Real courage!
As Sanjay walked back to Hastināpur, he came upon Krpā, Asvattāma & Krtavarmā. The 3 warriors were happy to see Sanjay & anxiously enquired about Duryodhana. Sanjay informed them of how the king had entered the lake within forest. When Asvattāma heard this, he lamented: O Sanjay, Duryodhana must not have known that we are still alive. Otherwise, there is no need for him to be morose, because the four of us together are quite competent to vanquish our enemies
They then came back to Kaurav camp & informed the
outpost guards, as well as the women & old men about the end of the battle.
When they heard about the deaths of their husbands, the wives of Dhārtarāshtrās
that were killed that day began to cry very piteously while tearing their
bodies with their nails & beating their heads with hands. Untying their
braided hair, the widows continued to indulge in profuse lamentations while the
men quickly dismantled the camp to go back to Hastināpur
Yuyutsu, the only surviving son of Dhritrāshtra, took
permission from Maharāj Yudhisthira to return to Hastināpur. After returning he
first met Vidura & informed about the final day of the war including
Duryodhana’s departure and dismantling of Kaurav camp
Meanwhile, Krpā, Asvattāma & Krtavarmā went to the
lake in forest hoping to meet Duryodhana. When they arrived at the shore of the
Dvaipāyan lake, they loudly announced their presence to Duryodhana who was fast
asleep within the water. Asvattāma loudly said: O King! Pls rise from water
& fight with Yudhisthira. With the 3 of us supporting you, you can be sure
that the Pāndavās will not be able to resist
Waking up, Duryodhana replied: I’m happy to know that
you’re still alive. After resting here tonight, I’ll join you in fighting with
Pāndavās tomorrow
Asvattāma urged: Pls allow us to fight with the Pāndavās
tonight, for I’m unwilling to take off my armour until I can avenge the death
of my father
As the 4 warriors were conversing, some hunters
arrived at the lake to quench their thirst. They were very tired from carrying
the heavy load of dead animals. When the hunters saw the 3 Kaurava warriors,
they hid in the bushes to overhear their conversation. When they understood
that Duryodhana was hiding within the lake, hunters decided to quickly inform
this to Pāndavās
They came to Bhima & informed about what they had
seen & heard. Bhima amply rewarded the hunters & then went to
Yudhisthira to inform. All the Pāndavās were overjoyed to learn this &
immediately set out for the lake. Sri Krsna accompanied the Pāndavās &
hundreds of other warriors followed. When they came near, Krpā, Asvattāma &
Krtavarmā hearing the approach, quickly bade farewell to Duryodhana & beat
a timely retreat
Maharāj Yudhisthira came to the lake & loudly
challenged Duryodhana: Why have you acted like a coward by hiding in the lake?
Come out now & fight, if you consider yourself to be a heroic Kshatriya
Krsna says:
dambho darpo ’bhimānaś ca krodhaḥ pāruṣyam eva ca
ajñānaṁ cābhijātasya pārtha sampadam āsurīm
Pride, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness &
ignorance – these qualities belong to those of demoniac nature, O son of Pṛthā
Asvattāma despite being on the side of irreligiosity,
desired to be courageous but has opposing conception of courage. The
demoniac regard standing up to God, or whatever they perceive as the
overarching principle of existence, as courage. They see this principle as
unfair, brutal, or even diabolical, something that needs to be opposed &
ultimately destroyed. This twisted determination & concept of courage
drives them to acts of wanton destruction
As
against this, the divine is prepared to stand up for God, ready to
risk limb & life, if necessary, to protect people & principles
dedicated to God’s service & to uphold a godly order in the world. Such a
concept of courage safeguards sacred principles & even the foundational
values of humanity & decency from barbaric forces driven by demoniac ideas
We need more of these courageous individuals if the
world is to be protected from descending into chaos & carnage
Thoughts? #gameoflife
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