“Is There Anything More Beautiful Than My Wife’s Eyes?”

Ramanujacharya was amused by the strange sight – Ponnachi walking towards the temple followed by her retinue and Villidasan walking backwards unable to take off his eyes from those of his beautiful wife!

Love melts, whatever may be the form, the medium in which it is expressed, and whatever may be the object of love. A mother’s love for her child, a devotee’s love for God, a teacher’s love for his disciple, love expressed in the form of poetry, in words, or in action – which in the present instance was much more poetical than poetry itself – can move mountains.

The great saint was moved on seeing this wonderful sight. He enquired about the couple and then sent word to Villidasan asking him to come and meet him in his Asram alone. Ramanuja had decided to something about that.

We have to pause here lest the great Acharya should be misunderstood. Why did he want to do something about Villidasan’s love for his beautiful wife, Ponnachi?

One theory is that he wanted to ‘properly channelise’ the love. Instead of flowing towards his wife Ponnachi, if this lover were to flow towards God! That would be great, right?

But to me nothing could be more absurd than that. The channels of love do not sanctify it! On the other hand love sanctifies the channels through which it flows! Love towards God, may be Vishnu, Shiva, Jesus, Allah or the Buddha, is in no way superior to the love Villidasan had for his wife, Ponnachi.

I will go one step further. If you love your pup then that is much, much better than your sitting in the Puja room mindlessly repeating some God-names. Love for your pup or even a street mongrel is no less than the love you can have for the Infinite, All powerful, God. The quality of love is not dependent on the object of love.

Another theory is far worse. It says that Ramanuja wanted such a powerful force for his Vaishnavite Movement.

When I heard this theory I silently prayed to the great saint, “Forgive them, Acharya, they know not what they are talking about!”

Ramanuja’s movement is not like that of the Congress or the BJP. It was not a political movement where you need all the power you can gather. It was a movement of love. Ramanuja was a saint, a spiritual leader. Not a politican or statesman. Don’t ever think on those lines.

Now why should Ramanuja do something about Villi’s love? As a spiritual leader of people he
instinctively knew that Villi’s love was quite unique. If only Ramanuja could make people love something as intensely as Villi did, yes, he would have made a difference in their lives.

At the same time if he showed Villi’s love as an example to be followed, then ignorant people might mistakenly think that they also should love Ponnachi. In other words at the present level Villidasan’s love is not a copiable, replicable model. So Ramanuja wanted to first shift Villi’s love to something else and then make people understand the greatness of love.

Was he not doing a disservice to Ponnachi? May be. But then he also showed that great object of love to Ponnachi. And in order to make so many people understand the meaning of love, there is no harm in shifting one person’s object of love. As a saint and a spiritual leader Ramanuja had the moral authority to do that.

Now back to the story.

 

Ramanuja was a highly respected Acharya. So Villi came running to see him in his Ashram as soon as he got his call.

It was late in the night. The Srirengam temple would be closed for the day in another half an hour. Ramanuja wanted to accomplish his mission within that time.

He asked Villidasan in a sarcastic tone,

“Aren’t you ashamed, Villi, to be seeing your wife’s eyes, when God’s festival is on?”

Villi’s reply was a correct blend of humility and the force of truth.

“Is there anything more beautiful than my wife’s eyes?”

Ramanuja was waiting for this question.

“What will you do if I show something more beautiful than that?”
Now Villi knew for sure that there was nothing like that and so his words came with confidence.

“Then I will fall in love with those eyes. Ponnachi and I will be your slaves for the rest of our lives.”

“Deal. Come with me.”

Ramanujar took Villidasan to the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. The God of Love,Sri Renganathar, Thiruvarangan, was sleeping in his comfortable snake-bed attended by his Devis.
Then the great Acharya took hold of Villidasan’s hands. The Acharya’s touch sent waves of electric shock in his body.

Ramanujar closed his eyes and prayed to the Lord.

“Oh, Lord, here’s is an example of perfect love. And the whole world is steeped in misery unaware of this kind of love. I want the people to know that there is something like this love and that every one of us is capable of it. For that you need to give these two people to me.

"I know that these two people are as precious to you as your Devis and are holier than the holiest scriptures ever written on you. I promise you my Lord, I’ll give them the reverence they deserve. Now please, Renganatha, show the beauty of your eyes to this man of love.”

A selfless prayer! Two loving souls standing before Him! Renganathar was helpless! He had to grant the Acharya’s wish.

And the great Lord, whose eyes are not to be seen even by the highest of Devas and the wisest of Rishis, whose Feet cannot even be touched by Vedas and all the knowledge in the world, opened his most beautiful eyes for Villidasan to see. Villidasan was awe-struck; no he was love-struck.

The sight lasted for a fraction of a second. Villi instantly fell in love with those large, beautiful eyes, for which nothing in the world is even a pale comparison.

Villi prostrated at Sri Ramanujar’s feet proclaiming his slavery to the saint. Ramanuja lifted him as a loving father would lift his loving son. Ramanujar’s eyes were so full with tears, his heart so full with love that for a few seconds he could not talk.

What happened thereafter is even more interesting….