Episode # 1372 – Having an all-weather friend during a crisis – Bhishmachaarya explains!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya’s continuation of the narrative on “Aapad Dharma” and specifically here, he is talking about how “trust” is very important for a leader. Bhishmachaarya drives home this point beautifully with a story of a bird and King Brahmadatta and how they initially trusted each other and subsequently how this trust fell apart with one ghastly incident. Thus, if the trust is broken, it is never easy to repair it back to normal – It is like a mirror – As long as the mirror is intact, it gives a beautiful reflection of us in the best way possible. However, if the mirror is broken due to any reason, it is almost next to impossible to stick the broken glass pieces and bring it back to normal. Even if we succeed in sticking all the glass pieces back in their original positions, the cracks will always remain. Similarly, in the story, the Poojani bird explains to King Brahmadatta that now when the trust has been broken, the former will always have an eye of suspicion on the latter and vice versa. Their relationship is never going to be the same as it used to be earlier. Hence, the Poojani bird decides that it is never going to reside in King Brahmadatta’s palace anymore and it flies away once and forever! 

Such is the case with trust, especially during “Aapad-Kaalam” (Emergencies). Moving on thus, Bhishmachaarya goes to the next point here – He says thus, “Oh Yudishtra! As a king, you should always know whom to trust and hold upon at what time! Sometimes, the situation might demand that you might not be able to handle it all by yourself. You would definitely need the support and help of some other people as well. At these times, you should clearly know who will be those right people with whom you can associate yourselves with, so that you can get out of the tricky situation without getting harmed!” This is a very important point, especially in today’s context – If we see the present-day scenario, things are pointing towards a very bleak and a dangerous situation – In several parts of the world, there are war-like situations, and this is extremely detrimental for the growth and sustainability of humanity! While this narrative is on one side, what happens when two countries are at war? Will they be able to fight out the war all by themselves? The answer is “No”! If we look at our present context with the India-Pakistan conflict, all of us know that Pakistan had taken a heavy drubbing from India with several of their airbases being completely destroyed and rendered inoperational. At this crucial juncture, even though Pakistan had called for a ceasefire, this is definitely not going to be a long-lasting one. This ceasefire is being used by Pakistan to rejuvenate itself. Can Pakistan do it all by itself? The answer is definitely a “No”! The rogue country is seeking help from like-minded countries like Turkey, Azerbaijan, China and also the United States of America to shore up its military resources. Once this is done, Pakistan will perhaps think of attacking India once again and the war will continue. 

This clearly shows that during emergency situations, it is always important that we have a helping hand with us at all times. In the case of India, we have had Russia as an all-weather friend and a trustable ally over the past several decades! India has helped Russia during crucial times, and similarly Russia has also armed India with several state-of-the-art defence equipment, which were saviours during the recent “Operation Sindoor” that India launched against Pakistan. Hence, India has the right friend at the right time. This is exactly what Bhishmachaarya is also explaining here – Even during the Kurukshetra war, it was not just the Pandavas fighting with Duryodhana and Co. There were several other kings and armies which supported both the camps. Some local kings who were like-minded with Yudishtra & Co., lended a helping hand to the Pandavas. Similarly, some other kings who were like-minded with Duryodhana, rendered their support to the Kaurava camp. Of course, Bhagawan Krishna’s army was also in support of Duryodhana and Bhagawan Krishna Himself was supporting the Pandavas’ cause! Hence, a lot of hand-holding went into the Kurukshetra war on both the camps. This clearly shows how strategically and tactfully we should choose our trustable aides when it comes to war! 

So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall witness Bhishmachaarya narrating a beautiful story to drive home this point! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂