Thank you sir for responding to the QA and agreeing to my note
Gopalakrishnan
On Sunday, 7 April, 2024 at 09:47:00 pm IST, Rajaram Krishnamurthy
<[email protected]> wrote:
CULTURAL QA 04202407
Q5 How would youjustify Bhima torturing Gandhari and Dritarastra after the
Kurukshetra War formore than 15 years?
KR Fifteen yearspassed in tranquillity since Yudhishthira became king. One
day Dhritarashtra and Gandhari overheard Bhima boasting of his prowess and
howhe had killed all the hundred Kauravas brothers. While Gandhari wasgenerous
enough to brush aside Bhima’s remarks, Dhritarashtra became very sad.He was
reminded of his own role in bringing about the war. He decided to retire to the
forest and take to penance.Yudhishthirapleaded against Dhritarashtra proceeding
to the forest. But Vyasa who waspresent at Hastinapura persuaded Yudhishthira
to let his uncle have his way.Gandhari, Kunti, Vidura and Sanjaya also insisted
on accompanyingDhritarashtra.
The Mahabharata Book15: Asramavasika ParvaKisari Mohan Ganguli,
15.1: Pandu's son,collected costly robes and garlands of diverse kinds and
duly offered them toDhritarashtra. Maireya wines, fish of various kinds, and
sherbets and honey,and many delightful kinds of food prepared by modifications
(of diversearticles), were caused to be made for the old king as in his days
ofprosperity. Those kings of Earth who came there one after another, all used
towait upon the old Kuru monarch as before. Kunti, and Draupadi, and she of
theSattwata race, possessed of great fame, and Ulupi, the daughter of the
snakechief, and queen Chitrangada, and the sister of Dhrishtaketu, and the
daughterof Jarasandha,--these and many other ladies, O chief of men, used to
wait uponthe daughter of Suvala like maids of all work. That Dhritarashtra, who
wasdeprived of all his children, might not feel unhappy in any matter, was
whatYudhishthira often said unto his brothers to see. They also, on their
part,listening to these commands of grave import from king Yudhishthira,
showedparticular obedience to the old king. There was one exception, however.
It embraced Bhimasena. All thathad followed from that match at dice which had
been brought about by the wickedunderstanding of Dhritarashtra, did not
disappear from the heart of that hero.(He remembered those incidents still)."'
15.2 Both Gandhari and Vidura also wore well pleased withthe capacity the king
Ajatasatru showed for bearing wrongs. They were, however,not so pleased, O
slayerof foes, with Bhima. Dharma's son, Yudhishthira, was truly obedient to
hisuncle. Bhima, however, at the sight of Dhritarashtra, became very
cheerless.That slayer of foes, seeing Dharma's son reverencing the old king,
reverencedhim outwardly with a very unwilling heart."'
15.3 Coming within their clasp, the foolish sons ofDhritarashtra have all
met with destruction. Smeared with sandal-paste anddeserving of that adornment
are those two arms of mine by which Duryodhana hasbeen despatched to the other
world along with all his sons and kinsmen.'Hearing these and many other words,
O king, of Vrikodara, that were veritabledarts, king Dhritarashtra gave way to
cheerlessness and sorrow. Queen Gandhari,however, who was conversant with every
duty and possessed of great intelligence,and who knew what Time brings on its
course, regarded them as untrue. Afterfive and ten years had passed away, O
monarch, king Dhritarashtra afflicted(constantly) by the wordy darts of Bhima,
became penetrated with despair andgrief. King Yudhishthira the son of Kunti,
however, knew it not; nor Arjuna ofwhite steeds, nor Kunti; nor Draupadi
possessed of great fame; nor the twinsons of Madri, conversant with every duty
and who were always engaged in actingafter the wishes of Dhritarashtra.
Employed in doing the behests of the king,the twins never said anything thatwas
disagreeable to the old king. ThenDhritarashtra one day honoured his friends by
his confidence. Addressing 'themwith tearful eyes, He said these words.'
"Dhritarashtra said, 'How the destruction of the Kurushas happened is well
known to you. All that was brought about by my faultthough the Kauravas
approved of all my counsels. Fool that I was, I installedthe wicked minded
Duryodhana, that enhancer of the terrors of kinsmen, to ruleover the Kurus.
Vasudeva had said unto me, 'Let this sinful wretch of wickedunderstanding be
killed along with all his friends and counsellors.' I did notlisten to those
words of grave import. All wisemen gave me the same beneficialadvice. Vidura,
and Bhishma, and Drona, and Kripa, said the same thing. Theholy and high-souled
Vyasa repeatedly said the same, as also Sanjaya andGandhari. Overwhelmed,
however, by filial affection, I could not follow thatadvice. Bitter repentance
is now my lot for my neglect. I also repent for nothaving bestowed that blazing
prosperity, derived from sires and grand sires, onthe high-souled Pandavas
possessed of every accomplishment. The eldest brotherof Gada foresaw the
destruction of all the kings; Janarddana, however, regardedthat destruction as
highly beneficial. 1 So many Anikas of troops, belongingtome, have been
destroyed. Alas, my heart is pierced with thousands of darts inconsequence of
all these results. Of wicked understanding as I am, now afterthe lapse of five
and ten years, I am seeking to expiate my sins. Now at thefourth division of
the day or sometimes at the eighth division, with theregularity of a vow, I eat
a little food for simply conquering my thirst.Gandhari knows this. All my
attendants are under the impression that I eat asusual. Through fear of
Yudhishthira alone I concealed my acts, for if theeldest son of Pandu came to
know of my vow, he would feel great pain. Clad indeer-skin, I lie down on the
Earth, spreading a small quantity of Kusa grass,and pass the time in silent
recitations. Gandhari of great fame passes her timein the observance of similar
vows. Even thus do we both behave, we that havelost a century of gong none of
whom even retreated from battle. I do not,however, grieve for those children of
mine. They have all died in theobservance of Kshatriya duties.' Having said
these words, the old king thenaddressed Yudhishthira in particular and said,
'Blessed be thou, O son of theprincess of Yadu's race. Listen now to what I
say. Cherished by thee, O son, Ihave lived these years very happily. I have
(with thy help) made large giftsand performed Sraddhas repeatedly. 2 I have, O
son, to the best of my power,achieved merit largely. This Gandhari, though
destitute of sons, has lived withgreat fortitude, looking all the while at me.
They whom inflicted great wrongson Draupadi and robbed thee of thy
affluence,--those cruel wights--have allleft the world, slain in battle
agreeably to the practice of their order.I havenothing to do for them, O
delighter of the Kurus. Stain with theirfaces towardsbattle, they have attained
to those regions which are for wielders of weapons.1 I should now accomplish
what is beneficial and meritorious for me as also forGandhari. It behoveth
thee, O great king, to grant me permission. Thou art theforemost of all
righteous persons. Thou art always devoted to righteousness.The king is the
preceptor of all creatures. It is for this that I say so. Withthy permission, O
hero, I shall retire into the woods, clad in rags and barks.O king, alone with
this Gandhari, I shall live in the woods, always blessingthee. It is meet, O
son, for the members of our race, to make over sovereignty,when old age comes,
to children and lead the forest mode of life. Subsistingthere on air alone, or
abstaining from all food, I shall, with this wife ofmine, O hero, practise
severe austerities. Thou shalt be a sharer of thesepenances, O son, for thou
art the king. Kings are sharers of both auspiciousand inauspicious acts done in
their kingdom.' 2
"Yudhishthira said, 'When thou, O king, art thussubject to grief, sovereignty
does not please me at all. Fie on me that am ofwicked understanding, devoted to
the pleasures of rule, and utterly heedless ofmy true concerns. Alas, I, with
all my brothers, was ignorant of thyself havingso long been afflicted with
grief, emaciated with fasts, abstaining from food,and lying on the bare ground.
Alas, foolish that I am, I have been deceived bythee that hast deep
intelligence, inasmuch as, having inspired me withconfidence at first thou hast
latterly undergone such grief. What need have Iof kingdom or of articles of
enjoyment, what need of sacrifices or ofhappiness, when thou, O king, hast
undergone go much affliction? I regard mykingdom as a disease, and myself also
as afflicted. Plunged though I am insorrow, what, however, is the use of these
words that I am addressing thee?Thou art our father, thou art our mother; thou
art our foremost of superiors.Deprived of thy presence, how shall we live? O
best of king, let Yuyutsu, theson of thy loins, be made king, or, indeed,
anybody else whom thou mayst wish.I shall go into the woods. Do thou rule the
kingdom. It behoveth thee not toburn me that am already burned by infamy. I am
not the king. Thou art the king.I am dependent on thy will. How can I dare
grant permission to thee that art mypreceptor? O sinless one, I harbour no
resentment in my heart on account of thewrongs done to us by Suyodhana. It was
ordained that it should be so. Bothourselves and others were stupefied (by
fate). We are thy children asDuryodhana and others were. My conviction is that
Gandhari is as much my motheras Kunti. If thou, O king of kings, goest to the
woods leaving me, I shall the,follow thee. I swear by my soul. This Earth, with
her belt of seas, go full ofwealth, will not be a source of joy to me when I am
deprived of thy presence.All this belongs to thee. I gratify thee, bending my
head. We are all dependenton thee, O king of kings. Let the fever of thy heart
be dispelled. I think, Olord of Earth, that all this that has come upon thee is
due to destiny. By goodluck, I had thought, that waiting upon thee and
executing thy commandsobediently, I would rescue thee from the fever of thy
heart.'
"Dhritarashtra said, 'O delighter of the Kurus, mymind is fixed, O son, on
penances. O puissant one, it is meet for our race thatI should retire into the
woods. I have lived long under thy protection, O son,I have for many years been
served by thee with reverence. I am now old. Itbehoveth thee, O king, to grant
me permission (to take up my abode in thewoods).'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having said these words untoking Yudhishthira, the
just, king Dhritarashtra, the son of Amvika, tremblingthe while and with hands
joined together, further said unto the high-souledSanjaya and the great
car-warrior Kripa, these words, 'I wish to solicit theking through you. My mind
has become cheerless, my mouth has become dry,through the weakness of age and
the exertion of speaking.' Having said so, thatperpetuator of Kuru's race,
viz., the, righteous-souled old king, blessed withprosperity, leaned on
Gandhari and suddenly looked like one deprived of life.Beholding him thus
seated like one deprived of consciousness, that slayer ofhostile heroes, viz.,
the royal son of Kunti, became penetrated by a poignantgrief.
"Yudhishthira said, 'Alas, he whose strength was equalto that of a hundred
thousand elephants, alas, that king sitteth today, leaningon a woman. Alas! he
by whom the iron image of Bhima on a former occasion wagreduced to fragments,
leaneth today on a weak woman. Fie on me that amexceedingly unrighteous! Fie on
my understanding! Fie on my knowledge of thescripture! Fie on me for whom this
lord of Earth lieth today in a manner thatis not becoming of him! I also shall
fast even as my preceptor. Verily, I shallfast if this king and Gandhari of
great fame abstain from food.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'The Pandava king, conversantwith every duty, using
his own hand, then softly rubbed with cold water thebreast and the face of the
old monarch. At the touch of the king's hand whichwas auspicious and fragrant,
and on which were jewels and medicinal herbs,Dhritarashtra regained his senses.
1
"Dhritarashtra said, 'Do thou again touch me, O son ofPandu, with thy hand, and
do thou embrace me. O thou of eyes like lotus petals,I am restored to my senses
through the auspicious touch of thy hand. O ruler ofmen, I desire to smell thy
head. The clasp of thy arms is highly gratifying tome. This is the eighth
division of the day and, therefore, the hour of takingmy food. For not having
taken my food, O child of Kuru's race, I am so weak asto be unable to move. In
addressing my solicitations to thee, great hag been myexertion. Rendered
cheerless by it, O son, I had fainted. O perpetuator ofKuru's race, I think
that receiving the touch of thy hand, which resemblesnectar in its vivifying
effects I have been restored to my senses.'
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed, O Bharata, by theeldest brother
of his father, the son of Kunti, from affection, gentlytouched every part of
his body. Regaining his life-breaths, king Dhritarashtraembraced the son of
Pandu with his arms and smelled his head. Vidura and otherswept aloud in great
grief. In consequence, however, of the poignancy of theirsorrow, they said
nothing to either the old king or the son of Pandu. Gandhari,conversant with
every duty, bore her sorrow with fortitude, and loaded as herheart was, O king,
said nothing. The other ladies, Kunti among them, becamegreatly afflicted. They
wept, shedding copious tears, and sat surrounding theold king. Then
'Dhritarashtra, once more addressing Yudhishthira, said thesewords, Do thou, O
king, grant me permission to practise penances. By speakingrepeatedly, O son,
my mind becomes weakened. It behoveth thee not, O son, toafflict me after
this.' When that foremost one of Kuru's race was saying gounto Yudhishthira, a
loud sound of wailing arose from all the warriors therepresent. Beholding his
royal father of great splendour, emaciated and pale,reduced to a state
unbecoming of him, worn out with fasts, and looking like askeleton covered with
skin, Dharma's son Yudhishthira shed tears of grief andonce more said these
words. 'O foremost of men, I do not desire life and theEarth. O scorcher of
foes, I shall employ myself in doing what is agreeable tothee. If I deserve thy
favour, if I am dear to thee, do thou eat something. Ishall then know what to
do.' Endued with great energy, Dhritarashtra then saidto Yudhishthira,--'I
wish, O son, to take some food, with thy permission.' WhenDhritarashtra said
these words to Yudhishthira, Satyavati's son Vyasa camethere and said as
follows.`
15.4 "Vyasasaid, 'O mighty-armed Yudhishthira, do without any scruple what
Dhritarashtraof Kuru's race hag said. This king is old. He has, again, been
made sonless. Ithink he will not be able to bear his grief long. The highly
blessed Gandhari,possessed of great wisdom and endued with kindly speech, bears
with fortitudeher excessive grief owing to the logs of her song. I also tell
thee (what theold king says). Do thou obey my words. Let the old king have thy
permission.Let him not die an inglorious death at home. Let this king follow
the path ofall royal sages of old. Verily, for all royal sages, retirement into
the woodscomes at last.'"
"Vaisampayana said, 'Thus addressed at that time byVyasa of wonderful deeds,
king Yudhishthira the just, possessed of mightyenergy, said unto the great
ascetic these words, 'Thy holy self is held by usin great reverence. Thou alone
art our preceptor. Thou alone art the refuge ofthis our kingdom as also of our
race. I am thy son. Thou, O holy one, art myfather. Thou art our king, and thou
art our preceptor. The son should,agreeably to every duty, be obedient to the
commands of his sire.'"Vaisampayanacontinued, 'Thus addressed by the king.
Vyasa, that foremost of poets, foremostof all persons conversant with the
Vedas, endued with great energy once moresaid unto Yudhishthira these words,
'It is even so, O mighty-armed one. It is evenas thou sayest, O Bharata. This
king has reached old age. He is now in the laststage of life. Permitted both by
me and thee, let this lord of Earth do what heproposes. Do not stand as an
impediment in his way. Even this is the highestduty, O Yudhishthira, of royal
sages. They should die either in battle or inthe woods agreeably to the
scriptures. Thy royal sire, Pandu, O king of kings,reverenced this old king as
a disciple reverences his preceptor. (At that time)he adored the gods in many
great sacrifices with profuse gifts consisting ofhills of wealth and jewels,
and ruled the Earth and protected his subjectswisely and well. Having obtained
a large progeny and a swelling kingdom, heenjoyed great influence for thirteen
years while you were in exile, and gaveaway much wealth. Thyself also, O chief
of men, with thy servants, O sinlessone, hast adored this king and the famous
Gandhari with that ready obediencewhich. a disciple pays to his preceptor. Do
thou grant permission to thyfather. The time has come for him to attend to the
practice of penances. Hedoes not harbour, O Yudhishthira, even the slightest
anger against any of you.'
"Vaisampayana continued, 'Having said these words,Vyasa soothed the old king.
Yudhishthira then answered him, saying, 'So be it.'The great ascetic then left
the palace for proceeding to the woods. After theholy Vyasa had gone away, the
royal son of Pandu softly said these words untohis old father, bending himself
in humility,--What the holy Vyasa has said,what is thy own purpose, what the
great bowman Kripa has said, what Vidura hasexpressed, and what has been asked
for by Yuyutsu and Sanjaya, I shallaccomplish with speed. All these are worthy
of my respect, for all of them arewell-wishers of our race. This, however, O
king, I beg of thee by bending myhead. Do thou first eat and afterwards go to
thy forest retreat.'"
15.5 "Vaisampayanasaid, 'Having received the king's permission, king
Dhritarashtra of greatenergy then proceeded to his own palace, followed by
Gandhari. With weakenedstrength and slow motion, that king of great
intelligence walked withdifficulty, like the leader, worn out with age, of an
elephantine herd. He wasfollowed by Vidura of great learning, and his
charioteer Sanjaya, as also thatmighty bowman Kripa, the son of Saradwata.
Entering his mansion, O king, hewent through the morning rites and after
gratifying many foremost of Brahmanashe took some food. Gandhari conversant
with every duty, as also Kunti of greatintelligence, worshipped with offers of
various articles by theirdaughters-in-law, then took somefood, O Bharata. After
Dhritarashtra had eaten,and Vidura also and others had done the same, the
Pandavas, having finishedtheir meals, approached and sat around the old king.
Then the son of Amvika, Omonarch, addressing Kunti's son who was seated near
him and touching his backwith his hand, said, 'Thou shouldst always, O
delighter of the Kurus, actwithout heedlessness as regards everything connected
with thy kingdomconsisting of eight limbs, O foremost of rulers, and in which
the claims ofrighteousness should ever be kept foremost. 1 Thou art possessed,
O son ofKunti, of intelligence and learning. Listen to me, O king, as I tell
thee whatthe means are by which, O son of Pandu, the kingdom is capable of
beingrighteously protected. Thou shouldst always, O Yudhishthira, honour
thosepersons that are old in learning. Thou shouldst listen to what they would
say,and act accordingly without any scruple. Rising at dawn, O king, worship
themwith due rites, and when the time comes for action, thou shouldst consult
themabout thy (intended) acts. When, led by the desire of knowing what would
bebeneficial to thee in respect of thy measures, thou honourest them; they
will,O son, always declare what is for thy good, O Bharata. Thou shouldst
alwayskeep thy senses, as thou keepest thy horses. They will then prove
beneficial tothee, like wealth that is not wasted. Thou shouldst employ only
such ministersas have passed the tests of honesty, (i.e., as are possessed of
loyalty,disinterestedness, continence, and courage), as are hereditary officers
ofstate, possessed of pure conduct, self-restrained, clever in the discharge
ofbusiness, and endued with righteous conduct. Thou shouldst always
collectinformation through spies in diverse disguises, whose faithfulness have
beentasted, who are natives of thy kingdom, and who should not be known to
thyfoes. Thy citadel should be properly protected with strong walls and
archedgates. On every side the walls, with watch-towers on them standing close
to oneanother, should be such as to admit of six persons walking side by side
ontheir top. 2 The gates should all be large and sufficiently strong. Kept
inproper places those gates should be carefully guarded. Let thy purposes
beaccomplished through men whose families and conduct are well known.
Thoushouldst always protect thy person also with care, in matters connected
withthy food, O Bharata, as also in the hours of sport and eating and in
mattersconnected with the garlands thou wearest and the beds thou liest upon.
Theladies of thy household should be properly protected, looked over by aged
andtrusted servitors, of good behaviour, well-born, and possessed of learning,
OYudhishthira. Thou shouldst make ministers of Brahmanas possessed of
learning,endued with humility, well-born, conversant with religion and wealth,
andadorned with simplicity of behaviour. Thou shouldst hold consultations
withthem. Thou shouldst not, however, admit many persons into thy
consultations. Onparticular occasions thou mayst consult with the whole of thy
council or with aportion of it. Entering a chamber or spot that is well
protected (fromintruders) thou shouldst hold thy consultation. Thou mayst hold
thyconsultationn a forest that is divested of grass. Thou shouldst never
consultat night time. 1 Apes and birds and other animals that can imitate human
beingsshould all be excluded from the council chamber, as also idiots and lame
andpalsied individuals. I think that the evils that flow from the divulgence
ofthe counsels of kings are such that they cannot be remedied. Thou
shouldstrepeatedly refer, in the midst of thy counsellors, to the evils that
arise fromthe divulgence of counsels, O chastiser of foes, and to the merits
that flowfrom counsels properly kept. Thou shouldst, O Yudhishthira, act in
such amanner as to ascertain the merits and faults of the inhabitants of thy
city andthe provinces. Let thy laws, O king, be always administered by trusted
judgesplaced in charge thereof, who should also be contented and of good
behaviour.Their acts should also be ascertained by thee through spies. Let thy
judicialofficers, O Yudhishthira, inflict punishments, according to the law,
onoffenders after careful ascertainment of the gravity of the offences. They
thatare disposed to take bribes, they that are the violators of the chastity
ofother people's wives, they that inflict heavy punishments, they that
areutterers of false speeches, they that are revilers, they that are stained
bycupidity, they that are murderers, they that are doers of rash deeds, they
thatare disturbers of assemblies and the sports of others, and they that
bringabout a confusion of castes, should, agreeably to considerations of time
and place,be punished with either fines or death. 2 In the morning thou
shouldst seethose that are employed in making thy disbursements. After that
thou shouldstlook to thy toilet and then to thy food. Thou shouldst next
supervise thyforces, gladdening them on every occasion. Thy evenings should be
set apart forenvoys and spies. The latter end of the night should be devoted by
thee tosettle what acts should be done by thee in the day. Mid-nights and
mid-daysshould be devoted to thy amusements and sports. At all times, however
thoushouldst think of the means for accomplishing thy purposes. At the proper
time,adorning thy person, thou shouldst sit prepared to make gifts in
profusion. Theturns for different acts, O son, ceaselessly revolve like wheels.
Thou shouldstalways exert thyself to fill thy treasuries of various kinds by
lawful means.Thou shouldst avoid all unlawful means towards that end.
Ascertaining throughthy spies who thy foes are that are bent on finding out thy
laches, thoushouldst, through trusted agents, cause them to be destroyed from a
distance.Examining their conduct, thou shouldst O perpetuator of Kuru's race,
appointthy servants. Thou shouldst cause all thy acts to be accomplished
through thyservitors: whether they are appointed for those acts or not. The
commandant ofthy forces should be of firm conduct, courageous, capable of
bearing hardships,loyal, and devoted to thy good. Artisans and mechanics, O son
of Pandu,dwelling in thy provinces, should always do thy acts like kine and
asses. 1Thou shouldst always, O Yudhishthira, be careful to ascertain thy own
laches asalso those of thy foes. The laches also of thy own men as also of the
men ofthy foes should equally be ascertained. Those men of thy kingdom, that
are wellskilled in their respective vocations, and are devoted to thy good,
should befavoured by thee with adequate means of support. A wise king, O ruler
of men,should always see that the accomplishments of his accomplished subjects
mightbe kept up. They would then be firmly devoted to thee, seeing that they
did notfall away from their skill.'"
15.9 It behovesyou all to forget and forgive whatever injury has been done
to you by thosesons of mine that are no longer alive, or, indeed, by any one
else belonging tome. Ye never harboured any wrath against me on any previous
occasion. I join myhands before you who are distinguished for loyalty. Here, I
bow to you all. Yesinless one, I, with Gandhari by my side, solicit your pardon
now for anythingdone to you by those sons of mine, of restless understandings,
stained bycupidity, and ever acting as their desires prompted.' Thus addressed
by the oldmonarch, all those citizens and inhabitants of the provinces, filled
withtears, said nothing but only looked at one another."'
15.11 He will setout for the woods, O king, on the coming day of full moon of
the month ofKartika. He now solicits from thee, O foremost one of Kuru's race,
some wealth.He wishes to perform the Sraddha of the high-souled son of Ganga,
as also ofDrona and Somadatta and Valhika of great intelligence, and of all his
sons asalso of all well-wishers of his that have been slain, and, if thou
permittestit, of that wicked-souled wight, viz., the ruler of the Sindhus.' 1
Hearingthese words of Vidura, both Yudhishthira, and Pandit's son Arjuna of
curlyhair, became very glad and applauded them highly. Bhima, however, of
greatenergy and unappeasable wrath, did not accept those words of Vidura in
goodspirits, recollecting the acts of Duryodhana. The diadem-decked
Phalguna,understanding the thoughts of Bhimasena, slightly bending his face
downwards,addressed that foremost of men in these words, 'O Bhima, our royal
father whois advancing in years, has resolved to retire into the woods. He
wishes to makegifts for advancing the happiness of his slain kinsmen and
well-wishers now inthe other world. O thou of Kuru's race, he wishes to give
away wealth thatbelongs to thee by conquest. Indeed, O mighty-armed one, it is
for Bhishma andothers that the old king is desirous of making those gifts. It
behoves thee togrant thy permission. By good luck it is, O thou of mighty arms
thatDhritarashtra today begs wealth of us, he who was formerly begged by us.
Beholdthe reverse brought about by Time. That king who was before the lord
andprotector of the whole Earth, now desires to go into the woods, his kinsmen
andassociates all slain by foes. O chief of men, let not thy views deviate
fromgranting the permission asked for. O mighty-armed one, refusal,
besidesbringing infamy, will be productive d demerit. Do thou learn your duty
in thismatter from the king, thy eldest brother, who is lord of all. It
becometh theeto give instead of refusing, O chief of Bharata's race. Vibhatsu
who was sayingso wag applauded by king Yudhishthira the just. Yielding to
wrath, Bhimasenasaid these words, 'O Phalguna, it is we that shall make gifts
in the matter ofBhishma's obsequies, as also of king Somadatta and of
Bhurisravas, of the royalsage Valhika, and of the high-souled Drona, and of all
others. Our mother Kuntishall make such obsequial offerings for Karna. O
foremost of men, let notDhritarashtra perform those Sraddhas. Even this is what
I think. Let not ourfoes be gladdened. Let Duryodhana and others sink from a
miserable to a more miserableposition. Alas, it was those wretches of their
race that caused the whole Earth to be exterminated. Howhast thou been able to
forget that anxiety of twelve long years, and ourresidence in deep incognito
that was so painful to Draupadi? Where wasDhritarashtra's affection for us
then? Clad in a black deer-skin and divested of all thyornaments, with the
princess of Panchala in thy company, didst thou not followthis king? Where were
Bhishma and Drona then, and where was Somadatta? Thouhadst to live for thirteen
years in the woods, supporting thyself on theproducts of the wilderness. Thy
eldest father did not then look at thee witheyes of parental affection. Hast
thou forgotten, O Partha, that it was thiswretch of our race, of wicked
understanding, that enquired of Vidura, when thematch at dice was going
on,--'What has been won?' Hearing thus far, kingYudhishthira, the son of Kunti,
endued with great intelligence, rebuked him andtold him to be silent."'
15.12 "Vaisampayanacontinued, 'Having said these words, king Yudhishthira the
just, highlyapplauded Arjuna. Meanwhile Bhimasena began to cast angry glances
atDhananjaya. Then Yudhishthira, endued with great intelligence, once
moreaddressed Vidura and said, 'It behoves not king Dhritarashtra to be angry
withBhimasena. This Bhima of great intelligence was greatly afflicted by cold
andrain and heat and by a thousand other griefs while residing in the woods.
Allthis is not unknown to thee. Do thou, however, instructed by me, say unto
theking, O foremost one of Bharata's race, that he may take from my house
whateverarticles he wishes and in whatever measure also he likes. Thou shalt
also tellthe king that he should not allow his heart to dwell on this
exhibition ofpride in which Bhima, deeply afflicted, has indulged.
KR ThusDridharashtran wanted to rule the kingdom as he wont give powers to
Pandu atany cost; that power monger had to be cracked or else there is no use
ofwinning a war for Kingdom; even the gifts at the cost of dharma is
depletingthe Gajana when he hands over the power only after 15 years of
enjoyment evenafter the loss of children and son in law. Bhima was written; a
hypocrite was Dridharashtranwho was closely followed by Gandhari; In Adi parva
beginning while narrating asynopsis of Maha Bharatham Vaisampayana extolled
Gandhari. But they provemockery by not yielding the dharma of self-government
even after the absence ofchildren. It is not the love of children. But mere
lust for the soil. Bhima wasright in kindling the battle events to invoke the
real thing they have to do.Even at the end, both D and G take along Kunti
though Vidura had to be leftout. In short it was Bheema who said “MOVE LET
BREEZE ENTER. SO BE IT KRAJARAM IRS 7424
On Sun, 7 Apr 2024 at 09:40, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty
<[email protected]> wrote:
CULTURAL QA04-2024-07
Allthe below QA are from QUORA DIGEST tome on 07-04-2024.
SelectedQuora answers by generally interesting are included. Still they need
not be 100% correct answers. Two good jokes are included.
Compiled and posted by R Gopalakrishnan, 80,on 07-4-2024
Q1 What'sthe funniest joke you know? Please I need to laugh.
A1 Rob Dee,45years in Science Nov 16
A guy asks at a zoo if they've got any jobs.
“Well”, saysthe owner “we're not doing too well and one of the gorillas died
the other day.I'll pay you to dress up in a gorilla suit and take his place”.
So the guy gets dressed in the gorilla suit and iswalking around inside the
enclosure when a huge great silver back male gorillaapproaches him. He's
absolutely terrified, scared for his life. He runs as fastas he can and jumps
over the enclosure wall.
Only to land in the Lion enclosure.
“Oh my god” he screams, “help me I'm not a gorilla I'ma human being”, as a big
lion moves towards him.
“Shut up”,says the lion, “or you'll get us all fired”
Q2 Whatis the funniest joke you've been told that you still think about to
this day?
A2 RonScott, Jan 9
This may belong to the blond joke section, but heregoes -
A blonde is flying down the road in her little sportscar, convertible top down,
music blaring, signing away, going way over thespeed limit.
Before long, she sees the flying cherries of a cop inher rear view mirror, so
she pulls off to the side of the road. The cop walksup to her door and leans in
and says “Do you know you were going at least 40over the limit back there?
Ineed to see your license please”.
The blond starts rummaging through her wallet, andbefore long she is obviously
flustered, and turns to the cop and says “I’msorry, what is it I’m looking for?
Can you tell me what it looks like?”
The cop takes a deep sigh and says “Umm, yourlicense?? it’s about the size of a
credit card and has your picture on it???”.
So the blond rummages again and finds a little compact mirror in her wallet.She
looks closely at it and sure enough sees her picture, so she hands it tothe cop.
The cop, who it turns out is also blond, takes a long hard look at it, then
hands it back toher and says “I’m sorry, Ididn’t realize you were a cop, you
can go.”
Q3 Whatis your favorite Winston Churchill story?
A3 DeltaP, FellowCommoner of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Jan 13
This is my favourite, and although I don’t know whether it is true,I could well
believe it.
Churchill died in January 1965. He was to be given a State Funeral (thelast in
Britain until that of Queen Elizabeth II). Clearly there had been muchadvance
planning, in which he was involved. He did not want General de Gaulleinvited,
as he felt (rightly) that de Gaulle disliked the Anglo-Saxons greatly.However,
to avoid a diplomatic incident, he agreed that he should be invited,on one
condition. That was that the funeral train taking his coffin to Blenheim(a few
miles from Oxford) should not leave from Paddington (the naturalstation).
Instead it should leave from Waterloo Station, so that de Gaulle would have to
walkunder the Victory Arch there.
Q4 Whatare some great short stories with a twist ending?
A4 SanjayAnand Mishra, Surviving Indian Society since last 31 years8y
A boy was cycling with a basket of eggs on it. He hita stone and fell down
along with the cycle.
. . . The eggs also fell down and broke. A crowdgathered around the boy.
. . . As usual free advice started flowing from theon lookers “Couldn’t you be
more careful?” “What is this, you are cycling ,casually without attention?”
. . . An old man approached the crowd , saw what hadhappened and said “Poor
fellow this boy has to answer the Owner of the shop .Ok I will help him , as
much as I can”
...... saying this handed over Rs10/- to the boy. Andalso said “These onlookers
are good people, they will not only give advice,they will help you by giving
money also, accept their help”
. . . The onlookers observing the sayings of the oldman and his actions , gave
money to the boy
. . . The boy was very happy, since the moneycollected was more than the value
of the eggs broken
. . . One of the onlooker asked the boy “young man ifthat old man was not
around , I do not know what difficulties you would havefaced with your owner”
. . . The boy smiled and replied “Sir ,that old man is the ownerof the shop ,
where I work”. . Clever owner :) :)
Q5 How would you justify Bhima torturingGandhari and Dritarastra after the
Kurukshetra War for more than 15 years?
A5 LakshmiTelidevara, Studying Vyasa Bharat again and again.8mo
I won’t justify Bhima’s behaviour rather I feel pity for Dhritarashtra who was
spending his last phase oflife living with Pandavas whom he never considered as
his sons.
Yes Bhima gotvalid reasons to hate Dhritarashtra but still I won’t support his
behaviour for the simplereason that Dhritarashtra was a dependent on them whose
responsibility theyhave taken after he lost all his sons in war.
For Dhritarashtra that itself was a punishment,I meanto live under the shelter
of Pandavas whom his son never allowed to live inpeace and didn’t leave any
chance to grab their fortune and humiliate in theworst possible manner.
Dhritarashtra supported his son in all his misdeeds andnever intended to
control him properly.
Did Dhritarashtra repent his deeds? Yes but hecouldn’t forego his affection
towards his slained sons particularly towardsDuryodhana.
Dhritarashtra’s repentence and reluctance forced him topunish himself by not
eating sufficient food and sleeping on floor spread withKusha grass. He
admitted this.
Of wicked understanding as I am, now after the lapseof five and ten years, I am
seeking to expiate my sins. Now at the fourthdivision of the day or sometimes
at the eighth division, with the regularity ofa vow, I eat a little food for
simply conquering my thirst. Gandhari knowsthis. All my attendants are under
the impression that I eat as usual. Throughfear of Yudhishthira alone I
concealed my acts, for if the eldest son of Panducame to know of my vow, he
would feel great pain. Clad in deer-skin, I lie downon the Earth, spreading a
small quantity of Kusa grass, and pass the time in silentrecitations
Section 1III Ashramavasa parva
Whether Dhritarashtra deserves sympathy or not can bedecided through the
conversation between Arjuna and Bhima.
When Dhritarashtra wanted to donate gifts to peoplein the name of his departed
sons and Elders,Arjuna sensed Bhima’s disapprovaland explained why he should
let Dhritarashtra have his way before leaving for forest.
Arjuna’scompassion towards Dhritarashtra
The diadem-decked Phalguna, understanding thethoughts of Bhimasena, slightly
bending his face downwards, addressed thatforemost of men in these words, 'O
Bhima, our royal father who is advancing inyears, has resolved to retire into
the woods. He wishes to make gifts foradvancing the happiness of his slain
kinsmen and well-wishers now in the otherworld. O thou of Kuru's race, he
wishes to give away wealth that belongs tothee by conquest. Indeed, O
mighty-armed one, it is for Bhishma and others thatthe old king is desirous of
making those gifts. It behoves thee to grant thypermission. By good luck itis,
O thou of mighty arms that Dhritarashtra today begs wealth of us, he whowas
formerly begged by us.
Behold the reverse brought about by Time. That kingwho was before the lord and
protector of the whole Earth, now desires to gointo the woods, his kinsmen and
associates all slain by foes. O chief of men,let not thy views deviate from
granting the permission asked for. O mighty-armed one, refusal,besides bringing
infamy, will be productive of demerit. Do thou learnyour duty in this matter
from the king, thy eldest brother, who is lord of all.It becometh thee to give
instead of refusing
XI Ashramavasa parva
But Bhima being Himself pointed out all the deedsdone by Dhritarashtra and he
was not wrong at all. Dhritarashtra surely happenedto be the root cause of all
the sufferings of Pandavas.
Bhima’s sterndisapproval
How hastthou been able to forget that anxiety of twelve long years, and our
residencein deep incognito that was so painful to Draupadi? Where was
Dhritarashtra'saffection for us then? Clad in a black deer-skin and divested of
all thyornaments, with the princess of Panchala in thy company, didst thou not
followthis king? Where were Bhishma and Drona then, and where was Somadatta?
Thouhadst to live for thirteen years in the woods, supporting thyself on
theproducts of the wilderness. Thyeldest father did not then look at thee with
eyes of parental affection.Hast thou forgotten, O Partha, that it was this
wretch of our race, of wickedunderstanding, that enquired of Vidura, when the
match at dice was goingon,--'What has been won?' Hearing thus far, king
Yudhishthira, the son ofKunti, endued with great intelligence, rebuked him and
told him to besilent."'
XI Ashramavasa parva
Yudhishtirasilenced Bhima,Arjunaoffered his wealth to be utilised for
Dhritarashtra’s donations.
Was Bhima rightin torturing Dhritarashtra?
Bhima was not able to forget what Dhritarashtra didwith them. His presence
triggered him up to the extent of harassing the oldking by his verbal taunts.
Not every one can forget the evil deeds of othersand Bhima was one among them.
But to torture the old king by mentioning how hekilled his sons I consider
inhuman and insensitive.
In contrast other four brothers treated Dhritarashtrawith compassion. Arjuna
and Yudhishtira addressed him as Father.
Arjuna pleadedwith Bhima to accept Dhrutarashtra’s wish to donate lest he will
get ill fameand demerit.
Arjuna was right in mentioning thus because howeverbad Dhritarashtra was,he
wasin a pathetic condition right then. He was old,weak,sad & desperate.Moreover
he was their father in relation and stature.
He wanted to spend his last days in penance andwished to donate for a last time.
Dhritarashtra definitely deserved sympathy for allthese reasons.
I don’t find anyjustification for Bhima’s harsh behaviour towards Dhritarashtra.
My answer is based on story of Vyasabharat.
My note- I cannot fully agree to Mrs LakshmiTelidevara.Dritharashtra tried to
crush Bhima when Pandavas went to perform Namaskaramafter winning war as
desired by Dritharashtra. He crushed while embracing, eventhe iron idol of
Bhima while embracing. Dritharashtra had so much cruelty to Bhima.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/1315617270.3934624.1712500801972%40mail.yahoo.com.
--
On Facebook, please join https://www.facebook.com/groups/keralaiyerstrust
We are now on Telegram Mobile App also, please join
Pattars/Kerala Iyers Discussions: https://t.me/PattarsGroup
Kerala Iyers Trust Decisions only posts : https://t.me/KeralaIyersTrust
Kerala Iyers Trust Group for Discussions: https://t.me/KeralaIyersTrustGroup
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"KeralaIyers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/keralaiyers/CAL5XZopM%3D15EfoFy_d2v-fmU-V-CXg1escdh9kQG-X0GQ62k%3DQ%40mail.gmail.com.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/2006656389.3989701.1712538738765%40mail.yahoo.com.
