Analogical paper on Gambling related to the Mahabharata or the Bhagavad-Gita - Essay Example

? Analogical paper on Gambling related to the Mahabharata or the Bhagavad-Gita and number submittedPart.1: Introduction Gambling can be a major entertainment in Las Vegas and Macao, and it is legal. However, public gambling is illegal in my home town, Taiwan. Gambling is a big issue in Taiwan. There are a lot of families who were broken due to the curse known as gamble. Most families are broken because father or mother will bet money, house and children on their gamble. Gambling is the topic that I really care about because I want to solve this major issue and try to help those kids who do not have their families because of gamble. This gambling issue in Taiwan can relate to how Yudhisthira loses everything including himself in the dice gamble with Sakuni. It seems to me that gamble is like a drug and people who like to gamble cannot get rid of it because they are already addicted to gambling. If people are addicted to gamble, they lose their focus from their life goals. Gambling is betting of money or anything of material value on an event with unknown outcome. It is made to win instant and additional money or material goods. Gambling is both legal and illegal. It is the major commercial activity; the legal gambling market estimated in 2009 was worth $335 billion. The types of gambling are Casino games Table games Electronic gaming Non-casino gambling Fixed-odd betting Pari-mutuel betting Sports betting Arbitrage betting Gambling in the modern world has taken many shapes. The world spends billions on gambling every year. It may be a hobby of the elite class but those who lose everything because of gambling is the subject of debate. 1.1 History of gambling They history of gambling is ancient and relates to the different parts of the world. From Hindu to catholic and Jewish to the modern man or atheists; gambling has always been there, expanding and modernizing. Different parts of the world have different ways to gamble. Many popular games played in modern casinos originate from Europe and China, whereas the card games originated in the Middle East. Betting on horses originated from Arab (Aasved, 2003, pp.194). 1.2 Why do people gamble? The first answer to this question is because they want to become rich (Brenner and Brenner, 1990, pp.81). They want their money to double in a blink of an eye which is not possible in reality. That is why without being sure of the result they spend money so that they get a far greater amount in return. Gambling is an addition to have easy and quick money. Their lust for it is so strong that the negative outcomes never overtake the prominent desire to earn a lot of money in return to the smaller amount. According to Brenner and Brenner (1990, pp.169), number of attempts is made to understand gambling behaviors. One of the facts is that, gambling is a matter of taste. People who like to take risk usually gamble whereas those who are afraid do not. Gambling is a dangerous game not everyone risks for it. The poor who have the desire for money relatively fall for it more than the rich. It is also observed that those who lose money or business may gamble to meet their requirements. Gambling is a big business; people who want others to gamble make it attractive and appealing. Nice talks are made about gambling, prizes are highlighted. Both small and large amounts on lotteries and bets attract those who want to risk or are addicted to gamble. 1.3 Issues and problems related to gambling There are many issues related to gambling, it is not necessary that always the outcome of gambling is a problem. Low risk and safe gambling can also be made, but when the limits are crossed and large risks are taken gambling problem arises. Some of the problems related to gambling are: a. Impact on families Families are mostly affected by gambling problems. People lose almost everything in gambling even there place to live. It causes long term issues. b. Money problems: It is the most important problems which brings with it all others. It may be termed as the root cause of all other problems. Financial problems may not only cause pressure to the individual but also to the family. Everyone related to the gambler is affected by the outcome of gambling whether money is won or lost (CAMH Staff, 2012, pp.15-20). c. Physical and mental health: It has been observed that the gambling problems come along with other social, mental and physical problems. Excessive use of drugs, alcohol and smoking are also found more in people who gamble. The combinations of these problems form conflict and discomfort in relationships and thus affecting the home environment (Fabiansson, 2010 pp.176-168). d. Impact on children: They are the most affected members of the family. It is observed that the children of gambling parents are more likely to commit crimes and are drugs addicts. When asked about their childhood most of the children of gambling parents seem unhappy with their childhood and do not like their past lives (Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of Pathological Gambling, National Research Council, 1999, pp.63-107). Gambling among the young is a crime, gambling is legal at a certain age otherwise it is illegal. In most cases where the youngsters are found guilty of the charge of gambling at an early age, they are the children of the parents who formerly were gambling addict. The childhood of a kid with any parents gambling is a total chaos. Shifting homes and places, fights, isolation, bad talks about the parents all factors combine and individually affect the child’s life. A normal life is important to build up a personality thus it is the most alarming gambling problem of all. e. Isolation It is another problem caused by gambling. The main reason of isolation from family and friends by gamblers may be that they borrow money from their family and friends and when not able to return it they start avoiding them. This is done because they lose the money and are unable to pay back they are helpless and have no other way but to isolate themselves and their families (Fabiansson, 2010, pp.171-173). f. Suicide risks Rate of suicide is very high in people who are addicted to gambling and are unable to get out of it. Even the family members of the gambler are likely to suicide. Mental health issues also tend people to make such attempts. Excessive use of drugs and alcohol is another cause. It is important to seek help if one feels like killing themselves. g. Anxiety and depression Anxiety and depression is an obvious outcome of gambling. People who gamble excessively feel stressed and depressed. Life is not normal for people who deal with such problems; it makes sleeping, thinking and solving problems very difficult, not only disturbing the individual life but the life of the entire family of the gambler. Irritation and lack of interest not only destroy emotional and physical relations but it is also a mental disorder that may become worse by time. h. Illegal acts A sin brings with it many other sins. Gambling may cause the person to do illegal acts like stealing and fraud. The loss of money, friends and family, sense of guilt and depression may result in a criminal act. Most of the criminals are recorded to be involved in either drug abuse or gambling. Gambling in India exists as old as the history itself. It is written in the Ramayana and some Indians believe that it dates back to 7300s BC, though the epic was first externally referenced in 430 BC. In the Ramayana two types of board gambling games are described, one is chess and the other is the dice game. The board gambling is referred to as aksa where all other references refer to it as devana. If you have ever heard a gambler say “I lost my shirt” this saying originated from ancient India, as this ancient text compares trees stripped of their fruit as result Hanuman’s shaking, with defeated gamblers deprived of their clothes and ornaments. Part.2: How gambling relates to Mahabharata and Bhagavad-Gita According to the Hindu Epic Mahabharata, Duryodhana, king of Drupada’s son, challenged Yudhishthira, who was the son of God of justice, to the game of dice (Knapp, 2000, pp.4). Knapp (2000, pp. 95), included Mahabharata dialogue which was told by Buck earlier that, “Let us begin. Take three, Yudhishthira”. Rajasuya yagna was performed for Yudhishthira to be the king of all kings. It was the highest level of yagna and was conducted in the presence of Vedavyasa. Yudhishthira had to pay respects to the gathering of kings there. It was a tradition to do so, it was required that Yudhishthira started with the greatest king of all. So he started when Lord Krishna, king of Dwaraka (the most famous God of the Hindus). As Krishna moved forward, the King of Chedi, Shishupala stood up with an objection. He insulted Krishna, and said that he is a mere coward; he killed a woman (Putana) and bull (a rakshasa). The king Chedi did this because King of Chedi had a son. He was horribly deformed with 3 eyes and 4 arms. His name was Shishupala. The king was very scared and he wanted to get rid of the baby. But he heard a future predictor (Akash Vanni as termed in Hindi), saying that when he sat on the lap of the king who would kill him, his eye and extra arms would fall off. So the king invited all kings to come give the baby blessings but nothing happened. When he reached Krishna and behold his eye and two arms fell off. The mother of the baby the queen, who was Krishna's relative, pleaded Krishna not to kill her son, no matter what. Krishna told her he couldn't do that but he would forgive Shishupala 100 times. As the years went on, Krishna kept counting every insult that Shisupala said. As it would happen, the day he would cross the limit would be at Yudhishthira’s Rajasuya Yagna. Krishna took out his Sudarshan Chakra and killed Shishupala making Yudhishthira became king of kings. Duryodhana was very angry at what happened and what Krishna did. He called his uncle Shakuni to help. Shakuni was an evil man and he was a genius. He called the Pandavas for a game of dice. He had a pair of dice made by the bones of his father and he used those to play the game. He did this because he knew that gambling was Yudhishthira’s weakness. He wagered everything on the game starting with small things and ended with himself, his brothers and Draupadi his wife. Draupadi was called to the palace. Dushasana, Duryodhana's brother, disrobed her in front of everyone. But she prayed to Krishna who saved her by making her sari infinite. Bhima was extremely angry, He made two vows. One was he would rip open Dushasana's chest and drink his blood. The other was he would break Duryodhana's thigh where he made Draupadi sit. This whole time, Dhritarashtra was watching. He called off all the bets and everyone went back to their old lives. But Duryodhana and Shakuni were not done yet. In the second game of dice same thing happened but they did not lose themselves. The last wager was if he won he would get everything back. But if he lost he had to go to the forest in exile for 12 years and be incognito for 1. If they were found out that last year, they had to do it all over again. Yudhishthira lost and they went into exile. Thus the game of gambling brings misfortune became the belief of the Hindu religion (Smith, 2011, pp.213). It is said that among the season Lord Krishna is the spring season and relates to flowers and is claimed to be the gambler of gamblers. Krishna is thought to have the sense of the game. Also, in the ancient India gambling was considered a royal time pass activity and not even kings refused the friendly game of dice (Easwaran, 2007, pp.288). It is said that being the Lord it was understood that Krishna had powers and more ‘Budhi’ sense of what he did that is way he playing the dice was right and is not similarly applied to the lay man. There are many places in the history where the religion is related to gambling and is justified as righteous. Krishna in Gita is described as the “game of dice” (Knapp, 2000, pp.4). In the Yajur Veda, dice were identified with the live coals of Agni, the Fire God, who through the dice and the sun rises (Knapp, 2000, pp.4). 2.1 Gambler's lament Gambler’s lament is a non-religious poem of the ancient Hindu scripture Rig Veda. It is about the misfortune a gambler brings to himself and his family due to the addition of the game of dice. It is thought that first the poem was constructed as a spell to ensure the victory in a game of dice but then it was changed by anonymous poet and it turned into a cautionary poem. By the scholars it is thought to be the most beautiful poem among the non-religious poems in the Rig Veda. Some of the last verses of the poem teaching a lesson to the gambler translated by MacDonell, (n.d) are as follows, Downward they fall, then nimbly leaping upward, They overpower the man with hands, though handless. Cast on the board like magic bits of charcoal. Though cold themselves, they burn the heart to ashes. It pains the gambler when he sees a woman, Another’s wife, and their well-ordered house-hold: He yokes these brown steeds early in the morning, And, when the fire is low, sinks down an outcaste. Play not with dice, but cultivate thy cornfield: Rejoice in thy goods, deeming them abundant: There are thy cows, there is thy wife, O gambler, This counsel, Savitr the kind gives me (MacDonell, n.d.) 2.2 Gambling issues in India As formulated by the studies above there is a contradiction between the actual norms about gambling in the Hindu religion. At one side, dice is represented as the God related element, and even Lord Krishna is referenced by dice, on the other hand the story of Yudhishthira teaches that gambling is a bad thing and it brings misfortune not only to self but to the entire family. Destiny is a major believe of the ancient India. Gambling is the game of destiny and it is played all over India from centuries. It depicts wealth and royalty. No ‘Darbar’ in the ancient India seems to be free of gambling games, weather Hindus or Muslims all seem to be found of the gambling games, especially cards and chess are actually originated and flourished here. Mughal Empire of India was so fond of card games that there women played cards as a pastime. The Rig Veda the oldest surviving text book of mankind, there are references about games and amusements. The game of dice seems to have been very popular and it later developed in betting and gambling. Play-halls for gambling existed. The habitual gamblers are ridiculed as pillars of the hall. From the scanty information available, it appears that four or five dice were used, each having a name. A board was used on which marks were made. Cheating became very frequent with time. The word "Kitava" meaning ‘cheat’ was used in the same sense in later classical Sanskrit literature. There are several issues related to gambling in the ancient India and they relate to the modern era. Although it is prohibited in the religion but the Indians are fond of gambling. The combination of Abusive use of Alcohol and gambling is what one can find almost everywhere there. The problems discussed above all lies in India too and unfortunately at greater level. The belief of Indian in Destiny also relates to it. It is of no doubt that gambling exists here and is more likely to increase; there is no chance of no gambling in India ever as it is a big business here. It is not restricted to board games and cards only but there are casinos all around the country. People win and lose everyday facing the same issues as the west. Horse betting is bidding over matches is so common in India now that the world knows about it. One of the factors of increasing gambling in India is poverty so is in Taiwan. Money is the major cause of problem arising related to gambling. People lose everything in trying to get more out of what they already have. The legislative of India makes many restrictions over gambling but the laws are broken, and the norms are not followed and the gambling goes on. The commercial gambling is not prohibited in India too, but the private gambling cannot be stopped too as it is difficult to be checked. Today the major of gambling done in India is lottery, horse racing and Rummy and these are all legal, whilst a black-market as large as $60 billion per year exists for illegal sport betting in India. Most of this gambling that take place within the country is done underground, it is also seen that many Indians have turned to gambling sites which operate outside India because it is legal. Thus the issues are unresolved and there are many families that have broken or are giving birth to individuals of disturbed personality because there is a gambler in the family. It is that alarming that people comes to road along with their families after losing everything in a gamble. Awareness and control against the situation is required. And the requirement is more in countries like India, having such a large population. Laws are needed to be stricter and no kind of gambling should be supported by the law. Low risk gambling should be introduced if it cannot be completely removed. Part.3: Conclusion The distinguishing factor between gambling addiction and drug or alcohol addiction is demonstrated by the very nature of the habit. Unlike the physical effects of a drug or alcohol addiction, gambling is entirely related to brain. Depressed, happy, elated, or broke, gamblers will always find a way to gamble. As irrational as their actions may seem, and no matter how many times they win or lose, they would tend to play again and again that is what makes gambling so scary. Gambling is not just a game but a risk. Even when religions do not have space for it people still do not understand. The problems related to gambling are unsolvable especially in the long terms. The lost of relations, friends, family. Destroying the lives of your children and the sense of guilt forever are what comes with the package of gambling. Whether it is America, Europe, Taiwan or India the results of gambling are horrifying. The poor and the middle class are mainly affected by gambling, the rich do not get as badly affected by the outcomes of gambling as the poor and strangely they do not get that addicted to gambling as the poor. Money is always attractive and will be but gambling should not attract with so much risk on what one already have. There is a need to make people understand that nothing can make them rich overnight. Gambling is a business and no one lets anyone win on fair ground. The reality should be educated to the people. The loss of people who have been into gambling should be told to others so that before getting involved into it they stop for a second and think about its worse outcomes. Part.4: Works Cited Brenner, R., Brenner, A., G., Gambling and Speculation: A Theory, a History, and a Future of Some Human Decision. Australia: Cambridge, 1990. Print. Aasved, J., M., The Sociology of Gambling. 2nd ed. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 2003. Print. Fabiansson, C., Pathways to Excessive Gambling: A Societal Perspective on Youth and Adult Gambling Pursuits. England: Ashgate, 2010.Print. CAMH Staff, Problem Gambling: The Issues, the Options. Canada: Center of Addiction and Mental Health, 2012. Print. Committee on the Social and Economic Impact of Pathological Gambling, National Research Council, Pathological Gambling: A Critical Review. U.S.: National Academies Press, 1999. Print. Smith, D., J., The Mahabharata: an Abridged Translation by John D. Smith. U.S.: Penguin Group, 2011. Print. Easwaran, E., The Bhagvad Gita .Canada: Nilgiri Press, 2007. Print. Knapp, L., B., Gambling, Game, and Psyche. U.S.: SUNY. 2000. Print. MacDonell, A., A., A History of Sanskrit Literature. Project Gutenberg - free eBooks. Web. 12 Dec 2012. . Read More