The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Vidura continuing his accord on “Dharma” and how a king should follow the path of “Dharma” meticulously. We’ve witnessed a few important pointers such as “Sama”, “Dhana”, “Bheda” and “Dhanda” methodologies of dealing with various situations and when we should employ which methodology. Subsequently, Vidura is also explaining how a righteous king’s attitude should always be towards protecting the welfare of his people, rather than merely fulfilling his selfish needs. Moreover, Vidura says that it is important for a king to amass wealth and invest it properly. However, this wealth shouldn’t be for personal benefits, but for the welfare of the people in the kingdom. 

Moving on further thus, Vidura continues: “Oh King Dhritarashtra! One of the most important hallmarks of a righteous king is his willingness to listen to experts on various matters. A king should always be open to criticism and should always look at ways to rectify and mend his ways. Making mistakes is something which is common for all human beings. However, if someone points out our mistakes and suggests ways to correct them, we should be open enough for it. The level of openness that a king exhibits, will determine whether he is walking the righteous path or not. Moreover, none of us can be 100% in whatever we know. We might have several gaps in our learning, and if someone is trying to throw light upon something that we might not know, we should lend our ears and listen to them! The more we listen to elders and experts, the more we will learn! Moreover, a king is celebrated as a very righteous person if he discharges all his duties promptly along the path of “Dharma” at all times. Yudishtra is an epitome of this! Oh King Dhritarashtra! When Yudishtra spent twelve years in the forest, do you think he was just whiling away his time doing nothing? Yudishtra spent time with several great sages in the forest and had the opportunity to learn a lot from all of them. This is the hallmark of a righteous king! He should be prepared to go in search of places wherever “Dharma” is being propagated, which is exactly what Yudishtra did. Moreover, as you might be knowing very well, Yudishtra has Bhagawan Krishna by his side. Who else other than Bhagawan Krishna knows “Dharma” in this world better? Hence, these twelve years that Yudishtra had spent in the forest has made him stronger than ever in the path of “Dharma”, along with Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Anugraha”!”

Vidura continues further thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Please understand one thing – If you’re starting to think that you know everything, it marks the beginning of your downfall in various ways! If I’ve to analyze the way in which you’re carrying forward the administration, you are not doing your duty in the way you’ve to do. Of course, you’re listening to people’s words and I’m very happy about that. However, when it comes to implementation, you are refusing to act as per the advice given by experts. It is not enough if you listen to all what myself or Sanjaya is saying! You’ve to put these words into action and this is what will yield results. Mere listening doesn’t help! You’re the one who should decide as to how much territory should be given to Yudishtra and how much is to be given to Duryodhana. If you’re delaying this further because of your indecisiveness, you’re only creating more and more rift between the two camps! If you’re continuing with this indecisiveness and because of this if you’re ending up taking a hasty decision, please understand that the consequences are going to be disastrous! You’re going to be the sole reason for the destruction of your entire Kaurava clan! Hence, Oh King Dhritarashtra! Please understand my words! Even now it is not too late! You can still make a course correction even now! Please be assertive in your decision-making!” 

Saying thus, Vidura renders important pieces of advice to King Dhritarashtra and for today, let us understand up to this point. We shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of Vidura’s important accord on how King Dhritarashtra should act immediately if he has to tidy up the brewing situation. He narrates the key difference between being cowardly and being patient. With whatever happened so far at Hastinapura, Vidura indirectly points out to King Dhritarashtra that postponing his decision on and on is only seen as exhibiting a cowardly attitude, rather than being patient. In certain situations, a righteous king should be able to make quick decisions and in certain other situations, a king should not! This is the difference that Vidura is trying to bring out to King Dhritarashtra. At a dire situation when Draupati was being insulted in public, King Dhritarashtra should have acted swiftly and stopped the nonsense from happening any further. However, in the pretext of being “patient”, King Dhritarashtra kept mum, which shows how cowardly he is! 

Moving on further, Vidura continues thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Just like how we have different “Yogas” in spirituality like “Karma Yoga, Gnyaana Yoga and Bhakti Yoga”, in Raaja Dharma too, there are different states such as “Saama”, “Dhaana”, “Bedha” and “Dhanda”. A king should not resort straightaway to the “Dhanda-Ubaayam”, which means giving punishments to people! The first methodology to handle people should always be “Saama-Ubaayam”, which means, “peace-making”. We shall always negotiate peacefully with people to resolve problems, isn’t it? If however this method doesn’t work, you may adopt the “Dhaana-Ubaayam”, which means, giving something in exchange of something else. If this also doesn’t work, you may opt for “Bhedha-Ubaayam”, which means, wantedly creating conflicts between people, thereby, trying to find a mid-way to resolve a problem. Finally, if none of the above-mentioned methods work, only then the king should resort to giving harsh punishments to people! Oh King Dhritarashtra! Please understand one thing very clearly here – You should know when to use which “Ubaayam” (Method). You should know how to exhibit patience, but you shouldn’t become a coward. However, at certain points, you should know to punish people for their misdeeds, however, you should not become a dictator! This is the thin line of difference that you’ve to understand as a king!” 

Vidura continues further thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Let me explain to you as to who is a righteous king – A righteous king is someone who has his full focus and interest on his people and the kingdom. A righteous king should be ready to give his life to protect his people at any point of time. A righteous king should also be very interested in filling up his coffers with precious material, not for his own personal benefit, but for the benefit of his people! A righteous king should be shrewd enough to maintain his wealth properly with all the requisite accounts. The king should know exactly from where the wealth is coming and where the wealth is going out. A king should know where to invest his wealth, so that he can create further wealth, which can in turn be used for the welfare of his people. While making investments, a king should be very selfless in nature!” 

Now this is a very important point that Vidura is highlighting here – In today’s context, are we seeing such behaviour from our crooked politicians? Every passing day we’re witnessing scam after scam wherein politicians are seen amassing crores and crores of money in various forms! Whenever we’re in administration or leadership positions, be it in an organisation or for the country, the welfare of our people should always be our first priority, rather than our own! If we’re following this, it implies that we’re following the path of “Righteousness” (Dharma) and this is exactly what Vidura is explaining here! So for today, let us understand this point very clearly and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Vidura’s detailed accord on who is a “Mooda” (Fool) on this earth! As he lists down the various characteristics of a “Mooda”, King Dhritarashtra thinks that all these exactly fit into him in some way or the other. Again, this is an indirect poke that Vidura is giving King Dhritarashtra as he highlights the various unwanted characteristics that King Dhritarashtra is possessing, which is going to lead him to a huge disaster. Moreover, Vidura also explains how a person’s “Paapa-Karma” (Wrong actions) affects his entire family. We too witness this in our everyday life as well – For instance, if a person is addicted to alcoholic drinks and drugs, we’ve seen how his entire family, including his wife, kids and parents suffer. There are many families undergoing this unfortunate suffering because of this one person’s wrong action, isn’t it? The wife might not have committed any unwanted action, but she also suffers because of the husband’s wrong action. This is exactly what Vidura highlights here. 

Moreover, Vidura continues with his accord with four beautiful, but important points: Vidura explains thus, “Oh King! Whenever you get something nice, you should be prepared to share it amongst everyone. For instance, you get a sweet from someone – Rather than consuming it and enjoying it all by yourself, you should have the courtesy to share it amongst your people and with this, you should enjoy the sweet together with all of them. Secondly, if there is a complex decision to be taken, you should never do it all by yourself! You should consult with your people, deliberate, brainstorm and then arrive at a decision! As a king, this is very important for you – Whenever you come across tough situations, you should not arrive at “knee-jerk” reactions. You should always think about the situation, verify with multiple stakeholders, consult with experts, get their opinions, brainstorm and then make a decision. Thirdly, if you’re going somewhere and on the way, you’ve to cross a dense forest, you should never go alone! You should always take someone with you who can guide you with the right path. This is because forest paths might be dangerous and the probability is very high that you might lose your way! Hence, it is always safe to take someone with you who knows the way in and way out of it! Fourthly, when the whole world is sleeping, you should never stay awake! This is also a bad sign of a “Panditha”. You should not disturb anybody’s deep sleep!” 

Explaining all these points, Vidura continues further thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! As a king, you should be able to understand the thin line of balance between being cowardly and exhibiting patience! There might be situations wherein you’ve to make a decision instantaneously. At that time, you cannot say that you are a very patient person and keep waiting. The world will brand you as a coward if you exhibit such a lacklustre attitude. On the other hand, there might be instances wherein you shouldn’t be making “knee-jerk” decisions and reactions. You should indeed wait and then make a decision. If you are not exhibiting this behavior, the world will brand you as an “impatient” and “intolerant” king!” 

Now this is a very important point here. Whatever King Dhritarashtra has done so far – We can think about it deeply and brand him accordingly! King Dhritarashtra thinks that he is patient in his decision-making when it comes to Duryodhana’s atrocities! When Draupati was insulted in the public on that fateful day, King Dhritarashtra was silent, wasn’t he? Now, is this patience or cowardliness? This is a dire situation wherein King Dhritarashtra should have acted swiftly by stopping Duryodhana from doing all this nonsense, isn’t it? Instead, what did King Dhritarashtra do? He was “patiently waiting” for things to unfold one after the other and then tried to project to the world that he is a very calm and a patient decision-maker! However, what King Dhritarashtra ended up getting from people is the brand of a “coward”, who doesn’t have the guts to act swiftly during critical situations! This is exactly what Vidura is indirectly highlighting here! 

Hence for today, let us understand this point clearly and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this interesting accord from Vidura further! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the commencement of the “Vidura Neethi” – An interesting dialogue between Vidura and King Dhritarashtra. We’ve witnessed that King Dhritarashtra is spending a sleepless night and Vidura comes to render some useful words of wisdom to King Dhritarashtra. In this way, we’ve witnessed Vidura talking in detail about those categories of people who are deprived of sleep. Vidura mentions about eight such categories, all of which are applicable to King Dhritarashtra either directly or indirectly. To add to this further, Vidura lists down the characteristics of a “Panditha” (Learned Scholar) and those of a “Mooda” (Fool). We’ve witnessed the characteristics of a “Panditha” in the previous episode, and upon King Dhritarashtra’s request, in this episode, Vidura is going to list down the important characteristics of a “Mooda” (Fool) and of course, Vidura is not going to let King Dhritarashtra go just like that, without some pokes here and there! This is going to be a very interesting accord and let us continue witnessing further! 

Now who is a fool as per Vidura? The first characteristic is “Ashrutasya”, which means, a person who has never acquired the essence of his / her education and has no expertise in it. Second category of people being fools – “Samunnaddaha”. This means, even though people might have been highly educated, he / she doesn’t use it in the right direction. In other words, people develop jealousy and greed with education and are not down to earth in any way. Third category of people being fools – “Daridrashca”. This is very simple. Those people who have completely forgotten whatever they’ve learnt. Now this is what is directly applicable to King Dhritarashtra here. As we’ve seen earlier itself, King Dhritarashtra is an extremely scholarly person, however, due to various other reasons, he seems to have completely forgotten whatever he had learnt during the past! Even for us, this is very important. When it comes to learning, putting that effort to learn things thoroughly and passing the exam with flying colours, all of us will do it and score high marks! However, when it comes to recollection of whatever we’ve learnt and retaining the subject in our mind, this is where we falter, isn’t it? 

Thus, explaining all these, Vidura concludes that those people who are epitomes of the above-mentioned characteristics, are considered to be the greatest “Moodas” (Fools) in this world! Vidura again pokes King Dhritarashtra thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! I hope you do not fall under any of these characteristics! Do you?” As Vidura asks thus, King Dhritarashtra thinks within himself thus, “Oh wow! I fall under all these categories which Vidura mentioned just now! :)” Moreover, Vidura continues to explain further thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Please understand one thing very clearly here – If a person commits a sinful act, the entire family has to experience the repercussions of it! Hence, we’ve to be extremely careful while committing our actions every passing day. We’ve to understand that our actions are going to have reactions not only for us, but also for our entire family as well! Hence, as a learned person, I hope you will realize this in whatever actions you perform!” 

Now this is another poke from Vidura. As this is an introductory note, Vidura is not directly telling anything to King Dhritarashtra. He is very careful in the usage of his words. However, these words are good enough to poke King Dhritarashtra in the way it should not! This is because, King Dhritarashtra’s case is open and shut here – The greatest sin that he has committed through Duryodhana to Draupati in the public courtroom starts to haunt King Dhritarashtra once again as Vidura is explaining the characteristics of a “Mooda”! So now what is King Dhritarashtra going to ask Vidura as a follow-up question? Is he getting angry or is he getting thoughtful about what has happened earlier? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Vidura commencing his reply to King Dhritarashtra on who are those people not getting enough sleep at night. He lists down various categories, upon which, King Dhritarashtra accepts to Vidura that he falls under all those categories of people. He further laments to Vidura that he is not able to ask anything to Duryodhana, even though he knows that Duryodhana is walking the path of gross “Adharma”. King Dhritarashtra cries to Vidura that he has lost everything on that fateful day when Draupati was insulted in the public courtroom by Duryodhana and Co.! Meanwhile, King Dhritarashtra also realizes that if at all there is a war, Duryodhana is certainly going to be on the losing side because Yudishtra has Bhagawan Krishna by his side at all times. Given the significance of Bhagawan Krishna, the Paandavas are never going to lose and this is quite certain. Moreover, King Dhritarashtra also realizes that he and his son have abducted Indraprastha illegally from Yudishtra, for which they’re going to pay a heavy price! 

As King Dhritarashtra laments thus, he requests Vidura: “Oh Vidura! Given the current situation, is there any way that this can be reversed? What is the path of “Dharma” I should follow from here on to do a course correction? Please advise me on the same!” As King Dhritarashtra asks thus, Vidura is now going to explain a lot of things to him. He commences with a beautiful explanation about who is a “Vidwan” (“Panditha” or a learned scholar) and a  “Mooda” (A stupid person) and how both of them react to situations. Vidura explains thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! A “Vidwan” is someone who has mastered the “Atma-Gnyaanam” (Knowledge about the “Atman”). This person would be able to clearly differentiate between the “Jeevatma” and the “Paramatma” and this knowledge is extremely essential for spiritual progress. Secondly, Vidura says that a person is a Vidwan if he / she is an epitome of the characteristic called “Samaarambaha”. This means, the person should have high levels of motivation to perform good actions which would benefit the world!” 

Vidura continues further thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Thirdly, a Vidwan should be an epitome of the characteristic called “Tithiksha”! This means, a person should be able to exhibit enormous amounts of patience and perseverance irrespective of how many hurdles cross by during the pursuit! Fourthly, a person is branded as a Vidwan if he possesses the characteristic called “Dharma-Nityata”. This means, while the person is trying to satisfy his / her desires, if there is a compulsion that he / she has to deviate from the path of “Dharma”, how is this person resisting it and standing by the “Dharma”! This is a real test here! We might be having enormous desires in life and we would be aiming to satisfy all of them. However, we should understand that not all desires could be satisfied through the path of “Dharma”. If we understand this clearly, life would be a success!” 

Vidura continues further thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! If a person is devoid of any desires towards others’ property and wealth, he / she is termed as a “Panditha”! Hence, Oh King Dhritarashtra! Think within yourself now – Do you follow any / all of these characteristics? If “yes”, you would get a sound sleep when you go to bed at night! If not, you would be sleepless like this! Normally, “Pandithas” get a sound sleep because their minds are clear of any sort of worries!” As Vidura explains thus, King Dhritarashtra quips Vidura again: “Oh Vidura! Till now you’ve detailed all the characteristics of a “Panditha”! This is fine! However, please tell me the characteristics of a “Mooda” (Fool). Maybe I would be able to relate more to these, rather than those of a “Panditha”! :)” 

As King Dhritarashtra asks thus, Vidura is now going to list down the characteristics of a “Mooda”! Maybe, we can also relate a lot to this as Vidura is going to explain! 🙂 For this, we shall wait till the next episode which is coming up tomorrow! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the commencement of the all-important “Vidura-Neeti” wherein Vidura is going to give some important pieces of advice and wisdom to King Dhritarashtra. As we’ve seen earlier, King Dhritarashtra is extremely anxious about the outcome of Sanjaya’s visit to Yudishtra & Co. As Sanjaya gave an encrypted reply, King Dhritarashtra is having so many thoughts running in his mind, which makes him utterly confused. Hence he wants someone to clear all his confusion with some soothing words of advice. Thus, he calls out to Vidura for this. As Vidura comes, King Dhritarashtra expresses his inability to get a good night’s sleep. Now it is Vidura’s turn to reply to whatever King Dhritarashtra has said. We shall commence Vidura’s reply in today’s episode and let us see what Vidura has to say. 

Moving on, Vidura replies to King Dhritarashtra thus, “Oh King! You’re telling me that you’re unable to get a good night’s sleep, aren’t you? Do you know who are those people in this world who are unable to get a good sleep when they lie down on bed? I’ll list down eight categories of such people. You tell me which category you’ve fallen into!” Saying thus, Vidura lists down the eight categories of people who do not get proper sleep at night. He says thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! First category of people is those who have called someone who is more powerful than them for a fight! Second category of people are those who do not have the mental strength to face any problem in life! Third category of people are those who have lost all their property to someone else! These people will also not be able to get enough sleep at night. Fourth category of people are those who desire unwanted things and unwanted people! Such people are driven heavily by desires and this would hinder their sleep! Fifth category of people are those who have abducted somebody else’s property and kept it in their house. Such people also wouldn’t get proper sleep!” 

Saying the fifth category thus, Vidura stops and pauses for a while and looks at King Dhritarashtra deeply! Indirectly, Vidura nudges King Dhritarashtra that he clearly falls under the fifth category of people here! We can understand this very well too – When Duryodhana abducted Indraprastha illegally through the gambling game, King Dhritarashtra was silent, wasn’t he? Hence, it simply means, King Dhritarashtra was also “hand-in-glove” with Duryodhana in whatever he has done, isn’t it? Pausing thus, Vidura further asks King Dhritarashtra: “Oh King! I’ve listed down all the categories of people who do not get proper sleep at night. You tell me which category you fall under!” Now this is a poke that Vidura is making upon King Dhritarashtra, which prompts King Dhritarashtra to reply thus, “Oh Vidura! I fall under all the categories that you’ve mentioned so far! 🙂 I know that Bhagawan Krishna is on their side and even after that, I’m encouraging Duryodhana to fight against the Paandavas! I know that I’ve abducted Yudishtra’s Indraprastha illegally through the gambling game! I know that I do not have adequate mental strength to mend Duryodhana’s ways! I know that I’m not assertive enough to stand up against whatever Duryodhana does, even though I know that he is walking the path of “Adharma”! I do not have the strength to stand up and fight! This is because I know that I’m walking the path of “Adharma” and I’ve done it in the past! I also know that I’ve lost my property! You might wonder what property I’m talking about! Oh Vidura! The moment Draupati was insulted amidst the public courtroom on that fateful day, I lost the biggest property in the form of her! She will always remember this for her life! So what else is there for me to lose?”
Saying thus, King Dhritarashtra laments to Vidura about his inabilities and incapabilities as a king! Now it would be interesting to see what Vidura is going to reply back! We shall wait for the next episode to find out Vidura’s reply! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed King Dhritarashtra getting more and more anxious by the minute as Sanjaya goes off to sleep after giving an “encrypted” reply to him about Yudishtra’s stance on the current situation. Unable to control his wavering mind, King Dhritarashtra is in a huge dilemma and obviously being a learned scholar himself, King Dhritarashtra knows that whatever he and his son are doing is gross “Adharma” towards Yudishtra and Co. However, his “Putra Vaatsalya” towards Duryodhana is blinding King Dhritarashtra to just being a mute spectator to whatever “Adharma” Duryodhana is doing. This is where King Dhritarashtra is in a fix and with this, he has a long sleepless night ahead of him before Sanjaya opens up next morning! 

As King Dhritarashtra struggles to keep himself intact thus, he thinks that he needs someone by his side apart from Sanjaya with whom he can express himself freely. King Dhritarashtra also thinks that this person to whom he wants to open himself up should know the exact “Dharma” and should also be able to advise him on the right path. Now who is one person at Hastinapura who would satisfy all these criteria that King Dhritarashtra is setting up here? That person is none other than Vidura himself, who is the epitome of “Dharma”! As we’ve witnessed earlier itself, Vidura is the direct incarnation of Yama-Dharma-Raja, who has taken birth in this world because of a curse from Saga Maandavya. Vidura is an embodiment of “Dharma” and he also has the capability to communicate the various aspects of “Dharma” in a very convincing manner. King Dhritarashtra knows this very well and because of this, he decides to call upon Vidura to seek some important advice. 

As King Dhritarashtra calls for Vidura thus, Vidura makes his way to King Dhritarashtra’s chamber and sees the king awake at an odd hour in the night. As Vidura arrives, King Dhritarashtra begins the conversation thus, “Oh Vidura! I wanted you to come here to meet me because I’m in need of some important words of advice. Sanjaya had gone to meet Yudishtra and Co. at Viraata Desha and has come back with some important information which he is refusing to share with me at this moment. He says that I’ve to wait till tomorrow morning wherein he would share everything amidst the entire courtroom. Yudishtra has said something which might be detrimental to my son Duryodhana. I’m sure of it, and this is why Sanjaya is refusing to share it right away with me. Or, there might be something else that is detrimental for the entire Hastinapura kingdom as a whole. In any case, I do not know what is in Sanjaya’s mind. My mind is in a lot of confusion because of this and I’m not able to sleep properly. This is why I wanted to seek some advice from you because I know that you are an epitome of “Dharma”! Hence, Oh Vidura! I’m unable to get any sort of sleep even for a single minute! Please alleviate my anxiety with your golden words of “Dharma”!”

As King Dhritarashtra explains the situation to Vidura clearly, Vidura is now going to render some important words of wisdom to King Dhritarashtra. With this, we commence an important segment in the entire Mahabharata text called “Vidura Neeti”. We’ve already done a full project on Vidura Neeti earlier as well, but given the context, I shall just summarize what Vidura has got to tell King Dhritarashtra before we move on further. I shall keep it short here, because of the fact that we’ve already discussed this in detail earlier. Readers may feel free to refer to my earlier episodes on the “Vidura-Neeti” for a detailed discussion. So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall witness what Vidura replies to King Dhritarashtra! Stay tuned for an important accord tomorrow! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sanjaya getting off to sleep after a long journey to Hastinapura from Viraata Desha after meeting Yudishtra and Co. King Dhritarashtra’s anxiety increases as Sanjaya gives an encrypted reply before going to bed! Before going off, Sanjaya once again tells thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Now you’re feeling extremely tense and anxious! But what is the use? You should have had this same anxiety when Draupati was insulted in public amidst everyone! At that time you were silent and watching the show as a mute spectator and by doing so, you failed in your duty as a king. If you would have had real concern for Yudishtra or the Paandava brothers, you should have raised up to the occasion and shown Duryodhana his place. You failed to control the actions of your son at that stage and now what is the use of getting anxious? What is going to change in between tonight and tomorrow morning? Hence, please wait till tomorrow morning to listen to my full accord as to what Yudishtra had said to me!” 

We would also have this same feeling too – Whenever we write an examination and come out of the exam hall, we would feel relieved that the exam is over. However, when the day of results being published arrives closer, our fear and anxiety would increase, wouldn’t it? Whether we would pass the examination or not? What happens if we fail the examination? We wouldn’t think of all these while we study for the examination and while we write the examination. We should understand one thing here – When was the examination result decided? Was it decided just a day before the results were published? Or, was it decided while we were writing the examination? Obviously, the fate of whether we pass or fail the examination gets decided when we are writing the examination in the hall! This is exactly what is happening to King Dhritarashtra here too! Here, the examination hall was Hastinapura courtroom. The examination was whether King Dhritarashtra rises to the occasion and thwarts Duryodhana’s attempt to ill-treat Draupati! If King Dhritarashtra would have performed this examination well, he wouldn’t have worried so much today as Sanjaya is going to declare the results the next day! However, the problem comes because King Dhritarashtra as a king, has miserably underperformed during the examination at Hastinapura courtroom! This is the reason why King Dhritarashtra is extremely tensed and anxious! 

As we understand this, we now move into the “Prajaakara Parva” under the main “Udyoga Parva”. The phrase “Prajaakara” means, “keeping awake all through the night”. King Dhritarashtra is unable to get a proper night’s sleep because Sanjaya has left a huge suspense before resting for the night! King Dhritarashtra is walking here and there in his chamber, unable to lie down and sleep. So many thoughts run through his mind as he is struggling to find an amicable solution to the brewing disaster! King Dhritarashtra feels that the situation is going out of hand now, but still, he is unable to take a decision. On one hand, he knows that Yudishtra is grossly being ill-treated by Duryodhana and he also knows that Duryodhana is clearly walking the path of “Adharma”. Bhagawan Krishna, who is all-pervasive, is on the side of the Paandava brothers, and if this continues, Duryodhana is surely going to face defeat and a humiliating end to his life! However, on the other hand, King Dhritarashtra’s “Putra-Vatsalya” (Excessive affection and attachment towards his son) towards Duryodhana is blinding him completely to whatever “Adharma” Duryodhana is committing day after day! King Dhritarashtra is unable to raise his voice and criticise Duryodhana for his heinous actions because he has a worry that his son would feel bad if his father is not supporting his cause!

This is a huge confusion to have as a father, isn’t it? So for today, let us understand King Dhritarashtra’s dilemma clearly as we enter into the “Prajaakara Parva” and in the next episode we shall witness what King Dhritarashtra is going to do next, as he has a long sleepless night ahead of him before Sanjaya opens up next morning in the courtroom! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sanjaya returning back to Hastinapura and King Dhritarashtra receiving him anxiously. As King Dhritarashtra is worried whether his son Duryodhana would get the benefit of advantage out of the situation or not, he asks Sanjaya for details of what conspired during his visit to Yudishtra. We’ve witnessed earlier that King Dhritarashtra had indirectly told Sanjaya to convince Yudishtra to sacrifice the Hastinapura unified kingdom to Duryodhana. Hence, King Dhritarashtra is concerned whether Yudishtra has accepted his proposal or not. When confronted, Sanjaya however gives an encrypted reply by saying that Yudishtra is still sticking on to his “Dharma” no matter whatever happens around him! He also starts advising King Dhritarashtra that it is he who is walking away from the path of “Dharma” and it is high time that he mends his ways! Sanjaya explains to King Dhritarashtra that situations might not be favourable at all times and he has to be prepared to strike a balance especially when the going gets tougher.

As Sanjaya says all this, King Dhritarashtra doesn’t understand anything of what he’s saying! He once again asks Sanjaya to come to the point as to what was Yudishtra’s message. For this, Sanjaya says that he is tired because of the long journey that he had to undertake from the Viraata Desha to Hastinapura and hence, he is going to sleep. Sanjaya says that he would disclose all the details of the conversation the next morning in the courtroom in front of everyone including Duryodhana! Saying this, Sanjaya goes to his chamber to rest. Once again, this encrypted answer from Sanjaya leaves King Dhritarashtra in utter confusion! Lot of thoughts are running in King Dhritarashtra’s mind – Is Yudishtra willing to compromise the unified Hastinapura for Duryodhana to rule? Will my son Duryodhana succeed me as the next king of Hastinaupra as per his wish and my wish as well? Or, is Yudishtra contemplating a war with Duryodhana and Co.? If a war takes place, won’t it become a disaster? Will my son be able to survive after a war? Is he powerful enough to face Yudishtra, Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna in a war? Oh! Duryodhana is seemingly going on the path of “Adharma” and many people including Sanjaya, Vidura, etc. are highlighting the same! Even the other day, Bhishmachaarya was mentioning that Duryodhana should go for a compromise and give Indraprastha to Yudishtra and for this, Duryodhana fumed with anger upon him. Duryodhana’s anger and jealousy knows no bounds that whoever comes in his path would be under fire from him! If Duryodhana has to brand Bhishmachaarya as a coward, what kind of a person he is becoming?” 

Moreover, King Dhritarashtra now recalls that infamous gambling game episode as well – “Of course whatever happened on that fateful day is gross “Adharma” and Bheemasena had taken a strong pledge to destroy Duryodhana! Will that pledge come true? Will my son face a ghastly end in the hands of Bheemasena? Arjuna had taken a pledge that he would destroy the entire Kaurava clan single-handedly! Will that pledge come true? Bhagawan Krishna is also by the side of the Paandava brothers. If that is the case, how on earth is Duryodhana going to win over all of them? Why is Duryodhana not realizing his mistakes? If I go and talk to him about all these, he will fume at me and he will discard my words straightaway! He is totally now under the influence of Sahuni and the others who are instilling bad thoughts into him constantly! Of course, I too want my son to rule Hastinapura after me and my mind is not willing to compromise on this! I want my son to be happy and as a father, I’ve to fulfil his wishes too!” 

Thus in this way, King Dhritarashtra is filled with thoughts and because of this, he is unable to get any sort of sleep during the night! He is completely anxious as to what would have been Yudishtra’s response and how his son Duryodhana can benefit out of this situation. So what does King Dhritarashtra do now? Is he going to spend the entire night sleepless like this? Or, is he going to seek some clarity on these above-mentioned points with someone? Who is that someone? What is going to happen next? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sanjaya coming back to Hastinapura and King Dhritarashtra welcoming him with all respects. King Dhritarashtra is very anxious as to what would have been the reaction from Yudishtra and Co. as Sanajaya had gone there to meet them. As Sanjaya comes back, King Dhritarashtra asks him to detail out everything that happened during the course of the conversation. However, Sanjaya only gives a jist of what had exactly happened, and that too in a coded manner! He says to King Dhritarashtra that Yudisthra is still sticking to his “Dharma” even though he had to undergo so many ordeals in his life! These words from Sanjaya make King Dhritarashtra jump up in joy! He thinks that Yudisthra’s “Dharma” is to keep compromising for Duryodhana and to avoid a war from happening! King Dhritarashtra clearly did not understand the deeper meaning of what Sanjaya tries to convey and hence, his joy is short-lived! 

As King Dhritrarashtra is seemingly in joy, Sanjaya is now trying to clarify thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Let me clarify an important thing here – Yudishtra’s “Dharma” is to fight a war as he is a “Kshatrya” himself! Hence, the “Dharma” that I had mentioned for Yudisthra is to stand up and fight, and not to compromise! Oh King! I tried to speak to Yudishtra and everyone present there! Their opinion is very clear – Duryodhana should mend his ways and you should strike a balance between “Putra-Vatslyam” and “Dharma”. If Duryodhana is giving back Indraprastha to Yudishtra, war can be avoided. However, if this doesn’t happen, Yudishtra is ready for a war as well! Oh King! Please understand – In life, we would go through certain situations which we would like and rejoice, and also certain situations wherein we would be uncomfortable! We will not be able to get what we like every time! At times, we need to sacrifice and maintain the balance. This is the characteristic of a learned person. Oh King Dhritarashtra! Please do not think that you would have happy situations all the time in life. There will be certain times when the going will be tough! You’ve to accept those situations with glee and take it in a balance. If you’re unable to understand this, then there is no point in being a good administrator!” 

As Sanjaya keeps saying all this, King Dhritarashtra thinks within himself thus, “Oh wow! Why is Sanjaya doing all this “Gita-Upadesha” to me? 🙂 Who asked him for all this? I’m more interested in what Yudishtra said and whether Yudishtra is ready to compromise Hastinapura for Duryodhana and whether my son Duryodhana can be coronated the next king of Hastinapura!” Thinking thus, King Dhritarashtra asks Sanjaya thus, “Oh Sanjaya! Whatever you’re telling is right! You’re saying that Yudishtra is sticking to his “Dharma”. What is his “Dharma”? What is his opinion about Duryodhana? Come to the point straightaway!” 

As King Dhritarashtra asks thus, Sanjaya is deeply pained! Irrespective of how much ever he is advising King Dhritarashtra, he is not even showing an iota of change in his attitude! Pained thus, Sanjaya replies back thus, “Oh King! I’m very tired after a long journey from Viraata Desha all the way to Hastinapura! Give me time till tomorrow morning to rest. I shall explain the entire message of Yudishtra in the courtroom tomorrow! Please wait till then, and anyway it is very late into the night. Please go and rest and let us talk in detail tomorrow morning!” Saying thus, Sanjaya walks away, leaving King Dhritarashtra sinking in a lot of thoughts! King Dhritarashtra is all confused with Sanjaya’s “bits-and-pieces” answers! So for today, let us understand up to this point. In the next episode we shall witness what happened to King Dhritarashtra next! Stay tuned! 🙂