Injustice is a blessing in disguise...

We all know the story of Mahabharata. There are so many lessons we can learn from the story that if I start making a list of them, I would probably never finish. This is because the epic story touches every part of a man’s life, probably experiences that I have not even felt hitherto. Therefore, with every passing incident in life, the story of Mahabharata sounds more meaningful. Let me share one part of the story for a beginning.

Consider what happened with Yuddhisthir... 

Prince Yuddhisthir was designated the crown prince of the Kingdom, because he had proven his capability for the post. However, the egoist Duryodhan could never digest this. So he plotted to get Yuddhisthir and his brothers killed (but they escaped luckily). When everyone thought they had died, Duryodhan was made the crown prince. But when people discovered that Yuddhisthir was alive, the question in everyone’s mind was – who is the crown prince – Yuddhisthir or Duryodhan?

Since nobody could answer this question without being called biased, it was decided that the Kingdom should be split into halves. On this partition, Duryodhan’s father played smart and gave a barren land to Yuddhisthir whereas Duryodhan got all the urban areas and access to all the natural resources which are always necessary for a prosperous growth of a Kingdom.

Can we relate to him in this situation?

There are many occasions in life where we are frustrated and feel that God has been very unfair to us. Times like these are many in our lives. We feel that we get so much less than what we truly deserve.

Think how we feel if we deserve to win a competition but an opponent wins only because the judge was related to him. Or imagine that you worked very hard for some project, but all the credit goes to the boss or any other colleague. Suppose a family’s wealth is being split upon the will of the father, every child cribs about being given a lesser share. Sometimes, we may not even deserve to get those things that we complain about.

How should we react in such times...?

Should we start mourning on our destiny?

First thing that most of us do is to start blaming the destiny for everything wrong that has happened to us. Sometimes, we tell everyone about how God has been so unfair to us. I have also done that, trust me. I can recall hundreds of instances when I behaved like a cry-baby, believing that people would give me their sympathy. While it looks comforting in the short run, it never benefits a person in the long run.

Or should we become aggressive and fight it out?

Another option is for us to vent out our anger on everyone who can be a possible victim. We can become frustrated with everything that has happened and then we start developing negative vibes. Let me give an example. I was once very pissed off about a project that was given to me. I felt it was a grave injustice that I have been sent here on an assignment that is completely hopeless. For some time, I became actively disengaged from work. My attitude was, “I am not interested, so I am not going to put in any effort!”

Or should we do what Krishna says? 

Just like we do, it is quite natural that Yuddhisthir and his brothers also must have felt cheated. Those brave warriors who could conquer the whole world were left to wander off with barren lands; and people who deserve nothing were given the throne of the most prosperous Kingdom. They could have easily attacked Duryodhan and snatched from him whatever they deserved, for they were indeed the best of warriors.

But that is not what they did. When the five Pandvas approached Lord Krishna to seek his advice, this is what Krishna told them –

“It is quite easy for a man to be frustrated with circumstances. But sometimes, destiny puts even the most deserving men to test. This does not mean that God has been unfair to you. This is just an opportunity for you to work and show by your efforts that you truly deserve to be the best of all.

“It is true, O Yuddhisthir that you had the right over the Kingdom which today belongs to Duryodhan. But that is beyond your control. But what you can do is – to work effortlessly even in the worst of the circumstances and show that you are a person of mettle. You don’t let circumstances affect you. You create circumstances favourable to you by your actions!”

So what did Yuddhisthir do?

He was given all the waste lands. He and his brothers put in all the toil and hard work. With constant dedication, and without thinking about the outcomes, they worked relentlessly to convert that barren land to a fertile land. They worked hard for years to convert their share of the Kingdom into another prosperous country which outshone the one which was given to Duryodhan.

And at last they came out with Indraprastha which was the most powerful land in the whole India at that time. Because of sheer and concentrated effort they achieved a miracle. The world saw this and approved of the fact that they deserve, rightfully, being the Kings.

The lesson we can learn from this

I learnt a very simple lesson from this small incident in Mahabharata. Instead of cribbing about why I got this and why he got that, we should see whatever has been given to us. The only thing in our hands is to act to the best of our judgment. And leave everything else to God.

So I have made a simple rule in my life. I cannot be as pure as Yuddhisthir, but I can at least try to accept circumstances as they come and being able to live in any kind of a situation. This is because to come out shining, one has to pass through a lot of hard work, frustration and effort. But in the end, if I am right, I will win!

May everyone live a happy and peaceful life! May everyone keep on smiling!

Regards,

Palkesh