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Pāndavās gradually brought many kings under their sovereignty & due to their pious rule, entire kuru dynasty became very prosperous

One day a band of thieves stole some cows from a Brahmin. Being upset & angry, Brahmin came to royal palace at Indraprastha & reproached Pāndavās-The so-called kings extract 1/6^th of citizens production as taxes & yet don’t even make a show of protection! My cows have been stolen & it is duty of rulers to pursue thieves & recover my property. Kings who simply extract taxes without protecting citizens are worst of sinners

Upon hearing this, Arjun replied-O Brahmin pls restrain your grief. Rest assured that I’ll punish thieves & return your cows. When Arjun went to get his bow, he realized that Yudhisthira was sitting in room where weapons were stored. Arjun was in dilemma & he thought-If I enter the room, it’ll be an offense against my brother & I’ll go to exile for 12 years. On other hand, if I don’t fulfill my vow of protection to Brahmin, this’ll cause both Yudhisthira & myself to incur sin of negligence, earning disgrace in Kingdom

Finally, Arjun concluded that service to Brāhmanās is more important than bodily comfort & entered the room. After briefly explaining to Yudhisthira, he came out with the bow & mounted his chariot. He soon intercepted the thieves & punishing them, returned the cows to Brahmin

As Arjun returned, the citizens praised him for his unflinching execution of Kshatriya duties. However, after coming before Yudhisthira, Arjun said-Pl give me your permission so that I can depart to forest at once to fulfill my vow. Yudhisthira felt very pained at heart hearing these unpalatable words. To try & convince Arjun to give up idea of going to forest, he said-You had entered my room for the purpose of executing your religious duty, hence I’m not displeased with you having done so

Besides, there is no fault when a younger brother enters a room where his elder brother is sitting with his wife, but it is certainly fault of elder brother to enter a room, where his younger brother is similarly engaged. Arjun said-Brother, you always say that regarding truth & duty there can be no compromise, so pls grant me permission that I request. Yudhisthira feared separation from his younger brother & argued-If you consider me an authority listen to my words, but still Arjun was persistent & left for the forest

Arjun accompanied by many Brāhmanās passed thro’ diverse territories & arrived at Haridwar, where Ganga flows from mountains to the plains. He would now encounter many situations and would gain higher powers. It was a blessing in disguise

Knowing Dharma & sticking to it under all circumstances is the safest bet for us to live appropriately this human form of life. By doing this we will definitely excel both in our material & spiritual life. We all have collective responsibility to adhere to higher principles. Its like if we are driving on a road, even if one person does not follow the traffic rules. It jeopardizes his life & that of others

Dharma refers to that which sustains one’s nature. It makes one who he is, his real constitutional position. We all belong to various units bigger than ourselves, a bigger ecosystem, either at work or otherwise. We belong to family or dynasty or nation or environment & have responsibility for each of these entities. The concept of Dharma is universal

Do we know & adhere to? #gameoflife