Did Yudhisthira tell a lie?

Long time back I wrote a small article on the topic of Ashwathama’s death – “Ashwathama is dead”.  Ashwathama was the son of Dronacharya – the teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas. Dronacharya could only be defeated when Yudhishthira confirmed the death of Ashwathama.

It is said the Yudhishthira was embodiment of the Dharmaraja himself and was known for his principles. It is said that his compliance to principles and rules was so impeccable that his chariot would always be levitated above the ground by about 4 inches. This was an extraordinary feat, only available to gods themselves. However, the moment Yudhishthira replied to Drona affirming the death of Ashwathama, his chariot dipped by 2 inches. Though Yudhisthira’s affirmation was truthful, it was not complete truth for Drona. Yudhishthira’s character was forever marred by this affirmation.

Dronacharya in his young days was a good friend with a young prince who later became a great king – Drupada of Panchal. When they grew up, their situations changed – Drupada inherited the kingdom while Drona resorted to teaching and gathering alms by begging. Drona went to Drupada and reminded him of the promises made in the childhood days and demanded half the kingdom. His demand was considered audacious and was laughed at in the court. A hurt Drona then went on to become the teacher in the Hastinapur court where he taught the Kuru princes. As a teacher he was expected to report on all his pupils to his patron – Bhishma and Dhritarashtra. He was expected to utilize corrective measures to make sure that the princes were learning properly and adhering to the principles. Even at the time of the Mahabharata war, Drona aligned himself to Kauravas due to his love for his own son and also because he was a salaried employee of the court.

Many years later, when the questions arose on Yudhishthira’s character, Sri Krishna came to his rescue. Sri Krishna explained that Drona had forever worked in situations that favored himself. He had been blindsided by his love for his son. Drona demanded the kingdom to provide for his son. Drona served in Hastinapur as he wanted to provide for his son. Drona refused Eklavya, because he wanted to be a teacher only for Kuru princes. Drona refused to teach Karna for his low birth. Drona aligned himself with Kauravas, because Ashwathama was a friend to Duryodhana. Every time, when the choice presented itself to Drona, he always chose what benefitted him and his son. Based on all this, Sri Krishna decreed that Drona had lost his right to listen the truth. Hence it was his fault and not Yudhishthira’s.

How is this story relevant to us? We live in a world that is driven by information. Information that is collected by us through many sources. And then we analyze the same for ourselves and then relay the information with our own flavor attached to it. At times, we form opinions that are stronger than the information itself and bias our judgement. We all play the role of an influencer for at least someone in our own life – parents, children, spouses or siblings are the easiest examples. With the increasing popularity and the ease of resource, the social media is proving to be the largest behemoth in the field of information dissemination. I would urge everyone to be cautious while assimilating all that the social media has to offer. Use it wisely, else you too may lose the very right to listen the truth.