Markandeya (Book 3 Section 190) advises
Yudhishtra “to love all creatures and be merciful to them; to always speak the
truth; to renounce pride and vanity and be humble; to keep passions under
control; not to be overcome by the current calamities because they too will
pass; to respect the ancestors and the gods; and to be virtuous in thoughts,
words and deeds”.
In section 192, there is a
discussion between Indra and Vaka, an ascetic. Indra asks Vaka: “O Muni, you
have lived 100 hundred years. What are the problems of people who have a long
life-span?” The answer is amazing: “They may have to live with a disagreeable
person and put up with a wicked company for a long time. They may have to
separate too soon from a companion who is agreeable and likeable. The death of
the spouse, children and friends and the pain of dependence on others will be
unbearable. There is a possibility of loss of wealth and thus of dignity and of
being insulted. They may have to witness good people suffering and worthless
people enjoying. They who lead deathless lives are destined to look at all
these and thus suffer”.
In section 193, Narada appears on
the scene and recites three poems. They say that a wicked man will behave
wicked to a humble man, but a humble man will act with humility even to a
wicked man. An honest man will behave honestly even to a dishonest man. A mean
person should be won with charity; an untruthful one with truth; a wicked one
with forgiveness and a dishonest one with honesty.
The story of Sibi starts in Section
196. We learn that the pigeon in that story is Agni and the hawk is Indra and
they took the forms of the birds to test the truthfulness and virtues of the
King. This was part of an earlier blog post. The only new point is a dialogue
in which Sibi says that he does not do anything for fame, wealth or for
acquiring objects of enjoyment. He does what his heart says is virtuous and not
sinful.
There are several passages on the
duties of a brahmana and the responsibility of a king to protect the brahmanas and give
them respect. Many punishments are listed for those who disobey these
responsibilities. All these passages are distractions to me. Compared to the
lofty ideas expressed in several episodes which elevate one’s thinking, these
parochial remarks lead only to rituals and superstitions. Yet, these passages
are the ones which get attention and not the thought-provoking and profound
dialogues.
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