Diplomacy!

Akrtavrana said: I think Bhisma should be punished, for if he hadn’t kidnapped you, Salva would've married you. Besides, I know that Bhisma is very proud of his strength. It would be good to cut down his false prestige

Amba said: I must admit that I'd love to see Bhisma killed in battle. Still, because I’m helpless, I will leave the matter in your hands

Next morning, Lord Parasuram came to sages' asrama. Dressed in deerskin, with matted hair, carrying an axe, sword, bow & surrounded by disciples, he approached King Hotravahana. After being worshiped by all, the Lord took his seat. Finally, after conversing with Lord for some time, the King took opportunity to introduce Amba

When the king mentioned how Amba needed assistance, Parasuram asked her to come forward & explain her difficulty. Amba came, bowed down & touched his feet, & stood silently with folded hands. Then, exhibiting her womanly nature, she began to cry & in her grief took shelter of Jamadagni's son. Being very compassionate, Parasuram assured Amba that he would fulfill her desires & then urged her to speak, being very curious as to what was on her mind

Amba narrated her story & hearing it, the Lord pondered over the matter for some time, wondering what he should do. Finally, arriving at a conclusion, he inquired: Dear Amba, what would you like me to do? Should it be Bhisma or Salva who I force to marry you?

Amba said: You may decide what you think is best. But after a brief pause, she added: I must admit that my real desire is for you to kill Bhisma, even as he kidnapped me, I felt that he should be killed for his ignoble act

Lord said: I’ve renounced use of weapons & so I never engage in fighting, except at the request of brahmanas. Hence, ask for something else. However, Amba insisted that Bhisma be killed & so Lord tried to pacify her by saying:If you order me to do so, I can force Bhisma to place your feet upon his head

Amba said: Lord! You've already promised to fulfill my desire. Therefore, you must kill Bhisma

Akrtavrana intervened, saying: O Lord, if you challenge Bhisma to fight & if he admits defeat without taking up weapons, your purpose will be served. Remember, you had vowed to give protection to all those who seek your shelter. Besides, you had promised to kill any proud kshatriya who would conquer all the kings of the earth. Bhisma has done this & so you should make good your word by confronting him on battlefield

Parasuram said: Dear Akrtavrana, what you say is true, but since the situation is very grave, I’ll first take Amba to Hastinapur. If Bhisma does not voluntarily obey my command, I will kill him in battle

Parasuram then set out, accompanied by Amba & the sages

Diplomacy is the art of saying things in such a way that those to whom we speak listen to it with pleasure. It is the alignment of objectives & means. It is a very subtle and nuanced craft by which we can get things done by others, our way, without much fuss

Thoughts? #gameoflife

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
  Victory! It was early in morning as both sides awaited the rising of Sun, a brisk wind carried drops of water & thunder was heard, although not a cloud was seen in sky. After some time, the wind picked up so that not only was there a dust storm, but even small pebbles were blown here & there. Meteors fell from the sky & earth trembled. When the Sun rose, it lacked its usual splendor. And yet both armies looked magnificent & all warriors appeared jubilant in anticipation When Maharaj Yudhisthira saw the vast Kaurava army with Bhisma in its midst, he became disheartened & his face became pale. He said to his brother Arjun: I don’t think that we have a chance for victory. The vast army containing so many illustrious warriors appears impenetrable Arjun said: Dear brother, you must remain confident, knowing that even though we are inferior in numbers, victory is always with the righteous. You have forgotten that Lord Krsna is protecting us? Sri Krsna is the Supreme Per
Read more
Image
  Principles to fight & die for! Arjun had Uttara halt his chariot at some distance from Kaurav army to survey the opposition. He thought that if he could simply vanquish Duryodhana, other Kauravas would automatically desist. But he noted that Duryodhana was absent. Arjun ordered Uttara: Avoiding the Kaurav army, take the road to Hastināpur so that we can overtake Duryodhana and retrieve the plundered cows   From Arjun’s course, Krpā could understand his intention & so he had ordered the entire Kaurav army to go & protect Duryodhana. Meanwhile as Arjun approached the army, he covered the entire sky with his showers of arrows so that Kaurav soldiers were thrown into confusion   Taking advantage of this, Arjun ordered the creatures on his flagpole to roar more loudly while he twanged his bow & blew his conch shell, causing the earth to tremble. At this time the Kaurav army was stunned with fear & so Arjun took the opportunity to make the cows turn back towards Virāta’
Read more
Image
  Human form of Life🕺 I thank all from the bottom of my heart for the love, wishes & blessings by all of you on my birthday. I am overwhelmed & indebted to all Linkediners, my extended family for this I was just reflecting what it means to remember the day we are born. Why is it special & what difference it makes? For what purpose we have been given this human form at the first place? How we humans are different in 84 lakh different species including land, water & air animals, birds, plants & other forms as mentioned in scriptures? We, as human beings are different because of our consciousness by which we can think, reason & elevate ourselves from mundane to spiritual The very first step in self-realization is to realize one’s identity as one separate from body. “I am not this body but am spirit soul” is an essential realization for anyone who wants to transcend death & enter the spiritual world beyond. It is not simply a matter of saying-I'm not this b
Read more