Vedic Wisdom Talks

No permanent friend or enemy (Part2) The intelligent & eloquent cat had good foresight & said: Dear Palita, I wholeheartedly agree to become your true friend. Be assured that if you rescue me from this danger, I’ll not only save you from your present precarious position but will remain eternally grateful to you as well. I will serve you always just like a humble disciple Palita said: Here is my plan, I will squat underneath your belly. When my enemies depart out of frustration, I will eat thro’ the strings of the net to release you Lomasa said: Your idea is excellent. Pls come underneath me quickly. I assure you that I will never forget your help & will serve you till my last breath Hearing these flowery words, Palita came & crouched underneath the cat. Seeing this extraordinary turn of events, the mongoose & the owl were astonished & became hopeless of catching their prey and left disappointed. Thereafter Palita began cutting the net very slowly with hi...

No permanent friend or enemy Maharaj Yudhisthira asked Bhisma: Pls tell me what should be done when one is attacked not only by his enemies, but by those that are supposed to be his friends? Bhisma said: It is due to time & circumstances and nothing else that one becomes a friend or foe. A person who acts with this understanding by sometimes quarrelling with so-called friends & sometimes making peace with so-called enemies is far superior to one who can simply foresee danger or who has presence of mind. I will narrate a story to illustrate this There was a great banyan tree in a vast forest that was the resort of many animals. A wise mouse named Palita lived at the base of the tree in a hole that had 100 outlets. A cat named Lomasa lived in the branches & everyday he would devour many birds that came to the tree to rest One day a hunter arrived at the forest & made a cottage. Every evening, he spread his net beneath the banyan tree & returned home to sleep. ...

Hope against Hope! Maharaj Yudhisthira asked Bhisma: Pls enlighten me on the subject of hope. The hope that people cling to appears so strong that nothing seems capable of removing it. Everyone has strong hopes for achieving something. If that hope is somehow destroyed, the grief that follows is equivalent to death I had hoped that all along that when it would come down to fighting a war, Duryodhana would come to his senses & make peace with us. The son of Dhritrashtra destroyed that foolish hope & the grief I now feel after killing so many friends & relatives continually burns my heart Bhisma told a story-There was once a king of the Haihayas named Sumitra. One day, while hunting in the forest, the king pierced a deer with his arrow, but instead of being killed or even wounded, it ran away very swiftly with the arrow stuck in its body. The king gave a chase on foot, but the deer elusively led him far, across fields, rivers & woods Sometimes the deer would come ...

Life lessons! Bhisma narrated a story to Maharaj Yudhisthira: There was once a sage living in a forest. He performed such austerities, living on only fruits & roots that he became highly purified at heart. He exhibited great kindness towards all living creatures & all forest animals approached him with an attitude of friendship-even the lions, tigers & elephants. Indeed, these ferocious animals acted just like the sage’s disciples A dog resided with the gentle sage & he was so devoted that he remained at his feet all the time. By sage’s good association, the dog exhibited gentle qualities & it performed austerities as well. Eventually the dog became very weak & skinny as a result One day a hungry leopard came to the sage’s asrama, hoping to eat the dog. Becoming exceedingly frightened, the dog begged his master to protect him. The Sage, with his mystic powers, transformed the dog into a leopard. Upon seeing the dog-turned leopard, the hungry leopard quietl...

The power of association! Yudhisthira asked Bhisma: How should a king act so as to become happy? Bhisma replied: One should not try to become happy simply by arranging life in such a way that all his necessities are achieved without much endeavour. Idleness is said to be one’s greatest enemy. On the other hand, one should not act feverishly or blindly. Everything should be done in a suitable manner. Because success ultimately depends upon utilizing one’s good intelligence, works that are accomplished by the brain are considered best. Work done by use of the arms is considered middling, work performed by use of feet is considered inferior, and work accomplished by carrying heavy loads is considered the lowest Yudhisthira enquired: How should a king behave towards an enemy more powerful than himself? Bhisma replied: Once the presiding deity of the ocean enquired from the deities of the rivers: O Goddesses, why is it that with your strong currents you bring to me many trees after ...

Phenomenal & Numinous! The jackal became Tiger’s minister. When other servants of the Tiger King saw how much honour & respect was being given to the jackal, they became envious, so much so that while talking amongst themselves, they openly expressed their hatred for the new minister. Because these other servants of the king lived by misappropriating the wealth of others, they saw the jackal as a threat to their existence First, they tried to bring him to their side by offering him large bribes, but the wise & pious jackal was never tempted. As a result, the other ministers became even more envious & afraid of him. Finally, after conspiring together, they took some very special meat that was meant for the king & placed it inside the jackal’s house Although the jackal learned of the plot, he remained silent, remembering how the king had agreed to never mistrust him without a sufficient cause. When dinnertime came, the tiger discovered that the meat kept for his...