Preethi Sriram
By Preethi Sriram
There seem to be many rules and regulations that need to be followed within society. These rules help to keep structure and order. Some make sense for our daily lives and in modern society. For instance, with the simple traffic rules: Green light, go / Red light, stop.
Some rules seem to not have clear rights or wrongs, or society has created “teams” for which side they feel is correct. So, who knows better than whom? Who is right, and who is wrong? Are there various directions and ways or is there only one path and the rest have strayed? Is there a spot for rule breakers?
One of my favorite dance pieces that I have watched is the story of Kannappa, which feels like a new tale every time I watch, read or think about it.
In the story, Kannappa is a hunter. One day, he sees a priest performing an offering at the temple to the murti form of Lord Shiva.
He too wants to perform an offering to Lord Shiva. However, as a hunter, he is not trained in the ways of rituals. As such, he offers what he knows and finds worthy to offer to the Lord.
He brings fresh flowers. Fresh meat is given as an offering. He takes water in his mouth and pours it over the murti.
The priest returns and feels disgusted when seeing this was conducted and then goes back to providing the traditional offerings to the murti. Much to the priest’s irritation, the devotee keeps coming back and conducting his own offerings.
One day, as Kannappa comes to perform his regular offerings, he sees one of eyes of the Shiva lingam bleeding. He knows exactly what to do and he plucks out his own eye. Then he sees the other eye bleeding. And he decides he will offer his other eye.
In the story, Lord Shiva understands the pure devotee’s heart and restores his sight.
Does this old story have modern relevance? Are there lessons that can be taken within the modern-day context?
Kannappa was a devotee of Shiva. One can say, even from the beginning he was “blind” or ignorant of the rules of society and the appropriate way to worship.
He is a Lord Shiva devotee and provided offerings regularly to the Shiva linga. But his offerings and his way of offering are not part of the traditions and goes against the rules and regulations within the scriptures.
He is not aware of how a priest would do a puja. He cannot chant the mantras. As a hunter, he lived by eating meat and this was what provided him with sustenance, and he first offered that to Lord Shiva.
But somehow, in all his blindness to society, Lord Shiva understands him.
This is the “Rasa” or the “essence” of the tale, and it is a message that is within various stories of Sanatana Dharma and other philosophies as well.
In the well-known song “Kurai Ondram Ilai” sung famously by M.S Subalakshmi and written by Sri Rajagolapachari, there is powerful line of the following: “Thiraiyin Pin Nirkindrai Kanna/Vunnai Marai Ondum Gnaniyar Mattaumay Kanbar.”
How this translates is that the devotee is saying that even though the murti is behind a curtain and only the priests can see, there are no issues or worries from the devotee.
So, what is the “right” way to do something? Since Kannappa did not follow the rules of the priest, was he “wrong?” What does this even have to do with modern society?
Is there any sort of “practical” applications to this old story in the current day? Or is it just an old tale that should be left in the archives?
There are rules created in society that we clearly understand now are not justified. For instance, who should sit in front of the bus/who is in the back? Rosa Parks showed that we all deserve an open seat.
Who can sit at the counter of a restaurant? Some may take for granted today that brave youngsters before us, within Greensboro, North Carolina, decided to protest the laws of segregation by taking their seat at the counter.
How should a new playground be designed and which children should be kept in mind so that all the children can enjoy themselves?
Who can enter a building? Should buildings be redesigned for more ramps to allow for wheelchairs?
A shift in thinking is constantly needed for society to be more inclusive.
If we start thinking of “what can I do for you” and how can we work together, individually we can have the curtain opened from our own blind spots and as a society help to become more accommodating to people of various experience and walks of life.
This series of articles is about the journey and unique insights of an adult dance student learning classical Indian dance and the experiences and perspective of taking classical Indian dance as both an American and an Indian.
Preethi Sriram is a classical dance enthusiast and lifelong learner of dance. Contact: srirampreethi@hotmail.com
