Translation.
In this
verse, Krishna says that just like winter (shita) and summer (ushna) come in
succession, happiness (sukha) and distress (dukkha) also follow one another.
Both come (agama) and go (apayinah) and are non-permanent (anityas) and they are
merely a reflection of our senses (matra sparsha) perceiving them. One must
learn to be resilient (titishashva) and tolerate them without being disturbed.
Kunti’s story
of resilience from the Mahabharata/ Srimad Bhagavatam.
The story
of Kunti from the Mahabharata also appears in the Bhagavatam. Her resilience is
unmatched in the face of repeated suffering: widowhood, exile, danger to her
sons, and constant uncertainty.
Abandonment
in childhood.
Kunti was
born as Princess Pritha, but was given away by her father to King Kuntibhoj to
be raised thus losing her birth family early. As a young girl, she unknowingly
invoked a divine mantra and gave birth to a son, whom she had to abandon out of
fear of social disgrace.
Tumultuous
marriage.
She
married Pandu, only to learn he was cursed and could not father children. To
preserve the royal lineage, she bore sons through divine intervention, sharing the
mantra with the co-wife Madri, carrying both duty and secrecy.
After
Pandu’s death, she became a widow in the forest, responsible for raising five
young sons alone.
Danger at
every step.
Returning
to the royal court, she had to protect her sons from constant hostility and
plots by the Kauravas – Duryodhana poisoning Bheema, Lakshagriha and repeated
attempts to sideline the Pandavas politically, denying them their rightful
share of the kingdom.
Grief
manifold.
Karna
never accepted her as his mother. She had to live with the anguish of not knowing
which of her sons would survive in the battle of Kurukshetra. Finally, she had to bear the grief of Karna’s death.
An
epitome of resilience.
After the war was over and Krishna was preparing to return to Dwarka, he told her, 'I shall grant you a boon. What do you want?'
Despite all the difficulties she had to endure all her life she prayed to Krishna, 'Give me more difficulties, Krishna.'
Krishna was surprised at this uncanny request. 'People ask for happiness when they seek a boon, and you are asking for difficulties?'
She replied, 'Whenever times were tough, Krishna, you were always beside us, protecting us. And now when the peace has returned, you are going away, leaving us alone. The tough times did come, but they did not last. They were immediately followed by good times due to your grace. I would not mind tolerating more difficulties because that way, I will always remember you and be blessed with your presence and grace.'
Kunti's story is inspiring and also teaches us a few valuable lessons. Neither tough times nor good times last forever. With Krishna by our side, it makes us strong enough to be tolerant during difficult times and be humble during happy times. May we be blessed with the resilience of Kunti.
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At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Deep gratitude to those who have lit that flame within me! Your comments are appreciated.