DISADVANTAGE OF A LONG LIFE

Yudhishthira Maharaja heard from Markandeya Rishi about the disadvantages of a long life.  The rishi narrated a story of the discussion between the sage Baka and Indra. Baka had  a  long life hence Indra asked him the disadvantages of a long life.

Baka said, “One of the main problem with  a long life is that you have  to stay with those people  with whom you cannot relate . One has to suffer the death of dear one’s continuously, unfortunately one is forced to associate with unwanted people.  One is forced to see the death of his wife, children and relatives.  For sustenance one has to depend on outsiders, and they certainly neglect if not ridicule.”

The mundane world offers the pain of a short life and the disadvantage of a long life  There are some good sides and some bad sides , but to think that one enjoys immensely the long life span is  superficial . People who live long lives  are living for the sake of living  without contributing much to anyone's life.

Dhritharasthra survived beyond the death of his sons. It was not a happy life, and neither was it a fulfilling life .
He had a very strong desire to stay in this world even though  he was ridiculed by Bhima. He did not want to get rid of this useless life, till Vidura put sense in his blinded and depressed ego. What a curse to be living a long life without contributing anything.

Therefore one great devotee  (the descendent of Pandavas )Parikshita when he was cursed to die within seven days, he did nto pray to the lord to keep him alive for the sake of living, rather he prayed, “if I have to come back then I would prefer complete affection to lord Sri Krishna, association of saintly people, and compassion or friendliness towards all suffering people."

Dharma tells us that if you can stay long and do something good then it is a good life, but living a long life and simply dragging it becomes a burden on  others.
Think about it make a choice of life which is meaningful and fruitful.

YAGNA

The dharmik scriptures define yagna(sacrifice) more as an affair of every moment rather than the ritual of a seasonal cycle.The yagna of rituals is being rejected today because of lack of understanding, or an increase in superficiality by the perfomer.

Mahabharata defines yagna as:
Not becoming too joyful on receiving wealth,
Performance of welfare work,
Freedom from desire caused by proper detachement,
Tolerating an undesirable event,
Not desiring relationships of wife, children,
Giving charity only to qualified people.

These yagnas  are eternal  and can be performed  by one and all.  It does not require  a priest or a specialized teacher to perform.
It is the way in which one lives  life and that which has the power to create a legacy of coherency.

The Pandvas were never too absorbed in celebration, rather they were reflective in the administration of their kingdom. In Sri Krishna’s Dwaraka, where there were  nine hundred thousand palaces, it was a  part of  the daily routine of Sri Krishna to perform welfare work.
Proper detachement means to move to the next stage of life. Once Yudhisthira maharaja heard of the departure of Sri Krishna from this world, and Parikshita was qualified to rule, Yudhisthira moved from his duty of being king to the duty of being a reflective sage in the woods.

Undesirable events are happening in the world that we live in because that is the nature of this world. One need not  pray for them nor deny their existence. One should deal with them and some events  simpy  need to be tolerated. Like  the fiery Bhima tolerated the saintly Yudhisthira who was always ready to withdraw from action even against those people who were extremely brutal.

Not desiring the basics of life like wife and children, means having no obsession about them, one needs them but one should not overly disturbed for getting them.

Giving charity only to qualified people is one of the most important instructions.  Some people do not how to make money and others who know how to make money do not how to spend it.
The most difficult thing is knowng who is qualified to receive charity.
Charity can be offered to :
1.Those who are living a life of inspired poverty so that they can do more effective work in the society.
2.Those who are straving because of circumstances.
3 Or charity can be given for the cause of Dharma and at the same time one needs to be alert to see that one's charity is not hijacked by those who are evil and slanderous of dharma in the name of dharma.

Dharma glani happened because of Drona and Bhisma  who sided and gave the charity of their life for the cause Duryodhana.

We can reflect and live in perpetual yagna.

HANUMANA‘S THREE SECRETS

Hanumana is a non controversial personality. There are no disputes in regards to his activities.  He brings excitement and bliss to one and all, old or young, men or women.
Hanumana represents, Bhakti, Shakti and Yukti.  Bhakti represents his devotion, shakti represents his resources, and yukti represents his strategy.  This combined force is the force of positivity. It builds,protects, unites and destroys the power of adharma.

In this world, being right is good but being resourceful to push right is important. Being right gets diluted if the resources are limited.  Resources and skills are not compelete without the culture of devotion.

Hanumana is the personfication of these three which constitute completeness.  When he flew to Lanka to look for Mother Sita, he had devotion towards Sri Rama, that was the impetus.  However devotion without action is sentimental.  Hanumana had  the resources and along with powerful resources and devotion he had great strategy.
When he found mother Sita he gave her the message of full  reassurance of her delivery. He found out how Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana appeared as a part of  his study for future attack. He got caught by his own will and gave a warning to Ravana in a very tactical way.  Evenutally he gave the glimpse of Sri Rama’s power by burning the lanka.

One important quality along with bhakti shakti and yukti was mukti from pride of being successful.  Hanumana was a performer of herculean taks but he was humble and meek like a shy introvert  child.

This combination is the dream of all those who are aspiring to be successful.
Let us bring Hanumana back into our life by becoming the soldiers of Hanumana.  Not to destroy but to construct the broken life of people.  Mother Sita represents prosperity, Sri Rama is the husband of that prosperity.  If Sri Rama and Sita are together then Ayodhay will be happy.

We need skills, resources and the culture of devotion, that is like Hanumana being present everywhere.

PRIVILEGES AND PROBLEMS

In life there are privileges and problems both . Sometimes there are privileged problems. Of course priveleges are not problems in one sense, but the mind  cheats us  and makes priveleges into problems .

Dhritharasthra, Duryodhana and Dushasana had priveleges of being born in a royal family, but they saw the Pandavas as the their biggest problem.  The Pandavas were their relatives and had not caused any problem.
When Sri Krishna came as the peace maker, he told the Kauravas the benefits of making Pandavas their ally. He explained  that no one  would dare to look in their direction if the Kurus and the Pandavas were togther.Unfortunately the kurus  did not see this as an advantage rather they saw the Pandavas  as problems in their life.

Privileged people, often become narrow minded.  They have sufficient resources but  their world becomes very small, “its me and mine,” and their understanding of mine becomes clouded by imaginary problems .They forget their good fortune of being born in a privileged family.

Therefore Dharmik Scriptures advise us to be trained in a all situations of life . It begins in the Gurukula or teacher’s residence, where even though one is born privileged, he is inspired to stay  in the association of other students so that one learns the art of  living a cooperative life.

Unfortunately Duryodhana never went to the house of a Guru, rather the guru was made to stay in the royal family.  Dronacharya stayed within the close proximity of  the royal family, hence he lost the honor of being impartial. Drona told Yudhisthira in the battle of Kurukshetra that he was forced fight against the Pandavas as he had been purchased by Duryodhana.

Pandavas also stayed in the palace and studied under the same Guru  but  they did not take the value of slavery of Dronacharya.
While the Pandavas were living in the forest they were offered help by the Yadavas  but Yudhisthira refused help. As a kshatriya it was his duty not to live on favours.
Yudhisthira had a problem but he turned it into a privilege of confidence and self reliance.  He did not make the Kaurvas  his problem rather remained  as his relatives.  Eventually when they became a problem to the dharmik kingdom, Yudhisthira used the svadharma  of a kshatriya to rectify the situation by uprooting them from the position of power.

Privileges can be a problem and problems can be privelges, it all depends on whom we follow Yudhisthira or Duryodhana?

DASARATHA AND TRAGEDY

Dasharatha Maharaja, father of Sri Rama had a tragic life. The tragedy was caused by wealth, power and the birth of Sri Rama. Tragedy struck not due to misuse of resources but due to accidental mistakes and promises made by him.

Dasaratha maharaja wanting to please his citizens entered the forest to hunt wild animals.The wild animals would cause disturbance by attacking the city if they were allowed to roam free.   Unfortunately whilst hunting these animals Dasharatha accidentally killed Shravana Kumara, who was escorting his aged and blind parents. Dasaratha had mistook the sound of the filling of water pots as animals drinking water and through a sonic weapon had attacked. He killed the person by sound recognition. Shravana's father  cursed Dasarath to experience the same pain  of separation as he was experiencing on the death of Shravana.

Dasaratha was shell shocked and never revealed this story to any one. He did not know what kind of separation and pain he would encounter.  Would it be the death of his son or would his son go out of Ayodhya? The uncertainty added to the misery. The anticipation and not speaking to any one about this curse led to insurmountable suffering.
Secondly, when Dasarath was about to marry Kaikeyi his third wife, her father put a condition saying  that only her son would be the next king. Eager and bereft of sons from other wives Dasaratha consented.  But with the birth of Sri Rama and other sons Dasaratha maharaja realized his folly.
How could any one other than Sri Rama be king?
But Dasaratha had promised that Kaikeyi's  son Bharata would be king.
No one knew about this promise not even Kaikeyi and Bharata.
Therefore when Dasharatha maharaja decided to coronate Sri Rama he did not  let Bharata know  about the coronation what to speak inviting him. Bharata was at his uncle 's place at the time of the coronation.

Strangely enough Dasarath Maharaja  successfully crossed these problems and Sri Rama's coronation was about to take place when Kaikeyi struck. She reminded  Dasharatha of the benediction which he had given her. Dasharatha was unprepared for this .  He had promised her two benediction when she had helped him in s battle.  Granting the benediction to Kaikeyi  made him  experience the pain of separation from Sri Rama and Bharata's ruling of Ayodhya.

Through this story and other stories of Ramayana we learn how life operates in this world.

TIME HEALS

Kala is loosely translated as time.  In Bhagavad-Gita Sri Krishna explains kala as power which manifests as destructive energy and also it is creative energy.  The beauty of Gitopanishada is that it presents the story of anything connected to this world from both the side, the destructive as well as constructive.  It has power to present reconciliation. Because reconciliation is natural phenomena of this  world. 

Therefore time presented as hurting at times and at other times it heals.
In fact life is so designed in this world and time is major contributor of this phenomena. The entire Vedic source of knowledge gives us this perspective.   Kala purusha has the audacity even to humbly request the lord the creation to wind up His activity in the mortal world when He comes as Avatara.   When Sri Rama came as Avatara in the conclusion of his pastimes kala purusha(time personified) came to him asking for personal audience, he said Sti Rama to wind up his pastimes in that particular time zone.  Sri Rama respected kala's request because the lord of creation does not defy his own law even though He is beyond law.

Sri Krishna eventually accepted the so called  curse of  sages given to his sons and grandsons for destruction of His yadu clan.   He thought the lessons to all those who want to permanently create their impression by avoiding the influence of time.  No one in this world has the power to create permanent influence in the works, it is sheer foolishness because time simply By its presence makes every one and every great civilization to go into oblivion. 

Therefore the lord of the time descends down to this world time and again just so that balancing is done.  Sri Krishna mentions in Gita about how knowledge becomes obscured because of time but then he spoke to Arjuna to review the wisdom which was covered over. 

This the complexity in how time and lord of time functions.  Becoming and unbecoming. This the drama of life and also the things of this world also moves on this principle

MOTHER AND SHAKTI

Dharmik tradition defines feminine power in many different ways. Many people propose that she is subordinate to men. Some present her as an embodiment of all refineness .Her shyness is described as an ornament that enhances her beauty and charm.  Some present her as a helpless victim of abuse or as if she  undergoes  continuous exploitation.  Some more present her as the ultimate representation of motherhood. Or her as an ultimate destination or some speak  of the success of her feminine position. These analysis are all true and real. The good definitions need be protected and her abuse and exploitation needs to be eliminated.
Dharmik wisdom presents another aspect of feminine diversity and that is her "SHAKTI" or she being  a source of energy.  The Vedic wisdom enumerates the source of everything as the personal God who is the energetic and his counter part as energy. They are inseparable, there is no energy without the energetic and vice versa . Motherhood is one aspect and not all the aspects.   Motherhood represents nourishment of what she brings to this world. But her main aspects should not be forgotten.

Srimati Laxmi, Srimati  Radha, Srimati Sitadevi are the  energies of the pleasure giving potency, pleasure through compassion. But the same Shakti can also be a power house of a different nature .In their justice dissemination they can empower women with the power of destruction of mother Kali  or Mother Rudrani or Durgadevi.

This Shakti's display of compassion and bring a cruel judge to us are her original aspects. Hence we need to deal with Shakti in a more sensitive way.
In her original form she is all good and magnanimous but in her administrative form, especially  towards those who tend to rebel against her see her disciplinarian side.
Draupadi the wife of Pandavas, who was born in fire was compassionate even to some one who killed her own son.  But the Kurus who tried to disrobe Druapadi were beyond forgiveness, therefore she was like a blazing fire who instigated the termination of the entire Kshatriyas race.

Mother Sita who is very compassionate, for Ravana ,and his army  became death personified  and therefore the great Mandodhari while wailing over the dead body of her husband, Ravana, spoke,"my dear husband, you are not dead by the arrows of Rama, but simply by the tears of mother Sita."

It is our choice whether we want  Shakti's compassion and grace or Shakti's passion and be trounced by her?

THE WIFE OF DURYODHANA.

Duryodhana married the daughter of  the king of Kashi with the help of his friend Karna as it is mentioned  in the Mahabharata.
Vyasa's Mahabharata is silent about her name and her response to her husband's behavior. Some folklore tales mention her name as Bhanumati.
It is interesting to note that the wives of major villains in the Ramayana play an important role in trying to convince their husbands to abandon their evil ways.  Tara in Ramayana tries to convince Vali not to accept the challenge of Sugriva the second time since he had an alliance with Rama.

Ravana was repeatedly advised by his chaste and good wife Mandodhari to abandon his evil intentions. Both Tara and Mandodhari reflect upon the death of their husbands. They show their loyalty as wives but maintain an independent view of things from the dharma point of view. Both blame their husbands for being punished by Sri Rama.

The Bhagavata Purana states that wives are the intelligence behind the men. However the demons Ravana and Vanara Vali rejected their good advise. On the other hand Duryodhana, Karna and Shakuni shut their intelligence to such an extent that they did not give their wives any importance in  their life. Vyasadeva mentions the name of their son in battle but does not make any mention of their wives. Their greatest ill fortune was that they shut their intelligence. Exactly as Dhrithrashtra had shut his heart and ear  to  the good advise of his wise wife.   Surely they must have made their wives cry repeatedly . The only good thing was that Duryodhana 's daughter was married to Sri Krishna's son Sambha . But even his daughter could not change her father.

Therefore Manu says that in a family where women are not respected and are made to cry, their prosperity is destroyed.

DO RIGHTLY THE RIGHT THINGS

Doing things rightly is one thing but doing right things rightly is the perfection of efficiency.

It is seen seldom that right things are done with less efficiency because focus is on having the confidence of doing right things rather than also doing it rightly. 

In other hand we see the world we live in especially the modern technological world is extremely efficient centric.  Every technological invention increases the preciseness of its action and the effect, rarely failing.  The missiles hit the target as far as few hundred miles.   The modern medical industry has been braking through so many mysteries of  human anatomy.  The business world's goods are being sold in any part of the world any product within amazing quantity and quality, but what we have done with the life and multi faced relations itself.  We are doing things rightly but are they right things?  
Human intellect as developed skillful things but what about skills in relating to each other, the environment and the sensitivity for the future generation. Pollution of human mind is as deadly as the pollution of external environment.  In fact it's reflection of human heart and mind. The result is very challenging and looks unrepairable.  Human efficiency only centered around in regards to flying, driving, texting, calling and  is eating is bound to brake because it does not cover all the time zone.  It is present centric not legacy centric. 

Therefore Mahabharata forces us to see everything as one time zone.  All three spheres of time zone is like flowing waters of mother Ganga.  If the source is polluted the confluence in Ganga sagar will be disturbingly polluted and certainly the whole land scape through which Ganga flows. 

The Kurus headed by Shakuni, Karna and their leader Duryodhana where experts but in what? Certainly destruction.  Krpacharya, Bhisma and Drona were good and had a great school but whom were they using it, certainly to the side of destructive party.  Pandavas on other hand maneuvered by Sri Krishna were doing right things for right reason with a right intention, it was wholesome right.  Tough but right, challenging but fulfilling painful but meaningful.

The choice is ours which category we fall in? bad things rightly done-it's worst.  Bad things badly done-bad.  Righ thing badly done, good.   Or right thing rightly done- excellent pandavas.