Use, Misuse and Abuse of Powers

Lord Indra has gone away from Amaravati, the capital of the Devas. A small misunderstanding with Bruhaspati, the Guru and chief advisor of his clan had brought a chain of bad tidings. After a series of undesirable happenings he was forced to abandon his abode and spend his time sitting in the stem of a lotus in Maanasa Sarovar, a divine lake in the Himalayas. The Devas were left without their leader and captain. This was not acceptable in the order of things. They were constrained to find a temporary substitute. Finding a suitable alternative to Lord Indra was no easy task. The position carried so much of power and responsibilities with it that it was indeed impossible to search for one who filled the gap perfectly. He had to be strong, knowledgeable and capable of controlling and commanding the loyalty of the mighty stalwarts of the upper world. The bigger problem was not in finding a substitute; it was in ensuring that the substitute vacates his position when the original occupant returned in due course. 

An acceptable substitute was finally found in King Nahusha, who was the emperor of the middle world, the earth. This King was indeed a perfect fit; he had administrative experience and was a friend of the Devas. There was no possibility of his betraying the trust of the Devas and joining hand with the Asuras, the occupants of the lower world. King Nahusha believed in the rule of righteousness (Dharma), did not believe in sticking to the chair as a limpet, and ever willing to shoulder additional responsibilities of any nature for a good cause. He was not ambitious and yet not shirking in accepting additional duties. When approached to take over the post of Lord Indra, he agreed without much conditions. The only condition he placed was that he should be free to access any source and stream of knowledge he desired that enabled his efficient discharge of his duties. An agreement was reached on seat-sharing and he took over as Lord Indra till the time the original incumbent returned.

King Nahusha entrusted his kingdom on earth to his son King Yayati, and proceeded to the heavens with his wife Virijadevi. As he progressed in his duties, all his ministers and subjects were much impressed by his administrative skills and problem solving techniques. He was an expert in judicious use of the powers vested in him. Agni (Fire God) and Vayu (Wind God), the two senior most ministers started wondering why the previous Indra and they themselves were not aware of their own powers and had not thought of utilising those powers in solving the various issues confronting them. Guru Bruhaspati, who was now back as the chief advisor was also surprised by the way in which Nahusha was able to exercise the powers vested with Lord Indra. Guru Shukracharya, chief advisor of demons and an adversary of Bruhaspati was also dumbstruck at the administrative acumen shown by Nahusha. He was now a made a part of the advisory council of the upper world, which was not even dreamt in the rule of the regular Lord Indra.

Instead of holding on to the powerful chair as long as he could, Nahusha started his pursuit to find the original incumbent and restore the seat to him. He enquired as to the reason for Indra's exile. Having come to know that Indra was hiding to escape from a evil force, he marshalled all resources at his command to get rid of the evil force. That would make way for return of the original Indra.

He chided both Agni and Vayu for not solving this issue earlier. "You are both bestowed with abundant powers for facing such eventualities. Both of you can fall back on your Omnipotent powers (Vishwaroopa dharana) during an emergency and thereby destroying the evil force. Even Indra could have done this. All of you did not use the powers already vested in you. Instead, you were looking for outside force to solve this issue. Now I am commanding you. I am also giving you detailed instructions for action. Go ahead and get Lord Indra released. This is my order!", he thundered.

Agni and Vayu were now transformed by the realisation of their own hidden powers. They succeeded in destroying the evil force. Lord Indra was released. Nahusha did not worry about losing the throne on which he could have had a much longer tenure. The seat was restored to Lord Indra permanently. The Devas also learnt the secret of exercising powers vested in them efficiently and effectively. Exercising powers was totally different now and they were indebted to King Nahusha for this valuable lesson.

*****

We often hear the words use, misuse and abuse in the context of exercise of powers by various public authorities and private enterprise. Some are unable to exercise powers vested in them. There are others who misuse the powers given to them. There are many others who go much forward and abuse the powers that are given to them by gross exceeding of their contours. 

What do these three words actually mean? When does use of a power become misuse? When does that cross even that border and turnout to be abuse of powers? In the context of what is happening around us in these times, it is indeed time to understand the real import of these three phrases of use of powers, misuse of powers and abuse of powers.

The word "Use" is so common that it is defined as "Making use of" or "Put into use". It denotes positive exercise of powers as it ought to be. Not using of one's powers is indeed a failing in discharge of one's duties. Many functionaries at all levels fail to exercise their powers. Some are not even aware of their powers. Some others do not know how to use them. Many are afraid to use them! All of them have wonderful arguments justifying their positions. Nevertheless, they cause irreparable damage by not using their powers. The real tragedy is that not exercising powers takes a back seat due to misuse and abuse of powers in the surroundings.

The word "Misuse" denotes wrong or improper use of anything. It is use of power for a purpose other than what is prescribed by law or rules. It often goes unnoticed and may not be harmful to others. It may not even be treated as an omission. The nature of misuse is such that many authorities consider it as normal use and others also consider it as a normal or routine thing.

The word "Abuse" represents unrestrained exercise of one's powers and authority with intention. Here the person abusing the powers is well aware of the actions and their impact on others. It encroaches on the area of others and denies what is rightly due to others. The element of "Mens rea" associated with criminal jurisprudence is present here. Abuse often brings personal gratification to the person exercising powers or his associates. Arrogance is its hallmark and preparedness to further abuse the powers to meet the consequences its main feature. Abuse is immensely harmful to the society and the institutions that they represent.

*****

Devudu Narasimha Sastry (1895-1962), popularly known as Devudu, was a scholar par excellence and well known literary figure. He was known for his mastery in Sanskrit, English and Kannada literature. He was an actor, journalist and novelist as well. He was also associated with film world and stage plays. He was an expert in various facets of vedic knowledge and revered for his good qualities. His commentary on Mimamsa, "Mimamsa Darpana" is a highly acclaimed work in that field. He had the fantastic ability to bring out the hidden knowledge in ancient works through novels couched in simple language and yet profound in their meaning and impact. His trilogy of works "Mahabrahmana", "Mahakshatriya" and "Mahadarshana" are masterpieces and won critical acclaim and awards. His short novel "Mayura" deals with the life of King Mayuravrama of Kadamba dynasty. Mayura was made into a film with Dr Rajkumar in lead role. The film is very popular and is considered as a milestone in Kannada cinema as well as Rajkumar's career.

Devudu's novel "Mahakshatriya" deals with King Nahusha's life and his tenure as Lord Indra. Devudu has made some subtle changes in the original story from Mahabharata and transformed Nahusha into a great character. The various aspects of use, misuse and abuse of powers are dealt in this novel in a simple and yet effective way. It is a book that all those who exercise powers ought to read and appreciate, especially in the present times. 

The Deadly Combination

A 21-year old boy landed two months ago in Kochi, Kerala, with 3 pairs of clothes and nothing else with him. He had arrived from far off Gujarat to find a job and make a living in Kerala. He was in Kochi without any acquaintance and not knowing a word of Malayalam, the local language. It was indeed difficult to manage in such environment. His needs were simple. Earning 40 rupees a day for food and another 250 rupees a day for paying rental to a lodge. He survived for a month by working in four establishments. Each job was different and required different skills and temperament. He worked in a bakery followed by a call centre, a shoe shop and as a waiter in a McDonald's outlet. He managed to spend a month by earning the required money and living hand to mouth.  

There is nothing special in the above story. There are thousands of such young boys and girls migrating far away from their towns or villages for securing some job and make a living. Then what was special about this young man? The family background of the person makes an interesting study. This is more so in an era when we regularly hear of young boys driving expensive luxury cars and killing people walking or sleeping on footpaths. And more than that, behaving indifferently about the victims and abusing the process of law to escape punishment and accountability.    

Dravya Dhalokia was pursuing his MBA in USA. He came to India on holidays. As per their family tradition, all children in the family have to undergo this type of self-living in their early days. While holidaying in India, his father sent him on such a mission to learn to live on his own. He was required to strictly follow three rules during his stay in Kerala. First one was that he was not to work in any one place for more than a week. Secondly, he was not permitted to use his father's or family's name and identity. The third and more stringent condition was not to use a mobile phone during his stay in Kerala. He was required to go to unfamiliar places, find a job and make a living. He managed to survive for one month by strictly following the three rules set by his father. He did have an emergency fund of seven thousand rupees in his pocket when he arrived. It was not to be used unless there was an extreme emergency. When he left Kerala after a month, the amount was intact in his pocket.

Dravya (The word "Dravya" itself means money!) Dhalokia's case is even more special considering his family background. His father Savji Dhalokia is the Chairman of Hari Krishna Diamond Exports Private Limited of Surat. It is a company that polishes and exports 5,00,000 carats of diamonds every year. The company has a turnover of 6,000 crore rupees a year and employs 6,000 people. It has business presence in over 70 countries. Savji Dhalokia made news in October 2014 by giving away 491 cars and 200 flats to his employees as Diwali gifts. Another 525 staff members were given gold and diamond jewelry as gifts on the occasion. The gifts were in recognition of the exemplary work done by the staff members and achieving the business targets allotted to them.  

The experimental mission for his son in Kerala was to make him understand the value of money.

*****

Youth is a period in life when a person is strong physically and the mental growth has not yet reached the ideal level. Thinking follows action and not the other way around. Act first and then think is the natural process. Many attractions of life drive actions in this phase of life. The ability to balance actions with reasoning and understanding the possible results has not yet arrived. Youth is, on its own, a recipe for disaster if the abundant energy and vigor is not channelized properly. 

Wealth is another dangerous ingredient for disaster. A person who does not understand the value of money tends to spend it rather easily and unmindful of the consequences. Easy come easy go, as they say. Anyone working hard for earning money and building wealth would think twice before spending the hard earned rupee. It may not be called miserly behavior, but it is the wisdom of spending only when required. Being generous when wealthy is indeed a good quality. But being generous is effective only when coupled with useful spending.  

Power is the third component for bringing in trouble. This is all the more true when the power is derived without authority. Many youngsters enjoy the power of money or social and political influence of their parents and family members. They know how to use the levers of power without knowing the efforts for acquiring them and the results of its uninhibited usage. The effects of such misuse and abuse of power is felt by the gullible and the weak in society. The damage caused in the lives of others is often irreparable. 

The word "Aviveka" in Sanskrit has two near equivalent words in English; Indirection and Indiscretion.  Indirection is lack of direction or goal in life. When the basic necessities of life is available freely and there is no need to work for them, indirection sets in life. Indiscretion is acting without prudence. Prudence is being wise in practical affairs and care in management of resources. Life without defined goals and actions without prudence is certain to bring lamentable results. This is the fourth element that can lead to tragedy and undesirable effects on ones life as well as on the life of others.

This sloka from "Hitopadesha" sums up the effects of a combination of all these in one's life:

योव्वनं धनसंपत्तिः प्रभुत्वं अविवेकता | 

एकैकमपि अनर्थाय किमुयत्र चतुष्टयम् ||

  

Youth, Wealth, Power and Aviveka (Indiscretion and Indirection), any one of these is enough to usher in the undesirable (and destroy a person). What if they are all put together? They form a deadly combination! 

*****

"Round the Clock Stories" is now five years old. This is the 250th blog post. It has reached readers in over 120 countries. I am immensely grateful to all the readers who have encouraged me by reading the posts and adding their valuable comments on them. I am beholden to friends and well-wishers who have provided support through e-mails and words of support in person. I am thankful to the young girl who advised me to pool all my articles in one place and helped me in finding a place for them in "Round The Clock stories". It has made me to read and think on different subjects and develop varied interests. 

The journey continues.......

GrandFather and GrandSon

Sometime back I wrote a blog titled  "Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law" (Click here to read it).  The blog contained a reference to Goddess of Wealth Lakshmi (Mother-in-law) and Goddess of Knowledge Saraswati (Daughter-in-law).  A friend read it last week and asked me whether I have a story for Father-in-law and Son-in-law.  Why not?  Our epics have many such Father-in-law and Son-in-law stories.  The story of Lord Shiva and Daksha Prajapati is one such.  There are many.  But today it is the story of Grandfather and Grandson.

One school of thought believes that Lord Vishnu is one who does not have a beginning, middle or end.  Aadimadhyaantarahita.  He was there for ever and he is and will be there for ever.  After the end of the previous world (pralaya) when the new world was to be created, he gave birth to Lord Brahma.  Brahma was born through the navel of Lord Vishnu.  Lord Shiva was Lord Brahma's Maanasaputra, born by his will.  It is to be clearly understood that one was never born and the other two were born without intervention of females.  Later on through a family partition deed, which is neither recorded nor registered, these three Lords apportioned among themselves the three main portfolios of managing this world.  Son (Brahma) kept the portfolio of Creation of the world (Srushti).  Grandfather (Vishnu) kept the portfolio of Maintenance (Stithi).  Grandson (Shiva) got the portfolio of Destruction (Laya).  Creation is a continuous process and Brahma is always busy to keep the assembly line flowing regularly.  Maintenance also is a continuous process, but just as offices work better when the boss is away, it generally takes care of itself leaving ample time for Vishnu for a lot of other activities.  Destruction is basically a one time job except for the occasional exceptions.  This leaves a lot of spare time for Shiva which he spends mostly in penance and dancing.

In due course of time there probably was a friction in the family as all the power was concentrated between Grandfather, Son and Grandson.  In order to maintain domestic peace, by another unwritten and unregistered family partition deed, three more portfolios were created; portfolio of Wealth was given to Grandmother Lakshmi, portfolio of Knowledge was handed over to Mother Saraswati with Grand daughter-in-law Parvati getting the portfolio of Strength (Shakti).  Both Lakshmi and Saraswati complained to Vishnu and Brahma respectively that Parvati had walked away with the "Powerful Power (strength) portfolio".  Vishnu placated Lakshmi by telling her that real power lay with money and hence "Money was Power".  Similarly, Brahma placated Saraswati by telling her that "Knowledge is Power".  These expressions are so used and often since then.  This somewhat restored a semblance of an order in the heavenly household and things appear to run smoothly thereafter.  The practice of generations of men and women from influential families fighting and concentrating power among themselves actually started here.  Our politicians are only following this golden path.  We unnecessarily blame them for dynastic politics without caring to know the real source of such a state of affairs.

One of the significant and major events of celestial relations was the churning of the sea of milk (Ksheerasamudra) and realising the Nectar (Amrutha).  The sea of milk was to be churned and the Mountain of Mandara (Mandara parvata) was chosen as the churning stone as no churning stick of comparable size was available, to accommodate the 330 million Devas (Angels) and an equally big but unknown number of Demons (Asuras) on the other side.  The number of Asuras was never known because they did not stand in a line and never allowed to be counted systematically.  Their varying sizes probably added to the problem.  No rope of requisite length could be found and hence the multi-headed serpent Aadishesha was chosen as the churning rope.  The angels tempted their cousins demons to show their courage by holding the head-side of the serpent and they themselves safely took the tail side.  During the churning, poisonous Haalahala was the first byproduct.  In order to save the world from the noxious fumes of the poison, Lord Shiva drank the entire quantity of poison.  We can say single handed, though he might have used both hands to hold the vessel of poison.  In order to ensure that there is no much damage to him, the poison was stopped in his neck itself and prevented it from going to his stomach.  Thus  Lord Shiva became Neelakantha, the one with the blue neck. Moon was another byproduct of churning and he was kept on Lord Shiva's head for cooling effect and he thus became Chandramouli, the one with moon on his head.  He saved the world but sat dazed in a corner due the effect of the poison.  Or he possibly sat in penance, one never knows clearly.  This occasion of his saving the world is celebrated as "Mahashivaratri" every year.  Vaishnavites celebrate the event as a festival with choicest dishes to eat.  Shaivites spend the day fasting and praying for Lord Shiva.  Churning went on and many other byproducts emerged; Kamadhenu (celestial cow), Kalpavruksha (Divine tree), heavenly horse Ucchaisravas, heavenly elephant Airavata and Mother Lakshmi herself.  Captain of the Deva's team, Devendra,  kept most of them for the benefit of his team.  Lakshmi was the first woman on heaven or earth to use her right to choose her husband and she chose Vishnu.  And finally nectar (Amrutha) arrived.

There was a commotion and everybody ran after the celestial bowl of the nectar.  In order to restore some order and ensure equitable distribution of nectar, whatever it may mean, Lord Vishnu took the shape of a sixteen year old girl called Mohini.  All our epics describe Lord Vishnu is very handsome.  After all he is the father of Manmatha, the Cupid, and therefore even better than the cupid himself.  He is often refereed as "Saakshat Manmatha Manmatha", meaning he is the Cupid for even Cupid!  He is attractive even to men, forget the women folk.  Hence referred to as "Pumsaam Mohanaroopaya".  His womanly form was no less beautiful and there was never and there will never be another like her, the Mohini.  The name itself attracts one's mind.  Less said the better about the physical form itself.  Mohini mesmerized everyone and ensured fair distribution to Deva's team and broke into two one demon who wrongly entered the Queue and created Rahu and Ketu, thus making way for the eclipses.  The demons are still waiting for their share of nectar.

When everyone was enjoying the divine beauty of Mohini and some lucky ones got the nectar, Lord Shiva was sitting in a corner dazed due to the effect of the poison.  Shiva himself is a handsome person and the one who actually burnt down the Cupid (Manmatha Dahana), when the careless cupid tried to disturb his penance, though for a very good cause and as per the strict order of his higher authorities.  Many years later Lord Shiva wanted to see the beautiful form of Mohini again, in order to appreciate her beauty in peaceful times.  He decided to meet Vishnu and seek his assuming the Mohini form for a second time, exclusively for his benefit.  He was confident that his wish will be fulfilled as no Grandfather will decline a polite request by his Grandson.  He went all the way from his abode, Kailasa, to Vishnu's headquarters, Vaikuntha.  He was received by his Grandmother, Lakshmi and given some refreshments like Chakkali, Kodubale, Rave Vunde etc., followed by a full tumbler of Badam Milk as she had no shortage of milk, being a resident of the milky ocean (Ksheerasamudra).  When the request for a second edition of the Mohini form was made by Shiva, Vishnu was reluctant.  He had to accept the persistent pleas of Shiva, and more so, could not say no to the recommendation of his wife Lakshmi.  Who wants to disturb one's own domestic peace!  Vishnu fixed an auspicious date and advised Shiva to come to the celestial garden (Nandanavana) at sunrise on the appointed date.  Lord Shiva was very happy at the success of his mission, went back to Kailasa and started counting the days before the arrival of the appointed date.  Today's boys need not feel bad for waiting for a date.  They have illustrious predecessors.

Shiva arrived in the garden at sunrise on the appointed day.  It was a divine morning of a divine day in the divine garden.  Everything was wonderful at that moment.  As he entered the garden through the main gate he saw a beautiful girl, all of sixteen years, standing in front of a bush plucking flowers.  Shiva had never seen such a beautiful girl in all his life.  He forgot all about his grandfather and Mohini.  Even the strongest of the men who burnt down the Cupid himself could not resist the beauty of the girl.  He went near her and caught her "Pallu" (Seragu), the open end of the saree.  The girl turned, faced Shiva, smiled and allowed him one long glimpse.  That was it.  Next moment the girl had vanished and in her place Lord Vishnu was standing with all his four hands and his Shanka (Conch), Chakra (Sudarshana), Gada (Kowmodaki) and all.  Lord Shiva realised that he was looking at Mohini all along and bowed down with a tinge of shame mixed admiration.

The last two paragraphs is a summary of a Saint Sripadaraja's song (Devaranaama).  Other background paragraphs leading to them are my interpretation.  My revered mother used to sing this song on every Monday.  It is a beautiful account of a humorous tale in a song form.  I would wait for the song every Monday and my mother never disappointed me.  She is no more with us, but the record of her singing is often playing in the mind. 

"Seven Braids of Samson" and Delilah

After reading "Epic and Historical Haircuts", a friend has reminded me about another Epic haircut - the one of "Seven Braids of Samson".

Samson and Delilah are biblical figures and there are many versions of their story. The major details remain the same but there are some minor deviations about some of the details, as is the case with most of the epic characters. The common strands of the story revolve around the Superhuman strength of Samson, also called as Shimshon or Shamshoun, Beauty of Delilah, Samson's infatuation or love for Delilah, Secret of Samson's strength and Delilah's betrayal.  

Samson is said to be son of Manoah, a chieftain of the tribe of Dan in the city of Zorah. Manoah's wife did not conceive for a long time and  an angel appeared before Manoah and his wife  and informed them that a son will be born to them by the will of God, who will be of great strength and will deliver Israel from the Philistines. Samson was born subsequently and he took a "Nazirite Vow", a vow comprising of not taking alcoholic beverage and  shave the head. He grew up to be a handsome young man and his strength was at  superhuman levels. He fought an Asiatic Lion with bare hands, simply grabbed it and ripped it apart! He also slayed an entire army using the jawbone of an ass. There are stories that he tied burning torches to the tails of 300 foxes and leaving the panicked beasts to burn the crops of his enemies.

He was engaged to a Philistine girl by name Semadar, from the valley of Sorek. At their engagement, Samson lost a bet with his wedding guests, mainly due to the role played by Semadar, and attacked thirty Philistines to strip them of their cloaks to pay his betting debt.  Enraged by this, the Philistines killed Semadar and her father by burning them alive. Samson became a hunted man and in his fury he begins fighting the Philistines. The Saran of Gaza  imposed heavy taxes on the Dannites, with the purpose of having Samson betrayed by his own people. Saran's plan works, and frustrated Dannites hand over Samson to the Philistines, much to the joy of Delilah, Semadar's sister. (Some sources opine that Delilah was not Semadar's sister). Samson was chained and taken by the high general Ahtur and a regiment of Philistine troops. On the way to Gaza, Ahtur decides to taunt Samson. Samson rips apart his chains and ropes and begins to fight the Philistines, toppling Ahtur's war chariot and using the jawbone of an ass to club the Philistine soldiers to death.

Unable to know the source of Samson's strength and how to defeat him, Arthur and his other companions approached Delilah to seduce Samson and gain his confidence. Each of them offer Delilah a certain sum of money to help them in a scheme to uncover the secret of Samson's great strength so that they can find a remedy and defeat him. Samson visits Delilah frequently and each time she asks him about the source of his strength. First time he tells her that he can be tied up with  fresh bow strings. She ties him when he is asleep, but he breaks the strings and frees himself once he is awake. Second time when asked he tells her that he can be tied up with new ropes. She ties him with new ropes when asleep only to find that he frees himself after waking up. Third time when the same question is asked, he tells her that he can be defeated if his seven braids are woven together. She does the same but it has no effect on him. Each time he becomes suspicious about her motives, she parries him with good humor. Using her powers of seduction and deception, the beautiful Delilah persistently wears down Samson with repeated requests. In a weak moment, when asked fourth time, he tells her that his strength is in his seven braids of hair. Some sources say she cut the seven braids of hair when he was sleeping in her lap. Some say that she took the help of a servant while some others say she took the help of co-conspirators. But his seven braids were cut when he was asleep, and once subdued he was overpowered and captured.

Instead of killing him, his captors blind him by gouging out his eyes and consign him to hard labour in a prison. He was tied to a  Mill and made to grind grain and beaten with lashes repeatedly. He suffered the humiliation and in due course his hair again grows. His captors bask in the glory of their triumph and do not pay any attention to this. Having become humble now, Samson prays to God to restore his strength and his prayers are answered. Delilah is also now repentant and actually falls in love with him, but she is helpless.

During a Pagan sacrificial ritual, his captors parade him in the streets along their other prisoners. Samson requests his guards to take him to the two main pillars of the temple. Once he reaches the pillars he frees himself from the chains with his now reacquired power and bracing against the two pillars brings down the entire temple, thus killing all those in the temple and himself. Some versions say that he shouted at Delilah to run away from the temple before bringing it down, but she was also killed. It is said that he killed more enemies when he brought down the temple than in all his combats with them put together.

Samson's mission was to deliver Israel from the Philistine Oppression. Analysts say he was a failure but still accomplished his task to a great extent. Even today peace has not returned to Gaza area and bloodshed continues. Samson's tale has a sad ending. He is considered as a Demi-God like Hercules and Enkidu. He was buried near the tomb of his father in Tel Tzora in Israel, overlooking the Sorek valley.

Samson and Delilah have caught the imagination of the mankind over the years. Many paintings by well known painters are available and a painting by Carl Henrich and Rembrandt are quite famous. There is a life size wooden sculpture of Samson, tearing the lion's jaws from which the water flows, in a monument in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. There is also a marble sculpture by Giambologna in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, UK. It is nearly seven feet high showing two nude men in combat, and representing Samson slaying a Philistine with the jaw of an ass. Six films have been made in the 90 year period starting from 1922 to till now on "Samson and Delilah". Cecil B DeMille, arguably one of the greatest filmmakers of all times, and maker of such films like "Ten Commandments", "Cleopatra"and "The Greatest Show on Earth", has himself produced two movies on the same subject, in 1923 and 1949. It is said that the two versions differ in many details. I have seen only the 1949 version, with Victor Mature as Samson and Hedy Lamarr as Delilah. Cecil B DeMille was known for his talent for directing "Thousands of Extras" and his creation of "Parting of Red Sea" in "Ten Commandments" and "Toppling of the Pagan Temple" in "Samson and Delilah" are among the finest scenes ever created in a movie, all the more so considering that the filming was some sixty years ago, when the technology had not advanced so much and there were no computers.

"As you sow, so you reap", goes the proverb.  "He who lives by the Sword dies by the Sword", says the Bible. Samson's supernatural strength itself ultimately became his undoing. "The seven braids of hair of Samson" and the story of "Samson and Delilah" remind us of this repeatedly.