What Is Essential Is also Wise
Exploring how essential action reveals quiet wisdom
There’s a hushed clarity in what is essential. It doesn’t shout or demand—it simply is. When we strip away ego, fear, and desire, what remains is what must be done. And in that space, wisdom is not separate—but embedded in the very act of choosing essentiality.
The Mahabharat offers a poignant illustration. The five Pandav brothers, born into the dharm* of Kshatriyas, were not driven by greed or conquest. They compromisingly asked only for five villages—one each—to fulfil their duty as rulers. But when Duryodhan, who had seized their kingdom through deceit, refused even that modest request, war became essential.
And because it was essential, it was also wise.
This principle echoes throughout nature as well. A tree bends toward sunlight not because it wants to, but because it must. A river carves its path not out of whim, but out of need. When we align ourselves with what is essential—what must be done for truth, for justice, for balance—there is a quiet support from the world around us. In the Mahabharat, this support came not only in the form of Lord Shri Krishn, helping the Pandavs. But it also came from dharm itself, from the deep current of righteousness that flows beneath all things.
In our own lives, the choices we face are almost never as grand as epic battles. But they are no less significant. When we feel torn between paths, perhaps the most clarifying question is: What needs to be done here? Not what is easiest, or most pleasing—but just what is essential to get the job done.
To choose what is essential is to choose alignment. And alignment, even when difficult, is wise. It is the path of dharm. It is the unfolding of karm**.
Note *, **: ‘Dharm’ (often spelled ‘dharma’) is a phonetic spelling of the Sanskrit ‘dharma’, used here to reflect its original pronunciation.” Similarly, ‘karm’ is used in place of ‘karma’.
Thank you for reading. I hope you found it enjoyable.