Sumathi Sataka - Its relevance for modern living (2)

 Today am discussing a poem which at first sight appears to be meaningless but one can find a hidden meaning in this poem

“Adharam gadaliyu, gadalaka

Madhuramulagu bhashaludigi mounavratudau

Adikara roga puritha

Badhirantaka savamu juda bapamu Sumathi”

The translation looks something like this (part of the last line is taken to first)

It is a sin to see a dead body (rather living dead person)

whose lips can move but does not move

does not talk properly (sweetly is the word used) or keep his mouth shut

Suffers from the power and acts blind and deaf

A first look shows that this poem looks a meaningless group of words. If one start looking at the overall meaning then it becomes clear.

We come across several types of people in our day to day interactions with people. This poem talks about a certain set of people, who even though can put in a word for benefit / good of some one or society will not do so. These people may be opinion makers who with their words can provide direction to a group, a leader who with his words can instill confidence in his followers / society but decided not to do so due to reasons known only to them. They may keep quiet when they need to talk. Similarly there may be another set of persons with high standing in the society but does not behave properly or go on using bad language. No body cares how a person behaves in private. But a person of standing needs to maintain a certain amount of decorum in public.

A look at the so called celebrities or politicians in the current society shows how important to maintain basic decorum and how many of them does not follow. We often see several advertisements by well known young celebrities declaring that drugs, drunken driving, driving above the speed limits is dangerous. Many of the people from the same group end up in news doing the same things which they ask us to avoid. They themselves are setting bad examples to the society by committing the same thing which they advertise against. Similarly many of these people does not have any control on what and how they are talking. They use swear words, four letter words very casually in their public talks which are telecast on TV. It is a commonly known fact that many youngsters watch these programs and follow or imitate these celebrities. By this kind of behaviour are they suggesting that this is the modern day norm?

We also come across several politicians who once got the power act as if they are gods. They neither listen, talk or meet the people who voted them into power. Even if they meet the commoners regularly to put up a show, their main aim will always be to work for the benefit of them and their followers. They act deaf to the cries of commoners about bad civic amenities only giving lip service or act dumb by stating they are bound by the regulations which does not allow them to work. If the regulations does not allow them to work, they need to change the same or if this knowledge is with them beforehand they should not even promise.

This poem terms all these people as living dead and says that it is a sin even to look at them which means one should avoid such persons at all cost.