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CHAPTER 4 - Dharmic Insights of A Butcher
CHAPTER 4 - Dharmic Insights of A Butcher
OF A BUCTHER
• It is fair to say, Bhagavad Gita is the crest jewel of
Mahābhārata. Bhagavad Gita is the pendant of the
long string of pearls, we call the Mahābhārata. But
there are two other Gitas -Udhava Gita and Vyadh
Gita.
But the adamant son on one fine day, left them and went to the
forest. He started doing tapas and after several years, his
concentration improved and gained unique powers. A crane
came and sat on the tree under which he was meditating. When
the bird dropping fell on his head, he snapped out of his
meditation. The man looked up furiously at the crane and with his
burning eyes of fury, he burnt the bird into ashes, despite the fact
that, the crane is incapable of distinguishing a yogi from
someone ordinary. The man was amused at his own power and
grew proud of himself.
He usually goes to seek Bhiksha from the
nearby village, something people who have
renunciate their material possessions as part of
their spiritual endeavour do to get food from
others. They beseech for food by chanting
’bhavati bhiksham dehi’.
He went to one house where a lady was
preparing food. Her husband has just come
home from work, so, she was busy taking care
of her husband. She told this young brahmachari
to wait. This infuriated him as he yelled at her for
making such a great man wait till her chores
were done.
But with a smile, the lady replied, "Do you think
I’m a crane so that you can burn me up?
Please take this food." The Brahmachari was
shocked to know that others know about the
crane.
Seeing the shock on his face, the lady calmly added,
"I prioritised my duty, that is to feed my tired husband.
You don’t seem to know anything about yoga or
spirituality yet. You have got a wrong assumption
about it, so I suggest you go to the next village, seek
the guidance of Dharmavyadha. He will teach you
Vedic yoga and the real essence of spirituality.
But just by serving food to their family, the lady and the butcher became examples of Karmayoga.
Spirituality is not about running away from actions, avoiding basic duties and bindings of human
existence.
The name Mahābhārata acts like a skeleton to which thousands of side stories are attached.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Demonstrates how Dharmā (in this case, the duties and responsibilities
of an individual) helps to attain self-awareness and self-actualization.
Portrays how we need to remain tranquil at every situation that life has
to offer.
N A M A H S H I VAYA