*The noble minds *
वज्रादपि कठोराणि मृदूनि कुसुमादपि।
लोकोत्तराणां चेतांसि को नु विज्ञातुमर्हति।। Uttara Rama Charita
Meaning: The minds of extraordinary persons are stronger than a diamond and tenderer than a flower. Who may be able to know them?
Explanation: This is a well known verse by the Sanskrit playwright Bhavabhuti, who is said to have lived sometime in the third century AD. The present verse is from his play the Uttara-Rāma-Caritam.
The theme is about king Rama abandoning his wife Sita in the forest. A king is expected to respect the sentiments and values of the people. It so happened that there was an irreverent talk about Rama taking back his wife Sita who was abducted by the enemy and lodged in the enemy's house for a year. It was said to be a disgraceful and dishonorable act to take back one's wife. In that age, the treta-yuga, it was the duty of a husband to give up his wife in such situations. Rama takes the harsh decision to abandon her in the forest. The writer delicately portrays Rama's agony in leaving his wife. It was a delicate duty for Rama as a king but it was an ethical choice made by him based on the dharma of his time.
Rama was said to be the embodiment of dharma, that is, ethical conduct. There can be no place for feelings of love, sentiment, emotion or personal interest. All such emotions have to be hidden in him. Ordinary persons cannot know the ethical dilemmas and hence can mistake Rama's action as impulsive or harsh. The poet here says that the minds of noble persons are inscrutable because their actions are rooted in dharma. They are at once as impenetrable as diamonds and are soft and silken like the petals of a flower. Who can fathom the depths of such minds!
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