dec 2005

 
Dec 2005 Indexes ( Date | Thread | Author )
[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]


Thank you for contacting the National Geographic Society.  We appreciate
the great interest shown by our members and friends, and we wish that we
were able to provide individual replies to each question.  Unfortunately,
due to the volume of inquiries received, that is many times not possible.
This automatic reply is sent in response to all email inquiries. Many
questions are answered by the following FAQs or by the website index (see
below). Please take a moment to look through them, as inquiries that are
answered by the FAQs will receive no additional response.  All the
questions will be read, however; any not answered below will receive a
response, generally within two weeks. Because our staff is quite small, we
are not able to do in-depth research, answer contest questions, settle
bets, provide reference service, or respond by specific deadlines. Don't
forget that your local public library is an excellent source of information
on almost any topic.  The library reference staff will be happy to help you
find what you need.


How can I find my way around the National Geographic website?

The site index provides an excellent guide to the website and to past
online features:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/siteindex/index.html

Where do I find out about jobs at the Society?

The National Geographic Employment website is at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/jobs.  Please note that hiring for U.S.
jobs at the National Geographic Channel is handled separately.  Listings
are online at http://www.foxcareers.com/

How can I find a listing of articles and books published by the National
Geographic Society on a certain topic?

Our index is available on the website at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/publications/

Can I access the articles and books via the Web?

Our publications cannot be accessed on the Web.  Most public and school
libraries have copies of our magazines and books.

Some NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC articles have Web adaptations; how do I find them?

Please visit the archive on the NGM website at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/archives.html

Where can I purchase in-print back issues of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, NATIONAL
GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELER, NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ADVENTURE and NG KIDS?

Information on ordering back issues is on the customer service website at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/community/faq2.html#backissues

Can I purchase article reprints?  How can I obtain permission to reprint an
article?

Information on reprints and permissions is found on the customer service
website at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/community/faq2.html#articlecopy

How can I find information for a school report?

Our site index includes links to information on many fish, birds, mammals,
dinosaurs, insects, spiders, amphibians, and reptiles, as well as on
habitats at http://www.nationalgeographic.com/siteindex/animals.html

Where can I find information on ordering the Society's books?

Please visit the NG Books website at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/books/index.html.

Where can I order back issues or subscribe to NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC in
languages other than English?

Customer Service offices for local language editions are found on the
website at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/community/faq.html#foreign

How do I contact Customer Service?

If your e-mail concerns your National Geographic membership or other
subscription or product-related matters, please contact our Customer
Service division at NGSLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx  You can also contact them by
telephone at 1-800-647-5463 from the U.S. or Canada or 1-813-979-6845 from
any other country.

Links to customer service information is found on the site index at:

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/siteindex/customer.html

How can I find information on collecting NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC or on the
value of past issues?

We have a Collectors Corner, which includes a dealers list, a bulletin
board, and other information of interest at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/corner/

Where can I find information about Society grants?

For scientists and explorers, visit the websites of the Committee for
Research and Exploration at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/research/grant/rg1.html and the
Expeditions Council at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/council/index.html.  For conservation
grants, information is available at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/research/grant/rg2.html. For teachers
grants go to
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/teacher_community/get_grant.html.


Is the website available in languages other than English?

For links to other NGS websites, visit
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/siteindex/international.html

 How do I find information on television programs produced by the Society?

Links to the National Geographic Channel, US and worldwide, to Ultimate
Explorer (our series on MSNBC) and to the PBS Specials are found at:
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/siteindex/television.html. For
information not provided on the websites, please contact the affiliates
directly. For programs produced by National Geographic Television, either
Ultimate Explorer or PBS, please email ngt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The
Channel websites include contact information.

How can I purchase a print of a National Geographic photograph or
illustration for personal use? How do I obtain permission to use a Society
photograph? How do I purchase stock photos?

Visit our Image Sales website at
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/imagesales/faq.html

Where do I find information on photography?

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/index.html

Where do I find information on geography education and resources for
teachers?

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/





* * * YOUR MEMO TO malolan_net@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx * * *

Subject: [Oppiliappan] The Shameless Strategy


Srimate SrivanSatakopa Sri Vedanta Desika Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:



                                  The Shameless Strategy



You would have seen a recent TV commercial for a mobile phone, in which a
youth climbs to the top of a skyscraper under construction and bawls out
for all to hear, 'Monica! I love you! Please accept me' and so on. Given
the large degree of exaggeration that characterises all advertisement, I
wondered idly whether someone would really resort to such tactics to
persuade his beloved to accept his attentions. All said and done, love is a
private matter and none would like others to know about it prematurely,
till it is confirmed to be a two-way affair. However, what can the boy do
if, despite his most sincere and industrious pursuit, a girl refuses to
accept or even acknowledge his affections? He can't really throw in the
towel and look at other eligible females, because his love for this
particular girl is really deep and has reached a stage where he can't live
without her. He has tried all the routine strategies for communicating with
her, like letters, SMS, messages through her friends, etc., but nothing
seems to work. It is in sheer desperation, knowing not what else to do to
win her affections, but convinced that he must do something, he climbs to
the top of the tower under construction and shouts his love for her,
literally from the rooftops, so that people who hear his forlorn message
would perhaps take pity on him and intercede with the girl on his behalf,
or the girl herself would realise from this shameless act the depth of his
love for her and would be sufficiently moved to return his affections.
Whether the strategy succeeds or not is a different matter-but its adoption
indicates to us the desperation behind the youth's action, the almost
suicidal sincerity underlying his love and his brazenness in not caring
whether the entire world knows about his innermost feelings.



Given that love is a basic emotion and has been afflicting boys and girls
from time immemorial, it is no surprise for us to find mention of the
phenomenon is ancient Tamizh literature. In fact, the type of exhibition
youth put on in desperation to attract the notice of their beloved, during
times past, appears to be much more excessive than any even the current day
youngsters have come up with so far (which is definitely saying something).
We are told that in the face of a studied silence on the part of their
beloved despite all forms of entreaties, boys and girls used to forsake
food and sleep, tormented by constant thoughts of the beloved. They drew a
portrait of their darling and used to go anywhere and everywhere along with
it, gazing at it with adoration and yearning.  Friends of the lover used to
take him or her in a procession through the town, portrait and all,
especially through the street where the unresponsive beloved resided. At
the height of the malady, the boy or girl used to fall at the feet of the
portrait and even die in the same posture, having given up basic
life-saving functions like eating, sleeping and bathing.



This type of rather bizarre behaviour prompted by excessive and unrequited
love, has been given the name Madal Oordal, in Sangam literature. However,
whatever be the circumstance and however excessive be the emotion, women
were not expected to adopt such strategies for securing the attentions of
their beloved. Tiruvalluvar tells us that the ideal girl, whatever be the
provocation, never resorts to such tactics-



'Kadal anna kaamam uzhandum madal era

Pennil peruntakkadu il'



The hoary culture of ancient Tamils placed such premium on modesty and
continence in women, that though society was prepared to countenance
bizarre behaviour in males, prompted by a surfeit of love, it preferred
women never to be excessively demonstrative of their affections, even if
the separation from the beloved were to result in the girl's life being
lost. It was alright for women to rant, rave or grieve the absence of their
beloved, all within the four walls of the home, but it was not considered
the done thing for females to resort to Madal Oordal or similar publicly
demonstrative strategies for consummating their love.



We are therefore surprised to find Sri Tirumangai Mannan, the doyen of
Tamizh poets and sporting the title Naalu Kavi Perumal, taking a
diametrically opposite stand vis-à-vis accepted norms of behaviour for
Tamizh women. In fact, Azhwar quotes these norms and makes fun of such
women for not adopting the tactics of Madal Oordal. We thus find Azhwar
running contrary to Tamizhar Panpaadu (Tamizh Culture), not even by
oversight, but with studied deliberation. Sri Kalian spurns the mores of
Tamizh women and prefers those of North Indian girls, who are much more
venturesome in their endeavours for attaining their beloved.

If you find this hard to believe, here are the poignant words of the
peripatetic poet Parakala-



'Anna nadaayaar alar esa aadavar mel

mannu madal ooraar enbador vaasakamum

ten urayil kettu arivadu undu-adanai yaam teliyom

mannum vada neriye vendinom'



'I have indeed heard Tamizh poets pontificate that women of good birth and
upbringing never resort to Madal oordal for achieving union with their
beloved, even if the prolonged separation is likely to cost them their
lives. However, I do not agree with this school of thought and would much
prefer to follow the models set by Sanskrit literature, where we find such
strategies freely adopted by women to achieve their ends' says Sri Kalian,
in his 'Periya Tiru Madal'.



Not content with voicing his disagreement with the Tamizh poets, Sri
Tirumangai Mannan goes on to make fun of the heroines of these poets, who
hold their emotions in such tight check that one wonders whether their love
is really that intense. These girls do not appear to experience any of the
torment that characterises true and unrequited love. These women very
obviously do not realise the deleterious effects of cool sandalwood paste
(which burns the skin instead of cooling it) on those suffering from pangs
of separation. They fail to feel the sadness that sweet strains of music
induce, in the absence of the beloved to share them with. They fail to be
moved by the mellifluous chimes of bells around the necks of mating bulls.
The cheery chirping of bird couples in the throes of conjugal delight fails
to move these southern damsels, whereas their northern counterparts would
have been tormented at the thought of what bliss they too could have
enjoyed in the company of their beloved. To sum up, Sri Kalian concludes
that since these women portrayed by Tamizh poets fail to be moved by
romantic sights and sounds, their love must be rather shallow.



Azhwar prefers to toe the line of other girls acclaimed by Sanskrit
literature, who are thrilled to the very core of their being by the company
of their beloved and are pushed to the verge of suicide by separation,
displaying the unfathomable depths of their emotion for those they love.

He prefers to say with the Divine Couple in Srimad Ramayanam that he would
not live an hour more, without the precious life partner-'Oordhvam maasaat
na jeeveyam tam vinaa asitekshanaam' .



Sri Kalian's (or the Parakala Naayaki's) words in the two Madals (Siriya
Tiru Madal and Periya Tiru Madal) drip with romance for the Supreme Being,
full of bridal mysticism, the pain of parting, sorrow at what he/she is
missing, longing for reunion with the elusive Divine Lover, determined to
attain Him by any and all means, even at the cost of  throwing her modesty
to the winds (as portrayed by the bizarre behaviour of Madal Oordal
mentioned above).



The Madals represent a radical departure in phraseology and approach, from
the sedate paasurams of Kalian's 'Vaadinen Vaadi', 'Angan maa gyaalam
anja', 'Virperu vizhavum', etc.---. the latter represent the sober words of
an Azhwar describing the Lord, His auspicious attributes and exhorting
Samsaaris to surrender themselves to the Supreme Being. However, the former
(Madals) represent the uncontrollable outpourings of a lady love longing
for union with her beloved. The pangs of separation become all the more
unbearable and prompt shameless behaviour, considering the boundless beauty
and auspicious attributes of the person sought to be courted.



One may wonder whether such romancing is in tune with Azhwar's avowed
objective of Bhagavat anubhavam. Normally, when you want to concentrate on
the Lord, such thoughts prove to be a definite hindrance. However, Sri
Kalian's strategy appears to be to reserve all such passion solely for
Sriman Narayana, in tune with Sri Amudanar's dictum-'Kannanukke aamadu
kaamam'-love, in all its myriad facets, is to be reserved for Emperuman.



If Sri Periazhwar could compose a Pillai Tamizh, placing himself in the
position of a fond mother to Sri Krishna, Sri Parakala puts himself in the
position of a lady love pining away for Emperuman, deriving delirious
pleasure in His company and feeling down in the dumps upon separation. And
the depth of his love for the Lord is such that he is prepared to adopt any
strategy, fair or foul, for achieving his object of union with the
Ultimate, adhering to the maxim 'All is fair in love and war'. And Madal
Oordal is perhaps a small price Azhwar is willing to pay for the coveted
prize of Bhagavat laabham. He cares little, like the youth on the tower top
described in the opening para of this piece, of what the people around him
would think of him for adopting such a brazen strategy-in this, he follows
the precedent set by Sri Parankusa, who too is willing to go to the extreme
extent of Madal Oordal for attaining Emperuman, who is playing
truant-'Annai en seyyil en oor en sollil en'. 'Let the whole world watch me
resorting to Madal: let all the women in the town call me shameless and
brazen. I care little for all the criticism, as long as I am able to win
the affections of the Emperuman with the Divine Discus and Cosmic Conch
adorning His broad shoulders' says Sri Nammazhwar too, from whom Sri
Tirumangai Mannan appears to have derived inspiration for adopting the
Madal route to attaining the Lord. Here is Sri Nammazwar's poignant
paasuram, contemplating resort to the extreme step of Madal oordal-



'Yaam madal oordum em Aazhi angai Piraan udai

Toomuruval tondai vaai malar kondu chooduvom

Aamadam indri teruvu toru ayal tayyalaar

Naa madangaa pazhi thoottri naadum iraikkave'



The Madals teach us that nothing, but nothing at all is precious, including
one's self-respect and standing in the eyes of society, when the goal to be
attained is exalted, being none other than the Paramapurusha. Shedding
one's ego completely and broadcasting one's love for the Lord from the
rooftops is not at all unthinkable for Azhwars, who exhort us too to
abandon our inhibitions and demonstrate our adoration for Emperuman for all
to see-'Perumayum naanum tavirndu pidattrumin pedamai teernde'



Emperuman is said to be accompanied by His two Consorts, Sridevi and
Bhoodevi, at Sri Vaikunttam. It would appear that in this world too, He had
two Mahishis, the Paraankusa Naayaki (Sri Nammazhwar) and the Parakaala
Naayaki (Sri Tirumangai Azhwar), whose love and affection were no less than
those showered on Emperuman by His Consorts in the Eternal Worlds.



Srimate Sri Lakshmi Nrsimha divya paduka sevaka SrivanSatakopa Sri Narayana
Yatindra Mahadesikaya nama:

dasan, sadagopan












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







Yahoo! Groups Links










------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 
Join modern day disciples reach the disfigured and poor with hope and healing
http://us.click.yahoo.com/lMct6A/Vp3LAA/i1hLAA/XUWolB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~-> 

 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Oppiliappan/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    Oppiliappan-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
 



[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index ] [Thread Index ] [Author Index ]
Home Page
http://www.ibiblio.org/sripedia
oppiliappan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
To subscribe to the list