On the one hand, Duryodhana wanted to imprison Krishna when Krishna went to Hastinapur as a messenger of the Pandavas and on the other hand, Arjuna not only listened to Him, but also trusted Him, while his entire being was revolting to fight the battle against his elders and teachers. Why did Ravana not listen to the wise words of Vibhishana? Why did Dhritrastra not listen to the wise words of Vidura and Bhishma? We, too, refuse to listen to the wise words of the scriptures. We see the character of Hanumana and pray to Him almost every day, but still have so many desires and ambitions. If anybody tries to show us the right path, we will argue, debate, and quite often fight, and in due course, he becomes our greatest enemy. Why?
It is because of a simple reason that all our responses are reactions are reflections of the inner world. If a person is disconnected from his true self, he will be fearful. An infant does not want to get away from his mother and cries when his mother is away. As a child grows, he wants to be in and around home and cries a lot when he goes to school for the first time. He adjusts slowly because he realises that his parents are available in case of any need. As he grows up further and becomes an adult, he moves to a hostel and stays away from home and is still not worried because he knows that his parents are available on a phone call. Moreover, he develops his own friend circle and his dependence on his parents for sharing reduces significantly. However, he knows that his parents stand behind him rock solid, though they may not be visible.
However, are we really secure? If so, why is there almost a pandemic of mental health? Why are so many people suffering from mental issues and visiting psychiatrists? That's because our inner journey is quite different. It's like a ship in the midst of the ocean, where we take a boat and move away from the ship. We do not have a map in the midst of the ocean to trace the ship, and the boat has a very limited capacity to handle the challenges. We see another person with a little bigger boat and get tempted to be together. Even in those moments of togetherness, the primary concern is to save our own boat from drowning and, wherever needed, to cooperate with each other and help each other. However, all of us are equally frightened because none of the boats is capable of surviving. We try to connect to a few more boats, but are never sure whether those boats will support us in the moments of crisis. Everybody is equally afraid, and that's where manipulations start. People pretend to be very nice and come close; however, the real purpose of that proximity is to get hold of the resources available on the boat. That's why the world is full of instances of pretensions and cheating. The more afraid a person is and the more manipulative he will be.
The only way to handle the crisis is to search for the ship. We have to acknowledge that none of the boats in the midst of the ocean has the capacity to handle the ocean. Unless we find the ship, we will remain vulnerable. The ship is just nearby. We have to use the inner radio transmitter and connect to the ship. The fleet of boats that looks very safe and attractive is not going to save us. We can't explore the ocean with this perpetual sense of insecurity. We need to connect to the ship so that we are free to explore. Coming back to Duryodhana, his boat is away from the ship for a very long time. He has joined the boat of Shakuni, Karna, and Dushasana. He feels secure because he is not facing the rough weather. In that false sense of security, when the ship approaches him, he feels as if he will capture the ship itself. Ship departs, and the weather turns rough. In the moments of crisis clubbed with insecurity, we become very aggressive, and that's what happens to Duryodhana. Even to the extent that he would not mind killing the sons of Pandavas while they are sleeping. Insecurity clubbed with crisis makes us very aggressive. However, such an aggressive person is very weak and fearful inside. The sole way out is connecting to the ship. Seeking security in other boats will not serve any purpose. Once connected to the ship, every boat is free to explore either alone or with the other boats.
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