Friendship And Trust With Mahabharat Example.

Friendship and trust with Mahabharat example.

We often hear the description that”he is my good friend”.Trump called Modi a great friend and within a few days threatened that India will face consequences if Chloroquine tablets were not shipped to US immediately.National priority may demand immediate action but you don’t bully and bulldoze friends into submission.Difficulty with English language might have resulted in the threatening words. This started a mental debate in me on what is friendship.

I posed this question to my senior friends.Quite a few skirted the question that their only friend was God .Others were forthcoming with their idea of friendship with living examples.To protect their identity I have numbered them.

1.He used to bunk classes and his friend helped him to get over the problem by spending lot of time with him and accompanying him to classes.This was a turning point in his life and this fine gentleman retired in a senior position from Indian Air Force.

2.He was not interested in studies and mostly spent his spare time loitering and gossiping.His friend took him to his house every day and made him listen to his loud reading of the subjects.In course of time he developed interest in studies..He retired as a professor of pathology and many senior doctors in Bangalore are his students.

3.He met with an accident as a young man and his old parents were not able to keep him company in the hospital.His close friend sat by his side for almost a month.When his organisation sent him a notice,he explained that he was taking care of his friend and he was prepared to lose his job. Thanks to his friends help he recovered and prospered. Finally he retired in a senior position from a TATA group company.

5.A senior who retired as GM of a big industrial group said that he owed his progress to a close friend who corrected his waywardness in his school days and made him concentrate on his studies.

6.A school teacher who was not popular among his colleagues because he did not like party politics was a miserable loner.His close friend managed to get him a job as a teacher in a school attached to a Navratna PSU.He had a peaceful life and retired with all comforts.

7.A well to do landlord says that his closest friend is very knowledgeable on real estate and legal issues.He regularly consults him and owes his land bank to the advice given by his learned friend.

The above examples show friendship is based on good influence,help in times of need and knowledge.There are also many cases involving financial help,matrimonial alliance,getting admission in college or getting a job ,sorting out a problem with authorities, creating a a cheerful atmosphere etc.

For me the most important attribute of good friendship is trust in confiding your innermost thoughts.A good friend is happy for your happiness and sad for your sadness. He deserves a special place in your heart.Let me conclude with a beautiful incident described in Mahabharat..

Duryodhana/Karna friendship is legendary.Once Karna and Duryodhana’s wife Bhanumathi were playing Dice.Karnas back was towards the door while Bhanumathi was facing the entrance.Bhanumathi was losing terribly in the game.When Duryodhana entered the room,Bhanumathi got up.Karna did not see Duryodhana as his back was towards the door.Karna thought that she was trying to stop playing as she was losing and playfully grabbed her waist belt.Pearls studded in the belt scattered all over the ground.Bhanumathi was stunned and scared how her husband would react.Karna turned back and was also shocked.Duryodhana however was not perturbed and asked “is it enough to pick up the pearls or should I string them together too”Karna could not control his emotions,went and hugged his friend.Bhanumathi on the other hand felt bad and went away crying.

This is one of the finest examples of trust being an important element of friendship.Karna,a Daanveer and a follower of Dharma supported Duryodhana inspite his wrongdoings due to his friendship based on trust.To reinforce this aspect I refer the readers to a beautiful film Aalayamani with Sivaji Ganesan and S.S.Rajendran,a blockbuster based on mistrust and complications clouding the friendship. Can we ever forget the song “ponnai virumbum bhoomiyile”

 

Dear Viswa,
Glad to see you in the FB circuit after a long time.I totally endorse every point you have raised on the friendship.The common denominator for their friendship was their hatred against Arjuna. I do not euologise their friendship.My limited objective was to emphasise the role of Trust in fostering friendship and vice versa.In respect of the incident described,there would have been blood bath if Duryodhana did not have absolute trust in his friend.Thanks for an illuminating discussion on good/bad friendship akin to good/bad terrorist.
Regards.SLN

 

Thanks.Please see my reply to Viswa.The emphasis is on Trust being the backbone of good friendship.
I received a notice for constructing a house in an unapproved layout.I did not reply as almost one lakh people had constructed houses in the area.Any how to share my anxiety I confided to a close friend,-a senior man retired as Director of a PSU.Next evening a dozen people in the complex during the evening walk expressed their condolences for the demolition of my house.Our deep friendship was shattered once and for all.Every one,some time or other feels like confiding his problem or achievement to a close friend.If this is leaked out it is a breach of trust and end to friendship.
You have beautifully expanded the concept.Regards.SLN

 

You are right.It was a marriage of convenience but the fact remains that they stood by each other.We see today that when a person is in distress the so called friends desert him.Do they desert him because suddenly they realise that he is a bad person.NO.The realisation that he is no longer useful leads to parting of ways.Please see my reply to Viswa.If Duryodhana had no trust on Karna,can we imagine what would have happened after the incident
Regards.SLN