Yudhishthira’s Gurus: The Four Krishnas
Interestingly, at different phases of Yudhisthira’s life, the four Krishnas – Vyasa, Krishna, Arjuna and Draupadi – appear as his Guru. Yudhishthira learns as much through trial and error of firsthand experience as much through debates and discourses.
Gautama Dharmashashtra places great importance on dialogic discourse as a means for arriving at the truth - nyaayaadhigame tarko.abhyupaayaH {Gaut.2.2.23 (11.23)}. Instead of blind adherence to any injunction of authority, one shall come to a conclusion through that, and shall decide properly - tenaabhyuuhya yathaasthaanaM gamayet {Gaut.2.2.24 (11.24)}
The Pandavas and Draupadi had differences in opinion on ‘Dharma’, and often had debates on the topic, and Vyasa’s mimesis is impeccable in showing us the inevitable relativity of perception. There is no absolute Truth, and every human truth is relative.
At different phases of earthly life, Yudhishthira’s brothers doubted his Dharma in different degrees. Only one man never said a word against him. Krishna!
Krishna, perhaps, was helpless before this man, and felt; perhaps, he was ‘trapped’ in his own philosophy in respect to this man. And yet Krishna knew his Dharma could not be translated into political action without this man. It was not for nothing that he shifted the power centre of Bharata Rashtra from Jarasandha’s East to Indraprashtha-Hastinapura. There was no Yudhishthira among the Vrishnis. Is it not natural, then, the Vrishnis would kill each other in drunken debauchery?
Krishna preached ‘Svadharma’ – Dharma according to one’s own Nature. If Yudhishthira stood by his own Dharma despite all obstacles and objections, and despite all practical limitations of his Dharma, it was his ‘Svadharma’ then.
In the Yaksha-Yudhishthira dialogue, God Dharma admitted –
‘I am greatly pleased, O thou of great wisdom, with thee, O son, by thy devotion to me, by thy truthfulness of speech, and forgiveness, and self-restraint. This, indeed, is the third test, O king, to which I put thee. Thou art incapable, O son of Pritha, of being swerved from thy nature or reason.’
Dharma uses the word ‘svabhaavaat’, acknowledging that Yudhishthira’s Dharma is his Svadharma. Is there any doubt then that, Yudhishthira was the most sincere and genuine follower of Krishna’s Dharma?
And Yudhishthira himself said – ‘I do not practice Dharma to obtain Karmaphala –
dharmam.caraami.suzroNi.na.dharma.phala.kaaraNaat. (CE-3.32.4)
- and this is his ‘svabhaavaa’
If Krishna exemplifies Nizkaama-Karma, Yudhishthira exemplifies Nizkaama-Dharma, and both are same because both have their base in Karma and Jnyana – two sides of the same coin, for Krishna himself has said that all Karma has its base in Dharma, and more importantly in ‘svabhaava’- svadharma. If Krishna’s Dharma is the practice of ‘Detached Attachment’, Yudhishthira’s is ‘Attached Detachment’!
And the courage with which Yudhishthira defended his own Dharma, like one protecting a lamp amidst storm, would not have been possible, unless Yudhishthira had Viirasukha in this Karma of living in his own Dharma.
Viirsukha is the spirit of living, nay, the art of living, in an ever hostile world, a Kurukshetra forever. Viirsukha is also the art of survival. Deciding to stay in Naraka with his brothers, sons and wife, what was his motivation, if not ‘viirsukha’?
Yudhishthira’s ‘niskaama Dharma’ is similar to Krishna’s ‘niskaama karma’ in that, though he practices Dharma not for any ‘phala’, the ‘phala’ nevertheless is there.
He tells Draupadi – ‘O thou faultless one, if the virtues that are practised by the virtuous had no fruits, this universe then would be enveloped in infamous darkness. No one then would pursue salvation, no one would seek to acquire knowledge not even wealth, but men would live like beasts. …. Knowing it for certain that God is the giver of fruits in respect of virtue, they practise virtue in this world. This, O Krishna, is the eternal (source of) prosperity. When the fruits of both knowledge and asceticism are seen, virtue and vice cannot be fruitless. (CE-3.32.23-29)’
Yudhishthira thinks his Dharma has no personal attachment to ‘phala’, but his belief in a ‘universal moral value and order’ – ‘virtue and vice cannot be fruitless – sa.ca.ayam.saphalo.dharmo.na.dharmo.aphala’ is the cause of his personal attachment to ‘phala’ of which he is not aware of. His reaction to Duryodhana’s presence in heavenly glory is born of an error – ‘moha’, and he learns about the unconscious side of his mind and self through that error.
Yudhishthira’s ‘theory’ has its base in ‘dRzyante phalaani’, i.e. in perceived reality, which is also similar to Krishna’s ‘dRSTa.phalam’ (5.290.6)
Yudhishthira’s Dharma places more importance on ‘pramaanaH’ offered by Rishis than on ‘own reasoning - aatma.pramaaNa’.
‘The fool that doubteth Dharma and disregardeth virtue, proud of the proof derived from his own reasoning, regardeth not other proofs and holdeth the Rishis, who are capable of knowing the future as present as mad men. (CE-3.32.14-15)’
Here he is diametrically opposite to Krishna’s Dharma that places more importance on ‘aatma’ –
uddharedaatmanaatmaanaM naatmaanamavasaadayet.h .
aatmaiva hyaatmano bandhuraatmaiva ripuraatmanaH -
‘One must elevate, not degrade, oneself by one's own Self. The Self alone is one's friend as well as one's enemy.’ (Gita-6.05)
To Yudhishthira, a cynic in Scriptural proof goes to Naraka –
‘A rejector of proofs, a slanderer of the interpretation of the Vedic scriptures, a transgressor urged by lust and covetousness, that fool goeth to hell. O amiable one, he on the other hand, who ever cherisheth Dharma with faith, obtaineth eternal bliss in the other world. The fool who cherisheth not Dharma, transgressing the proofs offered by the Rishis, never obtaineth prosperity in any life, for such transgression of the scriptures. (CE-3.32.18-19)’
Vashishtha Dharmashahstra defines ‘ziSTa’ as one whose ‘aatma’ is free from ‘kaama’ - ziSTas^punar akaama.aatmaa (Va.1.6)
Yudhishthira is not yet ‘ziSTa’. He, however, learns with an open mind, because when Narada advises him to give up discrimination, he listens silently. In silence, is his recognition of the ‘kaama’ in his heart.
His faith is in ancient Dharma practiced by ‘shishta’. He argued with Draupadi – ‘Doubt not, O Krishna, the ancient Dharma that is practiced by the good and framed by Rishis of universal knowledge and capable of seeing all things! (CE-3.32.21)’