A Profound Teaching from the Mahabharata -A Deep Spiritual Discourse on Destiny, Free Will, Death & Responsibility-Part 1

Introduction: The Eternal Question of Death

The Mahabharata is not merely a historical or mythological epic; it is a timeless philosophical mirror reflecting the deepest dilemmas of human existence. Among its most profound inquiries is the question: Who is responsible for death — destiny, time (Kaal), God, or the individual? This article explores a powerful discourse drawn from the Anushasana Parva, where ethics, karma, and cosmic law are examined through the anguish of kings, the wisdom of sages, and a heart-rending story of a mother, a child, and a serpent. At its core, this teaching ultimately leads the soul toward Paramshanti (supreme peace).

Yudhishthira’s Inner Turmoil on the Battlefield

After the devastating Kurukshetra war, King Yudhishthira stands victorious, yet internally shattered. Before him lies his grandsire Bhishma, pierced by countless arrows, resting on a bed of shafts. Yudhishthira confesses that despite hearing countless teachings on righteousness, charity, and peace, his heart remains restless. He feels personally responsible for Bhishma’s suffering and the deaths of innumerable kings and warriors. Victory brings him no solace — only guilt, grief, and self-condemnation.

He questions:

• How can peace arise when one’s hands are stained with the consequences of war?

• Is human karma truly within human control, or governed by unseen cosmic forces?

Krishna, Dharma, and the Silence of Easy Answers

Throughout these moments, Krishna guides Yudhishthira not with simple consolation, but with deeper inquiry. The Mahabharata never offers shallow moral comfort; instead, it pushes the seeker to confront complexity. Bhishma himself explains that the nature of karma is extremely subtle, beyond ordinary sensory perception. What appears as a single action is actually the result of many converging causes — intention, time, past deeds, circumstance, and cosmic law. To illustrate this truth, an ancient story is narrated.

The Story of Gautami and the Serpent

In ancient times lived a wise Brahmin woman named Gautami. One day, tragedy struck — her only son died instantly after being bitten by a snake. A hunter named Arjunak captured the serpent and brought it before her, demanding justice:

“Tell me how I should kill this creature — by fire or by blade?” But Gautami astonished everyone.

She calmly said:

• Killing this serpent will not bring my son back.

• Adding violence will only increase your burden of karma.

• Those who live lightly — without hatred or vengeance — cross the ocean of existence like a boat floating effortlessly on water.

She taught that righteous souls remain unburdened, while those weighed down by anger and sin drown in suffering.

Is Death Caused by Action or by Time (Kaal)?

The debate deepens when the serpent itself speaks — claiming innocence.

The serpent argues:

• I did not bite out of anger or desire.

• I was merely an instrument of Kaal (Time).

• If there is guilt, it belongs to death itself.

This introduces a startling philosophical challenge: If time inspires action, who is truly responsible — the doer or the force that compels the act?

This mirrors modern questions:

• Are pandemics acts of fate?

• Are accidents purely karmic?

• Is responsibility shared between circumstance and choice?

The Mahabharata suggests that death is never caused by a single agent. Like a pot made of clay, wheel, potter, and motion — multiple causes coexist.

Karma, Judgment, and Moral Accountability

Yet the epic does not absolve individuals of responsibility. Even if time plays a role, intent and moral awareness still matter. Just as courts examine motive and consequence, cosmic law weighs intention alongside action. The discourse compares this to a final judgment — much like a show-cause notice — where all factors are considered before a verdict is delivered. No one escapes accountability, but neither is blame simplistic.

The Higher Resolution: Choosing Paramshanti

Beyond debate, the teaching moves toward transformation. True liberation does not arise from revenge, denial, or despair — but from conscious remembrance, ethical living, and inner stillness.

The discourse concludes with a call to:

• Cultivate pure thoughts

• Spread positive vibrations

• Chant and remember Paramshanti (supreme peace) at all times — waking, working, and even during sleep

Such vibrations, it teaches, purify not only individuals but:

• Humanity

• All living beings

• Subtle realms

• Planets, galaxies, and the entire multiverse

Conclusion: From Death to Divine Awareness

The Mahabharata does not answer who alone is responsible for death — because the truth is larger than blame. It teaches that understanding karma leads not to fear, but to wisdom, and wisdom leads to Paramshanti (supreme peace). When the soul accepts responsibility without hatred, action without ego, and destiny without despair — it begins its journey toward self-realization, liberation, and universal harmony.

May these teachings awaken compassion, clarity, and Paramshanti (supreme peace) in every soul.