Kindle Notes & Highlights
It led to the abode of the celestial serpents
known as the Nagas, through which the Ganges flows before coming to earth.
Indeed, a wise man deals equally with all living beings, seeing them all as equal parts of the supreme spirit, Krishna. Affection
for family
members arises from ...
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“Fire cannot harm one who hides in a hole or in the deep forest. By the stars one can find his way at night. Even though oppressed by enemies, he who conquers his own senses will never be defeated. Indeed he will come to rule the world.”
He who keeps his virtue even amid great distress is the foremost of virtuous men.”
Do not lament for your misfortune. In due course you will understand. Everything is under the Lord’s supreme control.”
The Vedas ordain that one in distress should never be
slain.
Surely destiny is supreme and man’s endeavours useless.”
will not take payment for doing my duty,”
Ajatashatru, one without an enemy.
“My Lord, what can be beyond your knowledge? Yet you come to this world and act just like an ordinary man.
Yudhishthira’s love for Krishna overpowered any thought of his
divinity.
“Cherish your subjects as if they were your own children. Be a refuge to them as a large tree is to the birds.”
“From this day on I shall not make a quarrel with anyone, for that is always the root of war. I shall never use harsh words and shall always practice virtue.
We cannot deny responsibility for our acts, for we always have free will. Surely everything lies in God’s hands, but he is giving us the consequences of our own acts. It is up to us how we act. Consider carefully why you want this gambling match. If you are acting out of impure motives then the results will not be auspicious.”
When the words of wisdom spoken by friends are ignored, when temptation and lust hold sway, know for sure that a fearful and universal destruction is close.”
“Surely the Lord has ordained this. In accord with destiny happiness and distress come, one after the other. We should therefore pursue only religion, seeing that as life’s highest goal. If
“O Bhima, in the association of immoral men you are losing your high morality. Do not fulfill the enemy’s desire. Yudhishthira is without fault, and he is your
The ways of morality are subtle
Great men never take seriously the harsh words of inferiors. They always try to remember whatever little good may have been rendered them by the offending party.”
Pious men such as yourself remember only the good deeds of their enemies, not their hostile acts.”
The Vedas clearly state that
a dangerous enemy should be utterly destroyed. Any means whatsoever may be employed. The Pandavas are like
Equally obvious was the fact that the Kurus would soon be destroyed due to their loss of virtue.
after
had already
let all th...
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run ...
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The gods deprive a man of his senses when his defeat is ordained. He thus sees
evil as good and good as evil. How otherwise
“O king, the sages say that all good fortune ensues when one adheres strictly to virtue. Misled
thousands of causes for grief and hundreds of fears overwhelm the ignorant day after day, but never the wise. Suffering and pain are afflictions of the body only. Learned men know that their true identity is different from the body and
misery is an illusion.
Attachment is the root cause of suffering, dear child.
Fix yourself in that knowledge now and take heart.”
Tolerate silently the
wrongs you have suffered.
Anger clouds one’s discrimination and impels one to act in ways he would never otherwise consider. For this reason the wise keep anger at a distance.”
“In my
view forgiveness is best. It always behooves a man of character to exercise forgiveness, for if there were no forgiving men then chaos would soon prevail throughout
inferiors do not ...
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their superiors’ admonishments, sin will quickly take root and destroy mankind. In ancient times the great rishi Kashyapa said, ‘Forgiveness is virtue, sacrifice, purity, penance, truth, piety and religion. By practicing forg...
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Forgiveness and humility, both unknown to Duryodhana, are attributes of the self-controlled and they lead always to victory.
Virtuous acts should never be performed with a desire for their fruits. Such a sinful mentality deprives one of the results, as does doubting the efficacy of virtue. Clearly true virtue always has a glorious result. You have seen for yourself the limitless powers of great rishis like Narada and Vyasadeva, which have been acquired through virtue. These rishis declare piety and virtue to be the foremost duty.”
Yudhishthira instructed Draupadi at length. He explained that although it sometimes appears that sinful men flourish, in the end they are always
destr...
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