Stories Less Told

The preferred feet

The mahabharatha is considered as the fifth veda. The lessons that we learn from this epic is innumerable and immeasurable. Each incident and event that has been narrated in this, delivers us some lesson which we can follow in our lives.

When the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas was inevitable, there was a lot of horse trading. Salya, who was the uncle of Nakula and Sahadeva was inducted into the kaurava gang through deceive. Yuyutsu, who was one of the brothers of Duryodhana, changed his side to pandavas. Such things were prevalent in those days itself.

Shakuni, advised Duryodhana to go and seek Krishna's help in the war. It was his intention that Krishna be drawn to the kaurava's side so that victory would be certain. When duryodhana went to meet krishna, the lord was asleep. Duryodhana was a person who would not even bow to the feet of his own parents. He thought that if he sat at the feet of the lord, it would be degrading for a great warrior like him. He therefore sat near the head. After sometime, Arjuna entered, saw the lord asleep and humbly sat near the feet of the lord. When krishna woke up, he saw arjuna and started conversing with arjuna. Duryodhana then interrupted and requested for help. Krishna then asked both of them as to what they wanted. Since HE saw arjuna first, he asked Arjuna what he wanted. Duryodhana was in a way anxious if Arjuna would ask for the same thing which he wanted. But Arjuna asked just for the lord's blessing. A warrior requires a trustworthy charioteer, one who would know all directions, one who would take care of the horses, one who would never misguide him. Who else but the lord can be the best charioteer. He requested that Krishna be his charioteer in the war. Duryodhana was overjoyed with this request. He asked Krishna for his army at Dwaraka and was granted. He went away too satisfied. But little did he realise that he lost the battle the moment he gave up the lord.

Many a times, we seek mere materialistic pleasures leaving out the precious GEM. The LORD is the ultimate goal. The state of supreme bliss must be the goal of life. The materialistic pleasures are only temporary means to achieve the lord. But we turn the tables around and make the mundane pleasures as the very goal in life and use the LORD to achieve them. We offer all kinds of bribes and special prayers to get our desires fulfilled. This is not wrong. Asking GOD for favorus is not wrong. The GITA itself divides devotees into 4 classes and one of them is known as "artharthi" i.e. bhaktas who pray for desires to be fulfilled. But we must not remain in the state forever. Just like how we graduate to a higher class every year, we must graduate and lift ourselves from the state of temporary happiness to a level of eternal bliss.    

This is possible only by constant and conscious practice, introspection, satsang, chanting, reading and contemplating on the goal of life. In this fast paced life, we must make sure that we spend atleast 15 minutes everyday in solitude to deeply think and connect with the supreme.

RAM RAM