The Plague in Western Literature

The earliest mention occurs in Homer's "The Iliad", ascribed to 8th Century B.C. At the beginning of the book, the enraged god Apollo reputedly sent down his arrows, winged with pestilence, which struck down the Greek army camp, the plague raging for nine days. After suitably appeasing Apollo, the plague subsided.

The second mention is in Thucydides' "History of the Peloponnesian War", composed in the 4th Century B.C. In the  Book 2, chapter 4 of this volume, the historian gives an explicit description of the scourge, which struck the Athenians just before their war with the Spartans.

The third mention, though not of the disease itself, but of the offshoot of events leading from it, is in Boccaccio's "The Decameron",(14th Century) a collection of 100 stories narrated by a group of 7 young women & 3 young men, who leave Florence, where the plague was raging, to a secluded villa outside the city, to amuse themselves.

Though the 17th Century Diarist Samuel Pepys was an eye-witness & wrote about the London Plague, his account is eclipsed by the later reconstructed fictional account of Daniel Defoe, called "A Journal of the Plague Year." Defoe was a child & taken out of the city, but he later reconstructed a rivetting story out of the events.

Albert Camus' "The Plague" (1947) recounts the events in the French Algerian town of Oran, from the point of view of a man who was visiting the town & was quarantined there.

Rich man, poor man & Krishna

Once Krishna & Arjuna were travelling & at nightfall came across a rich man's house & asked for shelter. The rich man refused rudely & Krishna left saying "May your wealth increase." Then they came to a poor man's hut & asked for shelter. The poor man gladly welcomed them & fed them with milk & said he had only this hut & a cow. As they were leaving in the morning Krishna told him "May your hut burn down & your cow die of natural causes."

Arjuna, shell-shocked, asked him the reason. Krishna said the rich man thinks happiness will come out of wealth, so I blessed him with more so that after innumerable births he will know that happiness does not come out of wealth. The poor man is very near liberation with only his hut & cow standing in his way. If they are removed, he will instantly attain liberation, which is the true goal of human life.

Jesus Christ also said "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven."

A Select Bibliography of Books on Music

Apart from various excellent textbooks designed for the Music Appreciation Courses in Universities, there are a number of volumes helping the reader to better understand Western Classical Music. Here goes a curated list of a few of them.

The pre-eminent of these are the seven volumes of the "Essays in Musical Analysis" by Sir Donald Francis Tovey. The music critic George Stevens writes "My copies of Tovey are constantly being taken down from the shelf several times a week, to read what he said about a particular composition." But these volumes may be a tad too erudite for the lay reader/listener.

The Penguin two volume set on "The Symphony", edited by Robert Simpson, comprises various authors' essays on the most famous symphonists. There is a single volume on "The Concerto" also.

Anthony Hopkins' three books, "Talking about Symphonies", "Talking about Concertos" & "Talking about Sonatas" are compiled into an omnibus volume called "Talking about Music."

Otto Karolyi's slim book "Introducing Music" lives upto its title by acquainting the reader with the grammar & vocabulary of music.

The American Composer Aaron Copland's "What to listen for in Music" contains the author's provocative suggestions for listening to music from the composer's point of view.

Probably the most reader-friendly volume on the subject may be Sigmund Spaeth's "A Guide to Great Orchestral Music", it's popularity attested by the fact that it is still in print after 80 years of first publication.

Sri Sarada Devi - The Third Umpire!

Though Ma,(as Sri Sarada Devi, the consort of Sri Ramakrishna) was affectionately called by her devotees, chose to remain out of the limelight like the proverbial fruit hidden behind the leaves, she did play a pivotal role after the passing away of Sri Ramakrishna.

These instances are available mostly only in Bengali sources, making them not accessible to the non-Bengalis. 

The first instance is when Swami Vivekananda returned from his foreign travels, he started building hospitals &  schools. Sri 'M', the author of "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna", confided to Ma his reservations about it, stating that Sri Ramakrishna (as readers of "The Gospel" are only too aware), discouraged those activities in his devotees, urging them to get self-realisation first. Ma assured him that 'Naren' (as she was affectionately addressing Swami Vivekananda) was doing precisely Sri Ramakrishna's bidding, as the Master's teaching was quite different to his monastic disciples from that to his  householder devotees.

In the second instance, Ma ruled against Swami Vivekananda, when he wanted to celebrate Durga Puja in Belur Math in the traditional way, including animal sacrifice. She firmly opposed it & had her way. She herself was a strict vegetarian, eschewing even fish, which even Bengali Brahmins consume! In a way, she was even more modern than Sri Ramakrishna, who expressed the thought that Goddess Kali would be offended if he refused her Prasad, including meat offerings & would just taste it!

So, in cricket terminology, if Sri 'M' & Swami Vivekananda were like the two on-field umpires instrumental in bringing Sri Ramakrishna's teachings to the world, Sri Sarada Devi was like the third umpire, capable of over-ruling them when occasion demanded!

Patanjali, Chaucer & Sri Ramakrishna

In Chaucer's classic "The Canterbury Tales", the last tale is "The Parson's Tale." This is unfortunately left out of most editions because it is strictly not a tale but more of a sermon delivered by the parson. But in this, Chaucer's Parson shows to what spiritual heights a human being can rise, if he has the inclination.

The parson says that some things that many may not regard as sins, yet nevertheless are sins & lists them as follows:

1. Every time one eats or drinks more than necessary for the body.

2. When one speaks more than is necessary.

3. When one does not listen kindly to the poor.

4. When one does not fast when others fast (Lent, Ekadashi, Ramzan).

5. When one sleeps longer than necessary.

6. When he uses his wife without the sovereign design of engendering.

7. When one will not visit the sick & prisoners.

8. If he loves wife or child, or any worldly thing more than reason requires.

9. If one has one's food prepared more deliciously than is necessary.

10. When one promises that he will do things which one cannot perform.

If these are closely examined, it is clear that these are just the consequences of Patanjali's opening verse of his Yoga Sutras, which states that "Yoga Chitta Vritti Nirodhaha" or "Yoga is a life against natural(!) impulses."

That such a life is indeed possible was demonstrated by the nineteenth century Hindu Saint, Sri Ramakrishna, who was also married. His conversations, collected in "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna" are full of his exhortations to his devotees to lead a life as described in "The Parson's Tale" above. Apart from Jesus Christ himself (whom Chaucer's Parson had in mind), other Indian origin religions like Jainism & Buddhism also broadly espouse the same requirements.

Happiness of Eppie, Emma & Anne

In George Eliot's "Silas Marner", Eppie, after the death of her mother, is abandoned by her wealthy father, for social reasons. Silas Marner, a weaver, brings her up as his own daughter. After she grows up, her natural father, claims her, promising her wealth & social position. But Eppie replies to him "Thank you Sir, but I can't leave my (adopted) father, nor own anybody nearer than him. And I don't want to be a lady, thank you all the same, I couldn't give up the folks I have been used to." Later she marries a working class man who loves her & continues living with Silas Marner.

In Jane Austen's "Emma", the eponymous girl lives with her father, Mr. Woodhouse, having lost her mother. Because of their wealth, she is the social queen of Hartfield & not a little spoiled. Her father is a self centred man & even averse to losing her by marriage. When she decided to marry Mr.Knightley, her father's best friend, she soothes the anxiety felt by her father by saying that she should always be there, she was introducing no change in their numbers or their comforts but for the better. Did not Mr.Woodhouse like Mr. Knightley very much? So she married without abandoning her father to his loneliness.

In L. M. Montgomery's "Anne of the Green Gables", Anne Shirley, an orphan, is taken in by elderly siblings Matthew & Marilla to help them around their house, Green Gables. She becomes indispensable to them. Matthew passes away due a heart condition. Marilla, plagued by age, contemplates selling Green Gables & the farm. Anne, being brilliant academically, wins a scholarship to a college in another town. But Anne tells Marilla, "I am not going to take the scholarship & leave you here. We will rent out the farm & continue to live at Green  Gables. I am going to teach at the school here. You shan't be dull or lonesome. We'll be real cosy & happy here together, you & I".

In all three cases, the girls did not think they were sacrificing themselves, but were really happy to live with those whom they loved.

Praying for benefits to deities who did not have them or renounced them

Most common human prayers are for health, wealth, status & progeny. But the paradox is the deities prayed to, were themselves lacking those or renounced them.

In Hindu epics, the travails of  Lord Rama are well-known. Even the divinity of Lord Krishna was recognised by only a few. Lord Venkateswara of Tirumala, recipient of countless prayers, is himself believed to be deeply in debt & separated from his consort, who resides in Tiruchanur!

Coming to the human saints, one observes that the ones who occupy the pole position in attracting petitioners, like Sri Shirdi Sai Baba & Sri Raghavendra Swamy of Mantralya, were themselves renunciates, living in utter poverty.

Jesus Christ himself was neither well known nor worshipped during his lifetime or even shortly afterwards. His mother Mary, to whom millions pray now to save them, could not save her own son, in spite of knowing his fate.

The only people who really prayed for the correct reason, were saints like Sri Ramakrishna & Ramana Maharshi, not forgetting Julian of Norwich, who loved Christ so much, that she wanted to experience all He experienced, including the pain of crucifixion. Rabia of Basra was another, who asked to be excluded from paradise & thrown into hell, but wanted to only love Allah.

To conclude, there is a lot to be said for the belief that God has provided for all our needs (if not for our endless wants!) & one only needs to pray to Him out of love. Probably St. Teresa of Avila was right when she said "There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers."

Relevance of Thomas Paine (1737 - 1809) in 21st century

Born in England, Paine emigrated to America by the advice of Benjamin Franklin, who was visiting England. In America, he vigorously espoused the cause of American Independence by writing the fiery pamphlet, "Common Sense". John Adams (2nd US President) said "Without the pen of  Paine, the sword of Washington would have been wielded in vain."

Then Paine went to France & supported the French Revolution by writing his incendiary "Rights of Man" in which he attacked monarchy & termed hereditary succession as a worse evil. However, the French Revolution degenerated into the Reign of Terror & Paine, just because he was born in England, was thrown into prison & was about to be guillotined. However, luckily he escaped to America. 

But his "Age of Reason", in which he attacked the Bible & Christianity, (though he believed in God), turned even John Adams & others into bitter enemies. His tirade was against all organised religions.

When this iconoclast died, only six people attended his funeral.

Now for his present relevance: His opposition to monarchy & hereditary succession has ominous immediacy in the dynastic politics of avowedly democratic systems. Also even in democratic countries, people fawning over descendants of erstwhile royals is sad.

Now most of organised religions are just an extension of obtaining the worldly goals of life like health, wealth & status through worship. They have little to do with God & cause endless strife with other religions. Whereas true spirituality is the real quest for God. To give two examples, firstly when Christian fanatics were persecuting the heretics during the Spanish Inquisition, St. Teresa of Avila was quietly entering her "Interior Castle" with seven spiritual (symbolic) mansions with her sister nuns. Secondly when even Basavanna's (religious) Vachanas contain snide remarks about Vedas & Brahmins, Akka Mahadevi's (spiritual) Vachanas contain only her obsessive love for her "Chenna Mallikarjuna." So while spirituality is the rightful & unifying goal of human life, organised religion, (as remarked by Thomas Paine) may be a divisive influence.