Nannaya’s poems of good words & worldly wisdom-2

Think a moment before doing…

tagunidi tagadani yedalō
vagavaka, sādhulaku pēdavārala keggul
mogi jēyu durvinītula
kagu nnimittāgamaMbu layina bhyaMbul.
(from Andhra Mahabharatam, Adi parvam)

క. తగు నిది తగ దని యెదలో
    వగవక, సాధులకు పేదవారల కెగ్గుల్
    మొగి జేయు దుర్వినీతుల
    కగు ననిమిత్తాగమంబు లయిన భయంబుల్.
(ఆంధ్రమహాభారతము, ఆదిపర్వము, ప్రథమ. 85)

To the immoral persons who harm the pious
And the poor men without remorse in heart
Whether it is fit to be done to those or not,
Would occur unforeseen fears and miseries.

ఈ పని చేయదగినది, ఇది చేయదగనిది అని మనసులో ఒక్క క్షణమైనా ఆలోచించకుండా, ఒకింతైనా విచక్షణా జ్ఞానం లేకుండా సాధువర్తనులైన వారికి, పేదవారికి పనిగట్టుకుని కష్టాలను కలిగించే నీతి లేని మనుషులకు, కారణం తెలియకుండానే వచ్చే ఊహించని ఆపదలనుంచి కష్టాలు సంభవిస్తాయి.

The story relevant to the above poem is as under:

After Dharmaraja relinquished the throne, the young King Parikshit, who was the only son of Abhimanyu and Uttara, bacame king and took reigns of the vast kingdom. After him, his son Janamejaya became the king.

Janamejaya was once performing, for obtaining ever lasting better living for the people in his kingdom, a grand Yagna that continued for many days. During one of the days, while the performance of the ritual as per Vedic methods was in progress, a small puppy named Sāramēya, the son of Sarama – a celestial dog, unknowingly came roaming into the vicinity of the sacred place of the ritual.

On seeing the puppy roaming in the sacred vicinity of the Yagna, the three younger brothers of the king Janmejaya – named Satrusena, Bhimasena and Ugrasena – beat the little puppy Sāramēya hard. After getting beaten by the three brothers of Janamejaya, the little puppy went crying to its mother and told her about the beating it had taken.

Sarama got very much pained and angry at the merciless attitude of the three brothers of Janamejaya. She immediately went to the king Janamejaya, accompanied by the little puppy and said to him “Oh king Janamejaya! Have a look at the condition of my little son. With out taking any pity on this little creature, your brothers who seem to be having no prudent mind, beat my little son mercilessly. Persons who act without first thinking even a moment whether their action is fit to be done or not, would be subjected by fate to unexpected and unforeseen fears and misfortunes!”

After saying those hard words, Sarama, along with its little son, disappeared, as the king Janamejaya kept on looking at it, in utter amazement.