As part of his final walk towards the mountain,Yudhistra had to pass through Indra's garden. The path around the pavement littered with pine nut trees....and as he somberly focussed on the road, his vision caught a fallen guava.
He had not had a morsel since day before yesterday's night and he was tempted to take a bite at the fruit. He started walking purposefully towards the pulpy globe.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. There was brown hairy squirrel scurrying towards the same fruit.
In a few moments both of them were at the foot of the same fruit. The squirrel recognized Yudhistra and respectfully paused. Yudhistra too stopped in his tracks, because he clearly knew that Dharma dictated that the animal have the first right of refusal.
Picture this. Yudhistra on the left, looking ahead at the road, the squirrel on his right perpendicular to the road, facing the fruit.
Unknown to both Yudhistra and the squirrel, the squirrel had diplopia in her right eye. That caused her to have double vision, especially for everything on her right side.
In the present circumstance, she saw one Yudhistra on her left and on her right she saw two guavas.
Yudhistra stared at her, and politely said, "Dear, go pick up the guava and I will continue on my final walk."
"Dear King, there are two fruits. You pick one and I can have the other. You should pick up first since you saw them first. Pick any one and I shall pick up the second."
Yudhistra thought she was referring to a tiny shred of broken red rasberry fruit which was also lying alongside, just adjoining the guava, he had not seen it consciously before, but now that he intently gazed he could clearly see it.
The King of Dharma debated for a minute, and thought to himself, "I have been hungry for the past two days. My body is 40 times bigger than the squirrel. The gauva is 40 times bigger than the rasberry pieces, and in all probability not sweet enough for the squirrel. She might not be able to chew the tough kernel of the guava.". In his head as the rationalization proceeded, he moved ahead briskly, picked the guava and bit into it.
The squirrel was stunned. She had just seen the King pick up both the fruits, when he had clearly agreed to pick only one.
She waited, seething in anger and resentment, and then icily pronounced, "O King, when everyone told me you had conveniently lied about Ashwathma on the battlefield, I just could not believe it. I fought them off, I told them that Dharmaraja can never lie. Not even a white lie. He can never do wrong, even in mistake. And today, as you are out on your final walk towards the ashes, you not only just lied, your also reneged on the deal. You are truly unfaithful, the price of this fruit is that you shall go to hell instead of heaven. And my children for whom I was going to carry this fruit back, shall remain hungry tonight. The King of Dharma is dead. Long live Dharma.", with that she turned her back and started her journey back.
Yudhistra did not know what hit him. He was tempted to defend himself, ask the squirrel about the "purported lie" and he was not just ready to not only offer the guava back, but point her to the rasberry...but he could see she was quickly beginning to recede from his aural range.
In a few moments, his calm returned and he said loudly enough for her to hear
"Dear squirrel, all I had to offer you (on this final journey of mine wearing just a loin cloth) today, was my honesty, my faith and my unwavering adherence to Dharma,
And yet, you have already pronounced me as someone who cheated, someone who reneged, someone who lied....if that is how you see me, my dear lady squirrel, I unequivocally submit (to your judgement), I accept it as my final Karma."
Turning his gaze back on the road, he dropped the half bitten guava, and then proceeded towards his own ashes.
He had not had a morsel since day before yesterday's night and he was tempted to take a bite at the fruit. He started walking purposefully towards the pulpy globe.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. There was brown hairy squirrel scurrying towards the same fruit.
In a few moments both of them were at the foot of the same fruit. The squirrel recognized Yudhistra and respectfully paused. Yudhistra too stopped in his tracks, because he clearly knew that Dharma dictated that the animal have the first right of refusal.
Picture this. Yudhistra on the left, looking ahead at the road, the squirrel on his right perpendicular to the road, facing the fruit.
Unknown to both Yudhistra and the squirrel, the squirrel had diplopia in her right eye. That caused her to have double vision, especially for everything on her right side.
In the present circumstance, she saw one Yudhistra on her left and on her right she saw two guavas.
Yudhistra stared at her, and politely said, "Dear, go pick up the guava and I will continue on my final walk."
"Dear King, there are two fruits. You pick one and I can have the other. You should pick up first since you saw them first. Pick any one and I shall pick up the second."
Yudhistra thought she was referring to a tiny shred of broken red rasberry fruit which was also lying alongside, just adjoining the guava, he had not seen it consciously before, but now that he intently gazed he could clearly see it.
The King of Dharma debated for a minute, and thought to himself, "I have been hungry for the past two days. My body is 40 times bigger than the squirrel. The gauva is 40 times bigger than the rasberry pieces, and in all probability not sweet enough for the squirrel. She might not be able to chew the tough kernel of the guava.". In his head as the rationalization proceeded, he moved ahead briskly, picked the guava and bit into it.
The squirrel was stunned. She had just seen the King pick up both the fruits, when he had clearly agreed to pick only one.
She waited, seething in anger and resentment, and then icily pronounced, "O King, when everyone told me you had conveniently lied about Ashwathma on the battlefield, I just could not believe it. I fought them off, I told them that Dharmaraja can never lie. Not even a white lie. He can never do wrong, even in mistake. And today, as you are out on your final walk towards the ashes, you not only just lied, your also reneged on the deal. You are truly unfaithful, the price of this fruit is that you shall go to hell instead of heaven. And my children for whom I was going to carry this fruit back, shall remain hungry tonight. The King of Dharma is dead. Long live Dharma.", with that she turned her back and started her journey back.
Yudhistra did not know what hit him. He was tempted to defend himself, ask the squirrel about the "purported lie" and he was not just ready to not only offer the guava back, but point her to the rasberry...but he could see she was quickly beginning to recede from his aural range.
In a few moments, his calm returned and he said loudly enough for her to hear
"Dear squirrel, all I had to offer you (on this final journey of mine wearing just a loin cloth) today, was my honesty, my faith and my unwavering adherence to Dharma,
And yet, you have already pronounced me as someone who cheated, someone who reneged, someone who lied....if that is how you see me, my dear lady squirrel, I unequivocally submit (to your judgement), I accept it as my final Karma."
Turning his gaze back on the road, he dropped the half bitten guava, and then proceeded towards his own ashes.
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