MONDAY MUSINGS SEASON 2 - EPISODE 350
26th January 2026
#VyadhaGita
WISHING ALL INDIANS HAPPY REPUBLIC DAY
Prescribed duties should never be renounced. If one gives up his prescribed duties because of illusion, such renunciation is said to be in the mode of ignorance. (Bhagavad Gita 18.7)
To give up prescribed duties because they are troublesome or cause bodily discomfort is renunciation in the mode of passion. Such renunciation is never beneficial or elevating. (Bhagavad Gita 18.8)
#VyadhaGita
There is a very relevant story of a brahmin sage learning this celebrated truth from a common butcher. This has already been covered in #MondayMusings in a different context, but I cannot resist quoting it again, as this story is the most relevant for explaining the two slokas above.
The Vyadha Gita is a profound philosophical dialogue from the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. It recounts the story of an arrogant brahmin sage learning virtues from a common butcher. Let us all learn from this story.
The Sage who learnt from a butcher
Kaushika was a brahmin who became a sage at a young age and mastered all four Vedas for 14 years. When he was doing penance under a tree, ‘droppings’ from a crane sitting on the tree branch above his head fell on the sage and disturbed his focus. The sage stared at the crane angrily. Alas! The poor crane burst into flames. Kaushika was horrified. But deep down, he could not help but feel proud of the newfound power he acquired with the help of knowledge and penance.
On another day, he went to a nearby village to seek alms. He stood outside a house asking for alms. The lady of the house asked him to wait while she served her husband. The sage was angry and stared at her. Alas. Nothing happened. Smilingly, the lady responded, “Did you think I am a Crane and will get burned”?
Kaushika was flabbergasted, “How could the lady know the crane story?” The woman clarified that she had gained the power of clairvoyance by sincerely fulfilling her duty to care for her family. She continued 'You are a sage. A well-read man but you are yet to learn the true meaning of life! It is quite natural for a crane to excrete in the open. A man who had truly understood the scriptures would not lose focus and get angry”.
Kaushika requested the woman to teach him that. But the woman referred him to Dharmvyadha (vyadha means butcher in Sanskrit) in the city of Mithila.
Kaushika went to Mithila and saw the man outside his shop cutting meat pieces and attending to his customers. The scene was unpalatable to him. Still, Kaushika introduced himself and asked the butcher to teach him the virtues. The butcher nodded his head and spoke. 'I am serving my customers. I am afraid I may be of no help to you until I finish my work.'
Kaushika had to wait and watch the butcher at work. The butcher was doing a horrific job. However, the man did not look the least shamed of what he was doing. He could notice a strange lustre in the butcher’s face when attending to his customers.
The Butcher sold all the meat, closed the shop and walked back to his house with the sage. On reaching the house, the butcher fell at his parents' feet and attended to their needs. The butcher's parents looked thrilled on meeting the sage, and they, along with the butcher's wife, looked after the sage well. The butcher's children were well-mannered. The sage ate with the family. The food was simple but delicious. The entire family looked very happy. Kaushika suddenly remembered his own parents. He recollected that he left them to fend for themselves in order to practice penance.
After food, Kaushika requested Dharmvyadha to teach him the virtues of life for which he travelled all the way to Mithila.
The butcher smiled and started the first lesson. “Every individual who is sincere to his / her duty and performs the duty cheerfully leads a virtuous life....”
Kaushika frowned. “But you are a butcher! How can you?....”
The butcher smiled and said, “ I am just doing my family profession. There is no shame in it. I sell meat, but I don’t kill animals. I do everything that I can do to keep my family happy”.
Kaushika further asked, “'How shall I know what virtuous conduct is?”
अहिंसा सत्यवचनं सर्वभूतहितं परम अहिंसा परमॊ धर्मः स च सत्ये परतिष्ठितः सत्ये कृत्वा परतिष्ठां तु परवर्तन्ते परवृत्तयः
Dahrmavyadha replied “Virtuous men are always kind to all creatures, speak only truth and well-disposed to the welfare of everyone. They abstain from injuring any creature and are never rude in their speech”.
Kaushika felt enlightened. He reverently looked at the butcher. “Here is a man who is in total control of himself and does not let his emotions rule him....That is the sign of a learned man. A man who runs away from his responsibilities can never know the true meaning of virtue. Only and only when you do your duty and do it wholeheartedly, you can begin to know the true meaning of virtue....”
Mahabharath has two gitas, Bhagavad Gita which we are enjoying for the past few episodes and this story and the teachings of Dharmavyadha known as Vyadha Gita, Vyadha Gita. `Vyadha Gita’ told by the sage Markandeya to Yudhisthira in Vana Parva section of Mahabharath. This is told as a teaching for the Pandavas (indirectly great teaching for all of us).
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#PositiveNewsPage
This week’s positive news is about the Padma Shri award to Dr. Mangala Kapoor. Many were selected for the Padma awards today, but what makes #MangalaKapoor special? The power of her resilience!
Popularly known as “#KashiKiLata”, Mangala Kapoor’s life is a testament to courage, resilience, and the redemptive power of music. The renowned Indian classical vocalist and former associate professor at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) was awarded the Padma Shri for 2026 for her contribution to literature and education, an honour that crowns a journey marked by extraordinary struggle and unwavering resolve.
A distinguished exponent of the #GwaliorGharana, the oldest and most influential school of Hindustani classical music, Kapoor is an acid attack survivor who endured a brutal assault at the age of just 11. In 1965, she was targeted as an act of revenge in a business-related feud. The only girl among three siblings, she was attacked in the middle of the night, an act that left her face severely disfigured and altered the course of her childhood forever.
What followed were years of physical pain and emotional isolation. Kapoor underwent 37 surgeries across multiple cities. As a child, she faced ridicule and fear from peers, many were scared to speak to her, leaving her deeply isolated. There were moments when despair overwhelmed her, and thoughts of ending her life surfaced. Through it all, her father stood firmly by her side, becoming her greatest source of strength and belief.
Kapoor completed her graduation, post-graduation, and PhD in music from BHU, joining the university’s Department of Music (Vocal) at MMV in 1989. She served as a teacher and associate professor for three decades, retiring in 2019.
Alongside teaching, she began performing at public events. In 1982, she was honoured as “Kashi ki Lata” by the Tarang institution, recognition that cemented her place in the cultural life of Varanasi. Over the years, she received several accolades, including a “Role Model” award from the Rajya Sabha, acknowledging her inspirational life journey.
In 2007, Kapoor faced yet another setback when an accident left both her thigh bones fractured. Even then, she refused to stop. Kapoor describes herself as a phoenix, reborn from her own ashes every day, using her story to illustrate the power of determination and the human will to live.
Today, Kapoor continues to give back. She teaches music free of cost to students at her home, ensuring that financial constraints never become a barrier to learning classical music.
India celebrates her determination and resilience by awarding her the Padma Shri.
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Conceived, compiled and posted as a motivational weekly newsletter #MondayMusings every Monday by Jaganathan T (www.authorjaganathan.com)
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PROMOTIONS
