Blame or take responsibility!

After Bhima was defeated & insulted by Karna, he went to Arjun and requested him to fulfill his vow to kill the Suta’s son. Arjun approached Karna, who was mounted upon a new chariot. While standing at some distance he said: O wretch! Why have you acted so basely by abusing Bhima after defeating him? Just prior to that Bhima had vanquished you, and yet he did not utter any harsh words. While Abhimanyu was engaged in fighting with numerous warriors, you had broken his bow, enabling him to be unfairly killed. I hereby vow to avenge this act by killing your dear son Vrsasena, in your presence!

Saying this, Arjun departed, and as he went along Sri Krsna praised him very highly for his heroic fighting that day. Sri Krsna pointed out the huge pile of dead bodies, broken chariots and shattered weapons & said: Dear Arjun, you have performed a superhuman task by accomplishing such a great massacre!

Arjun replied: Dear Lord! I know that whatever has been done is by Your mercy, for we, the Pandavas, are your eternal servants

Sri Krsna had Arjun return to Maharaj Yudhisthira. When the king heard directly from them about the killing of Jayadratha he joyfully descended from his chariot & embraced the two Krsnas again & again. With a voice that faltered due to great ecstasy, Yudhisthira glorified the Lord with excellent prayers. At that time Bhima & Satyaki also came there. Being exceedingly glad to see them alive & well, Yudhisthira went & embraced them both as tears of joy streamed down his cheeks

Meanwhile, Duryodhana was merged in an ocean of grief while thinking about how not even Drona nor Karna could match Arjun in battle. The Kaurava king approached Drona & said: O Preceptor! Arjun alone has slaughtered seven akshauhinis of my army. As a result, I feel terrible guilt for having caused so many warriors to lay down their lives for my sake. I can now realize that this great carnage is the outcome of my insatiable greed and hatred for those who are virtuous. Indeed, I am so ashamed that I wish the earth would open up so that I could enter within it & thus not have to face the consequences of my wicked deeds

O Drona, I have decided to exert my self fully now, so that either I will pay back all these dead warriors by killing the Pāndavās and Pāncālas or else lay down on the battlefield, slain. I can see that victory or defeat will defend upon me alone, for your leniency has already led to this great disaster

Drona said: You should not blame me for your losses. The real cause of your defeat is that you ignored the good advice given by your superiors, especially Vidura. As soon as Bhisma fell from his chariot, I knew that the Kaurava army was doomed. You are now criticizing me, but it was in your presence, and not mine, that Jayadratha was slain

Blaming others for our own shortfalls is a very dangerous trait as it prevents us from acknowledging self-deficiency, thereby preventing us from taking corrective action. Passing blame disempowers us but accepting responsibility empowers to take action for fixing it

When something goes wrong, our mind naturally looks for a scapegoat to start the blame game. But doing this affects our capacity to do anything to improve things. As such we are stuck in our own bubble, unable to improve ourselves & create a better future for self. Taking responsibility means we acknowledge our shortcomings, but it hurts our ego. But as we begin the process of introspection, we can soon make incremental changes & significantly rectify our situation

Let’s not degrade by passing blame but rise and introspect

Thoughts? #gameoflife