Yudhisthira asked Bhisma: How should a king act so as to become happy?
Bhisma replied: One should not try to become happy simply by arranging life in such a way that all his necessities are achieved without much endeavour. Idleness is said to be one’s greatest enemy. On the other hand, one should not act feverishly or blindly. Everything should be done in a suitable manner. Because success ultimately depends upon utilizing one’s good intelligence, works that are accomplished by the brain are considered best. Work done by use of the arms is considered middling, work performed by use of feet is considered inferior, and work accomplished by carrying heavy loads is considered the lowest
Yudhisthira enquired: How should a king behave towards an enemy more powerful than himself?
Bhisma replied: Once the presiding deity of the ocean enquired from the deities of the rivers: O Goddesses, why is it that with your strong currents you bring to me many trees after tearing them from your banks, but never the weaker canes that also grow there? Is it out of contempt for the canes that you neglect them?
Ganga devi replied: The great trees that stand by out banks are unyielding. It is because of their stiffness that they are carried away by our raging currents. On the other hand, the canes bend with the currents. When the water once again becomes calm, they resume their normal posture. It is because the canes are yielding that they are not carried away & thus suffer
O Yudhisthira! When a king sees that his enemy is more powerful than himself, he should adopt the behaviour of the canes to avoid destruction
Yudhisthira asked: How should one behave when in an assembly of men, he is addressed with harsh words by an ignorant, puffed-up person?
Bhisma said: If one does not become angry when abused by another, he takes away all that person’s merit achieved by performing good deeds. In addition, he transfers to the abuser the reactions of his sinful acts. After all, what is the value of the praise or blame spoken by a vulgar fool? A person who praises someone in his presence & then criticizes him when his back is turned is no better than a dog
One who always criticizes others should be carefully avoided. If one tries to counter such a person by coming down to his level, he becomes degraded by the attempt. In a debate, a virtuous person’s tactics are limited, whereas a deceitful person can employ so many abominable methods. And if a truthful person tries to utilize the degraded tactics congenial to his opponent, he will find himself at an even greater disadvantage. Because of this, an honest & truthful man should always avoid an argument with an unscrupulous person
Stay far away from nasty people. Envious people, who backbite, drain our enthusiasm for life. Whereas association with great souls who are well-wishers of all living beings are our greatest inspiration
Thoughts? #gameoflife
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