A saying in Sanskrit says that one must always be wary of a fire which has not been put off effectively. Even a weak ember buried amidst cold ashes can have an uncanny way of springing an unpleasant surprise on a complacent person. When matters work out the way we desire it, we move forward with the policy of let bygones be bygones. We seldom realise that the affected party may not sport the same attitude. Resentment and anger may be stifled inside them. The bitterness in their bosoms might find expression at an unexpected moment, thereby jeopardizing our best laid plans.
In the Mahabharata, when the Pandavas arrived at the royal palace after the Great War, they went to seek the blessings of Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. The grief stricken couple had lost their one hundred sons to the vengeance of the Pandavas. They were aware of the sinful nature of their children. Yet they were overwhelmed by the tragedy. They put on a courageous and composed front to meet their victorious nephews.
When Yudhishtira paid his respects to the elderly couple, they could not help shedding tears of distress and helplessness. Even though Gandhari was blindfolded she focused on the ground to avoid any kind of a confrontation with the righteous Yudhishtira. In her seething anger, she happened to sight the toe of the senior Pandava. It charred with the ray of her burning fury.
Krishna sensed the unsettled undercurrents in the reunion. He knew that Gandhari was righteous and more forgiving than her husband. Hence Krishna accepted her curse of total annihilation of his Yadava Kula with grace. When it was the bereaved father’s turn to embrace Bhima, Krishna placed an iron statue of the Pandava in front of the blind king. As expected, the deadly combination of bereavement and anger enabled Dhritarashtra to make the cast iron idol crumble to mere dust. A round of grief ensued after the thoughtless act and some semblance of normalcy was restored when the couple was reassured of Bhima’s well being.
This incident is a proof of Newton’s third law about every action having an equal and opposite reaction. In other words no one can be above the law of Karma