'What do I (we)
do, if with the passage of time dharma declines and we are attacked by enemies
and thieves?'
Bheeshma advocates punishment as the main tool with which to deal with the wicked and action should be prompt.
'Only then will people be afraid and behave well. While you should be soft spoken, your heart should be made of steel and sharp like a sword. Even if there is a treaty with the enemy, you should be vigilant. An enemy is like a snake hiding inside your house and you are always in threat. Hence you should beguile the enemy by talking sweetly to him, by giving him gifts, if necessary by falling at his feet and shedding tears! Once you have charmed him, destroy him, like you smash an earthen pot against the rock, at the first opportunity! There should be no mercy, an enemy has to be eradicated totally! It does not matter, if you regret it later and cry! A thorn which has not been removed fully will pain for a long time. There is a time to be harsh, there is a time to be soft! If you are always soft, people will ignore you. If you are too harsh, there is only fear around you. You have to yield to those who are stronger and to those who are afraid, keep them in fear. Do not develop useless enmities, avoid being overly adventurous, it is like chewing a horn of a cow, there is no juice, no taste, just pain for your teeth. It does not mean you should become timid, you should study the situation well. Be patient like a stork, crafty like a wolf, brave like a lion and be attacking like an arrow! Only then is a king able to control the enemy and achieve his objectives.
Considering the nature of Yudhisthiraa, I thought it was a tall order. So it will be, if I am able to pass this on to our beleaguered PM. But I am sure he would get some solace by trying! The only problem would be to identify his real enemies.
Wednesday, 5 September 2012
Wednesday, 29 August 2012
Yudhisthira has many questions! MB blog 185
Yudhisthira has many more questions!
'What do we do, if with the passage of time dharma declines and we are attacked by enemies and thieves?
If dharma totally declines and there is drought, What should the brahmins do and the king do?
If one loses his wealth, parents, his wife and children, how should one bear such a loss with wisdom?
As time passes and all are pulled towards death, what is the best way to behave?
How do the rich and the poor experience happiness and sadness. What are their characteristics?
Inspite of the best efforts there is no money, but desires are never ending, what should one do to be happy?
What is the way to be without worries and and attain a happy state of mind?
What should a man hold on to? Is it karma or wealth or wisdom to discriminate?
How was this world created, the animate and the inanimate?
What is the difference between Sankhya and Yoga?
While the few who are with me think about these questions, I let it rest for a while!
'What do we do, if with the passage of time dharma declines and we are attacked by enemies and thieves?
If dharma totally declines and there is drought, What should the brahmins do and the king do?
If one loses his wealth, parents, his wife and children, how should one bear such a loss with wisdom?
As time passes and all are pulled towards death, what is the best way to behave?
How do the rich and the poor experience happiness and sadness. What are their characteristics?
Inspite of the best efforts there is no money, but desires are never ending, what should one do to be happy?
What is the way to be without worries and and attain a happy state of mind?
What should a man hold on to? Is it karma or wealth or wisdom to discriminate?
How was this world created, the animate and the inanimate?
What is the difference between Sankhya and Yoga?
While the few who are with me think about these questions, I let it rest for a while!
Tuesday, 28 August 2012
Bheeshma continues. Mahabharata 184
Bheeshma's wish list of desired qualities for a king, his priest and minister would have crystallised during Duryodhana's regime. Note also the importance he gives to family background while choosing men to administer the kingdom! One can ask what family? Was there layer of noblemen from which men of quality could be picked up? There would be, but the cast of characters we have seen so far does not give us any clue.
Imagine Bheeshma, a virtuous man, who would not break his promise at any cost, living as a dependent and an unhappy one. I wonder why he stayed on, he could have moved out! He could have stayed with the pandavas in Indraprastha. But for Bheeshma, Hastinapura was home and one can understand the reluctance to move when one is old! Also, it seems being part of a clan is important to a khsatriya, whatever the consequences. Add to that his nature, his inflexibility.
Bheeshma continues: 'A king should aim at victory only through dharma. His treasury should always be full. Going to war is not wrong. Punishing the evil is as important as protecting the good, harvesting does not destroy the crops, it helps. It is not dharma for a khsatriya to die on a bed. It is the brave who protect the world. He carries the world, like a child is carried, in his arms. You should not go on campaigns without making sure of a victory. If it is possible, try other means; negotiations, reward or creating dissensions among the enemy, to ensure victory. It is also good to yield a little, like a plant yields and bends in a flood, when it is necessary to do so. You need to be intelligent, Manu has said that it is the brain which is chiefly instrumental in a victory. Brain power is superior, The power of your arm is medium and that of the leg is the lowest. Character is very important! Dhritharashtra used to praise your character. A man without character may get rich, but it will not last.
He narrates many stories and anecdotes to emphasise his views. There is a story which tells us that Prahlada defeated Indra and ruled the three worlds. The wily Indra succeeds in pleasing Prahlada and asks for character as a boon! As the story goes, once character leaves Prahlada, he looses gradually everything!
Yudhisthira describes a scenario, 'Let us assume that a king is facing bad times, he has become inactive, his conscience does not permit him to send his friends and relatives to war and get them killed! He has no faith in the leaders of the people. Ministers do not offer well thought out advice, people are frustrated, there is no money, friends have become distant, there is a rift amongst ministers and added to this a powerful enemy is after him, what should he do under these circumstances?
We can do many things here, we can draw parallels and conclude that nothing has changed or see what Bheeshma has to say. He advocates a peace move if the enemy is trustworthy. If the king is inclined to fight, he can fight and attain veera swarga, Or he may find ways to stay alive, as there is hope in getting everything back if one is alive! A king should learn to anticipate dangers to his kingdom and be proactive. He tells a story from the animal world. An anglophile would say 'Tom and Jerry'! The mouse gets better of the cat!
There is story which teaches one to be beware of soft spoken enemies! A king and a bird have offspring at the same time. The bird brings a very special fruit for her chick and out of generosity, one more for the child. But the child grows well because of the fruit and as it gets bigger, kills the chick. The bird, very angry pierces the eyes of the child in revenge. The king, a kind person is shocked, but the bird declares that the enmity beween them is timelesss, as humans have always been cruel to birds.The bird has also has some harsh words about humans and the inability of the king to protect. Remember the movie 'Birds'!
Yudhisthira has one more question! 'What do we do, if with the passage of time dharma declines and we are attacked by enemies and thieves?
If dharma totally declines and there is drought, What should the brahmins do and the king do?
The answers are complex and again in these stories there is an interaction between animals and humans! They could converse wth each other and with humans.
Imagine Bheeshma, a virtuous man, who would not break his promise at any cost, living as a dependent and an unhappy one. I wonder why he stayed on, he could have moved out! He could have stayed with the pandavas in Indraprastha. But for Bheeshma, Hastinapura was home and one can understand the reluctance to move when one is old! Also, it seems being part of a clan is important to a khsatriya, whatever the consequences. Add to that his nature, his inflexibility.
Bheeshma continues: 'A king should aim at victory only through dharma. His treasury should always be full. Going to war is not wrong. Punishing the evil is as important as protecting the good, harvesting does not destroy the crops, it helps. It is not dharma for a khsatriya to die on a bed. It is the brave who protect the world. He carries the world, like a child is carried, in his arms. You should not go on campaigns without making sure of a victory. If it is possible, try other means; negotiations, reward or creating dissensions among the enemy, to ensure victory. It is also good to yield a little, like a plant yields and bends in a flood, when it is necessary to do so. You need to be intelligent, Manu has said that it is the brain which is chiefly instrumental in a victory. Brain power is superior, The power of your arm is medium and that of the leg is the lowest. Character is very important! Dhritharashtra used to praise your character. A man without character may get rich, but it will not last.
He narrates many stories and anecdotes to emphasise his views. There is a story which tells us that Prahlada defeated Indra and ruled the three worlds. The wily Indra succeeds in pleasing Prahlada and asks for character as a boon! As the story goes, once character leaves Prahlada, he looses gradually everything!
Yudhisthira describes a scenario, 'Let us assume that a king is facing bad times, he has become inactive, his conscience does not permit him to send his friends and relatives to war and get them killed! He has no faith in the leaders of the people. Ministers do not offer well thought out advice, people are frustrated, there is no money, friends have become distant, there is a rift amongst ministers and added to this a powerful enemy is after him, what should he do under these circumstances?
We can do many things here, we can draw parallels and conclude that nothing has changed or see what Bheeshma has to say. He advocates a peace move if the enemy is trustworthy. If the king is inclined to fight, he can fight and attain veera swarga, Or he may find ways to stay alive, as there is hope in getting everything back if one is alive! A king should learn to anticipate dangers to his kingdom and be proactive. He tells a story from the animal world. An anglophile would say 'Tom and Jerry'! The mouse gets better of the cat!
There is story which teaches one to be beware of soft spoken enemies! A king and a bird have offspring at the same time. The bird brings a very special fruit for her chick and out of generosity, one more for the child. But the child grows well because of the fruit and as it gets bigger, kills the chick. The bird, very angry pierces the eyes of the child in revenge. The king, a kind person is shocked, but the bird declares that the enmity beween them is timelesss, as humans have always been cruel to birds.The bird has also has some harsh words about humans and the inability of the king to protect. Remember the movie 'Birds'!
Yudhisthira has one more question! 'What do we do, if with the passage of time dharma declines and we are attacked by enemies and thieves?
If dharma totally declines and there is drought, What should the brahmins do and the king do?
The answers are complex and again in these stories there is an interaction between animals and humans! They could converse wth each other and with humans.
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Bheeshma has more advice. Mahabharata 183
I am encouraged by my friends to keep it up. Two at the moment, Raghu and BSIK Murthy:-).
As I browse the web, I see that the interest in Shantiparva is immense. One website allows us to down load Shantiparva in sanskrit as an ebook in pdf format . Impressive! And there are many more websites which deal with Shantiparva. Anyway I continue with my translation of vachana bharata.
Bheeshma continues, 'A king should take care to appoint the right persons to help him in protecting his people. Persons who are courageous, devoted, respectable, born to good and noble families, healthy and strong bodied, cultured, disciplined, with self-respect, who are not contemptuous of others, educated, experienced in the ways of the world, who also think of the after-life, followers of dharma, virtuous and who are stable, and who keep the company of similar and like minded people.'
'Do not employ 2 or 3 persons to do one job! It will create jealousies and disagreements. Only those, who are eager to earn a good name for themselves, who are conservative, who do not dislike others who are able, who do not attempt harmful ventures, who do not give up dharma because of their desires, fear, anger or greed, those who act quickly, from a good family and endowed with good character, forgiving and tolerant, free from self-praise, are eligible to become your ministers. In the same manner, one who is able to discriminate and help you in protecting the good and avoid the bad should be your Priest. While the welfare of the people is your responsibility, the welfare of the king is his job. If these two have a good relationship, the people will live happy.'
'You should not trust anyone implicitly, at the same time if you do not trust anyone, it is worse than death. It is better if the king takes care of the affairs of the state on his own. The treasurer should be given full protection; greedy ministers who are after money will trouble him. If someone reports that the treasury is getting emptied, you should talk to them in secrecy and obtain facts. You should judge and determine, who likes you, who is polite because he is afraid and who is neutral.'
Bheeshma narrates a story of a rishi who out of kindness keeps changing his dog to different forms to protect it from his various predators, a cheetah, a tiger and so on. The story ends when he changes it into a शरभ 'sharabha', a mythical animal, of which even a lion is afraid. But when the sharabha tries to eat the rishi, he converts it back into a dog and drives him out of his hermitage.
'The lesson is that a intelligent king will verify the qualities of his deputies before appointing them.
It is risky to allow one who is not from a proper lineage to get closer. If a person who is not from a good family is allowed to gain importance, he may become your enemy. Whereas, even if you scold one from a noble family he will not react and go against you.'
I had not heard of this mythical animal, sharabha, while it is fairly straight forward mythical animal in mahabharata, there is more to it if you go online to check.
In Puranic literature, Sharabha is associated with god Shiva, who incarnates as Sharabha to subdue fierce manifestations of Vishnu. The legend of Sharabha fighting Narasimha - the man-lion form of Vishnu - brings to fore the overt rivalry between the devotees of Vishnu (Vaishnavite sect) and those of Shiva (Shaivite sect), which exposes the gory blood-letting aspect. According to Roy, the Narasimha-Sharabha encounter may be a shaivite version of Vedic tale of Vishnu piercing the boar. Shiva Purana describes Sharabha as thousand-armed, lion-faced and with matted hair, wings and eight feet. Sharabha Upanishad portrays Sharabha with two heads, two wings, eight legs of the lion with sharp claws and a long tail. Kalika Purana which mentions Shiva as Sharabha subduing Varaha - the boar form of Vishnu - describes Sharabha as black in colour, with four feet downwards and four feet uplifted, with an enormous body. It also has a long face and nose, nails, eight legs, eight tusks, a cluster of manes, and a long tail. It jumps high repeatedly making a loud cry.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharabha)
As I browse the web, I see that the interest in Shantiparva is immense. One website allows us to down load Shantiparva in sanskrit as an ebook in pdf format . Impressive! And there are many more websites which deal with Shantiparva. Anyway I continue with my translation of vachana bharata.
Bheeshma continues, 'A king should take care to appoint the right persons to help him in protecting his people. Persons who are courageous, devoted, respectable, born to good and noble families, healthy and strong bodied, cultured, disciplined, with self-respect, who are not contemptuous of others, educated, experienced in the ways of the world, who also think of the after-life, followers of dharma, virtuous and who are stable, and who keep the company of similar and like minded people.'
'Do not employ 2 or 3 persons to do one job! It will create jealousies and disagreements. Only those, who are eager to earn a good name for themselves, who are conservative, who do not dislike others who are able, who do not attempt harmful ventures, who do not give up dharma because of their desires, fear, anger or greed, those who act quickly, from a good family and endowed with good character, forgiving and tolerant, free from self-praise, are eligible to become your ministers. In the same manner, one who is able to discriminate and help you in protecting the good and avoid the bad should be your Priest. While the welfare of the people is your responsibility, the welfare of the king is his job. If these two have a good relationship, the people will live happy.'
'You should not trust anyone implicitly, at the same time if you do not trust anyone, it is worse than death. It is better if the king takes care of the affairs of the state on his own. The treasurer should be given full protection; greedy ministers who are after money will trouble him. If someone reports that the treasury is getting emptied, you should talk to them in secrecy and obtain facts. You should judge and determine, who likes you, who is polite because he is afraid and who is neutral.'
Bheeshma narrates a story of a rishi who out of kindness keeps changing his dog to different forms to protect it from his various predators, a cheetah, a tiger and so on. The story ends when he changes it into a शरभ 'sharabha', a mythical animal, of which even a lion is afraid. But when the sharabha tries to eat the rishi, he converts it back into a dog and drives him out of his hermitage.
'The lesson is that a intelligent king will verify the qualities of his deputies before appointing them.
It is risky to allow one who is not from a proper lineage to get closer. If a person who is not from a good family is allowed to gain importance, he may become your enemy. Whereas, even if you scold one from a noble family he will not react and go against you.'
I had not heard of this mythical animal, sharabha, while it is fairly straight forward mythical animal in mahabharata, there is more to it if you go online to check.
In Puranic literature, Sharabha is associated with god Shiva, who incarnates as Sharabha to subdue fierce manifestations of Vishnu. The legend of Sharabha fighting Narasimha - the man-lion form of Vishnu - brings to fore the overt rivalry between the devotees of Vishnu (Vaishnavite sect) and those of Shiva (Shaivite sect), which exposes the gory blood-letting aspect. According to Roy, the Narasimha-Sharabha encounter may be a shaivite version of Vedic tale of Vishnu piercing the boar. Shiva Purana describes Sharabha as thousand-armed, lion-faced and with matted hair, wings and eight feet. Sharabha Upanishad portrays Sharabha with two heads, two wings, eight legs of the lion with sharp claws and a long tail. Kalika Purana which mentions Shiva as Sharabha subduing Varaha - the boar form of Vishnu - describes Sharabha as black in colour, with four feet downwards and four feet uplifted, with an enormous body. It also has a long face and nose, nails, eight legs, eight tusks, a cluster of manes, and a long tail. It jumps high repeatedly making a loud cry.
( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sharabha)
Thursday, 23 August 2012
Bheeshma speaks! Mahabharata 182
I have heard so much about Shantiparva and about Bheeshma's wisdom. Before I go into the teachings, here are two pictures of Bheeshma on a bed of arrows. While Samhita depicts what is described, the other is very considerate to Bheeshma.
Bheeshma speaks about Raja dharma: (I have just picked up a few nuggets!)
'A king, before anything else, should show devotion to devatas and brahmins. This will please the world. Truth, honesty and right deeds are very important. He should have compassion but should not be too soft. Should not worry about conflicts and opposition and face them without hesitation. Be friends with those who offer friendship, but oppose those who are hostile. He should punish even his guru if he is arrogant and selfish and does not know the difference between good and bad deeds.'
'He should give up hunting, gambling and other bad habits. Like a pregnant mother who only thinks of the well being of her child, a king should only think of the needs of his people. Protecting his people is paramount. To ensure this, he must have good assistants, help of good people, offer charity on time, be without jealousy; show courage, ability, collect grains and money, support sadhus and good families, keep the army satisfied, deal with friends, enemies and neutrals suitably!'
Bheeshma quotes Angirasa, 'A king who takes care of his subjects well, has in fact performed all dharmas, there is no need to do anything else, neither penance nor yaaga.'. Bheeshma compares subjects to a fortress and says that if this fortress is strong, there is no fear. 'A king who treats his subjects well has no fear of enemies. Even if he falls to an enemy, he will always recover. He must continuously endeavour to take care of his people. That is the base of Raja dharma. The king is the root cause of an era! There is no doubt it. He must constantly administer justice! ....
A good king should possesses 36 qualities.--'
They are very practical and timeless, some controversial and some beyond us, but here we go:
1.Perform dharma with happiness.
2. Do not be friendless.
3. Be pious
4. Earn money without violence हिंसा.
5. Enjoy pleasures, but do not be intoxicated with it.
6. Speak well but without being meek
7. Be brave but not boastful
8. Be charitable but give it to the deserving
9. Be strong, able, but do not be harsh
10. Be able to bring people together, but not useless and unsuitable ones.
11. Seize from enemies.
12. Do not appoint spies who are not close to you.
13.Get work done without hurting anyone.
14. Do not keep bad people informed of your thoughts and events
15. Praise virtues in others, but do not boast about your own.
16. Earn well, but do not take it away from 'Saadu's ' ( pious people.)
17. Do not pay homage to those who are not good people
18. Do not punish without due deliberation
19, Do not advertise your consultations and deliberations to others
20. Do not yield to greedy persons
21. Do not trust who have done wrong and are harmful
22. Protect your queen's abode, without creating jealousies
23. You must be impartial and pure
24. Do not spend excessive time with women. (स्त्री सहवास)
25. Eat well, but within limits, let it not make you ill.
26. Show respect to venerable persons unreservedly
27. Worship god without ostentation
28. Desire wealth, but let it not be unseemly, improper.
29. Enjoy, but be free from attachment
30. Show your abilities at the appropriate time
31. Do not speak insincerely just to get rid of a problem, a person
32. Help without expecting a return
33. Do not go to war without thinking well about your decision
34. Do not grieve or regret after you have killed your enemies
35. Do not get angry without reason
36.Be soft, but not to those who have evil intentions towards you.
There is more, a lot more in the style of Q and A between Bheeshma and Yudhisthira.
There are stories which illustrates a point. It is well meaning and as it is from a dying man, it is honest and from the heart. Obviously some of his advice is particular to the seeker.
Human lore is full of such well intentioned advice, sermons and so on. God has come down to preach, has revealed truth in dreams, appeared in person for those who were doing penance. Surprisingly or not so surprisingly, he chooses to reveal himself, more or less on a very personal basis.
With so many religions and so much of proprietary claims to his words, in so many languages, it is confusing to a person who wants to know, wants to take the good things from each one of them and does not want to be identified with one religion, caste or creed. But at the moment. it seems to be a loosing battle. Identify we must, if you want to be a part of something.
Luckily, there are many who are attempting to give a meaning to the knowledge given us from the past, connect it to the new discoveries that are being made today. One can only wait and see how these attempts to give us a larger picture, clarify and exemplify by applying the new knowledge, will affect humanity in the future. Hope it does and I get to see some of it in my lifetime.
 |
| Courtesy: Samhita Arni |
 |
| Courtesy: chinnajeeyar.org |
'A king, before anything else, should show devotion to devatas and brahmins. This will please the world. Truth, honesty and right deeds are very important. He should have compassion but should not be too soft. Should not worry about conflicts and opposition and face them without hesitation. Be friends with those who offer friendship, but oppose those who are hostile. He should punish even his guru if he is arrogant and selfish and does not know the difference between good and bad deeds.'
'He should give up hunting, gambling and other bad habits. Like a pregnant mother who only thinks of the well being of her child, a king should only think of the needs of his people. Protecting his people is paramount. To ensure this, he must have good assistants, help of good people, offer charity on time, be without jealousy; show courage, ability, collect grains and money, support sadhus and good families, keep the army satisfied, deal with friends, enemies and neutrals suitably!'
Bheeshma quotes Angirasa, 'A king who takes care of his subjects well, has in fact performed all dharmas, there is no need to do anything else, neither penance nor yaaga.'. Bheeshma compares subjects to a fortress and says that if this fortress is strong, there is no fear. 'A king who treats his subjects well has no fear of enemies. Even if he falls to an enemy, he will always recover. He must continuously endeavour to take care of his people. That is the base of Raja dharma. The king is the root cause of an era! There is no doubt it. He must constantly administer justice! ....
A good king should possesses 36 qualities.--'
They are very practical and timeless, some controversial and some beyond us, but here we go:
1.Perform dharma with happiness.
2. Do not be friendless.
3. Be pious
4. Earn money without violence हिंसा.
5. Enjoy pleasures, but do not be intoxicated with it.
6. Speak well but without being meek
7. Be brave but not boastful
8. Be charitable but give it to the deserving
9. Be strong, able, but do not be harsh
10. Be able to bring people together, but not useless and unsuitable ones.
11. Seize from enemies.
12. Do not appoint spies who are not close to you.
13.Get work done without hurting anyone.
14. Do not keep bad people informed of your thoughts and events
15. Praise virtues in others, but do not boast about your own.
16. Earn well, but do not take it away from 'Saadu's ' ( pious people.)
17. Do not pay homage to those who are not good people
18. Do not punish without due deliberation
19, Do not advertise your consultations and deliberations to others
20. Do not yield to greedy persons
21. Do not trust who have done wrong and are harmful
22. Protect your queen's abode, without creating jealousies
23. You must be impartial and pure
24. Do not spend excessive time with women. (स्त्री सहवास)
25. Eat well, but within limits, let it not make you ill.
26. Show respect to venerable persons unreservedly
27. Worship god without ostentation
28. Desire wealth, but let it not be unseemly, improper.
29. Enjoy, but be free from attachment
30. Show your abilities at the appropriate time
31. Do not speak insincerely just to get rid of a problem, a person
32. Help without expecting a return
33. Do not go to war without thinking well about your decision
34. Do not grieve or regret after you have killed your enemies
35. Do not get angry without reason
36.Be soft, but not to those who have evil intentions towards you.
There is more, a lot more in the style of Q and A between Bheeshma and Yudhisthira.
There are stories which illustrates a point. It is well meaning and as it is from a dying man, it is honest and from the heart. Obviously some of his advice is particular to the seeker.
Human lore is full of such well intentioned advice, sermons and so on. God has come down to preach, has revealed truth in dreams, appeared in person for those who were doing penance. Surprisingly or not so surprisingly, he chooses to reveal himself, more or less on a very personal basis.
With so many religions and so much of proprietary claims to his words, in so many languages, it is confusing to a person who wants to know, wants to take the good things from each one of them and does not want to be identified with one religion, caste or creed. But at the moment. it seems to be a loosing battle. Identify we must, if you want to be a part of something.
Luckily, there are many who are attempting to give a meaning to the knowledge given us from the past, connect it to the new discoveries that are being made today. One can only wait and see how these attempts to give us a larger picture, clarify and exemplify by applying the new knowledge, will affect humanity in the future. Hope it does and I get to see some of it in my lifetime.
Wednesday, 22 August 2012
Yudhisthira and Krishna meet Bheeshma. Mahabharata 181
The next morning Yudhisthira goes to meet Krishna at his abode to ask him whether he had a comfortable night and thanks Krishna again, 'With your help, we won our kingdom and fame!'. Krishna does not reply and is deep in thought. Yudhisthira tells him, 'It is a surprise to see you worried. I hope the three worlds are safe?'
Krishna replies, 'Yudhisthira! I was thinking of Bheeshma, the dying ember, lying on a bed of arrows! Ganga's son, tutored in the vedas as a student of rishi Vashista, well versed in warfare as a favorite student of Parusharama! A great man who knows the past, present and the future. When he goes, the world will go dark like a night without the moon. Yudhisthira, hence go and meet him when he is still alive and ask him whatever you want to know about राजधर्म (laws relating to kings)!' Yudhisthira's eyes are filled with tears as he hears this. He requests Krishna to join him and both go to meet Bheema forthwith.
Bheeshma is sleeping on his bed of arrows on the banks of Ogavathi. Both salute him from a distance. Krishna asks with devotion, 'Lord! How are you? Are your body functions as before? Is your mind clear? Are the arrows hurting you too much? While even a small pin can give so much pain, it must be excruciatingly painful for you with so many arrows! You can choose the time of your death, thanks to a boon given by your father, but you cannot reduce pain with that. You are capable of guiding the devatas. There is no one who can match your qualities. At least we have not heard of anyone! You are an expert both in the vedas and the art of archery! In equanimity, self-restraint and affection, there is no one equal to you. You are an authority in the practice of dharma as it is declared in vedas, yoga,
Krishna replies, 'Yudhisthira! I was thinking of Bheeshma, the dying ember, lying on a bed of arrows! Ganga's son, tutored in the vedas as a student of rishi Vashista, well versed in warfare as a favorite student of Parusharama! A great man who knows the past, present and the future. When he goes, the world will go dark like a night without the moon. Yudhisthira, hence go and meet him when he is still alive and ask him whatever you want to know about राजधर्म (laws relating to kings)!' Yudhisthira's eyes are filled with tears as he hears this. He requests Krishna to join him and both go to meet Bheema forthwith.
Bheeshma is sleeping on his bed of arrows on the banks of Ogavathi. Both salute him from a distance. Krishna asks with devotion, 'Lord! How are you? Are your body functions as before? Is your mind clear? Are the arrows hurting you too much? While even a small pin can give so much pain, it must be excruciatingly painful for you with so many arrows! You can choose the time of your death, thanks to a boon given by your father, but you cannot reduce pain with that. You are capable of guiding the devatas. There is no one who can match your qualities. At least we have not heard of anyone! You are an expert both in the vedas and the art of archery! In equanimity, self-restraint and affection, there is no one equal to you. You are an authority in the practice of dharma as it is declared in vedas, yoga,
rationale and discrimination, history and tradition, ancient lore, dharma shastra and
proper behaviour. There is none better than you in clearing doubts on any of these subjects.
Hence I request you to give a few words of advice to Yudhisthira. Who having killed his relatives,
is suffering immensely'.
Bheeshma looks at Yudhisthira, who is still unable to face Bheeshma.'Why are you feeling shy?
While it is dharma for brahmins to study, do penance and to give. In the same way, it is dharma
for a khsatriya to engage in war. If invited, a khsatriya cannot refuse to fight. If someone is going
in the wrong path, whether it is a father, a brother or a grandfather, he should be punished.
It is khsatriya dharma to kill anyone who transgresses dharma out of greed'. Hearing these words
Yudhisthira comes forward and touches Bheeshma's feet and stands in front of him with folded hands!
Bheeshma is pleased with this.and he smells Dharmaraja's head in a gesture of affection
and asks him to sit down.
He then asks Dharmaraja to ask him whatever he wants, with out feeling afraid or shy!
Yudhisthira speaks, 'Grandfather, people who know dharma say that a kings dharma is the biggest!
I feel ruling a kingdom is a heavy burden! So please teach me raja dharma. I want to learn this.'
As Bheeshma was tired he asked them to go home and come the next day. When they arrived
the next day, Bheema offers salutaions to dharma, Krishna and the brahmins and starts to
explain dharma.
Here is a good example of one speaking with humility. Krishna, acknowledged as a god, practices it to perfection. Praising one, making him feel good, is an art. It is not flattery here as Bheeshma has all the qualities which Krishna speaks of and extolls. But Bheeshma was never the king! |
Monday, 20 August 2012
Yudhisthira agrees to stay and is the king! Mahabharata 180
Finally Krishna speaks supporting the others, 'If you become the king, it will please Draupadi, also your friends and relatives. It will be good for the world!' These words Krishna and of the others, calms Yudhisthira's troubled mind and they get ready to return to the city.
On the appointed day, Dharmaraja sits on a newly made chariot which is drawn by sixteen white horses. Bheema is the charioteer, Arjuna holds up the white umbrella and are fanned by Nakula and Sahadeva. Yuyutsu, Satyaki and Krishna follow in different chariots. Kunti, Draupadi, Subhadra and other women, accompanied by Vidura join. Right in front are Dhritharashtra and Gandhari in a palanquin. Well decorated elephants and horses, foot soldiers, balladeers and minstrels follow in the rear.
The city is decorated with flags, the streets are clean and the aroma of incense wafts in the air. Holy water is kept at different places to be used at the consecration ceremony of the king. People throng the streets and greet Pandavas and Draupadi as they enter. Conches are sounded, drums are beat and the vedic chants are heard as pandavas enter the palace.
Yudhisthira sits on golden throne facing east. Krishna and Satyaki are in front and Bheema and Arjuna on the sides. Rest are seated suitably. Leading citizens approach and offer tribute. Then the priests begin the consecration ceremony.in which Krishna, Dhritharashtra and many prominent citizens participate. Brahmins bless the king and receive fees due to them. Thus Dharmaraja becomes the king of a large kingdom and the people are happy.
Bheema is declared as the Yuvaraja, and Vidura as the minister . Then Sanjaya is appointed in-charge of treasury, Nakula as chief of their forces and Arjuna to deal with other countries. Sahadeva becomes the guard of Yudhisthira. It is the special responsibility of Vidura, Sanjaya and Yuyutsu to take special care of Dhritharashtra. He also announce that whoever wants to please him, would do so by treating Dhritharashtra like a devata and taking care of his wishes. 'Even if I have killed my relatives, I live only for him.'
While the description of the ceremony installing Dharmaraja as the king seems routine. The fact that the city has gone through a traumatic war very recently tells us that humans recover and get on with life quickly. It is obvious that while the royalty were at the river front, the massive operation of dealing with the dead, the men, horses and elephants, was being done. Who were these people, and how did they accomplish this huge task? With millions reported dead in the war of 18 days, it would have been mega task indeed! Did they identify the dead and were the family allowed to take the dead bodies? Or was it a mass burial? One can only guess! I do not know if the full text of Mahabharata deals with this aspect of the war. May be not!
As the war was mostly fought in the day, we can assume that in the evening, the wounded and the dead were carried away and the dead were probably cremated with proper rituals. We also know towards the end of the war, whichever group performing this task, were overwhelmed with the number of dead. We read that the dying Duryodhana was lying on the ground and was chasing away wild animals with great difficulty. Ashwatthama and the others who came to see him, did not try to move him or make serious attempts to alleviate his misery. They were only bent on revenge. It is very apparent that those were strange times or attitudes were different. Even the resolve of the soldiers to die in a war and assure themselves of a place in heaven made sense. Being seriously wounded and incapacitated was not really an option for these warriors.
I was also worried about the dead bodies lying unattended and about serious risks of an epidemic.
There is some reassurance in this ICRC article linked above:
'Surprisingly, the answer is " Don’t rush! " Contrary to popular belief, dead bodies are a negligible health hazard. After a disaster, the top priority is to look after the living. Rushing to bury the dead diverts resources away from rescue efforts and can make it impossible to identify bodies later.
Here is another article about burial of the dead in world war I. WWI being the closest to the great Mahabharata war. It was also a conventional war with lots of man-to-man combats!
October 21, 1918
From: Chief Surgeon, First Army Corps, American E.F.
To: Chief Surgeon, S.O.S., American E.F.
Subject: Systematic Method for Burial of Dead
1. Attention is invited to the necessity for establishing for the entire A.E.F. a system for burial of dead during open operations.
During active open operations burial of the dead becomes a sanitary matter of the greatest importance. During the Chateau-Thierry campaign many bodies of men and animals lay on the battlefield for days after their death. During the warm weather prevailing then, they soon decomposed and formed most unsightly and insanitary objects. The stench was terrific but the worst feature was that of fly breeding. The bodies of both men and horses soon become a mass of maggots and flies bred by millions - the surrounding country was infested with them. The result was a widespread outbreak of enteric disease that fortunately carried with it no mortality. Men were usually sick only a few days and were not seriously ill. A few however showed blood and mucus in the stools and were real dysentary. Bacteriologically, Flexner and Shiga bacilli were isolated as well as paratyphoid. It is therefore apparent that a serious outbreak of real dysentary was narrowly averted. It is not certain that flies were responsible for this outbreak but the presumptive evidence is strong.
2. It at once became evident that some systematic method of solving this problem must be adopted
The writer felt very strongly that combatant troops should not be called upon for this work for several reasons:
(a) From a sanitary viewpoint, burials should be accomplished promptly. Fighting troops cannot be removed from the line for this purpose.
(b) After an engagement, combatant troops are exhausted and should not be called upon to perform manual labor, at least until they have been thoroughly rested.
(c) The effect upon the morale of combatant troops of being compelled to bury their own dead is very bad. During conditions such as they were at Chateau-Thierry when the bodies soon became black, swollen, discolored remnants of humanity, literarily covered with maggots, the effect is of course tremendously bad.
(d) If left to combat troops, each division will have its own method or no method at all and the results are bound to be unsatisfactory
3. Upon the recommendation of the Corps Surgeon, the following plan was adopted by the 1st Army Corps.
One company of Pioneer Infantry (Corps Troops) is assigned to each division and is placed under the control of the Division Sanitary Inspector. They are to be used for no other purpose than burial of the dead - men and animals. They follow up the advancing combatant troops as closely as possible and bury the dead as they find them. They are supplied with picks and shovels and rationed with the division.
Bodies of men are collected whenever possible into groups and buried together in selected spots.
Animals are buried wherever it is most convenient - as near where they fall as may be in order to avoid dragging them any distance.
Chaplains of the division are charged with all other details except the actual burying. They collect personal belongings, hold whatever services are possible and in conjunction with the Graves Registration Service, assure proper identification.
The plan has worked admirably and the present battlefield is in great contrast in this respect to those preceding. No dead bodies can be found until one reaches the very advanced areas where the Pioneer troops have not yet arrived.
The labor in burying a number of dead horses is enormous, and with heavy casualties of both men and animals, one company to a division is not sufficient.
4. This detail is also utilized in filling old latrines and doing other necessary work as they pass along the area.
5. It is believed that probably better administration could be secured by placing all the companies of Pioneers that are available for this work under the control of the Corps Sanitary Inspector. He can then distribute them and change them as circumstances require.
6. It is repeated that this is a most important sanitary problem that has been very satisfactorily solved in this Corps by the above plan.
It is felt that some similar plan should be universally adopted.
J.W. GRISSINGER Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S.A.
On the appointed day, Dharmaraja sits on a newly made chariot which is drawn by sixteen white horses. Bheema is the charioteer, Arjuna holds up the white umbrella and are fanned by Nakula and Sahadeva. Yuyutsu, Satyaki and Krishna follow in different chariots. Kunti, Draupadi, Subhadra and other women, accompanied by Vidura join. Right in front are Dhritharashtra and Gandhari in a palanquin. Well decorated elephants and horses, foot soldiers, balladeers and minstrels follow in the rear.
The city is decorated with flags, the streets are clean and the aroma of incense wafts in the air. Holy water is kept at different places to be used at the consecration ceremony of the king. People throng the streets and greet Pandavas and Draupadi as they enter. Conches are sounded, drums are beat and the vedic chants are heard as pandavas enter the palace.
Yudhisthira sits on golden throne facing east. Krishna and Satyaki are in front and Bheema and Arjuna on the sides. Rest are seated suitably. Leading citizens approach and offer tribute. Then the priests begin the consecration ceremony.in which Krishna, Dhritharashtra and many prominent citizens participate. Brahmins bless the king and receive fees due to them. Thus Dharmaraja becomes the king of a large kingdom and the people are happy.
Bheema is declared as the Yuvaraja, and Vidura as the minister . Then Sanjaya is appointed in-charge of treasury, Nakula as chief of their forces and Arjuna to deal with other countries. Sahadeva becomes the guard of Yudhisthira. It is the special responsibility of Vidura, Sanjaya and Yuyutsu to take special care of Dhritharashtra. He also announce that whoever wants to please him, would do so by treating Dhritharashtra like a devata and taking care of his wishes. 'Even if I have killed my relatives, I live only for him.'
While the description of the ceremony installing Dharmaraja as the king seems routine. The fact that the city has gone through a traumatic war very recently tells us that humans recover and get on with life quickly. It is obvious that while the royalty were at the river front, the massive operation of dealing with the dead, the men, horses and elephants, was being done. Who were these people, and how did they accomplish this huge task? With millions reported dead in the war of 18 days, it would have been mega task indeed! Did they identify the dead and were the family allowed to take the dead bodies? Or was it a mass burial? One can only guess! I do not know if the full text of Mahabharata deals with this aspect of the war. May be not!
As the war was mostly fought in the day, we can assume that in the evening, the wounded and the dead were carried away and the dead were probably cremated with proper rituals. We also know towards the end of the war, whichever group performing this task, were overwhelmed with the number of dead. We read that the dying Duryodhana was lying on the ground and was chasing away wild animals with great difficulty. Ashwatthama and the others who came to see him, did not try to move him or make serious attempts to alleviate his misery. They were only bent on revenge. It is very apparent that those were strange times or attitudes were different. Even the resolve of the soldiers to die in a war and assure themselves of a place in heaven made sense. Being seriously wounded and incapacitated was not really an option for these warriors.
I was also worried about the dead bodies lying unattended and about serious risks of an epidemic.
There is some reassurance in this ICRC article linked above:
'Surprisingly, the answer is " Don’t rush! " Contrary to popular belief, dead bodies are a negligible health hazard. After a disaster, the top priority is to look after the living. Rushing to bury the dead diverts resources away from rescue efforts and can make it impossible to identify bodies later.
Having said which, there is the
question of dignity for the dead, and the sight and smell of dead bodies
can be distressing. We therefore recommend moving all unidentified dead
bodies to specially designated body collection areas once resources
become available.'
Here is another article about burial of the dead in world war I. WWI being the closest to the great Mahabharata war. It was also a conventional war with lots of man-to-man combats!
AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCES
France.October 21, 1918
From: Chief Surgeon, First Army Corps, American E.F.
To: Chief Surgeon, S.O.S., American E.F.
Subject: Systematic Method for Burial of Dead
1. Attention is invited to the necessity for establishing for the entire A.E.F. a system for burial of dead during open operations.
Dead Doughboy of the 38th Infantry
During active open operations burial of the dead becomes a sanitary matter of the greatest importance. During the Chateau-Thierry campaign many bodies of men and animals lay on the battlefield for days after their death. During the warm weather prevailing then, they soon decomposed and formed most unsightly and insanitary objects. The stench was terrific but the worst feature was that of fly breeding. The bodies of both men and horses soon become a mass of maggots and flies bred by millions - the surrounding country was infested with them. The result was a widespread outbreak of enteric disease that fortunately carried with it no mortality. Men were usually sick only a few days and were not seriously ill. A few however showed blood and mucus in the stools and were real dysentary. Bacteriologically, Flexner and Shiga bacilli were isolated as well as paratyphoid. It is therefore apparent that a serious outbreak of real dysentary was narrowly averted. It is not certain that flies were responsible for this outbreak but the presumptive evidence is strong.
2. It at once became evident that some systematic method of solving this problem must be adopted
The writer felt very strongly that combatant troops should not be called upon for this work for several reasons:
(a) From a sanitary viewpoint, burials should be accomplished promptly. Fighting troops cannot be removed from the line for this purpose.
(b) After an engagement, combatant troops are exhausted and should not be called upon to perform manual labor, at least until they have been thoroughly rested.
(c) The effect upon the morale of combatant troops of being compelled to bury their own dead is very bad. During conditions such as they were at Chateau-Thierry when the bodies soon became black, swollen, discolored remnants of humanity, literarily covered with maggots, the effect is of course tremendously bad.
(d) If left to combat troops, each division will have its own method or no method at all and the results are bound to be unsatisfactory
3. Upon the recommendation of the Corps Surgeon, the following plan was adopted by the 1st Army Corps.
One company of Pioneer Infantry (Corps Troops) is assigned to each division and is placed under the control of the Division Sanitary Inspector. They are to be used for no other purpose than burial of the dead - men and animals. They follow up the advancing combatant troops as closely as possible and bury the dead as they find them. They are supplied with picks and shovels and rationed with the division.
Bodies of men are collected whenever possible into groups and buried together in selected spots.
Dead Horses
Animals are buried wherever it is most convenient - as near where they fall as may be in order to avoid dragging them any distance.
Chaplains of the division are charged with all other details except the actual burying. They collect personal belongings, hold whatever services are possible and in conjunction with the Graves Registration Service, assure proper identification.
The plan has worked admirably and the present battlefield is in great contrast in this respect to those preceding. No dead bodies can be found until one reaches the very advanced areas where the Pioneer troops have not yet arrived.
The labor in burying a number of dead horses is enormous, and with heavy casualties of both men and animals, one company to a division is not sufficient.
4. This detail is also utilized in filling old latrines and doing other necessary work as they pass along the area.
5. It is believed that probably better administration could be secured by placing all the companies of Pioneers that are available for this work under the control of the Corps Sanitary Inspector. He can then distribute them and change them as circumstances require.
6. It is repeated that this is a most important sanitary problem that has been very satisfactorily solved in this Corps by the above plan.
Burial Detail
J.W. GRISSINGER Colonel, Medical Corps, U.S.A.
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