There is a story from the Mahabharata, that I had once heard in childhood. As far as I can remember, I have not come across this story in the canonical texts, but it is a part of oral tradition, because I have come across this story in other sources over the years.
Once, the Pandavas find (or given as a boon, I don't quite remember) a magic mirror that shows the face of the person who is always thinking of the person holding the mirror. They each take turns seeing into it and they all see different faces. Yudhishtira sees Vidura, Arjuna sees Draupadi, Draupadi sees Bhima and so on. Then they get around to arguing about who Krishna will see. They all love him and are totally devoted to him, so each of them thinks that Krishna will see their face. But when Krishna looks into the mirror, he sees Shakuni's face!
The Pandavas are bewildered. Shakuni, their arch enemy, a devotee of Krishna? How is that possible? Krishna explains that while the Pandavas could have no greater love for Krishna, they are also aware that he is constantly with them, on their side. Shakuni, the Gandharan prince however, is constantly thinking of how to thwart Krishna and how to undermine his support for the Panadavas. Hence, he constantly has Krishna on his mind.
India is a deeply polarized nation today. Few people are willing to listen, let alone consider, the opposing point of view. A couple of days ago, I turned on the television and seeing a certain face on the screen, I was hit by a wave of revulsion, and it dawned on me how partisan I had become, and I remembered the story of Krishna and the Magic Mirror.
The story may have originally been an analogy to hold a mirror to those who have pride in their devotion, but I learnt from it of the pervasiveness of hate. It is a valuable lesson today's time, and a mirror to how a polarised society works. When hatred is stoked, we turn into Shakunis, eager always to prove those who disagree with us wrong; jumping at every opportunity to shout them down, to defeat them, even if only in a perceived victory. At such a time, we should remember the magic mirror and realise that sometimes when our hatred gets the better of us, we are, in a strange warped way, the greatest devotees of our perceived enemies.
Food for thought!
The story may have originally been an analogy to hold a mirror to those who have pride in their devotion, but I learnt from it of the pervasiveness of hate. It is a valuable lesson today's time, and a mirror to how a polarised society works. When hatred is stoked, we turn into Shakunis, eager always to prove those who disagree with us wrong; jumping at every opportunity to shout them down, to defeat them, even if only in a perceived victory. At such a time, we should remember the magic mirror and realise that sometimes when our hatred gets the better of us, we are, in a strange warped way, the greatest devotees of our perceived enemies.
Food for thought!
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