Determination means pledge. It is a solemn promise of doing something. There are many instances of such resolutions in the history of mankind. Two such vows are found in the epic Mahabharata. Devavrat was the only son of Shantanu, the king of Kuru. As he grew up, he came to know about one serious worry of his father. Shantanu wanted to marry Satyawati, a daughter of a fisherman who agreed to give his daughter in marriage to the king on the condition that Satyawati’s first son should succeed Shantanu as the king of Kuru. This was king’s worry. But Devavrat releases his father from his above misery. He met Satyawati’s father and promised him that he would give up his right on the throne of Kuru. Further, he resolved there that he would never marry in his lifetime lest his children staked claim on the Kingdom of Kuru. This terrible resolution of Devavrat is known as Bhishma Pratigya.
The second determination is that of Draupadi, the wife of 5 Pandavas. In the game of dice between Pandavas and Kauravas, Yudhistir, the eldest brother of Pandavas gambled himself, his brothers and their wife Draupadi and lost. After Kauravas win Dushasan, one Kaurav Prince dragged Draupadi into the court pulling her by her hair and tried to disrobe her there. Enraged with insult, she vowed never to tie her hair again until she washed them with Dushasana’s blood. Later, at the end of that Great War, she fulfilled her vow.
Here is one more story of a vow that occurred in the 3rd century BC. There lived a wise Brahmin named Chanakya. He was poor and looked ugly. Once he went to King Dhana Nanda’s Palace at Magadha for begging. There he did not receive any alms. Instead, on King’s order, he was driven out of the Palace by pulling his tuft. Enraged by humiliation, Chanakya vowed then and there to uproot the Nanda Dynasty and until then not to tie his tuft. In course of time, Chanakya raised armed forces against Dhana Nanda under the leadership of Chandragupta Maurya. He then invaded Magadha, dethroned Dhana Nanda and made Chandragupta the King.
At the beginning of the 3rd decade of the last century, Mahatma Gandhi made a momentous decision to change his clothes. From the elaborate Gujrathi attire, he decided on a simple dhoti and a shawl. This historic decision was taken by Gandhi in Madurai after he decided that he had to work for and with the poor people of India and that he could not identify with them if he wore different clothes from them. He stuck to this dress code even during his trip aboard and until his very last moment.
The above are the vows of great persons. But common people also make common resolutions. Particularly during the new years. Giving up of drinking and smoking, getting up early in the morning, doing yogas and meditations regularly, trying to lose weight are some of the examples of New Year resolutions. However, most of them are observed only during the first few days and then they are forgotten. But making resolutions and not fulfilling them is better than not making them at all. This is because, when we make good resolutions, we attempt to think positively which can have a beneficial impact on both physical and mental well-being.
