Quest for peace: Sri Krishna's mission

God acts according to the wishes of His sincere devotees, Sri Krishna agrees to go as an emissary and bring about a reapproachment between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, avoiding the path of war in settling their dispute. Fully aware that His errand -will not be a success, He complies with the request of His devotees (the Pandavas). Only Sahadeva declares that a battle is inevitable.

Sri Sengalipuram Anantarama Dikshitar in his discourse referred to the several occasions when Krishna showed His real form as Sri Vishnu to many of His devotees, irrespective of their status. Vedanta Desika has mentioned about Sri Krishna's darshan to a fruit vendor, who, struck by His beauty (as a child) presents Him with cherries. When her basket gets emptied, she looks up, only to witness His magnificent stature. At the same time, her basket is filled with priceless diamonds.

When preparation, for the Kurukshetra battle are ready, Yudhishtirar gets depressed at the possible aftermath and urge, Sri Krishna to prevail upon Duryodhana to come to term, thereby averting bloodshed Arjuna and surprisingly even Bhima and Nakula share this view, although Sri Krishna make, it plain that one cannot expect fair play from Duryodhana As He sets out on Hi, task Draupadi remind, Him of the humiliation she had suffered at the hand, of the Kaurava, and Sri Krishna assures her, whether there be a war or a treaty, those who bad insulted her will be duly punished.

Duryodhana refuses to part with even a square inch of territory and Gandhari's advice too proves a waste. When Duryodhana thinks of binding Sri Krishna with ropes, the latter takes His Viswarupa, in which the entire universe is visible. The elders, including Dhritarashtra, whose eyesight is restored for the nonce, worshipped the Lord. Ultimately, the Pandavas win the war, proving that Dharmam and Sat yam will always triumph. Throughout this mighty epic, the Mahabaratham, the value of these two qualities and the Pandavas' adherence to them in spite of the worst trials, are underlined.
                                                                        January 16, 1964

Hindu Dharma: Methods to show gratitude

God not only protects the righteous but also removes the evil elements, as and when occasion demands. This is analogous to plants, which, in addition to requiring water for their sustenance, need the uprooting of weeds raising their heads along with them.

Sir Sengalipuram Anantarama Dikshitar in his discourse said that certain acts, inherently bad in nature and prohibited under ordinary circumstances, could be performed in times of expediency (Aapadh Dharma). But once the necessity ceased, they should be discontinued. This was illustrated by the birth of Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidura. Likewise, later, King Pandu urged his wife. Kunti to bear children in order to keep the progeny with the special boon granted to her by sage Durvasa, she presented him with Yudhishtra. Bhima and Arjuna, and also helped Madri (the second wife of Pandu) to beget Nakula and Sahadeva in the same manner. While Young, she had already invoked the Sun God, through whom she obtained Karna, but had to desert him. Very often some People cited these instances and twisted them to suit their own ends. If the mind was unsullied and the characters were viewed with purity. bad thoughts would never occur to them Frequently, the Rasa Leela was referred to and some persons asked as why they should not also follow suit, when Sri Krishna Himself had resorted to "playful indulgence". To them, the fitting retort would be. God once gulped poison to save mankind, but would they too dare perform this feat? God, is so gracious that He will bless all those who think of Him, hear about Him or His greatness, chant speak or sing about His glory and prostrate and surrender before Him The basis of Hindu culture is Dharma and Satyam.

The same day as Bhima was born. Duryodana also made his appearance as the eldest child of Gandhari, wife of Dhritarashtra. Seeing ill omens, the elders advised the king to sacrifice the child for the welfare of the entire race, alluding to Sastras which permitted this. But the king, bound by affection, allowed him to grow. Hindu Dharma has laid down the modes of repayment of our debt of gratitude. To Gods, this can be done by the performance of yagnas and pujas. Rishis can be satisfied by the study and recitation of even portions from the Vedas. Our duty towards the deceased forebears is to conduct ceremony. The eatables offered during the shradha are delivered to them in the form of amrita. Lastly while living in society, we should sympathise with the people in distress and try to do our best to mitigate their suffering.
                                                                        October 21, 1964

Need to pray for fortitude to bear sorrow

Old age and death shadow an individual from his very birth and the most valiant or an intellectual genius can never conquer them. Permanent immersion in grief will, therefore not help to restore a dead person to life. Comforting the agitated Yudhishtirar, Sri Krishna said it was sheer folly to  bemoan the loss of his relatives in the war as their lives should come to an end at one time or other. Moreover, they had played heroic roles and were engaged in just warfare and hence, on their death, had been elevated to an exalted status in God's kingdom.

In his discourse Sri Karpangadu Venkatachariar said despite the advice given by so many, Yudhishtirar was still unhappy and even wanted to resort to a fast unto death as he felt he was principally responsible for the tragedy and there was no pleasure in ruling an empire in the face of such a calamity. Denouncing his move, Sage Vyasa told him that one should never be unduly elated over a happy event nor get bogged totally in grief over some mishap. Every act of a person was predetermined by God and would definitely take place according to His decision and hence an individual's wish could never prevail over God's will.

Vyasa referred to the wise counsel of a Sage that a man's pattern of life was set by God, based on his past deeds. Sorrow and joy were bound to occur alternately in one's life. What one should pray to God was to grant him the fortitude and provide the strength to bear the blows instead of asking Him to spare him completely from the agony. One should learn to endure suffering cheerfully by drawing comfort from those who had undergone more intense grief and yet had borne it patiently and courageously. Vyasa asked Yudhishtirar to rule his kingdom, accepting it as a Divine verdict.
                                                                        May 11,1967

Mahabharata's stress on truth and righteousness

The main theme underlying the Mahahharatham emphasises that unscrupulous and unethical conduct, duplicity and evil deeds will never pay. One can achieve perfection and reach God solely guided by the twin factors- Righteousness and Truth (Dharmam and Sat yam). The epic, a mammoth edifice with Devotion as its foundation projects Vidhura's intellectual acumen, Kunti's sagacity, Gandhari's chastity and other spiritual values It is an encyclopaedia of Laws and rules relating to tbe preservation of character.

Sri Manjakkudi Rajagopala Sastrigal in his discourse said in the very first of the 100 chapters (with verses numbering one lakh), the relationship between the teacher and the taught was illustrated. Asked to arrange for the closure of the breach in the bund of a field, the disciple laid himself across the gap to prevent water from seeping through, thus earning the admiration of his Guru for his dedication. Another episode mentioned a puppy accidentally happening to pass by a place where religious rites were being performed, and being beaten by the gathering, though it had not seen the oblations. Its mother felt that the young one had been unnecessarily injured while it had not committed any wrong and said anyone who punished a weaker individual without any provocation was hound to meet with some calamity. Written in the form of a narrative to bring out the hidden truths in the Vedas, the work is interspersed with innumerable stories which on a deeper probe will reveal secret messages.
                                                                        February 29, 1968

Munificence without mental reservation, a virtue

The noble trait of munificence will become tainted if it is not blended with a feeling of warmth. In extending hospitality or giving a gift, there should be absolutely no mental reservation. It is better to turn down a request openly, confessing one's unwillingness to oblige than to concede it with great reluctance --a pleasant 'no" is preferable to a harsh 'yes'. The value of a help rendered is assessed not by the material worth of the assistance but by the spirit behind the gesture and the timing of it. If Karna's name has become a by-word for charitableness, it is because he cheerfully gave away whatever was asked of him, regardless of other considerations. He reached the pinnacle of the virtue when, right on the battle-front, he dedicated the fruits of his good deeds to Sri Krishna, Who sought them as a gift.

This Karna did unhesitatingly and without a demur, despite, the strangeness of the request and the critical nature of the hour. What more, when Sri Krishna, pleased with his action, offered to grant him a boon, Karna did not seek the Kauravas' triumph in the war, but prayed that, if he was destined to more births, he might be blessed with the same disposition to help others generously.

Sri Swaminatha Thambiran in his discourse narrated the course of the Kurukshetra war, pointing out how Sri Krishna not only played the role of a charioteer to Arjuna at several critical moments, saved the Pandavas from danger, ensuring their victory.
                                                                        October 3, 1972