In the previous episode, we had witnessed the conclusion of the fox and the tiger story as being narrated by Bhishmachaarya as part of the “Raaja-Dharma” discussion. Here, Bhishmachaarya explains a very important point regarding “trust” in leadership. Per his accord, the “Dharmatma fox” is extremely upset with the tiger because the latter convicted him for a crime which he was not even part of. However, later when the tiger’s mother advised him in the right direction, the tiger realized his folly and seeked forgiveness to the “Dharmatma fox”. However, now the “Dharmatma fox” is steadfast not to continue in the tiger’s ministry, for the prime reason that if the trust gets broken once, it can never be earned again throughout the life! Given that the tiger had cast a doubt on the integrity of the “Dharmatma fox”, what is the guarantee that the tiger will not cast a doubt again in the future? Again tomorrow someone would say something and yet again the tiger would get carried away by the words of others, and will definitely start doubting the “Dharmatma fox”, isn’t it?
More than just this, the “Dharmatma fox” reasons out with another point as well, which we will discuss in today’s episode. The “Dharmatma fox” says thus, “Oh tiger! Till now I’ve only spoken about your side – Casting a doubt on me by getting carried away by others’ words. Now let me talk from my side as well – I’m a fox. Generally a fox is known for its cunningness and vicious planning to outsmart the enemy. Even though I’m trying to walk the path of “Dharma” by shunning all my vicious attitudes, it is very difficult for the world to understand, including you. You might see me following “Dharma” in front of you, but if someone says something against me, your mind will immediately tend to believe their words, because after all, a fox is a fox! Your mind will go into the true nature of a fox, rather than sticking to the belief that a “Dharmatma fox” also exists. Hence, there is no fault in you. You’ve only gone by the default setting of your mind. Anybody in your state would have done the same thing. The mistake is on my side as well – As a fox, I should have lived by my true nature. By trying to be a “Dharmatma”, I’ve lost the trust of my own fellow pals. I’m walking this path of “Dharma” alone and all by myself. Now, when the world sees me in this way, it is hard for anyone to believe that I’m trying to walk the path of “Dharma” by shunning my vicious attitudes and cunningness. Hence, I should have been myself. This change in the basic nature of mine has caused all these misunderstandings!”
Saying thus, the “Dharmatma fox” concludes that it is no longer appropriate for him to continue as the tiger’s minister. Narrating this story thus, Bhishmachaarya is driving home a very important point on “trust”. If the trust is broken, it is very difficult or nearly impossible to fix it again. This is similar to glass – We might have seen it during the course of our lives – If a glass mirror is broken, it is almost next to impossible to fix it and bring it back to its original form, isn’t it? Even if we manage to fix it, the crack with which the glass broke will always remain. This is the same thing that happened between Vibhishana and Ravana as well. We’ve seen this during our previous Ramayana project that until a point where Ravana had the trust on Vibhishana, things were going well. Ravana paid heed to all of Vibhishana’s words. However, towards the end, when Vibhishana prayed to Ravana to free Mother Sita from the “Ashoka Vanam”, Ravana did not budge. Upon repeated prayers from Vibhishana, Ravana became angry and abused Vibhishana by saying that he has become a stumbling block for everything in the kingdom and he cannot be trusted anymore! Once these words came out of Ravana’s mouth, Vibhishana understood that the relationship of brotherhood between the two of them has broken down, and henceforth it is not going to be easy to re-fix it again! It was with this heavy feeling of broken trust, Vibhishana left Ravana’s kingdom once and forever and surrendered at the divine lotus feet of Bhagawan Rama.
Thus, from all these anecdotes, we are able to see how “trust” is very important in an individual’s life and relationship. If this trust is broken, it is very difficult to get together again. In the modern day context, this is also one main reason why many marriages are breaking down! If one partner loses trust in the other and starts to cast doubts, the relationship is completely broken down then and there! We’ve to understand that marriage is entirely built on mutual trust. If this trust is broken somewhere by either of the partners, it is next to impossible to fix it again. The couple may still live together by not opting for a divorce owing to several reasons. But once the trust is gone, the happiness associated with the marriage is completely gone for a toss! Hence for today, let us understand this point very clearly and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂
The Indian Dharma 