Latest news with #Kauravas
Hans India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Hans India
Vyasa's wail and India's cry in the moral abyss
Among the many Rishis of ancient India, the one that stands out is Rishi Krishna Dwaipayana, more popularly known as Veda Vyasa. He was not only revered as an 'amsa' of Lord Vishnu, but he was also the author of several scriptures and the ithihasa of Mahabharata. Towards the close of that epic, he did something uncommon for any author: he shed the robes of a neutral litterateur, and donned those of an activist advocator and ardently addressed the world at large: 'On bended knees I beg, but no one listens to me; when men can get all they want—the four purusharthas: dharma (righteous life), artha (material wealth), kama (worldly wants) and moksha (samsaric-liberation)—by treading the path of dharma, why do they do adharma?' Dharma was given the pride of place; the other three were meant to be attained by being 'dharmabadh'. Dharma was of such sublime spiritual sui generis genre of thought that an ancient Sanskrit text, the Hitopadesa, says, 'Dharma alone is specific to humans; without dharma, they are equal to animals'. Vyasa probably took such an unusual step because he wanted to warn future generations not to repeat that which had brought about that horrific Kurukshetra yuddha—the inability of great men like Bhisma, Drona and Karna to make the right dharmic choice by putting the self ahead of society. Bhisma had decided that being faithful to his solemn vows was worth even fighting on the side of adharma; in the case of Drona, it was the sin of ingratitude to the Kauravas; for Karna, it was the principle of mitra-dharma. Whether Vyasa intended to address his contemporaries or posterity, his passionate plea rings loud and clear in our society today. The tentacles of adharma reach everywhere: governance, policy-making, politics, personal priority-setting, self-indulgence, social injustice, economic inequity, pervasive corruption, ethical atrophy... We are indulging in what Lord Krishna (in the Bhagavad-Gita, 16.9) called 'horrible works meant to destroy the world', a result of our acquiring what He described as 'demonic nature'. Fanaticism has become fashionable, and assimilation has replaced accommodation in our mindset. Put in terms of the Katha Upanishad, we are treading the path of preyas (pleasure; sensual gratification) and not the path of shreyas (long-term goodness; spiritual growth). Preyas has taken the form of ruthless pursuit of pleasure, power and profit, convenience, comfort and control. Those who still strive for shreyas are shunned as bad examples. Clever we think we are, we reason: there is no reason to struggle to be good if by doing bad we can get the best of both: the good of good and not the bad of bad. Everything is commodified and monetized, even spirituality. That has led to our embracing hedonistic materialism at the expense of dharmic values. We have not only harmed ourselves, but also nature, which is all around us. Dharmic living also entails a sense of responsibility that a person owes to the non-living, and to all sentient beings. So low is our moral bar that brazen billionaires and shady celebrities have become our role models. Mammon is god; greed is good, and integrity is a needless nuisance. Every day, in every sphere—business, politics, social work or sports— what shines as glitz and glamour, right and bright, hides a lot of libertinage and sleaze. We hate to admit it, but we do get a kick out of it. It is important to remember that the ambit of dharma is more spiritual than 'secular' morality. While 'moral behavior' generally refers to acting according to one's personal sense of right and wrong, fair and unfair, based on human reason, 'dharmic behavior' encompasses living in harmony with natural laws and the cosmic order. Arrogant anthropocentric behavior has gravely disturbed that 'harmony', turning man into a lethal geologic force, and shooting to be, to borrow the phrase from Yuval Noah Harari, Homo Deus (Man-God). It is at the heart of the current climate crisis. Injecting dharmic principles into daily human life is perhaps the only way to save the planet. What is baffling is that although this 'crisis' is expected to drastically depress the living standards of half of India's population and aggravate every social divide, it is not even a major issue in public discourse and policy-making. If nothing else, this tells us a lot of how much India has declined as a dharmic society. Conclusion As a people, we must squarely face up to the bitter truth that the Indian society does not show even a hidden hint that it was once a society whose very sinews were held together by the dharmic way, which was what enabled India to be a great civilization. Although the religion of which it was its very soul—Sanatana dharma, now known as Hinduism—is still by far the most dominant religion in today's India, dharma is off the radar of public consciousness. It is all the more mystifying because dharma was not the monopoly of Hinduism; it was a part of all other Indic religions. Be that all as it may, the primary impetus to redeem and revive dharma is not nostalgia but renewed relevance. That alone now can fill the bill. 'Secular morality', the other alternative, is limited to personal probity and can be influenced by subjective biases. Only by imbibing a broader moral and cosmic concept like dharma can we hope to acquire and facilitate moral catharsis, social reform and spiritual sensitivity. Modern life has become so slippery that the so-called social animal does not know how to harmonize personal fulfillment and social purpose. Only dharma can provide the answer because it is only in this esoteric thought individual life and cosmic life are deeply connected. To serve the purpose, it is necessary to reinterpret and realign what the Bhagavad-Gita (3:35) calls swadharma—'personalized' dharma that is innate and at the same time serve a common cause. In today's world, almost everything 'personal' is also 'inter-personal', which, in turn, generates dharmic dilemmas. Knowing the quintessence of dharmic duty at any time is like dancing on what the Katha Upanishad calls ksurasya dhārā, the razor's edge. Living with dharma can help us find a light when our sense of goodness gets severely tested. What should then be the fail-safe dharmic across-the-board test? The answer is to adopt, as a governing principle of our behavior, what Bhisma advised King Yudhishthira in the Mahabharata: 'Yasmin yathā vartate yo manusyas; tasmims tathā vartitavyam sa dharmah' (As a person behaves towards another, so should he be treated; that is dharma). Like karma, dharma too must be done for its own sake and regardless of how unrewarding it is. Towards this we should 'operationalize' the aphorism 'manava seva madhava seva'. Bhakti and seva should go hand in hand. Swadharma and samaja dharma must be coupled. That will not only sanctify whatever we selflessly do, but it will also socially leverage divine offering. That empowers individuals to fulfill their cosmic duty while also pursuing a path towards spiritual fulfillment. It must also be economical to the point. A dharmic-driven economic model will not only be egalitarian and in sync with nature, but it will also give a boost to empathetic economic growth that puts the needs of the most-needy foremost. That is the right way to make headway to meet its 'tryst with destiny'. India will then not only get rid of its moral ills and mental mediocrity, but also grow into a great nation, and be a beacon to a world that is dangerously roaming rudderless. Without a dharmic rebirth, even if everything else is in place, India will fall short of achieving any of its ambitions, economic or social, at home or abroad. And Vyasa's wail will continue to resonate as India's cry in the moral abyss. (The writer is a retired IAS officer)
Scroll.in
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
What timeless literature tells us about injustice, war and human nature
A work of literature is called great when it remains contemporaneous across time spans and ages. In our civilisation, the Mahabharata is one such epic. One can spend a lifetime poring over the plots and subplots of this epic, examining the complexity of its countless characters, the inter-relationships and crosscurrents among them. Why is it so? Have our moral values, emotions, and social complexity not changed a bit over the ages? It does seem that when we look closely at the incidents of the Mahabharata that nothing has changed. Draupadi's cheer-haran (disrobing) in the Grand Assembly of the Kauravas is one such incident. Dhritrashtra's Grand Assembly was graced by fearless, brave warriors without number. Celebrated intellectuals, spiritual greats, and policy analysts – all were present there. In this assembly of greats, Draupadi was dragged in by the hair like some object, like a seized object, and her disrobing began. Not one man in this Grand Assembly of Aryavrat's most powerful people dared to unseal his lips in the face of this outrage. Courage, bravery, morality – all got muffled up when confronted with the might of the State. Similar outrages have been recurring in every era over the ages. But in that Assembly, there was one man who did dare to raise his voice against injustice. Dhritrashtra's eighty-sixth son, Yuyutsu. Yuyutsu not only rebelled against the Kauravas but also fought alongside the Pandavas in the ensuing battle. The irony and tragedy of being Yuyutsu has been illustrated by Dharmveer Bharati in the play Andha Yug. After the devastation of war, Yuyutsu, the only Kaurava alive, goes to the palace to meet his parents, only to discover that Dhritrashtra and Gandhari are filled with deep loathing towards him. They snub their rebel son. Dejected, Yuyutsu steps out and his eyes fall on an injured Kaurava soldier. He fetches water for the man, but the soldier recognises him as his aggressor and rejects the water touched by the enemy's hand. Yuyutsu had set out to befriend the truth, but the truth of war turned out to be something else altogether. In the end, Yuyutsu found neither the truth he was seeking nor the love of his parents. Finally, he took his own life. The absurdity Yuyutsu faces is the irony faced by every person down the ages who has stood up for truth and justice before State power. To be rejected by one's own becomes his destiny. The Pandavas wanted to give the Kauravas a fitting reply in the very language the Kauravas deployed. Till the last moment, Krishna made every effort to avert the war. In the end, the Pandavas fought back using the same language that the Kauravas used. Every kind of deceit and deception was deployed. At the end of the Mahabharat, the Kauravas were erased but what became of the Pandavas? The ageing Pandavas survived the war but their next generation was destroyed. Arjun and Subhadra's son, the unarmed Abhimanyu, got trapped in the Chakravyuh he knew how to enter, but not exit, and was killed. Draupadi's five sons were deceitfully murdered while still asleep in the camp. The only remaining trace of the Pandavas was Abhimanyu's unborn baby in his widow Uttara's womb. Ashwatthama, Dronacharya's son, bent on taking revenge for his father's death by deception, aimed the Brahmastra at Uttara's womb. Brahmastra, meaning the nuclear weapon of that age. Krishna somehow neutralised the Brahmastra and cursed Ashwatthama to an eternity of wandering in the wilderness, dragging his countless wounds. War can always justify itself but Krishna tells that the man who uses weapons of mass destruction is always detested and abhorred, the way Ashwatthama was. Ashwatthama wanders with festering wounds even today, telling the world what punishment for genocide looks like. In the preface to his timeless novel, Tamas, Bhisham Sahani writes, 'Those who learn nothing from history are cursed to repeat it.' The dialogue that Rahi Masoom Raza wrote for the screenplay of the televised Mahabharata also express this sentiment. The beautiful title song by Pandit Narendra Sharma has this line: 'Let the times gone by teach us, let us welcome a new era.' But who learns from times gone by? Time flows on, new generations come and repeat the old mistakes. Time and again, the hostile emotions of men push great civilisations towards destruction. This happens in every corner of the world. Not for nothing did Stephen Hawking say, 'We are in the danger of destroying ourselves because of greed and stupidity.' Many centuries after the Mahabharata, the great Hindi novelist Premchand wrote the story Shatranj ke Khiladi in the 20th century. As a metaphor, chess is equivalent to the dice game chaupad that the Pandavas played and lost. The situation, the setting, the characters, the plot; are all different in this story but the tragic sense of irony is the same as Mahabharat. Meer and Mirza were addicted to chess the way our modern society is addicted to narratives of war. While worries of the East India Company launching an attack cloud the future of the 19th-century princely state of Awadh, the two men are worried that the Nawab might summon them to the battlefield and they would have to leave their game of chess midway. To escape the royal edict, the two addicts repair to ruins away from the city, so that they may continue their game of chess. Such is their enthusiasm in the two opponents to save their badshah, their chessboard vizier, that they exchange heated words over a move and then pull out their swords. The two ultimately kill each other as Awadh is occupied by the East India Company. The make-believe world of chessboard victories and slights that Meer and Mirza delight in is much like the war cries and victory chants issued from the televisions in our drawing rooms. Times change, but the ironies of human existence do not.
India Gazette
04-06-2025
- General
- India Gazette
"Naming of 'Operation Sindoor' has increased India's respect for women": Punjab Governor Kataria
Jodhpur (Rajasthan) [India], June 4 (ANI): Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday said the naming of 'Operation Sindoor' has increased respect for women and called it a 'good fortune' for the nation. Addressing the mediapersons at Jodhpur Circuit House, Governor Kataria said, 'The naming of 'Operation Sindoor' has increased India's respect for women. This was the good fortune of our country. Lanka was burnt, and it happened to honour a woman. The Kurukshetra war was fought by Pandavas and Kauravas, that too, to honour a woman.' On the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, Kataria added, 'The way the May 22 incident happened... the people demanded that the terrorists pay a hefty price. The Prime Minister Modi said that he would do what they would never have imagined, and with the wisdom with which he prepared, he cleared all their locations in one swoop and killed hundreds of terrorists.' Governor praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for giving a free hand to the Indian Army. Regarding the people who support the 'enemies' while living in India, he said that it is the misfortune of this country that Jaichands are born here. He added that the country never lost due to its bravery, but had to face ups and downs due to internal enemies. India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian armed forces responded effectively to subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. The two countries then reached an understanding to stop military action following a call made by Pakistan's DGMO to his Indian counterpart. (ANI)
NDTV
04-06-2025
- General
- NDTV
"Naming Of Operation Sindoor Increased Respect For Women": Punjab Governor
Jodhpur: Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Wednesday said the naming of 'Operation Sindoor' has increased respect for women and called it a "good fortune" for the nation. Addressing the mediapersons at Jodhpur Circuit House, Governor Kataria said, "The naming of 'Operation Sindoor' has increased India's respect for women. This was the good fortune of our country. Lanka was burnt, and it happened to honour a woman. The Kurukshetra war was fought by Pandavas and Kauravas, that too, to honour a woman." On the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, Governor Kataria added, "The way the May 22 incident happened... the people demanded that the terrorists pay a hefty price. The Prime Minister Modi said that he would do what they would never have imagined, and with the wisdom with which he prepared, he cleared all their locations in one swoop and killed hundreds of terrorists." The governor praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for giving a free hand to the Indian Army. Regarding the people who support the 'enemies' while living in India, he said that it is the misfortune of this country that Jaichands are born here. He added that the country never lost due to its bravery, but had to face ups and downs due to internal enemies. India had launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian armed forces responded effectively to subsequent Pakistani aggression and pounded its airbases. The two countries then reached an understanding to stop military action following a call made by Pakistan's DGMO to his Indian counterpart.
Time of India
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Koovagam festival celebrates transgender identity and the legend of aravan
In the Mahabharata , when the five Pandavas decided to sacrifice Aravan to ensure victory over the Kauravas in battle, Aravan expressed his wish to marry. No one stepped forward, knowing Aravan would be sacrificed the next day. According to legend, Lord Krishna transformed into a woman and married year, Koovagam village in Kallakurichi district comes alive with the Koothandavar temple festival , which, over 18 days, commemorates the epic battle between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Thousands of transgender people come together at the temple dedicated to Koothandavar (Aravan), the son of Tuesday, the penultimate day, devotees donned elaborate costumes, wore their favourite jewellery, and queued up at the temple to have their thalis tied, marking their symbolic marriage. On Wednesday, the final day of the festival, devotees broke their thalis and bangles, wiped off their sindoor, and mourned the sacrifice of their husband, Koothandavar, before taking a holy dip in the lake.A beauty contest was also held as part of the festival. "I'm fortunate to have been accepted by my parents, and it's something I hope for others as well," says S Renuga, crowned Miss Koovagam 2025. The 24-year-old model from Chennai, originally from Tirunelveli, says though she missed out on the title the previous year, she was determined to win this your feedback with name and address to
