Travel To Expand

After stressing on protecting the wise, Narada Muni questions Yudhishtira on the corollary as well, ‘O Bharata Rishabha, I hope that your ministers are not letting a thief go free because of their own greed?’ Even in a society where the rules are strict and stringent, there is a chance for loopholes. In such a case, only our alignment to values and dharma determine how we act in the society. Greed is essentially a compromise, when we value material things more than our morals. If we are rooted in dharma, no one can put a price on us. We will not succumb to greed and perform immoral acts.Moving on, Narada Muni asks Yudhishtira if he visits tirtha kshetras. The sage goes on to even advise the king that the latter must go on a pilgrimage with Lomasa Rishi. We may question why a king should go on a pilgrimage. That is because travel expands our vision. When done with a sattvic motive, it completely changes our personality too. For example, the vision of our ancestors to connect the temples of Kashi in North India and Rameswaram in South India, is truly one of integration. When an individual travels from Rameswaram to Kashi and vice versa, they have to cut across various states that are home to different languages, customs, cuisines and traditions. The pilgrim automatically adapts to the differences and becomes more inclusive. Similarly, the natives of each region too host pilgrims with an attitude of reverence and hospitality. This exemplifies the Bharatiya sentiment of vasudhaiva kutumbakam, or seeing the whole Universe as one family..Travel through pilgrimages is a time-tested practice where, rooted in our values, we continue to expand. This is intrinsically connected to our shastras as well. In the olden days, when people had to undertake travel, very few had the privilege of travelling by a chariot, palanquin, horse or elephant. Most people travelled by foot. Imagine someone starting from the Chola or Chera kingdoms in the south and going up to Kashmir. They would witness and experience the socio-cultural expanse of Bharat. That’s how the forefathers kept the country integrated.People identified with the nation as a whole. Otherwise, we would have been small, fragmented kingdoms. It is not that the British came and united us, we were united already by practises such as undertaking cross-country pilgrimages. These theertha kshetras also give us a different spiritual experience. It tests our understanding, it inculcates various values, and we evolve in the process. There’s human evolution and national integration, that’s what theertha kshetras do.The next question that Narada Muni asks the Pandava king is, ‘Thou settlest anything alone?’ He asks subtly, ‘Do you take decisions by yourself, or do you consult others?’ Then he adds, ‘The best would be if you took the counsel of a few, not many and not by yourself’. Further, he probes, ‘When you make a decision, does it reach the people?’ ‘The resolve made by your counsel, does it go across the kingdom?’ These are very important questions, and they deal with communication..One is to ensure that not too many people influence your decision and the next is that we don’t take important decisions all by ourselves. When we take a decision without consulting anyone, it is purely based on our experience, thoughts and knowledge. It may not be in the best interest, especially if our experience is narrow. And if we consider the opinions of too many, we would be confused and diverted from our purpose. Both the cases are detrimental to any leader or administrator. Hence, Narada advises Yudhishtira to consult a few wise people before taking any important decision.