A moral dilemma which often leads to the application of dharma in all its subtlety can be defined as a situation where there are opposing pulls from strong moral values such as satya and ahimsa. Mahabharata is full of such circumstances and predicaments that are closely woven with social structures that both aggravate and cushion them. Its a story in which both gods and men are seen to confront with destiny alike.
According to Shri Bimal Krishna Matilal Krishna is an enigma in the Mahabharata and represents the most confusing kind of moral enigma in the whole of the Hindu ideal of dharma. In Karna Parva, Yudhisthira berates Arjuna when he sees that Arjuna is not able to slay Karna and in sheer frustration, asks him to give up his Gandiva bow. Arjuna discloses that he has taken a secret vow to kill anyone who asks him to give up his bow and wants to kill Yudhisthira citing his Kshatriya dharma of vow-keeping! (Bimal Krishna Matilal points out that promise keeping is identified with truthfulness in almost all cultures). Krishna is obviously enraged by such a childish fight between the brothers, given the circumstances of the war, and interferes. He takes a lesson or two on dharma for Arjuna explaining about the subtle and unfathomable (sukshma and duranvaya) ways of dharma. He begins by talking about Satya or truth and states thus. (Translation by Shri Julius Lipner)
satyasya vacanaṃ sādhu na satyādvidyate param | tattvenaitatsudurjñeyaṃ yasya satyamanuṣṭhitam || bhavetsatyamavaktavyaṃ vaktavyamanṛtaṃ bhavet | sarvasvasyāpahāre tu vaktavyamanṛtaṃ bhavet || prāṇātyaye vivāhe ca vaktavyamanṛtaṃ bhavet | yatrānṛtaṃ bhavetsatyaṃ satyaṃ cāpyanṛtaṃ bhavet || tādṛśaṃ paśyate bālo yasya satyamanuṣṭhitam | satyānṛte viniścitya tato bhavati dharmavit ||
Speaking the truth is virtuous (sādhu); nothing is higher than the truth (satyam). But, in fact, it is very difficult to discern how speaking the truth should be practised. And it can well be that [on occasion] the truth must not be spoken, while what is not the truth (anṛtaṃ) should be uttered.…Sometimes what is not the truth becomes “the truth,” while what is the truth becomes untruth (anṛtaṃ). Only a simple-minded person (bāla) sees truth as something to be practised thus [namely, at face-value or blindly]. But having distinguished truth [proper] from non-truth, one becomes a knower of dharma (dharmavit).
While Krishna says here that nothing is higher than satyam (na satyādvidyate param), he also endorses previously that the best action is not to take a life or follow Ahimsa. Now Arjuna faces a situation where he can only choose one of the two – he can break his promise and not kill his brother and be untruthful or take the life of Yudhisthira and fulfil his promise but by breaking the dharma of Ahimsa in the process.
Krishna elaborates further by quoting the story of a brahmana ascetic Kausika who was not well versed in the authoritative texts but who strongly believed that truth telling and by implication promise keeping were appropriate acts of Brahmanas. Hence he takes a vow that he will always tell the truth. One day he sees a group of commoners fleeing bandits and entering the forest. The bandits ask Kausika about the people and Kausika (true to his vow of truth telling) points them in the commoners’ direction. The robbers find the group of people and kill them all. Krishna ends the story by concluding that the ascetic was not able to distinguish the realities of dharma and hence he went to a ghastly naraka although he kept his promise!
“tenādharmeṇa mahatā vāgduruktena kauśikaḥ | gataḥ sukaṣṭaṃ narakaṃ sūkṣmadharmeṣvakovidaḥ |
aprabhūtaśruto mūḍho dharmāṇāmavibhāgavit || – by that immoral act (adharmeṇa), by that highly illspoken, word, he went to a ghastly hell. A fool, he was not knowledgeable enough of the authoritative texts and unable to distinguish the realities of dharma“
We may find this end rather surprising and disturbing since we hear that an ascetic who kept his vow and spoke the truth went to hell! But Krishna anticipates this reaction from us and clarifies thus.
“na tvetatpratisūyāmi na hi sarvaṃ vidhīyate | prabhavārthāya bhūtānāṃ dharmapravacanaṃ kṛtam || – Dharma has been promulgated for the development (prabhavārthāya) of beings“
“dhāraṇāddharmamityāhurdharmo dhārayati prajāḥ | yaḥ syāddhāraṇasaṃyuktaḥ sa dharma iti niścayaḥ || tasmād dharmārtham anṛtam uktvā nānṛtavāg bhavet – It is dharma that sustains creatures. Therefore speaking which is not true (anrtam) for the sake of dharma (ie for the sake of sustaining creatures) is not falsehood“
After hearing this short discourse from Krishna, Arjuna realized that his vow should not be followed to the letter.
Krishna also recites another anecdote to Arjuna and Yudhistira, of that of Balaka. We will look at that story in the next post.
mythological squirrel 