Poonam Sharma
In the land of ancient Bharat, where the winds of destiny entwine the fabric of heroism and tragedy, there lived countless great souls, each burdened with the responsibility of the result of their actions in the exquisitely intertwined fabric of life. Amongst these legends, the dialogue between Lord Krishna and his wife, Rukmini, is a moving reminder of the invisible force that controls the universe — Karma.
One evening, when the dust of the great war of Mahabharata had settled and victorious Krishna had returned to his palace in Dwaraka, his wife Rukmini could not avoid asking questions about things that had troubled her. She, like everyone else, had witnessed the blood and savagery that the war had brought upon the world. Although Krishna’s role as the strategist and divine advisor was well known to everybody, Rukmini was curious about more intimate, inner aspects of the war.
“Krishna,” she began softly, “You are the embodiment of truth, of virtue, and yet you caused so many righteous men to be killed. Guru Drona, the master teacher, and Bheeshma, the Kuru clan’s elder, were men of unwavering virtue. Why did you just watch, as they were slaughtered? Why did you, the divine, allow such unnecessary killings to be visited upon them?”
Krishna, always wise, paused before replying. He had not been surprised that this would be the question. For even his most intimate disciples could hardly even start to understand the subtleties of divine will and human purpose. He paused first, weighing her words, for the truth, though plain to him, would be a bitter pill for any who walked the path of virtue. But seeing her resolve, Krishna started to speak, his tone even but firm.
“Rukmini, you are right in pointing out that Drona and Bheeshma also lived lives characterized by extreme righteousness. All their actions were for the sake of dharma, the universal order. Both of them, however, had committed one act of omission, an error which had tarnished the very texture of their virtue. The action was not an action of ill will but one of indifference.”
Rukmini, curious, questioned, “What was this transgression which would cancel their righteous life?”
Krishna’s eyes darkened as he recalled the event. “You see, when the Pandavas’ wife, Draupadi, was insulted in the Hastinapur court, both Drona and Bheeshma, both elders, remained quiet. Though they were wise, learned, and in power, they did nothing. Their silence, their failure to utter a word at a time when their voice would have altered the course of events, is what led to their downfall.”.
Rukmini’s forehead was creased in amazement. “But they themselves did not commit the injustice. Why should they then be so heavily punished?
Krishna sighed. “The worst crime is not violence, but witnessing injustice and doing nothing. They witnessed the desecration of a woman’s honor, a desecration of the very pillar of dharma. At that time, they said nothing with their silence. They did not want to save the innocent for fear of violating their allegiance or causing themselves pain. And that, Rukmini, is what killed them.”
Her mind extending to the inner depths of Krishna’s words now, Rukmini inquired, “And what of Karna? Karna, the great giver, the one who never denied anyone in distress — did his acts of charity not outweigh any misdeed?”
Krishna smiled, a tinge of sadness in his eyes. “Karna was certainly famous for his charity, for he never turned away a beggar. But charity is not always bestowed for the sake of charity. Real charity is bestowed with wisdom, with understanding. Karna’s charity, while vast, was not without stain. One day, when Abhimanyu, the young and valiant son of Arjuna, was dying on the battlefield, he begged Karna for a drink of water. There was a puddle of clear water at hand, but Karna, afraid of his friend Duryodhana’s anger, did not grant it to him. Abhimanyu perished without the comfort of that water, his thirst unslaked.”
Rukmini, who was taken aback, inquired, “But how is this similar to the noble charity Karna demonstrated?”
Krishna’s face darkened. “Charity, when given, must be given out of a sense of justice. Karna’s refusal to give water to a dying man was not because he was not a generous man but because he was lacking in moral courage. He feared the wrath of assisting Abhimanyu, who was of the other party. In the moment of need, he preferred loyalty to his friend over sympathy for the suffering of a dying man. This one act of callousness made a mockery of the life of charity that he had led.”.
Krishna’s eyes wandered to the far horizon. “It was not so much Karna’s largesse that sealed his fate, but his decision to ignore the greater summons of dharma in favor of personal attachment. Not the quantity of good deeds does the law of karma govern, but the quality and the motive behind them. Not whether the actions are of immense magnitude or of small size does the divine law judge, but the motive, the awareness, and the righteousness behind the act.”
Rukmini, now contemplative, sat in quiet reflection as the weight of Krishna’s words bore down upon her. She had always clung to the conviction in the righteousness of action and the faith that good action would always reap good consequences. But Krishna had shown her that the quality of karma was not so much in what was being done but in the manner and the reason it was being done.
Krishna went on, “Karma is the unseen force that turns the wheel of life. It is the dance of destiny. Every thought, every word, every action echoes through the universe. It is not the good you do, but the rightness with which you do it, that determines your fate. A moment of injustice, when seen and ignored, can nullify the multitudes of acts of virtue performed by a lifetime. Karma forgives no indifference.”. And thus Rukmini understood. The story of Drona, Bheeshma, and Karna was not a story of great men, but a caution to all who live in the world that even the smallest lapse, the slightest neglect of righteousness, could destroy the greatest of lives. Karma was not just a cause and effect — it was the reflection of one’s inner self, their sense of right and wrong, their awareness of the world’s suffering, and their promise to act according to the highest law of dharma. With Krishna as her guide, Rukmini realized that in the dance of life, every step, every choice, was an opportunity to attune herself to the divine order, or to slip into the consequences of ignorance and inertia. Therefore, the path to prosperity was not just one of external success but of inner awareness — the awareness that every act has its reaction, and every soul accountable to the dance of karma.
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