“The goddess Durga was decorated with flower garlands, smeared with sandalwood pulp and dressed with excellent garments and ornaments made of valuable jewels. Holding in her hands a bow, a trident, arrows, a shield, a sword, a conchshell, a disc and a club, and being praised by celestial beings like Apsaras, Kinnaras, Uragas, Siddhas, Charanas and Gandharvas, who worshiped her with all kinds of presentations, she spoke as follows. ‘O Kamsa, you fool, what will be the use of killing me? The Supreme Personality of Godhead, who has been your enemy from the very beginning and who will certainly kill you, has already taken His birth somewhere else. Therefore, do not unnecessarily kill other children.’” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 10.4.10-12)

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दिव्यस्रगम्बरालेपरत्नाभरणभूषिता
धनु:शूलेषुचर्मासिशङ्खचक्रगदाधरा
सिद्धचारणगन्धर्वैरप्सर:किन्नरोरगै:
उपाहृतोरुबलिभि: स्तूयमानेदमब्रवीत्
किं मया हतया मन्द जात: खलु तवान्तकृत्
यत्र क्‍व वा पूर्वशत्रुर्मा हिंसी: कृपणान् वृथा

divya-srag-ambarālepa-
ratnābharaṇa-bhūṣitā
dhanuḥ-śūleṣu-carmāsi-
śaṅkha-cakra-gadā-dharā

siddha-cāraṇa-gandharvair
apsaraḥ-kinnaroragaiḥ
upāhṛtoru-balibhiḥ
stūyamānedam abravīt

kiṁ mayā hatayā manda
jātaḥ khalu tavānta-kṛt
yatra kva vā pūrva-śatrur
mā hiṁsīḥ kṛpaṇān vṛthā

There is a famous quote attributed to the philosopher named Machiavelli. It says that an enemy should never receive a small injury. The idea is that if you are going to battle against someone, if you have identified someone as an adversary, then better to go all-in. There is no benefit to restraint. There is nothing gained by holding back. In studying the history documented in the Vedas, we have several notable examples of this principle in action. The perpetrators happened to be on the wrong side of the dispute. In other words, the enemies they identified were actually innocent. Someone who has the greatest purview happened to notice the discrepancy and made sure to protect the innocent.

1. Hiranyakashipu

दिग्-गजैर् दन्दशूकेन्द्रैर्
अभिचारावपातनैः
मायाभिः सन्निरोधैश् च
गर-दानैर् अभोजनैः
हिम-वाय्व्-अग्नि-सलिलैः
पर्वताक्रमणैर् अपि
न शशाक यदा हन्तुम्
अपापम् असुरः सुतम्
चिन्तां दीर्घतमां प्राप्तस्
तत्-कर्तुं नाभ्यपद्यत

dig-gajair dandaśūkendrair
abhicārāvapātanaiḥ
māyābhiḥ sannirodhaiś ca
gara-dānair abhojanaiḥ
hima-vāyv-agni-salilaiḥ
parvatākramaṇair api
na śaśāka yadā hantum
apāpam asuraḥ sutam
cintāṁ dīrghatamāṁ prāptas
tat-kartuṁ nābhyapadyata

“Hiranyakashipu could not kill his son by throwing him beneath the feet of big elephants, throwing him among huge, fearful snakes, employing destructive spells, hurling him from the top of a hill, conjuring up illusory tricks, administering poison, starving him, exposing him to severe cold, winds, fire and water, or throwing heavy stones to crush him. When Hiranyakashipu found that he could not in any way harm Prahlada, who was completely sinless, he was in great anxiety about what to do next.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.43-44)

In this case, it did not take long for the aggressor to strike. The father made the determination. You see, his own son was the enemy. The adversary lived within the same household. The enemy was only five years of age. It was his obstinacy that really did him in. Prahlada just could not take a hint. Prahlada kept speaking on and on about this Vishnu person, to the growing ire of his father. Prahlada kept trying to stress the importance of spiritual life and how the human form should be utilized for achieving the objective of liberation.

Hiranyakashipu identified his enemy and then attacked. The injury was not small. The injury was repeatedly delivered. It had to be, since Prahlada kept surviving. Just what was going on? How was the boy doing it? Who was protecting him?

2. Ravana

चतुर्दश सहस्राणि रक्षसां भीमकर्मणाम्
हतान्येकेन रामेण मानुषेण पदातिना

caturdaśa sahasrāṇi rakṣasāṃ bhīmakarmaṇām
hatānyekena rāmeṇa mānuṣeṇa padātinā

“Those fourteen thousand Rakshasas of frightening deeds were eliminated by that one man, a foot-soldier, who was Rama.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kand, 26.35)

In this case, we have revenge for an injury committed against a sister. You see, the female ogre named Shurpanakha had become too aggressive while in the forest of Dandaka. She first lusted after Shri Rama, who is the prince of Ayodhya. Rama jokingly directed her to His younger brother Lakshmana. Shurpanakha eventually realized that Sita Devi was the competition. Sita was standing in her way of being with Rama. Therefore, Shurpanakha lunged towards Sita, but Lakshmana stepped in and intercepted the attack. In the process, Shurpanakha was disfigured.

Returning home to Lanka, embarrassed and injured, Shurpanakha explained everything to Ravana. That ten-headed leader of Lanka then decided that Rama was the enemy. The injury would be applied by fourteen-thousand of the best fighters in the world, who were expert at black magic. Amazingly, Rama intentionally chose to fight this conflict alone. On the precipice of battle, Rama told Lakshmana to take Sita to a nearby cave.

3. Duryodhana

“Once Bhima was administered poison in a cake, once they were put into the house made of shellac and set afire, and once Draupadi was dragged out, and attempts were made to insult her by stripping her naked in the vicious assembly of the Kurus. The Lord saved Draupadi by supplying an immeasurable length of cloth, and Duryodhana’s party failed to see her naked.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.8.24 Purport)

This is likely the most famous inheritance dispute in history. The stakes were more than a household or an estate of significant value. The item inherited was control of a kingdom. The five Pandava brothers, headed by Yudhishthira, were the rightful heirs, but everything was stolen from them by their cousins, the Kauravas. Their leader was Duryodhana.

In this case, the Pandavas became the enemy. The injuries were again repeatedly applied. A poison cake. Embarrassment in an assembly of respected individuals. Cheating in a game of dice. Arson. The Pandavas happened to survive every attack. Their mother, Queen Kunti, knew exactly why.

4. Kamsa

In this case, the enemy was yet to be born. King Kamsa of Mathura first looked to kill his own cousin-sister, moments after the time of her wedding to Vasudeva. A voice from the sky tipped Kamsa off to his own demise, warning him that Devaki’s eighth child would be his end. Kamsa wanted to inflict the greatest injury to Devaki right there, but Vasudeva stepped in to avert a crisis.

Kamsa then settled for imprisonment. He put the newlyweds in jail and then proceeded to kill each baby that Devaki produced. But remember, it was the eighth one that would count. In that case, the eighth child appeared, but in the middle of the night. That child managed to escape Mathura and travel to the nearby town of Gokula. Vasudeva returned to Mathura with a different newborn, who was a female.

The next day, when Kamsa heard about the birth he proceeded to apply the injury. He was ready to kill the baby. Instead, the girl slipped out of his hands and transformed in appearance. She revealed herself to be Goddess Durga, who is like the superintendent of the material creation. The injury would not work on her. She mocked Kamsa for the attempt. She further spoiled his fun by informing him that the eighth child was already born, safe and intact.

Kamsa then proceeded to plan one injury after another, by sending different powerful figures known as asuras to Gokula. The purpose was to find this eighth child and kill it. Since that child was none other than Vishnu Himself, appearing as the adorable Krishna, nothing worked. In fact, it was the same Vishnu protecting in the previously described situations. Prahlada meditated on Vishnu for protection. Rama is another avatara of Vishnu, and so not even fourteen million fighters could defeat Him. Krishna was protecting the Pandavas the entire time. Kamsa would soon meet his end through a swift punch delivered by Krishna. This means that even if the greatest injury is applied by the mightiest and wickedest force, if a person has the Supreme Lord on their side, there is no need for concern.

In Closing:

Rakshasas to Dandaka to proceed,
But Rama with arrows of speed.

In assembly sari to remove,
After game of dice to lose.

But when protecting indeed,
Then for concern no need.

When even greatest injury befell,
Vishnu there to repel.

Categories: the four

Tags: conflict resolution, dailyprompt, hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry