Stories from Srimad Bhagavatam
Moral science stories are those that are
read at childhood, when the soul is pure and clear, and remembered for the rest
of our lives. They are also passed on to generations.
This collection has been made to represent
the true spirit of our culture. The principles would be truth,
love, mutual respect, righteousness, rectitude,
divinity, priority to societal unity, etc…All people, including the old people,
would enjoy reading these stories. You are welcome to share these stories with your
friends.
Through small stories, the idea is to illustrate the greatness of our human
culture. Through the stories one can learn the various aspects of our lives. We
urge people to read the stories carefully and apply the Moral learnt through
the stories in their everyday life.
Myths and legends are an integral part of human existence. They
have been around us all the time. Though their validity is susceptible, nobody
seems to mind as they stand as a proof of the human belief in divine powers.
Here the collection of popular
mythological stories that will take you to times of yore when gods co-habited
with humans, divine voices could be heard and visions seen. Know more about
deities you worship everyday. Know about the extraordinary sacrifices made and
great feats achieved.
Through small stories, the idea is to illustrate the greatness of our human culture. Through the stories one can learn the various aspects of our lives. We urge people to read the stories carefully and apply the Moral learnt through the stories in their everyday life.
Invocation: Srimad Bhagavatam Book 1
Lord Narayana
जन्माद्यस्ययतोन्वयादितरतश्चार्थॆश्वभिज्ञ: स्वराट् |
तॆनॆब्रह्महृदाय आदिकवयॆ मुह्यन्ति यत् सूरय: ||
तॆजॊवारि मृदाम् यथा विनिमयॊ यत्र त्रिसर्गॊ मृषा |
धाम्नास्वॆन सदा निरस्तकुहकम् सत्यम् परम् धीमहि ||
Janmadyasyayatonvayaditaratashchartheshvabhigya: svarat
Tenebrahmahrudaya adikavaye muhyanti yat suraya:
Tejovarimrudam yatha vinimayo yatra trisargo mrusha
Dhamna svena sada nirasta kuhakam satyam param dhimahi.
He from whom the creation, sustenance and dissolution of this world (appear to take place); he who seems to be the material and efficient cause of it; he who is omniscient and self effulgent; he who revealed to brahma the vedas making him the adikavi (the first and the foremost poet); the wisdom of which (of vedaas) makes the scholars wonderstruck; he upon whom this trigunatmika (of the three Gunaas) world caused by the fusion of fire, water and earth is superimposed; who by His own light of Consciousness always destroys the ignorance (responsible for this make-believe world); that Supreme Truth I meditate upon.Chapter 1: Veda Vyasa
Despite such varied accomplishments, Vyasa was obsessed with a feeling of incompleteness and a lurking confusion. While Vyasa was restless at not knowing the cause for the mental dissatisfaction, he chanced to come across the divine sage Narada, the son of Brahma. Knowing the distress of Vyasa, Narada explained the lapse in his literary efforts. He told Vyasa that he had dealt with almost all subjects under the sun but had overlooked what was crucial for attaining spiritual contentment. He went on to explain, "You have not sung the glories of Lord Krishna, son of Devaki and Vasudeva, which indeed is the summum bonum of life. That it would elevate you to Himalayan heights of bliss, you may be sure. Without loss of time, engage in writing about the glorious feats of the Lord that would help you get over your depression." Thus the Bhagavata Purana came to be written on the divine sage's advice. Besides the detailed delineation of Krishnavatara, this wonderful book contains a comprehensive narration of all the avataras of Vishnu.
{The avataras of the Lord so far are : Matsya [fish], Kurma [tortoise], Varaha [boar], Narasimha [lion-man], Vamana [dwarf], Parashurama [vanquisher of kshatriyas], Rama [killer of Ravana], Balarama [elder brother of Krishna], and Krishna [son of Devaki]. The last of the ten avataras is believed to be Kalki yet to take place in the Kali-yuga. }
Narada wished to convince Vyasa that his words were gospel truth
and not mere empty words inspiring false hopes. He went on to narrate the story
of his previous life to substantiate the fact about the enduring happiness
attained by singing, hearing and meditating on the Supreme Lord
Narada was
born to a servant maid in his previous birth. During monsoon, some brahmanas
who had mastered the Vedas, had stationed themselves at a certain place.
Narada's mother served them during their sojourn. She engaged her son, yet a
child, in the service of the sages. Dedicated to his work, the boy did not miss
the carefree childhood enjoyed by the children of his age, in absolute
abandonment, free from any kind of responsibility. The sincerity in his work
earned him the love and affection of the brahmanas. One day, he partook the
left over food in the platter of the brahmanas with their due permission. It
instantly worked wonders on his personality development and improvement of his
mental faculty. He felt as if his entire body was cleansed of its sins. The
purified mind was steadily drawn towards the pious practices of the rishis.
Continuous hearing of the chanting of the Lord's glories inspired devotion in
his heart. In a momentary revelation, he experienced an identity with the Lord.
The unusual vision wiped out his ignorance in a flash. While he was grooming
himself to follow the path shown by the rishis, the monsoon came to an end and
it was time for the sages to move on to a different destination. Narada,
however, received a parting gift from the rishis. They imparted the secret
impenetrable knowledge as revealed to them by God himself. It was now clear to
Narada that life dedicated to the Lord, purged of greed and sin, would know no
physical miseries, mental afflictions or suffering from calamities caused by
supernatural forces.After the departure of the rishis, Narada stayed with his mother in a brahmana's house. Financial constraint and lack of freedom in servitude incapacitated his mother from providing her only son any facility for intellectual pursuit. Narada, engrossed in meditation, felt tied down by his mother's affection. Yet he did not have the heart to forsake her to satisfy his personal ambition. Soon after, her death by a snake bite, did not grieve him much. He took it in a stoic way as the Lord's blessing in disguise.
Free from any kind of encumbrance, Narada decided to proceed to the north. We might wonder why the young boy chose the northern direction. What could have prompted him for his choice? Learning at the feet of the rishis guided him. In the days of yore, people with a pure heart, called the paramahamsas, resorted to the serene peaceful surroundings of the Himalayas in the north, away from the humdrum of the towns and cities. Taking to the life of a recluse, they engaged in rigorous penance there and strived hard to attain immortality through communion with God. Though he was just a boy of five years, Narada was undeterred by the arduous journey ahead. He walked across many fertile lands and finally found himself on the outskirts of a dense, dreadful forest. The dark forest looked impassable with ferocious animals like lions and tigers prowling around. The boy mustered up courage to enter the forest. He was exhausted after the long strenuous journey. Overcome by thirst and hunger, Narada's legs refused to budge any further. Taking a dip in the cool water of the river nearby, the refreshing water allayed his thirst and hunger also. He was so enervated that he lay down under a banyan tree to recuperate his strength and energy.
Relaxing, he slid into transcendental meditation when Lord Narayana obliged Narada with a glimpse of his divine form. Elated over the extraordinary experience, he wished the thrilling vision to continue for ever. But it was not to be so. To the disappointment of the youngster, the ecstasy was over in a fleeting moment, never to be again. The Lord spoke to the depressed Narada in order to console him, lest he be discouraged. He said, "My dear child! Do not feel dejected. It was a special privilege that I appeared before you at your tender age. Such favour is not extended by me to saints even after repeated attempts. This unique gesture on my part was to encourage your dedicated devotion towards me to be sustained. Association with devoted saints will improve your unflinching faith in me and steer you away to complete freedom from the worldly distractions. When the time comes for you to leave this world, you will relinquish your mortal body, permanently uniting with me in my abode from where there is no return." With these words, the voice of God ceased. Then Narada continued his narration to Vyasa. He said, "Thereafter, my mind was solely directed towards singing the sanctifying glories of the Lord. True to his word, the Lord brought about a deluge that consumed the entire creation. I saw the Lord lying on the surface of the water. I realized the time for my death had come. The Lord drew me into himself by his breath. I lay dormant within him for many yugas. When the Lord contemplated creation once again, he gave me life by means of his senses. Thus you see me in the present form before you."
Hearing the extraordinary story of Narada, do you not feel God had given him another life like any of us after a no rebirth assurance? His existence was not like the life human beings have. He had been given a life to serve for the benefit of all the three worlds. By the grace of God, the sage moved around unhindered, singing his greatness. This was his kainkarya, service to God, even though emancipated. With Narayana lodged in his heart, his songs were accompanied by the vibrating sound of the holy word OM, signifying the Supreme Truth of Brahman in a nutshell, emanating from his divine instrument Veena. Narada had risen to occupy the Paramapada, the final abode along with God.
Now with a mind saturated with the thought of the Lord, Vyasa retired to the western banks of the holy river Sarasvati. He sat down concentrating on the Almighty God. The meditation helped him get a crystal clear knowledge of the real truth to distinguish the Lord from the illusory world. The maturity of his thinking prodded him to relieve the people from the miseries through his songs of the Bhagavatam.
[In Telugu the word Bhagavatam is a five syllable word- 'Bhagavatamu' . Bha means bhakti (devotion); Ga is gyana (wisdom); Va stands for vairagyam(detachment); Ta for tatvam (absolute truth); Mu is mukti(emancipation).]
Chapter 2: Ashvatthama Punished
The Kurukshetra war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas caused
countless deaths on both sides. It could have been avoided if only Duryodhana
had agreed to a compromise with his cousins. Influenced by his maternal uncle
Shakuni, he was brain washed into hatching a plan against the Pandavas in a
game of dice by deceitful juggling. [alongside is a drawing of Shakuni in the Javanese style]
Yudhishthira, the eldest of the Pandavas, got miserably caught in the cunning
game plan of Shakuni. Staking his wealth and brothers, he was drained of all
his possessions. Duryodhana, now assured of his victory with the trickery of
his uncle, decided to inflict the worst kind of humiliation on the Pandavas
after which he expected them never to raise their heads for shame. He insisted
Yudhishthira to pawn his wife, Draupadi, the last of his belongings. She was
also lost in the game. Duryodhana was exhilarated, having achieved his evil
aim. He sent his brother Dusshasana, to drag Draupadi by her hair to the court
to disrobe her in public. It’s a different matter that Lord Krishna responded
to her pathetic call and saved her from disgrace by extending her sari
endlessly.
Bhima, the second of the Pandavas, the hot blooded of the lot,
considered the very thought of such an act as very demeaning and unpardonable.
Swearing to avenge the insult definitely sometime in future, he promised
Draupadi to break the wicked man’s thigh on which he wanted to seat her. The
Kurukshetra war soon broke out when Duryodhana refused to share the kingdom
with his cousins as agreed upon. The iron man of the Pandavas, furiously
charged with mace in hand, in a duel against Duryodhana, smashed his thigh and
thus fulfilled his vow.
Drona, the eminent teacher of archery for both Pandavas and their rival, was on
the side of the Kauravas in the battle. Aswatthama, having a grudge against the
Pandavas for causing his father Drona’s death, decided to pick up cudgel with
them in an attempt to please Duryodhana.
One day, Ashvatthama entered the war camp of the Pandavas. He cut off the heads
of the sleeping sons of Draupadi and presented them to Duryodhana expecting
accolades. On the contrary, Duryodhana was immensely depressed over the cruelty
inflicted on the innocent boys. Draupadi was inconsolably grieved by the death
of her dear children. Infuriated Arjuna pledged to bring the head of
Ashvatthama before Draupadi, for her to stand on it and bathe. The vigorous
chase that followed was beyond the capacity of Ashvatthama as he ran for dear
life. In desperation, he invoked the brahmastra as the last resort. Arjuna was
baffled at the approach of the weapon that was flashing a powerful
blinding light. Arjuna turned to Krishna for
advice. Krishna told him to send out a counter
brahmastra. At the same time he divulged the secret of Ashvatthama’s ignorance of
retrieving the lethal weapon. Arjuna acted accordingly and withdrew the weapon
of the opponent by sending out his brahmastra. Arjuna could have killed
Ashvatthama but the fear of incurring the sin of brahmahathi, killing of a
brahmana, held him back. Krishna explained to
him that he need not entertain any fear as Ashvatthama was a villainous
criminal who had killed young harmless boys. So, in this case, the traditional
injunction pertaining to brahmahathi was not applicable. Moreover, he was
expected to keep his promise to Draupadi. Arjuna refrained from the dastardly
action. Instead, he bound his victim and presented him before Draupadi.
The pathetic condition of Ashvatthama overwhelmed Draupadi. Even in her sorrow,
she advised Arjuna wisely in an emotionally surcharged voice. She said, “You
should not forget your primary duty towards your guru Drona. You were the apple
of his eye. Recognizing your dexterity in the science of archery, he wanted you
to be known as his foremost pupil and that there should not be a second to
match you. Killing his son would be gross ingratitude to him. You should be
indebted to him for your distinguished standing among warriors. I think I
should also remind you about Kripi, Ashvatthama’s mother, to whom her son is
the main stay. The confidence in her son as protector motivated her to keep
herself going even after Drona’s death. She would become destitute without him.
Being a mother, I am aware of the sorrow of losing an offspring. I do not want
another mother to lament as I do.” All the generosity of Draupadi could not
save Ashvatthama from the ordained punishment. So, Arjuna had to strip his
diadem, the severest punishment one could be subjected to. Added to his misery,
his tonsure also had to be shaven and exiled from the kingdom according to the
shastras.
Ashvatthama’s hatred for Arjuna was building up, with his blood boiling within.
His repentance for his cruel killing was overpowered by his demonaic impulse to
exterminate the Pandava race. Like a man possessed, the strong urge to see the
Pandava race heirless instigated him to try his luck with the brahmastra a
second time. The weapon set out on its mission of killing even the foetus of
the women of the Pandava family. Uttara was carrying Abhimanyu’s child.
Abhimanyu was Arjuna’s son by Subhadra, Krishna’s
sister. He met with his death in the war by the unethical attitude of the
Kauravas. Since Krishna had always been their
saviour, Uttara was sure of his assistance. She pleaded him to save her unborn
child from the powerful weapon. Knowing Ashvatthama to be behind the mischief, Krishna aimed his sudarshana chakra which could supersede
the power of the brahmastra. In the meanwhile, Krishna
entered the womb of Uttara by his illusory powers and shielded the foetus from
harm. Defeated thus, Ashvatthama made up his mind to withdraw from inimical
activities and adopt the life of a recluse.
Interesting Anecdotes
Ashvatthama: Infants usually
cry as soon as they are born. But Ashvatthama neighed like a horse instead,
similar to that of the celestial horse Ucchaishravas. So he was named thus.
Uttara’s foetus: According to the
Mahabharatha, Uttara’s child was affected by the power of the brahmastra as it
cannot be ineffective. The child was born dead but revived later by Krishna
Ekalavya: Arjuna was Drona’s blue boy. He
wanted him to be his foremost pupil in archery. To pamper his own pride, Drona
was as hard hearted as one could be. Once in the forest, his pupils witnessed a
dog killed, with five arrows right in its mouth. Curious to know the source of
the perfectly aimed arrows, they saw a boy of the Bhil community, named
Ekalavya, practicing the use of the bow and arrow. Ekalavya informed them that
his tutor was Drona. Surprised at their guru’s retraction on his principle,
they conveyed to Drona of the boy’s claims regarding his tutor, besides
appreciating his dexterity. Drona could not believe it and went to meet
Ekalavya for verification. On being questioned, the innocent boy pointed to a
mud idol under a tree. He said, “It has been my ambition to master the art of
archery and I wanted the revered Dronacharya to be my preceptor. Unfortunately,
I cannot aspire to be his student as I am not a Kshatriya. He could not be
expected to go against his principle to have me under his tutelage and I would
not accept any one else as my guru. This mud replica of my guru is my source of
inspiration and guide. Every morning I begin my practice after paying my
obeisance to this idol. Thus, have I learnt the art.” If it had been someone
else, he would have appreciated the ability of the self taught boy and
encouraged him further. But Drona could not be so broadminded to embrace the
boy as his pupil. He strongly feared that Ekalavya would overtake his favourite
Arjuna. He mercilessly demanded the boy’s right thumb as guru dakshina,
teacher’s fees, since he had learnt from his idol. Drona’s wicked intention was
Ekalavya, without his thumb, will be permanently disabled to use the bow and
arrow. What an unimaginable inhuman cruelty! The devoted boy realized that he
owed his knowledge to Drona. He expressed his indebtedness by readily offering
his thumb to his guru without any regret.
Duryodhana: Duryodhana was the eldest of the
sons of Gandhari. Gandhari had blindfolded her eyes as her husband
Dhritharashtra was without sight from his birth. She did it as a sacrifice
because she thought if her husband could manage without eyes then she too could
afford to forego them. For many years she carried on like this when at a
crucial juncture, she thought it necessary to remove the bandage on her eyes.
She wanted to bestow on her son, the invincible power her sacrifice had
yielded. She knew that the moment she removed the cloth from her eyes and first
had a glimpse of the bare body of Duryodhana, the stored up energy would act as
an impenetrable shield on her son. She asked Duryodhana to go to the river for
a bath and return dripping with water, with not a thread of cloth on his body.
He agreed and was returning as instructed by his mother. On the way, Krishna deluded him and said he, the crown prince, was
going to be the laughing stock of the people if he entered the city nude. Out
of shame, he put on a covering from his waist to his knees and stood before his
mother. Gandhari removed the cloth and opened her eyes to see her son. She was
disappointed to see him having a waist cloth round him. She said all the power
of her eyes had shielded his body from harm, except the covered portion,
leaving it vulnerable to attack. Duryodhana felt sorry for his mistake and
offered to appear again as she had wanted but she said the stored up energy in
her eyes, the result of many years of penance, had been exhausted and it could
not be repeated. Bhima was thus able to hit him on his thighs during the duel.
Here Krishna encouraged some foul play. He
indicated to Bhima, Duryodhana’s weak point by tapping on his own thighs from
where the hint was picked up. This annoyed Balarama as it is not fair to hit
the opponent below the waist in a mace fight and he walked out of the
battlefield expressing his displeasure.
Chapter 3: Parikshit the Pandava scion
Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu was treacherously killed by the Kauravas
when he got caught in the chakravyuha, an intricate formation of the army, far
above the comprehension of common intelligence. While Abhimanyu was in his
mother’s womb, Krishna was explaining to his sister this mazelike confusing
technique. Subhadra fell asleep when Krishna’s narration had reached only as
far as the entry into the formation. The next stage, the knack of escaping from
it could not be continued. Therefore Abhimanyu had grasped what he had heard
while in the womb. With that limited knowledge he braved his way into the
chakra. He was seriously hurt, unable to free himself from his enemies. The war
convention was not to kill a wounded soldier. But the Kauravas, unmindful of
the moral ethics of war, massacred the youth. Though the boy’s loss was like a
thunderbolt on the Pandavas who had been facing a series of miseries, there
was, however, a silver lining to the dark clouds. Uttara was with Abhimanyu’s
child saved by Krishna’s sudarshana chakra, from the unfailing weapon darted
out by Ashvatthama. But for Krishna’s benevolence the Pandavas had almost lost
the scion of their family. The golden shield of Krishna was an additional
safeguard for the embryo. Here then was their progeny destined to carry
on the lineage.
The foetus encased in the divine shield had a
vision of the Supreme Lord. Just the size of a thumb, the Lord appeared in
radiant garments of golden hue. His two pairs of arms extended up to his knees,
not known to be found among human beings. He gets the epithet of ‘ajanubahu’
for this exclusive attribute. Before the unborn child could comprehend the
vision, it disappeared.
Uttara soon gave birth to a boy on an
auspicious day with favourable signs. The learned priests named him Vishnurata
i.e. Vishnudatta, meaning given by Vishnu. They predicted that he would be the
flag bearer of his reputed great grandfather king Pandu. They also said he
would be an embodiment of piety, ever striving to establish good over evil.
Vishnudatta grew up to become an ardent
devotee of Sri Hari. He was always looking into everyone, hoping to see the
divine person of the vision he had as an embryo. He was for this reason called
Parikshit, the seeker, a name that stuck to him and the original name was
almost forgotten. Ably guided by his grandparents, the stature of Parikshit
grew like the waxing moon. Confident that the kingdom was in safe hands, the Pandava
brothers with Draupadi retired to the north to attain the lotus feet of Hari
through penance.
Vyasa introduces an allegoric story into the
narration. Instead of following the beaten track of speaking volumes about the
greatness of the king, he does it with some novelty. He starts a
conversation between piety and earth. Piety has been personified as a crippled
bull on one leg. The earth as a cow is whipped by Kali in the guise of a
prince.
To understand the story, one has to know the history
of the yugas of creation. Life on earth has passed through four yugas. The
first one was the satya yuga pervaded by virtues alone without any trace of
evil. Slowly evil began to creep in and spread over one fourth of the earth
heralding the treta yuga. The third yuga was the dvapara considered the blessed
one when Krishna, Devaki’s son was born to maintain the equilibrium between
evil and virtue. After Krishna’s disappearance from earth, Kali the evil
reigned supreme spreading its wings far and wide. Kali yuga is the present age
we have been born in. It brought piety on its last leg, having broken the other
three as represented by the bull. The earth as the cow appears to have lost her
calf who was none other than Krishna. The cow poured out her heart to the bull
about her suffering. With the advent of Kali, the earth had been infested, as
it were, by an epidemic. The fertile lands had lost their greenery. People
performed their duty with not only dishonesty but also insincerity. Lethargy
was the order of the day. The learned no longer commanded any respect. Even
nature rebelled at the moral degeneration through famine, drought and poverty.
The cow said the bull was suffering the crippled condition because Krishna the
protector was no more.
Parikshit, in the course of his conquering expedition to establish
his sovereignty, overheard this conversation. He also witnessed how Kali was
severe on the cow. He flew into a rage to realize the enormous extent of
injustice prevalent in his kingdom. In the land where Arjuna had enjoyed the
support of Krishna and the Pandavas were renowned for their righteousness,
Parikshit could never allow Kali to prosper. He lifted his sword to kill the
villain. Kali, coming out of his disguise, fell at the king’s feet begging for
mercy. The just king desisted from killing a person who had surrendered. He
vanquished Kali from his kingdom and made him the king of gambling dens,
drinking pubs and poverty. In short he was to head all that was undesirable and
immoral. He restored the legs of the bull in the form of meditation, purity and
kindness. The lost glory of the earth came back to her and she enjoyed peace
nteresting Anecdotes
Abhimanyu: There is another version to the story of Abhimanyu.
According to that, Arjuna had taught his son Abhimanyu only the technique of
entry into the chakravyuha and had not completed the instruction. In the war
front, the boy was inspired to enter the chakravyuha by Yudhishthira with the
assurance that he would rescue him. But as ill luck would have it, Yudhishthira
could not follow the boy into the formation to save him. Arjuna would have
definitely saved his son but the Kauravas cunningly whisked him away to engage
him in another encounter. Yudhishthira was immensely grieved to witness the
life of a promising hero and a valiant warrior cut short. He felt guilty for
his wrong advice though it was not with any malice. He was bold enough to own
up the fault. Like Yudhishthira, we should have the courage to own our mistake
honestly and never try to cover it. It was, however, a severe blow for all the
Pandavas.
Pandavas and Kauravas: Krishna’s life was mostly revolving round
the Pandavas, his favourites. The wicked ways of the Kauravas, with no concern
for justice, drove him to be unsympathetic towards them. Now it is important to
know a little about these two families, the main rivals in the Mahabharatha
war.
The complication in the pious king Dilipa’s dynasty started with
his grandson king Santanu. Ganga, the sacred river, was strolling on the banks
in the form of a beautiful woman. Santanu was attracted by the pretty woman and
wished to marry her. Ganga put forth a condition to Santanu that he should
never question her actions. The day a friction arose on that account she would
leave him for good. The king agreed and they got married. This agreement was
necessary, for Ganga had to redeem the Vasus who had been cursed by Vashishtha
for stealing the sacred cow Nandini, daughter of the wish yielding cow
Kamadhenu. Of the eight Vasus, seven of them were only accomplice to the crime.
The main Vasu, who planned the theft to satisfy his wife’s desire to have the
cow, was the most sinful of the lot. They were born as the sons of Ganga by
Santanu. The first seven she threw into the river as soon as they were born to
redeem them from the curse. Santanu patiently witnessed his sons being drowned
in the water because questioning was taboo according to the contract. But when
she was going to do the same with the eighth son, it was the end of his
endurance. Santanu’s emotions took the better of him with a vehement outburst
at Ganga’s cruelty. With the contract broken, Ganga decided to leave. This
child, the last of the Vasus, was the guilty person destined to live for many
years as the curse was mainly directed to him. She took the child and promised
to nurture his personality to develop to perfection in every conceivable field
of knowledge. When she was satisfied with his all round achievement, she
returned the well trained boy to his father. He was named Devavrata.
Santanu again got involved
with a fisherwoman, Satyavati. Her beauty drew him to desire for marriage. The
promise the girl’s father wanted was to anoint the son born to his daughter as
the king after him. Santanu refused to enter into such a contract because
Devavrata, so dear to his heart, was the legitimate successor to the throne.
The son was upset to see his father depressed. He secretly found out from the
king’s charioteer that his father was pining for his lady love, unable to
accept the marriage demands of the fisherman. Devavrata proceeded to the
fisherman to promise him that he would abdicate the throne for Satyavati’s son.
But the fisherman had another problem. He said that his grandson would still
not be sure of his position. A son born to Devavrata would be the legal heir to
the throne, which would make his grandson’s claim invalid. Devavrata declared
that he would take a vow of celibacy which would eliminate that hurdle too. He
gave his word never to conduct himself in any way that would create further
complication. Thenceforth, he became Bhishma, a name given to him by people for
his vow of celibacy that required tremendous mental strength. In appreciation
of his son’s great sacrifice, Santanu blessed him, enabling Devavrata to choose
the time of his death.
Here is an interesting flash back to Satyavati’s life. A certain
king was away from his wife when he developed an urge to have a child. He sent
his vital energy to his wife through an eagle. In a fight with another eagle,
the vital energy in the beak dropped into the river. A fish swallowed it, from
which a boy and a girl came out. A fisherman carried the infants to a king who
adopted the boy and sent the girl back with him. She was Satyavati, who grew as
the fisherman’s daughter. She grew up as a pretty woman but unfortunately she
had the fish odour emanating from her body. She used to ferry people across the
river in her boat. One day, she was rowing rishi Parashara across when he
expressed his wish to have a child by her. Parashara took her to a secluded
island, created a fog by his yogic power for privacy and had a son, whose
conception and birth, all happened in one day. The dark child was named Krishna
Dvaipayana. The sage replaced the pungent fish smell by a sweet fragrance that
spread to the distance of a yojana. So the name Yojana-gandha. He also restored
her virginity. Parashara educated his son in all sciences of knowledge. He was
popularly called Veda Vyasa, in short as Vyasa. Vyasa promised his mother
before leaving her that he would appear whenever she thought of him in times of
need. Also, we always find Vyasa as an actively important character when
difficult situations needed his participation, besides being the script writer
of the epic Mahabharatha and the Puranas.
With Bhishna eliminated from the claim to the
throne, Satyavati’s sons Chitrangada and Vichitravirya found their road clear.
Fate was against the success of Satyavati’s plans. Chitrangada was killed by a
gandharva of the same name even before he was married. Bhishma went to the
svayamvara of Amba, Ambika and Ambalika, the daughters of the king of Benares
[now Varanasi] and abducted them as brides for Vichitravirya. Amba refused to
marry him as she was already committed to another man. But that king Salva rejected
her on the ground that she had been carried away to another man’s house. For
damaging her prospects of a married life, Amba vowed to be the cause of
Bhishma’s death. She did win over Bhishma in the Kurukshetra war, when she
appeared as Shikhandi. She had interchanged her form with a yaksha and bravely
faced Bhishma. At the very first sight Bhishma could see through Shikhandi and
identified him as Amba. Since he had determined not to fight against a woman,
he dropped his weapons and surrendered.
Ambika and Ambalika married Vichitravirya.
Soon he was struck by some serious ailment which resulted in his dying
childless. Satyavati was defeated in her attempt to crown one of her sons and
she had also foiled the chances of Bhishma. Moreover, her daughters-in-law were
childless widows. Satyavati was very depressed to find her husband’s dynasty
bereft of an heir. The thought of Vyasa suddenly came to her, on whom she could
depend during distress. In a moment, Vyasa stood before her as promised, and
agreed to father the sons of Satyavati’s daughters-in-law. Ambika closed her
eyes when she saw the bearded dark sage. Dhritharashtra, the blind son was born
to her. Ambalika got the frail albino Pandu for a son as she turned pale with
fear on seeing Vyasa. Not satisfied both times, Satyavati requested Ambika to
take a second chance. Ambika, posing to be agreeable to the suggestion, sent
her maid servant instead. She served Vyasa with devotion and sincerity. The
result was, she bore Vidura the most intelligent, thoughtful and well poised
son. Satyavati came to know of this only after Vyasa had left.
Dhritharashtra married Gandhari. Gandhari conceived at the same time as Kunti,
Pandu’s wife. Kunti’s son Yudhishthira was born on time, while Gandhari eagerly
waited for her child. But it did not happen, extending very much beyond the
stipulated date which frustrated her. In anger, she hit her stomach hard with
her hands and the long exasperating suspense was over. To her utter
disappointment, out jumped a mass of flesh with the impact of the hit. In great
fury, Gandhari called upon sage Vyasa and said, “See for yourself what I have
borne. You have belied me by your false prediction that I was destined to have
a hundred sons.” Vyasa consoled her not to despair. He said there was no
falsehood in what he had told her. He said she was sure to have that many sons.
He asked her to bring one hundred and one pots. He sprinkled water on the mass
of flesh which at once divided equally into a hundred and one pieces. Clarified
butter was filled in the pots. Vyasa put one piece into each of the containers
and the last piece was put in the hundred and first vessel to fulfill
Gandhari’s desire for a daughter. The pots were to remain undisturbed for two
years. Just as a chicken egg is put in an incubator to hatch, Vyasa did the
same to bring to life the children of Gandhari. Duryodhana was the first to
come out as a full-fledged baby. He was therefore the first son of Gandhari and
the daughter Dusshala came from the hundred and first pot. Thus, Dhritharashtra
had a hundred sons and a daughter by his wife Gandhari. Dhritharashtra wanted
to know if his son Duryodhana would become a king as Yudhishthira the eldest
had the right to the throne. Vidura said that Duryodhana had brayed like an ass
on birth which was ominous and therefore he should be killed. But
Dhritharashtra did not agree out of fatherly affection.
Pandu married Kunti and Madri but a curse deprived him from having
children. Now, from where did the Pandava sons come?
Kunti as a young girl got a boon from sage
Durvasa, for her devoted service to him. He taught her a mantra, which, when
addressed to a particular deity, would bless her with a son. To test the mantra
out of childish curiosity, she invoked the sun-god and he appeared
instantaneously. The disastrous consequence sent her into a frightful fit. She
pleaded the sun-god to pardon her innocent mistake committed in a playful mood.
He said that the invoked mantra had to take effect and Kunti found herself
bearing the child of the sun god. However, she managed to keep the conception
of the child a secret, known only to a maid. With the term completed, she gave
birth to a son. Afraid of the secret becoming known, she floated a basket in
the river with the baby in it. This child grew up to be the valorous warrior,
Karna, in a charioteer’s house. He was reputed for his philanthropy and even
today he is quoted as a model of generosity. He was born with the protective
kavacha and kundala [chest shield and ear-rings] imbedded in his body. As an
ally of Duryodhana in the Kurukshetra battle, Karna had promised Kunti that he
would attack only Arjuna, Indra wanted to guard his son against the invincible
warrior. So, Indra asked for the natural shields and Karna gifted them to him
without questioning. During the war also, lying wounded with his chariot wheel
stuck, Karna, as his last act of charity, gave away all his merits of good
actions to Krishna when he came begging as a brahmana.
He was always considered to be the son of a
charioteer. Not being a prince, Arjuna refused to accept him as an eligible
combatant in a contest to prove his dexterity in archery. Karna felt insulted.
Duryodhana recognized the potential of a great warrior in Karna and was sure he
would turn out to be very useful in his fight against the Pandavas. By making
him the King of Anga, as if out of concern for Karna’s self respect, cunning
Duryodhana offered the best bait within his power and had Karna’s support
sealed in his favour. As an expression of gratitude, Karna joined the Kauravas
in the great eighteen day Kurukshetra war between the cousins.
When Kunti could not expect Pandu to
give her a child, she invoked the mantra to Dharma and got Yudhishthira, Bhima
was the son of Vayu and Arjuna had Indra as his father. Madri learnt the mantra
from Kunti who asked her to make use of it only once. The clever woman resorted
to the twins Ashvini Kumaras and bore the twins Nakula and Sahadeva at one
stroke. It’s an ironic coincidence that the sons of Dhritharashtra and Pandu
were not naturally born. Dhritharashtra and Pandu were brothers, descendents of
Kuru dynasty yet their sons assumed the names Kauravas and Pandavas
respectively as a mark of distinction when they became rivals in the
Kurukshetra war.
Kripa and Kripi: Rishi Saradvan was once
bathing in the river when an apsara tried to entice him. He ran away to save
himself from her. On the way he dropped his child bearing energy in the forest
from which twins were born, a male and a female.
King Santhanu saw these infants while hunting.
He brought them home and named them Kripa and Kripi. Kripa was Kripacharya, who
was the guru of the Kauravas and Pandavas before Dronacharya took over. Kripi
was the wife of Dronacharya.
Draupadi: Drupada, the father of Draupadi, was
the son of Prishata and their dynasty was known as Panchala. Drupada and
Dronacharya, the preceptor of the Kauravas and Pandavas, were great friends in
their youth. When Drupada became the king, he forgot his earlier promise to his
friend to share the kingdom equally with him. Pandavas fought against Drupada
because their help was demanded by Drona as guru dakshina. Drupada was defeated
and Drona got his share of the kingdom. Drupada entertained a nemesis against
Drona. He felt that mere man power was not productive. Divine grace was also
necessary. He began a sacrifice to propitiate Shiva. When Shiva offered him a
boon, he asked for a son who would kill Drona. There came a male and a female
child from the sacrificial fire. They were named Drishtadyumna and Draupadi
respectively.
In a contest of archery, during the svayamvara of Draupadi, Arjuna
outdid all contestants. His perfect aim at a revolving fish on top by looking
at its reflection in a trough of water below enabled him to win her hand. But it
was agreed upon that she will be the common wife of all five brothers, though
they had other wives also. Since Draupadi was the wife of the Pandavas, her
brother joined the Pandu sons in the battle. Therefore, Drishtadyumna got the
opportunity to kill Drona. When he was deceitfully informed of the death of his
son Ashvatthama, Drona broke down, throwing away the weapons in sorrow.
Drishtadyumna killed Drona when he was unarmed, against the rules of warfare.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(A Tribute to the great Bharatiya Samskruti)
Kasturis dot com link for Bhagavatham stories is no more working. Not sure why.
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