[Guruvayur/Guruvayoor] Vidura Neeti.

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HARI AUM

 

Dear Shree Ganapathy Raman,

 

It is really a great piece.

Thank u very much for the yeoman service.

I suggest the we make use of this opportunity to

atleast glance thru' the pages he has mentioned in the

Mahabharat. I think the whole of this epic represents

our Bhagavan's heroic efforts in restablishing Dharma

in Bharatvarsha.

As his devotees we do have a solemn duty to be

familiar with his life and mission.

 

Please do take these mails seriously and also I know

there are good enough members in this forum who can

contribute equally and even more on these topics.

 

Looking forward to more of such postings

 

Regards

 

Balagopal

 

NARAYANA NARAYANA NARAYANA

 

--- GANAPATHY RAMAN <agraman62 wrote:

 

> There are certain spots in Mahabharatha which can be

> considered to be gems.First is the conversation

> between Nahusha and Yudhishtra set in the

> Vanaparva.This parva abounds in dissertations on

> dharma when exiled prince

> Yudhishtra holds conversation with many rishis who

> come to visit him.

> The second also a conversation,is that between

> Yudhishtra and the Lord of Dharma.This is right at

> the end of Vana Parva and it is well known by the

> name of Yaksha Prasna.

> The third is Vaidurikam,incidentally,better known

> as Vidura Neeti,has not enjoyed the popularity of

> the Yaksha Prasna or the Bhagavat Gita.Perhaps the

> beginning is very innocuous and one is tempted to

> skip the pages.But it is a verybeautiful portion of

> the epic and deserves serious study.Here is set

> forth,in easy and simple steps,the lesson of dharma

> which can be practiced by all.

>

> It is the middle of the night.Summoned by the

> king,Vidura hurries to the royal

> apartments.He sees the old man sitting by

> himself. " Vidura " ,says the king in a piteous

> voice, " Sanjaya has just gone after censuring me for

> my conduct.He

> will speak about his journey to Upaplavya tomorrow

> in the assembly hall.I am so worried about the

> future of my sons that I am not able to sleep.Tell

> me what is

> good for a sleepless man like me.Confort

> me,Vidura " .

> Vidura's talk begins in a sarcastic vein.He says

> " Only a thief is affiliated by this malady.,so is a

> lustful person.It goes without saying that a man who

> has lost all

> his wealth and a man who has not been able to

> succeed in life keep them company.Neither can the

> man sleep who is attacked by a stronger man.Do you,

> my lord,grieve becoz you covet the wealth of

> others? " .

> Dhritharashtra is familiar with the bitter and

> acid tongue of his brother.He knows

> that all the descriptions fit him as Vidura meant

> them to.But he is too far gone

> in his despair to resent the words of Vidura.He

> implores his brother to talk to him 'words of

> wisdom'.We then hear the beautiful dissertation of

> Vidura on dharma.All the codes of behaviour are

> dealt with systemmatically.

>

> Vidura's approach is delightful.He begins with

> generalities and then goes on to

> emphasise the importance of behaviour.,about what

> shuld be done by a man and

> if he is to be considered a well-behaved

> person.Here is an example. " A man

> shuld be able to discriminate between the Two by

> means of the One.He shuld be able to bring under his

> control the Three with the help of the Four.He must

> be able to vanquish the Five.He shuld know the Six

> and beware of the Seven.This is thepath of

> happiness. " .Cryptic statements like this are quite

> common in theepic.

> By One is meant the Intellect and by Two the right

> and wrong,Three stands for

> friend,stranger and foe.,while Four is meant to

> represent conciliation,gift,disunion

> and severity.Five stands for the senses and Six

> signifies treaty,war etc., the essentials of a

> Kshatriya.Seven enumerates the seven temptations in

> the path of

> a king., women,dice,hunting,harshness of

> speech,drinking,severity of punishment and waste of

> wealth.

>

> Vidura tries to make his lesson as attractive as

> possible.He makes out a list of the qualities a man

> must hv and those he has to avoid.,he arranges them

> in a

> very attractive manner.He uses the numbers one to

> ten and in the series is threaded the list of

> qualities.Righteousness is the one highest

> good.,forgiveness the one supreme peace.,knowledge

> the one supreme contentment,and benevolence the one

> sole happiness.We then come to two.A nmber of things

> are enumerated in twos:for example a man may attain

> renown by two things.

> refraining from harsh speech and disregarding

> those that are wicked.Then follow

> the series of qualities taken three at a

> time:lust,anger and covetousness are

> destructive to one's self and are the gates to

> hell.A learned king,says Vidura shuld not confer

> with these four:men of small sense,men given to

> procrastination

> men that are indolent and men that are

> flatterers.In other words he describes

> the court of the Kauravas and the sycophants of

> Duryodhana in particular.

>

> Talling abt the five, he says;of the five senses

> belonging to man,if one springs a leak.from that one

> leak runs out all the intelligence of man like water

> running

> out of a perforated leathern vessel " .One who

> masters the six,namely lust,anger,grief,confusion of

> the intellect,pride and vanity,will naturally become

>

> master of the senses and will never commit sin.Six

> faults shuld be aoided by a

> man who desires

> prosperity:sleep,drowsiness,fear,anger,indolence and

>

> procrastination.A king shuld renounce

> seven:women,wine etc.Eight qualities

> glorify a man:wisdom,high

> birth,self-restraint,prowess,moderation in

> speech,gift

> according to one's power and

> gratitude,respect.This house has nine doors,three

> pillars and five witnesses and it is presided over

> by a soul.These ten do not know what virtueis:the

> intoxicated,the inattentive,the raving,the

> fatigued,the angry,the the starving,the hasty,the

> covetous,the frightened and the lustful.

>

> Summing up Vidura says:'That man who does not

> grieve when calamity,has

> already come upon him;who exerts himself with all

> his senses controlled,and

> who bears his misery in season is the foremost of

> men and all his foes are

> vanquished " .Incientally he was describing

> Yudhishtra and the king knew it.

> Vidura adds the one fails to make any impression

> and the other is none the wiser for all the talk

> since he has insulated himself from all that is good

> for him.

> Then he speaks on behaviour and then about conduct

> which goes deeper intothe

> texture of the mind,the heart and the power of

> thinking.'Intoxication is wealth' says Vidura,'is

> much worse than wine since a man drunk with power of

> wealth can never be brought to his senses unless he

> has a fall.Like the moon during the bright

> fortnight, calamities increase for him who is under

> the tyranny of the

> five senses'.

>

> In this way it goes on to Vidura's

> sorrow,fruitlessly.After listening to the wise words

> of Vidura the old king can only say:Man is not the

> dispenser of either his prosperity or his

> adversity.He is like a wooden doll moved by

> strings.Indeed the

> Creator has made man the victim of destiny'.No

> creature is able to transgress

> the destiny.Destiny is,I think,certain to take its

> course.Individual exertion is futile.,the old king

> laments.This is despite the fact Vidura advises

> illustrious and

> mighty kings ,having ruled the earth abounding in

> corns and wealth,hv become victims of the universal

> destroyer,leaving behind their kingdoms and vast

> resources of enjoyments.When a man dies,only two go

> with him to the other world,his merits and sins.Only

> these two keep him company.Therefore shuld

> man,carefully and gradually,earn the merit of

> righteouness'.However the sane advice was not

> accepted by the king and his nemesis came in the

> end in sorrows and tragedies.

>

> Hare Krishna.

>

 

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