19 - Surely you're joking Mr. Raman
Summary
TLDRIn this episode of 'Stories from India,' host N Monei revisits the character of Tanali Raman, correcting previous misconceptions and delving deeper into his mischievous nature. Raman, a well-educated jester, encounters Goddess Kali who offers him a choice between knowledge and wealth. His greedy decision leads to a life of jesting for profit. Meanwhile, the tale of Pundlik, a reformed goon turned devoted son, captivates with a lesson on the power of devotion, as he unknowingly makes the deity Voba wait on a brick. The episode is a blend of humor and folklore, offering insights into Indian mythology and moral lessons.
Takeaways
- 🎵 The podcast 'Stories from India' explores myths, legends, and folk tales from India, hosted by a character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge.
- 📚 Tanali Raman is a well-educated character who was previously portrayed as a person with questionable ethics, but this episode aims to correct that impression.
- 🏡 Tanali Raman lived in a village named after him, which is common in that region of India, and he was known for his knowledge of multiple languages and extensive reading.
- 💤 Despite his education, Raman was often idle, leading a Rishi to advise him to visit a temple of the Goddess Kali, known for her destructive power.
- 😅 Raman's encounter with Kali included humor and irreverence, showcasing his audacity and wit, even in the face of a powerful deity.
- 🤔 Kali offered Raman a choice between the cup of knowledge and the cup of wealth, which he impulsively consumed both, leading to his punishment and a unique destiny.
- 💼 Raman's decision to visit the court of Krishnadevaraya led to his appointment as a jester, using his wit to expose corruption and gain favor with the king.
- 🏛️ The story of Pundlik, a young man from Maharashtra, illustrates the transformation from a local bully to a devoted son, ultimately earning the respect of the god Vishnu.
- 🙏 Pundlik's devotion to his parents was so strong that he made Vishnu wait on a brick while he attended to them, demonstrating the importance of filial piety in Indian culture.
- 🌐 The podcast provides additional context on the goddess Kali, her significance in Hindu mythology, and her various depictions in art and literature.
- 🎉 The episode concludes with a teaser for the next episode, which will explore the Festival of Holi and its historical and cultural significance.
Q & A
What is the podcast 'Stories from India' about?
-The podcast 'Stories from India' is about myths, legends, and folk tales from India. It is hosted by a character named N Monei, who is a traveling musician and storyteller.
What is the main character, Tanali Raman, known for?
-Tanali Raman is known for being a well-educated boy who was overqualified for most jobs and often found himself doing nothing. He is also known for his interactions with the goddess Kali and his role as a jester in the court of Krishnadevaraya.
Why did the Rishi advise Tanali Raman to visit the temple of Goddess Kali?
-The Rishi advised Tanali Raman to visit the temple of Goddess Kali because he noticed Raman's lazy behavior and believed that the visit would be beneficial for him.
What did Goddess Kali offer Tanali Raman when he visited her temple?
-Goddess Kali offered Tanali Raman a choice between the cup of knowledge and the cup of wealth, but he ended up consuming both, leading to his punishment and the title of a jester.
What was the punishment Goddess Kali gave Tanali Raman after he consumed both cups?
-Goddess Kali punished Tanali Raman by making him a jester, known for his knowledge but also for his role in making money through humor.
How did Tanali Raman end up in the court of Krishnadevaraya?
-Tanali Raman went to Vijaynagaram and managed to enter the court of Krishnadevaraya by bribing the guards and disrupting the court session, which led to him being appointed as the court jester.
What is the significance of Goddess Kali in the script?
-Goddess Kali is depicted as a powerful deity with a thousand heads, representing destruction and entropy. She plays a crucial role in the story by offering Tanali Raman a choice and ultimately punishing him.
What is the role of the character Pundrik in the script?
-Pundrik is a character from Maharashtra who starts as a local goon but changes his ways after meeting a Rishi. He becomes devoted to serving his parents, which impresses the God Voba, leading to the founding of the town Pandarpur.
What is the significance of the town Pandarpur mentioned in the script?
-Pandarpur is a town founded by Pundrik, known for its famous temple dedicated to Voba, the God who stood waiting on a brick, symbolizing Pundrik's devotion to his parents.
What is the connection between the goddess Kali and the god Shiva as described in the script?
-Goddess Kali, as Shakti, is often depicted standing on Shiva, the god of destruction, symbolizing that Shiva depends on her power and energy to act. In some interpretations, this also signifies that she accidentally stepped on Shiva and stuck out her tongue in embarrassment.
Outlines
🎵 Introduction to Stories from India Podcast
The podcast 'Stories from India' is introduced by the host, N Monei, who is also a mythological character with the ability to live eternally and knowledge of the past, present, and future. Monei is a traveling musician and storyteller. The episode focuses on correcting the previously portrayed negative image of Tanali Raman, who was mistakenly depicted as a person who mistreated animals and others for selfish reasons. The podcast aims to explore more stories about Tanali Raman, revealing his true nature.
😅 Encounter with Goddess Kali and Her Offer
In this section, the story of Raman's encounter with Goddess Kali is recounted. Raman, who is portrayed as a lazy and overqualified individual, is advised by a Rishi to visit a temple dedicated to Kali. Upon his arrival, Kali appears before him and offers him a choice between the cup of knowledge and the cup of wealth. Raman, in his cunning manner, tastes both, leading to Kali's decision to punish him by making him a jester, known for his humor but also for his lack of respect for authority. This decision reflects Raman's character and his approach to life, prioritizing wealth and knowledge over moral values.
🏰 Raman's Disruption at the King's Court and His Punishment
Raman travels to Vijaynagaram to seek a reward from the king. He bribes his way into the king's court, disrupting an ongoing performance and drawing the king's attention. The king, initially angered by Raman's disruption, is intrigued by his audacity and listens to his story. Raman cleverly implicates the guards in corruption, leading to their punishment and his appointment as the court jester. This episode highlights Raman's manipulative nature and his ability to turn situations to his advantage, despite his disruptive behavior.
🏛️ The Story of Pundrik and the Conclusion of the Podcast
The final paragraph introduces the character Pundrik, a young man from Maharashtra who initially was a local bully but changed his ways after meeting a Rishi. Pundrik's devotion to his parents impressed the God Voba, leading to the foundation of the town of Pandarpur and a temple dedicated to Voba. The podcast concludes with a teaser for the next episode, which will explore the Festival of Colors and introduce a historical figure who contributed to the silk industry in India. The host thanks the listeners and provides links to more information and music credits.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Tanali Raman
💡Mythological Character
💡Kali
💡Cup of Knowledge
💡Cup of Wealth
💡Jester
💡Vijayanagaram
💡Court Jester
💡Pundik
💡Vishnu
💡Pandarpur
Highlights
Introduction to the podcast 'Stories from India' focusing on myths, legends, and folk tales.
Host N Monei's introduction as a mythological character with the gift of eternal life and knowledge of the past, present, and future.
Clarification of a previous misconception about Tanali Raman's character, revealing his true nature in the stories.
The story of Tanali Raman's encounter with the Goddess Kali, highlighting his audacious behavior.
Raman's humorous reasoning for laughing at Kali's thousand heads, relating it to managing a cold.
Kali's offer of two choices: the cup of knowledge and the cup of wealth, leading to Raman's impulsive decision.
Raman's justification for tasting both cups, comparing the decision to choosing ice cream flavors.
The consequences of Raman's actions, being labeled a jester and the impact on his future.
Raman's journey to Vijaynagaram and his unconventional method of gaining entry to the king's court.
The king's reaction to Raman's disruptive entrance and the unexpected appointment as a court jester.
The story of Pundik, a local goon turned devoted son, as told by a Rishi.
Pundik's encounter with the God Voba, demonstrating his devotion to his parents.
The establishment of the Pundarpur temple and its significance in honoring Pundik's story.
Description of Goddess Kali's appearance and symbolism in Hindu mythology.
The humorous anecdote of Kali stepping on Shiva by accident and her embarrassed reaction.
Invitation for listeners to explore images of Kali and Pundik's story on the podcast's website.
Teaser for the next episode, hinting at the Festival of Holi and its historical significance.
Introduction of the next character, a historical figure with a connection to the silk industry in India.
Transcripts
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hello and welcome to stories from India
a podcast where we talk about myths
Legends and folk tales from India I'm
your host n monei and I'm a mythological
character
myself I have the gift of ET etal life
and knowledge of the past the present
and the
future by profession I'm a traveling
musician and a Storyteller so the way
I'm doing my job is by
podcast this week we'll talk about
tanali
Raman we have previously covered tanali
Raman in episodes 2 and three where I
may have given the impression that he
was a horrible person who treated
animals poorly for purely selfish
reasons it's time to correct that
impression so we'll cover two more
stories
today these will show you that tanali
Raman was in fact a horrible person who
treated everyone not just animals people
and goddesses too he treated them poorly
and for purely selfish
reasons the character this week is
someone who made a god weight on a brick
while he tended to other more important
things like helping his
parents let's dive in tenali Raman lived
in a little village called
tenali not by
coincidence and the village wasn't named
after him it was the other way
around it was and remains common
practice for people in that region of
India to often borrow part of their name
from their village town or
city Tali Raman was a well educated boy
he knew several languages and had read
many
books unfortunately for him this meant
he was overqualified for most
jobs and instead of starting at the
bottom of some small scale firm and
using his education to propagate
Enterprise wide
Transformations he did
nothing yeah
most days he just lay in the meadow
dreaming of
nothing periodically cashing in his
Social Security
checks one day a Rishi was passing
by noticing this lazy Behavior he told
tanali
off I mean he told the boy off not the
village you know I'm just going to call
him Ramen in this
story The Rishi strongly advised Raman
to visit a nearby
Temple it was a temple of the Goddess
Khali and by advice I really mean an
order listening to the advice of an
elder was pretty much non-negotiable in
those
days and why am I going to visit the
goddess of death again as
Roman the Rishi was not used to having
his orders or advice
question she's not the goddess of death
she's more like entropy but yeah she
does get angry easily and destroys
things so try to please her say her name
a million times before you reach the
temple but the temple is right there I
can't do a
million all right do 100,000 said the
Rishi that's still a lot lot replied
Ramen the Rishi said then you better get
started hadn't
you Raman grumbled but he did go to the
temple as he reached the place oddly
enough he was the only one
there this does not happen often in
Indian temples today and it didn't
happen often back then
either Ramen was just
lucky in a Flash and a puff of smoke
kie appeared before
him Tada she said but Ramen merely
yawned he was
religious but not a
siant Raman said David Copperfield does
it without the
smoke seeing goddess khi beginning to
frown he quickly added but I bet he was
inspired by
you kie decided to give him the benefit
fit of Doubt for
now as the smoke began to clear away
Ramen saw that she had a thousand
heads and he began to
chuckle which you might think is a
surprising reaction to seeing the
goddess of Destruction with a thousand
heads Khali was tempted to destroy this
insolent boy right
there but but being generous as well she
gave him a chance to slide out of it
gracefully if he
wanted you're laughing thinking of
something else aren't
you but Ramen wasn't having any of
it I am laughing at your appearance your
thousand heads he
said seeing K raising her weapons he
quickly
added I was thinking to myself when
Ordinary People catch a a cold they have
trouble enough managing it with two
hands and a single nose how do you
manage it when you have a cold with just
two hands but a thousand
noses that does not sound funny to me to
be honest but kie saw the humor in that
maybe I have been around many headed
gods and goddesses for too
long even my dad has
foreheads she said all right this is
what I can offer you another poof and a
little cup appeared in each
hand in my left hand is the cup of
knowledge and in my right is the cup of
wealth you must choose one said
Kali Raman
asked how can I make a good decision
unless I taste each of
them no one has asked such a question
before but you're right of course I mean
when people walk into an ice cream
parlor they get these tiny spoonfuls to
taste before they lock in on a
choice and this is arguably a much more
important decision than ice cream we
don't have those adorable little spoons
here and we don't have
sprinkles I'm a goddess I can show magic
some up but whatever I'm just going to
be completely Reckless and let you taste
directly out of the
cups this is what Ramen was hoping
for he grabbed the cups and quickly
emptied them both before K could stop
him this time you asked for it she said
raising her weapon a second
time wait said Raman I had a really good
reason to uh-huh said
khi yes money without knowledge is
dangerous and knowledge without money is
useless then my dear boy why didn't you
ask for half a cup
each Raman hadn't thought of that of
course he was stumped
silent now continued KH the gods and
goddesses guidelines rules and
regulations chapter 4 section 3.1
strictly requires that I punish you but
luckily for you subsection
2.13 allows me to maybe go easy on you
somewhat
you will have knowledge no
doubt however you will be known as a
Jester and that's how you will make
money Ramen thought a bit and asked so
what's the catch
then Ki thought this was Raman
attempting humor she just ignored him
and
disappeared but the question had not
been in
chest Raman did not share the morals of
the rest of of 16th century India and
thought anything was an acceptable
profession as long as it made
money Raman decided to go to Vijay
nagaram to the court of Krishna
deara it was a few days walk but when he
got there he wasn't allowed
in the guard outside the palace stopped
him do you have your
papers papers asked ran what are those
the guard repeated with practice te
certified means of identification from a
regulated government Authority a
passport a chariot driving license or a
press pass if you're a
journalist I don't have any said
Ramen then come back when you do said
the
guard wait but I can make it worth your
while said
Ramen I'm here to receive a big reward
from your king let me in and I'll give
you half
okay said the guard bribery wasn't a
very serious crime anyway back in those
days the same thing happened at the door
to the court which was
closed because the court was in session
Raman promised the court guard half of
his reward
too when he went
inside there was some performance art or
the other going on for the king and the
rest of the Court never mind
what Raman disrupted it he boldly
strolled right in the middle and was
generally loud and well he was generally
himself the king who had been having a
good time was really angry with
Roman guards he roed give this man a 100
lashes with a
whip wait said
Raman I can't accept this generous
reward for
myself why not said the king because I
promis to give half to the Palace guard
and the rest to the guard at the door
said
Raman curious now the king had him
explain
everything the guards were punished for
being
corrupt and the king who could see that
Raman had been disruptive only for the
sake of bringing corruption to
attention appointed Raman as his
courtchester he couldn't have been more
wrong about raman's motives but we've
seen some of that in the earlier
episodes 2 and three animal
hater and we'll see this theme continue
in other stories as well as we cover
them in future
episodes that's it for today a few notes
on the
show The namesake place where ran was
from is about a 10 days walk from humpy
the capital of the kingdom of
vagram the godess Kali is another Avatar
of Shakti whom we have previously
encountered as Parvati in episode 6.5
All in the Family and as the character
of the week bramar in episode 14 Of Mice
and
Men she also makes a cameo in the
Mahabharat but more on that when we get
to the
Mahabharat she's often shown with her
tongue sticking out wearing a skirt made
made of human hands and wearing a
necklace of human
heads if that's not gruesome enough for
you she also often carries a human
head the human heads on the necklace
symbolize letters in the Sanskrit
alphabet Khali is often shown standing
with her foot on Shiva the destroyer in
the Holy
Trinity one interpretation of this is
that since Khali as shaki represents
power and energy and Shiva is the God of
destruction he depends on Power and
energy in order to
act without her help he's well
helpless in some eastern states though
Khali stepped on Shiva by
accident and when she realized it she
stuck out her tongue in
embarrassment I've posted some pictures
of kie on the website
if you're interested to see what she
looks
like the character this week is
pundik pundik was a young lad in the
western state of Maharashtra who started
off as a local goon or
Gunda he cared nothing about anyone else
and used to find ways to harass
people his life changed completely when
he met a Rishi or a wise man who taught
him a few
things pundik then decided to be a
better better
person the Rishi advised him that the
best way to do this was to serve his
parents and so pundik
did even The God voba Who was a form of
Vishnu or Krishna heard about pik's
devotion and decided to see for
himself he knocked on the door but
pundik wouldn't
answer because he was busy taking care
of his parents just
then he me nearly threw a brick outside
and asked whoever it was that was
knocking to wait patiently on the
brick and wi did
that later when pundik stepped out and
saw who it was he was surprised far from
being angry at having been made to wait
voba was impressed by pik's Devotion to
his
parents the town that pundik founded is
called pandarpur it has a very famous
temple
dedicated to voba the God who stands
waiting on a
brick I've linked a few pictures of the
punderpur temple and some artwork
related to pundik check them
out that's all for this week if you have
comments or suggestions please leave a
comment or a review on the site sfip
podcast.com or tweet at SFI
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automatically thanks to my family and
friends and each of you listeners for
all your continued
support the music is from purple
planet.com that's
purple-planet.com
next week we'll learn why we celebrate
the Festival of holy which is just
around the
corner does it have anything to do do
with colors let's find out next week the
character next week is a legend he was a
real historical
figure and was also a
tiger amongst other things he helped
grow the silk industry in
India curious tune in next
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week
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