Probably, one of the most fatal mistakes committed by Bhishma was that he could not distinguish between loyalty to a kingdom and loyalty to a king. He had a commitment to protect Hastinapur and finally ended up becoming a tool for the destruction of Hastinapur. He could not realize timely that the greed and insecurities of Dhritrastra would never be in the interest of Hastinapur and if Hastinapur is to be protected then the king has to change. Until Dhritrastra remains the king of Hastinapur, he will sell off each brick of Hastinapur for his self-interest.
On the other hand, Vibhishana had that foresight. He could see that the decisions of Ravana were not in the interest of Lanka and that is why he dared to leave Ravana and join Rama. By doing so, he helped Rama kill his brother but at the same time protect the interests and lives of many of the people from Lanka. He had the vision and foresight that "standing for truth" is the only way out and no amount of patchwork is going to protect the interest of Lanka.
When Vibhishana left Lanka, he was not sure whether Rama would accept him or reject him. He took the risk. When we take a "path less traveled", there is always a risk. Basically, Vibhishana wanted to take the path of truth since his childhood and he somehow developed faith that Rama symbolizes truth. Any and everybody who wishes to travel on the "path less traveled" would have to be clear on at least two things. One that truth is the guiding force and he will not settle for anything less than truth. Second, there would be many who would be sitting at the helm of affairs pretending to be the "guards of truth". He will have to apply his discrimination like Vibhishana to discriminate against Rama against Ravana. That requires an open and attentive mind that can see through the intentions.
When our minds are full of greed and desires, we can not see reality. We put glasses of our perception on our eyes and look at the world with that color of the glasses. The people who like drinking are fond of the people who drink. The people who are hungry for power are like the people who yield power and can be helpful in some way or the other. Thus, greed and desires make our worldview quite defective. We can't see the reality even if that lies just in front of our eyes. One of the greatest examples of that is that people refuse to admit that they will also die while everybody sees and hears about death almost day and day out.
That's why until and unless we are free of greed and desire, it's difficult to see reality. We would not be able to see the shallowness of the people in the position of power and having resources. Even if we can see the reality, it's all the more difficult to admit that. We will discuss that in a close group but would be afraid to speak it out because of the fear that our interests will get harmed. Unless we drop greed and desires, it will not be possible for us to discriminate between truth and falsity. There is no question of taking a stand for truth unless we are aware of what truth actually is. Initially, it seems quite a costly affair to take a stand for truth because the value of the things at stake is quite huge in our lives. However, as we become more and more aware, we see with clarity the futility of different things that we have given so much premium in our lives. As we see, these things drop out of our lives, and slowly and gradually truth becomes the guiding force. We understand that the value of the things at stake, including this body, when we stand by truth is too little when compared to the value of freedom and truth. That's why it becomes a natural choice. That's how it would have been a natural choice for Bhagat Singh and other freedom fighters to give their lives for the truth and freedom.
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