Wednesday, June 01, 2011

fairness even in war

यक्ष उवाच -
तपः किं लक्षणं प्रोक्तं को दमश्च प्रकीर्तितः।
क्षमा च का परा प्रोक्ता का च ह्रीः परिकीर्तिता॥६८


युधिष्ठिर उवाच -
तपः स्वधर्मवर्तित्वं मनसो दमनं दमः
क्षमा द्वन्द्वसहिष्णुत्त्वं ह्रीरकार्यनिवर्तनं॥६९
महाभारते आरण्यकपर्वणि यक्षप्रश्ने  अध्यायः २९७
yakṣa uvāca -
tapaḥ kiṁ lakṣaṇaṁ proktaṁ ko damaśca prakīrtitaḥ|
kṣamā ca kā parā proktā kā ca hrīḥ parikīrtitā||68
yudiṣṭhira uavāca -
tapaḥ svadharmavartitvaṁ manaso damanaṁ damaḥ
kṣamā dvandvasahiṣnutvaṁ hrīrakāryanivartanaṁ||69
mahābhārate āraṇyakaparvaṇi yakṣapraśne  adhyāyaḥ 297


In the celebrated question-answer session between Yama in the guise of a yaksha and his son Yudhishtira the Dharmaputra as found in the Aaranyakaparvam of Mahabharatham, this is a significant discussion.

Yaksha asks:-
(1) what is the noblest penance?  
(2) what is the vital restraint? 
(3) what constitutes the greatest forgiveness?
 and
 (4) What is the greatest escape from shame ?

The wise King Yudhistira answers.. 
(1)  The noblest penance is the unwavering adherence to ones own traditions and age-old virtues and faith.
 (2) The most vital restraint that is to be effected is the restraint of one's own mind. (3) The noblest forgiveness is that which is shown  to  enemies even in a war. 
(4)  The greatest escape from shame can come from not indulging in acts which are abhorrent to nature, society and decency.

Religion and faith constitute decisive  issues in all significant segments of society. 

The attempt to challenge the age-old traditions and faith and tendency to forcibly draw away a person from his faith to another  constitutes one of the greatest threats to peaceful coexistence in a multi-spectral  society.  
Our  forebears who followed traditions were not naive or idiotic people.  
There is no reason whatsoever either to veer away from one's own faith and it is also not right to impose one's own faith and beliefs on others.  
If traditions are to evolve through subtle changes, the dynamic society will bring about such transition in its own smooth and unobtrusive manner. 

The most unstable and wavering object or thing that we can find in this world  is human mind.  
It is always indecisive and would be contradicting itself unless it is properly trained and tempered.  
This training is a life-long process.  
Eternal vigil is the only means to restrain the mind..
Even the slightest concession given to mind to indulge in lack of discipline can wreak havoc for ourselves and also for others.  
But this is easier said than done.

 The fiercest wars and duels have their own rules.  
If we look back to our hoary  traditions, it would be seen that an unarmed person, even if he is the most hated enemy will not be killed in a war. 
We can see the participants in the war being fought at some particular time-slot, meeting one another during other times and restraining from attack. 
 These were old practices of Dharma.  
Such niceties have no place in these times of terrorism.

Human beings should live a decent life.  
It is simply not proper to deviate from social decorum.
 It is all the more reprehensible to indulge in acts which would jar the normal human sensibility. 
 Exceptions may be necessary, but such detours should be minimal. 
 Each individual cannot simply think that he is an island all by himself.

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