Guest guest Posted June 15, 2001 Report Share Posted June 15, 2001 ============================================================= This article is emailed to you by Ram Chandran ( rchandran ) ============================================================= Source: The Hindu (http://www.the-hindu.com) Wisdom entails making the right choice CHENNAI, JUNE 14. From the time of the Upanishads man has made a choice between good and evil. The secular vision is limited to immediate pleasures whereas the wise person cares for lasting values and hence chooses the good. In the process, he has to face trials and tribulations but he does not flinch before them. To exercise choice is to commit oneself. In the case of those who choose values their choice is not an accident or impulse and is a conscious decision influenced by tendencies accumulated over several births. To choose the Lord Himself as the ultimate good is wisdom unparalleled; it uplifts man from the mundane to the spiritual. To select Him is to single out victory, prosperity and righteousness. The Mahabharata is an eternal saga of good and evil and not just the story of the lives of the Pandavas and the Kauravas. Yudhishtra had accepted to play the game of dice as decorum warranted but he had a weakness for the game. Pitted against cunning Sakuni he had no chance to win and lost everything. Balarama had pointed this out in the assembly when he taunted Yudhishtra for all the troubles the Pandavas faced. He had the guts to speak out the truth but Krishna had remained silent in deference to His elder brother. A war became imminent. In her discourse, Smt. Prema Pandurang said that when news reached that Krishna was in Dwaraka, Duryodana and Arjuna hastened to seek Krishna's help. Both entered the precincts of Krishna's apartments where the Lord was sleeping, simultaneously, and true to his assertive nature Duryodana opted to sit on the beautifully made seat at the head of the cot. Arjuna remained near the Lord's feet and when Krishna woke up His eyes naturally rested on Arjuna. Both wanted Krishna's help and Duryodana tried to ensure that he got what he had come for by asserting that he had reached first. Not to be outdone the Lord pacified him saying that He intended to help both of them and gave them a choice - His army or Himself with the condition that He would not fight. As Arjuna was the younger of the two he was asked to choose first. True to his parentage - being the son of Kunti, a sterling devotee of Lord Krishna - he did not hesitate to choose Krishna. Duryodana went away pleased that he had secured Krishna's army. When the Lord rebuked Arjuna about his choice he replied, ``I want You to take the reins of my white horses... I will be known in aftertimes as the man whom the Lord steered through the battlefield. My name will become immortal because You will be called Parthasarathi.'' Copyrights: 2001 The Hindu & indiaserver.com, Inc. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the consent of The Hindu & indiaserver.com, Inc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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