The world has been continuing since time immemorial. Indian
epics and Puranas give a clear
picture of the life continuing for thousands of trillions of years.
The
Kaalachakra
According to epics and, the human calendar is different from
god's calendar. One day of deities equals three hundred sixty days of human
years. Time is actually ageless. It is only because of the relativity of motion
od bodies that time can be taken into account. It can be compared with the
prevailing system of time accounting as follows, -
Time to wink - 1
nimesh = 8/45 second
18 nimesh = 1 kashtha
= 3,1/5 second
30 kashtha= 1 kalaa =
1minute, 36seconds
30 kalaa= 1 muhoort= 48minute or 2 ghari
30 muhoort =1day-night = 24 hours or 60 ghari
15day-night=onepaksha=1
Fortnight
2paksha or Fortnights
= 1 maas or month
6 maas = 1 ayan(uttar ayan or Dakshin ayan)
2 ayan = 1 varsha or Year
1day-night(divine)=360day-night(earth) 360years
(Divine) (Earth) 1year(divine)
4800divine years
= 4800x360=
1728000 Earth years=1 Satya Yuga
3600 divine years=3600x360=1296000
Earth years = 1 TretaYuga
2400 divine years =2400x360= 864000 Earth years.= 1 Dwapar Yuga
1200 divine years =12000x360=432000 Earth years=
1 Kali Yuga
12000 Divine
years= 4320000 earth years =1 Chaturyugi
1000 chaturyugis= Lord Brahma's day or night
2000 chaturyugis =Lord Brahma’s 1 complete day= 864000000000 yr.
One thousand chaturyugis
equal one kalpa. One kalpa has fourteen manvantars in which fourteen manus
rule in succession. Their names are Swayambhu,
Swarochish, Uttam, Taamas, Raivat, Chakshush, Shradhdesh, Saavarni,
Dakshasaavarni, Brahmsaavarni, Dharmasaavani, Rudrasaavarni, Devasaavarni and
Indrasavarni.
During Lord Brahma's night there is no creation. This is
called Naimittic pralaya. Lord
Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Mahesh become inactive.
There is no life during pralaya.
Lord Brahma lives for his hundred years. After his disappearance Prakrit
pralaya takes place. All elements remain in the form of subatomic particles
during this pralaya. The awakening
and sleeping during day and night by humans is called Nitya pralaya.
Lord
Srikrishn says that among countable entities he is time. (Verse 33 chapter 10) Bhagavad-Gita. The time taken by Lord
Srikrishn to wink his eyes is said to be the life time of one Brahma.
Solving Parvati's Dilemma
Goddess Parvati whom Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Mahesh
worship as energy encompassing the cosmos, the Mother of Universe and bestower
of wisdom, power and wealth also got confused about righteousness or dharm once. She was married to Lord
Shiv. Inspired by Lord Vishnu, God
Agni had taken away the semen of Lord Shiv and delivered it to Kritikaas who developed Kartikeya from
it and raised him in their lok.
Parvati was desirous of having a son. She hesitatingly told Lord Shiv, -“Having a loving husband is the most
fortunate thing for a woman. But without a son life seems to be incomplete. You
are the Lord of yogis. Please tell me how to have a son”. Lord Shiv smiled
and explained to her, -"O Parvati,
listen. I’ll tell you the way. For one year you should observe a vrat named
punyak. As Lord Srikrishn is the perfect manifestation of God this vrat is also the
best. Take Lord Srikrishn’s mantra from me and do its japa during this vrat to
please him.” Lord Shiv explained to her the method to perform the vrat. He also told her that in the past
many great parents begot great sons by performing this vrat. Dhruva to Suneeti; Kapil to Devahooti; Shakti to Arundhati;
Parashar to Shakti; Vaman to Aditi, Jayant to Indrani; Nal-Kuber to Kuber; Manu
to Sangya; Chandrama to Anusuya; Brahaspati to Angira and Shukra to Bhrigu were
born through pleasing Lord Srikrishn. Lord Shiv narrated to Parvati and
retreated in solitude to meditate on Lord Srikrishn. Parvati called Brahmans
and servants and initiated the vrat
in an auspicious moment. All deities including Lord Brahma with Savitri, Lord Vishnu with Lakshmi and sages
arrived to grace the occasion. Parvati made large preparations to welcome all
the guests. A large feast was organized. Brahmans served the deities most
savory delicacies. Lord Shiv got up from his seat and asked Lord Vishnu, -"O Lord, I have a request. Parvati
desires to have a son. She is ready to give up her life if she fails to beget a
son. You are omniscient and aware of everything. Women are difficult to persuade,
and are delicate by nature. Please, tell me, my duty to her now.” Lord
Vishnu replied, - "O Husband of Parvati! Lord Srikrishn is the master of all and
everybody. He can be pleased only with love and devotion. Love to Lord
Srikrishn generates from the company of Lord Srikrishn's devotees. Let her
perform punyak vrat to please god Lord Srikrishn."
As recommended by Lord Vishnu, Parvati began the vrat. She asked Sanatkumar, the son of
Lord Brahma to be the purohit. He
accepted the offer and performed Yajna
as prescribed by Lord Vishnu for one whole year. She gave huge offerings to Brahmans daily. In the end the purohit asked her to give her husband in
Dakshina. Listening to his words
Parvati lost consciousness. The sages present there smiled and along with Lord
Brahma and Lord Vishnu asked Lord Shiv to go to Parvati to bring her back to
consciousness. Lord Shiv comforted Parvati and eloquently addressed her, -“Fair one, and please wake up. Everything
will be all right.” He embraced her and she woke up conscious. He explained
to her, -"Without Dakshina no Yajna
can be completed. One who does not give Dakshina goes to hell. If you do not
give Dakshina as demanded by purohit, in this muhoort, then you will have to
give double of it in the same day; quadruple of it in next day; hundred time of
it in next fortnight; five hundred time of it in a month; two thousand time in
six months and if one year elapses then the vrat will become in fructuous.” Lord
Vishnu, Lord Brahma, Dharma and other deities present there also exhorted
Parvati to complete her vrat by
giving away Dakshina."Lord Shive! Either give me your
husband Lord Shiv or give up the reward of vrat, performed during the entire
period. If you do not give me Dakshina then the reward of vrat will come to my
share, not you." said purohit Sanatkumar.
Parvati, then replied, -"Deities
and sages! Listen to me. What shall I do with this reward when my husband is
going away from me? What is the use of body when soul is gone? For a chaste
woman husband is hundred times dearer then the son. When I am to give away my
husband then what shall I do with the son?"
Lord Vishnu intervened, -"Truly,
husband is dearer than the son but dharm is superior to husband. When dharm is
gone or destroyed what is the use of husband or son?" Lord Brahma also
said, -"Fair one! Dharm is superior
to husband. Truth is superior to dharm. As your vrat is based on truth, do not
waste it." Dharm said, -"Wife
is capable of giving away husband as husband-wife are one and both can donate
each-other, being equal." Parvati argued, -"Father gives away his daughter to son-in-law. Nothing more is
enshrined in Vedas." Deities said, -"Goddess! You yourself are wisdom. In this punyak vrat your
husband has been asked for as Dakshina. As per Vedas, follow your dharm and do
not go against it." Parvati said further, -"Who can decide on the basis of Vedas for tradition prevails upon
Vedas. In Vedas Purush has been ascribed as superior to Prakriti. What more can
I say?"
Brahaspati said, -"The
creation is not possible without Purush or Prakriti. Lord Srikrishn is the
creator of both and both are equal". But Parvati said, -"Lord Srikrishn is the creator indeed.
But Purush is superior to Prakriti." Meanwhile Lord Narayan, another
form of Lord Srikrishn arrived there accompanied by his wives Lakshmi and
Saraswati. Deities apprised him of the dilemma facing Parvati. Narayan smiled
and addressed all, -"It is not wise on the part of deities to argue with goddess
Parvati who is herself wisdom incarnate. In the entire world all are living and
powerful because of her only. The entire
creation upto Lord Brahmalok is called nature. It is quintessentially true that
I manifested Shakti without Purush. That goddess manifests herself through me
and through my desire and dissolves into me when the creation is destroyed.
Prakriti being the creator, is the mother of all. She is like me therefore is called
'Narayani". All of you are deluded.
Do you think this is her vrat in reality? In
every kalp, she reaps the reward of this
vrat. Lord Brahma, Lord Shiv and Shakti are my organs. As a potter cannot make
pots without earth; a jeweller
cannot make jewels without gold, I can also not create anything without her.
Shakti is superior to all. Nature is the base of all and I am the soul of all.
O Lord Shiv, give away Lord Shiv as Dakshina and complete your vrat. Then take
your husband back by paying his price to the purohit. As husband is capable of
giving away his wife in Dakshina so is wife capable of giving away her husband
in Dakshina." Saying
so, Narayan disappeared. Parvati gave away
Lord Shiv in Dakshina and Sanatkumar
accepted him. Parvati as advised by Narayan, requested Sanatkumar to return her
husband by accepting his price. "I
offer you one lakh cows in lieu of my husband. Please give me back my
husband." She pleaded. But Sanatkumar did not agree." I do not want to exchange this
priceless gem with cows. I will make naked Lord Shiv roam around the world and
girls and boys will mock at him." He said and made Lord Shiv sit
beside him. Innocent Lord Shiv obeyed the purohit
silently. A dejected Parvati decided to give up her body. She began to
contemplate within. "How strange is
that even after performing the vrat I could not see the God of vrat Lord Srikrishn till now nor
am I going to reap the reward of the vrat!" she intoned.
Suddenly she saw a sparkling bright luminescence in the
horizon. All deities stood up and prayed to it with folded hands. Parvati also
uttered in veneration, -"O Lord
Srikrishn, you know me but I am unable to know you. I am in trouble and seek
your help as I have not been able to beget a son till now. I wanted a son and
deities have decided that I should give away my husband in Dakshina. Please
come for my rescue and be gracious". She implored and became quiet. All saw Lord Srikrishn smiling in that bright
light along with Radha. Lord Srikrishn blessed Parvati for a son and induced
deities to persuade Sanatkumar to return Lord Shiv to Parvati and disappeared.
Deities then made Sanatkumar return Lord Shiv to Parvati.
Parvati honoured all and completed her vrat
happily. Later Lord Srikrishn himself took birth as Ganesh to be her son as a
reward of her penance. Thus Lord Srikrishn finally resolved the most ticklish
conflict arisen before goddess Parvati in a highly dramatic way.
Lord Brahma in Quandary
In Rivet manvantar
there was a king named Suchendra who did great penance on mount Malayachal.
Lord Brahma appeared before him to bless him. The king asked for Lord
Srikrishn's love and company. Lord Brahma granted the boon. A bright chariot
carrying Lord Srikrishn's paarshads appeared
. King Suchendra bowed before the parshads
and joined them. He also became Lord Srikrishn's paarshad and went to Golok happily.
Lord Brahma was returning to his loka when
one apsara of Swargalok named Mohini saw him. She got deeply enamoured of Lord
Brahma .She even lost consciousness out of intense desire. Lord Brahma saw her
but went on meditating on Lord Srikrishn and proceeded to his Lord Brahmalok unaffected. Mohini was so infatuated that she lost
interest in everything and kept on fantasizing about Lord Brahma alone. Her
friend Rambha came to see her and noticing her plight asked her,"-What has happened to you? You seem to
be stricken by the cupid. Tell me who has stolen your heart, dear friend."
Mohini bared her heart. "Then take
the help of God
Kamdev", advised Rambha. Mohini pleased Kamdev by performing tapasya at Pushkar. She then reached Brahmalok accompanied by Kamdev and his
bosom friend Basant. Her friends created an enticing ambience. On finding Lord
Brahma alone, Mohini ebulliently started singing and dancing to attract him.
Lord Brahma was impressed by her talent and enjoyed the music. Mohini was also
pleased to see him smiling. She began to show her private parts to seduce him.
Lord Brahma sensing her intention hung down his face after rewarding her
performance. He meditated and turned his mind away from her. Seeing his
reluctance to her, she got disappointed and prayed to Kamdev to help her attain
her goal. Kamdev tried his best to influence the mind of Lord Brahma who got a
bit perturbed and began to look at the face of Mohini but soon realized his
distraction and took his mind away. He realized the trick of Kamdev and cursed
him. -"O arrogant one. You are
trying to influence me who is equal to your guru. I curse you that soon
your pride shall be demolished." Kamdev got nervous and vanished along
with his friend Basant, the guardian deity of spring season. Lord Brahma then
turned to address Mohini, -" Mother
Mohini! I know what you want. But being
the creator of Vedas, I cannot go against righteousness. You better look for
some other man. I am like your father being old and a tapaswi. A woman who goes to man out of lust
denigrates the womanhood." Mohini was not prepared for it. She argued,
-"Your preaching does not convince
me. I was love struck when I saw you. You have cursed Kamdev but my body has
become inert. Please embrace me or you will be held responsible for killing me.
One should not be proud of any thing. Karm has made you Lord Brahma and karm
has made me apsara. I am the concubine of Swargalok, honoured by deities. I
hold you in my heart as my husband." She perched before him. Lord
Brahma began to lose control. He prayed to Lord Srikrishn to help him out, -" O Hari! Come to save me. I do not
want to swerve." He closed his eyes and meditated. Mohini gained
confidence and said, -"The best man
is that who catches the intention of woman without her even uttering a
word. He drags her and makes love. The
second grade man makes love when induced by a woman. And the third class man is
that who even when seduced by a woman does not make love with her. He is
impotent. A man who rejects a woman approaching him out of love becomes
unhonourable and goes to hell. Cursed by
her, he becomes impotent." She was so excited that she began to pull
away Lord Brahma's robes herself. A fearful Lord Brahma prayed to her, -"Please do not degrade womankind.
Mother, spare this old and desireless son. I am not bound to you for this
purpose." He prayed fervently to Lord Srikrishn. By divine grace, a
group of gracious munis namely
Vasishth, Bhrigu, Angira, Pulastya, Kashyap, Sanak, Sanandan, Sanatkumar,
Sanatan, etc. arrived in Lord Brahmalok.
On seeing them, Mohini left Lord Brahma and set beside him. They saluted Lord
Brahma and asked what Mohini, the apsara of
Swargalok was doing there. Lord
Brahma heaved a sigh of relief, relaxed and said, -"As a daughter visits father, she has also come here to relax,
being tired of singing and dancing." Lord Brahma began to laugh and munis, that were aware of the truth,
also laughed. Mohini, sensing their intention, lost her temper. She trembled
and said, -"O Lord Brahma! You are the creator of Vedas. God has created
me as a dancer who entertains everybody. As destined by God I came here and you are ridiculing me. Listen to this
prostitute- you will not be worshipped anywhere in this kalp and subsequently.
Lord Hari himself will demolish your pride very soon….." Mohini’s
frustration and anger erupted and she left Lord
Brahmalok. She satisfied herself with Kamdev. Munis realized that Mohini had been deeply hurt by them. Lord
Brahma trembled with fear having received her curse and lowered his head in
shame. Munis advised him to take
refuge in Vaikunthalok. Lord Brahma
approached Lord Vishnu and set before him after narrating the entire episode, his throat parched with nervousness. Lord Vishnu
listened and laughed. He addressed Lord Brahma, -"You are a wise man and guru
of wisemen. But no man has ever done what you did. Women are part of nature and
seed of this world. Disgracing a woman implies disgracing nature. You were not
on the earth but in Lord Brahmalok. What was the need of observing continence?
Even on the earth if a wishing woman approaches a continent, he should not
reject her. Because, the disappointed woman, then curses him. It is true that
if a man seduces another man's wife he along with his ancestors and descendents
goes to hell. Similarly a married woman who goes to another man out of lust
also goes to hell along with her ancestors and descendents. But mating with a
prostitute does not degrade a man. A prostitute of Swargalok goes back to
swargalok as she follows her dharm but the man who disgraces her becomes a
sinner. Now I will absolve you of this sin.
For a moment you stay in here."
Soon a doorman approached Lord Vishnu and told that a
ten-headed Lord Brahma from another Brahmanda
had come to see him. The new Lord Brahma entered and praised Lord Vishnu in a stotra unheard of by the first Lord Brahma.
Subsequently a hundred headed Lord Brahma also arrived. Then a thousand headed
Lord Brahma also arrived and praised Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu enquired of other
Lord Brahmas about their Brahmandas.
The first Lord Brahma who was proud of his peerless position realized that he
was not the only Lord Brahma in this cosmos. He hung his head in shame. Lord
Vishnu conveyed to him that there are as many Brahmandas as body pores in his body. "Tell me, what do you see
now?" asked Lord Vishnu. "I
saw the past, present and future created by your power and grace."
Lord Brahma replied. His pride in his responsible status and Vedic wisdom was
completely soiled to hear the words of Lord Vishnu. Thus Lord Vishnu absolved
Lord Brahma of the curse given by Mohini in this way.
moulding Arjun
Arjun, the Son of Indra and a close friend of Lord Srikrishn
also got confused
about the concept of righteousness. The famous war of
Mahabharat was going on. Arjun had vowed to kill Karn. Yuddhisthir was severely
wounded by Karn, the Chief of Kaurav army. When Arjun proceeded to the
battlefield Yuddhisthir was sure that Arjun would slay Karn on the first day
itself. He waited for the news of Karn's death in his camp. Aswatthama, the son
of Guru Dron fought valiantly and gave Arjun a tough time in the battlefield.
Arjun got exhausted and retired to the camp to see brother Yuddhisthir. Yuddhisthir
thought that Arjun had come to break the news of Karn's killing. He therefore, welcomed Arjun in his camp
by addressing him a slayer of chief of army of enemy. Arjun divulged that
Aswatthama created serious hurdles for him and he had a tough time vanquishing
the army of Aswastthama. He had therefore, spared Karn in the Kurukshetra and come to take care of
brother Yuddhisthir. Yuddhisthir who was seething with pain given by Karn was
in sheer dismay. He rebuked Arjun, -"What
happened to your vow? How could you spare Karn in the battlefield and retreat?
When you were still an infant in mother Kunti's lap a celestial voice declared
that you would be a matchless archer. But you have proved the prophecy wrong.
Fie upon you and your mighty Gandiv! Better give up your Gandeev!."
Arjun was highly desolate. He immediately retaliated,
dragging out his sword to kill brother Yuddhisthir. Lord Srikrishn intervened,
-"What
has happened to you, Arjun. Have you gone crazy?" "I had taken a secret vow that whosoever
would ask me to give up my Gandeev will be beheaded by me. As brother has asked
me to give up Gandeev I have to honour my vow by killing him," was the
explanation of infuriated Arjun. "Fie, upon you Arjun! It seems that you
have not served the elders and wise men in life. You are showing wrath at an inappropriate time. One who understands dharm
(righteousness) never behaves like this. One should always abjure violence and
dharm teaches mainly non-violence," explained Lord Srikrishn. "I am surely confused. Tell me the
right line of action so that I could honour my vow and not kill my brother
also." asked a nonplussed Arjun. "Insulting an elderly and honourable
person is as good as killing him. You
should therefore, use the word 'Tu' for your elder brother instead of usual
'aap'. This will allow you to kill Karn in battlefield and uphold your secret
vow also. Both of your purposes will be fulfilled, thus."
conferred Lord Srikrishn. Arjun accordingly uttered insulting words towards his
elder brother Yuddhisthir and saved both, his vow and Yuddhisthir's life.
Being emotionally disturbed Arjun then felt guilty for
having insulted his honourable elder brother. He thought of repenting for the
sin of insulting his elder brother by ending his own life. He told Lord
Srikrishn that he wanted to repent for his sin by committing suicide. Lord
Srikrishn stopped him, "Are you speaking with your senses,
Arjun? A man who commits suicide goes to
severer hell. Killing others is better than killing one self if the situation
so demands. And if you finish your life thus, what will happen to your kith and
kin? You will suffer in hell and they will suffer here. Understanding dharm or
righteousness is no child's play. Actually dharm is too subtle to understand
and follow. You should find a way which will prove good and beneficial to all
including you," counseled Lord Srikrishn. "Then what should I do, tell me O Lord
Srikrishn!" asked a weary Arjun. "Praising one self is as good as
committing suicide. You should therefore, eulogize yourself in high tone. This
will absolve you of the sin of having insulted your elder brother"
came the apt suggestion from the creator and
knower of righteousness, Lord Srikrishn.
Arjun acted accordingly on the advice of Lord Srikrishn and
unburdened his mind from all confusions.
An Ascetic Father
The purpose of Lord Srikrishn's descend on earth was to
unburden the earth from the arrogant and evil souls. Through his entire life,
he not only preached people the art of living freely but also presented
examples to enlighten others.
Lord Srikrishn was in bed. Rukmani implored’-“O Lord of Deities! I wish
to have a son who should be the most handsome, valiant and leader of his clan. You always fulfill
wishes of your sincere devotees. If you consider me your worthy devotee then,
please oblige me.”
Lord Srikrishn replied-“Dear! I will surely give you a son
who will be the destroyer of enemies. Householders wish to have a son, capable
of ensuring their well being. It is the husband who enters the womb of wife to
beget a son. Even Indra fears a man who owns a worthy son. A man without son does not go to holy spheres
but it is better not to have a son at all then having a nonfilial, unworthy
son. A worthy son ensures heaven for his father. One must therefore, wish for a
gentle, learned, humble, generous and righteous son. To give you a learned and
righteous son, I will go to mount Kailash and please Lord Shiv by performing
penance there.”
Next day he entrusted the work of his kingdom on his trusted
men and proceeded to mount Kailash to obtain blessings of Lord Shiv. Lord
Srikrishn took diksha and performed
tapasya for twelve years at Mount Kailash.
Several great sages such as- Narad, Parvat, Ved Vyas, Dhaumya, etc. reached
there to see meditating Lord of Universe. Lord Srikrishn got up and welcomed
all the sages. He offered them green and golden coloured cushions and began
discussion on spiritual issues. Suddenly, all noticed that as Lord Srikrishn
spoke a divine light issued from his mouth and began to burn all plants and
animals dwelling on the mountain. Sages found all creatures lamenting and
wailing to see the destruction. The entire mountain became barren of living
creatures. The light then turned into a divine man who bowed at the feet of
Lord Srikrishn like a disciple touching his master's feet venerably. Lord Srikrishn threw his calm and comforting
glance over the barren mountain. Life began to sprout forth on the mountain
peak. Greenery appeared and various creatures came into being in no time. The
scenario changed completely, as life bloomed all around. The greatest of sages,
marveled at this and failed to follow the intent of lord behind this game.
Their bodies got electrified, hair stood on its end and eyes welled with tears of bliss. They could not utter a single word and turned
inert. Lord Srikrishn smiled and said -"Great Sages! You belong to a class
that remains always above attachment and ego, well versed in knowledge of
scriptures, still why are you showing the signs of amazement?" Sages uttered in one voice-"Lord! You are the creator of universe
and it is only you who destroys this universe. Winter, summer
and rains are only your extensions. You are the
cause of creation of all creatures and sustain them as parent to all. We are
greatly amazed to see a fire issuing from your mouth, please let us learn the
cause of this appearance. On receiving its explanation from your lotus lips our
apprehensions shall be removed." Lord Srikrishn smiled and replied
serenely-"O the Best of Munis! The
flame that you saw issuing from my mouth was my vaishnava teja. I have come to
do tapasya on this mountain with a wish to have a son as capable as I am. The
prana dwelling in my body had come out as flame and went to Lord Brahmalok to
have a glimpse of Lord Brahma there. Lord Brahma sent him back to me with the
message that half of teja of Lord Shiv shall be born to me as my son. That teja
has come to me and saluted me as a disciple. Afterwards it calmed down and
entered my body as earlier. You need not fear about it…. now." Sages
were relieved and stayed with Lord Srikrishn for some time to discuss other
affairs. They saluted him and went on their itinerary.
After ending his tapasya, he reached Dwarka. His queen
Rukmani gave birth to a glorious son after nine months who was incarnation of
God Kamdev and was named Pradyumn.
Redeeming King Nrig
Lord Srikrishn had over one-lakhs sons. Once they went out
to roam around in the forest. While searching for water they came across a well
and peeped into it. There was no water but what they saw was amazing. A mammoth
chameleon was lying in the bottom of the dry well. They wondered if the
grotesque creature was alive or dead. They tried to help it out by dropping down huge ropes to help the creature creep
out. But they failed to do so, as the animal showed no interest in coming out.
He did not appear dead, also. The compassionate boys came back to their father
Lord Srikrishn and narrated him the event. Lord Srikrishn smiled for he knew
the past of the chameleon and convinced the boys that he himself would pull the
creature out. He accompanied the sons and reached near the well. He extended
his left arm to the creature. The chameleon responded promptly and leaped out
swiftly. The boys were astonished to see the drastic transformation in the
animal. What happened next, amazed them even more. The animal closed its eyes
and heaved its last. From his gigantic physique emerged a glowing divine man
clad in bright muslin, wearing golden jewels and crown. Fresh flowers decorated
his gleaming form. The mouths of princes were agape. Lord Srikrishn knew the
divine men who greeted him with folded
hands in profound gratitude. Yet to enlighten his sons he asked the stranger, -"O,
the fortunate one! You appear extremely glorious. Who you actually are? I
believe that you are certainly a God. O, the
Benevolent! Because of which karm you were born as a chameleon? You do not
deserve such mean body. We want to know the details of your this plight. If you
deem fit then please do let us know your past." The mighty man
bowed his scintillating crown and said, -"God! I am the son of king Ishwaku named Nrig. Whenever anyone would
have named the great donors of this world, you would surely have heard my name.
God! You are aware of everybody's all intentions hidden in the heart. What is
hidden from you? Still to obey you, I will tell. I donated cows numbering the stars in the
sky; the dust particles on earth and the showers in rain. All were youthful,
gentle, pretty and milky. I procured them from the money earned with fair
means. All accompanied their calves. Their horns were covered with gold and
hooves with silver. They were bejeweled and dressed in silken clothes. I used
to invite pious Brahmans learned in Vedas, give them clothes and ornaments and
donate those cows to them. I performed several acts of charity regularly. One
day a cow belonging to a Brahman who never took any cow in alms from anyone got
mingled by mistake with the other cows meant for donation. I gave that cow to
some other Brahman unwarily. The original owner of the cow recognized her and
asked the recipient Brahman to return his cow. The recipient argued that the
cow belonged to him as he received it from king Nrig in alms. They argued and
came to me. I was nonplussed. I requested both of them to return me the cow and
accept one-lakh new cows in lieu of it. I had committed the error
unintentionally. They did not agree to it. Both of them left me without
accepting my proposal. Both went away dissatisfied. After my death I reached
Yamapuri. Yamaraj asked me _"King
do you want to reap the fruits of your good karm first or bad karm first?
Because of your charitable deeds you would go to a lok matchlessly resplendent.
I begged him to let me experience the fruit of bad karm first. Yamaraj said, -'
Befall on earth.' I found myself after that in this body here. I was your
devotee and wanted to see you. Because of your grace I have not forgotten my
past life. Yogis seek you in meditation. It is indeed great that you have
appeared before me yourself. I indulged in
various karmas resulting in suffering. Lord Srikrishn! Bless me that may I
always remember you. Now I would go to Devalok. Accept my heartiest
salutations." The king took seven rounds of Lord Srikrishn and touched
his lotus feet. A shining vimaan came
from heaven and he went in it. After the king went away, Lord Srikrishn
addressed his children, -"Those who are glorious like fire even
they can not digest an iota of wealth belonging to Brahmans. Then imagine the
plight of those who are arrogant and ignorant and take away the money of
Brahmans! I do not consider venom as poisonous for there is antidote available
against it. I consider the wealth of Brahmans as most venomous for it cannot be
digested by any means. If one takes away Brahman's wealth forcibly then ten
previous and ten next generations perish. Those kings who usurp Brahman's
wealth pave way to go to hell. I always try that Brahman's money should never
reach my treasury. Those who even wish to take away their money, loose life,
face defeat and banishment in life and become snakes after death. O, My dear
sons! Mind it that never make enemy of Brahmans. Even if he beats or abuses,
you should always salute him. I carefully greet Brahmans thrice a day. You
should always do so too. Those who disobey me shall not be pardoned but
punished." said Lord Srikrishn sternly and came back to his
palace.
Foiling Narayanstra
Aswatthama learnt that by spreading the false rumour of his
death, the Pandav had driven Dron to renounce
his life. Vengeance engulfed him. He vowed before Duryodhan to kill all the
Pandav and unleashed Narayanastra which created fiery discuses all around. The
more the Pandav army tried to counter these discuses the more powerfully
discuses attacked and killed armies. Yuddhisthir got scared. Arjun stood
helplessly. Yuddhisthir felt guilty and commanded, -"All of you run away. Now, Lord Srikrishn alone can help. He
preaches for the welfare of the world, Will he not ensure welfare of his own
folk? I ask all to stop. I will enter fire now with my all brothers as I have
caused the demise of my own guru."
Lord Srikrishn listened to him and raised his large arms. He
then roared, -"Warriors! Lay down all arms. This is the only means to calm down
Narayan astra. This astra will not kill armless soldiers. The more you shall
fight it, the stronger will be its attack. Those who even think of facing it
will not be spared by it even if they hide in the bottom of sea."
All followed the advice of Lord Srikrishn but Bhim did not contain himself and
called upon Arjun also, to face it. Arjun did not follow him. Bhim approached
Aswatthama and showered arrows over him. The astra became more ferocious. Bhim was engulfed by the fire and
became invisible. Lord Srikrishn and Arjun leapt from their chariot and rushed
to pull Bhim out. Both of them entered fire but as they were armless, the astra did not harm them. Lord Srikrishn
thundered, -"Son of Pandu! What is this? Why do you not stop even when asked
to do so? If fighting could work then we would have done that only. Obstinacy
will not work. All your soldiers have got down their chariots. You should also
do so." Saying so, he pulled Bhim down his chariot. As Bhim threw
his weapons away, the astra calmed
down. All directions became clear and normalcy was restored in the sky.
Duryodhan heaved heavily and asked Aswatthama to reapply the
astra. Aswatthama was disgusted. He had witnessed
the failure of his power before the wisdom of Lord Srikrishn. He said, -"King! This astra cannot be reapplied. If one
applies it second time, it attacks back on the sender." The chiefs of
Kaurav army sank in deep desperation.
DHRITARASHTRA POUNCED ON BHIM
The aged royal couple of
Hastinapur had lost their hundred sons and only son-in-law named Jayadrath
in the battle of Mahabharat. Only one son of Dhritarashtra from his second
wife, named Yuyutsu was left alive. Pandav feared the wrathful couple and
sought help of Lord Srikrishn for pacifying the aged couple. Lord Srikrishn
approached the bereaved couple and calmed them down. Their anger was largely
mitigated by the honeyed speech and enlightening words of Lord Srikrishn.
Pandav learnt that the couple was on the way to Kurukshetra to perform the last
rites of departed souls. They therefore,
reached on the shore of river Ganga. Wailing womenfolk surrounded the pious
Yuddhisthir. "King what happened to
your piety and kindness? What will you do with the kingdom gained after losing
Abhimanyu and other sons of queen Draupadi?" questioned
the women and lamented for the lives of departed ones. Yuddhisthir was left
speechless. With great difficulty, he passed through them and reached before
king Dhritarashtra. Feeling of regret overpowered him. He bowed before a shaken
uncle and touched his feet respectfully. Other brothers also followed him. The
blind king embraced him coldly. His heart was filled with sorrow and disgust
for having lost his hundred warrior sons. All of a sudden, he felt stern. The
scene of Bhim tearing apart Dushasan and hitting Duryodhan below the belt
loomed in his mind. Vengeance devoured his entire being. The idea of finishing
Bhim sprouted in his languishing heart. The moment to crush Bhim was awaiting
him. The time was ripe. The opportunity was ahead.
Superman Lord Srikrishn sensed his intention. He motioned
Bhim to stop from approaching the searing blind king. Instead of Bhim, Lord
Srikrishn advanced an iron statue of Bhim. King Dhritarashtra possessed the
power of ten thousand elephants. He took the iron statue of Bhim for him and
clasped it so hard against his rock hard chest that it just crumbled. This made
the furious king bleed from the mouth and unable to handle himself, he fell
down on the ground.
Sanjay held him in his arms and calmed down. The revengeful
uncle had done so in a fit of anger. When his anger cooled down, he fell in
sheer regrets. Tears streamed down his hollow eyes. The mighty king broke into
inconsolable tears. "Ha, Bhim! Ha,
Bhim!" Words of repentance flowed from his parched throat. He lamented
bitterly, believing that he had killed Bhim in anger, thoughtlessly. Lord
Srikrishn watched his anger recede. The signs of remorse became apparent on the
face of helpless king.
Lord Srikrishn rose and consoled the king, -"King!
Do not grieve. You have not killed Bhim. This was his statue. You have crumbled
only his iron statue. Seeing you reeling in anger, I had stopped Bhim from
approaching you. As none can be saved from the clutches of death, so one cannot
escape death after falling in your mighty arms. Knowing this I had advanced the
iron statue of Bhim made by your son, before you. The fire of revenge which erupted from the death of your sons , had
devoured you and you began to deviate from the path of righteousness. The idea of killing Bhim engulfed your mind.
But this is not appropriate for you to kill Bhim. You should support what we
have planned to establish peace all around. Please do not feel sorry for
anything, anymore. King! You have studied Vedas and other scriptures. Being
wise and learned, why do you resent so much the destruction of your lineage
that took place because of your own fault? Vidur etc. and I had already
presaged it. A man, who is not capable of deciding the path of righteousness
even when advised by others, only suffers when calamities surround him. You
have fallen in this ditch because of your own fault. Then why do you ventilate
your wrath on Bhim? Duryodhan had humiliated Draupadi in the open court. To
avenge that, Bhim killed him. Mind... the meanness of your sons. It was
you..... who had exiled innocent Pandav." Lord Srikrishn gradually
pacified and clearly stated the role played by blind king in bringing about
destruction of his erring sons.
Dhritarashtra realized his fault and said, -"Madhav! Whatever you say is correct.
It is good that you saved Bhim from falling into my arms. I am now at rest. The
anger has vanished. I want to see the valiant son of Pandu. All my sons and
friends have died. Now, Pandav alone are there, to bring me peace and relief."
Saying so, he embraced Bhim. His heart was now purified. Lord Srikrishn's knack
to sense the hidden intention of king had worked miraculously in rescuing both
the blind king and his possible victim Bhim.
Jubilation at death
Ghatotkach was son the of Bhim and demoness Hidimba. In the battle of Mahabharat, Hidimba sent her son to help the Pandav. Ghatotkach possessed great demonic powers. He proved to be a menace to the Kaurav. Karn and Dron had a tough time defeating him. Kaurav army took to their heels to see the magical warfare of Ghatotkach. Karn however, stayed and applied Shakti received from Indra to kill the demon at midnight. Karn had been keeping this Shakti safely to kill Arjun. He was forced to apply this on Ghatotkach to keep the morale of his army up who were fleeing helter-skelter to see the gigantic Ghatotkach. Ghatotkach enlarged his body to the size of a mountain. Millions of soldiers died under the mammoth body of dying Ghatotkach. Karn won accolades from the Kaurav and the Pandav fell in the pit of disappointment to hear the death of peerless Ghatotkach. They shed tears uncontrollably.
However, the ace Wiseman Shri Lord Srikrishn was dancing
with joy. His joy knew no bounds. He roared like a tiger and danced in
jubilation. Ebullient Lord Srikrishn embraced Arjun effusively and patted his
back. His repeated roars of joy made Arjun wonder and he could not help but ask
him- "Madhusudan! What makes you
today so happy in a moment that cannot be called propitious? Death of
Ghatotkach has driven us into deep despair. The army is demoralized and we are
in depression. But you are jubilant. Definitely this cannot be for some trivial
reason. Janardan! Tell me the reason of this delight. If it is not secret, then
do tell me, please. My patience is giving way." Lord Srikrishn could
not contain his joy and said, -"Dhananjay! It is indeed a great
occasion of celebration for me. You say that Karn has killed Ghatotkach. But I
say that Ghatotkach has killed Karn by taking away his Shakti obtained from
Indra. So long as Karn had Shakti, Kundals and Kavach not even I and you could
defeat him. Indra took away his Kundals and Kavach and Ghatotkach forced him to
use his Shakti. Karn is now without
power. Ghatotkach was a demon who destroyed Yajna and hated Brahmans. Had Karn
not killed him then I would have to kill him. I got him killed by Karn and made
Karn toothless this way. You need not fear Karn now. I would tell you how to
finish him also. Presently, you should
take care of your army." Arjun realized the prudence of his mentor
who was indeed unbeatable.
Dhritarashtra was surprised to hear this. He asked Sanjay
that why Karn not killed Arjun earlier when he possessed such a divine weapon.
Sanjay disclosed that at night daily he and other Kaurav used to remind Karn to
kill Arjun or Lord Srikrishn first. But as soon as Karn reached, Lord Srikrishn
hypnotized him and he would forget his target altogether. Lord Srikrishn used
to send all great warriors before Karn so that his Shakti could be applied on them. "One who protected Arjun so perfectly, how can he be defeated by
anyone in three spheres?" Replied Sanjay serenely and calmly to an
intrigued and keen Dhritarashtra.
Killing jayadrath
Abhimanyu had been killed by Jayadrath and others when Lord
Srikrishn and Arjun were away. Arjun vowed to kill Jayadrath by next evening
before sunset, failing which he decided to enter fire. Jayadrath began to
tremble in fear when he learnt of Arjun's vow. He wished to run away but
Duryodhan comforted him. He sought protection from guru Dron by approaching him
at midnight.
Lord Srikrishn was anxious, too. He addressed Arjun, -"Arjun!
You did not consult your brothers nor took my advice and vowed in front of all.
This is a blunder and a misadventure on your part. Will not people ridicule us?
I had sent my spies in the Kaurav camp. They told me that when you blew shell
to proclaim your vow, Kaurav fell in anxiety. Dron has made special arrangement
for safeguarding Jayadrath. Six great warriors would surround Jayadrath
tomorrow. It is no child's play to defeat these six warriors.
Now I will go to consult my ministers and experts in this matter."He expressed his
concern.
"Lord Srikrishn!
I do not consider these six warriors great. I will apply Lord Brahmastra and
push them all to death. So long as you are with me I do not fear or count these
men at all." Replied Arjun fearlessly, without appreciating the
concern of his mentor.
At midnight, Lord Srikrishn woke up and told his charioteer
Daruk, -"Arjun has vowed to kill Jayadrath tomorrow but even Indra cannot
kill a man protected by Dron. I will manage things in such a way so that Arjun
could kill Jayadrath before sunset. Daruk! For me even wives, sons and friends
are not as dear as Arjun is. I cannot see this world without Arjun. For him I
will finish all warriors of Kaurav myself. I will show the world that I am the
friend of Arjun. Believe me, Arjun is
half of my own self. Prepare my chariot in the early morning with all
divine weapons and bring it to me when I blow Panchjanya. I hope Arjun will be
victorious over all his enemies."
Lord Srikrishn then appeared in the dream of Arjun. He said
to him, -" Arjun! Why do you feel sorry? Wisemen do not sulk. Face whatever
comes along. Lethargy is man's enemy." "Keshav! I have vowed to kill Jayadrath. He will be behind
billions of soldiers. If I failed to spot him then my vow would be belied. My
hope is therefore, turning into despair" retotrted,
anxious Arjun. Lord Srikrishn said, -"Parth!
Lord Lord Shiv has an astra named Pashupat with which he killed demons in the
past. Meditate on him to get that astra."
Arjun got up and sat in meditation. He found himself flying
with Lord Srikrishn, in the dream. Lord Srikrishn was holding his right arm.
Both of them saw Lord Shiv and Goddess Parvati on Mount Kailash. They saluted
the duo. Lord Shiv welcomed them and promised to help them. Lord Srikrishn and
Arjun praised Lord Shiv with folded hands. Lord Shiv directed them to a pond.
They saw two serpents. When Lord Srikrishn worshipped them, they turned into
bow and arrow. Lord Srikrishn brought that bow and arrow to Lord Shiv. One man
appeared from the rib of Lord Shiv. The man mounted arrow on the bow and Lord
Shiv chanted a mantra. Then the man
threw that bow and arrow into the pond. Arjun learnt the mantra chanted by Lord Shiv and received Pashupat astra from him. Both bowed before Lord Shiv and returned
to their camp. This all happened in the dream.
When Arjun woke up in the morning, he felt thrilled and full
of confidences. Arjun displayed great skill in the battlefield. The Kaurava
army drooped, dispirited. Dron himself stood to protect Jayadrath. Lord
Srikrishn advised him not to waste time in defeating Dron and turned his
chariot around, telling Dron that he was his guru not an enemy. Dron thought that he was running away and taking
advantage of it Arjun entered Kaurav army. King Shrutayudh faced Arjun. He was
the son of lord Varun and river Mahanadi Parnasha. His mother had obtained a
boon that her son would be unslayable in war. Varun had blessed him and given a
mace which when applied on an unarmed person was destined to fall back on the thrower.
King Shrutayudh applied that mace on Lord Srikrishn who took it upon his chest
and the mace fell back on the attacker and thus died king Shrutayudh.
With great difficulty Lord Srikrishn finally brought Arjun
before Jayadrath after killing millions of soldiers and kings. Jayadrath was
still surrounded by six maharathis.
Lord Srikrishn engineered a plan and confided into Arjun, -"It is not possible to kill
Jayadrath without slaying these six maharathis. I will now create sunset and
Jayadrath will come out of this array himself. Believing it to be the end of
day he would not make any attempt to save himself. Immediately then you,
without showing any mercy, slay him." Arjun agreed to follow him.
Yogeshwar Lord Srikrishn quietly created sunset. The deluded Kaurav leapt in jubilation and began to
celebrate the sunset believing that Arjun will now immolate himself. Tense Jayadrath heaved a sigh of relief. The
pall of gloom disappeared from his mind. He looked at horizon where sun had
set.
Lord Srikrishn called upon Arjun, -"See, Jayadrath is staring
at the sun after giving up your fear. This is the best opportunity to kill this
rogue. Fulfill your vow by beheading him". Arjun lifted his
Gandeev and attacked Jayadrath with great enthusiasm. Lord Srikrishn told him
the story of Jayadrath-"Jayadrath was born to his father when
he was aged. The akashvani had said at the time of his birth that he would be a
great warrior but will die suddenly when one Kshatriya would behead him. His
father Vriddhakshatra then said that whoever would throw the head of his son on
ground, his head would break into hundred pieces. He is now doing tapasya
outside Samantpanchak Kshetra. If you behead him, your head would break into
hundred pieces." Arjun grasped the secret message hidden in the
advice of Lord Srikrishn. He then used an arrow that beheaded Jayadrath and
threw his head into the lap of his father. The head of Vriddhakshatra fell
apart and he died. Lord Srikrishn saw the end of two enemies and a smile spread
over his glowing face. His plan had worked. The darkness began to disappear.
The dusk had turned into a dawn for the Pandav.
Everyone saw a bright sun emerging up the horizon, marking the victory
of light over darkness in all directions. Lord Srikrishn and the Pandav blew their
conch shells in jubilation and the Kaurav sank in ineffable depression. The
wizard mentor of the Pandav had tricked the enemy once again.
Defeating Bhishm
Nine days of fierce war had elapsed but the Chief of Kaurava
army Bhishm, showed no sign of defeat. The Pandav were in deep distress. Lord
Srikrishn had been provoked by Bhishm twice to be killed in his hands but Arjun
stopped him from doing so. At night all in the Pandav camp sat down to discuss
the gruesome problem. Yuddhisthir told Lord Srikrishn that he wished to go on
exile having failed to defeat grandfather Bhishm. Lord Srikrishn offered him
solace, saying, -"Do not grieve. Your brothers are matchless warriors. If you wish
then put me also on front. Out of affection to you I am ready to participate in
war. What is there that I cannot do in battlefield? If Arjun is unwilling then
I will call upon Bhishm and slay him in front of Kaurav. If you think that
killing Bhishm ensures victory then I alone can do that. I am one with the
Pandav and can cut off even my own flesh to help them. They can also put their
lives at stake for me. We have vowed that we will save each other from all
problems. I have to fulfill Arjun's vow that he will slay Bhishm. Otherwise
killing him is no big task for me. Arjun can kill all deities and demons put
together, not to talk of Bhishm alone."
Yuddhisthir got inspired and said, -"Govind! When you are protecting me then I can win over even
deities what to talk of Bhishm? But I cannot put your vow at stake to save my
honour. Bhishmji had assured me that he would although not fight for us but
would offer his valuable guidance to us during the battle. He is soft to me. We
should therefore, seek his guidance as to how to vanquish him in the fray. We
shall follow his advice. When our father died it was he who brought us up. He
is the father of our father; still we wish to slay him. Fie, upon us,
Kshatriyas." Yuddhisthir expressed his dilemma.
Lord Srikrishn approved this and all of them approached
Bhishm in his camp. Bhishm being a yogi knew the purpose of coming together of
Lord Srikrishn and the Pandav.
"Vasudev!
I welcome you. Pandav are also welcome. Tell me, what should I do to please you
all? I am prepared to do even the toughest of tasks" uttered, a majestic
grandfather. Yuddhisthir said with modesty, -"Lord! Tell us the way to avoid massive massacre. Tell us, O the
best of warriors! How can we bear with your powerful and perfect warfare?
Grandfather! Our large army has been destroyed. Tell us how can we defeat
you?" Bhishm smiled and said, -"Son
of Kunti! So long as I am alive you cannot win by any means. Kill me as early
as possible. I allow you to do so. When I die, believe all others, also dead.
Therefore try to kill me first."
"Grandfather! When you frown, you appear as Yamaraj in the
battlefield. Indra, Varun and Yam can be won but you cannot be defeated even by
deities and demons put together,”
uttered a helpless Yuddhisthir. Bhishm said, -"Son of Pandu! What you say is true.
But when I lay down my arms, your warriors can slay me. I do not want to fight with those who are
armless, armourless, and fearful, seek protection from me, have only one son, are effeminate or have the name of a
female. You know that Shikhandi, who is in your army, was born as a
female and turned into man later. Arjun,
shielded by Shikhandi, should attack me. I will not retaliate even while
holding bow in my hands. This is the only way to end my life. In this entire
world I do not see any one other than Lord Srikrishn and Arjun who can finish
me. Do as I say, then only can you finish all sons of Dhritarashtra."
The Pandav returned to their camp. They felt, however
uncomfortable. Arjun could not hold his desperation. He loved his grandfather
deeply. How could he bear the killing of Bhishm with his own hands! He had
refused to fight against him on the first day of war itself. But Lord Srikrishn
showed him his deadly divine form and exhorted him to fight with all that
supported wicked Duryodhan, considering this to be his prime duty. Arjun
recalled the words and expression of grandfather and felt enmeshed in attachment
to him. He expressed his anguish before Lord Srikrishn. "Madhav! Bhishmji is a respectable old person of Kuruvansh. He is
our guru as well as grandfather. How can I fight against him in fray? I played
in his lap as an infant. I soiled him several times by rolling my soiled body
against his. Although he is the father of our father, I used to sit in his lap
and call him 'father'. He used to explain to me then, -'son! I am not your
father but father of your father'. One who brought me up with such immense love,
how can I, slay him? Let him finish my entire army. Let me face victory or
defeat but I will not fight against him. Lord Srikrishn! Tell me what should I
do now, according to you ?” Arjun's heart had denied following the advice
of Bhishm but his mind guided him to seek the advice of his mentor whom he and
grandfather both trusted the most.
"Arjun! You have already vowed to kill Bhishm. How are
you swerving from the path of Kshatriyahood at this juncture? My firm opinion
is- Kill and throw him down from his chariot.
Without doing so, your victory is impossible. Deities are aware of it. The time
of Bhishm's departure is ahead. Nature will take her own course. None can
abnegate that. Listen to my one advice-One may be elder in age, old or
accomplished in many ways, nevertheless if one approaches to kill you as a
perpetrator of oppression, then he should definitely be slain. War, maintenance
of empire and performing sacrifices is the duty of Kshatriyas." Lord Srikrishn
reminded Arjun to go ahead with the guidance showed by Bhishm.
Shikhandi who was the brother of Draupadi alone was there to
secure victory over Bhishm. Bhishm had himself revealed this to Duryodhan
earlier. When Duryodhan asked Bhishm why he would not attack Shikhandi he
explained, -"When my father king
Shantanu died I put son of mother Satyavati named Chitrangad on the throne of
Hastinapur. When he also died, I put her second son Vichitravirya on throne. He
was too young and I was anxious to marry him off. I learnt that the king of
Kashi had three daughters and proclaimed that whoever could prove his mettle
might take his daughters in marriage. I reached there, put all three girls in
my chariot and challenged all the kings. Some of them stood up to take upon me.
However, in no time did I vanquish them all. Mother Satyavati made preparations
for marriage of three princesses to her son Vichitravirya. Amba the eldest of
girls told her that she had already secretly chosen king Shalv as her husband
with his consent. I consulted Brahmans and sent Amba to king Shalv. He however, refused to accept her. She then
lamented and went to sages in an ashram. Sage
Hotravahan who was her maternal grandfather reached there and advised her to
take shelter with sage Parashuram. Next day sage Parashuram also arrived there.
When he learnt of the entire episode, he said-'I will send you back to Bhishm.
He will do my bidding. Otherwise I will turn him into ashes'. Amaba held me
responsible for destroying her life and implored Parashuram to turn me into
ashes. Sage brought Amba to Kurukshetra and called me. He asked me to accept
her as wife because I had touched her and brought from Kashi. I expressed my
inability. I persuaded him to fight with me in the battlefield. Mother Ganga
appeared and tried to intervene but neither of us agreed to avoid fight. We
fought for several days with all our force. Deities and sage Narad intervened
and sage Parashuram who is immortal was impressed with my warfare. We stopped
fighting. Sage Parashuram told Amba to take shelter with me as he had failed to
defeat me. He left for mount Mahendra and I came back to Hastinapur. Amba vowed
to do rigorous tapasya to destroy me. She performed tapasya at the bank of
river Yamuna for twelve years. Then half of her became river Amba and half of
her took birth as daughter of king of Vatsadesh. She again did tapasya to
destroy me. Lord Shiv appeared before her and granted her boon that she would
destroy me. Lord Shiv also told her that she would be born to king Drupad, as a
daughter and attain manhood later.
King
Drupad had no son. He pleased Lord Shiv and he blessed him that a daughter
would be born to him who would later turn into a man. The queen gave birth to a
lovely daughter in due course. But king told all that a son had been born to
him. Only I knew that Shikhandi was born as a female. King educated her as a
male and even sent her to Dron for learning archery. Later on he married her
off to a princess. His wife discovered
that her husband was actually a female.
Her father king Hiranyaverma got angered and sent a messenger to king
Drupad who told that the aggrieved father of princess was going to take him on
in the battle field. King Drupad was dumbfounded and discussed the issue with
his wife who advised him to please Deities to avert the calamity. Shikhandi
also felt ashamed and decided to end her life in the forest. She went into a
thick forest. One Yaksh used to live in that forest. When Shikhandi did
tapasya, the Yaksh appeared and asked her the purpose of tapasya. She told him
that she wanted to be a man. Yaksh agreed that she could take his manhood
temporarily and exchange it later on. They exchanged their genders. Shikhandi
was a confident man now and came to Drupad to tell his achievement. Drupad
prayed to Lord Shiv and sent his messenger to king Hiranyaverma to come and
test that Shikhandi was no female but a complete man. Hiranyaverma sent young
maids to test Shikhandi and was pleased to learn that he was a man. Shikhandi
began to live with his wife happily. Kuber, the king of yakshas then came to
Yaksh SthunaKarn who had become a female having given his manhood to Shikhandi.
He was aggrieved to see that SthunaKarn did not come forward to welcome him.
Other servants divulged to him the secret of exchange of manhood. Kuber sent
for him to punish him. Angry Kuber cursed him that SthunaKarn would always
remain a female. SthunaKarn fell on the feet of Kuber and implored to fix a
time limit for this curse. Kuber said, -'When Shikhandi would die in the
battlefield you would regain your manhood.' Later on Shikhandi came to
SthunaKarn to return his manhood. The Yaksh narrated to him the curse given by
Kuber and Shikhandi thanked God for this. Shikhandi then along with brother
Dhrishtadyumn learnt warfare from guru Dron. I had appointed spies who appeared
duffers, deaf and blind in the palace of Drupad and apprised me this all. I
will therefore, not use any weapon against Shikhandi who is a great warrior in
the Pandav army now."
The great man Bhishm revealed the secret of his own
termination from his own mouth.
Next day Arjun shielded himself behind Shikhandi and
attacked grandfather Bhishm. Lord Srikrishn inspired Arjun, -"See.
Bhishmji is standing between both the armies. Apply all your strength and kill
him. Stop him where he is destroying the army. There is no other warrior except
you who could bear his arrows." Arjun showered arrows to cover
grandfather completely. Shikhandi
attacked him with all his force. The long cherished wish of Amba was to be
fulfilled at last. Bhishm smiled to see Shikhandi and never retaliated when he
attacked him. He however, finished seven great maharathis of Pandav army in a row. All the Pandav surrounded
Bhishm keeping Shikhandi in the forefront. The Kaurav created heavy noise. The
voice of- 'kill them,' ' grab them',' cut
them' and 'pierce them' rent the
air. Bhishm's bow was broken. Shikhandi still attacked him. Bhishm got furious
and threw a Shakti on Arjun. Arjun
cut it into pieces. Bhishm thought- "Had
Lord Srikrishn not been there, I would have finished Pandav with a single
bow. My father had granted me two boons.
'No one could kill you ever and you would die only when you would wish'. I should accept death now because the time to
die seems to have arrived." The sages and Vasu deities appeared in the
sky and approved of his idea. Flowers showered over Bhishm. Only Sanjay and
Bhishm could see and know this. Bhishm stopped fighting. Completely pierced
with arrows showered by Arjun and Shikhandi, he fell down from his
chariot as the sun began to set in the sky.
His head was in the east. His body however, could not touch
earth as arrows rent through his entire body. The Kaurav broke into tears and
Bhim roared in jubilation. Mother Ganga sent sages in the guise of swans to her
dying son Bhishm. Sages wandered how Bhishm could die when the sun was still in
dakshinayan. "I am alive and will leave body only when sun enters uttarayan.
" replied the enlightened grandfather with a smile to assuage
confusion of sages.
Yuddhisthir faints
Life was at peace. Lord Srikrishn enjoyed
the company of his cousins and often stayed with them at Indraprastha His
cousins held him in highest esteem, as he was their permanent redeemer and
steadfast friend. Curious Yuddhisthir who was always scared of doing anything
against the righteousness, asked, -“O Lord Srikrishn! Tell me how should a
person conduct and what are the consequences of various actions?”
Lord Srikrishn divulged, - “Son of
Kunti! One who desires own wellbeing should observe Propriety. Human life is
attained after thousands of lifecycles even then if one does not focus mind on
me, one invites immeasurable-suffering consequent upon egoistic actions. I pervade the entire cosmos and inevitably
liberate my true devotee. One should
never give up one’s natural role. Natural role should be performed egolessly
and without desiring reward, this alone liberates one. Consequence of good and bad action
multiplies, if kept secret. Confess bad actions and never publicize good
actions. Chant ‘Ohm Namo Narayan’ in morning and evening.”
“Lord of Word! Tell me about
purity of seed and soil in human life.”The anxious king asked.
“King! Man and woman should
maintain purity of seed and soil. Man
should never impregnate a woman who fantasizes another man. Semen is the best
deity and one should honour it most. Man who establishes sexual contact with
any mean woman receives curse from semen.” Lord Srikrishn explained.
“Keshav! Narrate me the abode of
Yamaraj.” Yuddhisthir said keenly.
“King! Death is inevitable. After death soul enters another subtle body
resembling the physical body. Subtle body is imperishable and one experiences
everything according to one’s accumulated actions. Yamadoot mercilessly torture
souls by piercing, burning, pecking, gnawing, battering, amputating, roasting,
dipping in pus, semen, faeces, urine, blood etc. according to their actions.”
Lord Srikrishn narrated consequences of all egoistic evil actions of man
hearing to which Yushisthir fainted in fear.
When he regained consciousness, he
asked, -“Lord of deities! How can one avoid going there?”
“Son of Pandu! One who abjures
violence, serves elders, and gives alms, gets multifold reward there.”Lord
Srikrishn explained to him with a beatific smile.
“Madhava ! How are you to be
pleased?” He asked.
“King ! By offering me Tulsi,
observing righteousness, marrying off poor girls and accepting girl of poor
family as wife, doing charities, avoiding sex on auspicious dates such as
amavasya, purnima, chaturdashi, ashtami, morning and evening one ensures a seat
in heaven.” Lord Srikrishn explained the path to heaven.
“God ! How can one attain you?” He
further asked.
“King ! Fast on Ekadashi and
worship me the next day, feast holy persons. Serve parents, honour wife, study
scriptures. Holy abodes are of two
types. Mobile and stationary. Enlightened person is the best holy abode. One
who never minds dualities such as honour or insult; abuse or praise is the best
holy abode. Purity of heart is the superior most. A chaste married woman,
continent Brahman and spiritual wisdom are also the best of holy abodes”
Thus enlightening Yuddhisthir Lord
Srikrishn dispelled doubts of Yudhishthir.
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