Speech of HH Sri Ganapathy Sachchidananda Swamiji – Sookti – April 1, 2020 – Mysore
Compiled by Parimala Eshwarla
Kākaḥ kriṣnaḥ, pikaḥ kŗṣnaḥ, kō bhedaḥ pikakākayoḥ
Vasanta kālē saṃprāptē, kākaḥ kākaḥ, pikaḥ pikaḥ ǁ
A crow and a cuckoo- both are ugly and black! However, when spring arrives, the cuckoo sings melodiously, while the crow continues to cackle noisily. A cuckoo is a cuckoo; a crow remains a crow. In other words, a scholar and a fool externally look alike. But, when they begin to speak, the difference between them is distinctly visible. A scholar is a scholar; a fool remains a fool.
Normally, for poets white colour connotes cleanliness and traits of purity (sattva). Red connotes traits of passion (rajas) while black denotes tamas (inertia/ ignorance). In some instances, the dark black clouds are used to denote infiniteness.
Cuckoos and crows are both black in complexion. However, the cuckoo has a melodious, sweet voice while a crow cackles harshly. When the crow begins its harsh, raucous cackle, we desperately wait for it to stop! From this it is evident that merely by the external appearance and looks, we can make no assessment of the person’s character and nature.
Let us consider a small example. In a village there was a dog which was loved by all the villagers. Every day, the villagers would lovingly feed it nutritious food. In total gratitude the dog would remain vigil the entire night. In this way, foregoing sleep it guarded the villagers.
As days went by, the dog turned fat and round like a baby elephant. If any thief stealthily tried to enter the village, it would bite it on his leg, bark loudly to catch the attention of the villagers and ensure that he was caught by them. Impressed by its courage and skill in hunting, the villagers would address it as their village-lion.
The dog was supremely pleased with the love and attention it was getting. It began to consider itself to be a lion. It began to think that inadvertently it had got a dog birth when in reality it should have been born a lion. Gradually, the belief that it was a lion intensified in the dog and with this it began to turn arrogant.
Around those days, there was a drama conducted in the village for which they needed someone to play the lion’s role. They got a lion costume. The lion should roar upon seeing the intoxicated male elephant. This was the lion’s role. The dog, which was in the lion’s costume however, could not effectively roar like the lion, leap on the elephant’s head and kill it. All it could do was to bark in its usual voice! Hearing its bark, the villagers laughed loudly. After all, a dog remains a dog even if draped in a lion’s costume, they thought.
Likewise, the crows consider themselves to be cuckoos. But, upon the arrival of spring, the difference between the cuckoo and crow becomes crystal clear. The cuckoo sings melodiously, while the crow continues to cackle. These were the words uttered by the poet upon seeing a foolish man who had entered the king’s chamber disguised as a learned scholar. Until the time the foolish man begins to speak, one cannot spot any difference between him and the scholar. The moment he begins his speech, the distinction between the scholar and the fool becomes clearly evident. A scholar remains a scholar! A fool remains a fool!