Can Dharma be Seen in Bits and Pieces?

Sri Krishna

To answer this question about ‘Can dharma be seen in bits and pieces?’ we should first define what dharma is.

Dharma is like the wind. It can only be felt, it cannot be seen.

You can only express the sweetness of music but you cannot make others enjoy it, just by your narration.

You can only describe the taste of your food, you cannot make others taste the same by your words.

Likewise, you can only feel dharma, but you cannot define it, properly.

Dharma is flexible but also very firm.

Dharma could be loosely translated as duty.

If you split the word ‘dharma’ it would come out as ‘dhr’ ‘ma’. ‘Dhr’, means that which supports. That which supports is dharma.

In law, there is something called the letter of the law and there is something called the spirit of the law. If a conflict arises between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law, we should only take the spirit of the law into account.

Dharma could be loosely defined as that gives maximum benefit to a maximum number of people.

What sustains the order in a society is dharma. This is what is called in the Shanti Mantra of Taitriyopanishad as ‘Rrtam Vadissyaami’ protector of the order in the society.

In a society, there will always be a battle between the good and the evil. To protect the good and to destroy the evil doers is the primary duty of the King.

In Bhagavad Gita, Sri Krishna expresses the same ideas in the following verses that are famous all over the world:

परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् | धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे || 8||

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ vināśhāya cha duṣhkṛitām dharma-sansthāpanārthāya sambhavāmi yuge yuge

Through the above verses, Sri Krishna says that ‘for the protection of the good and the destruction of the wicked I take birth in every yuga or every age.

Before the start of the Kurukshetra war, there were 11 Akshounis or 11 regiments of troops on the side of Duryodhana and on the side of Yudhisthira, there were only 7 Akshounis.

Duryodhana was a bully from day one and was determined to wipe out the Pandavas from the face of the Earth.

Pandavas underwent unspeakable hardships and turmoils due to him and they were now arrayed against one another on the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Sri Krishna was on the side of the righteous Yudhisthira.

But was the war fairly won by the Yudhisthira? No.

The war lasted for about 18 days and up to 9 days the war was going as per the code of conduct agreed upon by both parties.

The situation seemed to be a stalemate. The Pandavas then thought that this war would go on forever without any end if somehow the commander-in-chief of Duryodhana Bhishma was not eliminated from the scene.

Bhishma was the grandsire of both the Pandavas and the Kauravas. So, he had a soft corner towards his great-grandsons, the Pandavas.

The Pandavas then assembled to decide about the next day’s war strategy. They then decide to put Sikandi a transgender in front of Bhishma, knowing fully well that he would not aim his arrows against him.

Keeping him in the front, it was Arjuna who shot terrible arrows that pierced through the coats of Bhishma.

Bhishma

This was against the code of conduct in the war. And yet, Pandavas had to resort to these tactics to establish a larger good.

After Bhishma, Dronacharya was anointed as the Commander-in-Chief by Duryodhana. Drona was the Acharya for both Pandavas and Kauravas.

Dronacharya

He was a formidable opponent. He was causing havoc in the rank and file of the Pandava army.

Then, Sri Krishna suggested that it was not possible to defeat Drona in a fair battle and it was time to use some strategy.

Drona had a son by the name of ‘Aswathama’. So, Krishna asked Bheema to kill one war elephant by the name ‘Aswathama’ in the enemy camp and then proudly proclaim before the Acharya that he had killed Aswathama.

Bheema did the same and loudly and proudly proclaimed before Drona that he had killed his son ‘Aswathama’.

Drona was confused. He couldn’t believe his ears. Overcome with grief for his son’s untimely demise on the battlefield, he felt helpless and crestfallen.

Anyhow he knew all about his students, both Kauravas and Pandavas.

He suspected that Bheema was indulging in some foul play. Hence he summoned Yudhisthira his student to seek from him the truth.

Yudhishthira came before him and said the famous words, or rather infamous words, ‘Aswathama Hatha Kunjaraha’.

The meaning of the above words is that ‘Aswathama — Aswathama, Hatha — Killed, Kunjaraha — the elephant.

When he uttered the word ‘Kunjaraha’ Sri Krishna blew his conch shell so loud that Drona didn’t hear the words ‘Kunjaraha’, which meant the elephant.

Drona was now convinced that his son, Aswathama had been killed by Bheema and sat down in the battle-field in meditation.

Aswathama was alive somewhere else on the battlefield. Before he could present himself before his father, Drona’s life was snatched by his another student ‘Dhrishtadyumna’.

Was this the correct strategy in a battle? NO. But to establish a larger good these kinds of transgressions were made.

During the last duel fought with mace between Duryodhana and Bheema, Bheema hit Duryodhana in his thigh and fell him down.

This was against the ethics of war and Balarama, the brother of Krishna was there in the scene as an observer. Balarama was the trainer of both Duryodhana and Bheema in the mace warfare.

Balarama was infuriated by this transgression of Bheema and rushed to kill him.

Krishna stopped him and asked him, ‘Where he had gone when Duryodhana poisoned Bheema when they were only teenagers; where he had gone when Duryodhana tried to kill them all in a house of lac; where he had gone when he disrobed their queen Draupadi in the assembly; where he had gone when he usurped their Kingdom in a game of dice; where he had gone when the Pandavas were sent to the forest for 13 years and the where had he gone when they had to undergo one year in an incognito manner?’

Krishna further said to him that dharma should be seen only in its entirety. You cannot pick and choose dharma.

In Shanti Parva Bhishma says that ‘even if one is doing charity he should ascertain the bonafide nature of the beneficiary.’

He narrated this through the following story:

One person was taking his cow to sell that to a butcher. The cows, like any animal, have more instinct and somehow the cow knows that the man does not have good intentions and it stubbornly resists him in his efforts.

The man was determined too and he didn’t give up. He puts all his efforts and energy into taking the cow to the butcher. In that process he gets tired and he happens to see a free choultry or a motel on the roadside.

He ties the cow to a tree and goes inside the free motel takes his food and now with increased vigor takes the cow to the butcher.

The cow is killed for its meat. Had not the man running the free motel given him the food, the man would have taken the cow a little late. Or probably, the cow would have also escaped from him.

But after taking the free food, the man resumed his journey to kill the cow for its meat with renewed vigor. Therefore a part of the sin of killing the cow is now vested with the man who ran the free motel.

So, dharma is very subtle. Neither should you do anything wrong nor should you help anybody doing wrong either directly or indirectly.