The air howled with the wind. There was another sound. Sound
of fear. Remnants of Daityas ran away from the battle. Their retreat was a
stampede. A stampede of pure terror. Warriors who had embodied ferocity now
ran. They were fleeing the divine fury.
Standing calmly against this was Shukra, their preceptor.
Son of Bhrigu, he had been appointed the guru of the Daityas and Asuras.
"Stop this madness!" He shouted. The leading
warriors faltered, glancing back at their guru.
Their leader shouted. "We cannot! The gods will finish
us! We flee to survive!"
Shukra looked at him. "Survive?" he questioned.
"Do you truly believe you are running towards survival?"
The leader said, "There is only death there! We saw
mighty warriors fall. What else can we do?"
Shukra said, "Understand this truth. The span of one's
life is determined by destiny alone. Death will come when it is supposed to.
Not before. Not later. Even ascetics eventually die when it is time. Indra had
hurled his thunderbolt at Shambara. That weapon struck Shambara but he did not
die. Why? Because his time was not over. Later, when the moment was right,
Indra, with that same Vajra, killed Shambara and the other Daityas. You cannot
escape death by running. You will certainly lose your honor in the attempt.
Return! Face what comes, with dignity. Your life will last precisely as long as
it is meant to."
The Daitya soldiers looked at each other, and they slowly
began to turn back towards the field of battle.
Following the war at Kurukshetra, Yudhishthira was visited
by numerous sages. He expressed to them his deep sorrow. He said his victory
was a defeat due to the loss of his kinsmen and the sons of Subhadra and
Draupadi. His anguish stemmed from the revelation by Kunti that Karna was his
elder brother, born secretly to Kunti before her marriage to Pandu.
Yudhishthira expressed a desire to understand the duties of
kings and righteousness. The sages who had come to meet him advised him to seek
guidance from Bhishma. Bhishma lay in the battlefield, on a bed of arrows.
Yudhishthira, along with his brothers, Krishna, and many
sages, went to meet Bhishma.
While this was going on, a small group arrived there. It was
Sage Shamika accompanied by his disciples. The sage saw the distant figures of
the king and the grandsire. Choosing not to intrude upon their exchange,
Shamika and his disciples began to walk slowly around the field. Amidst the
scattered debris, Shamika's gaze fell upon something monumental. It was a
colossal war-bell, torn from its mooring, lying half-buried in the ground.
Drawn by it, Shamika walked towards it and came to a stop beside it imagining
the sound it once made.
Then, a small sound, utterly out of place, reached the
sage's ears. It was faint, a series of tiny, reedy notes. It was the
unmistakable sound of chirping, coming from directly beneath the fallen bell.
To hear such a sound of life in this field was truly startling.
Prompted by this surprising sound, the sage and his
disciples felt compelled to investigate. Moving the bell would require a
combined effort. Together, Shamika and his disciples positioned themselves
around the edge of the bell. With a unified push and strain, they began to move
the bell.
As the bell was moved, tilting to one side, the source of
the chirping was fully revealed. Sheltered by the bell lay four tiny,
vulnerable creatures.
These were four nestlings, chirping weakly. As the sage and
his disciples saw them, it was clear these were no ordinary hatchlings. Shamika
told his disciples what Shukra had told the fleeing Daityas.
After saying that, Sage Shamika said, "These birds
somehow survived here in the field of death. It was in their destiny to live.
Whoever they are, they are not ordinary birds."
Shamika glanced once more at the four tiny nestlings lying
on the ground. He asked his disciples to take the birds to their hermitage. He
told them, "When you return to the hermitage, take these young birds with
you. Keep these birds in a place safe from predators. Provide them shelter and
sustenance. However, there is no point in getting too attached to them. Take
care of them but do not go overboard. If these birds are destined to live, they
will. That does not mean you will not try. So, take care of them. Do not
abandon them."
The disciples carefully picked up the baby birds. "Go
now back to the hermitage," Shamika said to them. "Keep the birds
safe. I shall go to pay my respects to King Yudhishthira and Bhishma before I
return."
Shamika watched them go. Then he turned and began to walk
towards where Yudhishthira and Bhishma were.
Later, having paid his respects, Shamika himself returned to
the hermitage. On the way, he collected roots, flowers, fallen fruits, and
grass for his worship. Reaching there, Shamika sat down for his meditation.
Some more on this
Life and death are governed by destiny not by human effort
alone. Running from danger does not guarantee survival.
Life survives even in the heart of death.
Care for the vulnerable, but without clinging attachment.
Love and care are to be given, but not overburdened with emotional clinging.
While Bhishma gives Yudhishthira philosophical counsel,
Shamika’s quiet act with the birds offers a lived expression of that wisdom.
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