Nice to get feedback from Shri Narayanaswamy Subramanian, and Shri G. Vishwanath - whom I have the liberty to call GV.
Shri Narayanaswamy argues that despite the presence of Bhishma, Drona and other stalwarts and the vast army of Krishna, the Kauravas got defeated as * dharmam* was not on their side. Well taken. But does this answer *per se* the youngster’s pointed observations: (1) Dhirtarashtra was justified in harbouring thoughts of installing Duryodhana as the king, (2) Hastinapur and Indraprastha subjects had no complaints of Duryodhana’s de facto rule during the 13 years of Pandavas’ exile, and therefore there was no reason that he would not have made a good king if installed permanently, and (3) more kings from adjoining territories joined hands with Duryodhana than Pandavas in the battlefield. They wouldn’t have, if they felt otherwise about Duryodhana. One would have felt happier if these points were clarified seriatim. GV’s response that modern rules and laws would perhaps hand down the kingdom to Dhirtarashtra and his chosen heir, carries conviction. Also, these very courts would vehemently condemn Sati, untouchability, child marriage, and other such customs prevailing then. Equally so, some of the present day barbaric practices on ladies, bull fight as a national sport, may not stand the scrutiny of posterity. To sum up, different policies were, are, and will be, pursued in different eras. To bring home this point, Shri Velukkudi Krishnan drew, in a discourse, an analogy between Treta Yuga and Dwapara Yuga. He compares Treta Yuga to the 5-day Cricket Test Match where Lord Rama was required to play the game strictly by the rules of the book, be it a square-cut, cover-drive, or late-cut. Any other application than the oncoming ball called for did not qualify for praise even if it fetched four or six-runs. On the other hand, for the One Day International, the prescription for Dwapara Yuga, runs, and runs alone, mattered be it a cross-bat shot, charging two feet away from the crease to attack a ball, or a last-minute switchover from being a right-hander to a left-hander to suit the chase. And Lord Krishna’s one-point agenda was to deploy strategies accordingly. Thanks very much, both of you. V.V. Sundaram www.vvsundaram.blogspot.com 13 March 2012
