Vedic Wisdom Talks

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...

Human psychology! Yudhisthira said: There are many persons who externally appear to be very tranquil while internally they are in turmoil. Similarly, there are others that don’t appear to be peaceful externally & yet internally they are quite self-satisfied. Considering this, how can one distinguish between one who has attained peace of mind & one who has not? Bhisma said: I’ll tell you a story to understand the answer to your question. Long ago there was a wicked king named Paurika, who ruled from his capital city, Purika. As a result of his very sinful & cruel acts, this king had to accept the body of a jackal in his next life, although by the mercy of the Lord, he was able to remember his past prosperity. Because of this, Paurika felt very morose at having become so degraded Being directly able to see how suffering is caused by a sinful life, he became repentant. Indeed, the jackal decided to completely abstain from meat & also made up his mind to be truthful i...

Divine Desire! Bhisma next cited following conversation to Maharaj Yudhisthira, that took place long ago between Indra & Brihaspati Brihaspati said: A king should never quarrel with his enemies, because quarrelling is for boys. One should never put an enemy on guard by showing anger, fear or joy. Externally, one should treat his enemies as if he has implicit faith in them. Then, when an enemy is off guard, he can easily be attacked and conquered Indra enquired: Dear teacher, how can a wicked person be easily understood? Brihaspati said: A wicked person is one who proclaims the faults of another behind his back, who is envious of other’s achievements, and who remains silent while others are being praised in his presence. Of course, mere silence at such a time is not in itself a sign of wickedness, but an envious person will be seen to breathe heavily, shake his head negatively, or bite his lip. Another characteristic of a wicked person is that he does not fulfil his promises...

The art of governance!   Maharaj Yudhisthira asked Bhisma: How should one go about consolidating all the diverse elements within his kingdom? Bhisma said: My dear King! Each village must have a headman, and one person should be assigned to supervise ten villages. An officer should work along with two such superintendents & a higher officer should oversee five of these. Thus, he has jurisdiction over hundred villages. A deputy minister should supervise 10 such high officials & directly report to the King’s prime minister The headman of the village must be able to ascertain the character of each & every resident. When he sees a fault, he should correct it. The produce of the village or villages that he oversees supports the various officers. The king also maintains himself & his government by taking resources from his kingdom & its citizens, but he must do this the way a man milks a cow If a calf is allowed to drink sufficient milk, it will become strong ...