Humble or Strong?
 
When Arjun returned from North direction, he presented all gifts & wealth to Maharāj Yudhisthira, including some wonderful horses of parrot green & peacock blue complexion, which were received from Gandharvas
 
Bhima also conquered numerous kings travelling east & at last he came to Cedi kingdom. Hearing Bhima’s arrival, Sisupāla immediately came out of his city & in a spirit of friendship offered his entire kingdom. Bhima stayed with Sisupāla for 30 days & was very luxuriously entertained by Cedi ruler. Bhima continued touring & numerous kings approached him peacefully to pay the required tribute. He returned back & offered all that he had acquired to his elder brother
 
While going south, Sahadev defeated Dantavakra & forced him to pay tribute. He then approached kingdom of Kuntibhoja, where his father-in-law came & voluntarily admitted his subordination to Yudhisthira. He further defeated Vrinda & Anuvinda, kings of Avanti. Coming to the caves of Kiskindha, he fought with Mainda & Dvivida for 7 days. The Vānara sons of Ashwini Kumaras did not tire & they became satisfied with Sahadev & willingly paid tribute
 
Upon coming to Māhismati, Sahadev fought a fierce battle with Nila. Agni came to Nila’s assistance & when it appeared as if the armor, chariots & elephants of his soldiers were ablaze, Sahadev became very anxious. Seeing his soldiers terrified surrounded by fire, Sahadev first purified himself by touching water. He then offered prayers to Agni, pleading that it was not proper for him to impede the Rājasuya sacrificial performance. After finishing prayers, he spread Kusā grass on the ground & sat down to wait as the fire approached him
 
Seeing this brave act of submission, Agni refrained from burning Sahadev. Instead coming before him in his personal form, Agni said-Get up my dear Sahadev! I was merely testing you & have no intention of impending the Rājasuya Yagya. Rest assured that all your desired will be fulfilled. Sahadev stood up with folded hands, worshipped Agni, who then disappeared from view & by his order Nila came & offered respects. Nila paid his share of tribute, admitting his subordination to King Yudhisthira
 
Sahadev continued his travels & arrived at Bhojakata. He sent an ambassador to meet king Bhismaka & his son Rukmi. In consideration of his intimate relationship with Sri Krsna, Bhismaka gladly accepted the sovereignty of Yudhisthira & handed over vast amount of wealth. Reaching Southern Ocean, he sent messengers to Vibhishana. In response, king of Rāksasas willingly accepted Pāndavās supremacy & sent immense wealth as tribute. Sahadev returned & presented everything to his brother
 
Humility is one’s strength & the most treasured virtue in spiritual life but is often seen as a weakness in the material world. When we are humble, it is seen as a weakness in material life and liable to be trampled by others. To let others overcome us all the time is not humility but stupidity
 
Humility means that we acknowledge that this world doesn’t belong to us. We all can share what the world has to offer, can create space for others so that all can survive and thrive. This doesn’t mean that we let them encroach on our space, suffocating us. In this ultra-competitive world, where the space at the top is limited, we can still have space for each other by understanding that each of us has a place & purpose in the divine plan. We all have something special by which we can make contribution & not only have expectation about what we get from others
 
Humility is the perception change from expectation to contribution
 
Thoughts? #gameoflife

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