The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the significance of “Varnaashrama Dharma” and how necessary is it for a person to stick to his / her “Varnaashrama Dharma” for leading a happy and a peaceful life. In due course, we had also witnessed how people in the Mahabharata deviated from their Varnaashrama Dharma and at the end how all of them paid a heavy price for it. We witnessed the example of Guru Dhronaachaarya, wherein he was basically a Brahmana by birth. As a Brahmana, he wasn’t supposed to enter a battle field and take the weapon in hand. However, due to whatsoever reasons, he did it. Subsequently, all of us know how did he meet a tragic end to his life in the battlefield. It was the same Guru Dhronaacharya who had denied to teach the small child “Ekalaiva” the art of usage of weapons. I’m sure that some of our readers might be aware of this episode, but it’s worth to revisit this in this context. I shall keep it very brief here. We can clearly witness the “Double Standards” followed by Guru Dhronaacharya, which was also one of the reasons for his tragic end.

Guru Dhronaachaarya was approached by a small little boy by name “Ekalaiva”, who was from a hunters’ community (considered to be part of Shudras). Upon witnessing the Paandava brothers, Duryodhana and Co. learning from an impeccable Guru in Dhronaacharya, this little boy Ekalaiva was so impressed and he too developed the interest in learning artillery. So he approached Guru Dhronaachaarya one fine day and expressed his interest for the same. Ekalaiva wanted to learn artillery only from Guru Dhronaachaarya. But did Dhronaachaarya accept the little boy’s request? He denied it by saying that he is not “eligible” to learn the art, as he was not a Kshatrya. Poor Ekalaiva upon hearing this, was so disappointed, but he never gave up. Being a child, he had lot of willpower in him. He was determined that he would learn the artillery only from Guru Dhronaachaarya. Now that his “Guru” had deserted him, he made a small statue of Guru Dhronaachaarya and learnt the artillery from the statue! From this, one can witness the steadfast determination and will power to learn something, whatever maybe the circumstance one is put into!

Once Ekalaiva had mastered the art of using the bow and arrow, he goes to his Guru in person and thanks him for teaching him (even though it was through a statue, Ekalaiva had the devotion to go to his Guru and thank him.) But, what was Guru Dhronaachaarya’s reaction? He was shell-shocked upon witnessing Ekalaiva’s expertise. Instead of appreciating and motivating the little child, Guru Dhronaachaarya wanted to make sure that Ekalaiva wasn’t allowed to excel more than his students in Arjuna and Duryodhana. So Guru Dhronaachaarya made a smart move – He asked Ekalaiva for the “Guru Dakshina” for whatever he has learnt. Of course, Ekalaiva was more than ready to offer anything at the feet of his Guru. But what did Guru Dhronaacharya ask? He asked Ekalaiva to cut his index finger and submit it to his feet, as a token of “Guru Dakshina”!

How cruel can one be to a little child – A child who was dedicated and steadfast in his approach – A child who was innocent and naïve in approaching Dhronaacharya to take him as his teacher – A child who excelled in his learning, despite being insulted by his Guru for just not being a “Kshatrya”! Despite all this, little Ekalaiva took his arrow and cut his index finger of the right hand – The finger that is vital for using the bow and arrow. He did not even bother that by cutting the index finger, he wouldn’t be able to use the bow and arrow for the rest of his life! Such is the dedication and “Guru Bhakti” that Ekalaiva had. By this, Guru Dhronaachaarya made sure that Ekalaiva would not be able to come near any artillery usage for the rest of his life! But for what reason? Ekalaiva was not a Kshatrya! If a person can “punish” an innocent child so badly for deviating from the Varnaashrama Dharma, how on earth would he go unpunished if he himself deviates from his Varnaashrama Dharma? Isn’t this “double standards” at its highest level? Can Bhagawan Krishna tolerate such cruelty to an innocent and a dedicated child like this? Thus he waited for the right time and punished Guru Dhronaachaarya by giving him a painful death in the Kurukshetra battlefield.

Thus, from this episode, we can clearly witness how people even during the “Dwaapara Yuga” deviated from their Varnaashrama Dharma and exposing their double standards and hypocrisy over it. We’re talking about hypocrisy in today’s world in the Kali Yuga, but this was existing even in Dwaapara Yuga itself!

So for today, let us understand how people play “double standards” when it comes to Varnaashrama Dharma and how this concept was misused for personal mileage even during the Mahabharata time! If such was the case then, we needn’t even talk about the happenings in the present Kali Yuga! Howevver, let us witness this context in the next episode! Stay tuned!

 

 

 

 

In the previous episode, we had culminated the discussion on Vidura’s important point on the roles and responsibilities of the four different “Varnas” (Categories) of people as prescribed by the Vedas – The Brahmanas, Kshatryas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. We had witnessed that the primary responsibility of the Brahmanas is to develop the scholarliness on the Vedas and other important scriptural information of our Sanaathana Dharma and propagate them for the welfare of the entire world. The Brahmanas are also primarily responsible for performing all types of spiritual practices, directed towards world peace and harmony. Similarly, the role of the Kshatryas is to obtain scholarliness in various kinds of warfare and usage of different kinds of weapons. The role of the Kshatryas thus, is to defend the country from its enemies time to time.

Having said that, the Vaishyas are those who are responsible for ensuring that all important supplies of materials like food grains, things required for warfare, etc. for the Brahmanas and Kshatryas respectively are met properly. The Vaishyas are business people and when it comes to business dealings, we need to give that special stress on ethics and care needs to be taken that all dealings done for the Brahmanas and Kshatryas are done for their welfare and not for personal illegal benefit. Finally, the Shudras are responsible for whatever needs to be done at “ground zero”. For instance, farming, construction, painting, decorations, carpentry and so on and so forth.

Of course there is this misconception that started prevailing amidst the society from the “Later Vedic Period” onwards and until today that the Shudras are inferior people and the Brahmhanas are the most superior people! This is an utterly wrong misconception – In fact, the Vedas has never distinguished people like this. This four-pronged classification was done by the Vedas only on basis of occupation and not on the basis of birth or human race. In other words, there is no racial discrimination that is spoken about in the Vedas, and if few people are propagating such things, they are an utter disgrace to the religion of Hinduism and Sanaathana Dharma as a whole.

Now having said thus, we now enter into the most important discussion as to why is Vidura focusing on this point in this context. We might ask a question that doesn’t King Dhirdiraashtra know these basic things too. More than why Vidura is focusing on this point, we might ask a slightly different question as well – Why is he focusing on this point towards the fag end of the Vidura Neeti and why not in the beginning or during the middle? In fact, it might be interesting to note that till now, Vidura has never opened this particular topic and there is a reason why he does it at this stage. Today, we shall witness this important reason as we move on further. In fact, this was one important point wherein the entire Kaurava army is going to lose the plot. How?

It should be noted that the Vedas has clearly prescribed who should do what, as an occupation in this world. In other words, the Brahmanas should only focus on spiritual practices and dedicate their whole life in activities pertaining to Bhagawan. The Brahmanas are not supposed to deviate from this one-pointed agenda. Similarly, a Kshatrya should only focus on protecting the country and nothing else. Like this, all four “Varnas” of people have a single-pointed agenda and this forms the human ecosystem. This is why, this one-pointed agenda for all for categories of people is termed as “Varnaashrama Dharma”. The problem comes only when we move away from our respective “Varnashrama Dharma” prescribed to us by the Vedas.

Now, with this point, let us witness what happens in the Mahabharata story – If we witness the people who were about to fight the war at Kurukshetra against the Paandavas, there was Sahuni (Duryodhana’s uncle), Guru Dhronaachaarya, Bhishmaachaarya, and the likes, along with Duryodhana and his Kaurava brothers. It should be noted that the seniors in this army – Espeically Guru Dhronaachaarya – Was he a Kshatrya? He wasn’t! He was a Brahmana by birth and he followed the principles of his Varnaashrama Dharma until the point of the Kurukshetra war. But due to whatsoever reasons, he took a call to take the weapon in hand and fight the war. Is a Brahmana eligible to go to the battlefield? No! But Dhronaacharya did it! This same thing applies with Guru Dhronaachaarya’s son Ashwatthaama also. Thus we can clearly witness a breach in the Varnaashrama Dharma. In fact, this was one of the main reasons why Dhronaachaarya lost the battle heavily towards the end.

Similarly, if we look at the likes of Sahuni, Duryodhana and King Dhirdiraashtra himself, they being Kshatryas, are they eligible to play business games like gambling? Again, the answer is “No!” It should be noted that gambling is also a sort of business (if not in its full entity though, many might argue), wherein trading of land happens between two parties, on the basis of “something”.  Kshatryas are bound to fight and obtain kingdoms or land and they are not supposed to achieve this by doing “business” over the table! This is where Sahuni, Duryodhana and King Dhirdiraashtra lose the plot! In fact, even the Paandavas are at fault for this as well. Irrespective of Bhagawan Krishna warning them not to go for this “dealing”, the Paandavas still went ahead with it. Thus the fault was on both sides.

Thus, putting all of this in perspective, if we’re going to disobey our “Varnaashrama Dharma” and veer away from the path presceibed by the Vedas, we’re bound to face trouble at some point in life, just like how the Paandavas and Kauravas faced! So this is the point that Vidura is trying to emphasize here – He reminds King Dhirdiraashtra and cautions him that he and his people are deviating from their Varnaashrama Dharma and they better be prepared to face the repercussions for what they’re doing! So for today, let us try and understand this deeper meaning that Vidura is trying to drive home through this point. We shall wait till the next episode to witness the scenario in the present day and how Vidura’s point is applicable in our daily lives today! Stay tuned! 😊

In the previous episode we witnessed the extension of the important point that Vidura is discussing here, with respect to the roles and responsibilities of the four “Varnas” (Categories) of people as prescribed by the Vedas. We’re witnessing them one by one for each of the four categories, and so far we’ve done it for the Brahmanas, Kshatryas and Vaishyas. As per the Vedas and the point that Vidura is stressing upon here, the main roles and responsibilities of the Brahmanas are to gain a mastry and sholarliness over the Vedas, Puraanas, etc. and propagate them to the world. The sole purpose of propagating the Vedas to the world should be the welfare of all the people and living beings together and world peace. Moreover, the Brahmanas are responsible for the conduct of various types of spiritual practices as prescribed by our Sanaathana Dharma, that includes the likes of performing “Homas” (Sacrificial offering to the fire – Agni Bhagawan), “Yaagas”, “Yagnas”, etc. that are important for the sustainability of the world. Having said thus, the roles and responisibilities of the Kshatryas are to make themselves prepared for defending their kingdom or territory or whatever, by gaining mastery and expertise in various forms of warfare such as artillery, usage of various weapons that are involved in fighting wars with enemies. By doing so, their responsibility is not only to protect their territory as a whole, but also to ensure the safety and security of the Brahmanas who are dedicating their lives for performing spiritual practices.

Similarly, the role of the Vaishyas, as witnessed in yesterday’s episode are to make sure that all the other three “Varnas” of people are supplied with adequate materials for survival, such as food, clothing, etc. in a reasonable and ethical manner. Vaishyas are those who are business people and deal with money matters. As witnessed yesterday, when it comes to money, ethics follows as well. As we repeatedly emphasize even in the modern day, business practices should be carried out with the utmost level of sincerity and it should be for the benefit of all people equally. Also, as it is the responsibility of the Kshatryas to offer physical protection to the Brahmanas, it is the responsibility of the Vaishyas to offer support in terms of availability of essentialities like food, shelter, and other important things.

As we move on to the final category of people – the “Shudras”, this is the “Varna” of people who work on the ground and ensure the availability of all the important items that are required for the existence of the other three “Varnas” of people. For instance, farmers, builders, people who take care of some important household chores, etc. come under this category. It is widely mistaken in the later Vedic period that the Shudras occupy the bottom-most strata of the society, but actually that was not the case as per the Vedas. Even in the modern day, we classify certain jobs as “blue-collar” jobs and certain jobs as “white-collar”. However, if we look at the descriptions given in our Sanaathana Dharma, there are no classifications like this. Every job is important for the survival of mankind in this world, and there is a balance between all jobs, to ensure sustainability. Without the hard work of the farmers in the fields, how would be get adequate supply of food grains and other materials required for essential survival? Without the hard work of those people who are involved in construction and other allied activities, how do we ensure that our lives are spent inside beautiful buildings with air conditioners? Hence there is no point in demarcating people based on what they do. Every profession is important and we should learn to respect all of them.

Thus, the role of the “Shudras” is to make all materials available at the ground level to the three “Varnas” of people. Starting from food grains to buildings, to other essential activities, it is the responsibility of the Shudras to maintain the balance in the ecosystem.

Now having discussed the roles and responsibilities of each of the four Varnas of people, our next point of discussion here is, how did this contribute to the downfall of King Dhirdiraashtra and Co. Why is Vidura making this as an important point in this context? What is the inner significance of this explanation that Vidura gives at this crucial juncture? Let’s wait till tomorrow’s episode to witness an interesting discussion on these questions! Stay tuned! 😊

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the previous episode, we had been amidst an important discussion of the important roles and responsibilities of the four “Varnas” of people as prescribed by the Vedas. In that, we’ve witnessed the roles of the Brahmanas and the Kshatryas. The Brahmanas, as we’ve seen are responsible for invoking the blessings and grace of Bhagawan through performing regular spiritual practices, chanting of the Vedas, Upanishads, etc. and exploring more on the “Shaastras”. Most importantly, the Brahmanas should not touch money with their hands, and should not focus their mind on worldly luxuries, etc. Similarly, a Kshatrya is a person who is to be totally involved in warfare, protecting the country or territory and in turn, protecting the Brahmanas from being attacked by enemies. The Kshatryas are also to be scholarly in Vedas, and other scriptures and should know the “Raaja Dharma” in and out. Not only should they know the “Raaja Dharma”, they should be meticulous in implementing them. In accordance to it, the Kshatryas are able admnistrators and they should be able to manage the kingdom effectively and protect it with all its wealth and subjects.

Having said that, we now turn our attention towards the third “Varna” of people – the Vaishyas. Normally, the Vaishyas are traders and business people. They are involved in bargains, trading of various commodities including food grains, vegetables, fruits and other eatable items, groceries, etc. In strict terms, the Vaishyas are the only people who are authorized to make dealings and transactions with money. In that way, the main role of the Vaishyas is to make sure that the Brahmanas are taken care of, by fulfilling their basic needs adequately.

It is not only that, the Vaishyas’ main role is to do business, but also are responsible for “ethics” in whatever they do. Since the Vaishyas are dealing with money matters, ethics comes into a crucial role to play. If the Vaishyas have to go to “Moksha”, their task is cut out – They should ensure that adequate money and wealth is put into use in such a way that the Kshatryas are able to source their weapons and other instruments, so that they are at ease in protecting the kingdom. Similarly, adequate wealth should be directed by the Vaishyas in procuring all the required items that are to be offered to Bhagawan through the spiritual practices performed by the Brahmanas. Essentially, as mentioned above, the Vaishyas are solely responsible for the welfare of the Brahmanas and they should ensure that the Brahmanas are peaceful, happy, well fed and that, they maintain the clear mindset for performing spiritual practices meticulously.

Thus, the context comes here as to why Brahmanas should not touch money with their hands – The main reason behind this is that, the Brahmana’s prime focus is to invoke Bhagawan and nothing else. This is a very important duty and nothing should come in between this. Since Bhagawan is directly involved in this, no worldly aspect of human life should cone in the middle of it. This is why the Kshatryas and the Vaishyas are given the responsibility to take care of the needs of the Brahmanas, thus protecting them in all ways – both physically and monetarily. The physical protection should be given to the Brahmanas by the Kshatryas and the monetary protection should be given by the Vaishyas. Thus again, I’m making the point very clear to the readers here – There is no superiority / inferiority between the four “Varnas” of people according to the Vedas. These four “Varnas” are four “categories” of people according to their occupation and their roles & responsibilities. There is no question thus, on who is important and who is not. If the Vedas specify that the Brahmanas should be protected by the other two “Varnas” of people, it doesn’t mean that the Brahmanas are given undue importance or something like that. It is only because, Brahmanas are supposed to directly invoke the blessings of Bhagawan through their rigorous spiritual practices and they do not have time and energy for taking care of other things. It is only because of this, the responsibility of “taking care” of the Brahmanas are given in the hands of the Kshatryas and the Vaishyas. Readers should make this point extremely clear here.

Finally we are left with the last Varna of people as prescribed by the Vedas. We shall witness their roles and responsibilities in tomorrow’s episode, followed by the important message that Vidura wants to convey through this lengthy point. Stay tuned! 😊

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the commencement of yet another important point being stressed upon by Vidura for one last time, wherein he takes us through the important and the fundamental duties of all people coming under the four major communities – Brahmanas, Kshatryas, Vaishyas and the Shudras. It is to be noted by the readers at this point that the Vedas never projects one community higher than the other. All four “Varnas” (Communities) have their equal tasks and roles to perform in the society. It is only in the past 200-300 years have these “differences” been projected in such a huge manner. However, if we look at the Vedas, all communities are given equal importance and are treated equally. There is no place in the Vedas for such a bad demarcation that one community is inferior to the other. Also, as per Bhagawan, all living beings are equal under his eyes. There is no question of who is higher and who is lower! But yes, we might vary in levels of “Bhakti” and our level of spiritual progress that we make, but never on basis of caste, community and creed.

Thus, Vidura lists down the important roles of all the four “Varnas” of people and he commences with that of the Brahmanas, which we have seen yesterday. In today’s episode, we shall witness the next “Varna”, which is the Kashatryas. What are their important roles and duties? As it might be known to many of our readers, the Kshatryas can also be termed as “warriors” and their primary duty is to protect the Brahmanas and the other two “Varnas” of people. Their main job is to defend the country or kingdom and ensure the safety of the people. Vidura explains here that the Kshatryas should also be well-versed and scholarly in the Vedas and other spiritual practices. With that, they should also be able to exhibit their physical strength and should be skilled in employing various weapons of warfare such as artillery, sword, etc. With this expertise of physical valor, they should be able to prepare themselves to defend their country successfully against whichever enemy who invades their territory. Thus, the main duties of the Kshathryas are two fold – One is to protect the Brahmanas who are the people responsible for invoking Bhagawan in whatever they do through their spiritual practices and by chanting of the Vedas, and the second is to defend the country with their smartness and physical strength in warfare. If a person belonging to the Kshatrya Varna is able to perform these two duties to utmost perfection, Vidura says that he is sure to reach “Moksa”.

If we look at the tradition, Kshatryas are are those people who are kings, administrators and also those who are warriors. We can witness it from the Ramayana itself, wherein Bhagawan Rama himself was a Kshatrya prince. If we’ve to point out one perfect epitome of how should a Kshatrya lead his life, it can only be Bhagawan Rama! It is thus important for a Kshatrya to be an able administrator and an efficient manager of his kingdom. This is where, Vidura pokes at King Dhirdiraashtra indirectly by reminding him of the “Raaja Dharma”, which is essentially the “Vedas” for the Kshatrya. All what Vidura is explaining so far till now, culminates at this point – As a Kshatrya, King Dhirdiraashtra is deviating from his Raaja Dharma and this is where, Vidura reminds him that if he needs to attain the “Moksha”, he needs to re-track himself back to the path of the “Raaja Dharma”, formulated by Bhagawan. This is where Vidura says that King Dhirdiraashtra is falling apart completely, along with his son Duryodhana. It is thus the duty of the father to explain and make his son understand all these important points and King Dhirdiraashtra is a complete failure here too! This is what irks Vidura the most because, all what Vidura is advising as a “third party”, King Dhirdiraashtra being a Kshatrya himself should be doing it, which he’s not doing!

So for today, let us ponder over this important point and we shall wait till tomorrow’s episode to witness the duties of the next two categories of people – The Vaishyas and Shudras. With this, we shall also witness an extended discussion as to how the entire Kaurava clan met disaster, based on this important point. We shall witness how an entire clan was destroyed mainly because of not following these principles! Stay tuned! 😊

In the previous episode we had witnessed an extended discussion of yet another important and an assertive statement let out by Vidura to King Dhirdiraashtra wherein he urges that King Dhirdiraashtra should move on with the path of “Dharma” irrespective of whatever consequences that might happen from Duryodhana’s side. Vidura tries to play the emotional card in almost all of us concluding remarks in such a way that King Dhirdiraashtra gets intimidated by them. However, for whatsoever reasons, that never happened! King Dhirdiraashtra’s excessive affection towards his son Duryodhana blinded him completely and he literally turned deaf ears to whatever Vidura tried to tell him. Although, as we’ve witnessed all through the Vidura Neeti so far, even as Vidura is trying to mix his content with different emotions, wherein at few times he blasts King Dhirdiraashtra, slams him, advises him, playing the emotional card, etc. King Dhirdiraashtra is just like a wall without any reaction! It’s not that King Dhirdiraashtra doesn’t understand whatever Vidura is saying. It is to be noted that King Dhirdiraashtra himself was a learned scholar and an expert in all the aspects of the “Raaja Dharma”. It is only the situation that’s playing spoilsport in King Dhirdiraahstra’s case here. Readers should note that King Dhirdiraashtra is just getting carried away by the excessive affection towards his sons in such a way that he’s getting completely blinded by it. Thus, whatever “Adharma” that his son Duryodhana is committing, goes completely unnoticed by him and this is where the problem starts. For years now, King Dhirdiraashtra has been ignorant of the fact that his son Duryodhana is a crooked person. Neiter he nor his wife Gaandhaari took a step forward to condemn Duryodhana’s atrocious acts. As years progressed thus, the problem became too inflated in such a way that war clouds are looming large between the Kauravas (Duryodhana & Co.) and the Paandavas (Udishtra & Co.).

It is at this time when Vidura advises King Dhirdiraashtra to mend his son’s ways atleast at this last moment, before things go out of hand and into the warfield. In that way, Vidura advises King Dhirdiraashtra that he should try and sideline his son and pursue the path of “Dharma”. He reminds King Dhirdiraashtra and slams him that he, just for the reason that Durydhana being his son, is going behind “opportunism” and thus, bringing bad name to the Hastinapura kingdom and himself! Vidura makes a strong statement here that Duryodhana, being opportunistic is coming to his father only because the Hastinapura kingdom is at stake and he is up for grabs. Had this kingdom not been there, Duryodhana would have cared a damn for his father, given his crooked mindset. This is why Vidura advises King Dhirdiraashtra to try and stay away from Duryodhana, atleast for the larger benefit of the kingdom and “Dharma”.

Now moving on further, Vidura in his concluding message, explains the duties of all the four communities of people as prescribed by the Vedas – The Brahmins, Kshatryas, Vaishyas and Sudras. We shall look into each of them and Vidura’s key points to follow, if we’ve to reach the “Moksha”, accordingly. He starts with the duties of Brahmins, wherein Vidura lists down several key points to this effect. He says that as a Brahmin, one should always make sure that he bathes every day and never removes the “Poonal” (“Saarani” or the Sacred thread) that he wears on his body. This is of prime importance. Secondly, a Brahmin should make sure that he consumes only “Saathvic” food, which is strictly vegetarian and a balanced diet. Thirdly, a Brahmin should not go behind excessively towards money. Fourthly, a Brahmin’s prime focus should be on Bhagawan and should spend his full time in offering prayers and spiritual practices. Mainly, a Brahmin’s duty is to chant the Vedas and spread its significance to the entire world. Fifthly, a Brahmin should always speak the truth and should make sure that the truth would triumph at all times. Sixthly, a Brahmin should be able to respect elders and should be down to earth.

Thus, these are the important aspects that a person being a Brahmin should follow, so as to reach the highest “Moksha” or “Brahma-Lokha”. So for today, as Brahmins, let us ponder over these important points and we shall wait till tomorrow to witness the important duties of a Kshathrya. An interesting accord awaits us tomorrow! Stay tuned! 😊

 

 

 

 

 

In the previous episode we had witnessed yet another important and an assertive statement let out by Vidura to King Dhirdiraashtra wherein he urges that King Dhirdiraashtra should move on with the path of “Dharma” irrespective of whatever consequences that might happen from Duryodhana’s side. Vidura once again takes potshots at King Dhirdiraashtra for his excessive affection towards his son Duryodhana. He says that Duryodhana is one of the greatest epitomes of opportunism in this world and he would never hesitate to even kill his own father for his opportunistic needs. Thus given this characterstic, Vidura questions King Dhirdiraashtra’s stance towards his son and thereby slams him for his ignorant attitude.

This point is of course not just applicable to King Dhirdiraashtra, but for all of us as well. If we come to understand that one of our closest people in our circile (might be sons / daughters, close family members, etc.) are behaving in an opportunistic fashion, how many of us have the guts to put up our hands and (atleast) criticize them for such behavior? How many of us have the courage to question the “adharma” that happens?

For instance, if an elderly parent comes to know that his / her son / daughter is walking the wrong path in life, how many of them have the courage to question their children for such acts? This is where the problem arises at home. This is another reason why fights happen at home between sons and daughters over issues such as property, taking care of aged parents, etc. It is a pathetic sight in many homes, especially when it comes to taking care of elderly and aged parents. If there is more than one brother or sister at home, the quarrel starts – Who will take care of parents and for how much time! When we were kids, did our parents think like this? Did our parents ever think, “Oh! We have two kids! We’ll take care of our first child for the first 6 months of the year, and the next one for the rest of the 6 months!” We need to ponder over this point very seriously! Had our parents been opportunistic like this, would we be what we are today? Didn’t our parents treat us equally in taking care of us, in educating us, in making sure that we’re set up in a good job and a career, in getting us married to a good spouse, etc.? If our parents have done everything for us in an equal manner, where is the right for us to even talk about “taking turns”, and thus escaping from the most important duty of taking care of them when they get old? This is where opportunism comes into the picture.

Thus the point that I’m trying to drive home here is that, when it comes to our fundamental duties, there is no question of escaping away and opportunism! If we’ve to take care of our elderly parents in a nice and comfortable way, it is a rule prescribed by Bhagawan for each and every one of us and there are no questions to be asked, nor no short-cuts available! Of course, many of us in today’s world are running behind “short-cuts” for many things, but here, there is no question of short-cut! We should throw away our opportunistic behavior and perform our duties towards our parents, come what may! If at all there are some misunderstandings that come in between brothers or sisters at home, it is our duty to solve them amicably and thereby ensure that our parents are not hurt. Ultimately, if we fight amongst each other, we should always understand that the first persons to get pained by these fights are our parents! If we fight in front of their two eyes, what would they feel? Would they be happy in the first place? Hence, we should ensure that we maintain the unity and harmony within ourselves and ultimately keep all our opportunisms apart, when it comes to serving our important duties towards our parents.

This is where the Mahabharata teaches us loads of lessons and it is our bound duty to learn from what all conspired between Duryodhana, King Dhirdiraahstra, Paandavas, etc. We should make sure that we do not repeat the same mistakes that they committed in their lives, because we’re witnessing all the repercussions, they faced for all their wrongdoings and how Bhagawan Krishna made sure that they suffered for all what they did! Thus, we should make sure that we should keep out all sorts of opportunisms when it comes to performing our fundamental duties of our life. We shall wait till the next episode to witness Vidura’s next important concluding point! Stay tuned! 😊

 

 

 

 

 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed yet another extension of Vidura’s important concluding point wherein we mentioned the role of our ego in flaring up unwanted issues that plague our day-to-day peace of mind and happiness. If we’ve to “let go” of our ego, we can move on with our misunderstandings and miscommunications that might happen within our family for various reasons. If we’re going to plug on to the issues and are going to flare them up with our ego, there is going to be no end to this and ultimately is going to result in unwanted fights, separation of family members, etc. It is so painful to witness in today’s world that families get split up even for petty issues! This is because of the sheer “intolerance” that we’ve developed over time. Our culture has slowly started to become individualistic – A big transformation from our India’s collectivistic culture. Gone are those days, wherein we were joint families! The concept of having nuclear families nowadays is also a major cause for this growing intolerance amongst many of us, especially youngsters of today. Growing up in nuclear families makes us devoid of moving with many people and thus the concept of “adjustment” and “tolerance” goes for a toss! This is one reason why we witness numerous fights and quarrels within close family members.

Thus the point that I’m trying to make here is that, all families should be united and affectionate and there should be no space for misunderstandings and quarrels within the family. Of course, there might be some odd misunderstandings and communication gaps here and there, but we should move on with them, rather than making these things as huge issues, thus leading to some bitter arguments, fights, etc. If we’re able to get this fundamental point right in our family, all other things like money, name, fame, luxury would start following us, rather than we following them! If we’re happy with what we have and if we can develop that sense of contention within us, peace of mind would automatically start reigning within us and our family!

Now moving on with the next point, Vidura once more reminds King Dhirdiraashtra that his son Duryodhana is nothing but an opportunistic and a crooked person! He makes this reminder to King Dhirdriaashtra innumerable times and I guess this might be the thousandth time that he’s making this statement. This time, Vidura makes this statement in the context of “sins” (Paapa) and good deeds (Punya) and how Duryodhana’s sins are driving him towards brink.

Vidura says thus, “Oh King Dhirdiraashtra! You might think today that you’re doing a great service to your son Duryodhana by supporting him in all “Adharma” that he’s doing. But think for a moment – At the time of your death, will Duryodhana come and protect you? Will he even be able to come along with you wherever you go after death? You’ve done so much for your son, isn’t it? What is he going to do as reciprocal for your excessive and obsessive love and affection towards him? Let me tell you this – Duryodhana’s opportunism is such that, he would only try and grab as much wealth and money as possible from your treasury and would ultimately leave you aloof! Let me remind you King Dhirdiraashtra! Duryodhana is not a good person by nature. He is a perfect example of an opportunist, who would use you to his benefit and at the end, throw you away like a garbage after his job is done! Please realize this!”

Vidura continues thus, “Oh King Dhirdiraashtra! Please also realize that during the course of your life journey, you need to take care of yourself! Just like how you take care of your physical body every day, you need to make sure that you take care of your mind, inner conscience and heart! You should try and follow your heart, which is always tuned towards “Dharma” by default! The problem with you is that, you’re getting carried away by worldly things and you’re turning deaf ears to what your inner conscience is telling you to do! Please awaken from this slumber, before things get totally out of hand! Please take care of your good and bad deeds as Bhagawan Krishna is closely watching you. Please realize that Bhagawan has given you an opportunity to mend yourself. Forget about Duryodhana and move on in your life! Enough of your love and affection towards your opportunistic son. Please act soon!”

Saying thus, Vidura emphasizes the fact that Duryodhana is going to finally dump King Dhirdiraashtra for his opportunistic agenda and urges him to move on. So for today, let us try and understand this important point that Vidura is making. We shall take this point into a much deeper context in the present day in tomorrow’s episode! Stay tuned! 😊

 

 

 

 

 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important discussion on the point, which is considered to be the nucleus of the entire Mahaabhaarata story – When it comes to money, name, fame, property, etc. we automatically tend to become selfish and possessive in nature, and in the process, we forget the path of “Dharma” to do anything and everything to obtain all of the above! If we look at the various instances that are explained by Sage Veda Vyaasa in the Mahabharata text, we can witness this particular point taking shape again and again in different contexts! The entire Mahabharata text talks about how different people at different times exhibited selfish and possessive characteristics that resulted in playing politics, cursing each other and how all of them suffered because of the curses. Ultimately if we explore deeply from all these instances, we can easily find out a latent truth that money, name, fame and property are nothing but poisons that try and kill human beings slowly and gradually.

Not only in the Mahabharata that took place around 5000 years ago, we’re also witnessing the same in today’s world too! As I’ve discussed before too, we are today witnessing heights of unwanted politics that occur within various families today, wherein brothers and sisters within the same house fight with each other for the want of parents’ property. The more pathetic thing here is that, because of our big and fat ego, we’re unable to even forgive and forget the mistakes done by others! Our ego has taken shape so much in such a way that we’re unable to “let go” of many things in life. I’m not talking about the money and property here and that, we should let go of them to have a peaceful life! If I start talking that way, I’m sure I’ll be kicked away by all of them! 😊 However, having said that, there should be some point wherein we should start, isn’t it? If we keep giving space to our ego every time, we’re never going to realize the fact that we’re getting more and more isolated from the world, and nobody would come near us for rescue if we’re getting entangled into any problem in future! By giving room to our ego to develop, we’re digging a huge grave for ourselves and we should realize this fact as we move on in life.

Hence the point here is that, we should somehow develop a strategy within ourselves to keep a check on our ego. Once this ego is taken care of, many things would automatically fall in place. The moment we give up our ego, we would be more open-minded towards our people and gradually our fights with them would reduce. Nowadays the problem is that, we start fighting even for petty things in life, and these fights gradually get transformed into bigger ones for the want of money and property! Such a thing is extremely dangerous for a healthy family life. Rather than giving place to our ego and becoming possessive about ourselves, why can’t we develop a mindset thus, “Oh! Afterall he / she is my brother / sister! If he / she enjoys something in life, isn’t it our enjoyment too?” If we start thinking thus, we would automatically start forgetting the hatred that brews within our family.

The point that I’m trying to make here is that, all families should be united and affectionate and there should be no space for misunderstandings and quarrels within the family. Of course, there might be some odd misunderstandings and communication gaps here and there, but we should move on with them, rather than making these things as huge issues, thus leading to some bitter arguments, fights, etc. If we’re able to get this fundamental point right in our family, all other things like money, name, fame, luxury would start following us, rather than we following them! If we’re happy with what we have and if we can develop that sense of contention within us, peace of mind would automatically start reigning within us and our family!

So for today, let us spare a thought in these lines and let us try and “let go” of unwanted misunderstandings, fights, ego, etc. with our near and dear ones! Afterall they’re our own kith and kin at the end of the day! Why do we want to ruin our happiness as well as theirs, for our ego of reigning our superiority over them? Let’s ponder! We shall wait till tomorrow to witness Vidura’s final few comments as he closes down the Vidura Neeti! Stay tuned! 😊

In the previous episode, we had witnessed yet another important point that Vidura emphasizes and this time it is about opportunistic behavior of people. When do people become selfish and opportunistic? This behavior starts getting exhibited mainly when it comes to money, name, luxury, wealth, property and the likes. This is exactly what is going on in the Hastinapura kingdom as well.

In fact, if we look at the sequence of the entire Mahabharata story, at every instance we would see some kind of an ego and vengeance taken by someone over someone else, just on the pretext of succeeding the kingdom, possessing wealth, transfer of property, etc. Here we would see people going to any extent to satisfy their desire of acquiring money and wealth! We’ve of course witnessed few of the instances in the past as to how this mentality transcended across the entire royal family of the Hastinapura kingdom – Right from the stories of Ambika, Ambaalika, birth of Bhishmaachaarya, emergence of Dhronaachaarya as a teacher of all the martial forms including artillery, etc., emergence of Paandu and King Dhirdiraashtra, emergence of Duryodhana and his 99 brothers (Kauravas), emergence of Sahuni (King Dhirdiraashtra’s brother-in-law), and how he conspired against the Hastinapura kingdom and King Dhirdiraashtra, etc. until the final Kurukshetra war. At every instance we would be able to witness many of these above-mentioned people, trying to satisfy their personal agenda via greed, opportunism, jealousy, etc. and eventually getting destroyed en-route!

If there was one classic person that we can single out from all of the above persons, I would pick Sahuni to explain this particular point that Vidura is explaining now! Of course, at this moment, Vidura doesn’t seem to train his guns towards Sahuni to drive this point home, but we can relate this point easily with whatever actions Sahuni did, so as to fulfil his personal agenda. If we look at the sequence of the Mahabharata story, there was a time when Sahuni had a huge tiff with his sister Gaandhaari and few others in the Hastinapura kingdom and due to this tiff, Sahuni was virtually sidelined on various issues. Eventually he took this as a matter of great personal insult and wanted to seek revenge for this. This is where, Sahuni played the game of a “mediator”. In the modern-day “Management” philosophy, we often employ this term called “mediator”, who is a third-party, outside the helm of affairs of the organization, giving suggestions and guidance so as to improve the prospect of the organization. This is exactly what Sahuni did to King Dhirdiraashtra, Duryodhana and the Hastinapura Kingdom. However, Sahuni went one step further here. Many a times, a mediator might not have a hidden personal agenda while executing his job role, but here, Sahuni – as all of us know, had a huge hidden personal agenda! The way he executed his personal agenda, without disclosing it to anyone in the helm of affairs is what is to be seen here.

Now what did Sahuni do exactly? Why do we say that Sahuni was opportunistic for money and power? Here goes his “modus-operandi” – Observing Duryodhana from close quarters, Sahuni sensed that he was the “weak-link” and he virtually captured this “weak-link” to drive his vengeance. As all of us know, Duryodhana was obsessed with the Hastinapura kingdom, its wealth, power, etc. Sahuni saw this as an opportunity to enter inside the helm of affairs of the kingdom – He establishes a close and a cordial relationship with Duryodhana and makes him fall into his trap! Sahuni makes Duryodhana believe that he is not only his uncle, but also a great well-wisher! This is how he made Duryodhana dance to his tunes! As all of us might know by now, Sahuni was an expert in gambling. It was Sahuni who instilled the “idea” to Duryodhana that the best way to defeat and insult the Paandava brothers is to somehow woo them into the gambling game! Sahuni also virtually brainwashed Duryodhana by repeatedly reinforcing the “modus-operandi” of the gambling game and how Duryodhana can use this as an opportunity to swindle away all the rights of the Paandavas to rule Hastinapura. Eventually as we know, Duryodhana was pulled into this and as per the plan, Sahuni makes Duryodhana “win” the gambling game and eventually “gifts” him with whatever he desired for! Little did Duryodhana realize at that point, that he is entering into a great “danger zone”! It was this one incident that led to the downfall of King Dhirdiraashtra and all of us hundred Kaurava sons and this incident was completely spear-headed by none other than Sahuni himself! Thus, through the game of gambling, Sahuni successfully drove his opportunistic personal agenda of bringing insult to King Dhirdiraashtra and the Hastinapura Kingdom as a whole! From this point of low, King Dhirdiraashtra and Co. could never rescue themselves till the end of the Kurukshetra war, and it is believed that this infamous episode of gambling was the start-point of all the problems that Hastinapura kingdom had faced!

Thus the point here is that, when it comes to money, wealth, name, fame, etc. people start becoming opportunistic and this becomes part of their hidden “personal agenda”. So from today’s episode, we should understand the significance of this point emphasized by Vidura repeatedly. I’m using the word “repeatedly” here because, all through the entire Vidura Neeti, we have witnessed Vidura iterating and re-iterating this one point again and again throught various means and analogies! This is the nucleus of the entire Mahabharata story and thus this point gains lot of traction. We shall wait for the next episode to move on with Vidura’s next important point! Stay tuned! 😊