1013. Excess should be avoided....!

Ati daanaat Balirvadho hyati maanaat Suyodhanah

Ati loulyaat Raavano hantah Ati Sarvatra Varjayet----Subhashitam.

Meaning:-

Bali met his end due to his extreme charity, Suyodhana was killed due to his excessive pride, and lust beyond control brought the end to Ravana. Hence excess should be avoided.

This is a Subhashitam which warns us of too much involvement in anything and everything. Bali who was bound by his limitless sacrifice and the sacrifice he made to Vamana against the advice of his Guru Sukracharya saw the end of him. Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritharastra, died of limitless self-esteem. Ravana too had lust which had no boundary and that brought his end.

Now if we notice in this Subhashitam we can observe that it was not the limitlessness which affected the three individuals mentioned here. All the three Bali, Duryodhana and Ravana were affected by the path in which they were treading. There is no limit to do anything if we are on the path of Dharma. I as an individual can go beyond to achieve anything but need to be within Dharma. 

They say that off the four Purushrthas namely Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha we can go beyond our limits to acquire Artha and to satiate our Kama but it needs to be within Dharma and Moksha. Artha and Kama are like the gushing river which should not breach the banks called Dharma and Moksha.    

I have always wondered why this Subhashitam did not mention about Raja Harishchandra who had gone beyond the boundary to utter Truth. He had to sell his wife and son to keep up the promise. He was subjected to lot of hardship in the cremation ground for being truthful. Why it is not considered limitlessness of uttering Truth by Raja Harishchandra??? As far as the sacrifice is considered why was Raja Shibi not accused of over indulgence in this Subhashitam when he readily offered the flesh from his thigh to the eagle in order to save the pigeon??? Was Puru not to be reprimanded for going beyond limit to exchange his youth with his aged father??? Will it not be crossing the limits when Bhishma made his vow to remain unmarried to facilitate his father Shantanu’s marriage with Satyavathi??? Would not Shri Rama be going beyond limits when he accepted to fulfil his father Dasharatha’s promise to Kaikeyi???

Where is the limit to do anything which makes us feel pleasant within??? There is a sense of satisfaction in whatever we aim at doing. That satisfaction brings the utmost joy that every individual yearn to experience. While Bali, Duryodhana and Ravana also aimed at the best going beyond but there was this self-cantered itch in what they wanted to achieve. They aimed at the best because they were trying to gratify their senses and never had the sense to satisfy the Self.

If we take up any task involving our emotions like Kama, Krodha, Moha, Mada Matsarya and Lobha, we will never be aware of what we are doing. Thus we lose control over the decisions we take. It is at that emotional movement we may cross our limits. It is required to be self controlled to act spontaneously and this spontaneity sparks when there is no selfishness in that act. The act of selflessness can be achieved only if one is treading on the path of Dharma. Either way one could cross the limit while on the path of Dharma or Adharma, but what need to be cautioned is already mentioned in this Subhashitam. Let’s not miss that point. 

It is not going beyond the limit that matters but the path that makes the difference.....Isn’t it???