Mahabharata Udyoga Parva: Day 7

Part 1 of the series can be found here
Part 2 of the series can be found here
Part 3 of the series can be found here
Part 4 of the series can be found here
Part 5 of the series can be found here
Part 6 of the series can be found here

Teachings of great men contain Dharma. Indeed, Vidura’s exposition to Dhrtharashtra, which is known as Vidura Neeti, contained a large collection of Dharmas. Vidura decided to go numerical, and the previous part of this series provided an exposition to things pertaining to one. This part of the series has Vidura resuming at two – he describes things pertaining to two.

Two

Bhooma Devi Swallows These Two People

1. A King Who Doesn’t Fight His Enemies (to protect his people) 
   Protecting the kingdom is the foremost duty of a king. He needs to be constantly vigilant about this responsibility. Failure to perform this in good faith is an abdication of his duties.
2. A Brahmana Who Doesn’t Leave His House 
3. A Brahmana needs to travel the world to keep abreast of what’s happening. There are good people everywhere and he must collect good from all sources. The same way a honeybee collects only the honey from a flower, we must take away only the good from everyone we see. In Kapila’s Upadesa to His mother Devahuti in the Bhagavatham, he said the Bharata Varsha is a Punya Bhoomi, with several holy places, each person must strive to visit as many as possible.

There are Two Groups in the World Who Are Easily Influenced by What Others Do

1. Women in the days of the yore. Sankara Rama Dikshitar was cautious to qualify “women” with the time period “days of the yore”. Today, clearly, there are examples of severe women who take remarkable decisions, running empires worth billions.
2. A person who gets influenced by what others do. When there is a line of 1000 people standing in a queue, we don’t stop to ask what they are waiting for. We join the queue as the 1001th.

   The bottom line is that people are not immune to group think. Sankara Rama Dikshitar provided the antidote to group think: self-reflection. When 1000 people are standing in a queue, one must ask themselves what is the attraction, what is the big deal about it, is it worth my time and energies, and other similar and pertinent questions. 

Vidhura Compares These Two Kinds of People to Thorns

1. A poor man who desires the moon and beyond
   Back in the days, people paid in full. If they had to make a purchase of 100 rupees and had only 90 rupees at hand, they would ask a neighbour for the remaining 10 and pay the money back as soon as they could. Today, they have only 10 rupees in hand and make a purchase of 100 rupees using credit cards, EMIs and other modern day traps.
2. A person who has no power or standing displaying anger. His anger has no power or effect whatsoever. 

These Two Types of People Won’t Succeed in the World

1. A householder who doesn’t take efforts to procure income
2. A Sanyasi who doesn’t follow Sanyasa Dharma

If a Person Makes These Two Mistakes, He Will Go Bankrupt

1. Contributing to wrong causes
2. Not contributing to right causes

Krishna makes the following note on charity in the 17th Chapter of the Bhagavad Gita

dātavyam iti yad dānaṁ dīyate ‘nupakāriṇe
deśhe kāle cha pātre cha tad dānaṁ sāttvikaṁ smṛitam

Charity given to a worthy person for its own sake, without expecting anything in return, at the right place and time, is said to be Sattvic Charity.

Right charitable acts will come back multifold.

There are special occasions which are conducive to charity. There are days which are auspicious for respective deities. Sunday is special for Surya, Monday for Shiva, Tuesday for Muruga, Saturday for Narayana, Friday for Devi. Parents’ remembrance day is always special. So is Amavasya.

Vidura Opines These Two Kinds of People Should be Pushed into the Ocean

1. A rich person who doesn’t contribute to right causes
2. A poor man who doesn’t do anything to remedy his poverty.
   He can do a lot of things. He can try to better his situation by finding an appropriate job. He can pray to Goddess Lakshmi – for example, recite the Kanakadhara Sutram, Sri Suktham. 

   Eeshan-Nisheedhatu Mayi Kshanam Eekshanaardham
   Indeevarodara Sahodaram Indiraayaah

   May a little of Mother’s glance fall on me for a moment with Her half-closed eyes which resemble the splendour of blue lotuses.
   – Kanakadhara Stotram

These Two People Will Reach Heights Greater than the Heavens

1. One who has the authority to punish but instead chooses forgiveness
2. One who is poor but is rich at heart

Three

Three Kinds of People

1. Uttama (best)
2. Madhyama (average)
3. Adhama (bad)

This repeatedly occurs in any realm – wealth, education, anything really.

Three Doshas

1. Usurping other’s properties and belongings
2. Desiring and misbehaving with another person’s wife
3. Forgetting and forsaking a person dear to you

All Humans Should give these Three Up

1. Kama – manifold desires
2. Krodha – deep anger
3. Lobha – insatiable greed

tri-vidhaṁ narakasyedaṁ dvāraṁ nāśhanam ātmanaḥ
kāmaḥ krodhas tathā lobhas tasmād etat trayaṁ tyajet

There are three gateways to hell – desire, anger and greed. Therefore, they must be given up. -Bhagavad Gita 16.21

If This One Act is Done, it Gets the Results of Three Actions

If a person helps his enemy during a time of crisis, he will get the benefit of performing the following actions:

1. Obtaining a boon
2. Gaining a kingdom 
3. Obtaining a son

We Shouldn’t Stop Protecting These Three People Even During Hard Times

1. A person who is devoted to him
2. One’s servant
3. One who comes and asks for favors/alms

   Sakrdeva Prapannaaya Tavaasmi Iti Ca Yaacate 
   Abhayam Sarva Bhootebhyo Dadaami Etad Vratam Mama

   “If a person tells me, even once, ‘I am yours’, I will protect him from all beings. This is my solemn promise.” – Rama, in Valmiki Ramayanam

Four

These Four Actions Give Instant Results

The sanskrit term for that which gives instant results is sadyasham. The following four give instant results:

1. Devatas’ wish. 
   People pray to Devatas. If the Devatas so which to grant the prayers, they do so immediately, instantly.
2. Mahatma’s Powers
   The Tapas of Mahatmas have power, and their blessings take effect instantly.
3. Humility of Learned People
   It is but natural for a person to develop ego on gaining knowledge. The person with knowledge combined with humility has the power to give instant results. 
4. Wrongdoings
   When a person commits wrongdoings, they give out instant unfavorable results.

These Four Actions Give Courage (If Done Correctly) and Fear (If Performed Incorrectly)

1. Agnihotra
2. Silence
3. Veda Adhyayana
4. Yagas and Yajnas

These are powerful practices. If done with the proper respect and attitude, they give courage. If they are done with a sense of arrogance and false-pride, the tables get turned and these actions verily become the cause for fear.

We Should Have These Four People Live In Our House

1. Relatives
   Added benefit: They will tell us the sampradayas (practices) followed by our ancestors
2. A person who was rich but is currently going through rough financial times
   Added benefit: They will help us navigate the ropes of the world, having been there and done that
3. A friend who is poor
   He will know us in and out and can help us appropriately
4. A sister who is going through rough times
   She will help care for our children

Sankara Rama Dikshitar mentioned that in the previous generations, a meal in a house would have 10-15 people eating together.

Five

A Householder Should Maintain These 5 Fires

1. Oupasanam Agni 
   Traditionally, one of the duties of a householder is to do a ritual called oupasanam every day, and maintain an agni (fire) called oupasana agni and ensure it remains ever lit.
2. Father
3. Mother
4. Guru

   This Sloka gives a unique perspective: father, mother and guru should not be considered as people; one should care for them and nourish and respect them the same way they would care for the oupasana agni.

5. The Jataragni in the stomach 
   This is the digestive fire in the stomach that digests the food we eat.

A Person Who Respects These 5 People Will Attain Glory

1. Deva
2. Pitr
3. Manushya
4. Bhikshu
5. Athithi

It is noteworthy that this point is identical to the panca maha yajna prescribed in the Vedas.

Six

You Have To Give Up These 6 If You Want to Achieve Anything in Life 

1. Sleep
2. Tiredness
3. Fear
4. Anger
5. Laziness
6. Procrastination

These 6 People Dissipate Our Energies

1. A teacher who doesn’t teach anything
2. A Ritvik (head priest) officiating at a yajna who has not studied the vedas
3. A king who doesn’t protect his citizens
4. A wife who doesn’t talk sweet words, and instead speaks harsh words
5. A cowherd who goes his own sweet way, ignoring his cows
6. A barber, instead of servicing people, goes routinely on trips and vacations

6 Qualities You Should Not Let Go at Any Cost

1. Satyam (Truth)
2. Danam (Charity).
   “If you don’t give when you have wealth, then when will you give?”, Ask commentators to the scriptures.
3. Analasyam (Being energetic and not lazy)
4. Anasuya (Absence of jealousy)
5. Kshama (Forgiveness)
6. Drthi (Fortitude, perseverance)

One should perform self-analysis on whether they possess or lack the above qualities. Whichever qualities they lack can be strengthened by taking appropriate steps.

Possessing These 6 Gives a Person Happiness

1. Health.
   Is there anything better than good health? We do not appreciate health when we have it, and yearn for it when we grow old and our parts fail us one by one.
2. The Quality of Not Being in Debt
3. Family being together
4. Living in the vicinity of good people
5. Working in a job of one’s liking
6. Living in a safe place without fear

Possessing These 6 Gives a Person Happiness: Part 2

1. A situation where money flows everyday
2. A constant state of good health
3. A spouse who is loving each day
4. A spouse who speaks sweet words each day
5. Children who are dutiful each day
6. Education that serves us well and helps us make a good living

We Need to Keep an Eye on These 6 Every Half Hour or So

1. Cows. While the cowherds do their job tending to the cows, the owners of the cows keep an eye on them every half hour out of love for the cows.
2. Business. The cash flow situation should be monitored constantly.
3. Fields. The crop growth should be monitored regularly.
4. Wife. The wife should be taken care of on a regular basis.
5. Education. If we don’t revise and apply what we learn, we are prone to forget them. 
6. Our Influences. We must constantly evaluate the company we keep and ensure we don’t fall into bad company. As we generally have poor self-awareness, this regular evaluation helps.

6 People a Person Forgets When His Job is Over

1. A student forgets a teacher after his education is over
2. A man forgets his mother after he gets a wife
3. A lascivious man forgets a lady after he has satisfied his desire with her
4. Sadly, people forget those who helped them rise up in life.
5. Passengers forget a boatman is forgotten after they reach the other side
6. A patient forgets the doctor after the illness is cured

The complete lecture (in Tamil) can be found here

Picture credit: Yogesa, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons