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Glimpses of World Religions
king of Kalinga and secretary of king Kumarpal viz. Udayan, great moralist-seer Chānakya etc. are guides worth observing. On one side, there is war in war-front, and on the other side, in the 'Kurukshetra' (battle-ground of Mahabharat) of the heart or mind the most aggresive battle of the deep mental crisis had reached to its climax.
Perturbed by the imagination of the tragic scenes of postwar destruction, one female demon approached Sitajee and foretelling with description said, “O'Sitajee, as a result of this great war, lakhs of ladies will become widows, you are a woman and so, having mercy and compassion on the womenfolk, please accept to be a maid-servant of Rāvana and put a halt to this horrible war.” To this suggestion, Sitajee gave a very meaningful reply, “Whenever the ladies will be victims of the conditions similar to me in that case) will quote my example and would think 'If great wife of Rama, though spiritually high, submitted to the king of Lanka, what to talk of our little ability ?... Thinking thus, suppose those virgins and married ladies begin to surrender to the other males extra-maritally, what will happen ? Think what is better – the tradition that might make in future crores of girls and spouses 'corrupt or prostitutes or the possibility in the present tense of lakhs of women subjected to widowhood ?” What reply can that demon-lady give to this ?! In this case, violence in fighting becomes essential for the protection of the fidelity and chastity of women.
In history, there is quite similar situation as this - that of Lord Krishna and Arjuna. The latter had no interest in fighting against his own relatives standing in the opposite front; he was indifferent. Arjuna, entangled in the webs of sadness and gloom, was given inspiration of reflecting on soul, God, Dharma, duty and obligations; and he spurred Arjuna to war.
