Originally Posted by
charitra
He did try. I digress-
In all the hindu mythohistory , there are two sandhi rayabara(m)s, simply meaning (attempted) negotiated settlements, peace missions etc, that are most talked about and are described in awe and exalt. One happened in Treta yuga to prevent Rama Ravana yudha(m) or war and the other in Dwapara yuga to prevent kurukshetra war in mahabharata.
Vibhishana, the younger brother of Ravana , by then having already defected to Rama’s camp, went to Ravana’s durbar (court) playing a dual role as a messenger and more importantly as a negotiator from Rama urging a peaceful resolution to the conflict. He asked Ravana to quickly release and restore Sita’s dharmic life to let her live by her chosen freewill. ' IMPRISONMENT of a Stri (woman) is a sin which will not go unpunished', he carefully and respectfully cautioned his powerful older brother. Ravana may be cruel but was no such coward. Vibhishana was ridiculed and sent away empty handed. The result was The Epic War in Sri Lanka in which Ravana was annihilated.
Sri Krishna was pained when Kauravas bluntly refused to restore their lands to Pandavas after the return from their 12 years of Aranya vasa (expulsion away from civilization, lit-life in forests/ wilderness) and one year of Agnata vasa (life in hiding, complete secrecy losing their identity and to live in impersonation,which they successfully did in the uttara kingdom). Krishna didn’t encourage war and more importantly ahimsa (non-violence) was his fervently recommended strategy to resolve ALL conflicts. He presented himself, alone without any fanfare, as a messenger of Pandavas and as a humble negotiator and explainedhis case to the jam packed Hastinapur court that was attended by all great and sundry rulers of the era. Krishna earnestly advised Duryodhana, “ O king of Hastinapur, give Pandavas a meager five small villages of land from your vast empire, so that they can rule over those lands and implement their dharmic way of life and order the way they see fit and right. This is the easiest way to resolve the impasse...”. Kauravas, instead of heeding the dharmic advice, to the chagrin of the likes of Bhishma and other wise men respectfully witnessing the proceedings of the famous raya baara and the rayabari (messenger), mocked Him and declared gleefully, “Pandavas don’t get even a tiny piece of land that would accommodate ‘five needles’ (meaning no land worth mentioning) and that is our final decision”.
Krishna at that time, disappointed with the unjust decision of Kauravas having no option left, continued his mission to the Durbar (court) what He envisions the consequences of Plan B : a very violent and destructive war at the conclusion of which ‘winners get everything’ kind of scenario.
These illustrious peace missions are coined as sandhi RAAYA BHARAS, that are most talked about by the experts. Namaste.
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