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It is always safer to over-communicate than to under-communicate. History, mythology and literature repeatedly show how a single misunderstanding can change destinies. One striking example comes from the Mahabharata — the life of Bhishma Pitamah. Bhishma had vowed lifelong celibacy. When he went to Kashi for the swayamvara of the three princesses — Amba, Ambika and Ambalika, on behalf of his half-brother King Vichitravirya, he decided to bring all three back as brides for him. As Bhishma entered the swayamvara hall, a hush fell. None of the princes dared to oppose him.
He announced, “I am taking these three Rajkumaris to Hastinapur so that they may marry my brother Vichitravirya. I am ready to fight anyone who objects to it.” The frightened King of Kashi offered no resistance. But on the way back to Hastinapur, the eldest princess, Amba, confessed, “I cannot marry your brother. I love Prince Salwa of the Saubala kingdom and had intended to garland him. You brought me without taking my consent.” Bhishma, stunned, admitted his mistake. He stopped the chariot and told her, “Had you told me at the swayamvara itself, I would have left you with your beloved and taken only your sisters.”
He sent Amba to Prince Salwa while continuing on with Ambika and Ambalika. But tragedy unfolded. Salwa refused to accept Amba. She returned to Bhishma, begging him to marry her, but he was bound by his vow. Even a duel with his guru Parashurama could not resolve the matter. Amba finally undertook a fierce penance and was reborn as Shikhandi, who became the cause of Bhishma’s death on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Had Bhishma clarified Amba’s wishes at the outset—or had Amba voiced them earlier—the course of his life and perhaps the Mahabharata itself might have been very different.
Two of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Romeo and Juliet and Othello, also pivot on fatal miscommunication. In Romeo and Juliet, Juliet fakes her death with a potion. Friar Lawrence sends a letter to Romeo explaining the plan, but because of a plague quarantine, the messenger never reaches him. Romeo instead listens to second-hand information from his servant Balthasar, who truly believes Juliet is dead. Acting on this false news, Romeo buys poison and dies beside her. She wakes up to find him dead and takes her own life. A single undelivered letter seals their fate.
In Othello, the miscommunication is a chain of manipulation. Iago, angry at being passed over for promotion, insinuates to Othello that his wife Desdemona is unfaithful to Cassio. He plants “evidence” — especially the handkerchief that Othello had given Desdemona. Othello never verifies the facts with Desdemona directly, and by the time he confronts her, he is already convinced of her guilt. Desdemona’s innocent references to Cassio deepen his suspicion. Emilia (Iago’s wife), who could expose the plot, stays silent until it’s too late. Othello murders Desdemona in a jealous rage and then kills himself when the truth emerges.
Whether in mythology or literature, these stories teach the same lesson: miscommunication can destroy lives. In Bhishma’s case, a single assumption led to his greatest karmic debt. In Romeo and Juliet, a missed letter caused a double suicide. In Othello, unchecked insinuations ended in murder and self-destruction. Clear, timely and honest communication could have changed every one of these outcomes.
Written and posted by Kamlesh Tripathi
Author, Poet, & Columnist
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https://kamleshsujata.wordpress.com
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