Best Qualities in a Man!!

The Mahabharatha, it is one of the greatest literature’s in the world. No other body of work brings out the complexity of human emotions/ feelings and problems with solutions in such a profound and entertaining way. It shows us the application of philosophy when it comes to deciding between right and wrong where the answers are not straight forward.

The four most striking characters in Mahabharata are Bhishma Pitama, Dronacharya, Karna and Arjun and all of them held distinct set of firm principles and values, and lived by them. They were great heroes, very learned and very brave. However out of all the men – Arjun stands out and is loved by all. Let us see the reason one by one.

Bhishma Pitama – he was the greatest warrior of his era, never performed a selfish action all his life. He was mighty, learned and respected. He had taken an oath to unquestioningly follow the King of the Kingdom called Hastinapur. This vow he would never break all his life even though he knew the King is on the wrong side. He made his personal oath as an obsession and put it onto a pedestal. Though the King was wrong and had done injustice to his nephews, Bhishma Pitama never really stood up for justice and finally fought a war against his dear nephews, when in his heart, he knew that they had done nothing wrong. Lord Krishna requested him many times to drop his vow for the greater good but Bhishma Pitama disregarded it. He was punished eventually in the war by the Lord. Moral is that keeping a promise is important, especially in today’s world where promises are broken every second. But being rigid and obsessed with your vows is not good especially if it is for the wrong people or where there is injustice. The Mahabharatha says if your attachment to a personal vow stops you from doing what is blatantly right and ends up making you serve the wrong, such a vow should be dropped or set aside for the greater good.

Dronacharya – He was the best teacher of the era. Best in art of warfare and statecraft. He was hired by the King of Hastinapur to train all the prince. He was handsomely remunerated by the King for his services. However, whenever the King and his son did a wrong deed he never had the courage to stand up and confront them. He put his loyalty above everything. Lord Krishna punished him too in the war for justice. Moral – The Mahabharatha says loyalty towards a wrong behaviour or wrong person is of no good.

Karna – he was a great warrior of his times. He and Arjun were equal in archery and the best at that, but Karna was far more physically stronger than Arjun. Karna did lot of charity, he was a selfless man. Karna appeared to be more steadfast in principles than Arjun. However, he had one flaw for which Lord Krishna punished him in the war for justice and that was he put his loyalty towards his friend (Prince Duryodana) above all, even above right and wrong, even above god. Lord Krishna gave him many chances to choose the right path but he chose his friend though his friend was doing all the selfish things possible to harm others. The Mahabharatha states that we should not be loyal blindly, loyalty is a fair value but being blind is not good when the other person/ partner has selfish motives. Moral God always gives us many choices in life, it’s we who choose the one that is right in front of us and think perhaps it’s the best, or take an uncomplicated way out based on our needs and situations, and then very easily put it on God as if – it’s his wish. Therefore, wait appropriately and be loyal wisely. Only God deserves unflinching loyalty!!

Arjuna – he was a great man, a great archer. He was a great warrior but in reality, he had lot of weaknesses. Infact he was the weakest of the lot. Arjuna was very foolhardy/ foolish at times. He did a lot of actions out of emotions. Many a times put his brothers in trouble but Lord Krishna rescued him. In the war of justice – The Mahabhartha war for establishing Dharma – Arjuna became over emotional of punishing his own brothers and family, put his weapons down and started weeping. But Lord Krishna made him understand that the war was required for the greater good. The only quality the puts Arjuna in different light is that he was humble and he put Lord Krishna’s words as the final verdict. He did not get his loyalty or vows in between, he just followed the Lord as the ultimate guide. He understood that the current scenario is put by god himself and the Lord wants him to face it and come out as winner. Therefore, despite of his flaws – Arjuna is the one who is etched upon the hearts of humanity as the ideal to aspire. Moral is that Lord Krishna does not see your flaws and disowns you. Lord only wants you to accept every challenge or situation he puts you in with your full heart and have full faith on him. He will help you if you are humble and have good intentions.

So, what do we learn – we all are far from perfect, we have our flaws. But we should have few strong fundamentals like being humble, kind and full of gratitude and leave fake pride/ arrogance and a big ego aside . Accept God as the ultimate guide, be a sincere player/ doer of karma for everything he puts you into. Else it does not matter how strong, loyal, faithful or a promise keeper you are, your life is wasted – just like the lives of Bhishma Pitama, Dronacharya and Karna. They had huge life potential for the greater good but they were on the side of selfishness and fake pride. Our every action should make people smile and should be for the benefit of all. God’s grace is always on such people!!

One of the Mahabharata Quotes – “A grey head does not make an elder, not by years, not by riches, not by many relations. He is great to us who has learning!!”

And the last one for all of you…Keep smiling Molly!!

” There is nothing that humility may not accomplish”….!