Importance of The Family

The point that I am trying to reinforce is that your family and relatives are indispensible to you. Here is a commentary on one of the incidences in the Mahabharata that supports this idea.

Karna, the greatest giver of all-time, was lonely in his contemplation after Yudhishtira was crowned the Chakravartee Samraata, the king of kings. The entire Kuru clan was present in the main hall to celebrate this coronation. Karna was rightfully missing from the scene. He did not belong to the Kurus. But, he belonged to nobody either. This thought was occupying him badly. He told Shakuni, “The biggest punishment that you can give somebody is to leave him alone with no family.” He was found by a charioteer of Dhritarashtra and brought up as his own child.

We know that Kunti was his biological mother. And in the core of her heart, she loved this abandoned son more than the Pandavas. But, she was unmarried when Karna was born. The social stigma was too strong to resist. When Yudhishtira was paying regards to all his family, he obviously missed Karna. Kunti whispered to herself praying that Yudhishtira may also greet his elder brother. The disappointment was written large and clear on the faces of the wronged mother-son duo.

All of us know how dear our family is to us. Without there constant love, care, encouragement and support, all at absolutely no cost, we would mostly be cutting a sorry figure in our lives. There cannot be a better illustration for that than Karna. He got into the company of Duryodhana and bound himself by the virtue of friendship to do or die for him. He unknowingly chose the path of destruction, misery and retribution. He died on the other side of the Truth.

If only Kunti had courage to accept her adolescence mistake and given Karna the status and acceptance he needed, he could have been as great and beloved as Arjun. In the absence of a family, there was nobody to guide him and he took false steps regularly. I am peeved to think of the great injustice doled out to him. He died in grief of having nobody to weep for him. Such agony and pain.

He remarked in the same pensive mood, “A family provides backbone to the soul of an individual.” So very, very true. With the backbone in place, body gets strength to do wonderful things. Same applies to our beings. Without moral, emotional and parental backings, we would not only miss impetus to purpose but also fail to perform our best.

Please be 100% committed to your families, especially parents, without fail.