Good and Evil - from 'The Lore of Mahabharata'

[Guest guest]

Namaste.

 

In the thread on ‘The Daily words of the Buddha’ reference was

made to the simultaneous presence of Good and Evil (#15198) and

also to the Mahabharata (#15206) as a text which has much to

say on Good and Evil. There is a book called ‘The Lore of

Mahabharata’ by Amalesh Bhattacharya (published by Arya Bharati,

Pondicherry) in 1992. It is actually a translation into English

from Bengali. I had written a review of this book for Bhavan’s

Journal, long ago. I had enjoyed reading the book so much that I

don’t hesitate to recommend it again and again. Perhaps I have

talked about it on this list, but I cannot locate a reference.

But since the question has arisen, and since this book is so

close to the original Mahabharata to make us feel that we are

reading the original, I venture to extract for the members of

this list some portions of chapter 15 (entitled ‘Dharma –

Adharma’) of this book (of 36 chapters, 435 pages) so that we

can all see how deep an impact the Mahabharata can have on us if

we care to delve into it for such fundamental dilemmas. Since

this is a separate subject by itself, I have given a separate

title to this post, so that it does not clutter the interesting

discussion that is going on under the thread ‘The Daily words of

the Buddha’.

 

Dharma – Adharma

……..

 

All in the Mahabharata wanted a firm ground to stand upon in the

name of Dharma; each one has tried in his own way according to

one’s intelligence and ways, but in the last resort nothing did

stand. ……

 

Not Dhritarashtra the unvirtuous, blind and with a mind of

slyness, but even the epitome of Dharma known as Dharmaraj

standing before Gandhari as an accused says, “The slayer of your

sons, the worker of harsh deeds, the cause of destruction of the

world, I Yudhishtira, am standing before you, Mother, I am fit

for your curse. Hesitate not to curse me.” (Striparva, 15/26).

Observing all this it seems the seed of Dharma has not rightly

sprouted in us. It is the mighty furling waves of happenings

that dash at the coast and knock us down, never yielding their

unfathomable mystery. Why does God act in this way and not

another, what causes, how, the intelligence of man with all his

reason will never get at the bottom. Dharma can never be known

by the form, quality, or the cast of shape. The form varies,

quality warps its value. At certain conditions it is some times

beautiful at others terrible, at times peaceful at others

fierce. Delightful and sweet as Vrindavan, sometimes as

inevitable as Kurukshetra. Image of forgiving, merciful and

compassionate, again cruel, hard and dreadful – it is this

world-image of Dharma that frightened Arjuna. Even it is white

in spite of all its colours, while in leaves and flowers it is

green, becoming dark as it touches the soil. Thus to get at the

light one cannot set aside that dark, the variegated play of

colours, the green and fair earth.

Dharma and Adharma, poison and nectar, Truth and falsehood are

not quite separate things. The distortion, wrong turn of Dharma

is adharma, the difference is only in the degree of expression

and wrong turn. …. “Thus to ask for the good is not necessarily

the opposite of evil, to walk on the opposing path, there is no

such compulsion. Rather it is often seen that they walk shoulder

to shoulder, perhaps a small turn at one spot has suddenly

changed something from good to evil, some element is in excess

or wanting, the one is rather strong or sweet resulting in that

what was good as evil according to the point of vision.

The living example of this is Dhritarashtra ….

 

In the Mahabharata Sri Krishna made a complete reversal of the

conception of Truth and falsehood, Dharma and adharma. He said

“It is fine to speak the Truth as there is nothing greater than

Truth. But it is very difficult to know the right shape of

Truth.” (Karna parva 69/3). He went a step forward, bewildering

the already astonished Arjuna, to say, “Quite often a truth

becomes a falsehood, and, a falsehood turns to truth” (Karna

parva 69/34). ….. “If you see that by speaking the truth you

will bring something bad, then keep silent. If it is not

possible to remain silent, then rather tell a lie than the

truth. Here you have to consider falsehood as truth” (Karnaparva

69/60).

At Krishna’s words Arjuna was quite stunned. ……

 

However great one truth may be in fact but mixed with many

others becomes something relative. Unless the truth is shorn of

all these relativities the truth is no longer a truth but

becomes a trap of our intelligence or a dogmatism of opinions,

rendering life narrow and bewildering. ……. .

 

Just as the march of Dharma is varied, in like manner a minor

Dharma changes to a larger one. ….The minor Dharmas will work as

parts of the immediate major dharmas. If they don’t, a war of

dharmas will result. …. .

This is the stair of Dharma. Vidura is advising the same “To

protect the Dharma of the clan a man should be sacrificed, for

the village a clan, for the country the village and for the weal

of the atman even the entire earth shall be renounced.” (Udyoga

parva 37/7).

Like Vidura, Sri Krishna too advised the Princes of the Kurus in

similar words (Udyoga Parva 128/49).

In this way Sri Krishna founded Dharma on a realistic

psychological basis , upholding on a relative principle all the

age-old customary moral laws. Just and unjust, good and bad,

truth and falsehood, Dharma and adharma, merit and demerit, were

no longer in conflict. ….

……

To accept however the highest Dharma in life is not easily done.

To get beyond the pull of matter, the gravitational pull of the

lower being is difficult, the thousand nerves of the being feel

a downward pull. The inner part seems to be rent asunder. After

much pain suffering, the path can be crossed. – A path not for

the weakling. To attain to the Dharma, first one has to sever

with the sword of Shakti all the inner weaknesses lurking within

oneself. ‘vajram ghanA dadImahi (Rig Veda 1/3/3). He who has not

this sword of the Shakti, Dharma for him is a far cry. The path

of Dharma is not strewn with flowers, Dharma is a path of

terrible passage – “AyAtaM rudravartanI” (Rigveda 1/3/3). Those

who have gone through that path have done so with the blood of

their hearts and the tears of their eyes to pierce through that

darkness.

…..

 

 

The book goes in this fashion. It is difficult to summarise. But

you have a sample above.

 

praNAms to all advaitins

profvk

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

There is a book called `The Lore of

> Mahabharata' by Amalesh Bhattacharya (published by Arya Bharati,

> Pondicherry) in 1992. It is actually a translation into English

> from Bengali. I had written a review of this book for Bhavan's

> Journal, long ago. I had enjoyed reading the book so much that I

> don't hesitate to recommend it again and again. Perhaps I have

> talked about it on this list, but I cannot locate a reference.

 

Namaste Krishnamurtyji,

 

You referred to it in message #1655 [July 1, 1999].

 

Some info on the book is at :

 

http://www.indiaclub.com/shop/SearchResults.asp?prodstock=674#toc

 

http://www.lotuspress.com/1BK/1BK990893.html

 

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

There is a book called `The Lore of

> Mahabharata' by Amalesh Bhattacharya (published by Arya Bharati,

> Pondicherry) in 1992. It is actually a translation into English

> from Bengali. I had written a review of this book for Bhavan's

> Journal, long ago.

>

> Dharma – Adharma

> ……..

>

> All in the Mahabharata wanted a firm ground to stand upon in the

> name of Dharma; each one has tried in his own way according to

> one's intelligence and ways, but in the last resort nothing did

> stand. ……

 

Namaste Krishnamurtyji,

 

It would be a great pleasure to read your review of the book,

if you happen to have it.

 

I was not able to confirm the Karna Parva references given in

the message, either in the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute's

[bORI] critical edition, online at URL:

 

http://sanskrit.gde.to/mirrors/mahabharata/

 

nor in the Kinjawadekar [1930] edition.

 

Vyasa himself concludes the Mahabharata with the 'Bharata-

Savitri': [svargarohana Parva(18): 5 : 53]

http://sanskrit.gde.to/mirrors/mahabharata/txt/18.txt

 

mAtApitR^isahasrANi putradArashatAni cha |

sa.nsAreShvanubhUtAni yAnti yAsyanti chApare ||

"Thousands of fathers and mothers , and hundreds of sons and wives

were known and had gone, are going and will go in the future, in the

course of Samsara."

 

harShasthAnasahasrANi bhayasthAnashatAni cha |

divase divase mUDhamAvishanti na paNDitam.h ||

"Thousands of occasions for joy and hundreds of causes of fear,

engross every day the mind of the ignorant but not that of the man of

wisdom."

 

UrdhvabAhurviraumyesh na cha kashchit shruNoti maaM.h |

dharmAdarthashcha kAmashcha sa kimartha.n na sevyate ||

"With uplifted arms I shout, but none hears me; from Dharma result

Artha and Kama, why then is Dharma not observed?"

 

na jAtu kAmAnna bhayAnna lobhAt

dharma.n tyajet jIvitasyApi hetoH |

nityo dharmaH sukhaduHkhe tvanitye

nityo dharmaH heturasya tvanityaH ||

"Not out of passion or fear or avarice, not even for the sake of

life, should one ever abandon Dharma. Dharma is eternal, Happiness

and Misery are not eternal. The soul is eternal. That which embodies

is not eternal."

 

imAM bhAratasAvitrIM prAtarutthAya ya paThet.h |

sa bhArataphalaM prApya paraM brahmAdhigachchhati ||

"One who recites this mantra- Bharata-Savitri - on waking up in the

morning, having obtained the fruit of the study of the Mahabharata

itself, realises the Supreme Truth."

 

[A scholarly article on this, by K. Balasubramania Iyer, appeared in

Bhavan's Journal, Aug. 15, 1999.]

 

As Sadaji pointed out earlier, the whole Gita is the Dharma

Shastra. The 1st chapter, Vishadayoga, gives Arjuna's understanding

of Dharma and Adharma, until 2:7, when he humbly pleads his

ignorance -'dharma-saMmUDha-chetAH'.

 

Ch. 9:2 describes it as "sovereign science, sovereign secret,

supreme purifier, immediately comprhensible, unopposed to Dharma,

very easy to perform, imperishable'.

 

Ch. 14:27 describes it 'abode of eternal dharma'.

 

Ch. 18:30-32 describe the 'buddhi' that discriminates between

dharma and adharma.

 

Taittriya upan., shikShA-valli, gives the Teacher's advice to

the students about Dharmic conduct.

 

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

[Guest guest]

advaitin, "sunderh" <sunderh> wrote:

>

> Namaste Krishnamurtyji,

>

> It would be a great pleasure to read your review of the

book,

> if you happen to have it.

I do not have the copy of the review here in the U.S. I think it is

in my computer at home in India. So please wait until I get back to

India. Or if you can go back into Bhavan's journal online (Is it

available online?), maybe you will get it. But I am not at present

able to tell you the exact issue.

> I was not able to confirm the Karna Parva references given

>in the message, either in the Bhandarkar Oriental Research

>Institute's [bORI] critical edition,

 

I never checked the Karna parva references. But the author quotes

the actual slokas which I did not include in my post. So I am now

reposting that paragraph of my post along with the Sanskrit verses,

below.

---

In the Mahabharata Sri Krishna made a complete reversal of the

conception of Truth and falsehood, Dharma and adharma. He said

"It is fine to speak the Truth as there is nothing greater than

Truth. But it is very difficult to know the right shape of

Truth."

satyasya vacanaM sAdhu na satyAd-vidyate paraM /

tattvenaiva sudurjneyaM pashya satyam-anuShTitam //

(Karna parva, 69/3)

He went a step forward, bewildering

the already astonished Arjuna, to say, "Quite often a truth

becomes a falsehood, and, a falsehood turns to truth"

tatrAnR^itaM bhavet satyaM satyaM cApyanR^itaM bhavet

(Karna parva 69/34). …..

"If you see that by speaking the truth you

will bring something bad, then keep silent. If it is not

possible to remain silent, then rather tell a lie than the

truth. Here you have to consider falsehood as truth"

shreyas-tatrAnR^itaM vaktuM tat satyam-avicAritaM

(Karnaparva 69/60).

At Krishna's words Arjuna was quite stunned. ……

 

 

Sunderji, thanks for the interesting quotes from Bharata Savitri. I

shall also surf through the mahabharata karna parva online to find

whether the above reference numbers are correct.

 

praNAms to all advaitins

profvk

[Guest guest]

Namaste,

 

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

> I do not have the copy of the review here in the U.S. I think it is

> in my computer at home in India. So please wait until I get back to

> India. Or if you can go back into Bhavan's journal online (Is it

> available online?), maybe you will get it. But I am not at present

> able to tell you the exact issue.

 

*************

It seems the archives are not online yet; the current and preceding

issues are at URL:

 

http://www.bhavans.info/newissue.html

 

***************

 

>

> I never checked the Karna parva references. But the author quotes

> the actual slokas which I did not include in my post. So I am now

> reposting that paragraph of my post along with the Sanskrit verses,

> below.

 

******************

With the quotations, it was possible to trace the references!

 

satyasya vachana.n sAdhu na satyAdvidyate param .

tattvenaitatsudurGYeya.n yasya satyamanuShThitam .. 27..\\

 

prANAtyaye vivAhe cha vaktavyamanR^itaM bhavet .

yatrAnR^itaM bhavetsatya.n satya.n chApyanR^itaM bhavet .. 29..\\

 

yaH stenaiH saha sambandhAnmuchyate shapathairapi .

shreyastatrAnR^ita.n vaktu.n tatsatyamavichAritam .. 54..\\

 

*******************

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

[Guest guest]

Namaste Krishnamurtyji,

 

Post-script: In the last post I forgot to mention that your

book is featured in the latest issue:[bhavan's Book of the Fortnight -

Science and Spirituality]

 

http://www.bhavans.info/journal/journal.html

 

Regards,

 

Sunder

 

>

> advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk> wrote:

>

Or if you can go back into Bhavan's journal online (Is it

> > available online?),

> *************

> It seems the archives are not online yet; the current and preceding

> issues are at URL:

>

> http://www.bhavans.info/newissue.html

>

> ***************

>

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

advaitin, "sunderh" <sunderh> wrote:

> Namaste Krishnamurtyji,

>

> Post-script: In the last post I forgot to mention that

>your book is featured in the latest issue:[bhavan's Book of the

> Fortnight -

> Science and Spirituality]

>

> http://www.bhavans.info/journal/journal.html

 

Thanks, Sunderji, for this pleasant information. It was a surprise

to me.

praNAms to all advaitins,

profvk