225

CHAPTER - VI -The Central thought of the Bbaratan Dharma-man.

The Apaddnarma teaches that one may take resort

to any means for his self-defence. When existence is at

stake even unjust actions are accepted as proper. During

a calamity propriety of such actions is sanctioned only

for the survival of a man, for the good of human beings.

There is no difference bet\'leen the gdil of apaddharma and

dharma. The aim of dharma is the welfare of human being s

here and hereafter. Dharma advi~s purification of the

mind and doing good to humanity. It preaches eq~1lity,

fraternity, kindness, benevolence, t.flell-wishing and doing

good to the creatures.

In the Yajurveda there is a teaching for equa­

lity1. It is said t.hat every entity of this universe

animate or inanimate should be taken as covered by the

Almighty. Under that cover i.e. God we a11 are equal. we have equal right to enjoy the good things on earth. But

\V'e should take only that much which is absolutely nece­

ssary and leave the rest for the creatures around us. Or

should not impede other's well-being when one is interested

in his cMn good. There must not be any clash between the

interests of one self and of others .. Therefore be aware

of greed and covetousness. one should not yield its temp_

tation, leave the excess for the benefit of others. The

Bhagavat Pura~ corroborates the Yajurveda. It says that

we are the owner of that much object that is just suffi­

cient for our necessity. If we claim for ~ore we should 2

be punished for the crime of theft.

The Mahabharata Q.lso teaches the same. The epic

preaches that fraternity and the welfare of the creatures 3 are the eternal dharma. One should lead a careful life

so that no action of his does any harm to others~ rather

226

he should work for the good of others.

According to the ~!Bt individualistic theory

the society is a collection of individuals. Its prospe­

rity depends upon that of the individuals constituting it. The society should create an atmosphere so that each

and every individual can improve his position in any

field of human life. But the socialistic view is t~t

well-being of an individual is based upon the welfare of the society. An individual ~s no existence except being a part and parcel of the society. There is a third group of philosophers who think both individual and society

are equally important. The individual exists for the society and vice versa.

The epic honours the individuality as well as it preaches the welfare of the society - welfare of the

being's humanity at large. At times the welfare of •11 the liviRO'ft.. fran the supreme being down to the sheaf of grass is taken

into account.

The caste system is based upon division of

labour. Four castes constituted the Epic society and

they were divided according to their functions. sacrifi­

cing, officiating in others sacrifice, recital of the

Vedas, teaching, penance etc. are the functions of a

Brahmin. Fighting in the ~ttle, administering the country, protecting the subjects are the duties of the KZ?attriyas. Agricultural cattle ~~rding etc. are the duties

of the vaisyas. service to the other three castes is the duty of the ~udras. To run the society smoothly the duties were distributed among different groups. one groups was invested with the worship of knowledge, other for the worship of power and the third for the production of wealth and the distribution of it. Thus the castesystem came into being in pursuance of the division of labour. The Mahib~-

a rat• also approved this caste system based on division of labour for otherwise social disorder may result. Sometimes duties of one• s own caste has been termed as svadharma.

227

But the epicf,as we have seen,a11ows the change of duties of J!iDE different castes.

Before tl'e eorrmencernent of the Kuruksetra war, '

when all the arrangements was canplete, Arjuna became

stricken with stunning grief. seeing Arjuna on the verge

of abandoning the characteristic duty of a K~ttriya, Lord

Krsna advised him that a man should stick to his own dh&I'Jnil ... even at the cost of his life. But adoption of other's dhat'IDI

is a fearful degradation4• S The Lord t:jlve this advise to

Arju~ only to enthuse him to the Ksattriya dharma. One

must not abandon the duties of his own caste even it is not

good. 5 B so we see in the vanaparvan a profoundly religioes

man like Dharmavyadha selling flesh with all sincerity.

The upper castes observe four stages of life

viz. Bratmacharya, aarhasthya# ~naprastha and sannyasa

each having its specific duties. Of these four stages

garhasthya the stage of the house holder is the most impor­

tant. The otb:!r stages are dependant on it. Mendicants,

travellers and monks rely on the 9fhasthas. It is the

gfhaStha who tends the other animals. In the third and fourth stages man strives for his a11n spirituAl develop-

ment but the duty of a 9fhastha is to strive for the well·

being of the world. M·lii tever is to be done for the well being

of the worldly life and continuance of the society is done

blf the ~ha stha • •

The basic aim of epic culture is the well being

of humanity. The Epic recognisesfour types of debts :

( 1) debts to gods (2) debts to ancestors (3) debts to

sages and (4) debts to ordinary man. Debts to tee gods are

to be repaid by sacrifice, by studying the Vedas and

observing penances to the sages, by producing sons and

performing sraddha ceremony to the ancestors and by

service and piety to the people in general. The last debt

can be repaid by doing any social service and doing good

to the humani ty6• The number of debts varies in different

228

at texts. The Mahabhazeta follows the fourfold debtsAprescribed

in the s'a tapa tha Bra hma t:a.

The householder (grhastha) have to perform five 7 .

sacrifices every day. He who fails to perform their sac-

~ifices is debarred from prosperity and happiness in this

world and the world beyond. Those sacrifices are :

~11 1. :t~ Brahmayajfia - A.8e knowledge is the gift of rsis. This

• #

knowledge has to be acquired by self and distributed to

others. Studying and teaching is ara:tmtayajfia and debt to

the sages can be repaid by it.

2. Pitcyajna - We enjoy the fruits of austerity and virtue

of our ancestors. so it is our duty to satisfy them. I -sraddha offering of water ( tarpana.) to the ancestors

give satisfaction to them and this is called Piq:-yajiia.

3. Devayajna - Deva means sanething resplendent • There

are five constituent elements (viz. earth, water, heat

air and space). In our daily life we are making them

foul or filthy. In order to remove those impurities we

should undertake Devayajna by performing Homa and main­

taining ecological balance in nature. When we consider

the present ecological imbalance created by man•s greed

and ignorance, we cannot but praise the keen insight of

our ancient forefathers who foresaw the evil and pres­

cribed remedies for it.

4. Bhutayajna - The aim of this yajna is to do good to a11

the ~x living creatures. A demestic man has to look

after beasts, birds and insects. So he has to arrange

for their food also. To offer with reverence the first

portion of his own food to the other living animals is

known as Bhutayaj na. s. Nfyajna- Service·to the humanity is NfYajna. The

grbastha should offer first to the god, then to the •

hungry guest and lastly take food himself.

These five rnah§.yajnas have also been prescribed

for atonement of sins incurred inadvertently through the

use of wooden mortar (udUkh«l) water-jar (ud}turnbha) 1

grinding stone (pesanr) 1 firewood stove (culll) 1 broan t

( sammarjan!).

229

The following five are the causes of incurring

inadvert.ant sins to a householder.

1. Killing invisible organis~s while pounding paddy in a

wooden mortar for separating the husk.

2. When a water-jar is moved for taking water out of it, ants and other insects taking shelter under it are

killed.

3. While grinding on a grinding stone •nts and other insects shel taring under are killed.

4. While fire is lit inside a firewood stove, insects

like ants, spiders etc. are burnt to sea:tK de•1th.

s. Similarly, While sweeping the floor with a broom

small insects may be harmed.

our society has provision of sacrifice (yajna) ~ -apsteri ty {vratl') and charity (dana) • Those desirous of

earning virtue perform sacrifice, make gifts etc. and the

society is benefited by them. one who lives in the society ,_ seeks its well being. By receiting the incantation Abr•ttna-

• stambaparyanta~ jagat tfpyatu we pray for satisfaction of

a11 beings at every level. charity can be made in a gene.till

way and it can a1so be made on the occasion of different

austerities or sacrifices. Even during .a minor austeri­

ties the person concerned is seen to fast for ~ half days a day before and after the observance of austerity and

observe complete fast on the day of austerity. And on the next day he earns virtue by feeding people and making

charity. By fasting one undergoes hardships as also saves

food a11oted ·to himself. And then he invites a ~~·

,_ proper person to feed him. Thus on the ene hand he

secures moral upliftment and on the other it leads m•t.eri•l

benefit to others.

230

sacrifice, gift etc. were the means of distri­

bution of wealth. Only the twice borns had the right to

perform sacrifice. It is said thilt a Brahmin who has the

provision to feed himself and his family for three years,

may perform somajage. (MBh XII.165). In the Brihmii~ texts

it is prescribed that in case wealth exceeds three years

provision, the Br«hmin must perform vijapeya sacrifice.

Fran this it is apparent that excess ~arding of wealth

·was never encouraged. Whenever wealth exceeded three

years• provision its distribution is prescribed. In this

way after making gift of everything in a sacrifice, one

has to earn again gradually. Of course, the arahnins had

no source of income in those days. The society used to

support them.

Non-perfor~nce of Yajna by those owing hundred

cows was reprehended. The king acquiring wealth from the

uncharitable persons and those axaa a~erse to perform

sacrifices helps the Brahmin who performs sacrifices.

fl)diJttt¥ Charity h3.s been glorified in the Mahibhirata

at different places. The fruits of charity in the worldly

life and the life beyond have been recognised. Charity h«s

been prescribed during perfDDnance of sacrifices,austerity,

~raddha ceremony and the likes. Charity.has been B& divided

into five classes in accordance vrith the object of charity!

Dha~, wealth, fear, passion and piety. Of these, chirity

of dharma and piety, are the best. Making gift without

jealousy and without expecting :m return has been canmended.

Charity to a deserving person brings virtue while that to

an undeserved brings misfortune.

King s'ibi made charity without expecting any

return, so di4 the Brahmin of Kuruk;;etra e.u.lo~ised. in

the story of Nakula. ·Each and every man of all levels

were content at the As'vamedha sacrifice of Yudhisthira • . . But a mongoose whose head and half of the body assumed a

golden hue described this sacrifice as insignificant

~Uil

231

canpared to the charity of the Brahmin of Kuruk~etra. There

lived a Brahmin in Kuruk~etra. He used to maintain his t family by collecting grains that were left in the field after

harvesting. Once during a famine, he was unable to find food

regularly. After living without food for a long time he was

able to collect a small quantity of }:.)arley. After perfonning

japa 1 Homa etc. When he QH was about to eat the food sharing

it with the members of his family, a Brchmin guest appeared.

The BralTnin and his family gladly entertained the guest with

thtit food. Dharma himself was testing the Brahmin in the

guise of the guest. The Brahmin passed the test and attained

heaven. At the touch of the remains of the food eaten by

that guest the pilrti«l change- in the colour of the mongoose 1

occoured. Since then, it moved fran one sacrificia~ place to

another in the hope of converting its other half into gold but

was unsuccessful.

Such stories have been told in order to encourage

charity out of one's honest earning to a deserving ~axaaa

person at the proper time with adequate respect. But it

seems that the actual «im of charity was distribution of

wealth. One who have wealth will ~ke gift to those who have

not. It is best to make charity to a Brahmin who ha~f hardly

any other means of livelihood and whose services to the ls

society was enormous. But a K~attriya is not entitled to it

as he has to add to the prosperity of the people and super­

vise proper distribution of wealth.

The upa.nisadic conception of Bratmavihira (pious

conduct) consisting of (1) M&itri {2) ~aruJ!i (3) mudita and

( 4) upek~a hils been reinterpreted by the Buddhists on the

background of universal fellow feeling. To them friendly

a.tti tude towards every being (mai tri'), unbounded canpassion

for &11 the sufferers (karu~) a.nd feeling of close rela­

tionship with each and every individual (muditil) coupled

with serene mental peace (upek~a) constitute xxwa what is

called srahmavihira.

232

In the Bh&gavadgi U VIII.l-2 Arjuna enquires from

Lord Krsna what is Brahma, what is adhy~~. whilt is k•~ ~ ' .

etc. The specific answers of the Lord show that a karma is

an offering which leads to the prosperity of the livinq

beings8 •

In the epic non-violence, compassion, love and

aa service to the [llilnJdnd etc. are described as dharma 9 •

Different incidents of the Mahabbirata preach ¢ such dha~

i.e. service to the mankina.

In the last section of the vanaparvan there is a

an episode of God dharma. Once,. deer took away the Arap.i

(sacrificial fire stick) of a Br«hmi n, endangering his

Agnihotra sacrifice. so he sought help from the Pandavas. 1 •

They tried their best but f«iled to reach the deer and r

became very much tfi"ed and thirsty. Yudhi~~ir« sent Nil kula

to fetch water. But as he was late in caning back Yud.hi;;­

thira sent three other brothers one after another. The . brothers reached a lake one after another heard sane one

prohibiting them to touch the water before answering some

questions. They paid no heed and •s soon as they touched

tbe water they fell down dead. At last Yudhisthira himself .. went there. He answered a11 the questions to the satisfac­

tion of the Yak~a. who was none else but Dharma, the father

of Yudhi~~hira. Dharma being satisfied offered him a boon.

Yudhi~~hira remembered the distressed Brahmin and prayed

for his lost Ara~i to Dharma so that his (Brahmin's) Agni­

hotra sacrifice may not be stopped and wanted nothing for

himself. Dharma was very much pleased and offered him

another boon that one of his brothers would revive. Dharma

asked the king to select whom he would like to be z:evived

from among the dead brothers. Yudhisthira begged the life ••

of Nakula so that at least one son of his step-mother

would remain alive. The god Dharma. was very much pleased and

revived a11 of his brothers. Compassion and mercy is accep­

ted here as Dharma. stznpathy for others has made Yudhi~~hira

magnanimous. As Yudhisthira himself, the son of mother Kuntt

233

was alive, he prayed for the revival of one son of mother wi~ Madri. It j{s told that whatever you ~for the benefit

of yourself, you should desire that same thing for others.

(Yad yad itmani ceceheta tat parasya pi cint«yet (XII.

259 ab, V.39.73).

Again Yudhil?~hira proved his magnanimity throuqh

compassion and sympathy for others in the Mahi pra sthanika­

parvan. After the sradh ceremony of the Vf~~is the five

pandava brothers along with Draupaar with the approval of .. the subjects were moving forward for their last journey. A dog attached itself to them and followed them. Draupildl, sahadeva, Nakula, Arjuna and Bhimasena fell on the way.

Yudhisthira was moving with his only companion, the dog • .. . Indra came on his chariot to take Yudhi~~hira to heaven. But Yudhi~~hira did not agree to go with Indra leaving his brothers and wife there. Indra informed him that they had

already reached the heaven. Then Yudhi~'!:'-hira wished to take t the dog with him. Indra allured him of divinity, success

and heavenly bliss and asked him to leave the dog. But

Yudhi~'!:'-hira refused to do so. Then the god Dharma, who was in the guise of the dog, told him that tender heartedness

m to a11 creatures made hi~~. great.

In the svargaroha~parvan again we have the teachings of the Mahabharata regarding the love for mankind.

When Yudhisthira reoched heaven he wanted to see his brothers

and relatives. By the instruction of the gods, an angel 4.

guided him towards the hell. There Yudhi~~hira observed tt sinners suffering in the hell which was horrible and full of mal odour. Creatures were lamenting piteously. When

Yudhi9~hira came to know that they were none but his brothers and sons and others relatives K he did not like to return to the heaven. He could not tolerate the sufferings of tl unfortut~te people. When they told that his presence caused

much relief to him, he decided to stay there. To minimise their sufferings he wanted to share their misfortune and Hid not care for ia his own :r:m~ can fort or bliss. Love for

others raised him to Divinity. This was the third examination

234

of Yudhi~J!'\=-hira which he duly passe d.

Besides we find love for man in Arjuna a1so in the Arjunavi~adayoga i.e. the first chapter of the 5rima­dbhagavadgtta. The preparation of the war is complete. The worriers of both the sides are blowing conches and chiillan­ging each other. Before commencement of the war Arjuna

came in the midst of the battlefield to observe with whom

he is to fight. He found his friends, relatives preceptors, fathers, grandfathers, sons and grandsons ready for the

w war. He was overahelmed by Be&~ a deep melancholy. He lost 1\.

his control over himself. The aandiva fell from his hand and .. he decided to abstain from that fratracidal war. He told Krsna that his friends and relatives have come there to

sacrifice their lives. But he will not kill them even in exchange of this universe. There is no pleasure or happi_

ness in killing ones kith and kin. It is true that they - - 10 are •atatayins• • Yet he cannot CBRER concieve of the

destruction of those relatives. Duryodhana is overpowered by greed and his sense of sin etc. has been lost and is

ready to fight. But Arjuna won• t hurt them even if they would kill him. He left his bow and arrow and decided not to fight against them.

Such feelings, love and affection for the friends and relatives is unique. None but Arjuna, not even Yudhi~­~hira himself, felt before war so deeply for the destruction of mankind. (He decided not to hurt them even if they kil-l

fttm. E,.·en in exenangc e£ his life he want:ed tel lroep them «live, his kith and kin).

Again in the Striparvan, after the cessation of the

great war Dhrtaristra and Gandhiri were found striken with . . . I

profound grief for the loss of their sons. K~ Anger accom-panied with some feeling of avenging their death was present in their minds. Dhrtarastra smashed the iron image of Bhima

while Gandhari was about to curse Yudhisthira when Vyasadeva calmed her down. The pandavas asked to be forgiven by

235

Gand}1art, oand}'}ari then consoled Draupadi (who hiid lost her

sons and relatives) and accepted that it was Gindhiri's own

fault that led to the annihil•tion of the Kurus.

Then the sage Vedavyasa a endowed her with divine

vision and as a result she was able to view the battlefield

even fran far away. The sight of the battlefield brought a a

change in her mind. Her axpta despair for the f\llen did

make no distinction between friend and foe. Her grief did

not choose between Abhima nytl. and Duryodha na. When the battle

1§ field was filled with the heart rending Wilils of the c::hild­

J4ul less mothers and widows of their brave sons and husbands

she could not help feeling c::anpassion and piety for a11 of xx them equally. TheF death of Bhi~a, Karpa, Abhimanyu, Dropa,

Drupada, Salya and Jayadratha rent her heart with equal

agony. She became ut.terly miserable at the sight of corpses

of Duryodhana and Du\lSa sana and lamented for them and also

for her other sons like Vikar~a. She grieved over the de~th

of Abhimanyu equally. Her grief knew no bounds when she

found Uttara talking to her dead husband on her lap as if

he were alive. The death of young Uttara, Sudarsana, Lak~ma~

and Sudak~it:a of Kamboja also roused piety and despair in

her mind. She was distressed at the death of Karna. The . ¥* valiant Karna killed by Arjuna, lay dead and his wife was . lamenting heartrendingly lying prostrate beside the corpse.

Witnessing this scene @lndhari could not bear the anguisil.,

She also lamented for her son-in-law, Jayadriltha, Pratipa's

son Bilhika, Salya, and Bhagadatta. overwhelmed with sorrow

by the fall of Bhi?ffia, she asked Lord Kffjl~, when the divine

Devavrata would go. to heaven, who would be left to the

Kurus from whom precious advices regarding Dharma could be

sought. She was disturbed by the thought that the source of

of profound knowledge would no longer be there. She could

not help feeling equal sorrow for the fall of Dro~carya.

She is also distressed to see Kfpi, the wife of Dro9ac::arya

weeping for her dead husband. She reprobates for the evil

in s'akuni at the same time mourns his death.

236

Her grief flows equally to So~datta and his sons

Bhilrisrva and

Brhadbala the •

' - . Sala,Kings of K•mboja, Kalinga, Magadha,

prince of Kosala, the young sons of Dhrsta-. ., .. dyurnoa, the five brothers of Kekaya, Drupada, the king of

piticala, the king of cedi, Dh~~~aketu, his sons and L&k~­

mana the grandson of Gind}lari herself. They all are killed •

in the battle. c;andhari did not differentiate between a

foe or a friend but a11 those laid down their lives were

endowed with heroism and all were h~n beings.

After escaping from the shellac house of vira~--n -vata and roaming about in different regiO)tS, the P•l'].~vas

along with their mother Kunti took shelter in a Brahmin • s

house in Ekacakra. One day on hearing lamentations fran

inside the house, Kunti enquired and came to know that the

family was facing a grave danger. It was their turn to

carry food to a demon. He who carrys food to th~emon is

also devoured by him. They could not decide who in the

family, the husband, the wife and their son and daughter

would be sacrificed. Each one wanted to sacrifice his or

her life to save others while crying loudly. Mother Kunti

proposed to send one of her sons (i.e. Bhl~) instead to

the Rik~asa. The Brahmin family had given them shelter and

in return to this good turn she offered one of her sons for a

sacrifice. What can be a better example of hl.ltTliinism thtpn

this ?

-roles We find the king Dhrtaristra in two ~. He was . . .

a deceitful person during the xqi: reign of Duryodhilna but

during Yudhisthira•s reign he was a changed man. In the

past, on the counsel of his minister Kanika, he banished

the Pandavas to varanavata. being envious of their prosperity.

Blind with _,1&£ affection for his son, the blind

king was a silent supporter of a11 the misdeeds of Duryo­

dhana. Lust for kingdom led him to commit sin and to give

indulgence to sinners. In the past he was deceitful and a

great sinner. But during the reign of Yudhisthiril, his

sympathetic behaviour helped development of h~n qualities

2~7

in Dhrtaristra. He has come closer to m•nkind. He now loved . . . his subjects, his love for Yudhi~~hira grew to a greater

extent ~ than his love for his own son. In the past he

knew the dharma but did not observe it. But now Yudhisthira A I

supported the berieved Dh~tara~~a with tenderness and s~

pathy, em normally extended to one's father. Dhftara~~ra

became humane in nature coming in contact with Yudhi~~hira.

Yudhisthira • s service converted him to a sympathetic and }" '

popular man. Dhrtarastra got back his own self after losing • .. Clf

his hundred sons. He now seeks the well beingAYudhi~~hira

along with his subjects and passes his last days through

meditation and making charity.

In the Mahab~rata, compassion, welfare of hu~­

ni ty, truth etc. are treated as Dharma. Therefore examples

of helping others and love for humanity are found in plenty

in the epic.

several great men have advised adherence to Dharma

The sermons of the great-grandfather Bhi~ma and the prudent

Vidura belonged to the ancient age. For example, they were

of the view that good Heeds can eradicate the results of

dishonest actions. Bhi~~ even approved sinful actions for maintaining one• s self in the absence of any other means of

livelihood- admittedly in a limited sense. He has, at the

same time, prescribed remedial good deeds. Their views rested

on the solid pedestal of opinions compiled by them fran the

olden times. Bhi9ma bad interpreted the old history. But the

philosopy of 'Karma' that has been propounded by Lord Kf~~

in the Mahabbirata may be taken as the essence of the Mahil­

bbaratan philosophy. Here the necessity of war and violence

during emergency has been approved but are never accepted

as an ideal.

Truth has been placed on a very high pedestcl in

the Mahabttarata. Truth and Dharma have been described as

one and the same thing and both ulti~tely had to the good

of the living beings. The noble Vidura said that where there

238

is no truth there is no Dharma12• Truth has been described

in the Mahibharata as the penance in the form of speech and

fruit of this endevour is self-satisfaction and salvation. Where there is Dharma there is truth and everything develops

13 through truth. Again it is said that truth is » nobler than even a thousand Asvamedha sacrifice.

14

Lord I<rsna had revolutionised the classical . . . concept of truth and falsehood, Dharma and lack of it. He maintained that although telling the truth iS a very good~

thing and there is nothing better than truth but it is extremely difficult to grasp the intrinsic nature of it. 5

As dharma or adharma changes its nature in response to different situations so also does truth or falsehood. Un~er

certain circumstances truth becanes falsehood and falsehood . 16

transforms itself into truth. In the Karl)Clparva n the Lord said that there are some people who want to know dharma

through deliberation and there are others who believe that dharma is determined by the edict of the Vedas. He did neither approve nor disapprove either of these views. Accor­

ding to him one should know dharma by the help of dharma

•lone. And his definitions of them both agree with the

common expression paropakara~ pul!yaya papaya parapl<?-•~m.

The Lord has given a big jolt to the ancient faith by making anti-Vedic utterances. He called the blind follow­ers of the Veda as persons robbed of their reasons as they faiJ to achieve a concentration of thei~resolute intellect. He

told "o Arjuna, the Vedas have for their themtthe action of the three-fold modes (gunas). But thou shouldst be f~e from

this11•17 (Bh. G.ita II 42~45). In theKar~parvan he told

Arjuna that if speaking truth causes disaster, it is better to keep quiet, but if it is not possible, it is better to tell a lie. Falsehood, in such situations should be treated as truth18• Such considerations actuated Him to induce Yudhi~­~hira to tell a grievous lie prior to Drona•s death.

The bm%. author of the Mahabhcirata, after deter­mining the intrinsic nature of truth several times has said

239

that there is nothing nobler than truth. And what is benefi­

cial to the living beings is truth19 • So it is apparant that

the aim of this epic is to do good to the others. It is

observed that in certain circumstances lying is not an offence.

Lord Kf~~a approved falsehood for the benefits of the world in five cases. Lies uttered in cutting jokes are not to be

treated as offence. In arranging marriages the falsehood

employed is also above .reproach. If speaking truth leads to somebody•s death or loss of property he possesses, speaking the lie is not disapproved. To give r&lse witness for the benefit of cows, wanen, the poor and the diseased people is also approved.Similarly lying for the benefit of the pre­ceptor is not an offence. On the other hand falsehood on these occasions are treated as truth. So, it is ap~rent that under certain circumstances speaking truth is treated its

sin while lying is considered as a better alternative.

When Yudhi~~hira was riddlelby arrows of Kart;lil, in pain Yudhisthira cast aspersions on Arjuna and asked .. him to offer the Gi~~!va to Srlk~~~~ the angry ArjuDi went for his life to keep his vow that any one who would ask him to leave the Gindtva will be killed by him. Lord Krsna . . . ... restrained Arjuna by saying that Arjuna•s action proves his

ignorance. None but a fool and an ignorant ~n incurs sin

when he thinks he is performing dharma. He advised Arjuna

that as insulting an elder is equivalent to killing hill

he should adopt the alternative instead of actually killing

him. So Arjuna hurled insults to Yudhi~~hira and thus kept his vow. But after insulting his elder brother ll! wcs filled with remorse and wanted to commit suicide. Lord Krsna again intervened and advised him tba t as self-•pplause is equiva-

ltnt to sutcide he should opt for the for.mer. so, Arjuna praised himself and committed the equivalent of suicide and everything was fine. For the sake of all-round well being Kf~~a made Arjuna keep his vow by indirect means and pre­vented him from committtng sin in the guise of observing the time honoured dharma.

240

He told Arjuna that one who does not know the

fi~ inner content of dharma or truth his practice of dharma brings only sin. In this context he told Arju~ tt

story of the sage Kausika. A Brahmin named Kauslka used to live on the batik of a river ne«r a vill«ge. He vowed that

he would speak nothing but the truth. Once a band of 1o robbers pursued a few travellers, who fled into a grove

near the hermitage of Kausika. When the robbers arrived and asked Kausika about the whereabouts of the travellers,

the sage showed them the hiding place and they were robbed

and l:illed by the robbers. In this instance the sin incu­

rred by speaking truth led Kausika to suffer etarnal hell after his death.

we have seen earlier that falsehood for the pur­

pose of saving a life is nothing but truth. So, as the

truth spoken by Kaus1ika resulted in the loss of life ancl

properly it is not a truth. He did not know the real dharma. a e

So his speaking the truth ushered in~•grirous sin. Anything

that does not contribute to the well-being of man is neither

truth nor dharma.

Again we may consider the episode of Balaka in

VIII.69. In ancient times there lived a hunter who was truthful and without malice. He used to hunt beasts in order to support his dependants. Once he found no game coy­where. At last he spotted a blind carnivore. This animal could detect even distant·objects by means of smell. He killed that animal while it was drinking water. As soon as

he killed the animal he was congraluted by the gods and was

led to Heaven. Th<i t animal by dint of its penance, earned a boon and tiid been the cause of annihilation of the living

things and so God had made it blind. Balik•~ went to Heaven easily by killing that beast. The implication of dha~ is

really difficult to dete.rmine. Performing a cruel act of killing a blind beast when it was drinking water, Balik• earns virtue while the religious Kausika sinks into great

sin.

241

According to the ancient sages of India history is

an account of the past and future - i.e. to ascertain what

has happened in the past, to study how the present is born

of the past and what canpulsions of future time determines

the chain of incidents in the present and in the past. In

the Vedas there is an idea •memory of future •. As if the

memories of future events in us determine our present acti­

vities and guide ~s.

Vedavya sa and Srikrsna in the Mahcibhi.ra ta were as . . . if the embodiments of the 'future memory•. In the Bh!~ma­

parvan, Vyisa tells Dhrtarastra. 'Son, the death of your . . . children and other kings is imminent. But do not grieve. Just

keenly observe the course of events (Vide VI.2.4-S).Lord K,P~t;la

told Arjuna, "Both of us }):3.ve transcended several lives I know~

all these but you are not aware of them - .aa Ttny ahilrp Veda

Sarva~i na t\larp vetthil parantapa VI. 28. s. We ofpn he.~-r

advices for general well-being. Welfare of the society and

welfare of man is the only epic .- goal. The Lord and the

sage are a1ways calm even within the whirlwinds of the Mahi­

bhirata war. Tijey are beyond a11 perturbation regarding

dharma and a dharma s.

Ved.avyisa is impartial. He counsels Yudhisthira .. and Dhrtaristra with equal love and affection. s'rtkrana takes

• • ,t • • •

the side of dharma and becomes the patron of the paq~vas.

He does not participate in the war directly •ayudhyamina}>

samgr~me nyltasastro'bam ekatah v.7.19. But the reign of . " . the chariot (movement of war) is controlled by him. He is

apathetic but everything happens at his will.

He approves a violent war for a. greater good. He l'ti

wants to uproot the wellarmed K;;•ttriyas who are antag~ts

to 'Dharmarajya• (realm of virtue). Lord Krsna believes . . . that his goal will be achieved through Yudhi~~hira and so

he caused Yudhisthira even to tell lies and did not hesitate .. to cause the death of Bh!sma, Drona, Karna and Duryod.hana

· · · te by adopting immoral and unfair means. He gives the greaeut

?.42

emphasis on the noble aim of establishing 'Dh«rmarajy&. • and

in attaining this end he was ruthless in eradicating the

obstacles on his way by fair means or foul. His part in the

slaying of Jarasandha before the great war and the civil war

of Raivataka in the post great war period illustrate the

point.

Bhlsma told Yudhisthira that when a ~ noble «im . . . cannot be achieved through righteousness, there is no h«rm

in adopting unfair means as Apaddharma. we notice that when

the k~attriya kings stopped caring about the well-being of

the people in general, when self-interest and arrogance

reigned supreme and existence of the weaker sections, was at

stake, standing against the wealthy and armed misilnthropes was

not considered .-inimical to moral ethics. s'rikrsna approved ... the unf«ir practices in order to uproot the misanthropes.

Yudhisthira followed the advice and performed the A~vamedhi .. sacrifice for atonement.

Yudhisthira did not hesitate to kill the six .. innocent hunters by burning at Viranavata. on the eve of . the war Arjuna•s aversion and lamentation to slay rela-

tives shows the inherent love of man to his fellowmen.

Gand~ri•s lamentation on the sight of her dead sons,

grandsons and other k~atriyas after the war, shows sym-

pathy of a man towards the mis£ortune of fellowmen. Yudhi~­

thira, with heavy heart protected his subjects for a long time ' after ineurring loss of men and money in the war. He could

convert the deceitful Dhrtarastra into a full man through . . . his affectionate care and· devoted. service. He refused to

go to Heaven leaving the dog under his protection and did not want to enjoy the bliss of Heaven leaving those, suffer­

ing in the Hell. This love of human! ty is perhaps the nec­

trelike fruit of the poisonous war. And this love of

humanity has been enunciated in

Guby«m brahma tadidam vo vrabimi I . . Na minu~ac chre~~hatara~ hi kincit // XII.299.20

- I tell you the most valuable secret that there is nothing

greater tba n man.

J

243

We, thus, come to the conelusion that the interest of mankind was the greatest concern of the author of the

Mahabnarata. ~~ There are instances, and we have cited a few of them, where the object of the compassion of the

author embraces the entire living world. That also does not

minimise the importance of Man as he is the best among

animal creations and it is within his powers to do good to

the rest.

244

F 0 0 T N 0 T E S

1. isa vasyam idarp sa.rva.::n yat kifica jagatyirp J•g•t 1 Tena tyaktena bhufijitha rna Qfdha~ kasya sviddhanam I/

I

Sukla Yajurveda 40.1

Yavad dhriyate jatharam tavat sattvam hi dehinam 1 ~ . .

Adhikar,n yo'bhimanyeta sa steno da99-am arhati II ahagavatamahapur&pa VII .14. a

3. vedabarp Jajale dharmatp sarabasyatp sanatanam 1 sarvabhutahi tarp mai tra~ pura~rp yan:t jani viduJ:l I I

MBh.XII.261.5

4. svadharme nidhanal!l sreya~:t paradharmo bhayavahalJ 1 VI.27.35

s. sahaja~ karma kaunteya sado~amapi na tya.jet VI.42.48

6. svadhyayena mabar~ibhyo devebhyo yajnakarmapa 1 Pi trbhyah s'raddha~ nena nrnamabhyarcanena ca 11

• • t "'

XII.292.10

7. Adhyapanatp BrahrnayajfiaJ: pi t~yajfiastu tarpa~m 1 Homo daivo balir bhauto nryajno •tithipujanam II

• M.S.III.70

O. Bhiitabb§.vodbhavakaro visarga};l karma -~ sal!lj nita~ Bh.Gita VIII.3. Here 'bhuta• means living being and

'bhava • means an existent entity as opposed to one

non-existent. ef. Madhusudana

Bhutanaf!l bhS.vadharmakanai}l sthava ra- jangama naf!l bhavamutpattim udbhava~ v~ddhi~ ca karoti yo

visargas tyagas tac ch§.stravihito yajna-dana-hanat-a a _

mak~ sa iha karma~J!ljnita}f karmasavdenokta iti yivat.

9. A~Saf!lsyam ahirpsa di pramaclal} satpvibhS.gita 1 sraddhakarm&titheynca satyamakrodha eva ca //

XII.296.23

Manasam sarvabhutanam dharmamahur manlsina h 1 .. . .. . Tasrnat sarvesu bhutesu mansa s'iva:rn8.caret 1 I XII.193 .31 . . Adrohenaiva bhutanam yah sa dharmah satam matah 11

lllo • 4 • •

XII.21 llcd

sarve~a~ ya~ suh~n nitya~ sarve~an ca hite rata~ 1 KarmP~a manasa vaca sa dharma~ veda Jajale 11

XII.262. 9 Ahimsa paramo dharmah sa ca satye pratisthitah 1 . . ' . '

III.206.74

245

Na bhutanam ahif!lsaya jyayan dharmo • sti kas'cana 1 XII.262.30t XIV.43.21; XIV.S0.3

10. Vide foot note 34 of chapter V

11. Atatayinamayantarp hanyadevavicarayan 1 ~tatayibadhe do~o hantur bhavati kascana IIM.s.vni 3Sotcl

'3~1 at~

12. ~sau dharmo yatra ~ satyamPsti v.3s.ss

13. yate dharmas tata~ satya~ sarvat? satyena vardhate 1 XII.199. 70

14. Asvamednasahasranca satyanca tulaya ~ dhftam 1 A5vamedhasahasraddhi satyameva vis'i~yate I I

1.74.103-106

15. satyam vacanam sadhu na . . Tattvenaiva sudurjneya~

satyad vidyate param 1 pas'ya satyamanusthitam I I . '

VIII.69.31

16. Tatranrtam bhavet satyam satyam capy anrtam bhavet I lo f I t 1 f

VIII. 69, 3i

17. Stimadbhagavadglta - by Jagadish Chandra Ghosh.

18. Yad bhutahitamatyantam etat satyal!' matai? mama 1 XII.329.13

yad bhutahitamatyant.am et.at satyam bravimy aham

XII.287.20