Dear Souls, Become Humans First ! Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha -3

Dear Souls,

Become Humans First !

Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha

Mind’s harmony, Its Mysterious Course

Let me cite an instance. I have already told you, the way

in which Sri Krishna gave the Geeta gospel to Arjuna

and the manner in which he concluded. Here is another

instance. Somehow instances like these become very

dear to me. My mind always looked for them alone.

Many others would have told you many other things

about Krishna. They would have made a God of him

and spoken in that strain always. That is the popular

way. It is good too. But the right thinker and the

enquirer will not be satisfied just by that. To praise

anything good and anyone great is always good. That

first of all marks your humility. Only where humility

and piety are found, evolution and right understanding

can be.

I too praise Krishna at times. I have always liked him.

My liking was natural, even now it is so. But the way in

which I have thought about him, when my mind picked

up the mood of enquiry years back, has been rather

typical. I always quote his own words in which he says:

‘whoever understands me like this gets redemption from

the binding world and life’.

iti māṁ yo'bhijānāti karmabhirna sa badhyate

I tried to understand him and his way, I have always

been acting the way he did, and quite naturally the same

Dear Souls, Become Humans First! 84

peace and clarity, or very nearly that, reigns in me too.

Thanks to him, thanks to his heritage, thanks to the

supreme wisdom of the land and people.

Everything was getting ready for the Mahabharata war,

which brought the two sets of cousins into unimaginable

opposition, which also made their elders take sides in a

most mysterious manner.

However, Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandava

brothers, the Dharmaputra, given always to softness and

composure, found it still hard and painful to go ahead

with the war. His heart even at that late hour yearned

for co-existence and love. So he began to talk about his

mind and feelings to Krishna, who was more a friend,

confidant and guide to him than otherwise. His words:

“Krishna, my mind is still in utter anguish, thinking

about the fight and consequent slaughter. Ah, how can I

bear this outcome. My heart yearns to see the war

avoided somehow. Will you, my dear Krishna, tell me

how this can be accomplished? Shall I send some one to

talk to Duryodhana and bring about a truce with him?

How can I find one competent to fulfil this important

mission? I feel you alone can undertake the task. I want

you to go to Duryodhana and carry my message to him.

Your object, Krishna, must be to somehow gain peace

and avoid blood-shed. You should use all diplomatic

words and with a diction which will surely yield the

result we have in view!”

Krishna heard Yudhishthira patiently, pondered a while

and then with a smile answered: “Respected Sir, I have

all love for you. I always look to your welfare and am

ready to ensure it at all times. If it is your desire to send

me as your ambassador to Duryodhana, I shall indeed

undertake the mission. But let me, however, tell you

what I know to be the sure outcome. Duryodhana is one

who has no concern either for the people around or for

piety and righteousness. Regardless of any

consideration, he is out to do harm and wrong to you.

Little does he care for propriety or goodness in his ways.

The irony is that his mind never repents for what he

does, and so there is no misery too for him on account of

what he does. So there is no chance for him to heed my

words or your message for peace. He will not be content

with anything short of actual battle and slaughter.

However, I shall obey you and proceed as you say. Yes, I

shall speak to him very selected words, and showing all

humility and earnestness try to impress upon him the

need and our request for peace. You may, however be

sure of the outcome. I am out to please you and see that

your mind begets peace. So let no stone remain

unturned in our efforts for peace….”

See, what does Krishna say about his own feeling in the

matter and at the same time promise Yudhishthira that

he will do the way the latter wishes! Is not here Krishna

giving vent to what he likes and knows, and

immediately thereupon expressing his full readiness to

do just the opposite? Both his own like and the like of

another, thus you find closely blending in what he

speaks and does.

This is the way true harmony works in the thoughts and

actions of a knowing man.

You may now ask: “If Sri Krishna did not consider truce

mission to be necessary, why did he take it up? Why

should a wise man proceed with an act, which he clearly

knows is fruitless or bad.” Well, this is the question

which I want every one of you to enquire into and find a

clear answer for.

As I have often said, evolution is for the mind and

understanding of man. As long as the mind moves in a

set pattern, no really serious problem or enquiry is taken

up by it. The real enquiry will commence only when the

mind is put to a conflict.

You should understand that for any human to live in the

world there is the inevitable question of a community or

group. Everyone is born of two persons – the father and

the mother. The father and the mother have their

respective relations, and thus the circle of the

community grows. There is also the society around

consisting of similar groups, children, parents, brothers,

sisters, etc.

Thus any individual is closely knit to a group. This

group may be his family, parental or matrimonial. It

may as well be that of friends, co-workers, etc. Whatever

the kind and nature be, such a group or community is

always there for every one.

Every one in such a group, to which one has one’s

moorings, associations and even dependence, has a

mind which has its own background and influences. The

individuality of man cannot be so easily altered or

overcome. This is a basic truth.

As you cannot be indifferent to your own mind. So too

you cannot afford to be negligent of others’ minds. Also

you cannot disregard your loyalties to any person or

group. Loyalties come to be developed and established

for one reason or another. Whatever the reason be, once

they have gained ground, they need to be considered

and treated, not utterly disposed of and disregarded.

This is another must of one’s life.

In case of Krishna, Yudhishthira was always dear and

near to him. The dearness and nearness might have been

for one reason or another. We are not to think of how

one becomes dear to another, but only think of the fact

of dearness. The dearness had become part of Krishna’s

mind. It is therefore natural that Sri Krishna pursues the

dearness when Yudhishthira wanted to do something

which was not useful and which he did not quite

approve of.

The propriety of an act is one matter. It has to be

considered and judged by our intelligence in its own

setting and standards. Besides the propriety of an act,

one may want to do it, may feel compelled to do it. In

this case, Yudhishthira always had a large catholic and

accommodating heart. His heart would never allow him

to do any harm to another so easily. Even when the best

and the worst sacrifices on his part were called for, he

would undertake the sacrifices rather than proceed to

harm another. This was one important instance where

the ultimate consequence would be a direct battle with

his own cousins and the other relations. Could he ever

think of such a battle? Even when pressed to fight, his

mind brought forth the last notes of sympathy,

consideration and sacrifice.

Well, that is not bad, on any ground. The only objection

can be that it will not work in all cases, as in this case

with Duryodhana. Nevertheless, there was the full need

for Yudhishthira’s mind to give vent to his sympathies.

You should know that no urge of the mind will subside

except through a process of expression. We can make the

expression careful, cautious and even restrained if so

needed. But suppression is bad in any way.

Sri Krishna first of all meted out a correct appraisal of

the proposed step with enough of reason and

judgement. That is correct and useful. The mind thinks

and feels in its own ways. Not necessarily is it governed

by any definite norms and ideals. Norms and ideals

come from another sphere or level in us. That level is

what we call as the intelligence. So if at all you want to

bridle the mind and check its vagaries, the only royal

method will be to seek the intellect’s assistance and then

make the intellect tuition the mind in its own effective

manner – Krishna here does it first. By doing so,

Yudhishthira, if at all he had not himself done so, gets an

opportunity to appraise his mind about the futility of the

entire venture. Even after hearing Krishna’s words,

Yudhishthira was not appeased. The agitation in his

mind continued and naturally he had to allay it by a

process of actual expression, not withdrawal or restraint.

Side by side with this urge of Yudhishthira’s mind was

Krishna’s love for him. As a lover, Sri Krishna would

readily want to see Yudhishthira in peace, even when

that would mean doing something which would

ultimately be useless. Here more than the uselessness of

the venture so far as its effect on Duryodhana goes, its

usefulness to Yudhishthira’s mind is the point that

concerned Krishna. He did not go to Duryodhana to

advise him and bring him the way Yudhishthira wished

(for that was not possible), but he did so simply to bring

consolation and satisfaction to Yudhishthira’s mind. Is

this not correct? Is this not the way any man of good

feelings, love and sympathy would do?

When you view the ultimate purpose of any act that any

one does at any time, you find it to be serving more

himself than the others concerned. Everything is truly

more subjective than objective.

The need for harmony and for that sake the need for

gaining spiritual or philosophical wisdom arises only

because we have to get along with our life in the world.

That is to say, we have to live with so many others

similarly living around us, some of whom are closely

linked to us and some remotely. So it is not enough if

one’s own life and its needs are cared and provided for.

As you care for your own mind you have to care for the

others’ too. This is what makes life interesting. Equally it

makes life exacting and problematic too.

The real moral or spiritual crisis arises when in a

particular situation you are not able to strike a harmony

between your likes, aspirations and ideals on the one

hand and the compulsions or duties on the other. He is a

Knower, a man of harmony, who can handle such

situations, the conflicts of the mind and intellect, and act

preserving his peace, wisdom and harmony. Let me cite

another more complex and much debated instance of the

Mahabharata War.

Think of Bhishma the great, Bhishma is one of the best

Knowers of Truth. Even Sri Krishna had great regard for

him. At the end of the war when Yudhishthira’s mind

got into uncontrollable grief thinking about the cruelty

of having fought with his elders, more particularly with

his elder brother, Karna, he got terribly afflicted. The

thought that his own mother did not disclose to him the

fact of Karna being his elder brother agitated him

beyond measure, so much so he pronounced a curse –

“let the women of the world be not able to keep a secret

to themselves”. Such was his agony and dismay. All his

brothers tried to assuage Yudhishthira’s pain, but none

succeeded. Sri Krishna, who at the beginning of the war

advised Arjuna and set his mind right, also tried to give

gospels to Yudhishthira, but poor Yudhishthira could

not be consoled and enlightened. Sri Krishna, true to his

honesty and greatness, admitted his failure and then

straightway took Yudhishthira to the presence of

Bhishma, who was then lying in the battlefield on a bed

of arrows. It was Bhishma who then began an elaborate

treatise of advice to the son of Pandu, on listening to

which he felt peaceful and illumined. Such was the

greatness and wisdom of Bhishma. That is why I take his

instance for our illustration.

Why did the moral, ethical and the knowing Bhishma

choose to fight on the side of Duryodhana, knowing and

saying all the time that the person and his cause were

wicked and hence would not triumph? This question is

even today raised everywhere, and as I understand it,

the correct answer and the truth implied are not

explained, or even when explained, not understood

properly.

Bhishma’s association with the Kuru dynasty, in a way

his relationship with the forefathers of both the

Pandavas and Kauravas started long before the

Mahabharata War. That is why he remained with King

Dhritaraashtra. Virtually he was the real wielder of

power. He was living and eating in the palace, which

was in fact his ‘family’. Now you have to consider the

instance of Mahabharata war and all that it brought in

its wake, taking your stand in this background. The

issue of war and the association of the different persons

in it, either with Duryodhana or with Yudhishthira,

everything has to be viewed and judged on the basis of

this setting.

The brothers decided to fight with each other not at the

instance of Bhishma, or at the instance of Drona, the

common teacher of both the groups, or even at the

instance of several other elders. In a way, even the father

of Duryodhana, namely Dhritaraashtra, was against the

venture of war.

The war was motivated by Duryodhana’s own greed

and wickedness, if we can use these terms to convey

their purport. Every one advised Duryodhana on the

impropriety and unnecessary nature of the proposed

war. Several gospels were administered to him. But all

these fell on deaf ears to produce no effect whatsoever. If

at all, everything tended to aggravate his rivalry and

enmity towards the sons of Pandu, so much so that with

every word of advice his heart and senses began to burn,

and he blurt forth most wounding words and remarks

towards those who spoke to him, including Bhishma.

What was Bhishma to do then? This is the most crucial

question. Normally man’s nature – the nature of the

unthinking and the unillumined – is to revolt against

those who refuse to listen to him, get irritated in spirit

and purpose at them and then in protest leave their

presence either for an interim period or never to return

again. This is what several brothers, sisters and even

parents do in the world and the society. To do things

which one likes and not to do those that one dislikes, is

the common wont of any human. To be doing so one

need not acquire any special wisdom or become

spiritually illumined. Mark this fundamental truth.

Several brothers have parted forever on this basis.

Parents have sometimes deserted their children.

Children have abandoned their parents. Friends have

separated forever on an issue of differences of opinions.

To give vent to dislike and on that ground abandon the

place where you have been living, abandon the very

dear and near people with whom you have been, who

gave you food, shelter and the other primary and

secondary needs of life and thereby made what you are

worthy of now, to do all this it needs no special

knowledge, choice and attainment. Our instincts, our

human corruption, will make us do so.

But here is the instance of a Great Soul, a Master

Knower, one who transcends the ordinary swinging

habits of the human mind, deluding arena of the

unillumined intellect, whose thoughts and actions will

naturally be, owing to his enlightenment and

elevatedness of insight, far superior to and different

from those of the ordinary run of mankind. Not for him

to leave the place, persons and surroundings simply

because one of his grandchildren (Duryodhana) chose to

be wicked and disastrous in his ways. Duryodhana

would not have retreated from his wickedness if

Bhishma had left the place, in any way. And what would

Bhishma himself have gained by so doing?

This is one moral question – was it really necessary for

the enlightened Bhishma to leave the palace and

associations with which he lived until then? There is

equally present another question – the place which

sheltered him and the people who fed him until then,

were they to be deserted or abandoned, due to the

misconduct of just one person like Duryodhana? Where

would his loyalty and goodness be? Is not the normal

humanness, which enables one to grow and to achieve

even the spiritual heights and glories, also to be

considered? Is not such consideration part of the big

moral complex? To consider one aspect of the morality,

another should not be butchered.

So the real tussle is to preserve one’s humanness, even

when such preservation proves difficult, hard and

painful. The way I understand Truth and Spiritual

Wisdom tells me that a true seeker seeks and begets

enlightenment in order to sustain his life even against

the worst of odds, challenges and persecutions. Again,

the enlightened one will be able to preserve his own

state of freedom under any circumstances. The wicked

designs and pursuits of of Duryodhana should not be

able to tarnish the mind or spiritual glories of Bhishma.

So, Bhishma chose to be where he was naturally. Unlike

Vibheeshana the younger brother of the demon King

Ravana, he did not consider it wise or necessary to leave

the Duryodhana camp in order to beget the peace and

preserve his own glory. Glory is glory indeed. It is

bound to shine wherever it is, whatever encircles it. May

be the process is more difficult and strenuous. But that

should only prove to be a pleasure.

So the birth, associations and loyalties of Bhishma

naturally kept him where he was until then. At the same

time he did not say or feel the least at any time that

Duryodhana’s cause was correct or that he would win in

the end. On the other hand, he was constantly advising

Duryodhana about the wrongness of his pursuits and

the sure defeat and doom it would drive itself to. And

even when such advice was being given, he always

assured Duryodhana that he would put his best in the

battle. Doing a thing with all the sincerity and zeal,

although its fate is clearly known to be a failure, is this

not the best way of doing and acting for the Knower?

Deeper Notes of Wisdom and Harmony

Amazing Humility

Here is a strange story from the Mahabharata. The war

between Kauravas and Pandavas had almost begun.

Duryodhana’s army with the grandfather Bhishma and

teacher Drona at its head was standing in full readiness

to fight Yudhishthira and his brothers. The whole scene

unnerved Arjuna, as all of you know. An array of

doubts, confusion and suffering assailed his mind.

Unable to bear it himself, he looked to Krishna for

instruction and help.

Sri Krishna rose to the occasion and imparted to him the

right insight and illumination. Arjuna was surprised to

find that even in the worst of crisis like this, there was

still a clear course of action, safe and redeeming, which

fulfilled the demands of propriety, of human sentiments

and ideals. Arjuna’s confusion was cleared, his mind

steadied and his boldness recovered. Everything looked

well and luminous to him now.

He was ready to begin the war and fight it to the end.

Both the armies became impatient to unleash the

ceaseless discharge of arrows. But lo, something

happened! The eyes of Arjuna and the others suddenly

fell on Yudhishthira, their eldest brother. They found the

son of Dharma all of a sudden remove his armour, leave

aside his bow and arrow and get down from his chariot.

With his hands humbly folded in devotion and piety, he

began to walk straight eastward looking to the place

where stood the grandfather Bhishma.

Seeing their brother proceed thus to the opposite camp

in haste and without speech, Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula and

Sahadeva were shaken out of their wits. Each of them

began to wonder in his own way what the son of

Dharma was proposing to do. All of them in turn tried

to dissuade him. But their effort was of no avail.

Yudhishthira walked forward as if he heard nothing.

The brothers were puzzled and aggrieved. They were

almost sure that the kind-hearted elder was going to

seek peace at any cost. “No kingdom, no prosperity, no

offer, nothing do I want. Peace is my one aim, and for its

sake shall I sacrifice anything at my command, even this

war altogether”, these they thought, would be his words

the next moment. “What a great tragedy”, they

wondered. “Is all our planning and campaigning, is all

the valour and determination to be in vain, of no avail at

all”, each murmured to himself.

Arjuna turned to Krishna in an attempt to know how

best could his brother’s heart be resisted. But Krishna

only smiled and kept quiet. He knew well what the

thought of Yudhishthira could be. He was sure that

Yudhishthira was not one to be troubled and confused

as the younger ones. He carried in him greater depth,

deeper insight and bolder decision. It is only that he

would always want to display the best notes of loyalty

and goodness, even when placed in front of the worst

cruelty. So Krishna said to Arjuna: “Dear one, be at

peace. I know well what your brother proposes to do.

May everything be well with him and bring goodness to

all of you”.

Yudhishthira went straight to the grandfather and

bending his head low, humbly submitted. “The course

of life in this world is, for any one very queer indeed.

Hardly is there anything which destiny cannot drive one

to. As is the whole nature steeped in mystery, so too are

the developments which face man at times. It is indeed a

sheer conspiracy of destiny and will that has led me to

this kind of a war. I have but one wish at this late

juncture. Fight you must and will for Duryodhana, but

bless you must myself, and my brothers. Fight I shall

this cruel war, but only when guided and protected by

you.”

āmantraye tvāṁ durdharṣa tvayā yotsyāmahe saha |

anujānīhi māṁ tāta āśiṣaśca prayojaya ||

Mahabharata: Bhishmaparva: (43.37)

To these baffling words of baffling wisdom the

grandfather replied:

yadyevaṁ nābhigacchethā yudhi māṁ pṛthivīpate |

śapeyaṁ tvāṁ mahārāja parābhāvāya bhārata ||

prīto'haṁ putra yudhyasva jayamāpnuhi pāṇḍava |

yatte'bhilaṣitaṁ cānyat tadavāpnuhi saṁyuge ||

vriyatāṁ ca varaḥ pārtha kimasmatto'bhikāṅkṣasi |

evaṁgate mahārāja na tavāsti parājayaḥ ||

arthasya puruṣo dāso dāsasvartho na kasyacit |

iti satyaṁ mahārāja baddho'smyarthena kauravaiḥ ||

atastvāṁ klīvavadvākyaṁ bravīmi kurunandana |

bhṛto'smyarthena kauravya yuddhādanyat kimicchasi ||

Mahabharata: Bhishmaparva: (43.38-42)

Dutiful Grandson

If you had not chosen to come to me and to seek my

consent and blessings, perhaps my sentiment would

have been hurt and I would have pronounced a curse on

you for your defeat. But now that you have come as a

dutiful grandson, I am immensely pleased. This is the

noble way the innocent and the righteous should act

even when facing the worst of ordeals and conflicts.

Adversities may try to tear one asunder. The severest of

opposition may stare at him all around. Mutually

conflicting duties may weigh upon his mind, trying to

pull it hither and thither. A chain of doubts may dance

on his intelligence, fear may envelop his nature. Yet,

despite everything and all, the noble one of true

discrimination should not lose heart and ignore the deep

sense of loyalty and goodness.

The righteous may outwardly face persecution, be

humbled piteously at times. But inwardly, right in the

core of his being, he should not allow himself to slip

from his real nature. To disconnect totally the present

from its bearing upon the past – which indeed has

moulded the present into what is before him and then to

behave callously, utterly forgetting the loyalty and

affiliations of the past is the most heinous moral crime of

any human mortal. It is the worst suicidal step one can

afford to take in this world.

To think of what was in the past and then to relate it

loyally to what is the present, to blend thus the loyalties

of all fronts, without hurting or sacrificing any one of

them in particular, and thereby to evolve the sweetest

notes of harmony and understanding, is the last secret of

successful human adventure on earth. It is the infallible

natural path for achieving immortal success.

The behaviour of yours no doubt befits a true and

worthy grandson of mine. You have indeed pleased me

to the core. I am ready to give the benefit of any blessing.

Fortified by my blessing, let your goodness prevail

stronger and triumph against all odds. Truly the best

reward for one’s goodness is its own unhindered

persistence, the ability to preserve it under all

conditions. There is no force either here on the earth or

in heavens above to stand up against the might and

merit of goodness. Goodness is goodness indeed, and it

will always bring the best in its wake, wherever it is and

whatever tries to thwart it any time.

Fight for Them, But Wish for you

True to my loyalty to the Duryodhana family, I shall

fight for them. But nevertheless I will at all times bless

you and your brothers. Fight gallantly therefore, dear

son, and win too in the end.

As for me, my plight is strange. It cannot be helped or

avoided. There is a saying current in the world - man is

always a servant of money, while money is never the

servant of any one. This saying is true, no doubt, in

respect to anyone, it is true of me too. I find more so on

this occasion and especially in the context of this resolve

of mine to fight against you.

By the fact of my life in the palace of Dhritaraashtra, by

the fact of the eating, drinking and sleeping I did and am

still doing in their hands, by the fact that they were and

are the nourishers of my body. I am bound by the chord

of artha (money, living resources), to the Kauravas. My

body has eaten and thrived on the food of theirs. This

forged a loyalty in me, and like any other loyalty of

mine, I have to be, I am, true to it as well. I say this

without shame or pride. An act or a step may at times

prove very painful. Even then the wise and courageous

will not spare it, but court it with the whole of their

heart. That is the real heroism of the humble and the

wary. It is true that the second object of human pursuit,

namely artha, has bought me thus for the Kauravas and

made me determined to fight for them. Fight apart,

therefore, O Pandava, ask for anything from me that you

desire. Let whatever be your heart’s wishes, ask for

them, and give all those shall I to you this instant.

Yudhishthira on hearing the grandfather submitted his

demand:

  !

mantrayasva mahābāho hitaiṣī mama nityaśaḥ |

yudhvasva kauravasyārthe mamaiṣa satataṁ varaḥ ||

Mahabharata: Bhishmaparva: (43.43)

‘Everyday, O great one of mighty hands, seek to

will for my benefit; desire victory for me. Fight

you do for Duryodhana. This is the boon I seek

of you. This is my heart’s wish.’

To this Bhishma replied:

Fight I shall for another, but wish and will, I will for

your sake. Whatever else you need in particular, ask for

that as well from me.

Yudhishthira then desired to know how could the

grandfather be defeated by them, as he was always

unconquerable. He wanted to be told in particular of the

secret means by which the invincible Bhishma could be

overcome in war. Bhishma then replied:

“Surely, none in the battlefield can stand up against me.

I don’t see any one powerful enough to give me battle

and defeat me. Even the God of gods (Devendra) cannot

put me to defeat. The time has not come for me to die

either. So go now O king, come to me again.

Yudhishthira and the rest went back. The war began.

First day was followed by the second. Each day was thus

followed by the next. The events of some days were

pleasing to Yudhishthira, but soon the picture changed

and the king began to lose his spirits. His men died in

large numbers and the whole army got reduced in its

strength and hope. Everywhere flowed the stream of

blood. Victory seemed to be nowhere or it looked too far

removed and indefinite.

It was the ninth day and there was heavy killing and

loss. At dusk, as usual, the war stopped and both the

armies withdrew to their camps. Yudhishthira was

terribly disheartened. He sat with his brothers and

Krishna, and there was a thorough discussion among

them about the plight they were in. Relating his doubts

and fears about what was to follow, Yudhishthira said:

‘As long as this invincible grandfather is erect with his

bow and arrow, we cannot avoid death and defeat. I

verily do not know what should be done by us. I wish to

save our men, fight to the last and gain victory. But this

does not seem to be possible when I think of the

grandfather, the dispenser of death to his opponents.

Sri Krishna encouraged him with all promises and

hopes. He said that for the sake of Arjuna and his

brothers, he would himself, if necessary, take up the task

of killing the grandfather. Moved by love, Krishna

declared: “I will vindicate your cause and make you

victorious, come what may. Even if I have to break my

promises, I will protect Arjuna and yourselves.” Finally,

it was resolved that all of them should go to the

grandfather and seek instruction about the means of

putting him down. They all went to the camp of

Bhishma. The grandfather greeted them all fondly:

“Come dear ones; what is there which I may do, so that

you will be pleased? Even if what you seek is extremely

hard to execute, come tell me, and I shall indeed do it for

you.”

It was then that Yudhishthira spoke to his grand father.

Yudhishthira Seeks a Most Baffling Boon

“O knower of righteousness, how are we to gain victory

over you? How can I gain back my kingdom? By what

means can I avoid this terrible loss of people on my

side? Please tell me yourself the secret means for

bringing your downfall? How are we to bear you in

battle? I don’t find even a small hole of weakness which

we can exploit for defeating you. The stream of arrows

discharged by your bow is so thick and continuous that

your whole body remains veiled by it. Neither when you

take the bow nor while you string it nor again when you

fix the arrow nor while you pull the string to dispatch it

are we able to spot your presence in the battle field. You

are verily a terror of destruction to my army. You have

already dispatched to the abode of Yama vast numbers

of my people. I have to win you in the war. I have to get

back my kingdom. May I know from yourself how these

ends can be accomplished? Be kind enough to instruct

me on the means of destroying yourself.”

Bhishma heard his grandson with all love and care, and

then proceeded to give him with compassion the

instruction he so desperately sought:

Bhishma Reveals How to Kill Him

“True, even the Gods of heavens cannot fight and cow

me down as long as I am armed and I remain upright on

the chariot. While my bow and weapons are in my

hands, none indeed can dislodge me from the chariot.

But the moment I lay the bow and arrows down, the

heroes of war can defeat me. I shall, O King, tell you of a

vow I undertook long back.

I will not wish to fight with one who has laid his

weapons down, one who has fallen, one devoid of his

armour and flag staff, one who is running in escape, one

who is in discomfiture, one who says, “I am yours”, one

who is a woman, one who is a eunuch, one who bears

the name of woman, one disabled or not fully limbed,

one who is the only son to his parents, one who is of low

character. This is my resolve. On seeing one who looks

inauspicious, surely I will not fight.

Dear king, is there not in your army the son of Drupada,

a victorious fighter, who ever loves to fight and win? He

was born a woman but became a man. Let your brother

Arjuna keep him, Shikhandi, in front. Protected well by

his armour, let him then shoot sharp and powerful darts

at me. I will never think of aiming my arrows at

Shikhandi, whose smell is inauspicious, especially as he

was born a woman. Just at that critical juncture, making

timely use of this loophole of mine, let Arjuna hit me

with his penetrating arrows. Let there be no delay. I find

none else than the mighty Krishna and the clever Arjuna

to vanquish me in war. Therefore, let Arjuna keep

another in front and then fight to dislodge me from my

chariot. By this means will you, O king, win the war. O

high-souled son of Kunti, if you but do the way I have

instructed, no doubt will you vanquish all those who

fight for Dhritaraashtra.

This is the scene I wish to present to you as a striking

instance to illustrate the amazing notes of harmony and

determination the human mind, in a state of dedicated

action, is capable of rising to. I personally cherish this

scene the perplexing background of indispensable

loyalties, challenges and duties.

I love to ponder over its abstruse implications. I find no

words to amply relate what mind and understanding

really feel about the way in which both the adorable

grandfather and the righteous grandson came to express

freely, without any reservations, the deepest notes of

human goodness and mutual concern in the most

irksome background of their own indispensable loyalties

and ideals.

I am happy that this country even in the earliest of times

did produce men and women who could think so deeply

and elevate their insight so well that they succeeded in

finding a clear way by which the best of human feelings

can be blended with the highest of man’s reason, the

most imperative needs and urges of ours can be fused

with even the hardest of our ideals, and thereby we can

rise safely to a magnificent note of abiding harmony and

true wisdom. Had it not been for this superb note of

harmony and wisdom, I would surely have found my

life a constant ache and a confusing challenge. I am

happy that my body was born in this holy land and my

mind and nature have inherited this graceful culture,

which evidently holds within it all the power and scope

to accept, assimilate and absorb even the most painful

trials and contradictions, which either the individual or

the collective life, or both together, may impose on us

while living upon this wide earth.

Dear souls, life in the world is not always a joke. I agree

that we should make it one. Only when one grows in

one’s understanding and at last realizes the whole of our

life to be a veritable drama, alluring and complex in

every respect, can one hope to maintain the right sense

of judgement, the requisite degree of courage and

realism, to express outwardly, without any fear or

apprehension, what one’s intrinsic innocence and all that

it dictates prompt one to from time to time.

Think of the spiritual soul, which is totally dissimilar to

the body, incarnating in the body. It is unconditioned

and blissful at all times. Yet why does it choose to be

present in the body and thereby undergo seeming

limitations and troubles? Think, likewise, of the socalled

God, who is all-full and hence has no need for

anything at all. Why should He have chosen to cause

this troublesome menace called creation and to

perpetuate it in this way? Are not these two instances

self-contradictory? You too, in the same way, may have

to move and act while alive here, facing at times

situations and events which, met with reason, may

disprove themselves. This paradox of the world and our

life in it cannot be altogether avoided or cured.

Whatever be the contradictory note one may face during

his life, the wise man cannot forsake his innate goodness

and its sublime inspiration. The only way then will be to

let the external life and actions be what they are, while,

inside and beneath them all, to struggle oneself hard to

let the sweet echo of the heart and its tunes be heard and

preserved.

There is truly nothing which Nature and Destiny cannot

drive one to. The instance of the grandfather and the

grandson, as we find it here, is one typical in this regard.

We should not grow timid and ask nature and Destiny

to alter its course. Instead we should be determined to

preserve our own goodness and loyalty, nevertheless

keeping always in tune with both Nature and Destiny.

The real human drama starts when one’s goodness and

loyalties begin to clash with the circumstances one finds

oneself in, with the demands of those that are around

one. It tends to progress as and when this clash grows in

this tempo and intensity. Ultimately it will end with

triumph when goodness wins the better of the two.

Our life will not be worth living if it turns to be poor in

the matter of sound virtues and feelings. Let the most

benign feelings adorn our mind at all times and the best

of insight grace our intelligence. Only when these are

amply present, we can pursue our life without any cause

for alarm or remorse. In fact, only then will our life grow

rich, radiant and joyful.

Om Tatsat

Om Tat Sat
                                                        
(End)

(My humble salutations to the lotus feet of H H Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha ji  for the collection)