Chapter 6
Vidura's Renunciation
Inside the palace, Vidura
enquired about the welfare of every one of his
kinsmen. Then Kuntî Devî, the
queen-mother, came in and casting her endearing
looks at him, said, "At last, we have been able
to see you, 0 Vidura!", she could not say more.
After some time
she resumed, "How could you stay away so long,
ignoring the very children whom you reared with
so much love and myself and others who revere
you so much. It is through your grace that my
children are today rulers of this land. Where
would they be today if you had not saved them on
many a critical occasion? We were the target for
many a disaster; but, the greatest one was your
being away from us. That affected us most. Even
the hope of seeing you again was extinguished in
us. Now, our hearts have sprouted again.
Aspirations scattered by despair have come
together. Today, our joy has attained fullness.
O, what a happy day!" Kuntî sat for a
while wiping her tears.
Vidura held
her hands, but, could not resist his own tears.
He was recapitulating the varied events of the
past, in the Pândava and Kaurava
groups. He said, "Mother Kuntî Devî. Who
can overcome the decrees of fate? What must
happen, happens. The good and the evil that men
do have to result in good and evil. How can man
be called free, when he is bound by this law of
cause and effect? (See also S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam Chapter 6: The generating of the
Universal Form)
He is a puppet in
the hands of this law; it pulls the strings and
he makes the movements. Our likes and dislikes
are of no consequence. Everything is His will,
His grace." When Vidura was thus expounding the
fundamental spiritual truths that govern human
affairs, the brothers Dharmaraja, Bhîma,
Nakula, and Sahadeva were
sitting near, wrapped in close attention.
Kuntî raised
her head at last and said, "Through your
blessings, we won the war; but, we were
powerless to save the lives of the sons of Draupadî
and the son of Subhadrâ (sister of
Krishna, married with Arjuna). Misfortune
haunted us so strongly. Of course, as you said,
no one can escape one's destiny. Well, let the
past be forgotten. It is meaningless to worry
over what cannot be set right. I must say, my
thirst has now been considerably relieved; I
could meet you at last. Where were you all this
time? Tell us."
At this, Vidura
replied that he had been on a pilgrimage to a
number of holy places. The brothers listened
with rapt attention to his story, prodding him
with questions. Dharmaraja said often
that he was awaiting the day when he too could
go through all those holy experiences. He folded
his palms in reverence whenever a holy shrine
was mentioned and with closed eyes, he pictured
to himself the sacred spot. Meanwhile, Bhîma
interjected, "Did you proceed to Dvârakâ?
Please tell us your experiences there." Dharmaraja
too added, "You must have met Lord Krishna
there, isnt it? Tell us all what happened, in
full detail." Kuntî Devî too became
eager to hear his description; for, she said,
"Tell us, tell us. My son is there now; you must
have met him too. How are they all? I hope the
old (foster)parents, Nanda and Yas'odâ
are well. And, Devakî and Vasudeva?"
A shower of questions fell on Vidura, even
before he started talking.
Vidura was not
over-eager to answer. He talked as if he was
anxious to avoid being drawn into the topic. For
he had learnt from Uddhava while on the
way to Dvârakâ that the Yadava
clan had perished and Krishna had closed
His human career. He had no desire to plunge the
Pândavas into grief, when they were
elated at meeting him after a long time. "Why
should I who have given them so much joy be
myself the cause for wiping off that joy," he
argued. "They are sure to know about it, from
Arjuna who will be returning from Dvârakâ
with the sorrowful news." So, he swallowed the
news that popped up quite often into his mouth;
he satisfied himself and them, by describing the
glory of Krishna. He said, "I did not like to
visit kith and kin with these ascetic robes on,
so, I did not meet any of the Yadava
leaders or Nanda, Yas'odâ and
others", and kept quiet. He did not dilate
further on Dvârakâ and his own
pilgrimage.
"I came to you,
because I heard that you have won the war and
are peacefully engaged at last in ruling over
the kingdom which was rightfully yours; I felt
drawn towards these children whom I had fostered
from a tender age. It was affection towards them
that drew me here. Among my kith and kin, I was
tempted to visit only you; I did not desire to
meet any others", he said and turned towards the
vedantic teachings which he wanted to
impart. When the conversation ended, Dharmaraja
prayed that Vidura might take residence
at the quarters specially arranged for him and
himself accompanied him to the mansion.
There, he
appointed certain persons to serve Vidura and
requested him to take rest at that place. Vidura
did not relish the idea of spending his time in
that seat of luxury; but, he entered the mansion
lest Dharmaraja (Yudhisthhira) be displeased. He
lay on his bed, reviewing the past; He sighed
when he realised that the stratagems which the
blind Dhritarâshthra, his own brother,
employed to destroy the Pândavas, the
children of his other brother Pându,
recoiled on him and caused the destruction of
his own clan. He admired Dharmaraja for the
magnanimity he was showing towards
Dhritarâshthra, in spite of the fact that he had
tortured the Pândavas in various ways.
Dharmaraja was revering him with great faith and
devotion and attending to his comforts. He felt
the utmost disgust when he recapitulated the
wickedness of Dhritarâshthra's heart; he
was ashamed that the old man was coolly
wallowing in the luxury of the palace, instead
of cultivating detachment from the flimsy
pleasures of the senses and attempting to
realise the goal of human life, namely,
liberation, from the cycle of birth and death.
He experienced an uncontrollable agony that his
brother was wasting the few remaining years of
life on earth.
His yogic vision
told him that the Pândavas too will soon
disappear; that the same Krishna who
guarded them here will look after their best
interest in the hereafter too. But, he surmised
that the blind king will suffer more, after the
departure of the Pândavas. He resolved to send
that unfortunate brother out into pilgrimage and
the ultimate realisation of his destiny. He did
not want any delay to intervene. So, he slipped
out in the darkness, without being noticed by
any one, and walked straight into the residence
of Dhritarâshthra.
The blind king and
his queen, Gandhâri, were of course
expecting Vidura to call upon them, for
they had learnt that he had come to town. So,
when Vidura stepped in, he embraced him and shed
tears of joy. He could not contain himself. He
listed one by one the calamities that overtook
him and his children and lamented over fate.
Vidura tried to console him with the profound
teachings of the scriptures. But, he soon
discovered that the petrified heart of the old
man will not melt at the application of cold
advice; he knew that his stupidity can be
overcome only by hard blows. (See also S'rîmad Bhâgavatam Chapter
1: Questions by Vidura)
So, he changed the
tune and resorted to blame and abuse. Hearing
this Dhritarâshthra was alarmed. He
expostulated, "Brother! We are burning in agony
at the loss of our hundred sons; and, you prick
the wound with the sharp needles of your angry
abuse. Even before we taste the joy of meeting
you after so long a time, why do you try to
plunge us deeper into distress? Alas! Why should
I blame you for hard-heartedness? I am laughed
at by all, blamed by all. I have no right to
find fault with you." With head bent and resting
on his palms, Dhritarâshthra sat in
silence.
Vidura recognised
this as the opportune moment for instilling the
lesson of renunciation, which alone could save
him from perdition. He knew that his purpose was
beyond reproach, for, he wanted them to
undertake pilgrimage to holy places and fill
themselves with sanctity, and meet great and
good men and recognise the Lord within and thus
save themselves. So, he decided to use even
stronger words with a view to transform him, and
the queen. Though filled with pity at their
forlorn condition, Vidura had in mind the dire
days when they will need all the courage that jńâna
alone can give them; so, he was determined to
wound them into action. He said, "0 foolish
King! Have you no shame? Do you still find joy
in earthly pleasures? Of what avail is it if you
wallow in the mire until you die? I thought you
had enough of it and more. Time is a cobra that
lies in wait to sting you to death. You dare
hope that you can escape it and live for ever.
No one, however great, has escaped the sting.
You run after happiness in this temporary world
and you seek to fulfil your desires in order to
get some paltry satisfaction. You are wasting
precious years. Make your life worthwhile. It is
not yet too late to begin the effort. Give up
this cage called home. Dismiss from your mind
the paltry pleasures of this world. Remember the
joy that awaits you, the world that is welcoming
you, the end of this journey. Save yourself.
Avoid the foolish fate of giving up this life in
the agony of separation from kith and kin. Learn
to die with the thought of the Lord uppermost in
the mind at the moment of departure. It is far
better to die in joy in the thick of the
blackest forest than die in distress in the
palace of this capital city. Go, go and do tapas.
Get away from this place, this prison which you
call home."
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