Could Yudhishthira Have Survived in the World of Today?

     It was the 15^th day of the Great War of India – the Mahabharata. The teacher of the Kuru princes - Dronacharya had laid waste to the Pandava army. The only way to eliminate him was to use his love for his son – Ashwatthama against him. The Pandavas brought forth an elephant named Ashwatthama and the mighty Bhima – the second eldest of the five Pandavas - killed him. News spread throughout the battlefield that Ashwatthama was dead. Bhima proclaimed this loudly, but Drona did not believe this, because even if it was Bhima, it was impossible to kill Ashwatthama – the chiranjeevi (the one who would live forever).               

     In this tumultuous time, there was only one whose words could be trusted - the most honest of all men, the eldest of the Pandavas, the offspring of Dharma (righteousness) himself – Yudhishthira. Yudhishthira was so truthful and pious that it is said that his chariot would always be about two feet above the ground when he rode in it.

     The helpless father turned to Yudhishthira and asked him if Ashwatthama was really dead. The latter responded, “Ashwatthama is dead; but the elephant, not your son”. The then God in human form - Krishna knew that it was not possible for Yudhishthira to lie outright.  So he instructed the other warriors to blow trumpets and conches, creating a din in such a way that Dronacharya only heard, "Ashwatthama is dead", not the latter part of Yudhishthira's reply. The distraught Drona descended from his chariot, laid down his weapons and began meditating, mourning the loss of his son. Dhṛiṣhṭādyumna – the Pandavas’ brother-in-law, took this chance to behead the great warrior-teacher of the Kuru dynasty.

      Even though he had not lied completely, this act of the ever transparent Yudhishthira caused his chariot to finally descend to the ground due to his non-adherence to Dharma.

      Except for this incident, he could be considered as the next ‘near-perfect male’ after Lord Rama. An obedient son, a humble student, a dutiful husband, a loving elder brother, a noble king and ultimately, one of the very few mortals who reached the doors of heaven without having to die; except for a few flaws, the biggest of them being the addiction to gambling, Yudhishthira could have easily passed as the ideal man. But what man does not have flaws?

     2016. A year where our dog-eat-dog world has reached newer lows than could ever be imagined before. Violation of basic ethics is so commonplace that it is barely even considered a violation any more. They say that there are more ‘sharks’ in the corporate world than in all the water bodies combined – people who won’t hesitate to step on other people to get ahead in their careers and lives. Could someone like Yudhishthira survive in this era?

     I work in sales, a field where one has to constantly be on the move – meeting people, making promises, getting orders, dispatching products, collecting payments, and meeting various targets. Often I have to say things to people that I am not entirely certain about myself. Is it possible to stay ever truthful in this field? Difficult, yes, but not impossible. If one is true to his work, his words will be followed by a consistent action, even if the action depends on other people. That would be a cinch for the Dharmaraj, had he been living in this era.

     Another of Yudhishthira’s flaws was that he could not say ‘no’ to people. I have seen several such people even at my workplace, and these are the ones taken most advantage of by those who can manipulate other people. Wasn’t Yudhishthira, too, talked into playing the game of dice by his cousins – the Kauravas, and their uncle – Shakuni? Shakuni tricked him into losing by controlling the dice which were made out of the bones of the former ruler of the kingdom of Gandhara and Shakuni’s father – Suvala. That is when Yudhishthira lost all that he possessed – his wealth, his kingdom, his brothers, himself, and even so, his wife Draupadi. However, there is no prominent tale in the Mahabharata saying whether he overcame this ‘flaw’. He did, however, during his 12-year exile that followed, learn how to magically control dice from sage Brihadashwa.

     What does Yudhishthira represent? Satya (truth), Dharma (righteousness), Nyaya (justice) which are necessary qualities in every great king, came naturally to him. He was honest, tolerant, discerning and nearly a sage, given his good behavior and adherence to virtues. Despite being the eldest of the Pandavas, he is never shown to be very skilled in combat, except may be for spear-wielding and chariot racing. It was possibly because he was more of an administrator than a warrior – his soft-spokenness and passive- heartedness were reflected in everything he did. His principles are evident from the teachings he imbibes to Nahusha- the king in python form, while rescuing his younger brother Bhima from his coils.

“…When one recognizes that he is not a product of matter but a spiritual being, and a part and parcel of God and that his real duty is to serve the supreme soul—that is the perfection and the real Dharma...”

     It is tough to stay righteous all the time. Not because of how the world is, but because how the human mind is. We are flawed, we have desires, we are wildly inconsistent, and we cannot be the Maryada Purushottam (Lord of Self-Control) like Lord Rama because we are not meant to be. It is through our flaws that we make up this Kali Yuga (the age of vice). It is through our individual inadequacies that we complete those of others around us. Come to think of it, Yudhishthira would probably have done well for himself in this age too, as have many people we know, may be because he is the example of how people in this age should ideally be. Despite having lived in a previous era, Yudhishthira laid down the guidelines of how all men should behave in the era that would follow. However, he seems to have been derided as outdated by those who believe one cannot be righteous and honest and successful at the same time.