Thought of the week: Instructions by Bhismadeva to Yudhisthira

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At 19/08/01, you wrote:

>The Shanti-parva of Mahabharata, the section that immediately follows the

>great

>war of Kuruksetra, is replete with many instructions by Bhismadeva on morality

>and religiosity. The end of the war in which practically the entire armies of

>both the Pandavas and the Kauravas were annhilated, bought forth great grief

>and remorse from the compassionate Yudhisthira. Considering his selfish desire

>to regain his kingdom as the root cause of the deaths of so many people, he

>becomes bitterly remorseful and confused about his duty. At this time Lord

>Krishna advises him to seek instructions from the Bhishmadeva who had been

>lying on a bed of arrows, waiting for an auspicious time to give up his life.

>

>Thus is set the scene of the historic conversation betwen Bhismadeva, who

>occupies the exalted position of being one of the twelve Mahajans, persons

>with

>perfect understanding of the Vedic scriptures and Maharaja Yudhisthira,

>the son

>of Dharamaraja (the personification of religiosity) and himself a very learned

>and religious person. The conversation between these two greatly exalted

>personalities provide priceless gems of wisdom for us to savor and absorb.

>

>Bhismadeva supports and illustrates most of his instructions with pastimes

>from

>the Puranas and Vedic injunctions, which have not been presented here for the

>sake of brevity. Although Yudhisthira's questions are personal, pertaining to

>himself in the role of a king, it is understood that they are universally

>applicable and ultimately for our benefit.

>

>Dealing with distress

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

>Yudhisthira then inquired, "Please tell me what should be done when falls into

>so much distress that he is attacked not only by his enemies but also his

>friends?"

>Bhisma replied, "A person who has great presence of mind and foresight earns

>happiness whereas the procrastinator meets with destruction. It is only due to

>time and circumstance and nothing else that one becomes a friend or enemy.

>So a

>person who can intelligently act accordingly, by sometimes rejecting so-called

>friends and some time befriending so-called enemies is far superior to one who

>simply has presence of mind or foresight."

>

>Bhisma then instructed Yudhisthira on the matter of trust. "A father and

>mother

>can be trusted naturally, but friends and companions need to be constantly

>rewarded to secure their trust. Animosity arises out of five causes: women,

>wealth, harsh words, natural incompatibility and injury. Animosity, once

>created, will always lie dormant in the heart, just as fire is in wood. Once

>ignited they can not be extinguished unless one of the parties is destroyed.

>Therefore one must never trust a person he has animosity with, despite

>assurances to the contradictory, for such animosity lingers for a very long

>time."

>

>Yudhisthira inquired, "What should one do after having lost all prosperity?"

>Bhisma replied, "One who has fallen into a very distressed condition of life,

>bereft of friends, families, wealth and reputation, should practice fortitude

>and not give way to grief in any circumstance. Indulgence in grief destroys

>one's beauty, duration of life. prosperity and virtue. One who constantly

>dwells on his misfortune looses all enthusiasm, mental equilibrium and bodily

>strength, and thus meets total defeat. On the other hand if a distressed

>person

>remains fixed and undisturbed, he can easily regain his position when the next

>opportunity arises."

>

>Yudhisthira inquired, "My dear Bhisma, what are the various kinds of

>activities?"

>Bhisma said, "One's greatest enemy is idleness. On the other hand one should

>not act feverishly or blindly. Everything should be done with the proper

>means.

>Since success depends on using one's good intelligence, tasks accompanied by

>the mind is considered to be the best. Those done by the hands are

>mediocre and

>those by the feet inferior. The lowest is the task of carrying heavy loads."

>

>Importance of self-control

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

>Yudhisthira inquired, "How should one react to people who insult you by their

>rudeness and arrogance?"

>Bhisma replied, "If one does not become angry when insulted by another,

>then he

>takes away all the pious merit that person may have accumulated by good deeds.

>In addition he transfers to the abuser his own sinful reactions. After all

>what

>is the value of praise or blame when uttered by a vulgar fool? A person who

>praises some one in his presence but criticizes him behind his back is no

>better that a dog."

>

>Yudhisthira, "How should one debate with an unscrupulous person?"

>Bhisma replied, "In a debate the tactics of a truthful person are limited, but

>a deceitful person can utilize any abominable method. However if the truthful

>person were to use the same tactics as his opponent, he will find himself at a

>greater disadvantage, for he is acting contrary to his nature. Therefore a

>truthful and honest person should always avoid an argument with an

>unscrupulous

>person."

>

>Yudhisthira then inquired, "How should one behave towards a more powerful

>enemy?"

>Bhisma replied, "Even though the swift current of the river can uproot and

>carry huge trees, the canes survive since they bend with the current.

>Similarly

>in order to survive an enemy more powerful, one must yield while staying

>firmly

>anchored to the roots."

>

>Yudhisthira inquired, "What should a weak person do if out of foolishness and

>pride he provokes a powerful enemy?"

>Bhisma replied, "O King, the weaker person must repent and thus appease the

>stronger enemy."

>

>Yudhisthira inquired, "What is the origin of all sin?"

>Bhisma replied, "Greed, the hankering to posses more than one's naturally

>ordained quota is the origin of all sin. The desire to posses that which

>belongs to another is insatiable and gives rise to anger, lust, loss of

>judgment, arrogance, miserliness, lack of compassion, enviousness,

>mistrust and

>many other evils. Ignorance is made up of the same material as greed,

>though if

>analyzed it can be seen that ignorance also comes from greed. As one's greed

>increases, his ignorance also becomes more dense."

>

>Yudhisthira inquired, "What produces the highest merit?"

>Bhisma replied, "Self-restraint surpasses all other activities in this regard

>and is therefore considered to be the highest virtue. Because self-restraint

>purifies and controls every aspect of one's life it is more important than

>giving in charity and the study of the Vedas. By self-restraint alone one can

>achieve liberation from the material world. Self-restraint comprises

>sense-control, freedom from anger, non-enviousness, impartiality,

>truthfulness,

>steadiness and contentment. However, the essential quality of

>self-restraint is

>austerity. Thus no good can be achieved without austerity."

>

>Yudhisthira then inquired, "O Bhisma, is there any rule that should never be

>violated under any condition?"

>Bhisma replied. "The worship of true brahmans and giving them all kinds of

>respect must never be given up under any circumstance"

>

>Supreme duty of life

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

>Yudhisthira inquired, "Since time seems to destroy everything, what should be

>sought after?"

>Bhisma replied, "One should seek to determine the supreme duty of life. One

>should not live in ignorance throughout the life, thinking that only in

>old-age

>real this knowledge may be cultivated. Death can snatch us at any time and

>one's life may be finished before one's mission is fulfilled. Thus from the

>earliest time, one should endeavor to embark on the supreme duty of life."

>

>Yudhisthira inquired, "My dear Bhisma, please describe to me the supreme duty

>of life, and the results which are obtained by its performance?"

>Bhisma replied, "My dear Yudhisthira, religious duties are numerous and

>diverse

>and the correct performance of any one of them will never be futile. But,

>dedication to the path of self-realization is the supremely religious duty

>that

>stands above all others. The realization that all things in the material world

>are temporary and thus of no inherent value automatically results in a gradual

>detachment from desires for material enjoyment. Such self-realization will

>result in liberation from material bondage."

>

>Yudhisthira inquired, "How can the grief of the loss of a loved one be

>mitigated?"

>Bhisma replied, "By realizing that the you yourself are as much an object of

>pity as the person who has departed, for soon others will also lament your

>death. The material body of a person changes every seven years and that is

>never a cause of lamentation, just as the growth from infancy to youth and

>old-age is not lamented upon. The understanding that the real person, the

>cause

>of the consciousness in the inert, changeable material body never dies will

>mitigate all pains."

>

>Yudhisthira inquired, "My dear Bhisma, you have described the path of

>self-realization by liberation from material engagements. Is there anything

>superior to this?"

>Bhisma replied, "Krishna is the Supreme Lord of all demigods and the eternal

>divine Purusa. He is the soul of all souls and the origin of everything. The

>Supreme Personality of Godhead is achieved by means of unmotivated devotional

>service and no other means. Those who serve Him out of supreme love achieve

>residence in His abode, Goloka Vrindavana which is situated above all planets

>in the spiritual sky. Those who are inspired by awe and reverence to serve Him

>achieve the Vaikuntha loka also in the spiritual sky. Those who are

>absorbed in

>the impersonal conception, after purifying themselves of all material

>engangements, merge with the Brahmajyoti, the effulgence from the Lord's body.

>However because senselessness and inactivity cannot sustain, there is every

>chance they will fall down from here. But those who reach the superior

>destinations of Vaikuntha and Goloka, reside there for eternity. That is the

>highest path of self-realization."

>

>Ref: Srila Vysadeva's Mahabharata summarized by Purnaprajna dasa.

>

>------- x ------------- x ---------- x ----------- x ---------- x ---------- x

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>

>----- Festivals over the next week ------

>Aug 23 2001, Thursday Appearance Srimati Sita Thakurani (Sri Advaita's

>consort)

> Lalita sasti

>Aug 25 2001, Saturday Appearance Radhastami: of Srimati Radharani (Fast)

> (Fasting till noon)

>

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>For festival information for your city please go to

>http://www.iskcondc.org and

>click on 'Calendar'

>

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Haribol

 

I am away for a while. I will respond as soon as I return

 

Ananta