9 May, 2007
What a strong man says
often becomes the only dharma;
a weak man may have dharma on his side
but who listens to him?
…To tell you the truth
These are the sentences uttered by Bhisma in the Sabha Parva when Draupadi is seeking help from all those who claim to know dharma but are unable to uphold it! Bhisma, the misogynist, who ruins the lives of Amba, Ambika, Kunti, Gandhari, and watches, without being perturbed, the attempted disrobing of Draupadi, comes as a weak person in the sabha parva. And it really goes to the credit of Draupadi to maintain her head leveled even at that crucial moment.
Why do the people we wxpect to speak for us keep mum when it is most needed? Why women, even today, have to take a stand to fight it to the best of their capacity?
When I take a stand against the arbitrarily reached at decisions of the establishment, these lines and the references make me more resolved to fight and lodge my protest.
Has anything changed in the present day world?? No, nothing has changed!
Well I don’t think it has anything to do with your sex, this world is definately ruled by stronger people.
And if a woman is strong she should fight with the odd, but she must not think that though she is a woman people out in the world are opposing her. The Darvin’s theroy is really a impeccable theory and one should always keep it in mind, “Survival of the fittest”.
So no one can be declated fittest from the very beginning, he/she will have to fight a lot to prove that, irrespective of the sex.
Love You,
AST.
Bhisma did all this on account of his oaths- his oath of not marrying, and to serve the king till his end! If he would have known the outcome of his oath would he have taken his “Bhism pratigya”? I think not! He took this oath with his sole aim to serve his land. However going onto a bigger forum, the RESULT was never in his hand…it’s never in human beings hand…so that’s why Krishna said,”do your karma.skilled at your work leads to yog and that opens path to moksha.”He went on to his pyre,he very well knew the war against “dharma(krishna)” was his end, but didn’t break his oath or rather even knowing the outcome didn’t flinch from his kartavya. Needless to say his kartavya was very deeply entangled with his oaths. So blaming him is akin to stating Gandhi’s path was right and Bhagat’s was wrong.Neither of them can be stated to be wrong, both aimed for freedom.
As far as Amba is concerned, what would you have done in Bhisma’s position?Bhisma abandons family life, but family life doesn’t abandon him.He was himself helpless.he is a bachelor by choice but a household man by obligation. Bhisma was helpless.