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March 28 - July 28, 2019
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 illusion. As a great king, it is your duty to rule impartially, always keeping in mind such eternal spiritual truths.”
Even though oppressed by enemies, he who conquers his own senses will never be defeated. Indeed he will come to rule the world.”
“Protecting one’s life by whatever means possible is always considered a prime virtue. Indeed virtue itself protects life. He who keeps his virtue even amid great distress is the foremost of virtuous men.”
Arjuna replied, “O king, take heart. The sage has said that it is God’s will. Do your duty with a firm mind.” Yudhishthira was thoughtful. “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. Ever obedient to the order of my elders, I will carefully avoid all conflict.”
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.”
Disaster was looming. Vidura knew the dark age of Kali was imminent.
“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 cherished, it will pour blessings on us.
Bhima flared up in anger, but Arjuna checked him, saying, “Desist, O hero. 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.”
“All creatures receive the fruits of their own work, good or bad, as ordained by God.
After hurling various kinds of insults at the Pandavas, who silently tolerated the abuse, Dushasana then turned to Draupadi and said, “Your father foolishly bestowed you upon these impotent men. What will you gain by serving them? Abandon them and select a worthy husband from among the Kauravas.” Bhima suddenly started toward Dushasana as a mountain lion might rush upon a deer. Seeing Yudhishthira’s frown he checked himself with difficulty and loudly rebuked the Kaurava prince. “Crooked-minded wretch, thanks to Shakuni’s skill at dice you arrogantly blather on. Know for certain that I will
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This has all been arranged by destiny for your ultimate welfare. You will be instructed there by the rishis and will also develop detachment from worldly affairs. Your power will thus greatly increase. O son of Kunti, be blessed.
“O king, 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 that misery is an illusion. O great hero, men like you are never subject to illusion. They are detached from the body and indeed from all material circumstances. Attachment is the root cause of suffering, dear child. This is well known to you. Fix yourself in that knowledge now and take heart.”
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.” Yudhishthira went on to praise the virtue of forgiveness. “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 the world.
‘Forgiveness is virtue, sacrifice, purity, penance, truth, piety and religion.
“O foremost of rishis, I do not think I am without any virtue and yet I am afflicted with so much sorrow. On the other hand I feel my enemies have very little virtue. Why then do they prosper?” Lomasha nodded in understanding. “It seems contradictory, dear child, but you should not grieve. Any success obtained as a consequence of sin is soon lost. It may be seen that wicked men prosper for a while, but eventually they are destroyed at the root.”
Arjuna rose up at once and took hold of his weapons. “Either the Gandharvas release the Kauravas or the earth shall drink their blood.”
“The Kauravas will pay for their sins. They will be consumed like a field of dry grass in a fire. With Krishna as my charioteer none will be able to stand before me. Anyone desiring to overcome Krishna wishes to extinguish a blazing fire with his bare hands, or to swim the ocean with a stone slab secured to his neck.”
“It is said that man proposes and God disposes, O king,” Sanjaya said. “The Lord gives us the results of our own acts, good or bad. But he also has his own desires. It is only when we understand and surrender to those desires that we can be truly happy. Otherwise we act sinfully and will end up suffering.”
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Victory in any battle is uncertain. Ultimately, as you have repeatedly heard, virtue is the decisive factor.”
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“The eternal soul is a part of the Supreme Spirit. He belongs in the eternal spiritual world, a place of unlimited happiness, not here in this temporary and miserable material world.” Krishna had put down the reins and was standing before Arjuna with his hand raised as he spoke. “You must therefore act in ways which take you, and indeed everyone else, toward that spiritual world.”
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“In illusion or maya people think their happiness will come from serving their own senses, from pursuing their mental fantasies,” Krishna told Arjuna. “But this always leads to suffering. Permanent happiness will only be found when one gives up this illusion and turns to me.”
What greater end is there for heroes than to die in battle?”
