Reflect!

 

Damyanti humbly asked permission from Cedi Queen to return to Vidarbha, to meet her parents & children, to which she happily agreed & sent her off in a fine palanquin, escorted by many men. When Damyanti arrived at Kundina, her family was overjoyed to see her & welcomed with great honor. King Bhima was highly gratified to see his daughter safe & sound & as reward, he gave Sudeva 1000 cows, much wealth & village, for his help to find his daughter

 

Damyanti then asked her mother: If you wish for me to continue living, then pls endeavor to bring back my husband, King Nala. When King Bhima heard about her daughter’s plea, he ordered many Brahmanas to go & search all over the world for his son-in-law. Damyanti instructed them: Wherever you go, call out my message-O beloved gambler, where’ve you gone after cutting off half my garment & deserting me as I innocently slept? I wait for your return, still clad in that half dirty cloth & burning with grief

 

She also said to say-Dear King! The wife is supposed to be protected & maintained by husband. Why you’ve neglected these duties? Since you’re a man of great fame, lineage, wisdom & compassion, why you’ve acted so cruelly? Have pity on your poor faithful wife. If anyone answers your call, find out who he is & where he lives. Bring me his news noting what he replies. Don’t tell anyone that it is I who said this & only return to me

 

Receiving these instructions, men set out in all directions in search of Nala. In each & every place they went, they recited Damyanti’s message but to no avail

 

One Parnāda returned to Kundina & informed Damyanti: I came to Ayodhya & repeated your message to King Rituparna. There was no response from anyone & so I took permission and as I was departing, I was accosted by a man named Bāhuka, a king’s charioteer. Although he looked very unsightly with short arms & awkward features but he was an expert in managing horses & cooking

 

While shedding tears & sighing heavily, Bāhuka first enquired about my welfare & then replied to your message-Even when overwhelmed by distress, those who’re chaste women remain fixed in their vows & at last attain heaven. They being chaste are always protected & encased in the armor of virtue. The lady who has sent you here shouldn’t be angry as he only deserted her overwhelmed by terrible misfortune of losing kingdom, prosperity & oppressed by thirst, hunger & fatigue

 

O princess! Hearing Bāhuka’s reply, I quickly came to inform you, said Parnāda. Let me know about what to be done next

 

Damyanti tearfully approached her mother & said-With your consent, I’ll employ clever Sudeva for executing a plan to get back my husband

 

Most virtues when taken to an excess end up becoming vices. We can think about ourselves as virtuous & with limited understanding, biases & prejudices, become judgmental about others as full of vices. We may follow the rule-book but that doesn't mean that all other are rule breakers

 

Under the garb of being non-judgmental we can be ultra judgmental about others & that is a vice. There is always other side of the same coin

 

Thoughts? #gameoflife


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