धर्मक्षेत्रे
कुरुक्षेत्रे समवेता युयुत्सवः।
मामकाः
पाण्डवाश्चैव किमकुर्वत संजय॥ गीत १-१॥
The very first shloka of Bhagavadgita portrays the
conflict in the mind of Dhrutarashtra, who wants to know what his children and
Padavas are doing in Kurukshetra. In the absence of Pandu, he being the eldest
of both families could have ensured everybody’s wellbeing. Instead, he choose
to be blind, refused to open-up his insight and control the bad deeds of his
children. On the other hand, mother Gandhari, though a learned scholar herself
misunderstood pativrata dharma and blinded herself, in the process compromising
her duties towards children. Probably these two conflicts in parent’s mind
resulted in Kauravas treading the path of adharma. Duryodhana, leader of
Kauravas, who very well knew what is dharma and adharma but rejected to follow
the right way. Arjuna, a great warrior himself and faced similar situation
earlier (in Virat parva as Brihanale along with Uttara kumara) has now succumbed
to depression after seeing his kith and kin on the opposite side. Dharmaraya
was ready to give up their rightful share and accept just five villages to
avoid the conflict, an unwilling warrior. All these 105 raja kumaras along with
their armies have assembled in Kurukshetra, which is also a dharmakshetra but
to wage war and kill each other, an act of adharma. In contrast, Draupadi was
clear in her mind to wage the war and destroy the evil forces, which Krishna
too agreed and ensured that the war is waged.
Attachment leads to distortion in our greatest gift vivek shakti...
ReplyDeleteBhagawat Gita Chapter 2 shloka 62 and 63 gives us to what extend one can fall to destruction..
Understanding---
Dharma I understand is that which cannot be sublated at all.
All the relative dharmas which is within the realm of space and time has to be in harmony with the universal Dharma..
Universal Dharma I understand is that which gives maximum happiness to maximum people for maximum time from a vyavaharika dristi.
So understanding the state of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari.. they where deluded by attachments and it just goes to tell that the power of Maya is incomprehensible, it can delude even the learned..the blind love for their children caused the destruction of their entire clan.
Though both the Pandava and Kauravas are from the same Kuru dynasty yet they are referred to differently. Panda means the knower and Karauva means that one who revels in Kartruthva and bhoktruthva bhava(source- Shri Maheshwarananda ji).Draupadi represents viveka and therefore Pandu putras were backed by viveka. And even though one's viveka tells to do the right thing we end up feeling miserable when we have a strong attachment to the opposite... a great lesson is being taught here that unless one strengthens the intellect(viveka) quotient through continuous sadhana one is bound to reach a similar state in Life more than once. And only a strong mind can over come such a state... uthista Jagratha Bharata.. cries out Lord Krishna.. A great teaching....