Being Responsible vs. Taking Responsibility

- She is responsible for not following her own will but being misled by Manthra, giving into jealousy, fear, greed, ego, selfishness,

- She is responsible for all the pain she is going to cause herself and her entire family, not forgetting her husband and her son...

- But will she take responsibility for all this?

Dashrath

- He is responsible for being careless while hunting, becoming the cause for endless suffering to blind parents

- He is responsible for giving into his fears of losing his air, his son Ram. this fear makes him take random decisions at random times such as that of Ram's coronation when Bharath is not around. If he had only waited for Bharath's return, Manthra may not have been able to sway Kaikeyi and Kaikeyi would not have been able to find an excuse for betrayal...

- But will he realise this mistake?

Ram

- He is not responsible for anything bad that is happening, on the contrary, he is taking responsibility for it all.

- He has taken responsibility of his father's promises and announced to Kaikeyi that he will fulfill them

- He has taken responsibility for Kaikeyi's desires and announced to the sabha that he will not become king

- He has taken responsibility for not becoming king and announced to the praja that he will still serve them

- He has taken responsibility for going to vanvaas for 14 years and announced to his family that he is taking this decision willingly and they should support him...

Can any human ever walk this path and bridge this gap between BEING RESPONSIBLE vs. TAKING RESPONSIBILITY.?

THAT IS RAM...

UNPRECEDENTED

UNFOLLOWED...

This is where we have to compare Ram's action and Bhishma's action. Why Ram did what he did and why Bhishma or men like him are getting it all wrong. Because they only see the action, not the intend.

Ram is asked to do vachan palan of Dasrath. Dasrath had already granted Kaikeyi 2 boons when she saved his life. So it is Dasrath's duty to grant her those boons whatever they are. And as a son it is Ram's duty to ensure his father's words to his mother is kept. Because if Dasrath is unable to comply to the boons which are promised it is adharma for him, he will not get moksha. Second Kaikeyi is wife of Dasrath who has saved him, she is Ram's mother also. So there is already a relation there. Third Bharat is going to be crowned king of Ayodhya. Ram knows Bharath. He is a very capable young man who can take the rein of Ayodhya. Society wont suffer. So the issue in raj parivaar doesn't affect society at large if Ram take vanvass. It is actually essential for repaying the boon which was given in past for a noble act committed.

Now what does Bhishma do. He is the crown prince. Shantanu lusts after Satyavati. Her father demands kingdom for Satyavati's child. What does this young man do. To satisfy his father's lust he take a pledge of disowning the kingdom and not to marry. How can a crown prince take such a decision without thinking about his subjects. Does he know what kind of kids Satyavati will have. Is it necessary to keep society at ransom for one's father's lust. Is that what you call duty. When you keep society at ransom for your dear and near ones then that sacrifice is not selfless, it is more born out of ego, superiority complex the need to show the world your greatness. What greatness he achieved by sticking to pledge when the kulvadhu of kuruvansh was dragged to court and going to be disrobed publicly. This man by taking pledge to satisfy his father's lust ended up destroying atleast 4 generations in kuruvansh.