Dear Friends,
Namaste!
So far we have seen why we should get our brain to prevail over our heart in cases where they conflict with each other. Why duty should come first and our whims, fancies and liking later.
In this discussion, we will see how to handle another type of conflict. The conflict between responsibilities in a specific role and larger interests.
This is best understood through a couple of well known examples from our epics, the “Ramayana” and the “MahaBharata”.
Let’s look at the more stark “MahaBharata” example first.
After the death of King Pandu, his brother Dhritarashtra claimed the Hastinapur throne. His sons, the Kauravas, knew that sooner or later, Pandu’s sons, the Pandavas, would stake their claim. Therefore the cunning Kauravas decided to send the Pandavas into exile and secure the throne by hook or crook.
They invited the unsuspecting Pandavas for a game of “Dyut” (gambling). Pandavas got lured and lost all their worldly possessions. In the fit of the moment, they gambled on Darupadi, their wife, and lost her too!
Prince Duryodhana, the head of Kaurava dynasty, ordered his younger brother to fetch Draupadi in the court and humiliate her as she had become a slave now.
It was against royal tradition but Duryodhana was blind with hatred and would not listen.
When Draupadi was brought in the open court, she started crying and begging all present to help and stop the marauding Duryodhana. At that time, the elderly and great warriors such as Bhishma and Drona decided to keep mum. When Draupadi brought to their notice that their master was publically molesting an innocent woman and that this was “A-Dharma” that they should do everything to prevent, they simply stated that they were employees of Hastinapur dynasty and loyal to the King and the throne and would never raise a finger against Duryodhana!
What happened later is history! Lord Krishna intervened to save the day for Draupadi and after returning from exile, Pandavas fought the bloody Kurukshetra war with Kauravas.
In this war, all Kauravas and stalwarts who supported them, such as Bhishma and Drona were killed. Duryodhana himself was handed a horrible death by Bhimsena, the eldest Pandava after Yudhishthir, in an act of brutal revenge.
This story brings out a case of misplaced loyalties. Bhishma and Drona were seasoned, elderly and well-respected. Bhishma was the “Pitamaha” (Grandfather) whilst Drona was the “Acharya” (Teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas). They could have sided with the Larger Interests (“Samanya-Dharma”) and brought a lot of pressure on Prince Duryodhana to prevent him from committing such a dastardly act. But they chose to give more importance to their “Vishesh-Dharma” (their specific role as the servants of Hastinapur throne).
The result? A bloody war that saw more than four million lives lost on the battleground and a complete annihilation of the entire Hastinapur dynasty!
The message is clear – “Samanya-Dharma” must take precedence over “Vishesh-Dharma”!
Another example – this time from “Ramayana” –
While in exile, Lord Rama was staying in Dandakaranya with brother Laxmana and wife Seeta. The region was owned by Shurpanakha, Ravana the Demon King’s sister.
When she saw Rama, she fell for him and proposed to get married. The Lord politely turned down the offer but she insisted. When she came to know that it was because of Seeta that Rama was turning her proposal down, she wanted to kill Seeta.
At this juncture, Lord Rama decided to punish her and asked Laxmana to cut off her nose and ears.
The wounded Shurpanakha complained to Ravana and provoked him to take revenge. Ravana kidnapped Seeta and kept her imprisoned in Lanka.
Lord Rama found her out and requested Ravana to return Seeta to him. When Ravana refused, Lord Rama called him to war.
Ravana had two brothers, viz., Kumbhakarna and Bibhishana. Kumbhakarna decided to side with Ravana and fight Rama. However, Bibhishana first tried to persuade Ravana to return Seeta to Rama but when Ravana did not budge, he went and joined Lord Rama’s forces.
The mighty Lord vanquished Ravana in the war also killing Kumbhakarna, Indrajeet and many an able warrior in Ravana’s army. After the war, he handed over the kingdom of Lanka to Bibhishana and asked him to rule and enjoy his kingdom in a just and fair manner.
Kumbhakarna put his duty as brother above larger interests and he was killed. Bibhishana sided with justice even if that meant estranging his own brother. He was rewarded with an empire!
To repeat:
The message is clear – “Samanya-Dharma” must take precedence over “Vishesh-Dharma”!
In the next article, we will see who we should side with if “Guna-Dharma” (our liking) is at loggerheads with “Samanya-Dharma” (larger interests).
Only then can our discussion on “Dharma” be deemed to be complete.
Take very good care of yourselves...
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