Yudhishthira performs the Rajasuya yaga, but is worried because Narada had warned of threats to his kingdom. Yudhishthira then consults Vyasa, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse. Vyasa says that Yudhishthira and his family will face dangers for thirteen years. Duryodhana’s sin will result in the deaths of thousands of Kshatriyas. A mistake of Yudhishthira’s would lead Duryodhana to do terrible things. He says that Yudhishthira will have a dream, in which he will see Lord Siva proceeding towards the abode of Yama. When that dream occurs repeatedly, it is the indication that Yudhishthira’s troubles are about to start. But Vyasa tells Yudhishthira that he should not worry, because worrying will change nothing.
Yudhishthira cannot digest the thought that he will cause many deaths. He tells his brothers that it is better if he dies. His brothers pacify him. He then says that for the next thirteen years, he will not utter even one harsh word to anyone. He will behave in such a way that no one will be unhappy with him. He will be impartial to all. And yet, despite all these resolutions of Yudhishthira, the Kurukshetra war does break out and results in the deaths of thousands of warriors.
Nothing can change Destiny. There is a Tukaram abhang, which describes how helpless we are. A twig falls into the water in a canal. Can the twig decide in which direction it wants to go? Even the water in the canal is helpless. It may be happy to be moving straight ahead, but at some point the canal may take a bend to the right, in which case the water has to flow towards the right. Can a worker change a plan that a master architect has made? Likewise in life, we cannot change what is destined to happen.
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