Why did Balram, Vidur, and Rukmi not participate in the Mahabharata War?

Why did Balram, Vidur, and Rukmi not participate in the Mahabharata War? Balarama: Balarama decided to stay neutral and not get involved in the war. Balarama's relationship with Pandavas and Kouravas were equal. He left for pilgrimage a few days later and returned on 18th day of war. “O tiger among men! It is appropriate that you should know everything that I have said earlier in the kingdom of Virata, on the occasion of the wedding. O descendant of the Kuru lineage! It is for your sake that I sought to restrain Hrishikesha. O king! I said repeatedly that my relationship with both of you was equal. But Keshava did not accept the words that I had spoken. I cannot exist for an instant without Krishna. I will come to the aid of neither Partha, nor Duryodhana. After looking towards Vasudeva, this is the decision I have arrived at. You have been born in the Bharata lineage, one that is honoured by all the lords of the earth. O bull among the Bharata lineage! Go and fight in accordance with the dharma of the kshatriyas.” Source: Mahabharata translated by Bibek Debroy Chapter 670(7) Vidur: Vidur is not a trained fighter to participate in war. Vidur was a politician and was giving good advices to Dhritarashtra time to time. Vidur never participated in any war in his life time. Rukmi: Rukmi was rejected by both sides due to his arrogance. First he arrived at the camp of Pandavas and said that if they are afraid of Kouravas then they can take his help. “O Pandava! If you are afraid, I will stand as your aide on the field of battle. In the course of the war, I will help you so that your enemies will not be able to bear it. There is no man on this earth who is equal to me in valour. O Phalguna! When I have killed your enemies in battle, I will hand them over to you.” Arjuna was not happy with arrogant nature of Rukmi and rejected him. After getting rejected by Arjuna, Rukmi went to Duryodhana and boosted about himself in the same manner and again got rejected by Duryodhana. Rukmi then returned with that army, which was like an ocean. O bull among the Bharata lineage! In a similar fashion, he approached Duryodhana. Arriving there, that lord of the earth spoke in the same way. But since he prided himself on his valour, he was rebuffed there too. Source: Mahabharata by Bibek Debroy Udyoga Parva Chapter 818(155)

Hi, I am a Hindu brahman girl

Hi, I am a Hindu brahman girl and since childhood been very religious and did a lot of puja path (might have helped somehow subconsciously) but last year I went to vippassana and since then I am unable to get back on it. And lately everything in my life is falling apart including my mental health but even then I am unable to get back on it? I think it's because I left god. What do you think? What do I do?

Imagine you're in a massive auditorium with 362 million Indians.

🙏🏼 Good Morning 🌞 Imagine you're in a massive auditorium with 362 million Indians. Every age. Every income level. Every social class. And one by one, each person gets to walk on stage and show off ONE thing about their life. The billionaire shows his Rolls Royce. The college student shows her new iPhone. The maid shows her daughter's wedding. The startup founder shows his "unicorn" announcement. The retired uncle shows his Goa vacation. Everyone watching. Everyone comparing. Everyone feeling something. This is Instagram. Here's what makes Instagram different from every social space in history: In real life, you only compare yourself to people in your circle. Your classmates. Your colleagues. Your neighbors. Your relatives. Maybe 50-100 people total. On Instagram, your comparison group just became 1 million people. The delivery guy compares himself to Ranveer Allahbadia. The teacher compares herself to Komal Pandey. The CA compares himself to startup founders. The 25,000/month guy watches: • Millionaire's Maldives trip • Friend's new car • Colleague's promotion • Influencer's brand deal His brain does this: "Everyone's winning except me." "I'm 28 and still here." "What am I doing wrong?" "Maybe I should take that loan for the car." The Most Brutal Part: In real life: Poor people knew they were poor. Rich people knew they were rich. Middle class knew they were middle class. Everyone stayed in their lane because they couldn't see other lanes. On Instagram: Everyone sees everyone. The lanes disappeared. Result: Middle class feels poor (comparing to rich) Rich feel inadequate (comparing to richer) Poor feel invisible (nobody's watching their stage performance) For the first time in history, every social class is forced to watch every other social class perform their best life. And it's making everyone miserable. This is the psychological experiment nobody consented to. But here's where it gets darker. That 25,000/month guy watching everyone else's highlight reel? He doesn't just feel poor. He feels like he's falling behind. And when you feel like you're falling behind, you don't save money. You spend it. To catch up. Result: In 2024, India's personal loan market hit 710 lakh crores Credit card debt is at an all-time high. Buy Now Pay Later is exploding. People aren't spending more because they're earning more. They're spending more because they're comparing more. It's not aspiration. It's desperation. The psychological cost of being "left out" now exceeds the financial cost of the EMI. Instagram made invisibility more expensive than debt. Have a flying day ✈️

BREAKING: Novak Djokovic and his son Stefan have just wiped out $667,000 in school lunch debt across 22 Serbian schools — a gesture Novak called “a victory greater than any Grand Slam I’ve ever held.”

BREAKING: Novak Djokovic and his son Stefan have just wiped out $667,000 in school lunch debt across 22 Serbian schools — a gesture Novak called “a victory greater than any Grand Slam I’ve ever held.” In a quiet act of father-and-son compassion, Novak and seven-year-old Stefan paid off every unpaid lunch bill they could find — ensuring thousands of children from Belgrade to Novi Sad can walk into school each morning with dignity, a full tray, and no fear of being turned away or shamed for being hungry. Speaking through emotion, Novak said: “I’ve lifted trophies in four countries in the same year… but nothing weighs on your heart like knowing a child might sit through class without food. Today is bigger than tennis. Today is about children.” Little Stefan — standing close, fingers wrapped around his father’s hand — added in a trembling voice that melted every heart in the room: “Every kid is somebody’s best friend. I just wanted them to have lunch like I do.” Teachers cried. Parents thanked them. Children clapped and laughed, unaware that their simple lunch — something many take for granted — had just been secured by two people who will never ask for anything in return. This wasn’t about headlines. It wasn’t about image. It was about a father teaching his son that real greatness is measured not in trophies… but in kindness. Two Djokovics. One extraordinary act of love. And thousands of full stomachs — and full hearts — across Serbia..

BREAKING: Novak Djokovic and his son Stefan have just wiped out $667,000 in school lunch debt across 22 Serbian schools — a gesture Novak called “a victory greater than any Grand Slam I’ve ever held.”

BREAKING: Novak Djokovic and his son Stefan have just wiped out $667,000 in school lunch debt across 22 Serbian schools — a gesture Novak called “a victory greater than any Grand Slam I’ve ever held.” In a quiet act of father-and-son compassion, Novak and seven-year-old Stefan paid off every unpaid lunch bill they could find — ensuring thousands of children from Belgrade to Novi Sad can walk into school each morning with dignity, a full tray, and no fear of being turned away or shamed for being hungry. Speaking through emotion, Novak said: “I’ve lifted trophies in four countries in the same year… but nothing weighs on your heart like knowing a child might sit through class without food. Today is bigger than tennis. Today is about children.” Little Stefan — standing close, fingers wrapped around his father’s hand — added in a trembling voice that melted every heart in the room: “Every kid is somebody’s best friend. I just wanted them to have lunch like I do.” Teachers cried. Parents thanked them. Children clapped and laughed, unaware that their simple lunch — something many take for granted — had just been secured by two people who will never ask for anything in return. This wasn’t about headlines. It wasn’t about image. It was about a father teaching his son that real greatness is measured not in trophies… but in kindness. Two Djokovics. One extraordinary act of love. And thousands of full stomachs — and full hearts — across Serbia...

GIVE IT TIME

Good Morning!!! GIVE IT TIME Around the Year with Emmet Fox December 11 People sometimes accept the idea that a change of thought, plus turning to God in prayer, will transform their lives into harmony and freedom. The logic of this principle appeals to them, and they set to work upon it in earnest. Then, after a few days, they say, “Nothing has happened after all,” and they drop back into their old negative thinking. That is extremely foolish. The results of many years of general negative thinking are seldom corrected in a few days. No one who goes upon a new physical diet or medical regimen expects to reap the advantages in so short a time. You must keep up the new way of thinking and refuse to be discouraged by seeming failures at first. The right motive for adopting right thinking is that it is right, and wrong thinking is wrong, and we should do right whether it seems to pay dividends – but it usually takes a little perseverance in the face of preliminary slowness. “And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

BREAKING: Novak Djokovic and his son Stefan have just wiped out $667,000 in school lunch debt across 22 Serbian schools — a gesture Novak called “a victory greater than any Grand Slam I’ve ever held.”

BREAKING: Novak Djokovic and his son Stefan have just wiped out $667,000 in school lunch debt across 22 Serbian schools — a gesture Novak called “a victory greater than any Grand Slam I’ve ever held.” In a quiet act of father-and-son compassion, Novak and seven-year-old Stefan paid off every unpaid lunch bill they could find — ensuring thousands of children from Belgrade to Novi Sad can walk into school each morning with dignity, a full tray, and no fear of being turned away or shamed for being hungry. Speaking through emotion, Novak said: “I’ve lifted trophies in four countries in the same year… but nothing weighs on your heart like knowing a child might sit through class without food. Today is bigger than tennis. Today is about children.” Little Stefan — standing close, fingers wrapped around his father’s hand — added in a trembling voice that melted every heart in the room: “Every kid is somebody’s best friend. I just wanted them to have lunch like I do.” Teachers cried. Parents thanked them. Children clapped and laughed, unaware that their simple lunch — something many take for granted — had just been secured by two people who will never ask for anything in return. This wasn’t about headlines. It wasn’t about image. It was about a father teaching his son that real greatness is measured not in trophies… but in kindness. Two Djokovics. One extraordinary act of love. And thousands of full stomachs — and full hearts — across Serbia