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 The role of
fate-14
Destiny waits alike for the free man as well as for him enslaved by another's might. - Aeschylus, Greek tragic dramatist (525- 456 BCE)
In everyday life it is difficult to come across anybody who is thrilled about their life being full of happiness and pleasure and who attributes that to good karma. Mark it; we have to say “good karma” (nalvinai in Thamizh) since “karma” by implication invariably means “bad karma” or “tIvinai” in Thamizh. I am yet to come across someone who says, “I must have done a lot of good deeds in my past life and accumulated so much merit and as a result my life in this birth is a pleasure to enjoy”. Even those who are much better off than others in terms of wealth, health, family, children, and overall satisfaction, do have complaints and gripe about something or other that (bad karma?) bothers them. What do they expect - a life so smooth and devoid of problems? What kind of life would it be if it does not have any problems? Wouldn’t it be dull? There is a Thamizh saying,
“nizhalin arumai veyyilil teriyum” (one appreciates the shade only when scorched by the Sun).
In the science of Mechanics, friction is a widely discussed topic. It counters motion and consumes energy and thus there are attempts to mitigate it. But imagine a world without friction! If there is no friction we will be moving forever without being able to stop. Life also must have friction in order for it to be interesting. That is where fate comes in. It makes sure that peoples’ lives are varied enough to be mixed with plenty of untoward incidents in order for them to think about their karma and make amends as they go along. Let us look at Yudhishtra (guided by his fate) as to the tribulations he experienced in an otherwise glorious profile that is described everywhere.
 Till the time the Pandavas established their kingdom in Indraprasta Yudhishtra was a person of righteous conduct held up as a model. When Dhritarashtra extended an invitation to Yudhishtra for a dice game with Duryodhana (aided by Shakuni) Yudhishtra consulted with his brothers but agreed to accept the invitation in the end. In doing so he placed importance on obeying the command of his “father” (here it is Dhritarashtra). He even cited the example of Rama in obeying the command of his father. Right example indeed for the wrong reason! Bharathi describes the situation, in pAnjcAli
sabhadham, thus:
“nari vagutta valaiyilE teri^ndu singam
nazhuvi vizhum; siRReRumbAlE yAnai sAgum
….vidhi vagutta pOzhdinanRE”
(a lion will knowingly slip and fall into the trap set by the fox; even an ant can cause the death of an elephant….if fate is in command of the situation).
Against better judgment Yudhishtra agrees to accept the gambling invitation. He resigns to fate. Again in Bharathi’s words:
“madhiyinum vidhi tAn peridanRO ….
nadhiyi luLLa siRukuzhi tannil
nAngu tikki liru^ndum panmAsu
padhiyumARu piRar seyyum karmap
payanum nammai aDaivaduN DanRO?”
(Isn’t fate more powerful than the mind? Just like debris accumulates from various directions into a little depression in the river, the consequences of other people’s actions too attach to us.)
Yudhishtra had a weakness for gambling but was not good at it. Besides, Shakuni, who was an expert dice thrower, taunted him about his apparent reluctance to accept a challenge issued by another king. He succumbed, played and lost his kingdom, brothers, and even his wife Draupadi. Karna called for removing the upper garments of the Pandavas and Yudhishtra had to remove his upper garment in shame. After the attempted disrobing of Draupadi and redemption by Krishna, Dhritarashtra was alarmed at Draupadi’s fury and gave back to the Pandavas all that was lost. If Yudhishtra accepted it meekly and walked away, the course of Mahabharatham would have changed. That was not to be. He thought winning back the lost kingdom as a merciful gift was wrought with ignominy. When disaster is waiting to happen reason takes leave of the person. Despite the objections of many people in the assembly, he accepted a second dice challenge, lost, and went on to live in the forest along with his brothers and wife. The “moving finger” managed to get its job done!
After the forest life and a year in incognito, Yudhishtra sent Krishna as an emissary to Duryodhana to get back his lost kingdom or at the least ownership of five villages. Fate denied him that opportunity too. War was inevitable. During the war a positive turn occurred when Bheeshma revealed the means to defeat him using Sikhandin as the front (wo)man. With Bheeshma out of the scene, the next hurdle was Drona who was another invincible hero. Yudhishtra’s fate played a role again in uttering the half-truth that Aswattama (Drona’s son) was dead. He did not confirm Aswattama’s (the elephant) death in one word by saying “yes” to Drona’s query. He uttered a full sentence, muttering the mention of the elephant, in soft undertone which was drowned out by the blowing of the conch by Krishna. He reluctantly agreed to utter the false statement. It was a conspiracy of fate since Krishna insisted that there was no other way to defeat Drona. A paragon of virtue and integrity was sacrificed at the altar of fate!
Sethuraman Subramanian
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