Episode 40
Desires
are the cause for discontent. In Hindu philosophy, we come across three types
of desires popularly presented as ‘yeṣaṇā
trayaṃ’ - ‘dāreṣaṇa’
(excessive love towards spouse), putreṣaṇa
(excessive love towards son), and dhaneṣaṇa
(excessive love towards wealth).
The story of Dhritarashtra is the perfect
example of putreṣaṇa
which is the theme of the current story. Persons whose mind waver upon
excessive desires are described in Gita as ‘kāmātmanaḥ’
(Gita 2.43- for them desire itself is their atma). Those persons minds wander
and wander and cannot enjoy peace and stability (व्यवसायात्मिका
बुद्धिः समाधौ
न विधीयते
- vyavasāyātmikā
buddhiḥ samādhau
na vidhīyate –
Gita 2.44).
The Story
In
the last episode we saw Yudhishtira doing penance propitiating the sun god
Surya and was blessed with Akshaya Patra (a bountiful bowl to feed the guests).
Thereupon Pandavas along with the rishis, Brahmins and other accompanying
people started their journey towards the west of Kurukshetra. They crossed two
rivers Yamuna and Drishadvati and entered an interior forest, Kāmyaka
Vanam on the banks of Saraswati River.
In
Hastinapura, Dhritarashtra was restless despite Pandavas’ exile from the
kingdom. The specter of future war was haunting him. The citizens were angry
and non-cooperative. He knew that Vidura alone can solve his problems. He
sought the impartial advice of Vidura.
Vidura
was the embodiment of dharma. ‘Hi! Maharaj, a kingdom has to be ruled with
dharma. Everyone in the country knows that your son has transgressed dharma and
defeated Pandavas in the game of dice. The immediate task before you is to
restore the kingdom to Yudhishtira and shun Sakuni from the court. For the sake of preserving Kuru clan, you make your son
listen to the sober advice. If he does not listen, you need to disown and
discard your son. It is imperative to control his evil thoughts to save the
country and the people. Let Dussasasana apologize Draupadi in the open
court’, Vidura advised.
Dhritarashtra
felt very angry. ‘You are not the well-wisher of Kauravas and always partial
towards Pandavas. You don’t help me in any way. You leave this court and go to
any place of your choice’, His blunt voice echoed, and he left the place
abruptly. He was prepared to forego Vidura for the sake
of his wicked son.
Vidura
reached Kāmyaka vana to bless
the Pandavas. ‘Why is Vidura coming here? Is it for one
more invitation from Dhritarashtra for the game of dice to snatch all our
weapons? If we bet the weapons and lose the game, how can we fight with
Karauvas?’, Yudhishtira’s thoughts went hazy and crazy. Yet he composed and
went up to Vidura to receive him; and asked the reason of his coming to
forests.
‘Hi,
Yudhishtir! I tried to enlighten Dhritarashtra the aspects of dharma, but he
discarded me. Just as young bride does not like an old man as her groom,
Dhritarashtra did not like my wise advice. I have come here to tell you that the man who stands by dharma in adversities and display
patience till the right time dawns on the horizon, is the man who eventually
enjoys the wealth and kingdom [ii].
स्तस्य दुःखेप्यंशभाजः
सहायाः ।
सहायानामेष संग्रहणेSध्युपायः
सहायाप्तौ पृथिवीप्राप्तिमाहुः ।। [iii]
– means the man who enjoys wealth in
association with the fellow human beings will be supported by the same people
in times of adversities. Sharing wealth with others is
the strategy to develop good followers. Acquiring good followers is akin
to acquiring kingdom’. Yudhishtir promised that he would follow the advice of
Vidura.
Once
Dhritarashtra came to know that Vidura was with Pandavas, he felt depressed. He shuddered at the thought of one dharmic person in the
company of other dharmic person in the enemy camp. He felt unconscious
and fell upon the ground in the open court. When he came to senses, he summoned
Sanjaya and asked him to bring back Vidura by offering apologies profusely.
Sanjaya
reached Vidura in the Kāmyaka
vana and expressed apology on behalf of Dhritarashtra. Vidura, being a dutiful
brother, could not disown his orders. He took leave from Pandavas and reached
Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra expressed his apology. Vidura
told, Hi Maharaj! I don’t differentiate your sons and Pandavas. Since they are
deprived of their rightful wealth, my mind favored them. Don’t think that I am
partial.
When
both brothers were together in happy mood, Duryodhana felt very unhappy. He did
not like the arrival of Vidura for he feared that Vidura might influence his
father and restore the kingdom back to Pandavas.
विषमुद्बन्धनं
चैव शस्त्रमग्निप्रवेशनम् ।
करिष्ये न हि तानृद्धान्पुनर्द्रष्टुमिहोत्सहे ।। [iv] – ‘I consume poison or die by getting hanged. Or I will cut of
my head with a weapon. Or I will die by entering fire. I jut cannot see wealthy
Pandavas again’, he yelled in the company of ‘dushta chatushtaya’
(assembly four wicked people – Duryodhana, Dussasana, Sakuni and Karna). Then they planned to encounter Pandavas in
the forest and destroy them permanently by force.
Veda
Vyasa was witnessing what was happening in Hastinapura with his divine vision
and reached Hastinapura swiftly. He reached Dhritarashtra and said, ‘My dear
son! Listen to my words. I don’t like Pandavas going to forests. The game is dubious,
and your son’s actions are wicked. Now stop Duryodhana immediately from his
wicked adventure’.
Dhritarashtra
was repentant at his own actions. But his love for Duryodhana was so strong
that he did not want to disown his actions.
पुत्रस्नेहेन
भगवञ्जानन्नपि प्रियव्रत ॥ [v] – ‘Oh Father!
I know that my son is wicked. Still I could not leave
him due to my boundless love towards him’.
Vyasa
told, ‘Hi! Son of Vichitraveerya! I agree that son is the most beloved for
anybody. Still I want to enlighten you with a story of a cow Surabhi and
Indra’.
Once
upon a time a cow, Surabhi went to heaven and wept bitterly. Indra was puzzled
for there should not be any reason for grief in heaven. Surabhi told, ‘Hi Lord!
I am weeping on seeing the pitiable plight of my son. See yonder- the farmer is
ploughing the land with two bullocks. One is strong and the other is weak. He
is beating the meek and weak bullock again and again. I cannot see the violence
perpetrated by him’.
Indra
told, ‘Oh cow! You have thousands of sons. Why are you grieving for one son?’
Surabhi sighed and relied, ‘I treat all my sons
equally. But I pity at the weak son, especially when he is suffering’.
Indra was impressed by her words. He poured rain profusely and prevented
further ploughing by the farmer and saved the weak bullock.
Vyasa
continued, ‘Hi Maharaj! Both Kauravas and Pandavas are your sons. Have pity at
Pandavas who are right now suffering. If you want to have peace of mind, ensure
that Suyodhana lives friendly with Pandavas’.
Dhritarashtra agreed but pleaded Vyasa only to counsel and restrain Duryodhana.
Vyasa
was in a hurry to move. He told, ‘one sage, Mytreya is reaching here in a few
minutes. In the interest of you and your kingdom, he will counsel Duryodhana
and restrain him’. Then Ved Vyasa left the place.
Mytreya’s curse to Duryodhana
Dhritarashtra
and his son Suyodhana received the sage with all humility and offered a seat to
him. After exchanging pleasantries, Mytreya started telling, ‘before reaching
here I had been to Kāmyaka vana and
saw Pandavas accompanied by sages and pious people. I heard that they lost
their kingdom in the dubious game of dice and I also heard that they were
thoroughly humiliated in the court of your son. You are
not respected by the wise people as you colluded with your sons in the heinous
crime’.
Suyodhana smiled, and with utter disregard to the sage, removed the
cloth over the thigh and patted with his palm.
Mytreya was very angry at the wild behavior of
Suyodhana and cursed immediately that his thighs would be beaten up by Bhima in
the impending war of Kurukshetra. Dhritarashtra shuddered at the turn of
events. He fell on the feet of the sage and pleaded to withdraw the curse. In
no time Mytreya was composed and told, ‘Hi king! If your son makes peace with
Pandavas, my curse will not affect him. If he does not make peace, my curse
will stand and lead him to the grave’. Then Mytreya left the place with haste.
Dhritarashtra
was anxious to know how a mighty demon like Kirmira was destroyed by Pandavas
and he asked Vidura to narrate the event. Vidura started telling.
Kirmira Vadha
After
the infamous game of dice, Pandavas left for forests and reached Kāmyaka
vana. The forest was under the grip of a huge demon, Kirmira. He was the
brother of Bakasura and was dexterous in demonic maya. He obstructed the
passage of Pandavas and wanted to devour them. With a shrill voice, he wished
to know who they were. Dharmaraja told that they were Pandavas and reached the
forest as part of their exile to forests. Kirmira felt happy for he was waiting
to catch hold of Bhima and avenge the death of his brother.
He
pounced upon Bhima and they wrestled together with all the force under their
command.
दुर्योधन निकाराच्छ बाहु वीर्याच्च दर्पितः
कृष्णा नयन दृष्टश्च व्यवर्धत वृकोदरः [vi]–
the disregard of Durodhana, the ego sprouted with
intrinsic strength of shoulders, and the loving looks of Draupadi made Bhima
mightier and more aggressive. He caught hold of the demon and beaten him
to a rock till he was dead. The demon-free forest became safe haven for
Pandavas to stay there for some more days.
Dhritarashtra
heard the story of Kirmira vadha and got depressed. The day was restless, and the
nights were sleepless.
Understanding the story
There
are three enemies inside a human being. In Hindu philosophy, we call these triode
as ‘yeṣaṇā
trayaṃ’ – three excessive
desires that lead a person to the depths of disaster. They are ‘dāreṣaṇa’
(excessive love towards spouse), putreṣaṇa
(excessive love towards son), and dhaneṣaṇa
(excessive love towards wealth). In this
story, and also in entire Maha Bharata ‘putreṣaṇa’
is highlighted by Ved Vyasa to depict the character of Dhritarashtra.
When
Duryodhana was born, there were so many bad omens and wise men advised
Dhritarashtra to discard the son. When Draupadi was dragged to the court,
Gandhari advised him to shun the son, Duryodhana. On many occasions, Vidura and
Bhishma advised Dhritarashtra to restrain the ambitions of Suyodhana but in
vain. In the current story when Vyasa advised Dhritarashtra to restrain
Duryodhana, he openly expressed his inability and, in turn, requested Vyasa
only to advise Duryodhana. The desire to protect the son sowed the seeds for a
disastrous war of Kurukshetra which decimated all the Kauravas.
Persons whose mind waver upon excessive desires are described in
Gita as ‘kāmātmanaḥ’ (Gita 2.43- for them desire itself is their atma). Those persons
minds wander and wander and cannot enjoy peace and stability (व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिः समाधौ न विधीयते - vyavasāyātmikā
buddhiḥ samādhau na vidhīyate
– Gita 2.44).
In the story we see Dhritarashtra shunting out Vidura and later inviting him to
his place due to his wavering intellect.
Dhritarashtra
was restless throughout life as he could not sacrifice his wicked son who
always threatened that he would die on seeing Pandavas with wealth.
What
is the significance of Surabhi story? Surabhi also suffered from Putrsana like
Dhritarashtra but with a difference. It grieved for the pitiable plight of the
weak son but Dhritarashtra grieved for the son who acquired the kingdom with
greed. Hence Ved Vyasa advised Dhritarashtra to emulate Surabhi and think of
Pandavas who were also his sons.
Mytreya’s story adds richness to the grand narrative of the story in
the sense that his curse works with a rider. If
Duryodhana makes peace with Pandavas, the curse is inoperative. But if he does
not make peace, it is operative, and he is sure to be killed by Bhima. Again,
putreshana of Dhritarashtra allowed his son to enjoy the Pandava’s kingdom for
another thirteen years despite Mytreya’s curse.
Fear is a powerful and primitive human emotion. When truth is not
known, it is common that any great man is suspected for frivolous psychological
fears. This psychological tendency leads to ‘fight’ or ‘flight’ syndrome. When
Vidura approaches Pandavas, Pandavas feared about an invitation to third game
of dice. Yudhishtir was a great devotee of Vidura and Vidura was the known well
wisher of Pandavas. Still the fear cropped up in the minds of Pandavas on
seeing the arrival of Vidura. The principle of adhering to dharma made
Yudhishtira to compose himself and he approached Vidura with courtesy. Ved
Vyasa has discussed these subtle psychological tendencies with an emotional
impact.
A man is aggressive with his rival in the presence of a lady. This
machoistic manly maneuver is common among men. We
have read the story of Chitraratha, a Gandharva who attacked Pandavas even
though he knew that he could not defeat them. He explains that he became
aggressive in the presence of his wife. Veda Vyasa
highlighted this subtle behavior of men in an impressive way when Bhima became
stronger under the watch of the lovely on-looks of his beloved wife.
Points to ponder
1.
Discuss the three internal
enemies described in Maha Bharata with examples
2.
Pick up at least one
story each for ‘dāreṣaṇa’
and ‘dhaneṣaṇa’
from Maha Bharat.
3.
Discuss the Raj niti
imbedded in the story.
4.
What is the message
of Indra Surabhi Samvaada?
5.
Compare Dhritarashtra
with that of Ravana (in Ramayana) in exiling their bothers.
Footnotes
stasya duḥkhepyaṃśabhājaḥ sahāyāḥ ।
sahāyānāmeṣa saṃgrahaṇeSdhyupāyaḥ
sahāyāptau pṛthivīprāptimāhuḥ ।।
Vana Parva 5.20
kariṣye na hi tānṛddhānpunardraṣṭumihotsahe ।। Vana
Parva 7.6
putrasnehena bhagavañjānannapi priyavrata ॥ Vana Parva 9.3
[vi] duryodhana nikārāccha bāhu vīryācca darpitaḥkṛṣṇā nayana dṛṣṭaśca vyavardhata vṛkodaraḥ Vana
Parva 11.55
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