Justice in the Hands of Torture - Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha
Justice in the Hands of Torture - Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha Justice in the Hands of Torture - Swami Bhoomananda Tirtha
orbit of Her Creation. In Her warm embrace must come everythingright from extreme goodness to the worst of badness. Only thenwill Nature be exquisite and amazing in every way. In order to incorporatealike in Her being, both beauty and ugliness, both goodnessand badness, with equal vigour and glare, Nature has firstmade Herself neither beautiful nor ugly, neither good nor bad, butthe magnificent 'neuter' of all the opposites. No doubt Her being istranscendental at all levels and spheres. In being so does she constantlyfrightens as well as allures the human, stimulating his deepestthought and enquiry. For the real seeker and investigator, thebest of delight, nay the fulfilment of his life, consists in probing intoHer mystery and wonder.In assaulting Draupadi, Duhshasana had clearly thrown aside thebasic rule and code which even the crude dacoits on the roadwould honour and obey. Draupadi's steadfastness, her spirit of loyaltyand sacrifice, was thus pitted against the most ruthless adversary.This was the biggest, yet most pregnant fun which Providencecould instrument and indulge in.Human will is inherited from Providence of course. Its potency ismarvellous, no doubt. But how far can it rise up in strength? Can itrise in revolt and begin to question the Power and Design of theSupreme, from whom indeed it has derived its own birth? Can theCreator be at any time the slave of man, the topmost of His Creation?Can the Human will ever rise above the Creator's? Duryodhanaand his brothers had, it is true, been successful in enslavingthe righteous Yudhishthira. But can they rise above the Supremeand its Power?On his side, Duhshasana had his manly power and strength to assaultthe helpless woman of the Pandavas. But the challenge im-44
plied something far graver and greater. The victim of his assaultwas not just the woman alone in Draupadi, whom he and his peoplehated, but also the Lord who dwelt in her heart, whom no onecould hate, from whom none could ever get away or escape. To thisLord, devotion and piety were dearer than everything else.Duhshasana had thought that his manly strength was unchallengedbefore Draupadi and she could have nothing to defend herself.He forgot the basic truth that every man is born of the woman,and thus the woman is his mother and fosterer. The blood and bone ofman may be stronger, but stronger still and unyielding are the heart andmind of a loyal and dedicated woman. Even the superior reason of mangot stupefied before Draupadi's interrogation!All this had to be demonstrated before the hetero-genous assembly,where the choice of the wicked counted, not the voice of the wise and theelderly. For the Providence, every event is a fun or sport. For manalone, it proves to be a lesson.When those men, her husbands, who were to give protection themselveswere made to stand back mute and helpless, nay when theywere the ones to cause this plight to her, Draupadi found nothingleft in this seen world to look to in her distress. What is an innocentmortal to do at such a time, in such an event? The only choice wasto look to herself, her own within. That is what she did. The withinof everyone is visible and available to himself alone, to none else.Every human is born into this world with an intrinsic right. No onecan dissuade or dislodge him from it. By this he is enabled to lookto the Creator's hand of protection as the last resort, when the Creation’shand refuses and betrays him. The secret of devotion or piety liesin realizing this right and resorting to it with exclusiveness in time withreliance, humility and hope.45
- Page 3 and 4: Justice “In the Hands of Torture
- Page 7 and 8: Where the role of women is rightly
- Page 9 and 10: even myself.’ At this Shakuni lau
- Page 11 and 12: question of dharma and propriety. I
- Page 13 and 14: ster, from pulling me brutally like
- Page 15 and 16: give a fitting and final answer. So
- Page 17 and 18: property not merely of Yudhishthira
- Page 19: must rid their minds of passion and
- Page 22 and 23: virtuous and loyal, are not leaving
- Page 24 and 25: "Look at my long sturdy hands. Even
- Page 26 and 27: To these words of Bheema, Yudhishth
- Page 28 and 29: son of Dharma. In response to this
- Page 30 and 31: tice and moral propriety. He strong
- Page 32 and 33: Even with the two I have given, my
- Page 34 and 35: knowledge and its benefit, nothing
- Page 36 and 37: will immediately say that his ‘re
- Page 38 and 39: In India, right from the ancient da
- Page 40 and 41: his was improper on all grounds. Hu
- Page 42 and 43: In the case of Draupadi, I will not
- Page 44 and 45: own chosen purpose right from the s
- Page 46 and 47: noyance all that was his was won by
- Page 50 and 51: Many get steeped in delusion, or th
- Page 52 and 53: ever. His life will get fulfilled o
- Page 54 and 55: made. It has its specific relevance
- Page 56 and 57: out what he wishes to. Then he has
- Page 58 and 59: which alone ranks supreme. It is pl
- Page 60 and 61: The humans too are fused into the b
- Page 62 and 63: fied. In his mind he was already su
- Page 64 and 65: is nothing in righteousness which c
- Page 66 and 67: als. Her nature was such that in th
- Page 68 and 69: ight from the ancient days, that ev
orbit <strong>of</strong> Her Creation. In Her warm embrace must come everyth<strong>in</strong>gright from extreme goodness to <strong>the</strong> worst <strong>of</strong> badness. Only <strong>the</strong>nwill Nature be exquisite and amaz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> every way. In order to <strong>in</strong>corporatealike <strong>in</strong> Her be<strong>in</strong>g, both beauty and ugl<strong>in</strong>ess, both goodnessand badness, with equal vigour and glare, Nature has firstmade Herself nei<strong>the</strong>r beautiful nor ugly, nei<strong>the</strong>r good nor bad, but<strong>the</strong> magnificent 'neuter' <strong>of</strong> all <strong>the</strong> opposites. No doubt Her be<strong>in</strong>g istranscendental at all levels and spheres. In be<strong>in</strong>g so does she constantlyfrightens as well as allures <strong>the</strong> human, stimulat<strong>in</strong>g his deepestthought and enquiry. For <strong>the</strong> real seeker and <strong>in</strong>vestigator, <strong>the</strong>best <strong>of</strong> delight, nay <strong>the</strong> fulfilment <strong>of</strong> his life, consists <strong>in</strong> prob<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>toHer mystery and wonder.In assault<strong>in</strong>g Draupadi, Duhshasana had clearly thrown aside <strong>the</strong>basic rule and code which even <strong>the</strong> crude dacoits on <strong>the</strong> roadwould honour and obey. Draupadi's steadfastness, her spirit <strong>of</strong> loyaltyand sacrifice, was thus pitted aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> most ruthless adversary.This was <strong>the</strong> biggest, yet most pregnant fun which Providencecould <strong>in</strong>strument and <strong>in</strong>dulge <strong>in</strong>.Human will is <strong>in</strong>herited from Providence <strong>of</strong> course. Its potency ismarvellous, no doubt. But how far can it rise up <strong>in</strong> strength? Can itrise <strong>in</strong> revolt and beg<strong>in</strong> to question <strong>the</strong> Power and Design <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>Supreme, from whom <strong>in</strong>deed it has derived its own birth? Can <strong>the</strong>Creator be at any time <strong>the</strong> slave <strong>of</strong> man, <strong>the</strong> topmost <strong>of</strong> His Creation?Can <strong>the</strong> Human will ever rise above <strong>the</strong> Creator's? Duryodhanaand his bro<strong>the</strong>rs had, it is true, been successful <strong>in</strong> enslav<strong>in</strong>g<strong>the</strong> righteous Yudhishthira. But can <strong>the</strong>y rise above <strong>the</strong> Supremeand its Power?On his side, Duhshasana had his manly power and strength to assault<strong>the</strong> helpless woman <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pandavas. But <strong>the</strong> challenge im-44
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