DHARMA AND ADHARMA

Dharma and adharma are essentially about the right and the wrong and often drawing a line between the two is difficult. People often justify their wrong deeds on situational or circumstantial predicaments. But it has to be remembered that right is right and wrong is wrong, circumstances notwithstanding. In the Mahabharata war, the Kauravas led by Duryodhana represented Adharma and Pandavas led by Yudhisthira symbolised Dharma. The epic battle at Kurukshetra is believed to be between Dharma and Adharma and the entire lesson of Gita is about following the path of Dharma which is the basic duty of man. But there is a big question — why did people choose Adharma over Dharma? A very interesting conversation between Krishna and Karna during the Mahabharata gives valuable insights to finding the answer to this basic question. When Krishna tries to find out how a person as noble as Karna is taking the side of Duryodhana who symbolizes Adharma, Karna gives a long reply citing reasons for his disenchantment with Dharma. He says that his mother abandoned him the moment he was born and he could only survive by a quirk of fate. Even though he was not responsible for what had transpired, he was stamped illegitimate. Dronacharya refused to teach him because he was not considered a Kshatriya — even though he actually was. By faking his identity, he could persuade Parashuram to teach him but there also, he ultimately got a curse rather than a blessing once it was discovered that he actually was a Kshatriya. A cow was accidentally hit by his arrow and the owner of the cow cursed him for no fault of his. At Draupadi’s Swayamvara he was disgraced. Later, only to save her sons’ life did Kunti, his mother, accept him as her son. So, whatever he had got was owing to Duryodhana’s kind gesture. How could he possibly be wrong for taking the side of Duryodhana? Lord Krishna’s reply to this is worth understanding. He says that he was born in a jail and death was lurking all around him, even before he was born. His brothers and sisters were killed just because they were his siblings. The night he was born he was separated from his parents. He was brought up with poor children and cow herds all around. There were several attempts to kill him even before he could learn to walk. In fact, people would curse him for being the reason for Kans’ wrath on them. He could only receive education when he was 16. He couldn’t marry the girl he loved and had to marry those whom he saved from demons. He had to move his entire community far off to save them from Jarasandh. He was branded a coward for running away from fighting. He was discredited most of times. And he stands to gain nothing from the war. Whether Yudhisthira wins or Duryodhana, Krishna would only remain a bystander. Everyone faces unfairness and challenges in his life — be it Duryodhana or Yudhisthira. Yet to discriminate between right and wrong is one’s wisdom. No matter how bad the circumstances are, your reaction to them is what matters. Life’s unfairness is no reason to side with Adharma. One must be nonplussed by circumstances and follow the path of Dharma. You have the freewill to choose between Dharma and Adharma and your own conscience is your guide.

A ‘wrong’ does not give you the right to be wrong.

THE INTEGRITY PLEDGE

Vigilance Awareness Week is an attempt by the Central Vigilance Commission to promote integrity and probity in public life and make people understand how corruption is eating at the roots of the Indian society and how to combat it. It is quite some time now since we have been observing vigilance awareness week. And rightly so, because corruption is definitely one of the main problems of our society. All other problems arise from this source. The vigilance awareness week this year was observed during the week beginning October 30. One of the main activities during this week is the Integrity Pledge taken by the public servants, the definition of which is rather broad. The objective of this vigilance awareness week is to sensitise the public servants and the public on corruption. The one major achievement of observing this week has certainly been the realisation that corruption is an issue that has inflicted maximum damage to our polity, society and systems, and it is high time we all acted to rid the country of corruption. However, the big question is that why do we need a pledge to remind us that we shall not indulge in corrupt practices. Let us have a look at the integrity pledge first. There are several dos and don’ts that every public servant must take a pledge for. The sum and substance of the pledge boils down to one basic resolve — to do our duty honestly, diligently and fearlessly. Rather unfortunate that we need an oath to do our duties honestly. What has led to such a pass? This question needs to be addressed. If we have to pledge to commit ourselves that we will do our jobs diligently, it is more a matter of shame. Where have we gone wrong and why? As an invited speaker at several organisations during Vigilance Awareness Week, I have often raised this question. Though the answers have not been conclusive, yet they hint at one basic reason — the insecurity syndrome. Why do we want more and more? For the simple reason that we believe what we have is less. It is this belief that makes us crave for more. And there is no limit to this,simply because that insecurity is basically a state of mind rather than a measure of requirement. How to erase this from the mind? Awareness is one part of it, which the vigilance awareness week is aimed at. The other part that also is an objective of this exercise is intended deterrence that public servants are exposed to through regulations and cases. But there is a need to add another dimension and the most crucial one — to inculcate a sense of pride in the public servant by doing his job honestly. The one reason why corruption is not being eradicated is the weak social disapproval that such acts attract. When the society starts evaluating a person’s worth on his integrity rather than his material possessions, things would improve. Given the kind of compensation that the public servants get these days, there is hardly any justification for extra income or security. The attitude needs to change. My vision to achieve a corruption-free India is simple — just one resolution in the morning that I will do my work with full integrity today and a review at the end of the day as to how far I could do it. Sounds simple but it is the crux. The slogan is — “proud to be honest”.

THE TOUGHEST THING TO DIGEST

What is the toughest thing to digest? Well the answer to this question may not come from even the most competent of the dieticians. Who, then, will give the answer? Only someone who has studied psychology may do it. If guesses so far have not yielded any cogent answer, here is the one. It is power. Power is the most difficult to digest. The reason being that it has the strange attribute to enter the head and remain there. No logic, no reason can mellow the effect of power. And if somebody can digest power, he becomes the saint. Truly, therefore, did the former US President once say that if you want to test a man’s character give him power. Why this is so may not be easy to understand because there have been instances in which even the most humble have been rendered arrogant once given a seat of power. In fact, power is a derived attribute that comes not from the individual’s internal psyche. It is acquired from the mere possession of the chair.

It is the chair that plays the spoilsport. Sounds complicated? Here is an old story from the times of the famous Ujjain king, Raja Bhoj. The king was known for his uncanny wisdom to dispense justice. Even the most complex of the issues would be resolved in a matter of minutes. He was to the Indian ethos what king Solomon was to the western. With this high credibility, the king was trusted to the level of being adored. But on one occasion, he came across a difficult case that brought him to his wit’s end. Even after long hours of pondering, he could not come to a cogent answer. With his credibility at stake, he called his ministers for a thorough brainstorming. The oldest of them told him that in one of the distant villages of his kingdom, there was a shepherd boy who had a gifted ability to dispense justice. The king immediately summoned that boy.

The ministers rushed to the village requesting the boy to come to the king. The boy, along with his father, came. The king, finding an ordinary shepherd boy being a judicious wizard, was not convinced. Yet, he put his problem to the boy for an answer. The boy, scared as he was, trembled and told the king that he could not provide the answer there. There is a mound in the village sitting on which only could the boy solve such issues. Raja Bhoj was surprised to hear this, yet he ordered to prepare for his journey along with the boy to that village. After they reached that mound in the village, the boy climbed it and asked the king to narrate the problem.

The king did so and in a flash came the answer from the boy. The king, then, got the clue that the power was not in the boy, but in the mound. He ordered for its digging. After digging very deep his men could find a throne, the famous throne of king Vikramaditya. So, the king got the answer. If it is so powerful lying that deep, it would work wonders for someone who will sit on it.  Moral of the story — it is the chair that makes people powerful. It is this power that corrupts, disrupts and sometimes erupts. This just shows that rightly did Plato say that Kings should be philosophers and philosophers should be Kings.