By Achyut Gopal Das
Difficulty is the excuse history never accepts." - Edward R. Murrow
No two people react to the same situation in a similar way. Here are examples of two great personalities who were faced with a very similar situation, but their responses were completely different.
This is a comparitive study between Bhisma and Jatayu. Both, of them were faced with seeing exploitation of women. One chose to try to protect the victim and the other chose to be a mute spectator of the crime. You will be shocked to see the similarities of the situation they faced.
1) POWERFUL or POWERLESS
Bhisma was a powerful and capable warrior and if he wanted, he could have stopped the disrobing of Draupadi - the Queen but he chose to be a silent witness of this act whereas Jatayu was old and invalid and knew that in all probability, Ravana would kill him but still, he chose to try his best to protect Sita - the Queen. Bhisma was powerful yet acted powerless whereas Jatayu was powerless yet acted powerful. "Real power is not about physical strength but about the deep desire to help."
2) ALIVE or DEAD
Bhisma lived on but died everyday to his conscience whereas Jatayu died once but lived eternally true to his conscience. "Our only constant companion is our conscience - better to be true to it."
3) FAME or INFAMY
Bhisma's name and fame went down in history because of this one act of not stopping the disrobing of Draupadi but Jatayu's name and fame went high in history because of his act of trying to save Sita. "We are all going to be mere names in history, sooner or later. Will we be equated with the bad or the good - is our choice."
4) CULTURE or VULTURE
Bhisma was supposed to be a highly cultured human but acted highly insensitive and stooped low in values like a vulture whereas Jatayu was supposed to be a lowly uncultured vulture but acted highly sensitive and soared the skies in values like an evolved human. Who would you call as a human - Bhisma or Jatayu? "One doesn't become a human being by being born as a human - one becomes a human being by being a human."
5) SPOKEN or UNSPOKEN WORDS
Draupadi begged and pleaded protection from Bhisma because she knew if someone could protect her it was only him but still Bhisma didn't protect her whereas Sita didn't even ask Jatayu for protection - she just wanted him to inform Rama about her kidnapping by Ravana because she knew Jatayu was not powerful but still Jatayu tried to protect Sita. Bhisma being a human couldn't even understand the spoken words of Draupadi what to speak of understanding her unspoken words whereas Jatayu even though was a mere bird, understood not only the spoken words of Sita but also her unspoken words. "The language of heart is more powerful than the language of words."
6) CLARITY or CONFUSION
Bhisma was confused regarding his Royal duty that he forgot that he had a higher duty - a moral duty whereas Jatayu was so clear about his moral duty that no other duty was a consideration for him. "When caught up in dilemmas, best is to follow the higher principles - to follow our heart because it always knows the truth."
7) GOOD or BAD EXAMPLE
Bhisma set a very bad precedent for generations to come whereas Jatayu set the most ideal precedent for generations to come. "If we can't be a great example at least let us not be a bad one."
8) RELATIVE or STRANGER
Another interesting point is that Bhisma was an elderly relative of Draupadi but acted as a total stranger in this episode whereas Jatayu was not at all related to Sita, he was a stranger but acted more than a dearest relative. "True relationships is based on hearty connections not just bodily connections."
9) THE SAINTLY or THE WICKED
Both, Bhisma and Jatayu had a few moments to decide what to do. Life, sometimes puts in situations where in a few moments we need to take crucial decisions. What we decide very much depends on the kind of inner integrity we have cultivated by the association we keep. Bhisma's intelligence was clouded and it failed the test of life because he associated with the wicked minded, selfish Kauravas whereas Jatayu's intelligence was crystal clear and it passed the test of life because he associated with the saintly, selfless Lakshman and the All-pure Lord Rama. "After all, who we are solely depends on whom we associate with."
10) EMBRACE or NEGLECT
The Supreme Lord as Sri Krishna was not at all happy with this attitude of Bhisma so much so that when He came as a peace messenger to Hastinapur, He didn't even bother to look at Bhisma, what to speak of respecting him whereas The Supreme Lord as Ramachandra was so happy with the attitude of Jatayu that He embraced him and personally did his final rites - a honour that even Dasharath - His father didn't receive. "The scriptures explain that the ultimate test of any activity is, if the Supreme Lord is pleased with us." It is very clear, Bhisma displeased God whereas Jatayu pleased Him.
All this, is not meant to criticise Bhisma - he is undoubtedly a great personality but we do vehemently criticise this action of his. The mood is to learn from the mistakes he made, so that we don't unconsciously take a similar stance of callousness and insensitivity towards the suffering of another. When we see some injustice, some problem, we have only two options - either close your eyes to it or do something about it - follow "the Bhisma way" or "the Jatayu way" and whichever way we choose remember there will also be a result - "the Bhisma result" or "the Jatayu result".
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