________________
The path to spiritual enhancement
33
wWwwWw wWw wW
w.LULUR
WAY
takes control. There is no respite from it. Can a person possessed by such a strong power dare utter a word or do anything against it? Totally controlled, his life becomes not his to lead.
Duryodhana was completely possessed by this demon. To that humble request from Krşņā, he retorted, “Oh Keśava! You talk about giving away five villages. I don't know how large they may be, but I am not even willing to give away a needlepoint of land to the Pāndavas. Nothing without war! I will part with nothing."1
Be it an emperor owning palaces of gold, or a snake coiled over a treasure, they echo the same insecurity, stemming from their obsessive desire to hold on to their possessions. Duryodhana stated the same, "I will not give away anything in my lifetime." Attachment is always the cause of destruction.
It was this flaw in Duryodhana's character that lead to the great battle of Mahābhārata where rivers of blood flowed. This tendency to possess, the wish to part with nothing, to guard all possessions like a snake has been the web in which man has been caught since time out of memory.
Remember the story of Śreņika and Kūņika. What a wonderful relationship a father and son can share! How many aspirations and hopes a father builds for his son! The scriptures pronounce:
One would wish for defeat at the hands of his son i.e. he would feel pride if his son outshines him. So also does the teacher feel towards his student.2
In the whole world, there are two spheres where one steps back happily to make place for another. One is the sphere of family, and the other that of religion. Father and son stand in the sphere of family and master and disciple stand in the sphere of religion. A master aspires to see his disciple move ahead, beyond what he has learnt from him and seeing the disciple thus, fills him with joy. In his disciple's increasing fame, the teacher finds his own fame, feels honoured and sees the success of his own life.
1
sūcyagrannaiva dāsyāmi bină yuddhena keśava! putradicchetparājayam śişyādicchetparājayam
2
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
