A tribute to Prof. Ram Nath Koul

A tribute to Prof. Ram Nath Koul

Sham S. Misri

I knew Prof Koul for the last more than five decades. It has been since my education days in S.P.College that I had an honour of being his student for four years till I completed my graduation. As a student I was introduced to Prof Koul by my father (Late Pt. Janki Nath Misri), who was also an educationist and knew each other well.

Prof Koul was one of the most interesting and honest people I’ve ever known. His being there in the college at that point of time was pure heart-swelling pride for me. In my inner heart I had a feeling that there is someone to look after in the college. I now realize he had an increasingly hectic pace of life. My young mind was fertile ground for him to plant ideas and dreams, which I lapped up with the eagerness of a beginner. He wanted me to follow his footsteps as well the footsteps of my father-‘to be a teacher’. He wanted me to go in for higher education, complete my masters’ course and take up teaching profession, being the noble one he would always say.

All of us have had a teacher who has made a profound difference in our lives—someone who changed our lives, made us think more deeply, set our feet on the right path. For me, it was perhaps Prof Koul. He had become a huge success as a teacher. His teaching was full of creative writing.

I remember, Prof Koul often told students as a class to be in the open ground during autumn season and have a class in the shade of a tree. It used to be a sort of a solitary place in the SP College grounds. He was teaching both prose and poetry.

That day it was a poetry class. The topic most of the students including me appeared like dry.  It was something:

“La Belle Dame sans Merci”

It was a ballad by John Keats.

‘I see a lily on thy brow,
            With anguish moist and fever-dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
            Fast withereth too.’

And how Prof Koul explained the words still echo in my mind…

“La Belle Dame sans Merci” has its Romantic precursors. That day professor was experiencing in his love life … just to make the ballad interesting and the whole class gripping.

We all thought, ‘He’s such a genius, what’s he doing just teaching us?’ Everybody thought he was destined for bigger and better things. And when he became a State phenomenon, we felt it was justice. After his retirement he had joined D.A.V. College Jawahar Nagar, Kashmir, where I too had joined as a lecturer and had god days to spend.

Many of his former students became writers, and many kept in touch with him. I had an occasion to see him a couple of years back at Delhi. I wished him well. His instant reaction was –Had you been my student?  Very humbly, I said, “yes sir.”  Professor was weak and frail but with all his wits in high order. At that age he was working hard, he told me that he had edited some book…

The great professor, author, writer, and luminary is no more. My heart prays for the departed soul to lie in peace. His final abode is Vaikuntha.

Sham S. Misri

Kumbh-descent of Goddess

Kumbh-descent of Goddess

Sham S. Misri

Legend has it that in the mythological times, during a waging war between the demigods and demons for the possession of elixir of eternal life, a few drops of it had fallen on to four places that are today known as Prayag, Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik. It is believed that these drops gave mystical powers to these places. It is to make oneself gain on those powers that Kumbh Mela has been celebrated in each of the four places since long. The normal Kumbh Mela is held every 3 years, the Ardh (half) Kumbh Mela is held every six years at Haridwar and Allahabad (Prayag) while the Purna (complete) Kumbh Mela takes place every twelve years, at four places Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain, and Nasik, based on planetary movements. The Maha Kumbh Mela is celebrated at Prayag after 144 years (after 12 'Purna Kumbh Melas').

Sri Narada Muni

Sham S. Misri

Sri Narada Muni is the mystical sage of the demigods. He is regarded as the ultimate nomad who roams the three lokas of Swargaloka (heaven), Mrityuloka (earth, literally: "place of death") and Patalloka (nether-world). He does this to find out about the life and welfare of people. Narada Muni is a lifelong celibate and is mentioned throughout the Vedic literatures. He is often depicted travelling freely through outer space, plucking a stringed musical instrument (the Veena), and preaching the glories of Lord Vishnu. Narada Muni moves from planet to planet and in all three realms of the universe—upper, middle and lower. His dear companion, Parvata Muni, often accompanies him. He is somewhat of a cosmic instigator—constantly coming and going, setting things in motion and sometimes creating mischief—but always for the higher purpose of demonstrating Vedic philosophical truths.

There are at least two instances in the Puranas wherein Narada Muni becomes a woman. In one narration, Narada asks Vishnu to show him His maya (illusion). Vishnu complies and instructs Narada to fetch Him some water from a nearby river. Narada does so, but falls into the water and emerges as a female. Narada then meets a man, falls in love, gets married, has many children, builds a home and establishes a prosperous farm on the riverbank. She becomes very happy and satisfied for many years. One day, however, there is an enormous flood, and Narad’s husband, children, home and farm are all washed away in the raging waters. Narada laments piteously until finally the turbulent waters capture Narada herself. Terrified, she screams for help again and again. A hand grasps Narada and pulls her from the river. It is Vishnu—He has shown Narada His maya!

In the Padma Purana there is a description of Narada's transformation into the beautiful cowherd maiden, Naradi. Narada Muni asks Lord Krishna to show him His divine loving affairs, and Krishna complies by turning him into the gopi Naradi and sporting with him for an entire year.

Ardhanarishwara

Sham S. Misri

Lord Krishna praises Shiva's form of Ardhanarishwara while experiencing separation from His beloved Radha, as follows: "Just see! Lord Shiva lives happily with half of his body united with Parvati, whereas I am far from united with Radha—I don't even know where she is."

[Ref:In Jayadeva Goswami's twelfth-century text, the Sri Gita Govinda (3.11)]

In Vedic narratives Sri Arjuna manifests all three genders—male, female, and hermaphrodite. He is most popularly known in his male form as the heroic warrior of the Mahabharata, the disciple of Sri Krishna in Bhagavad Gita and the husband of Draupadi. He is very, very dear to Lord Krishna. It is said that when Krishna first met Arjuna tears came to His eyes and He embraced Arjuna wholeheartedly—this was because Arjuna reminded Krishna of His intimate cowherd friend in Vraja of the same name. Krishna and Arjuna became instant companions and spent many years together in deep friendship. In the Mahabharata (Sauptika Parva, XII), Krishna states, "I have no dearer friend on earth than Arjuna, and there is nothing that I cannot give to him including my wives and children." In the Drona Parva of the same text, Krishna reiterates, "O Daruka, I shall not be able to cast my eyes, even for a single moment, on the earth bereft of Arjuna…Know that Arjuna is half of my body." Once, when Krishna had to leave Hastinapura for Dwarika, He quickly hurried to the apartments of Arjuna and spent the entire night with him in happy slumber, even at the risk of upsetting His temperamental wife, Satyabhama.

As inseparable friends, Arjuna and Krishna are said to be non-different from the two Vedic sages of the Himalayas, Nara and Narayana. Nara-Narayana is the twin-brother incarnation of the preserver-god Vishnu on earth, working for the preservation of dharma or righteousness. In the concept of Nara-Narayana, the human soul 'Nara' is the eternal companion of the Divine 'Narayana'. The epic, Mahabharata identifies Lord Krishna with Narayana and Arjuna - the chief hero of the epic - with Nara. The legend of Nara-Narayana is also told in the scripture Bhagavata Purana. Hindus believe that the pair dwells at Badrinath, where their most important temple stands. According to the Monier-Williams dictionary, 'Nara' is "the primeval Man or eternal Spirit pervading the universe (always associated with 'Narayana', "son of the primeval man"; both are considered either as gods or sages and accordingly called. In epic poetry, they are the sons, of Dharma by Murti or Ahimsa and emanations of Vishnu, Arjuna being identified with Nara, and Krishna with Narayana.- Mahabharata, Harivamsa and Purana".

Sri Harihara is a form in which the two male deities of Vishnu and Shiva are fused together, similar to the Ardhanarisvara form.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is described in post-medieval Bengali texts as the combination of Sri Radha and Sri Krishna. He is also secretly alluded to throughout the Puranas and other Vedic texts as the incarnation for this age of Kali (the Kali Yuga)—the golden avatara, who descends to expand the chanting of the holy names of God. In the Chaitanya Charitamrita (of Krishnadasa Kaviraja Goswami), two more confidential reasons are given for Lord Krishna's descent as Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu: He wanted to taste the ecstatic love experienced by Sri Radha for Him, and He wanted to propagate this confidential knowledge to anyone eager to receive it. Thus, while appearing in a male form, Lord Caitanya's inner mood and emotions were that of a female, His divine consort Sri Radha, i.e., in the mood of Radharani.

Vedic texts, especially the Bhagavata Purana, describe Sri Krishna as the fountainhead and original source of Vishnu and all incarnations. Because Sri Krishna is 'adi-purusa'—the supreme and original male—all other beings are regarded as female in relation to Him. In the Padma Purana it is said that during the advent of Lord Rama, the sages of Dandakaranya Forest became so attracted to the Lord they developed conjugal affection for Him. Since Rama could accept only one wife, Sita, He blessed the sages to become cowherd maidens in Krishna's pastimes, thus fulfilling their desires.

Sri Krishna's pastimes are very playful and sportive; narratives from the Puranas as well as post-medieval texts often portray Krishna and His friends (both male and female) cross dressing for fun and delivering messages in disguise. Krishna has many male attendants who meticulously dress and care for Him and His intimate friends arrange rendezvous for Him to meet with the gopis. These intimate friends are said to have nearly the same emotions for Krishna that the gopis do and are always completely overwhelmed by Krishna's beauty and the love they feel for Him. Krishna is most famous for His loving pastimes with the gopis and His rasa-lila dances with them (rasa means 'emotion' or 'performance' and lila is a concept from Hinduism, which roughly translates to "play [lila] of the dance [rasa]," or more broadly as "Dance of Divine Love"). His chief consort is Sri Radha, the original source of all Shaktis and Goddess of the spiritual energy. Radha is Krishna's life and soul; in His incarnation of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, He combines with her to experience the ecstatic love she feels for Him. Krishna's natural complexion is bluish but when He combines with Radha He takes on a golden complexion and is thus known as Lord Gauranga. In another popular pastime, the svayam Bhagavan Sri Krishna disguises Himself as the beautiful maiden, Syamali, just to pacify the jealous anger of Radha.

Kama incarnates as Pradyumna

Sham S. Misri

There was a demon whose name was Sambara. He came to learn  from Narada that Pradyumna, the baby boy of Krishna and Rukmini, would kill him. The demon kidnapped the baby and threw him into the ocean where a big fish swallowed him. Fishermen caught the fish and sold it to the cooks of Sambara. When the belly of the fish was cut open, a beautiful baby was discovered. The boy was placed to the care of Mayavati. She raised the boy and as he grew, she expressed great sexual attraction to him rather than motherly affection. The boy asked his mother in wonder: “My dear mother how is it that you express feelings that are not befitting of a mother?” Mayavati explained to Pradyumna that he was not her son but god Kama who was born as Pradyumna, the son of Krishna and Rukmini, and was kidnapped by demon Sambara. Hearing this, Pradyumna, filled with anger challenged Sambara to fight. In the fight he killed the demon  along with Mayavati. He then went back to Dwarika. When he arrived there, all were impressed by his beauty and his resemblance to Krishna, but they did not recognize him as he was mere a baby when he was kidnapped. It was his mother Rukmini who recognized him because of the strong motherly feelings that she started to sense for him.

Lord Krishna praises Shiva's form of Ardhanarishwara

Sham S. Misri

Lord Krishna praises Shiva's form of Ardhanarishwara while experiencing separation from His beloved Radha, as follows: "Just see! Lord Shiva lives happily with half of his body united with Parvati, whereas I am far from united with Radha—I don't even know where she is."

[Ref:In Jayadeva Goswami's twelfth-century text, the Sri Gita Govinda (3.11)]