Truth!

Asvattāma was enraged with Karna, as his father Drona was insulted. He angrily said: O Karna! You’re a fool for boasting like this. What is the basis for your excessive pride? When did you defeat Arjun, or for that matter any Pāndavās? How can you be so proud when you had to resort to deceitful means to take away Yudhisthira’s kingdom & hand it over to Duryodhana?


Are you proud of having dragged helpless Draupadi into the assembly of Kurus? Are these things the cause of pride for real Kshatriyās? Let Sakuni fight with Pāndavās-not with dice, but with arrows! Then we shall see outcome! I’m not going to tarnish my good name by ganging up with so many other warriors to fight unfairly with Arjun


Bhisma praised these words, but then warned Asvattāma-If Arjun attacks, it is duty of all of us to fight with him. In you & your father reside a combination of Brahminical & Kshatriya prowess that is surpassed only by Parasurāma. You should forgive Karna. Just consider his so-called boasting as means for enlivening Kauravas


Duryodhana turned to Drona & pleaded: Kindly forgive any offense that Karna may have committed so that our unity can be preserved. Drona was pacified & then arranged Kaurava army in such a way so as to give maximum protection to Duryodhana. Bhisma was once again called upon to ascertain whether Pāndavās period of exile has ended or not


Bhishma calculated & said: The one-year period the Pāndavās were required to remain incognito has already come to a close. In fact you can be assured of this simply because Pāndavās would never even dream of acting deceitfully. Being guided by truthful Yudhisthira, Pāndavās would never attempt to take back their kingdom before their period of exile had expired. Now, as we will have to oppose Arjun, we should quickly prepare ourselves to fight


Duryodhana said: Yes, I have no intention of voluntarily give Pāndavās their share of kingdom. Let us prepare to fight without delay


Bhisma said to Duryodhana:You should take 1/4th of the army & depart to Hastināpur. Let another 1/4th escort the cows, while remaining ½ stays here to fight against Arjun & Matsyas. Duryodhana agreed. As the cows were dispatched, Bhisma busied himself arraying the remaining Kaurava warriors


Arjun then came upon the scene & released 4 arrows-two of which offered obeisances at Drona’s feet while other two whizzed past his ears, announcing that Pāndavās’ period of exile was over


A very important learning given by Asvattāma in asking tough questions and presenting the situation as it is, rather than being led by emotions. Telling the uncomfortable truth is a position of power and one’s integrity coupled with courage is tested


Telling the truth is more than being honest. It reveals a deeper understanding of self & elevates the self-esteem both of the teller & of the listener.  It’s very hard to make a real progress of self-discovery, self-realization & self-empowerment without being truthful


Have courage! Thoughts? #gameoflife

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