Marvellous Mahābhārata Morals - XIII

Qualities should be used for general welfare

According to one's karma, many extraordinary qualities are gifted at birth. Some people are highly intelligent, some are physically strong and some are endowed with enormous wealth. These are extraordinary qualities and people who are gifted with such qualities may cultivate a false sense of superiority, due to self-conceit and arrogance. They may treat other less fortunate people as inferior and may treat them with contempt. This is not correct as it leads to oppression, discrimination, and degradation of the weak, which ultimately causes downfall of all concerned. Power, wealth, status, intellect and all other attributes should be utilized for the general welfare of the people and then only can it grow and prosper. Many a times we find that the wicked are prospering and the just are being victimized. This leads to questioning that if the law of karma is correct, then why do the wicked prosper and the just suffer. Śrī Kṛṣṇa answers that the wicked prosper due to past good actions, but they will suffer in the future due to their present wicked actions.

Jarāsandha was an extremely powerful ruler. He had great physical prowess. He had undertaken a campaign to capture one hundred rulers. His great and formidable army had captured more than eighty kings. According to the kśatṛiya dharma, if a kśatṛiya is killed in battle, then he attains heaven. However, Jarāsandha instead of killing them on the battlefield, kept them captive as prisoners, and humiliated them. This had angered all the remaining rulers. Jarāsandha fought many battles with Śrī Kṛṣṇa, and every time he was defeated. Śrī Kṛṣṇa neither captured nor killed Jarāsandha. He knew that it was the destiny of Bhīma to kill Jarasandha. When Bhīma killed Jarāsandha, all the captured rulers were set free and this enabled Yudhiśṭira to perform the Rājasuya Yagna. Since the Pāndavas used their superhuman talents and extraordinary qualities for the benefit of the public, they emerged victorious.