Arjuna is told by Krishna that it is due to Moha that he refuses to fight at the moment; but his inherent nature and its pulls will hold sway ultimately and that by and by he will do exactly what he refuses to do now. It is not easy to resist this powerful force of the impact of one’s karma. Duryodhana, who is well-versed in the Sastras and has proved his mettle as a powerful ruler, analyses his attitude and behaviour to the code of dharma during a discussion with Vidhura, pointed out Sri Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal in a discourse.
When Duryodhana refuses to accede to Krishna’s offer of a truce plan which required him to hand over a mere five villages to the Pandavas, Vidhura asks him why he had let go this simple and beneficial option. Duryodhana then admits openly that the Pandavas are on the side of dharma and that what he does is adharma. But he also states that he is unable to follow the right path. Even against his own wishes he is drawn to do adharma. This is because of the effect of one’s karma or inherent nature, though he attributes it to divine will.
This is a specious argument, as the divine will is only an impartial dispenser of the fruits of one’s karma, good and bad. It is true that the Lord resides in the innermost of every being caught in a ‘mechanism’ called the body/mind/complex and propels each one with His Maya. But the jivatma is easily deluded to believe that he acts, behaves, accomplishes because it is difficult to overcome this Maya. Equally difficult it is to transcend the power of one’s inherent nature even though human tendencies are undetermined in every individual who has the freedom to choose the path of law or otherwise.
