LASTDAYS OF DHRITARASHTRA

LAST DAYS OF DHRITARASHTRA

The famous Kurukshetra war ended and all the Kauravas met their deserved and tragic end.  Vidura, after a few days of stay in Hastinapura returned to meet his brother Dhritarashtra. He did not desire to waste his time but wanted to tell his mind firmly to his brother. He felt sorry that Dhritarashtra never cared for his advice. Now was the time for him to tell his brother very strongly! He must leave Hasthinapuram and go to the forest! It is high time he renounced all his Royal glory and retire into the forest! Dhritarashtra did not understand the words of his brother Vidura. He remonstrated and asked Vidura why he should go to the forest in his old age. But he felt that there should be some valid reason behind the words of Vidura. He requested him to explain why he wanted his brother to retire into the forest.

Vidura told him gently that death was approaching him. It is inevitable. None can stop it. One has to give up his dear and sweet life at the touch of the hand of death!  He has to leave his kith and kin, kingdom, riches,and everything! He has become very lean and lost weight! The present home is not his own! His sons have died in the hands of Bhima. He now ate food served by the Pandavas! This is utter humiliation for king Dhritarashtra! Even at this stage of life he wants to live! His obsession for life is ununderstandable! Vidura reminded his brother of the evil deeds that he,along with his son Duryodana, had committed to wipe out the Pandavas. It was his destiny that he should suffer and endure this unbearable agony of losing everyone in the war!

In spite of knowing that Duryodana was wrong he had not prevented him from doing wicked things. He attempted to wipe out the Pandavas in the wax house! He disgraced Draupadi and disrobed her in the full court in the presence of the great Bhishma and Dronacharya and others! He took away their kingdom and refused to offer even the smallest extent of land for  the pandavas! At every step he tried to destroy them without realizing that they were the children of his brother Pandu! Still they have protected and treated him with great respect! What is the use of such life? Death shall grab him whether he likes it or not! His body will decay like a torn cloth! He should think about this and be courageous to welcome and face death! One who realized this, and after losing all and everything, secretly retires into the forest is really a courageous person!

Detachment is a rare and noble quality! It should not come through others! The greatest merit is to be prepared to leave the body and welcome death! Such a person shall be hailed as a very great Individual! He has lived a full life though it was full of his ego and misdeeds and cruelty to his own children, the Pandavas! There is nothing for him to enjoy in the world now! Nothing is left for him except to leave this painful existence and retire into the forest secretly! Vidura thus told his brother to travel towards the north in search of Swarga! Dhritarashtra listened to these words of Vidura silently and with remorse. All the dark deeds done by his sons  flitted across his mind! He knew that he was a lost soul! He felt that there was no redemption for him!  The words of Vidura seemed sensible and soothing. At length he decided to follow Vidura’ s suggestion!

Dhritarashtra was restless and could not sleep that night. His heart was full of commotion! But there was nothing that he could do.The words of Vidura, though true, were sharp and hurt him very much! He was helpless and felt like an orphan! Somehow he pretended to sleep. In the later part of the night he got up. He saw his wife Gandhari sleeping.  She did not know anything that transpired between him and Vidura! She was such a great and chaste woman that bound her own eyes as her husband was blind! She didn't want to see the world that her husband couldn't see! Dhritarashtra woke up his wife and told her of his decision to leave the palace and everything. She Implicitly obeyed him! Led by Vidura the senile couple left the Palace secretly and went into the forest never to return! “Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown!”