Vedic Wisdom Talks

Phenomenal & Numinous! The jackal became Tiger’s minister. When other servants of the Tiger King saw how much honour & respect was being given to the jackal, they became envious, so much so that while talking amongst themselves, they openly expressed their hatred for the new minister. Because these other servants of the king lived by misappropriating the wealth of others, they saw the jackal as a threat to their existence First, they tried to bring him to their side by offering him large bribes, but the wise & pious jackal was never tempted. As a result, the other ministers became even more envious & afraid of him. Finally, after conspiring together, they took some very special meat that was meant for the king & placed it inside the jackal’s house Although the jackal learned of the plot, he remained silent, remembering how the king had agreed to never mistrust him without a sufficient cause. When dinnertime came, the tiger discovered that the meat kept for his...

Human psychology! Yudhisthira said: There are many persons who externally appear to be very tranquil while internally they are in turmoil. Similarly, there are others that don’t appear to be peaceful externally & yet internally they are quite self-satisfied. Considering this, how can one distinguish between one who has attained peace of mind & one who has not? Bhisma said: I’ll tell you a story to understand the answer to your question. Long ago there was a wicked king named Paurika, who ruled from his capital city, Purika. As a result of his very sinful & cruel acts, this king had to accept the body of a jackal in his next life, although by the mercy of the Lord, he was able to remember his past prosperity. Because of this, Paurika felt very morose at having become so degraded Being directly able to see how suffering is caused by a sinful life, he became repentant. Indeed, the jackal decided to completely abstain from meat & also made up his mind to be truthful i...

Divine Desire! Bhisma next cited following conversation to Maharaj Yudhisthira, that took place long ago between Indra & Brihaspati Brihaspati said: A king should never quarrel with his enemies, because quarrelling is for boys. One should never put an enemy on guard by showing anger, fear or joy. Externally, one should treat his enemies as if he has implicit faith in them. Then, when an enemy is off guard, he can easily be attacked and conquered Indra enquired: Dear teacher, how can a wicked person be easily understood? Brihaspati said: A wicked person is one who proclaims the faults of another behind his back, who is envious of other’s achievements, and who remains silent while others are being praised in his presence. Of course, mere silence at such a time is not in itself a sign of wickedness, but an envious person will be seen to breathe heavily, shake his head negatively, or bite his lip. Another characteristic of a wicked person is that he does not fulfil his promises...

The art of governance!   Maharaj Yudhisthira asked Bhisma: How should one go about consolidating all the diverse elements within his kingdom? Bhisma said: My dear King! Each village must have a headman, and one person should be assigned to supervise ten villages. An officer should work along with two such superintendents & a higher officer should oversee five of these. Thus, he has jurisdiction over hundred villages. A deputy minister should supervise 10 such high officials & directly report to the King’s prime minister The headman of the village must be able to ascertain the character of each & every resident. When he sees a fault, he should correct it. The produce of the village or villages that he oversees supports the various officers. The king also maintains himself & his government by taking resources from his kingdom & its citizens, but he must do this the way a man milks a cow If a calf is allowed to drink sufficient milk, it will become strong ...

Association & delegation! Bhisma said to Maharaj Yudhisthira: There are 4 kinds of sympathetic persons that the king can employ to assist him-those related by birth, those having same objectives, those naturally devoted to him, and those that have been won over by kind behavior & gifts. There is also fifth class of sympathizers. He is the virtuous person that is naturally inclined to act for the cause of righteousness. Such persons should only be utilized for virtuous undertakings, however, for they will never cooperate in the execution of the unrighteous dealings that kings are often forced to engage in Of the other four, those who are naturally devoted & those that are related by birth can be trusted more, whereas those who share common goal & those that are won over by gifts must always be regarded by suspicion. The minds of men are always subject to change. At any time, a friend can become an enemy & vice versa. For this reason, no one should be completely t...

Biggest gift! Bhisma said to Maharaj Yudhisthira - A king should imitate the activities of the flower cultivator and not the manufacturer of charcoal. The flower grower waters his plants & trees carefully and takes from them only their fruit & flowers. On the other hand, the maker of charcoal uproots the entire tree and burns it to get what he wants   If a sinless person associates with those who are sinful, he has to accept a share of their sinful reactions, just as the water that is associated with wood also becomes evaporated when there is fire. During the present lifetime, we see that the land holds the pious & the wicked equally. The Sun warms them both, water cleans them without distinction & the air blows on them equally. Their destinations are not the same, however for the righteous go to the heavenly planets, where they live without invalidity or lamentation, whereas the sinful go to the hellish planets, which are full of darkness, pain & sorrow ...