Dear friends, The previous blog (no 80) on Ahimsa was too long. Therefore, the blog posted on 6/15/2018 was incomplete. Please note that I added the reminder of the discussion between Jajali and Tuladhara in a blog posted on 6/20/2018.
Section 257 and 258 (Sanskrit) and 266(English) has the
story of one chirakarin. Chira in Sanskrit means delay and a
person who delays is a chirakarin (one who acts slowly).
Yudhsitra asks how one can follow the commands of an elder
(superior) if that command involved harming someone or some creature. Remember
the story of Parasurama? How can one obey the elder in such a situation? Then
comes the story of Chirakarin. His father orders him to kill his mother for
having been unfaithful. Then there is a long passage in which Chirakarin thinks
about how to reconcile the duty to obey his
father’s command with the cruelty and unethical act of having to kill his own mother. He recounts all
the reasons why father is sacred and his wishes have to be taken care of by the
son. He then thinks about all the reasons why mother is sacred and should not
be harmed. He thinks for so long that it is time for his father to return from
his religious rituals and ablutions.
During this time, the father also was able to think and
realizes how wrong he was in getting angry with his wife and how wrong he was
in asking his son to kill her. (Obviously his mind was elsewhere). He hopes
that Chirakarin thinks through, true to his character and does not harm his
mother. He comes running and to his relief finds that Chirkarin has indeed been
thinking the problem through and did not act in a hurry.
The final statement from Bhishma is “Reflect before you act”
in the following words:
एवं
सर्वेषु कार्येषु विमृश्य पुरुषस ततः
चिरेण निश्चयं कृत्वा चिरं न परितप्यते
चिरेण निश्चयं कृत्वा चिरं न परितप्यते
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