From Mahabharata to a Bharatha
In the pre-Anglicized history of our nation, one of our greatest kings, known for his acute sense of justice and truth, Maharaja Yudhishthira or Dharmaraya as we call him in Kannada, was serving his time in exile along with his brothers and their dear wife. Meanwhile, Duryodhana (Dharmaraya’s first cousin), who never seemed to spare a dull moment, neither for himself nor for his companions or for his adversaries (Pandavas - Yudhishthira and brothers), got this brilliant idea (we call it "chaturbhudhi") of going camping in the forest and partying with his friends and brothers. Duryodhana and company’s sadistic idea was to set up camp in close proximity to where Yudhishthira and his brothers had established their hermitage and mock them for their misfortune. To cut the story short, Duryodhana and Co.'s plan didn't work out; instead, karma had its way. 'D-Company' got into a skirmish with another folk or tribe in the forest, and Duryodhana, the great warrior with a mace, got captured, while all his brothers and friends, 'great warriors' in their own right, went scurrying for their lives. Eventually, this news reached our Maharaja Yudhishthira's camp.
Yudhishthira's brothers, after having a hearty laugh at Duryodhana’s plight, tried to persuade their elder brother, their king, not to bother or intervene in the matter, as Duryodhana totally deserved the pathetic state he was in. However, Dharmaraya had something else in mind. He said, “No matter what Duryodhana's intentions towards us might be, it is our duty to go to his rescue. When there is conflict within our family, the great Kuru dynasty, they (Duryodhana and the rest of his 99 brothers) are one hundred, and we are five. But when conflict is with an outsider (whoever does not belong to the Kuru dynasty) and any member of our family, we are one hundred and five.” He said this to his younger brothers before commanding them to go on a rescue mission for 'D and Co.'
We, the people of Bharat, who are entrusted with preserving Dharmaraya’s legacy and magnanimity, we, the people of India, one hundred and forty crores and counting, we, the people of Hindustan, never seem to spare a dull moment by polarizing ourselves over every single, minute, mundane, and 'profound' matter. We name these petty skirmishes as 'vibrant democracy.'
Proof by contradiction works well for mathematics and logic, but it's not a healthy practice when it comes to politics, social matters, or public discourse.
It's not necessary to speak ill of the Congress (INC) or Rahul Gandhi if we want to praise Modiji or BJP, and vice versa. What nonsense is this right and left-wing business? It sounds French to my ears. Banter between Iskcon vs. Sadhguru followers, supporters of String Vinod, and Dhruv Rathee supporters; they call them Bhakts and the Bhakts call them Librandus. NDTV subscribers vs. Republic TV followers, Pandit Nehru's supporters vs. Netaji Bose supporters. The sad but not boring part is that the list of these political disparities diverges to infinity, like an asymptote that never touches the Truth. Yes, I said 'not boring.' We, the people, have turned our own politics into a mockery, and politicians have become sources and portals of entertainment. We've transformed the sacred legislative process into a national time pass.
We're playing this perilous political game of tug of war, using Mother India's arms as the two sides of a rope, or worse, she's being pulled in all directions and torn into pieces.
The greatest politician and statesman to have ever walked this earth was born in this bountiful land of Bharat. He tried his best to unite the nation and the political rivals of his time, but he failed. What followed next was devastating for everyone. Many great wars and battles on the planet started as a consequence of silly skirmishes and wreaked havoc on both sides.
Sri Krishna's spiritual concept for human well-being was to establish oneself in yoga before engaging in any activity. We, the people of Bharat, need to take a hint from that and establish our political identity first as Bharatiyas (I know it's a quite a mouthful term), and then observe and allow our political parties and individuals to present their political manifestos and agendas. We have completely overlooked the silent revolution in the form of the 'secrecy of the ballot' in this country.
After all, we are 140.something crores and counting…..We are all Bharathas.
Maharaja Yudistir ki jay
Satyam Eva Jayathe
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