God, Diplomacy and the Mahabharata

[Guest guest]

Dear member-friends in Kuwait,

 

In a few days time, the northern half of Kuwait will become a

completely militarized zone, in preparation for the outbreak of what

now seems to be certain war.

 

As civilian residents of Kuwait City, the only news we get of the

impending war is what we see on our TV news-screens like CNN, Fox and

BBC. Our respective embassies all seem to have entered into an

unwritten pact of silence for there is hardly any information they

seem to be willing to give us about how events will unfold in the

days and weeks to come. We seem to have no choice but remain mute and

helpless in a state of resigned but agitated suspense.

 

The TV news reports these days, if you have noticed, are full of

coverage about the frenetic activities taking place at this very

moment in the theatre of international diplomacy. Envoys, foreign

ministers, diplomats and emissaries of every level and every hue,

are running around the world capital cities, trying their very best

to steer events away from the edge of a terrible war into which the

part of the world we live in is dangerously close to plunging.

 

If we are to take any lessons from our ancient scriptures, we should

know then that diplomacy is far more than some last-ditch, desperate

act of the civilized world trying to prevent itself from inevitably

self-destructing. Diplomacy is actually the Voice of God calling out

to Man -- one last time before disaster strikes -- to pull back from

the precipice and return to sanity. In moments like these, it is the

diplomats who are Angels of God and it is to their words of counsel

that we should turn with all respect and humility.

 

Both in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, we see how God gives

Diplomacy a chance to save Man from the ultimate folly of his ways.

The wisdom of the ageless Vedantic Way clearly recognizes the crucial

role that the function of diplomacy plays in the affairs of Man.

 

In the Ramayana, Lord Rama sends his envoy, the highly resourceful

negotiator Anjaneya, to the court of Ravana in order to talk reason

and sense into the latter. In the Mahabharata, Krishna dons the role

of an ordinary emissary Himself and, virtually on the eve of the

great Kurukshetra War, He takes the trouble to go all the way to the

royal court of the Kauravas, and puts forward sincere and reasonable

proposals for the warring parties to consider in order to find a

diplomatic alternative to the tragedy of war.

 

Long before Krishna revealed his true Form as God incarnate to Arjuna

on the battle-field of Kurukshetra, while delivering the

Bhagavath-gita, God actually chose to give a glimpse of His True Self

-- his "vishwa-roopa" -- to everyone gathered in the Kaurava Court.

God showed Himself even to the evil cohorts of Duryodhana who

otherwise would be ones least deserving of the revelation of God.

This tells us that God Himself is ready to do almost anything to

avoid the tragedy of War befalling Man.

 

Krishna, the Almighty in the 'avatAra' of a diplomatic emissary, went

to the Court of Duryodhana principally to remind everyone gathered

there that Diplomacy was God's last Act of Grace! It was a sign from

Him and His way of saying, "I have not yet lost hope in Man." It is

therefore upto Man to take the opportunity and seize the Hand of God

outstretched to him in all Mercy and Kindness.

 

In this moment of crisis, one readily recollects indeed the wonderful

temple of "Pandava-dhoota" in the sacred town of Kanchipuram, India,

where Lord Krishna to this day is present amongst us, revealing

Himself to one and all as the Divine Emissary, the Supreme Diplomat.

 

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

 

In this hour of nervous anxiety, when the whole world waits with

bated breath for news of the success or otherwise of the efforts of

the brave diplomats of the world, let all of us here who are in

Kuwait, not give way to fear or hopelessness. Let us instead take a

few minutes to quietly read the relevant passages of the Mahabharata

in a spirit of fervent prayer.

 

Let us remind ourselves about the exploits of that greatest Diplomat

of all, Lord Krishna, and pray to Him that He should give the

necessary strength and inspiration to all the emissaries of the world

today, enabling them to succeed in their great endeavour -- an

endeavour which even He, in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata,

eventually failed! Let us pray and hope for that diplomatic coup,

that diplomatic miracle that will save the world, even if it were in

the very last moments before certain War...

 

Let us pray that the Diplomacy of Man succeeds where even the God of

Diplomacy failed in Mahabharata!

 

 

Regards,

 

dAsan,

Sudarshan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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