Smell of Shiva - Isha Foundation

Leela SeriesThe path of the playful – Part XLVIIIDon’t Turn a Blind EyeThe following is an excerpt from Leela, the path of the playful, a uniqueexploration with Sadhguru into the mystical realm of Krishna, whichtook place at the Isha Yoga Center in September 2005.Questioner: Sadhguru, Dhritarashtra’s wifeGandhari knew right from wrong – why did shechoose to close the eyes to all the evil deeds thatwere happening in Hastinapur? Should she nothave tried to influence Dhritarashtra to someextent? And even today, women do not have muchsay in the household, but if they could just make5% difference, should they not strive for it, even atthe cost of disturbing the peace within the family?Sadhguru: Since Dhritarashtra was blind,Gandhari did not want to enjoy the vision thathe did not have. So when they got married, shetook a vow to blindfold her eyes for the rest ofher life. Only once, when Krishna showed hisUniversal Form in the Hastinapur court, shebroke the vow, took off the blindfold and saw.Not just visually but even otherwise, both, butespecially Dhritarashtra, became blind to manythings. And the code in the royal court was suchthat when the king decided something, even ifhe was walking into a pit, no one had any rightto say anything. The final word was his.Many times, Gandhari showed some sense,but only in small measure. When the realissues came up, she did not do much. We haveto acknowledge that she could not do much,because the people who were working onDhritarashtra were quite efficient. You cannotfind a better man than Shakuni to create suchintrigue, such cunning and deception. Andwhenever Gandhari or Dhritarashtra tried to puttheir foot down about something, Dhuryodhanathreatened to commit suicide. He kept doingthis throughout his life whenever he didn’thave his way. Immediately, Dhritarashtra wouldgive in, no matter how stupid or evil the thingwas, because his eldest son meant everythingto him. “If he commits suicide, how can I live?”Sometimes, Gandhari tried to interfere, but onceDhritarashtra made up his mind or had beencompelled to do something, he would not stepback. She really didn’t have much say.To the last part of your question, “Should theynot strive for it, even at the cost of disturbingthe peace within the family?” This is somethingmost people are unwilling to do, even if theyknow 100% that this would be the right thing.If they stand up for a certain cause or truth orwhatever, they have to face a certain amount ofunpleasantness. A lot of people are not willingto go through that little bit of unpleasantness inthe relationships and families and stand up forsomething, but they are willing to live a lie forthe rest of their life. If you believe somethingis truly valuable, you must stand for it at thecost of any discomfort. Otherwise, your life willnot be worth anything. If you simply somehowtry to maintain some pleasantness around you,that same pleasantness will drown you one day.To stand up and create what you feel is reallyworthwhile, it is alright to go through a bit ofunpleasantness in the atmosphere.When people have established themselves incertain limitations, in certain lies, in certainconveniences, and you do not strive to break theirlimitations, even at the cost of being unpopularwith them, it simply means you don’t care forthem; you are only concerned about your comfort.What is too little or too much depends on manyfactors, like your tact and your ability to handlethe situation, and on how obstinate the personis. You can’t stand up and fight for every littlething, and the ability to turn around situationsmay be different from person to person, butISHA FOREST FLOWEROctober 201313