SANGRAHA SANGHARSHA AND SANGRAM

These three words sound almost the same as we begin to pronounce them, yet as we study them they mean totally different things.

Sangraha is used in  the Gita for bringing people together. A virtuous cycle is one  where there is a genuine growth in one's life based on sva dharma( personal strength to function) and offering part of this growth to help society grow. It is a cycle of steady growth and coherence  with few problems. 

Svadharma, when allowed to abuse, creates 'sangharsha' or conflict, confusion and indecisiveness.  For eg;- when a mother serves her children and the children are misuse the selflessless of the mother, it does not benefit any one.

Svadharma is selfish when an individual uses it for personal growth. Everybody Is used as a tool and then swadharma becomes intensified selfishness, which brings active conflict, called Sangrama(war).

Uniting is the right use of svadharama, creating conflict is allowing the abuse of svadharama and abusing others to grow oneself selfishly is creating war. Krishna quotes Janaka maharaja as the example of loka sangraha(bringing people together)

We see how indecisiveness of Bhisma, Drona and Karna, was misused by Duryodhana.  These three were very evolved in their Svadharma, but not for the growth of the society, rather they dedicated their whole life for the wrong cause, the selfish cause of Duryodhana.

Duryodhana was the third example who was rooted in swadharma but his swadharma  was for his own personal growth.  He wanted personal growth at all costs and he  used every body as his pawn. Duryodhana’s stubbornness caused a war like situation. To aggravate the situation Duryodhan refused to give even 5 villages to the Pandavas, when krishna,  approached him as a peace messenger. He had to be removed and so the war took place.

We have a choice to be  a part of loka sangraha, or loka sangarsha or loka sangrama.

BOON OF SUNGOD

Satrajita was an important citizen in Dwarka under the kingship of Ugrasena Maharaja.

He was a worshiper of the Sun god. The Sun gave him a special jewel, called the Symantaka jewel. This jewel produced a few kilos of gold every day.  Unfortunately he did not share the gold with people who deserved it and were needy. 

One day his brother Prasena asked him for the jewel. He wished to wear it around his neck whilst he went for hunting.  Satrajit reluctantly gave it. Unfortunately Satrajit’s brother was killed by a lion in the jungle, but the jewel had disappeared from his dead body. Satrajit cried foul, and accused Krishna of stealing the jewel, and killing Prasena. Even the Yadavs headed by Balarama felt that krishna had stolen it. To understand the truth of the story, Krishna went in search of the jewel. He found that the lion after killing Prasena, had taken away the jewel thinking it to be some meat. This lion was killed by an ape, or monkey Jambhavna who was the servant of lord Rama in treta yuga. Krishna fought with him and brought back the jewel and gave it to Satrajita . He offered his daughter to Krishna in marriage but did not part with the jewel.  Eventually Satrajita was murdered for the jewel.

On other hand Yudhisthira had another boon from same Sun god, the boon of the ‘Aksayapatra’ which could feed thousands of people who were dependent on Yudhisthira. The Pot would provide as much as Yudhisthira wanted to feed, till Draupadi would take her meal.

Once Yudhisthira was in danger because of the very benediction and he called out for Krishna to help.

Durvasa muni wanted to put the Pandavas in difficulty. He along with his student asked the Pandavas to feed him when the Aksaya patra had stopped working for the day, after Draupadi took her meal.  Yudhisthira called out to Krishna for help, Satrajit accused Krishna for taking the jewel and eventually lost his life for no good reason.

Yudhisthira used the benediction, and the same benediction killed Satrajit. 

Valuable  things or resources if used for hoarding for oneself bring destruction.  Satrajit lost the opportunity to be called magnanimous, because he was self conscious, rather than being compassionate.  Benedictions are  blessings only if they are used for helping others in growing at all levels, spiritual, mental and social

 Nothing is good or bad including the benediction of the gods.

FAULTS AND MANAGEMENT

When King Yudhisthira wanted to perform the Rajasuya Sacrifice, he was uncertain about the outcome of the sacrifice.  Many people gave opinions, but according to Yudhisthira, those opinions were influenced by certain back grounds.  He talks about them to Lord Krishna:

1. “because of loving relationship with me, most of my family members are unable  to tell  me my short comings.”

In other words in love we overlook  the faults, which is very good in a   relationship, but in management, this act becomes an obstacle for taking the right decision.

2. “some people out of certain selfish agenda, do speak only  that which  will make me feel nice.”

It is natural for a leader who is surrounded by subordinates to be in a state of unwillingness  to hear something  which  suggests improvement. The intoxication of praise is too difficult to give up, hence the poison of critical analysis is a hard pill to digest, and with flatterers around, it becomes extremely difficult to face suggestions for improvement.
Hence the average person does  not want to be the whistle blower and  therefore  speaks what the leader likes to hear.

3. “based on one’s own preconceived likes and dislikes  people give  opinions  to their leader, thinking whatever they personally like, the leader should or will like.”

This is the one of the greatest disasters  in management, we see things based upon our small understanding of the world . It is a  very limited world view to expect  kings or leader’s liking to be based upon the liking of subordinates.

Therefore Yudhsithra requested Krsihna to speak what is exactly good for him, and what are his short comings?  And why is Krishna considered as qualified?

Krishna is qualified because  he is  free from all vices and has no personal agenda. He did not take any position when he came to this world. He saw from an over all perspective, with an integrated approach to whatever decision Yudhisthira was planning to take. He is affectionate but detached.

In management for all decisions to find some one who has a birds eye view, is not easy.
Birds eye view,  means  someone who is not completely soaked  in, rather one who has the power to observe.

How many opinions  do we give  based on these factors? Our view is expansive if we are not influenced by our surrounding.  Does it make sense?

            

FAILED PLAN SUCCEEDS

When some one tries to make his foe fail in life,  this very circumstance can be the cause of the foe’s greatest success. Some times success in life comes not because one specially works for making it happen, rather it comes when someone tries to push us to the wall and we respond and react in a positive way.
That  defense becomes the cause of  some gain, which one had not envisaged .

Bhima was fed poison by Duryodhana, but Bhima turned out to be as powerful as many elephants put together. It was not Bhima’s plan to be drinking nectar, but he was not the one who would die helplessly, rather he would die fighting.
Destiny and his attitude gave him nectar instead.

Arjuna had not planned to be  a eunuch, in fact he was cursed by Indra’s associate Apsara, Urvashi, but that eunuch hood was used by Arjuna during their period of incognito after being in exile for 12 years.

Yudhishtira was thrown out of his kingdom to live in a forest for 12 years by  the evil  Duryodhana.
Yudhishtira rather than thinking tge situation  to be disastrous,  he used it for learning, growing and purifying in the association of many saintly teachers. He connected to and understood many different forests connected to different civilizations.  He  had never planned  this learning , but it came to him due to his attitude and approach to life.

When Sugriva was sending his army of monkeys, he was defining different directions to the utter amazement of Lord Rama. Lord Rama questioned, “how is it that you know all the directions of the entire globe?
When did you ever visit them?"  Sugriva replied , “ when I was chased away by my brother I was taking shelter in different parts of the world.  I was fearing Vali but this also became a part of my information gathering exercise.”  Sugriva whilst   running away from his brother  learned the map of the world which benefited his search mission on behalf of Rama.

We can see in the history of human race that so many people targeted that others fail, but the people who turned adversity into gain had the right attitude.
Those who failed , failed not because some one planned their failure  but failure came to them based on their negative or positive response.

PRESENT INDICATION IS FUTURE CERTAINTY

The concept of the law of karma is the very phenomena of how the  world functions. One who sees the life cycle in a sensitive way can have no confusion, about the action and the  reaction cycle. It is no rocket science, rather it is a subject of common sense. What goes out has to come around with some interest, either good or bad.

The  Pandavas had a peculiar style of leaving when they were going out of Hastinapura after being cheated in the gambling match, losing  everything to the Kauravas. Yudhisthira had covered his face with a cloth. Bhima was looking continuously towards his shoulders. Arjuna was scattering sand particles all over and following Yudhisthira.  Sahadeva was walking covering his face with dirt. Nakul had dust over his entire body. Draupadi had covered her face with her own untied long hair.  And finally their priest Dhaumya was chanting some “yama sukta”mantras.
When  Dhristhrasthra heard about this from Vidura, he asked him, “what does it indicate? .”  Vidura, who is known for envisaging the  future certainty based on present sensitivity, spoke, “This indicates what they are going to do in the future, for the sin of gambling.  Yudhisthira covered his face, lest he  burn the culprits.  Bhisma is showing his shoulders, to prove these shoulders will take actions in future. Arjuna is telling I will shower arrows on the criminals.  Draupadi is covering her face to show that in future those who are responsible for this crime will have to see the crying of their women.  Dhaumya is chanting the death personified mantra, to invoke death for the criminals."

Dhritharastra was scared but, did not take the indication seriously. Rather the kurus tried to escape the future.  But that was the folly of the fools.
Knowing what is going to happen in the future is not a solution, one has to actively work at removing  it or minimizing the effect  or developing  the power to handle the inevitable. 

Life gives us indications for our future, but some people do not take the indications seriously.
They  are fooled by the time factor, which gives a very strong reaction.  
Life is nothing but event after event, and every event is based on past indications, and creating the future certainties.  Sensitivity to the past, present and future gives some predictable sensible behavior for those who are responsible to nature. Complex  to understand ?
Then we have to judge when we experience.

FAILED MISSION?

Lord Krishna stayed at the house of Vidura when he came for the peace mission to Hastinapura.
Vidura who was like a father figure, was concerned about the  Kauravas offending the Lord. So he suggested that Krishna  not speak with the Kurus, specially with Duryodhana, and gave many reasons.

Vidura said, “Duryodhana has given up dharma and artha, he is full of anger, destroys honor of others and is infatuated by honor for himself.  He has rejected the good advice given by elders, he is attached to sensuality, his intelligence is not steady.He follows the  path of his desires, he will not listen to you, Krishna. He has no plan of truce.  He believes more in the power of his followers. He thinks Karna alone is sufficient to destroy the Pandavas. He and his brothers have no desire for peace, and you my lord are trying for peace. He suspects you too, therefore whatever good you say, he will not listen to you. They are convinced, that even Indra cannot defeat them. All those who fear you have joined the Kurus, and are ready to die for the cause of the Pandavas destruction.  I am very much concerned about you. I am very confident about your influence, power of action and intelligence, but out of love, respect and friendship, I am speaking these things.”

Lord Krishna replied “ what you say is truthful, timely, and full of wisdom.  But still hear why I am here at Hastinapura.” Krishna continued, “I am very much aware of Duryodhana's  vile behavior, mother Bhumi is ready to see the destruction of the host of armies, along with the horses, and elephants.
I am trying to avert this war.Human beings should put all efforts to do that which is dharmik. Even if he fails in the work of dharma, still it is glorious.I understand that all these kings are fighting because they are confident of Duryodhana and Karna and that  they will give them victory.  I know for certain that the root of evil is in the party of the Kaurvas.
One who is suffering because of habit should be helped , if one does not help then, he is cruel and hard hearted, this is the opinion of the learned. One more thing, those who are sinful fools and who think me as their enemy should not accuse me of not trying my best to stop this war.With all this if Duryodhana still does not listen to me then it is his great ill fortune. My only intention is to benefit both the parties.”

A mission can only be successful, when the other party is also willing to change.
Lord in this world, can give us all the facilities to change. He can give good advice, work really hard in that direction, but ultimately it is up to every one to make the choice. God directs, but does not dictate since we have the independence to decide.

Yes certainly Krishna failed, but failed in trying, this is the glory of God.
The living entities independence is the key factor in making  the decision in favor of benefiting oneself or harming oneself.

IN HAPPINESS THERE IS RESPONSBILITY

When people gain something in their life, there is instant happiness and celebration, but along with that happiness there is an invisible responsibility which becomes distinctly visible as the celebration subsides.
Therefore those who are sober and thoughtful certainly take part in celebration but they are not intoxicated by the gain.
How it does it all begin?
Expectation of gain creates suspense and positive dreams or hopes.
When expectation becomes reality, it gives happiness and joy, and when reality becomes part of our life it becomes a burden created by responsibility.

Therefore dharmik scriptures talk about an integrated outlook.They say nothing is independently existing.  There is no isolated existence.
Within kama there has to be dharma too. Kama or desires without dharma will be reckless and chaotic.  And dharma without satisfaction and contentment will simply be a burden. and this dharma without satisfaction   will have no member to emulate in the future.

The  happiness of the Pandavas and the happiness of Duryodhana apparently looks the same  but it is  different in terms of attitude. The attitude is the deciding factor in  whether it is dharmik or evil?

The Pandava  pleasure was responsibility flavored. On the other hand Duryodhana’s pleasure was very pleasure centric, and he wanted to make it only pure pleasure with no flavour of responsibility .This is never possible, because it is artificial.
Neither Duryodhana  nor his adviser  Shakuni  was responsible to each other in regards to reaction. Giving advice without taking any responsibility  only led to unlimited reactions.
Arjuna on the other hand Krishna as his adviser, who was not only giving Arjuna instruction but was willing to stand by Arjuna in all situations.
Arjuna reciprocated with Krishna equally well. Both were willing to take the responsibility for their decision, one for giving the advise  and other for accepting the advise.

Therefore happiness which is responsible in nature will endure the testing time and responsibility flavored with contentment and satisfaction will be worth pursuing. 

LONELY, ALONE OR REFLECTIVE

Being alone is circumstantial. Now a days kids do not have friends in the colony, or they are too absorbed in video games, to be interacting with the world  or some people are alone because their surrounding does not match their values.
People who are alone become bored with life quite fast. 

Loneliness is caused by internal difficulties in dealing with people.
It has nothing to do with the outside  world. Loneliness is a reaction to bitter experiences caused by people who were or are close to us. A longing is there for relationship but along with that longing is a fear of frustrating experiences.This fear makes people  avoid relationships. So they conclude that it is better to avoid relationships externally rather than go through the pain of a bad relationship .
However an inner force makes them long for relationships.
Such people are unfortunately broken within and broken without, this is sad but real.

Reflective people are the ones who use everything for their advantage and for the advantage of the community. For them being alone or with people is like taking different varieties of food items according to the season. Reflective people interact when there is a need and when there is no need they are happy being reflective people.  Being reflective is an effect of an inner satisfaction with externally enterprising traits.
Being reflective is not an inborn quality, but is cultivated  through the process of yoga, the yoga of love, bhakti, or Karma yoga, where in keeping Lord in the centre, one can slowly rises to the level of being reflective .

In the mahabhara Drona  Dhrithrasthra and Karna represent the traits of being lonely. They feared relationships because of their  experiences.  Dhrithrasthra’s blindness, Karna’s ambitions and Drona’s bitter experiences in friendship with Draupada.

At times Gandhari was alone  in her quest for happiness, she wanted the happiness which was dharmik, but she has no one to share.  She did serve her husband, but he was lonely and she was forced to be alone.

Yudhisthira represents  the great reflective personality, nothing shook him, nothing moved him.  He was solid like a rock. He appeared  slow, compared to the fire in Bhima and Draupadi, but he knew what he was doing and what steps he was taking.  Therefore he was a sage amongst the kings. He had the wisdom of a sage and the valor of a king, therefore he was called as Dharmaraja.  Dharma  and control  both were there. In fact even the greatest archer Arjuna and the powerful Bhima, willingly remained subordinate of Yudhishthira.

WHY RELATIONSHIP

When Duryodhana decided to show off his wealth to the Pandavas in the Dvaitavana forest, his intentions was to cause them pain.
For him pleasure was always based upon how much less the others had.  Since the Pandavas had nothing, and he had gained immense wealth therefore he thought, they will suffer and he will enjoy, seeing their suffering.

Experience of pleasures are many fold. For some pleasures are inbuilt, for some pleasure are getting things sufficiently, yet others experience pleasure in causing pain to others.  Duryodhana saw things and people from his own experiences. Pandavas on other hand, were taught  to find pleasure within, more than without.  They did everything on a practical level to live, but pleasure for them had nothing to do with the externals .   Externally they did things in a certain way so that life went on  because they knew that  things and position were   not pleasure giving. They know that 
If you had something or if you were something, most of the time went in  maintenance and protection.

For the Pandavas pleasure was in meaningful relationships.It certainly mattered where they stayed and it was inconvenient to be in the forest, being robbed off their wealth by destiny and evil minded people.
In  this inconvenient situation their greatest pleasure was in meaningful relationships  with each other while keeping their lord and God Krishna in the centre.

Duryodhana used relationships  for his growth in power and facilities.   Pandavas used everything to  grow in relationships. For the Pandavas relationship was the goal, but for Duryodhana relationship was a tool.

Duryodhana was willing to give up a relationship if  the relationship was an obstacle in his growth.
The Pandavas were willing to give up things that were an obstacle in their  relationships.

Draupadi forgave her husbands for putting her as a stake in a gambling match and not doing anything to protect her. This was acrime which  was unforgivable. The Pandavas forgave Yudhisthira for gambling.They were concerned about their relationships. On the other hand, Duryodhana was willing to sever his relationship with his very father and mother for not getting what he thought he should get from them. He would blackmail them knowing very well that they were attached to him. One may argue that even parents of Duryodhana held relationships close their heart, but one has to see the whole approach, they were using others for their attachment.  Hastinapura was entirely  destroyed because  of their attachment to Duryodhana. They were only family bound, but the Pandavas were bound to family so that they could bind the society for long time to come.

We have to choose what kind of relationships  we are looking for
A relationship that is a goal  or
A relationship  that is a tool to achieve  something else ?

PAIN OF FREEDOM

During the holocaust in Germany, many who were freed from the atrocities of Hitler, found independence to be confusing and directionless.They did not know what to do with their independence. Behind the confinement, the anticipation of freedom was life giving nectar, but when independence dawned unto them, they realized their loneliness. Their family was gone and they did know what to do. Freedom became a prison for some.

Once  Duryodhana was bound by the Gandharvas, who had  come to foil Duryodhana’s plan to ridicule the Pandavas  in the forest of Dvaita Vana. This happened during  their exile term.

Duryodhana 's plan failed and he was bound and brought to Yudhisthira. Yudhisthira being kind and liberal, released Duryodhana from bondage. This was very painful for Duryodhana, losing  to the   Gandharvas  was one kind of pain, but getting freedom from Yudhisthira, was humiliating. His freedom became life threatening.  The thought of freedom coming from Yudhisthira was more painful than death. He decided to give up life, what to speak of all the wealth he had accumulated.

People like Duryodhana take pleasure in things, they are willing to do anything to get what belongs to others.  He had gotten it all, but freedom from Yudhisthira became so painful that he was willing to abandon everything.   He decided  to fast till death. Why? Because  he could not handle  the freedom given by Yudhisthira.
Duryodhana  thought that this freedom from Yudhisthira  would  shame his entire existence.

It is very interesting to note that   Arjuna and Bhima wanted punishment, and not release for Duryodhana. But here Yudhisthira’s strategy was much better.
He did what he was supposed to do. Release Duryodhana and knowing Duryodhana very well he knew that Duryodhana would  suffer his freedom.Yudhisthira punished him by being kind to him. Of course Yudhisthira did it unconsciously  but it was a great move.  it was a victory for the Pandavas on a mental platform . They scored against Duryodhana. 

Of course, it was Duryodhana who hit the self goal and suffered .
The Pandavas unconsciously got a bonus goal.

Look for healthy freedom not the unhealthy freedom.
What  sells in the market is the freedom of Duryodhana but what we want is the freedom of discipline and the freedom of inner consciousness, and that comes  by being connected to Dharma and Lord Krishna’s abundant grace.