Slokam 1

A person becomes a demon either when he is exposed to temptations or when he perceives a threat to his existence, or feels that grave injustice has been done to him.

Hiranyakshipu was plunged into sorrow when his brother was killed in by the Varaha Avatara of the Paramathma.  Hiranyakashipu  does not consider that it was his brother Hiranyaksha that sought the battle with the Paramathma, so that his reign over the three worlds and beyond would be unchallenged. He also forgets that Hiranyaksha perpetrated a lot of suffering in the process of his ascendancy to attempt to take control of all. 

Hiranyakshipu seeks revenge. If Hiranyakashipu had really thought about the circumstances that lead to the demise of his brother, he would have had no need to feel regret or seek revenge. Where was the need for Hiranyaksha to seek the kind of power that he went after at great cost to everyone?

Hiranyaksha represents the craving for power, wealth and complete control, that resides within all of us in varying degrees. Hiranyakashipu represents our inherent nature of assigning the blame for what is essentially our fault,  on others, and even worse, on the Paramathma (which we all do at various points in our lives).  This is a fundamental character weakness within all of us.

A common mistake we all make is to say that the Paramathma is the ultimate cause of everything and so we point the finger for our miseries at the Paramathma,  and say that he is the cause for the way we acted in a particular manner as well.  Even in the Bhagavath Gita, Krishna Paramathma is accused as being the cause of the battle in the first place by no less than Bhishma,  and Kunti. Even Balarama feels the Krishna Paramathma could have stopped the Battle of Kurukshetra from happening if he had so desired. 

It is absolutely true that the Paramathma is the supreme creator and architect,  but have we not seen even from our own lives that the Paramathma does not intervene except to provide the guidance required? It is left to us to make the correct decisions.  It is our capability to make the correct decisions, that is reflective of our evolutionary progress.  The Kauravas could have had some consideration for their own cousins.

Instead they chose not to give up even a tiny piece of land, the size of a “pin” (as Dhuryodhana directly tells them).  The Kauravas consciously decide to destroy the Pandavas entirely.  

The Pandavas, “would rather live the lives of beggars”, rather than fight and kill their relatives, friends and elderly gurus (as Arjuna tells Sri Krishna).  Arjuna is not forced to fight.  Rather Sri Krishna Paramathma gives him one of the longest verbal lessons to convince him about the eternal truth of life and induce him to evolve to a higher plane of action.

This is in direct contrast to the army of Dhuryodhana where the inducement to fight is through force and not based on conviction of purpose. 

So it is very clear that the Paramathma does not make our decisions for us. He only creates the environment, provides the guidance and then steps back to allow us to make the choice. 

May we never point the finger at the Paramathma (or others) for what are essentially problems that we create within ourselves. 

Let us wholeheartedly take responsibility for what we are and how our lives are transpiring. 

May we diligently study the scriptures, absorb the Paramathma’s guidance and and be dedicated in our effort to abide by them.  That effort alone is the stepping stone to our evolution out of the transient into eternity.