Driver should control the horses!

 

After giving assurance to Duryodhana, Dhritrāshtra dismissed him & called for Vidura, who was informed of all that had taken place. After being summoned, as Vidura rushed to the royal palace, he thought that Kali has now appeared upon earth & thus destruction is surely near

 

Vidura bowed & said to Dhritrāshtra-O King! I’ll never approve of the proposed gambling match, for it will surely cause a dispute between your sons & Pāndavās. Dhritrāshtra however had already made up his mind & so was not really interested in hearing the advice. He said-I can assure you that this friendly game of advice will never result in a quarrel. Besides I believe that whatever happens is predestined by insurmountable fate

 

He ordered Vidura to go to Indraprastha at once & bring Yudhisthira at his invitation & said that certainly with Bhisma, Drona & himself overseeing the event, there will no room for any mischief

 

Rest was history as the dice game certainly brought so much enmity that a war between brothers of the same clan was inevitable

 

This is a vivid example of how material attachments can cloud one’s good intelligence & thus cause one to act in a most inappropriate manner. Attachments to family members is certainly very strong, but one should never forget that all activities should be guided by good intelligence

 

As per Katha Upanishad:

ātmānaṁ rathinaṁ viddhi, śarīraṁ ratham eva ca

buddhiṁ tu sārathiṁ viddhi, manaḥ pragraham eva ca

indriyāṇi hayān āhur, viṣayāṁs teṣu gocarān

so 'dhvanaḥ pāram āpnoti, tad viṣṇoḥ paramaṁ padam

 

The body is compared to the chariot & the senses are the driving horses. The mind is the rein & intelligence is the driver. The soul or self is the passenger in the chariot & if he is guided by good intelligence, he can reach the destination. However, if the horses overpower the driver & run amok, the passenger is put in a very precarious condition

 

Good intelligence is given in our scriptures & is explained by the bonafide spiritual master in disciplic succession (like Vidura). One should always take help of such good intelligence in the form of spiritual master’s instructions & should not be diverted from the path of auspiciousness by undesirable attachment

 

After receiving the command from his elder brother, Vidura considered the Kurus to be doomed. With heavy heart, he approached Bhisma to inform him of the situation


Is our intelligence also clouded by such attachments? Beware & not fall in the trap else total annihilation is surely round the corner

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife

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