How to absorb good qualities; Analogy from Mahabharatha

There is a small example from the epic Mahabharata to illustrate the aspect of ‘guna grahana’ the ability to absorb the good qualities. In order to test Duryodhana, Lord Krishna called him. This took place much before the war, (for after the war there was no Duryodhana) when they were on friendly terms with each other. Lord Krishna said, “Duryodhana, I intend to perform a great thing and I need a virtuous and good person for the occasion. Please search the world for such a person and bring him to me.” Duryodhana spent several days searching the world for such person and came back to Lord Krishna and said, “O Krishna! I could not find any person with good qualities. Everyone whom I looked at had some defect or the other and had such qualities that they could not be called a good man. The only person who meets your requirement is I and I am here for your service.” Krishna sent away Duryodhana to some place saying that he would use him later and sent for Dharmaja and said, “Dharmaja, you go and search the world for a person who is very bad and wicked and whose qualities are such that there is none who is worse than him. Bring me the worst of beings in terms of qualities.” Dharmaja too searched the world and in the end returned alone to Krishna and said, “O Krishna! I could not find any bad person. I saw only good qualities in whomever I met. If at all there be any bad qualities they lie in me. I am the only person who answers your requirement. I am here.” and saluted Krishna. For Duryodhana to say that good people do not exist in the world or for Dharmaja to say that bad people do not exist in the world, the basis is not the world, the fault is not with the world. It is the innate attributes and qualities of the respective persons that are responsible for their perception. It is the aspect of ‘guna grahana’, the ability to absorb the good qualities, that is the reason for the apparent perception of good or bad. One neither has the capacity to determine the good or the bad nor has the authority to decide. Hence one must sanctify and develop pure and noble thoughts and tread the path of spirituality with strong faith in God and improve on the qualities in oneself to merge with the divine. Swami ends his discourse wishing that devotees tread this path and benefit by it.