In the previous episode, we were at an important juncture wherein Bhishmaachaarya came up with an unprecedented proposal of splitting the Hastinapura Kingdom into two halves – One half for the Paandavas and the other half for the Kauravas. Ideally, the entire Hastinapura kingdom should go into the hands of Yudishtra and the Paandavas only, because, King Dhidiraashtra had already crowned Yudishtra as the “Yuvaraja” (Official Successor) of the kingdom. However, since Duryodhana vehemently objected to it and was also going to the extent of sabotaging against Yudishtra and Co., Bhishmaachaarya came up with this idea to douse the tensions that were simmering between both the camps. If the kingdom is equally given to both the camps, perhaps the fight between both of them might come down and peace would reign in! Guru Dhronaachaarya also straightaway accepted this proposal and tried to convince King Dhirdiraashtra to accept it as well. However, Karna, who was already waiting for an opportunity to pull Guru Dhronaachaarya’s leg in public, made some sarcastic remarks at him! This infuriated Guru Dhronaachaarya and with this, a huge war of words broke out between the two of them!
Going on thus, Guru Dhronaachaarya warns Karna by highlighting his unholy friendship with Duryodhana. Guru Dhronaachaarya says thus, “Oh Karna! You’re doing all this only on the behest of Duryodhana, isn’t it? Now let me tell you! The nexus that both of you have is completely unholy and is agenda-driven. It is only because of both of you, Hastinapura kingdom is facing enormous problems today. I’m warning both of you – Mend your ways and support the “Dharma” of the kingdom, rather than pushing through for your own agenda! Now that all of us have spoken our thoughts out, let Vidura give his opinion. He hasn’t spoken anything till now, and all of us know that Vidura is an embodiment of “Dharma”. He can guide all of us whether we’re walking the correct path or not. Now I request Vidura to stand up and talk!”
Till that point, Vidura was completely silent because nobody asked him anything. He was silently watching and observing the conversations that were going on, along with the heated debate that happened between Karna and Guru Dhronaachaarya. Now Vidura gets up to talk. He folds his hands, pays his respect to the gathering and begins to talk thus, “Respected King Dhirdiraashtra! I was listening to what Bhishmaachaarya was saying. He has an extremely valid point in his argument. All of us know the amount of experience Bhishmaachaarya has in terms of administration. If he is saying something, it is our duty that we respect his words. Subsequently, Guru Dhronaachaarya also had opined the same thing as well. All of us know what Guru Dhronaachaarya brings to the table – His rich experience in terms of administration, expertise in warfare techniques, and moreover, he is our Guru! We should respect his words. Hence, King Dhirdiraashtra – More than the content that these two people have said, please understand that it is the bound duty of all of us to obey the words of our elders and seniors. Even if whatever they say might sound a bit odd, just go ahead and practice what they say. It would definitely take you in the right direction!”
This is an important advice not only for King Dhirdiraashtra, but also for each and everyone of us here. Sometimes, we might wonder whether our elders really make sense in what they say. We might even think that we’ve got more educational qualifications than our parents or grandparents, and we might also have a feeling that they are outdated to what is happening today! But we should always remember that they talk out of their experience, and not something in the air. Real-life experience is something which no academic education can give so easily! It comes with years and years of toiling hard on the ground, facing enormous challenges and moving ahead with time. Experience can never be futile, isn’t it? This is the reason why even in big organizations, people in the top management positions would all be those with truckloads of experience in their respective professions. It is the experience that would make them take informed decisions, more than the mere academic qualifications that they might have.
This is exactly what Vidura is trying to advise King Dhirdiraashtra and Duryodhana here. Vidura is trying to acknowledge the rich experience that Bhishmaachaarya and Guru Dhronaachaarya bring to the table, and is trying to educate King Dhirdiraashtra that he has to take their words, irrespective of whether he likes it or not. Moreover, Vidura is also going to explain subsequently as to what are all the things that the kingdom is going loose, if King Dhirdiraashtra fails to make Yudishtra the king. We shall continue Vidura’s important accord in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 