Sumati Padyam - Coward Captain

Here is Sumati padyam after a long time.
As usual, it is simple but interesting!

వరపైన చేను దున్నకు

కరవైనను బంధుజనులకడ కేగకుమీ
పరులకు మర్మము సెప్పకు
పిరికికి దళవాయితనము బెట్టకు సుమతీ

varapaina cEnu dunnaku
karavainanu bandhujanulakaDa kEgakumI
parulaku marmamu seppaku
pirikiki daLvAyitanamu beTTaku sumatI

వరపైన = when there are no rains
చేను = the field
దున్నకు = don’t till
కరవైనను = even in famine
బంధుజనులకడకు = to the relatives
ఏగకుమీ = don’t go
పరులకు = to the others
మర్మము = secret
సెప్పకు = don’t tell
పిరికికి = to a coward
దళవాయితనము = captaincy
పెట్టకు = don’t give
సుమతీ = Oh! The wise one!

An excellent poem with some simple truths!

Don’t till the land when they are no rains! On the face of it this looks so simple. Who would try to till the land when there are no rains? No one with the head on the shoulders! I see something deeper here. Baddena wants tell that one should know the timing for doing anything. For every act there is a right time. Like tilling the land is meaningful only after enough rains! When the land id dry, it is meaningless to try tilling it! Even eating without hunger is equally meaningless!

Even when famished don’t go to the relatives is the meaning of the second line. Yes, it is meaningless again to seek help from the relatives, more so if they are close! It is a friend who may be approached for help but not a brother or sister. In Telugu there is a saying which asks not to go to a sister when in bad situations. Sister may sympathise. But not her family members! You should know to whom to turn to when in need, is the advice here!

Don’t divulge your secrets to the others! Can there be a better advice? Who is this other person? Who are the people in his or her inner circle? If you tell something to me thinking I am reliable, I would tell it to another person whom I consider equally reliable. But, does this third person fall in the same circle as you? Once the cat is out of the bag, you do not have any control over it! It is better to keep a secret as what it is! A secret!!

(There is an interesting story about this coward captain!)

(We shall share it later!)

Don’t give the responsibility of leading the army to a coward! This does not need any expansion at all! A coward can never be a leader and not the least to an army!!

Classic wisdom at its best!!