As the food, so the head

The day when Bhishma fell down was the tenth day of the Mahabharata war. From that day till the eighteenth day of the battle, Krishna was conducting various events of the battle, but Bhishma was lying on the bed of arrows, which he made for himself by the arrows of Arjuna. After the last day of the battle, the victorious Pandavas came to Bhishma, along with Draupadi, to have his Darshan. Lying on the bed of arrows, Bhishma showed great affection to the Pandavas and preached to them what has since come to be known as the Shanti Parva.

In that context, while Bhishma was preaching the code of conduct relating to peace in the Shanti Parva, Draupadi had some thoughts in her mind and she laughed aloud and attracted everyone’s attention. The Pandavas thought this to be very inappropriate. They did not like Draupadi laughing in this manner in the presence of the elders. Bhishma was all knowing and he knew the thoughts that were passing in the minds of the Pandavas.

In order that an appropriate explanation might be given to them, Bhishma asked Draupadi to come closer to him. He blessed her and said that she would remain a Sumangali for a long time and went on to say that she would not do anything without good reason and he asked her to explain why she laughed, so that her husband might know the answer. Draupadi addressed Bhishma in great reverence and humility and asked, “At the time, when I was humiliated in the court of Duryodhana, you never spoke of any code of conduct and at the time, when my husbands were banished into the forest for twelve years and were to live incognito for one year, you never preached any code of conduct. You are now teaching the Shanti Parva to the Pandavas, who are the very embodiments of Dharma. Why are you now teaching this to the people, who do not need to be taught? This should have been taught to Duryodhana and his accomplices. Such a thought came to mind and I laughed. Not only this, in the court, when Dharmaraja lost in the game of dice and also lost when he placed himself as the stake, then he offered me as the stake. It was then decided that the Pandavas were to go to the forest and I was humiliated. Was this Dharma? You are the embodiment of Dharma and right conduct. Do you think that on that day, after losing himself in the game, Dharmaraja had the right to bid me? At that time, what had happened to all your professed adherence to right conduct? Secondly, Dharmaraja offered me, as a stake after he lost himself in the wager. He had no right to do this. On that day, I questioned whether Dharmaraja lost himself first and then offered me as a stake, or whether he offered me as a stake first and then lost himself. You did not give me an answer then. What had happened to all your right conduct at that time? Today, when there is no need at all, you are preaching all this to the Pandavas. It indeed is a laughing matter and has induced laughter in me.”

While Bhishma was lingering between life and death, the fact that Draupadi was arguing so vehemently and asking inconvenient questions upset even Dharmaraja. Bhishma, however, laughed loudly and praised Draupadi for asking such questions and said that the answer to such questions would be of great importance to the coming Kali Age and asked the Pandavas to calm down.

Bhishma said, “For many years, I had been serving evil kings and sinners and had been living on the food that they had given me. Therefore, all the right and Dharma in me was submerged. As a result of the arrows that struck me from your husband, Arjuna’s hand, all the evil blood had flown out and now, the Dharma that had been submerged has come up and I am preaching the need for good conduct. From this Shanti Parva preached by Bhishma, we have to learn the lesson that if anyone promotes himself with the help of money accumulated by bad and evil ways, then the good in him will be submerged by the bad blood in him. It is in this context that Krishna had taught that the pot in which you cook, the material which you use to cook, and the food itself should all be clean.

In this dialogue, Bhishma had taught the world that there can be evil in the food that you take. From the food that we take comes the thoughts and from the thoughts that are generated thus, comes the action. From our actions will come our good and our bad. After giving the appropriate lessons to the Pandavas, Bhishma gave up his life.

Narration: Ms. Sai Sruthi S.V.
[Sri Sathya Sai Balvikas Alumna]