Mahabharata has been one of the greatest sources of knowledge and wisdom for time immemorial. It has been one of the greatest epic which was the base for the most scared book, the Gita. With this period dawned the current era of Kalyug, when treason, treachery, corruption etc. were born.

As the times become hard it is difficult to find solutions to all the complex issues surrounding our lives. We are so lost in our daily activities that we have lost focus on the purpose of our existence.

As we move on in life, our expectation from life increases, at times they may be quite irrational; this draws my attention to an incidence which finds credence in the epic.

This is when Arjun wins over Draupadi in a ‘Swayamvar’ and returns with his newly wedded wife and his other four siblings, where his mother, Kunti is waiting for them. As a daily activity the Pandavas used to go out in search of alms and donations to make both ends meet. On their way back home, Arjun was advised not to mention Draupadi as part of alms to their mother; however Arjun insisted that they could always play a prank with their mother and surprise her later.

They declare their arrival to their mother and inform about having returned with alms received during the day, not breaking the news about Draupadi at all, who was not part of the donations. There is a surprise in waiting when Kunti promptly directs them to divide ‘it’ equally amongst themselves, without being aware of the contents of the alms they bring.

Obeying one’s elders religiously was one’s duty in those days and there was no way they could disobey this and overturn the directive. Kunti is surprised and speechless on knowing this and is clueless about handling this. While they are trying to find a fitting solution to the grave mistake, Krishna arrives and finds a place in their discussion.

Apart from warning them of playing prank with their mother, he also draws their attention to one of Draupadi’s irrational blessings, where she had persuaded Lord Shiva for a husband with all the qualities that could not be found in one person, but in five separate individuals only. Hence to make good his promise, she is awarded with Pandavas as her husbands.

Drawing another leaf from the epic, which narrates the story of the birth of Shishupal, who is Krishna’s cousin. “Shishupal was not born normal and had scary features, (with 4 hands and legs). On the night he was born, the voice from the heaven predicted that his additional hands and legs would vanish as soon as he is cradled by an individual. It also went on to prophecies that Shishupal would be killed by the very same person. One of those days, Krishna happens to visit the house of this beleaguered mother, and as prophesied, the babies extra hands and legs vanished as soon as Krishna cradled him.

Emotions overpower Krishna’s aunt, who begs for his son’s life and to forgive him, if at all he deserves to be killed, any time in the future. Towards this, Krishna with his charming skills appeases his aunt by committing to forgive a hundred death penalties of his son, however not promising to spare him thereafter and kill him if need be.”

A few years later, Shishupal meets his end in the hands of Krishna, as soon as he has insulted and loathed Krishna for the hundredth time.

At times we do forget our sins & offences, worthy of dire consequences, as these may not have attracted the wrath of the heavens at that moment. And assume to have been spared and continue with it, and enacting a pigeon & a cat story.

It would be exuberance of verbosity to mention the need to ponder upon and set the house in order, before it’s too late.

Image Credit: GBSK

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