What Does The World Look Like?

Tuesday, October 20, 2009, 14:54

One identifies the other in accordance with one's ingrained virtues or vices. A story from the Mahabharata testifies the aforesaid truth.

The disciples of Duryodhana once asked their master Dronacharya as to why Yudhishthira of the Pandava brothers was considered as an epitome of virtues while Duryodhana the one among the hundred Kaurava princes was considered wicked. Dronacharya in order to demonstrate to his disciples, summoned Duryodhana and asked him to bring one virtuous man. Duryodhana travelled far and wide and returned back with not a single man of virtue. He found the world to be with men of evil nature.

Dronacharya then summoned Yudhishthira and asked him to come with one wicked man. So Yudhisthira set out on the mission and returned back not to find even one wicked man in the whole wide world. The disciples of Dronacharya were perplexed about the conflicting reports of the two princes.

Their master then clarified to them thus, "One actually sees one's own mind reflected in the world. Yudhisthira thus found that world was full of virtuous men and Duryodhana, as per his own temperament found only evil men in the world. The one whose eye is jaundiced, finds everything around him in yellow"