JOIN USThough minding one’s own business should be our guiding mantra, there are times when it is expected of us to pitch in to solve a setback or resolve a crisis especially when it is looming large right in front of us.
We must realise that there is a lot of difference between finding faults and righting wrongs. It takes a lot of clarity and integrity to point out slip-ups and guide the problem to a logical solution.
How many times have we not hesitated to voice our opinions or thoughts in an ongoing scuffle or an altercation? The reasons could be many.
Perhaps, we do not want to interfere in a matter that does not involve us. Otherwise, maybe the apprehension of meeting dire consequences could prove to be an obstacle. Sometimes we end up being wishy-washy because we are closet opportunists waiting to find out which side of the bread is buttered.
The thought of hurting the other person could hold us back. Or, we may be very simply lacking in courage and conviction and hence prefer to play the role of the wallpaper.
It takes a lot of clarity and integrity to point out slip-ups and guide the problem to a logical solution without fear or favour.
In the Mahabharata, Vidura the prime minister in the court of the Kuru dynasty stands testimony to this character.
When the royal house planned that the blind prince Dhritarashtra should be crowned as king, Vidura categorically objected to the stance citing clauses from contemporary political science.
When Dhritarashtra and his sons wanted to invite the sons of Pandu for a game of dice, Vidura condemned the suggestion as demeaning and ignoble.
When Kaurava brothers humiliated Draupadi by trying to disrobe her, Vidura warned the wrongdoers to do penance for the unbecoming act. When the great war of Kurukshetra became imminent, Vidura counselled the royal house to consider the peace treaty proposed by Krishna.
Time and again, Vidura prevailed on the minds of the people whom he was associated with and tried to clean the cobwebs in their minds. Vidura succeeded in his mission infrequently.
Yet the low rate of his success did not deter him from expressing his opinions and fingering the conscience of his associates.
Vidura can be our role model in these trying times. It is not enough if we know right from wrong.
It is important to implement our knowledge. Mahatma Gandhi has also affirmed that people putting up with or witnessing injustice are equivalent to being party to it.