Ati daanaat Balirvadho
hyati maanaat Suyodhanah
Ati loulyaat Raavano
hantah Ati Sarvatra Varjayet----Subhashitam.
Meaning:-
Bali met his end due
to his extreme charity, Suyodhana was killed due to his excessive pride, and
lust beyond control brought the end to Ravana. Hence excess should be avoided.
This is a Subhashitam
which warns us of too much involvement in anything and everything. Bali who was bound by his
limitless sacrifice and the sacrifice he made to Vamana against the advice of
his Guru Sukracharya saw the end of him. Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritharastra,
died of limitless self-esteem. Ravana too
had lust which had no boundary and that brought his end.
Now if we notice
in this Subhashitam we can observe that it was not the limitlessness which affected
the three individuals mentioned here. All the three Bali, Duryodhana and Ravana
were affected by the path in which they were treading. There is no limit to do anything if we are on the path of Dharma. I as an individual can go beyond to
achieve anything but need to be within Dharma.
They say that off the four
Purushrthas namely Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha we can go beyond our limits
to acquire Artha and to satiate our Kama but it needs to be within Dharma and
Moksha. Artha and Kama are like the gushing river which should not breach the
banks called Dharma and Moksha.
I have
always wondered why this Subhashitam did not mention about Raja Harishchandra
who had gone beyond the boundary to utter Truth. He had to sell his wife and son
to keep up the promise. He was subjected to lot of hardship in the cremation
ground for being truthful. Why it is not considered limitlessness of uttering
Truth by Raja Harishchandra??? As far as the sacrifice is considered why was
Raja Shibi not accused of over indulgence in this Subhashitam when he readily offered
the flesh from his thigh to the eagle in order to save the pigeon??? Was Puru
not to be reprimanded for going beyond limit to exchange his youth with his
aged father??? Will it not be crossing the limits when Bhishma made his vow to
remain unmarried to facilitate his father Shantanu’s marriage with Satyavathi???
Would not Shri Rama be going beyond limits when he accepted to fulfil his
father Dasharatha’s promise to Kaikeyi???
Where is
the limit to do anything which makes us feel pleasant within??? There is a
sense of satisfaction in whatever we aim at doing. That satisfaction brings the
utmost joy that every individual yearn to experience. While Bali, Duryodhana
and Ravana also aimed at the best going beyond but there was this self-cantered
itch in what they wanted to achieve. They aimed at the best because they were trying to gratify their senses
and never had the sense to satisfy the Self.
If we take
up any task involving our emotions like Kama, Krodha, Moha, Mada Matsarya and
Lobha, we will never be aware of what we are doing. Thus we lose control over
the decisions we take. It is at that emotional movement we may cross our
limits. It is required to be self controlled to act spontaneously and this spontaneity
sparks when there is no selfishness in that act. The act of selflessness can be
achieved only if one is treading on the path of Dharma. Either way one could
cross the limit while on the path of Dharma or Adharma, but what need to be cautioned
is already mentioned in this Subhashitam. Let’s not miss that point.
It is not going beyond
the limit that matters but the path that makes the difference.....Isn’t it???
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