Vedic Wisdom Talks

Scriptural wisdom to act! Maharaj Yudhisthira further said to Arjun: If you are afraid to fight with Karna, you should give your G āndiva bow to someone else who can better utilize it. Infact, it would have been better if you had come out of mother Kunti’s womb after conception as a miscarriage rather than a coward who left the battlefield   Yudhisthira spoke with such harshness! The limits were crossed in anger   Arjun heatedly said: O Krsna! long ago I made a secret vow to behead anyone who would even suggest that I give away my Gāndiva bow. It is for this reason that I will now kill Yudhisthira and thus pay off my debt to Truth   Sri Krsna strongly chastised his friend, saying: My dear Arjun, you speak self-righteously, but you do not know the truth of morality.   According to Sastra, it is highly virtuous to tell a lie for the purpose of saving a life, especially that of a king or a Brāhmana. Lying is also meritorious when used to save one’s wealth ...

  Mental derangement!   Maharaj Yudhisthira after being repeatedly attacked by Karna and wounded, fled & was overwhelmed with pain & sorrow. He arrived at the Pāndava camp & sat down on his bed so that the arrows sticking in his body could be extracted. He then ordered Nakul & Sahadeva to return to the battlefield to assist Bhima   Meanwhile, Asvattāma returned to attack Arjun with renewed enthusiasm. He was able to counter Arjun’s celestial weapons & when Arjun managed to kill his driver, Asvattāma picked up the reins & continued fighting, while simultaneously guiding his chariot. At last Arjun cut-off the harnesses & reins of Asvattāma’s horses so that the afflicted steeds carried him far away from battlefield   Duryodhana went to Karna & begged him to do something that would save his faltering forces. Thinking momentarily, Karna fixed a powerful Bhargava weapon onto his bowstring. At once millions of arrows flowed in ste...

Better version of self or imitation of others! As the battle progressed, Kaurava army gradually weakened. Arjuna fought with Samsaptakas & managed to kill 20000 of them in a fierce battle. Karna continued to annihilate Pāncālas by the thousands & so Maharaj Yudhisthira rushed at him, along with Dhrstadyumna, Draupadi’s sons & other leading warriors. And yet, inspite of being surrounded by so many powerful warriors, Karna was able to check them all. Arjun also wanted to join the attack on Karna & so he ordered Sri Krsna to take him where the battle was raging   Asvattāma attacked Arjun sending forth showers of arrows. In fact, he covered Arjuna’s chariot with so many arrows that the two Krsnas became completely obscured from view. When Arjun witnessed this unprecedented display of prowess, he considered himself to be surely vanquished. Sri Krsna became very angry seeing Arjun lose his confidence & determination. He chastised Arjun saying: O descendant of Bh...

  Inner torment!   After letting Yudhisthira go, Karna continued to massacre Pāndava soldiers. Because their King had retreated from battle, they followed him. When Yudhisthira saw how Karna is annihilating his soldiers, he sent Bhima to rally his forces & face suta’s son. Thereafter, when Bhima & many others Pāndava heroes confronted Karna, all the leading Kaurava warriors joined the fray, and a fierce battle took place   The fighting became so savage that warriors were seen dragging each other by hair & biting and tearing each other with their teeth & nails. Thus, everything became covered with blood & the corpses floated in the rivers of blood. Seeing this, warriors on both sides became overwhelmed by a terrible repulsion that made them disheartened   After some time, the Pāndava warriors gained the upper hand. As they continued to beat the Kaurava army badly, Bhima & Sātyaki flared up with renewed vigour. Kaurava army was alrea...

Unity in diversity! Despite Karna’s conciliatory speech, Salya continued to abuse him. Finally, losing all patience, Karna interrupted & said: O King! Once at Dhritrāshtra’s palace, I overheard a Brāhmana describe despicable qualities of the Madrakas. Since you are the ruler of these abominable people, you will have to share 1/6 th of their sinful reactions   As Salya began to refute Karna’s statements, Duryodhana appeared upon the scene & intervened. After stopping their argument, Duryodhana begged both to cooperate for his sake & so once again the two heroes proceeded to battlefield. While going, Salya suddenly pointed out Arjuna’s wonderful chariot & described inauspicious omens that had manifest. Salya said: O Karna, just see how your emblem trembles & your horses shake with fear. This indicates that very soon you’ll meet with defeat at the hands of your enemy   As Salya continued to glorify Arjun, the remaining 34000 Samsaptakas prepared to ...

Law of Karma! After telling the story of a crow & swan, Salya said to Karna: The crow became puffed up, thinking himself superior due to being fed the remnants from Vaishya’s children’s plate. Similarly, you consider yourself superior due to receiving remnants from sons of Dhritrāshtra   Don’t you remember how Arjun vanquished you at Virāta’s kingdom? Have you forgotten how you were first to run away from battlefield when Gandharvas attacked Kurus? Knowing that Arjun will very soon quell your false pride once & for all, you should desist from boasting any further   Karna was not about to give up his great pride after hearing Salya’s words, but they did make him somewhat thoughtful. Karna then confided to Salya a great fear that he had never expressed to anyone   Karna said: O King! Once, long ago, I approached Parasurāma in the guise of a Brāhmana, hoping to acquire his celestial weapons. For that purpose, I remained with him for some time, serving h...