Mahabharata – 110A

by 

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
                                   Aadivamsavatarana Parva

      Dialogue between Sukracharyana & Devyani

Sukracharya told his daughter Devyani-- Brahman itself was  pleased  with me because of  my penance. Now Sukracharya being one with Brahman said that it is me who is the lord of that which is in all things on Earth or in Heaven! I tell you truly that it is me who pours rain for the good of all the creatures.

Thus by such sweet words Sukracharya tried  to pacify Devyani who was depressed with woe and oppressed by anger.

Sukracharya said--  Devyani you know that  he who never minds the evil speeches of others, conquers  everything. The wise say that he is a true man, who does not indulge in his rising anger. He intelligently holds tightly  the reins of  his horses. He is the true charioteer. Oh Devayani! He who restrains his anger & is calm, he who forgives, he can conquer everything. He who conquers with forgiveness conquers the world.The way a snake doffs its shell so should we doff our anger with the force of forgiveness. Only then we realise our purusa-self. Purusa means the one who fills every want & every vacuum.The person who restrains anger & who puts up with scolding of others, the person who is tortured by others but who does not torture others in turn attains dharma,artha,kama & moksha. The person who worships his ancestors for hundred years is not as pious as the person who has conquered anger. So the person without anger is the best of the men. He who has cravings & he who is choleric is despised very much.Hence he who has cravings or he who is angry can not get any dividend from observing sacrifice,charity & penance.In other words a man without any cravings or anger definitely reaps good results through the observation of fire sacrifice, penance & charity. But such efforts on the part of   an angry person or of a person who burns with lust come to nought.

Therefore one who  overcomes enmity is the best person in the world. Lust & anger are the most blame worthy & therefore a lustrous & angry person’s all the efforts such as sacrifice, penance & charity all go in vain. The person without desire & enmity gets the desired result of sacrifice, charity & penance. But on the other hand the lustrous & angry persons never achieve the same result. And he can never stick to any vow. A passionate person’s friends, sons, wife, brothers, servants, truthfulness & piousness -- all are in vain.  

 Boys and girls, unable to distinguish between right and wrong, quarrel with each other. The wise never imitate them.

Devayani, on hearing her father said  --  'Oh father! Being a child, I know, the doctrine  of the  spirituality & also the difference  between anger and forgiveness. I know the strength of both anger & forgiveness. But when a disciple behaves disrespectfully, he should never be forgiven by the preceptor, if the latter is really desirous of benefiting the former. Therefore, I do not desire to live any longer in a country where evil behaviour is at its peak. The wise man desirous of good, should not dwell among those sinfully inclined men who always speak ill of good behaviour and high birth. But one should live where good behaviour and purity of birth are known and respected. Rich & angry persons are never engaged in any honest mission. Rather they want to be more rich & they are always sinful & wicked. By birth or caste no one becomes wicked. But those who  lack the ability to respond & who always look for wealth, fame, race & education as per the rules they are also wicked. Where wicked neighbours always make false accusation & dislike the good  & the honest, one should not live there because by the way honest people become dishonest in the long run. Living with the indecent & mischievous people in a mixed population, men gradually become inclined to foul play or unproductive work. Therefore one should not live in a place where wicked persons are predominant.