bhishma-stuthi-23
From the Bhakti List Archives
• July 28, 1997
srimathE lakshmi-nrsumha parabrahmaNE namaha sri vedanta guravE namaha Dear "bhAgavatOttamA-s", If BhishmA's so-called 'act of treachery' on the 9th evening of Kurukshetra were to be subjected to the 5 "visEsha-dharmA" "tests" -- (A) to (E) listed in the last post -- the "test-results" would read as follows : Firstly, the 'pitAmaha-r', a "mahApUrUshan" per Swami Desikan's definition, "transcended" Moral Choices 'A' or 'B' (both 'sAmAnya-dharmA') as a way out of the moral morass in which he realized all of his beloved Hastinapur (and both royal families as well) found itself in . Secondly, the "uttama-dharmAdhikAri" felt that if there was a single act by which he could help bring a senseless war to an ABRUPT END on the 10th Day, and thereby save several thousands of families of innocent men and women .... if there was any ONE such act.... then BhishmAchArya-r wanted to perform it immediately ! He foresaw, if the War dragged on any longer, far grimmer tragedy would befall Hastinapur than what prevailed before it all started ! Under the circumstances, the venerable old warrior clearly perceived what was his true "visEsha-dharmA" : HE HAD TO DIE ! BhishmA was the pre-eminent elderman of both the Kaurava and Pandava families. He held a unique position of reverence for both of them. Therefore, BhishmA himself was 'constructively' responsible for their collective plight ! He knew, he could never escape responsiblity, in large part, for the UTTER MORAL ROT that had set in the state of Hastinapur over the years since Lady Draupadi was disrobed in open assembly in the royal palace. Bhishma, thus, may be said to have felt bitterly like the Prince in Shakespeare's "Hamlet" who wailed, "Methinks, something is rotten in the state of Denmark!" Therefore, there was a "moral Inevitability" to which BhishmA knew he would have to, at last, submit. It was an "Opportunity", too, for him to seize .... an "opportunity" by which the crushing burden of his conscience, grown heavy over the years with the unspeakable corruption heaped on his beloved state and peoples of Hastinapur, could be lightened, at last. That "moral Inevitability", BhishmAchAryA clearly saw, was HIS OWN END. "If I were to die now", Bhishma calculated,"if I were to die now, then perhaps both the Kauravas and Pandavas might all be brought back to their senses !". The loss of a common family-elder, and the "vishva-druk" of their communities, might perhaps jolt them all out of their hateful madness and might yet remind them that they had a common ancestry, a common heritage, a common destiny. "If I were to lay down my life, then perhaps, brother and brother, father and son, kith and kin may stop tearing each other's throats .... and pause to mourn the death of a common elderman .... and thereby, perhaps, re-discover their own fraternity, their filial bonds and love .....If I were to die now, maybe, my lovely Hastinapur and her people could yet be saved ....?" That was the forlorn hope of Bhishma. It was the seed of his supremely moral 3rd choice and what he perceived as his "visEsha-dharmA". It was the "final solution" to the ravages and blight wrought on his beloved Hastinapur. He was himself the prime cause for Hastinapur's woes and, hence, deserved certainly to be no less arraigned for it than any Pandava or Kaurava. In the final analysis, as the 'pater-familias' of both families, it was he, BhishmA thought, who ought to carry the combined load of guilt for moral failings which otherwise seemed to sit so lightly on both Kaurava and Pandava shoulder .... (Those of you who are familiar with modern Indian History would know that something of the same feelings of Sri.Bhishma also beset Mahatma Gandhi when in 1947/48 Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in Noakhali and districts of Bihar. During those dark and bloody days Gandhi felt that if he were to DIE through an indefinite fast, then perhaps, the rioting would stop; and Hindu and Muslim would recover his sanity, good sense and goodwill. After days of fasting in the city of Calcutta, he was on the verge of death. The rioting mobs finally fearing Gandhi's end quit their madness! Such was the power and glory ONE MAN's "dhArmi-c" stature.... NOT martyrdom !) So, Bhishma quickly made his moral choice that night ... he gave Yudhishtra the advice that would help the Pandavas advance their cause in War .... but MORE IMPORTANTLY, would lead to the "pitA-mahar's" own END which he perceived as his "moral Inevitability". Bhishma's was thus, well and truly, an utterly self-less act of "visEsha-dharmA"! Lastly, even today, after many ages, lesser mortals still find the great "pitA-mahar"'s" deed morally questionable ! Next Post. srimathe srivan satagopa sri narayana yatindra mahadesikaya namaha sudarshan
- Next message: M K Sudarshan: "Re: A follow up question to -> Re: The Ultimate sharaNagathi and personal beliefs ..."
- Previous message: M K Sudarshan: "Re: SRI MANI'S REQUEST"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]