The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Duryodhana not being very happy at the end of Day Eight at Kurukshetra. After yet another day belonging to the Paandava camp by and large, Duryodhana feels that Bhishmachaarya is not doing enough, even though he is extremely capable. For some reason, Duryodhana feels that Bhishmachaarya is holding himself back from going full throttle on the Paandavas. Hence, he thinks of asking Karna to enter the battlefield and to prove his might. Hence, he first asks Karna for approval, for which Karna says that he is not going to enter the battlefield unless and until Bhishmachaarya is leading from the front, owing to the pledge that both Bhishmachaarya and Karna had taken earlier. Given this complication thus, Duryodhana makes a plan – To give Bhishmachaarya a break for a day or two and make Karna the “Senapati” instead of Bhishmachaarya! With this in mind, Duryodhana approaches Bhishmachaarya, who straightaway rejects this plan! Bhishmachaarya’s ego gets hurt big time and he takes a pledge that he would go all out on the Paandava army on the next day and with this, he would finish off all his “debts” that he owes to Duryodhana. 

As he says thus, Bhishmachaarya is pained in his heart so much. He continues his accord to Duryodhana thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Till now I’ve never backed out of a war in front of an enemy! However, you’ve started doubting me on my credentials and my integrity in the battlefield. In all these eight days of war I’ve lived up to my pledge that I’ve given in front of you. For instance, every day I had pledged that I’ll destroy a substantial portion of the Paandava army, which I’ve done. I’ve never gone back on my pledges till date. Oh Duryodhana! Please do not talk about this any further to me! The moment you’ve started doubting my credentials, I will prove myself in the forthcoming day(s). Please leave me alone. I shall fight single-handedly from tomorrow onwards and you will see the results on the ground!” 

As Bhishmachaarya says firmly thus, Duryodhana quietly leaves the place without uttering a single word back to him. As Duryodhana leaves, Bhishmachaarya sinks into a deep thought – Why is he getting such words from a person who is an epitome of “Adharma”? Who is Duryodhana to come and question Bhishmachaarya, who himself is an exceptional warrior beyond normal descriptions? Bhishmachaarya is someone who has sat in Bhagawan Brahma’s “Raaja-Sabha” as an invited guest. For a person of such a high stature, is it acceptable that he gets such certificates from Duryodhana who is nothing as compared to him? As Bhishmachaarya ponders over these questions, he himself obtains the answer. Bhishmachaarya thinks thus, “Oh! On that fateful day when Draupati was molested, what was I doing sitting there? When the entire Kaurava camp was rejoicing Yudishtra’s loss and Draupati’s molestation, as the senior most person in the family, I should have been the one to stop that nonsense that happened on that day. However, I chose to remain silent! Draupati called me out for help and still I did not respond to her. This is the most defining moment of my life, from where the downfall of this entire family commenced! Till today I’ve not deviated from my “Dharma”, but on that occasion, me choosing to be silent was the greatest “Adharma” that I had committed till date, for which I’m reaping the consequences to this day! If I had questioned Duryodhana’s atrocities then, would he have the same guts and courage to come today and doubt my credentials in the battlefield? Thus, this is the biggest mistake I made and I repent for it!” 

We are witnessing this introspection of Bhishmachaarya at the end of Day Eight. He is going to go full throttle with full vigour from the ninth day onwards, however, his full throttle approach is going to be short-lived! So for today, let us understand this very important point and we shall wait till the next episode to witness how Bhishmachaarya approached Day Nine at Kurukshetra! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the proceedings of Day Eight, wherein there were a few marquee events that took place. Initially the day starts with Bheemasena running rampage over the Kaurava army yet again single handedly and killing several of Duryodhana’s brothers. Subsequently there’s a fight between Iraavaan and Alambusha, wherein Alambusha kills Iraavaan and with this, the Kaurava army draws first major blood in this war. Subsequently, with the entry of Ghatodgaja, the scenario quickly changes as he creates utter chaos amidst the Kaurava army. Whoever comes in front of Ghatodgaja is just crushed and thrown apart! Nobody was able to withstand Ghatodgaja’s fierce onslaught and with this, Bhishmachaarya decides that the day has to be concluded, so as to avoid further loss of lives. Thus, day eight slowly drifted towards the Paandava army’s favour – Thanks to the heroics of Bheemasena and Ghatodgaja. 

As the eighth day proceedings come to a close thus, Duryodhana is not satisfied with the outcome. Eight days have passed and still there’s no considerable movement in the status quo of the war. All the five Paandava brothers are still alive, along with their key “Senapathis” emerging more and more powerful every passing day. Whereas on the other side, Duryodhana is ending up losing several of his brothers and he himself is getting thrashed almost every passing day. Moreover, we’ve seen Duryodhana having a chat with Bhishmachaarya earlier about the war proceedings and he also knows that Bhishmachaarya is not having a positive thought about the outcome of this war. Hence, Duryodhana thinks of a different plan. He approaches Karna for some suggestions. 

Thus, during the night time, Duryodhana and Karna sit in a corner together and have a chat. Duryodhana says to Karna thus, “Oh my dear friend! I do not know what is happening with Bhishmachaarya. He is full of negativity these days and seems to be least interested in fighting this war and winning over the Paandavas. Eight days have passed by and till now, there’s nothing that has gone in favour of our side. Even though Bhishmachaarya is invincible in nature, something is preventing him from fighting for us with his full potential. I’m not really satisfied with the way he is fighting and leading the army. So, can you come into the battlefield from tomorrow onwards?” It should be remembered here by the readers that Karna and Bhishmachaarya are not in good terms with each other. On one hand, Karna has taken a pledge that if Bhishmachaarya is in the battlefield, he would not enter it and stand shoulder to shoulder to fight the war. Similarly on the other hand, Bhishmachaarya too has taken a pledge that unless and until he is in the battlefield and is able to fight, Karna should not enter at any cost! As Duryodhana asks for such a favour, Karna replies back – “Oh my friend Duryodhana! I do not have any problem coming and fighting for you. But Bhishmachaarya’s presence in the battlefield will not allow me to enter. Hence, do one thing – You go and talk to Bhishmachaarya and suggest to him that he should rest for a day or two as he has been on the battlefield for more than a week now. If he’s willing to sacrifice his position on the battlefield, I can enter and fight for you! WIth this, I shall ensure that all the five Paandava brothers will be killed by me tomorrow itself and thus, the war will come to an end tomorrow itself!” 

Hearing this from Karna, Duryodhana doesn’t think any further! His stupidity knows no bounds! He straightaway marches towards Bhishmachaarya’s tent with this idea of giving him rest and allowing Karna to fight the war. Not knowing that this idea would infuriate Bhishmachaarya, Duryodhana goes to have a chat with him. Duryodhana says thus, “Oh Bhishmachaarya! You’ve been trying very hard for the past seven to eight days and I acknowledge your efforts. However, we are not able to see results on the ground and you’re seeming to struggle in containing the surge of the Paandava army. Perhaps if Karna comes to the battlefield tomorrow, things might change and we might get something in our favour!” 

As Duryodhana says thus, Bhishmachaarya quickly understands his intention. In fact, Duryodhana did not even suggest that Bhishmachaarya should rest for a while and with this, he will ask Karna to come. The moment Bhishmachaarya hears Karna’s name, he gets furious! Bhishmachaarya gives a one-line reply to Duryodhana thus, “Oh Duryodhana! See my fury in tomorrow’s war. With this I shall finish all my debts that I have for you! You will see something very different and drastic on the battlefield tomorrow!” So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall wait till the next episode to find out what Bhishmachaarya really meant by his short but furious reply to Duryodhana! Stay tuned for an important turn of events! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the proceedings of Day Seven of the Kurukshetra battle, wherein yet another day went down as a “draw” for both sides, with no significant results on record. However, the marquee event of Day Seven was the fight between Guru Dhronachaarya and King Virat’s son, wherein the latter gets killed by Guru Dhronachaarya. Meanwhile, Duryodhana and Drishtadhyumna come face to face with a fierce show of strength on either sides, only to finish with a draw! At the end of the seventh day thus, neither of the sides faced considerable destruction and it was an even contest. 

Now moving forward thus, we go into the proceedings of the eighth day – The Kauravas come up with the “Koorma Vyuham” and the Paandavas come up with the “Shringaara Vyuham”. As both the armies clash with each other, Bheemasena starts with a bang in the morning itself! He goes on a rampage, killing several of Duryodhana’s brothers at a stretch! Meanwhile, a fierce battle ensues between Iraavaan and Alambusha. As many of us might know, Alambusha has a unique expertise of performing the “Maaya-Yuddham” (Illusionary warfare). He can suddenly vanish in the middle of the fight and re-appear from somewhere else, thus completely blinding the opposition. This Alambusha is motivated by Duryodhana to go for a fierce war against the Paandava army. As Alambusha is being asked by Duryodhana to enter the battlefield, Bhagawan Krishna decides that Iraavaan is the right person to tackle him. Thus Yudishtra, under the instruction of Bhagawan Krishna, requests Iraavaan to take over the battle for the day to tackle Alambusha. A fierce battle ensues between the two of them, which lasts for several hours without a break. None of them are willing to let go of the war and both of them perform an equivalent “Maaya-Yuddham” with each other! Finally at the end, Alambusha emerges more powerful and he kills Iraavaan, resulting in the first heavy loss for the Paandava camp. 

It is to be noted that Iraavaan is an extremely powerful warrior, however, he was not able to match up completely to Alambusha’s illusionary war tactics beyond a point. Thus, the Kauravas draw their first blood in the form of Iraavaan. Meanwhile, Bheemasena sends Ghatodgaja to the battlefield once again for a fierce retaliation. Ghatodgaja destroys whoever comes in front of him, as he is on a full rampage mode right from the word “Go”! Bhagawan Krishna and Arjuna are witnessing this spectacular war from the other end. Ghatodgaja is extremely powerful and he joins hands with Bheemasena to run through the Kaurava army! As Ghatodgaja is walking in front, the Kaurava army is scared to bits upon seeing his huge form itself! Ghatodgaja captures several “Senapatis” with his huge hands, crushes them and throws them away! This infuriates Duryodhana and Co. who in turn launch an assault against Ghatodgaja. However, none of them are able to even come forward and stand in front of him even for a few minutes! Ghatodgaja’s job is very simple here – Capture the warriors, crush them and throw them away! Given his immense strength, Ghatodgaja does this with ease, as Bhishmachaarya feels scared of the unfolding disaster! Thus, Bhishmachaarya stops the war for the eighth day and the armies return back to the tents. 

Thus, on the eighth day, even though the Paandavas lost Iraavaan, they have the upper edge – Thanks to the rampage of Bheemasena who managed to kill several Kaurava brothers on the trot, and to Ghatodgaja’s last-minute heroics! So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall witness what happened next during the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

We are currently amidst Day Six proceedings of the Kurukshetra war wherein Bheemasena and Duryodhana come in front of each other once again – Perhaps for the third time in a row! There’s once again a huge confrontation between the two and Bheemasena is in a savage resolution this time – To somehow finish Duryodhana off once and for all, for all that he had done earlier! Bheemasena in full fury can spell disaster for the opposition and as per this narrative, Bheemasena gives heavy blows to Duryodhana with his enormous muscle power. After a certain stage, Duryodhana is unable to match it up with Bheemasena and yet again he succumbs to Bheemasena’s might! Duryodhana falls unconscious yet again on the battlefield – For the the third time in a row! However, this time as well, Jayatrada intrudes at the right time and swiftly moves Duryodhana away from that spot, leaving Bheemasena fuming with anger! His bid to finish Duryodhana off has been foiled yet again! 

Thus, as this event unfolds, the Kaurava army is in extreme fear now – As Duryodhana is repeatedly being thrashed down, this is not a good sign for the Kaurava army, which is now starting to get a bit clueless. Upon seeing this, Bhishmachaarya calls it a “Stop” for the day, even as Bheemasena and Drishtadhyumna run riots into the Kaurava army. The duo is smashing and thrashing whoever is coming in front of them and as a result, the entire battlefield becomes a field of blood flowing everywhere! Hundreds of soldiers, horses and elephants lose their lives to a rampaging Bheemasena as he wreaks complete havoc in all directions! As this happens, Bhishmachaarya too realizes that if this rampage goes on, the entire Kaurava army will be destroyed within no time and hence, he wanted the war to stop for the day, for the Kaurava army to regroup once again. 

Thus, as we come to the end of Day Six, the result is completely in favour of the Paandava camp. Duryodhana’s confidence is completely dented now, thanks to Bheemasena’s fatal blows! Bhishmachaarya too is struggling at the other end to regroup the Kaurava army and on the whole, there’s utter chaos in the camp! Both the camps rest for the night and the subsequent morning, they again regroup at the battlefield. The Kauravas come up with the “Mandala-Aakaaram” and the Paandavas come up with the “Vajra-Aakaaram” to counter them. At the beginning, King Virata’s son, Shanka and Guru Dhronachaarya come face to face and a huge war breaks out between the two. Shanka is extremely powerful and equally powerful is Guru Dhronachaarya as all of us know. The war proceeds intensly as Guru Dhronachaarya slowly gains the upper hand over Shanka. Finally as Shanka begins to struggle, Guru Dhronachaarya kills Shanka and wins over him! 

Meanwhile on the other side, Duryodhana and Drishtadhyumna come face to face with each other! An intense battle ensues between the two and both of them attack each other fiercely with several “Asthras”. However, at the end, neither of the two are able to neutralize each other and the fight comes to an end. Similarly during the seventh day of the war, none of the important people are able to win over each other and hence, Bhishmachaarya decides to call off the war for the day and the result is a “draw” on both sides! Thus, the seventh day of the war comes to an end and for today let us understand up to this point! We shall continue this discussion further in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the commencement of Day Five at Kurukshetra. This comes after a detailed conversation between Bhishmachaarya and Duryodhana, wherein Bhishmachaarya is revealing several secrets about the Paandavas and their close association with Bhagawan Krishna. With all these narratives, Bhishmachaarya clearly declares to Duryodhana that no matter how much effort he and his army puts in, this war belongs to Yudishtra, as he walks the path of “Dharma”. Moreover, Bhagawan Krishna favours only those who follow “Dharma” and whichever side has Bhagawan Krishna in it, victory is assured! Even after Bhishmachaarya explains to Duryodhana about all these aspects, Duryodhana is not going to change himself and his stance. Day Five of the war commences and on this day we’ve seen two marquee events – Bhishmachaarya vs. Bheemasena and Saatyaki vs. Guru Dhronachaarya. These are high-intensity battles between these individuals which finally end in a draw, with none being defeated. As such one-on-one battles continue to happen without any result, Bhishmachaarya thinks that the strategy of the entire war needs to be changed. He proposes a “Sankula Yuddham”, wherein anybody can feel free to attack anybody in the rival camp. Rather than having a focused and a pre-planned one-on-one attack, this “Sankula Yuddham” technique is a random attack on anybody and everybody at the same time! 

As Bhishmachaarya proposes this idea, the Paandava camp is also ready for the challenge. Thus, the “Sankula Yuddham” commences and as expected, it creates a complete chaos in both the camps, as nobody knows who is attacking whom! Arrows and “Asthras” fly randomly from both the sides, not knowing in which direction they are being targeted! It is at this time, Saatyaki’s five sons lose their lives to the Kaurava attack. Angered and frustrated by the loss of his dear sons, Saatyaki comes up with a new flair and rigour. He trains his guns towards anyone and everyone who comes in front of him. The Kaurava army starts trembling with fear as Saatyaki advances further and further, making decisive inroads into them! Upon seeing Saatyaki’s extreme fury and the level of rampage that he is in, Bhishmachaarya calls off the war for the day! Thus, Day Five at Kurukshetra is characterised by heavy losses of army men and other artillery on both the sides. The day ends in a draw! 

Triggered by the losses, both the sides gear up for an even more intense war on Day Six. The Kauravas come up with the “Krauncha Vyugam” and in return, the Paandavas come up with the “Makhara Vyugam”. The starting of Day Six is marked by a heavy clash between Bhishmachaarya and Drishtadhyumna. As all of us know, Drishtadhyumna is the one who has taken birth to kill Guru Dhronachaarya because of a past rivalry. Drishtadhyumna is not an ordinary person. He has taken birth out of a “Yaagam” (Holy offering) and because of this, he is extremely powerful on the battlefield. Bhishmachaarya is not able to understand the weakness of Drishtadhyumna and the same is the case vice versa too. Bhishmachaarya, as we know, is virtually not defeatable by anybody in this world and he shows his prowess on the battlefield. Again this battle ends up in a draw, with neither of the two able to gain success against each other. 

Angered by this, Bheemasena joins hands with Drishtadhyumna and comes in the same chariot. Both of them launch a scathing attack on the Kaurava army and send everyone packing! The duo is now looking out for Duryodhana, who comes in front of them to face the challenge. Duryodhana is fully charged up and is up for the battle with Bheemasena once again. Now, this is the third round of the Bheemasena vs. Duryodhana “show of strength”! Once again an intense muscular battle between the duo ensues, even as Drishtadhyumna is out there to support Bheemasena. Once again, Duryodhana is at the receiving end and Bheemasena is determined to kill Duryodhana this time. He gives decisive blows on Duryodhana’s face and body, which makes Duryodhana collapse once again! However, Jayatrada makes a timely intervention once again to drag Duryodhana away from Bheemasena, which infuriates him even more! This is the second time that Jayatrada is playing spoilsport! At one stage, Bheemasena starts going after Jayatrada, only to be stopped by Drishtradhyumna, who warns of a trap that might be laid for him outside the battlefield. Bheemasena quickly gets the message and relents! 

Thus, Day Six witnesses the third time Duryodhana is falling unconscious to Bheemasena’s body blows! This clearly shows that Bheemasena is more powerful and invincible than Duryodhana on any given day! The difference between the two is clear now! So what is going to happen next? Let us wait till the next episode to witness the continuation of Day Six at Kurukshetra! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya lamenting to Duryodhana as to why he is on the side of “Adharma”, even though he has enormous “Gnyaanam” (Knowledge and foresightedness). This is where we’ve to learn an important lesson – It is not enough if we have requisite knowledge on “Bhakti”, “Dharma”, “Artha”, “Moksha”, etc. We should have the “Vairagya” and “Dhairyam” to implement them and put Bhagawan’s words into practice. This is like writing the word “chocolate” on a piece of paper and trying to taste it. Can we experience the sweetness of a chocolate by merely seeing it on a paper? We can enjoy the sweetness of it only by consuming it in real, can’t we? Just having the knowledge that the chocolate will taste sweet is not going to help us in any way! Similarly, here too, knowing for a fact that following the path of “Dharma” will lead us to the ultimate “Moksha” doesn’t help beyond a point. Of course, this knowledge is important and I’m not denying it. This knowledge should however take us to the next step of implementation and if this implementation is not there, having the knowledge is a mere waste. This is exactly what happened to Bhishmachaarya too. Even though he knew that Bhagawan Krishna and Arjuna are the “Nara-Narayana” combine and they are going to destroy the entire “Kuru Vamsa”, he could not help himself being on the path of “Dharma”. 

So all these conversations happen at the end of Day four wherein Duryodhana is under fear, perhaps for the first time after losing fourteen of his brothers to Bheemasena’s raw muscle power. For this, Bhishmachaarya is consoling Duryodhana, but in a way that he wouldn’t like – Bhishmachaarya says that even if Duryodhana tries his best, he is not going to win this war. After all these conversations on one side, the fifth day of the war proceedings begin the next morning. Sage Vyaasa beautifully explains this inch by inch. The Kauravas form the “Makhara Vyugam”. We might know that “Makharam” means fish. The Kaurava army is in the formation of a fish and in return, the Paandava army forms the “Sena Vyugam”, which is in the form of an eagle / vulture. 

Day five of the Kurukshetra war begins with the marquee event wherein Bheemasena is in direct confrontation with Bhishmachaarya. This is perhaps the first time that both of them come in front of each other. During the previous days we’ve seen Bhishmachaarya fighting with Arjuna repeatedly and Bheemasena and Duryodhana fighting with each other repeatedly. Two rounds of battle are already over within the two duos. Now it is time for Bhishmachaarya to take on Bheemasena! A huge war breaks out between the two, as both of them are invincible in nature. Upon seeing the intense clash between the two, Duryodhana jumps in and joins hands with Bhishmachaarya to take down Bheemasena. At one stage, it was as if Bheemasena is going to single handedly kill Bhishmachaarya, and at a crucial juncture, Duryodhana intervenes and takes Bhishmachaarya away from that place. Meanwhile, a small “Round three” of fight ensues between Duryodhana and Bheemasena, but this doesn’t last long. Both of them part away from each other after a brief encounter. 

Meanwhile on the other side, there is a huge battle between Guru Dhronachaarya and Saatyaki. Again, both of them are extremely powerful and a fierce battle ensues. This goes on for a while as Bhishmachaarya keeps watching from the other end. He doesn’t want to intervene because he feels that Guru Dhronachaarya is at his best! However, both of them aren’t able to understand how to defeat each other and once again, the battle ends in a draw! As this happens, Bhishmachaarya thinks thus, “Oh! If the war goes on like this, nobody is going to win and it is only resulting in the death of countless numbers of soldiers and elephants. Hence, rather than having one-on-one fights like this, let us do a “Sankula Yuddham”, wherein there is no rule that one should fight only with a few!” 

In other words, “Sankula Yuddham” means anybody can pick up a fight with anybody in the rival camp, instead of a pre-fixed plan that one person will target only one or two specific people in the other camp. So how is this change in plan going to work? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhishmachaarya lamenting to Duryodhana that he too had to fall into the trap of “Adharma” as he did not have the “Vairagya” (Will-power) and “Dhairyam” (Courage and confidence) to implement “Dharma”, even though he had enormous “Gnyaanam”. Thanks to Bhagawan Brahma, Bhishmachaarya had tremendous understanding and acumen on “Dharmaa”, but because the implementation part was missing, Bhishmachaarya had to fall prey to Duryodhana’s hospitality and refuge for the past several years and now he cannot come out of it anymore! It is to be noted here that Bhishmachaarya fights the war on Duryodhana’s side against the Paandavas, knowing very well that he is fighting for a losing cause. He knows that he is not on the side of “Dharma” and because of this, there is no chance that Duryodhana is going to taste victory. Further, Bhishmachaarya is saddened by the fact that despite giving several warnings as to not to poke his nose into Yudishtra’s affairs, Duryodhana chose to ignore him completely. Now that Bhishmachaarya is revealing the true nature of the Bhagawan Krishna-Arjuna combo, Duryodhana is still reluctant to change himself and mend his ways! 

Thus, we can see the biggest problem with Bhishmachaarya here – Right from his early days, he has a firm and stubborn thought that the entire family is under his responsibility only. This is where he’s getting pulled down and he himself is accepting this now. Moreover, we’ve also seen earlier that because he thought that it is his responsibility to keep the family intact, Bhishmachaarya even went to the extent of obtaining a boon that he can be alive until and unless he wants to be! This is perhaps the biggest mistake that he made. This is what we refer to as “Jeeva-Svaatantryam”. This means, Bhagawan is giving enormous freedom to all of us to make our own decisions in life. Bhagawan has given us the necessary intellect and intelligence for thinking and making decisions. However, there is a catch here – Are we using this intellect to understand and realize the fact that Bhagawan is the doer and we are not? Or, are we using the same intellect to think that we’re the doers and we’re the ultimate decision-makers? If we opt for the first option, we become ardent “Bhaktas” of Bhagawan, and if we’re opting for the second option, it simply means that we’re getting carried away by the “Jeeva-Svaatantryam” too much and as a result, we’re moving away from Bhagawan with every decision that we make for ourselves! This is exactly what is happening to Bhishmachaarya here – Till this moment, Bhishmachaarya thinks that it is only because of him, the family (including the Kauravas and Paandavas) is intact and together. Little did he think that it is Bhagawan’s responsibility to take care of everyone! This is why Bhishmachaarya struggles to take a decision when the tough question of whether to support the cause of “Dharma” or “Adharma” comes up! 

In fact, this is the case with all of us as well. In the heat of things, we tend to think that we’re the sole decision-makers and we end up messing ourselves completely! In other words, as per the above discussion, many a time we get carried away by the “Jeeva-Svaatantryam” too much! In this process, we fail to realize that Bhagawan is the ultimate decision-maker and we should surrender to His divine lotus feet! Moving on further thus, as Bhishmachaarya laments, Duryodhana is happy in a way! How? It is because both of them sail on the same boat! While Bhishmachaarya is advising Duryodhana to mend his ways, Duryodhana is asking back thus, “Oh Bhishmachaarya! You’re asking me to walk the path of “Dharma”, but what are you doing? You’re not setting an example for me to follow! When you yourself are not following what you’re preaching, how do you expect me to follow your words? Hence, let us continue fighting this war together till the end!” 

Now the message from Duryodhana is loud and clear! Duryodhana is not going to change and mend his ways even an inch! Even after Bhishmachaarya explains that there is no way through which Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna can be defeated, Duryodhana turns deaf ears to all these important points! So for today, let us understand upto this stage and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion forward! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we were at an important juncture wherein Bhishmachaarya is revealing a few important secrets to Duryodhana about the Paandavas, especially about Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna, and what kind of a bond they share with each other. Bhishmachaarya narrates one such divine experience wherein he was part of a grand “Sabha” presided over by Bhagawan Brahma, which contained all the Devas including Indra in it. During one of those discussions that took place in that “Sabha”, Bhishmachaarya comes to know of the incarnation of Bhagawan Vishnu as Bhagawan Krishna amidst the “Yadu Kulam” and how He is going to destroy “Adharma” which is in the form of the Raakshasas and the Raakshasa-like people. In this discussion, it is also being said that Bhagawan Krishna will be destroying the Kuru-Vamsa as well because it is going to have Raakshasa-like people in it. 

At this point, Bhishmachaarya is a little surprised! He immediately thinks, “Oh wow! Bhagawan Brahma is talking about the Kuru Dynasty, which is nothing but ours! So does that mean that our future generations which come as part of the Kuru Dynasty are going to face danger in a big way?” Now with whatever is happening around him, Bhishmachaarya’s worst fears are coming true! Duryodhana is part of the Kaurava clan, which all started from Kuru. We’ve seen this in our initial episodes of this Mahabharata project. Bhagawan Brahma’s words can never prove to be false and hence, Bhishmachaarya is damn sure that this is the war that Bhagawan Brahma was referring to earlier and Bhagawan Krishna is present in the middle to make the destruction happen right in front of His two eyes! Moreover, Bhagawan Brahma also mentions that there will not be one entity in the form of Bhagawan Vishnu, but will be two of them. Bhagawan Brahma while saying this, refers to the “Nara-Narayana” combination of the Bhadrinaatha Kshetra. This same “Nara-Narayana” combination has incarnated as Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna at the end of the “Dvaapara Yuga”. 

Revealing all these to Duryodhana, Bhishmachaarya explains further thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Unless and until Bhagawan Krishna is marking His divine presence amidst the Paandava brothers, you are not going to win this war for sure! “Dharma” is by their side and Bhagawan Krishna will always be on the side which walks the path of “Dharma”!” Upon hearing this, Duryodhana asks immediately – “Oh Bhishmachaarya! If this is the case, why are you fighting for a losing cause?” For this, Bhishmachaarya replies back thus, “Oh Duryodhana! What do I do? It’s my fate! I’ve been desiring for “Artha” (Wordly pleasures and luxuries) all these years! I’ve obtained a boon also for this that I shall die only when I desire to do so! If such is the case, who on earth can save me? I do not have any other option but to go with the flow and it is too late for the realization to sync into me! The only one in our family who obtained this realization and mended his ways is Vidura and nobody else! I had the golden opportunity to be alongside Bhagawan Brahma to understand all these things that I’m telling you now. However, I failed in the execution of this realization, which has actually pulled me down! Oh Duryodhana! Please understand – It is not enough if you have the “Gnyaanam” of the highest level. The “Gnyaanam” should be implemented in practice in our everyday life. This is the one which would create the actual change. I failed in the implementation part even though I have all these understandings in me! I’ve been enslaved by the luxuries and properties that you’ve given me all these years and hence, I’ve to be of gratitude to you. This is why I’m forced to fight this war alongside you, even though I know that this is only going to lead me to destruction!”

Saying thus, Bhishmachaarya laments to Duryodhana with all these important secrets. So the message is loud and clear for all of us as well – We might be having excellent knowledge about Bhagawan by reading through the scriptural texts, listening to a lot of discourses on Bhagawan, etc. All these will contribute to the development of the “Gnyaanam” in us. However, if we’re not following whatever Bhagawan says in our real life, there is no use of having this “Gnyaanam” in our brains, isn’t it? Thus, in order to execute and implement the “Gnyaanam” that we obtain, we should have the “Dhairyam” (Courage) and “Shama” (Patience and Perseverance) in us. So for today, let us understand this important point from Bhishmachaarya’s accord, and we shall wait till the next episode to move forward! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we witnessed a very important conversation between Duryodhana and Bhishmachaarya at the end of Day Four. This comes at a time when Duryodhana lost fourteen of his brothers to the wrath of Bheemasena on the battlefield. As this happens, the worst fears of the Kauravas are slowly starting to come true. We know already that during that infamous gambling episode, when Draupati was molested in public, Bheemasena had taken a pledge that he would single handedly kill all the hundred Kaurava brothers. Thus, when fourteen brothers were killed in a single day, Duryodhana goes and talks to Bhishmachaarya as to how to stop this rampage from Bheemasena and the others in the Paandava camp. However, Bhishmachaarya clearly says to Duryodhana that no matter how much ever the intensity of the fight, the Kaurava army is sure to lose out to the Pandavas, because the Paandavas have “Dharma” by their side. Even as Bhishmachaarya says thus, Duryodhana is steadfast in continuing the war further, which forces Bhishmachaarya to reveal a few secrets that he knows about the Paandavas. 

In the course of yesterday’s episode, we had also witnessed an important message that if great “Mahatmas” or elders ask us to do something, it is better to blindly follow their words, rather than counter-questioning them. This is because, there might be a few things that Mahatmas wouldn’t want to reveal to us, which we might be shocked to know. Moreover, Mahatmas think of the long-term good for us while instructing us to do something today. However, normal people like us will not be able to understand such things, as we’re more interested in short-term affairs. Hence, out of short-term interest and curiosity, we might end up questioning the Mahatma’s intent of asking us to do something, which we might be quite uncomfortable doing. This is exactly the same thing that is happening to Duryodhana as well. When Bhishmachaarya instructed him several times not to go behind Yudishtra and Co. for a fight, Duryodhana ignored everything and went ahead with it! However, now since Duryodhana is forcing Bhishmachaarya to reveal a few secrets about the Paandavas, Bhishmachaarya is going to do so. 

So, Bhishmachaarya says thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Normally I do not reveal such matters to anybody, but because you’ve asked for it, and maybe because this might do something good for you, I’m revealing it to you – Once upon a time, I was sitting in a huge “Sabha” (Auditorium) wherein the Devas and great Maharishis were seated together. It was a prestigious “Sabha” and I was extremely fortunate to be part of it. Oh Duryodhana! You can’t even imagine – It is not easy to be part of such great “Sabhas” ever! However, I got a small opportunity to be there. Sage Naarada had marked his presence too in that “Sabha”, along with several other important sages. Bhagawan Brahma was presiding over the “Sabha” and at that time, he let out an important secret to me. Bhagawan Brahma says thus, “Oh Bhishmachaaraya! I was born from the “Naabhi-Kamalam” of Bhagawan Vishnu and during my initial days, I did not know this. Hence, I was trying to figure out who my parents were and through my “Yoga-Shakti” I saw a huge bright object coming towards me with dazzling light! I was finding it difficult to view it through my naked eyes! He was none other than Bhagawan Vishnu Himself! As I saw Him, I quickly got into my senses to realize that I was born directly from Him only and nobody else! My task was to take the Vedas from Him and propagate it to the entire world. Thus, the Vedas began its journey from me!”

As Bhagawan Brahma says thus, Bhishmachaarya explains his experience to Duryodhana further – “Oh Duryodhana! As Bhagawan Brahma continued to worship Bhagawan Vishnu in front of all of us, he used several terms which were quite familiar to me. Bhagawan Brahma referred to Bhagawan Vishnu as the one who is going to be soon born in this world to give enormous significance to the “Yadu-Kulam” and in order to relieve the pressure being faced by Goddess Bhoomadevi, He is going to destroy all the Raakshasas and the people who have the “Raakshasa-Svabhaava” in them! Oh Duryodhana! When I heard Bhagawan Brahma talking about Yadu-Vamsa, Yayaati, etc., they sounded quite familiar to me because Bhagawan Brahma was invariably talking about all of us! Moreover, Bhagawan Brahma also said something very interesting – He said that Bhagawan Vishnu is going to be incarnating as “Nara” and “Narayana” in this world very soon. Even though they are two in number, we should see oneness in this duo! This same duo is going to take birth as Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna! Bhagawan Krishna is “Narayana” and Arjuna is “Nara”. Even though they might be two separate individuals, they are one and the same!” 

Bhishmachaarya continues further thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Now do you understand? The “Nara-Narayana” combine that I’m talking about is none other than the combo of Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna. I’ve hinted to all of you several times in the past that Bhagawan Krishna is none other than Bhagawan Vishnu who has incarnated to destroy evil in its complete entity. Inspite of my several explanations, you did not understand this reality!” So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall continue this further to see how Duryodhana is going to react to this secret being revealed by Bhishmachaarya! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of proceedings during Day Four of the Kurukshetra war, wherein Bhagadatta and Ghatodgaja engage in a fierce fight with each other, only to go away without a result. At the same time, we’ve seen Round Two of Duryodhana vs. Bheemasena, which also ended without a result, thanks to Jayatrada’s timely intervention. However, during this encounter, Bheemasena ended up killing fourteen Kaurava brothers in a single day, which induces fear within the Kaurava camp, perhaps for the first time ever! Meanwhile, towards the end of the day, Bheemasena, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva team up together to wreak havoc amidst the Kaurava army, which starts scampering here and there seeking refuge! At a stage when the entire Kaurava army seems to fall apart rather quickly, Bhishmachaarya decides to call off the war for the day! With this, both armies return back to their camps and this marks the end of Day Four at Kurukshetra! 

Moving on thus, as the night settles in on Day Four, Duryodhana pays a visit to Bhishmachaarya’s tent and has a word with him. Duryodhana asks Bhishmachaarya thus, “Oh Pita Maha Bhishmachaarya! Tell me one thing clearly – Are we going to be on the winning or losing side?” As Duryodhana asks thus, Bhishmachaarya heaves a heavy breath and replies – “Oh Duryodhana! I’ve already told you the result of this war even before the commencement – We are definitely going to be on the losing side only! There can be no two ways about this! Please do not ask this question again and again! You asked me this question on Day One itself, and I had given you my answer. Now, why are you asking the same question?” As Bhishmachaarya replies with such reluctant answers, Duryodhana gets furious! He asks back thus, “Oh Bhishmachaarya! You’ve taken the role of the Senapati of our army! How can a Senapati be so unmotivated in his talk? How can the Senapati blatantly accept defeat like this? If you knew that you would be on the losing side, why did you opt to preside over as the Senapati of our army?” For this, Bhishmachaarya replies – “Oh Duryodhana! I took over as the Senapati only by knowing that we’re going to be on the losing side. It is not that I did not anticipate defeat early on before taking over! I know very well that I’m fighting for a losing cause!”

As Bhishmachaarya replies thus, Duryodhana’s anger increases further! He asks thus, “Oh Bhishmachaarya! Are they more powerful than you? How can you concede defeat like this? You’re extremely powerful and invincible and I know that you can single handedly win this war for us!” For this, Bhishmachaarya replies with a pained heart thus, “Oh Duryodhana! I’ve made several attempts to make you understand this – In a battle, it is not just the power of an individual which is important. What is more important is “Dharma”! The side where “Dharma” is present will win! We do not have “Dharma” by our side! If such is the case, how do you expect us to win? I’ve tried to make you this several times in the past as well, but I’ve failed miserably as the great grandfather of this entire clan! If you would have understood what is “Dharma” and how “Dharma” is important to be followed, such a disaster which we are facing today could have certainly been avoided. All that is happening today is just because of you, who failed to understand the fact that one cannot win over another person merely with the “Deha-Balam” (Physical strength). Of course, “Deha-Balam” is important, but it is just the “Saadhanam” and not the “Saadhyam”. In other words, “Deha-Balam” is not entirely the cause of one’s victory. What is more important here is whether we have “Dharma” on our side or not!” 

As Bhishmachaarya gives a detailed reply to Duryodhana with a lot of pain and frustration, Duryodhana does not seem to understand anything of what Bhishmachaarya is explaining to him. He asks back in return thus, “Oh Bhishmachaarya! What makes you so scared by looking at the Paandavas?” As Duryodhana asks thus, Bhishmachaarya heaves a huge sigh of frustration! He replies back thus, “Oh Duryodhana! There are a few secrets that I know about the Paandavas, which unfortunately you do not know! You may ask me to reveal those to you now, just because I said that there are certain secrets! Oh Duryodhana! Please understand! It is not necessary that elders and Pandithas should reveal each and every thing to others. If they guide you through a direction to follow, you should follow it without asking cross questions! If you’re going to violate the words of elders, you need to be prepared to face disasters in your life!” 

Now this is a very important message that Bhishmachaarya is trying to convey to Duryodhana, and in turn to all of us as well! The message is clear – If elders or “Mahatmas” or “Bhaktas” ask us to do certain things, it is better to blindly follow their instructions without asking them anything. Even if they scold us, we’ve to be ready to take it! Even if they beat us, we’ve to be ready to endure it! It is because “Mahatmas” know why they’re doing it to us – There will be some hidden good within the actions that they’re asking us to do, which we will not be able to figure out at that moment. Moreover, it is not a mandate that “Mahatmas” would reveal the reason behind each and every instruction that they give us. However, in the longer term, we ourselves would understand why we had to go through such a tough phase under a “Mahatma”! This is exactly what Bhishmachaarya is explaining here to Duryodhana – To listen to the words of elders without backlashing at them for everything! So for today, let us understand this point clearly and in the next episode, we shall have a detailed look into this point! Stay tuned! 🙂