Stories of Mahapurasha - Sri Bhagavata
Avataras
Chapter 22: Yayati and Puru
The dynasty of Pururava had a king named
Nahusha. He had six sons of whom Yayati ascended the throne after his father.
Nahusha was dethroned twice by Agastya and others for his misconduct towards
Indra’s wife.She cursed him to become a serpent when Indra was away in
manasarovar as atonement for the sin of brahmahati accrued by his act of
killing a brahmana Vishvarupa. Nahusha was reigning in Indraloka in Indra's
absence.
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Yayati married Devayani, the daughter of the illustrious brahmana Shukracharya.
Sharmishtha, daughter of a daitya king Vrishaparva, was also his wife. It might
be intriguing how a brahmana girl could marry a kshatriya, as it is against the
scriptural injunctions of marriage. The fact was Devayani’s unreasonable
character caused Kacha to curse her. Kacha, a disciple of Shukracharya, was
residing in his hermitage, to learn the science of reviving the dead. On
completing the course, he was returning home, when he was intercepted by
Devayani on the way. She expressed her love for him and her desire to become
his wife. Kacha refused the offer as he considered her as his sister. Devayani
was enraged and cursed Kacha that his learning would be futile, never to be of
any use to him. Kacha’s curse, that she would not be a wife of a brahmana, was
only in retaliation.
This story apart, the union of Yayati and Devayani was a chance happening. Time
and again we have seen that curses are uttered at the slightest provocation,
and its unfailing effect manifesting immediately. May be the incident of the
curse of Kacha can be taken as a prelude to the predestined marriage of Yayati and
Devayani. One day, princess Sharmishtha went to a lotus pond for light water
sport with other maidens. Devayani, the preceptor’s daughter accompanied her.
Disrobing themselves, they entered the water. They were in a playful mood when
they saw Shiva coming on his bull along with his consort Parvati. Abashed by
their nudity, they hurriedly reached for their clothes. In that confusion,
Sharmishtha wore Devayani’s clothes. Devayani proud of her brahmana lineage
humiliated Sharmishtha with harsh words. She said, “How dare you wear my
clothes! We brahmanas are the direct descendents of the Supreme Lord. Our power
is our asceticism and we are an authority on the Vedas. You are no better than
a servant maid, daughter of a daitya king who is only a disciple of my father.”
Sharmishtha was touched to the quick by the uncultured words which sounded very
derogatory to her. She gave it back to Devayani in equally piercing words. She
said, “You brahmanas live on the morsels thrown to you by us, the kings.”
Saying this she snatched her clothes from Devayani, pushed her into a well
nearby and returned home.
Soon Yayati came that way, thirsty after a deer chase. He
looked into the well for water. Seeing Devayani inside, he took pity and threw
down his upper garment [uttariya] for her to cover herself, pulling her out
with his hand. Devayani came out and said, “O king! You have rescued me by
holding my hand. Though it was accidentally done, I do not want to extend my
hand to anyone else in marriage. I would request you to accept me as your
wife.” This clearly exposes Devayani’s immaturity to fall for every man who
comes her way. She reckoned that her chance meeting with Yayati was a
confirmation of Kacha’s curse. Yayati was not in favour of the marriage as it
was against the code of ethics. But he could not resist himself as his heart
was drawn towards her. He tried to convince himself by thinking it to be
pre-ordained.
Devayani could not take her mind off the incident. Revenge against Sharmishtha
was brewing in her mind. She was in a fix, unable to think of a means to
execute her plan of vengeance effectively. Shukracharya realised that there was
truth in the words of the princess. He concluded it was not wise to continue
his priesthood any more under Vrishaparva and decided to leave. The king,
knowing that Shukracharya had made up his mind to leave his kingdom due the
thoughtless words of his daughter, fell at his feet for pardon. Vrishaparva
realised the invaluable service of the priest to the danavas against the gods.
So the king did not want to lose the preceptor to the gods which would become
inevitable once he broke off with him. Shukracharya’s anger was known to be
always momentary. He was easily appeased by the king’s pleading. In a soft tone,
he said, “I do not wish to subject my daughter to grief. She is very much upset
with your daughter’s insult. I request you to fulfill her wish which I cannot
ignore.” The king agreed to it and waited for a response from Devayani. She
made known her mind. Now was her chance to place Sharmishtha in a similar
humiliating predicament. She said that Sharmishtha would have to go as her maid
when she left for the new home after marriage. The condition put forth was
agreed upon as the wise princess had the welfare of the danavas in her mind.
She knew the priest could be retained by her favourable answer.
Devayani and Yayati were married and Sharmishtha accompanied her as a maid.
Shukracharya sternly warned Yayati to keep away from any love tangle with
Sharmishtha. With the passage of time, Devayani had a son. Seeing this,
Sharmishtha also cherished for a son. Solicited by her, Yayati, quite conscious
of Shukracharya’s warning, accepted her as his wife. In due course, Devayani
had two sons, Yadu and Turvasu and Sharmishtha had three, Dhruhyu, Anu and
Puru. Knowing the sons of Sharmishtha as her husband’s
offspring, Devayani decided to forsake Yayati, and left for her
father’s house. Yayati’s entreaties could not bring her back home. Shukracharya
was annoyed with him for ignoring his warning. He abused the king and cursed
him of premature old age. Yayati pleaded for the return of his youth. Ignorant
of the transient nature of worldly happiness, the king believed that the curse
had broken the back bone of all his valuable aspirations of life. Shukracharya,
on second thoughts, saw that the impact of his action in reality would be on
his daughter. He was repentant for tagging her to an old man all her life.
Though it was late realisation, only slight amendment of the punishment was
within his power now. Giving the king a chance to try his luck, he said, “If
any young man willingly exchanges his youth for your old age, you may by all
means go ahead.”
Having found a workable solution, Yayati
returned home with great hopes. Devayani also came back with him. He made a
request to his first four sons by turns, who frankly declared that sacrifice
was not their cup of tea. The last son Puru was his only hope. He readily
agreed to the proposal as he thought it to be his duty towards his father who
had given him life. One might think him to be a lunatic but Puru had a very
convincing explanation for his action. He classified sons under three
categories and said, “There are three types who can be called sons. One, who
rises to the expectations of the father without being prompted, occupies the
topmost position and finds the ultimate goal of life. Second is the son who
obediently helps on request. The third, grudgingly agrees to help. There is yet
the lowest fourth group of humans, who do not deserve a place under the
classification of sons. These selfish ones bluntly refuse to even consider the
request from the father. They are no better than the discarded refuse that goes
into the garbage.” The swapping was affected and the father felt gratified.
With youth restored, Yayati enjoyed life for thousands of years. The hold of
worldly attachments was so strong that he was finding it impossible to withdraw
his mind from them.
With the passage of time, he suddenly experienced some degeneration of his
self, despite his efforts to be a father to his subjects and religious
performance of sacrifices. One day, it dawned on him that he had wasted his
life running after insignificant things and had not ever thought of life’s most
valuable aspiration of spiritual enlightenment. He made up his mind to detach
himself from the transient enticing world and take to the path of Godliness. In
order to prepare Devayani for his drastic decision to change his way of life,
he narrated a story to her.
The story goes as follows: A male goat was roaming in the forest when he saw a
she-goat fallen in a well because of her bad behaviour. The male goat dug into
the earth with his horns, prepared a flight of steps for the she-goat to come
out. The she-goat wanted to marry the goat and he agreed. They lived together
happily. The other female goats, attracted by the majestic personality of the
male goat, wanted to marry him. The male goat fulfilled the desire of the she-goats
for he thought there was nothing wrong in doing so. The first she-goat was
jealous of the beauty of the others and refused to share her husband with them.
She left her husband in anger to the house of her protector who was a brahmana.
Though the male goat tried to convince her about his sincere love, his cajoling
had no effect on her. The she-goat soulfully narrated to the brahmana her
misery in the company of her husband. Emotionally moved, the brahmana stripped
the male goat of his vital energy but restored it, as compassion for the
she-goat made him realise the injustice he had done to her. They lived enjoying
life after that. Devayani initially took the story as a joke on her. But when
she heard the conclusion Yayati had for her, she too understood the underlying
truth of the story. Yayati completed the story by comparing it to his own life.
Excessive attachment to Devayani had led him into a maze of worldly happiness
that ruined his chances of God realisation. He was desperate to rectify his
life which at that moment looked very bleak. However, Yayati succeeded in
controlling his mind and senses like a charioteer deftly restrains the unruly
horses by a strong hold on the reins. Reinstating the youth on Puru, he
declared him as his successor. His unflinching devotion to Lord Hari made
introspection possible and he ultimately attained emancipation. Devayani too
became worldly wise and got to the root cause of misery. Human relationships
now seemed to her like a dream that disappears on waking up. She gave up her
body in the concentration of the Lord.
Interesting Anecdotes
The hatred of the asuras for Brihaspati extended to Kacha and they could not accept the idea of his being the disciple of their guru. Once when he went to the forest to collect flowers, the asuras killed Kacha and mixed his ashes in water as a drink for Shukracharya who unsuspectingly drank it. Meanwhile, Devayani was expecting Kacha with all eagerness. With no sign of his return, Devayani suspected mischief from the asuras like the previous occasion when Shukra had revived Kacha by his special mantra. So, she requested her father to look into the matter. By his yogic powers he realised that Kacha was in his belly. He told his daughter that she will now have to choose between the father and her lover, explaining to her the difficult situation. She refused to make a choice as both of them were dear to her. Thinking of an alternative solution, he decided to teach his secret mantra to Kacha in his stomach. When he came out of Shukra's belly by the mantra, he, in turn, used it to revive his preceptor.
Devayani expressed her love for Kacha. He refused the offer as his respect for both of them was equal. Besides, having come out of her father's stomach, he was like a son to him. In consequence she was his sister, an explanation not acceptable to Devayani. The rest of the story is already well known.
Sharmishtha: Kalidasa, the famous play wright
of Sanskrit classical drama has referred to the story of Yayati and Sharmishtha
in his well known play on Shakuntala. He has taken the story from Mahabharatha
and modified it to suit his imaginative thinking. In the story, Shakuntala is
leaving her foster father Kanva’s hermitage for king Dushyanta’s palace. She
had married the king by the gandharva mode that sanctions marriage by mutual
consent. Kanva as a parting advice tells Shakuntala that she should be a
devoted wife under all circumstances and give birth to worthy sons who would
stand by their father through thick and thin. At that moment, he refers to
Sharmishtha as the ideal devoted wife whom Shakuntala should have in her mind
as a role model. It’s a well known fact that not only was she sincere in her
relationship with Yayati, her husband, but her son Puru was also a magnanimous
son who gave his youth to his father as a dutiful son, unlike the others who
refused.
Bharata: It is interesting to know the various
connections of the name Bharata with India, the Bharatavarsha. King Rantideva
anointed the eldest of his hundred sons Bharata and severed his connection from
worldly affairs to pursue a spiritual life. Impressed by Bharata’s concern for
the welfare of his subjects, the people were as if enthralled by his kindness.
The popularity of the righteous king spread far and wide. The original name of
Ajanabha was changed to Bharatavarsha, which is the present India.
It is also believed that India gets its name
from the son of Shakuntala and Dushyanta. According to the Mahabharatha,
Shakuntala was born to Vishvamitra and Menaka. Abandoned by the mother in the
forest, the infant was adopted by the kind hearted rishi Kanva and was brought
up as his own daughter. Dushyanta of the Puru dynasty met her in the hermitage
during hunting. Fascinated by her beauty, he ascertained her high family
connection and married her by the gandharva system. He then returned to his
kingdom but not before Shakuntala had his child in her womb. A son was born to
her and Kanva decided to send her to Dushyanta after performing the necessary
rites for the child. Dushyanta pretended not to recognise her as he had married
her in the forest hermitage in private. He did not want people to make
derogatory remarks about him that he had allowed a beautiful woman into his
palace just because she claimed to be his wife. He refused to own her or the
child. At that moment, a celestial voice assured him in public hearing about
the legitimacy of the child and that Shakuntala should not be humiliated as an
impostor. There was reconciliation and he named his son Bharata. Bharata
established himself as a righteous and a powerful king after whom Bharatavarsha
acquired its name. Bharata had the auspicious mark of the discus on his right
palm and the insignia of a lotus in his feet. These were clear indications that
he was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The character of Shakuntala here is in
direct contrast to the soft spoken timid hermit girl of the Bhagavatam. She is
an aggressive, bold woman who fights for her rightful place in the life of
Dushyanta
Kalidasa gives a very refined
presentation. He introduces a signet ring to protect Dushyanta from infamy. To
keep the tempo of the story, the curse of the ill tempered Durvasa adds spice
by giving it an interesting twist. Durvasa cursed Shakuntala that the person,
in whose loving thoughts she had ignored him, would forget her. After the
pleadings of her friends, he mellowed down and assured that an authentic
identification would help in circumventing the curse. Shakuntala, unfortunately,
could not prove her identity in the king’s court, as the signet ring given to
her by Dushyanta as a memento, was lost in the river on the way. Shakuntala of
Kalidasa was innocent and of a mild character. She could not assert her right
like the Shakuntala of the epic. The ring was later recovered from the belly of
a fish through a fisherman, which reminded Dushyanta about his happy days with
Shakuntala. But on being rejected by the king, she was carried away by her
mother Menaka to her abode where the son of Dushyanta was born. He was named
Bharata. Finally, there was a happy reunion when the king went to the celestial
region to fight the demons. It is believed that Bharata’s exemplary governance
gave his kingdom the name Bharatavarsha that is India.
Chapter 23: Maryada Purushottama
Sita Rama Lakshmana Hanuman
Purushottama Rama, son of king Dasharatha, was the model king of Ayodhya. His
rapport with his subjects emphasizes the good governance of a perfect king just
as an efficient father, the head of the family, manages to maintain unity and
holds tight the close bond of affection among his family members.Rama, as the incarnation of Vishnu, estabishes the fundamental principle of Varnashrama Dharma, by adhering to the performance of his duties diligently as expected of a monarch. He exhibited the importance of strong determined character in an effective king. The inability of a sovereign head to conduct himself with discipline would lead to chaos similar to the kingdom of God, without the God himself. Rama was the eldest son of Dasharatha, born to the first queen Kausalya. Bharata was the son of Kaikeyi, the king's favoured queen. Lakshmana and Shatrughna were the sons of Sumitra, the third wife of Dasharatha.
Rama started on his expedition as a kshatriya warrior at the age of sixteen. He was called upon by sage Vishvamitra to help him against the asuras who were obstructing the sacrificial proceedings. Equipped with bow and arrow, accompanied by the knowledge of the science of mantras for invoking powerful weapons ana also alert to the sound of vibration, Rama could follow the adversary wherever he might be. The brahmastra was the ultimate weapon.Vishvamitra was mightily pleased with the successful performance of the young boy, ably assisted by his constant companion brother Lakshmana.
[The variety of weapons used in the final war with Ravana, reveals the existence of missiles as early as the treta yuga. Then the weapons were shot by invoking the relevent mantras but now we have the modern technology to aim the weapons at the target through remote control.]
Vishvamitra then led Rama to the svayamvara of Sita, the daughter of king Janaka of Mithila. The condition for the svayamvara was the successful stringing of the Shiva Dhanush. Janaka had recieved the formidable bow from Shiva and the Lord himself had ackowledged that the person who could string the bow would possess extraordinary power and strength. On the advice of the sage, Rama entered the competition to try his capability to lift the bow which he did with ease. When none could even move the weapon, here was a teenager who effortlessly flexed the bow to string it. But his extraordinary strength snapped the bow into two with a loud noise. Rama thus succeeded in winning the hand of Sita. She was actually Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu. She had descended on earth to assist the Lord in his incarnation as Rama to vanquish the demon Ravana, the terror of married women
The marriage of the four brothers was performed, with brides found for all of them in the Janaka family. They returned home happily with their wives. Soon there was a terrible, unexpected jolt in the life of the prince of Ayodhya. While King Dasharatha was making arrangements for the coronation of Rama, which had all round acclaim, Kaikeyi's maid Manthara intruded to foil the king's plans. She poisoned the mind of her mistress against Rama's forthcoming elevation as the heir and persuaded her against agreeing to the proposal. She suggested that the queen could use the two boons recieved by her for nursing her wounded husband during the battle between Indra and the asuras. It was a gift of gratitude from the king for Kaikeyi's devoted services.
Kaikeyi was equally affectionate to Rama as to her own son Bharata. She was thrilled to hear about the coronation of Rama and reprimanded her maid for nuturing evil intentions. But Manthara pulled the strings of emotion to influence the queen. She refused to give up her persistence and brought about a complete change of attitude in the unmaligned mind of Kaikeyi. As directed by the wicked woman, Kaikeyi lay in the kopagriha, as if in wrath, when the king came to convey her the delightful news. She vehemently expressed her dissent to her husband's arbitrary decision to declare Rama as his successor. She demanded that Rama should be sent to the forest for fourteen years and her son Bharata be made the king instead. This, she said, was her encashment of the two boons given by the king. The king fell unconscious on hearing the harsh words. When he regained consciousness, he sobbed,"I have placed myself in a state similar to a man who suffers the consequences of his misdeeds in the previous birth. In the earlier occasion, I granted you the two boons because you brought me out of death. But at that time, I did not realise you would use them as a weapon to kill me now. I am bound to truth. Though Rama is dearer to me than anything else in the world, I cannot trangress my word of promise and prove myself ungrateful."
Dasharatha found himself tongue tied by overwhelming grief and could not make known the heartless decision to Rama. Kaikeyi was thrilled at winning over her husband and, with a heart deserted of all kind feelings, burst out with excitement to convey the change in the king's decision. Rama, composed as always, recieved the news without an iota of grief and whole-heartedly agreed to obey the commands of his father. The whole country was in sorrow about the unpalatable bitter reversal of destiny. Advice to claim his legitamacy to the throne could not influence Rama to be motivated to unrighteousness. He chose to stick to his obligation and reverence towards his father. Lakshmana and Sita insisted on accompanying him. The trio started on their journey to the forest which claimed the life of the sorrowing father Dasharatha.
Bharata returned to Ayodhya from his maternal uncle's house and was shocked on hearing the terrible developments at home in his absence. Annoyed with his mother's discriminating mentality, Bharata broke his cordial relations with her and rushed to the forest to make amends for Kaikeyi's devilish deeds. With a genuine intention to bring back his dear brother, he pleaded Rama to accept his apologies on behalf of his mother and return to the kingdom to adorn the throne. But Bharata had to be satisfied with the wooden sandals of Rama to take back to the kingdom as his representative to be placed on the throne and with a depressed heart, agreed to attend to the administration as a caretaker government only till the return of Rama. Bharata was disappointed at his failure to bring back Rama. Therefore, he did not want to enter Ayodhya, where Rama was to be crowned. He established his government in the outskirts of the city, in a place called Nandigrama. He gave the honour of the king to the wooden sandals of Rama by placing them on the throne. Before finalising vital administrative decisions, he would reverentially place the proposals before the sandals for approval and permission for their execution, as it were.
No sooner had the three begun the life of a recluse, they were faced with a train of difficulties which was to continue till the end of their exile. It all started with Shurpanakha, the sister of the ten headed Ravana. During her demonaic roamings in the forest, she was fascinated by the handsome personality of Rama. She made sinister advances to him which annoyed Lakshmana. On top of her misbehaviour, she humiliated Sita with insults couched in foul language. In order to punsh her, Lakshmana cut off her nose and ears. Shurpanakha wanted to avenge this cruelty and went straight to her brother Ravana prodding him to think of a suitable revenge, if he really had any affection for her. Ravana's pride was now challenged and his think tank was switched on.
Ravana wanted to abduct Sita with the help of Maricha. Maricha tried to dissuade him for he had had a taste of Rama's power in the past. But Ravana threatened him with the order 'do or die'. Maricha as the deceptive golden deer lured Rama away from Sita who wanted to have it. Lakshmana was also sent away by Sita on hearing the names of Lakshmana and Sita called out by the dying Maricha, deceitfully in a voice resembling that of Rama. She feared Rama to be in distress. At this opportune moment, Ravana, as a rishi, approached Sita in the hut for alms and carried her away in his aerial chariot. The tragedy with Ravana was that he could not forcibly indulge in immoral violations with any woman due to a curse. Such an action would mean death to him. He put her in Ashokavana in his kingdom with rakshasis trying to influence her in favour of Ravana. They tried to convince Sita about Ravana's greatness being incomparable to that of her powerless husband Rama who had meekly lost the throne to his brother.
Rama, in the course of his search for his beloved wife, found the vulture Jatayu lying fatally wounded. From him, Rama got the clue that Ravana had abducted Sita. In the process of saving Sita from the demon, Jatayu was struck. Further proceeding to Kishkinda, Rama made an alliance with Sugriva, the king of the monkeys. He agreed to send out his army of monkeys on a search expedition. Efficient Hanuman, the ardent devotee of Rama, was sent in the southern direction. He located Sita in the Ashokavana in Lanka.The presentation of Rama's ring to Sita was a symbol of his identity as Rama's emissary. It was necessary to convince the already harrassed lady that Hanuman was not Ravana in disguise. He assured her of speedy deliverance from the monstrous Ravana by Rama's contingent.To make known to Ravana that he had come on behalf of Rama, he tried to damage the natural beauty of Lanka. He killed some of the henchmen of Ravana who had been sent to tackle the monkey whose power of strength was under estimated by the demons. After a stiff fight, Hanuman allowed himself to be bound and presented before Ravana. The demon unwisely issued orders to set fire the monkey's tail. Hanuman was infuriated as the tail is the pride of monkeys. In turn, Hanuman burnt a large part of Lanka to show what havoc his burning tail could create. Hanuman, as an ambassador, requested Ravana to return Sita to Rama if he wanted to save his own life. But Ravana was adamant to fight against Rama. When Vibheeshana, his youngest brother, tried to advise him against punishing Hanuman who had come with a message of peace, he was miserably insulted. As a result, Ravana lost the support of Vibheeshana who joined Rama against his own brother. Vibheeshana was a righteous person who could not encourage evil. Even Kumbhakarna persuaded his brother against an immoral confrontation. The effort also turned to be futile. He, however, remained with Ravana to sacrifice his life for him.
Happy with his discovery, Hanuman was pleased with his retaliation to give a sample of the power of Rama and his supporters to Ravana. He returned to his Lord with the wonderful tidings of success of his mission. Choodamani, the heirloom of the Dasharatha dynasty, was sent by Sita through Hanuman as a reminder to her husband to uphold the dignity of the family and not allow it to slip away into the hands of the demon.Moreover, she conveyed her unshakable determination to end her life if Rama failed to rescue her within the deadline drawn by Ravana. Rama immediately set out to wage war, enraged by the immoral manner in which Ravana had behaved towards his dear wife. With the assistance of the monkeys, a bridge was built across the ocean. Rama won the great battle against the demons, when he killed Ravana with his Brahmastra. He made Vibheeshana, his faithful ally, the king of Lanka.
In the Uttarakanda of the Ramayana, which is considered to be an interpolation, Sita was banished by Rama to silence those indulging in maligning the character of Sita and ridiculing Rama as a hen pecked husband, readily accepting a woman who had lived in another man's house. Taking refuge in Valmiki's hermitage, Sita gave birth to the twins Lava and Kusha whom she was carrying at the time of banishment. Valmiki is believed to have trained them to recite his great epic, the Ramayana. Their song of the story of Rama at Rama's court revealed their identity. Sita was summoned to the court when she was again asked to prove her purity of character before everybody. Mother earth, from where Sita had emerged, came to her rescue to prove Sita's chastity by carrying her back on a golden throne.
Rama's incarnation concluded successfully, with the death of Ravana and the rescue of Sita from the demon. Rama endeared himself in the hearts of all people, before he returned to his abode in Vaikuntha. Both Vishnu and Mahalakshmi were satisfied over the successful execution of their plan to vanquish the evil demon Ravana.
[Thus Valmiki's great epic ended. It is a narration of an ideal king with spotless name and fame. Rama is celebrated as the worshipful God, not only in India but in many places like Thailand, on the island of Bali in Indonesia, in Nepal and Cambodia.]
Chapter 24: Kamsa hears a divine voice
Warmongering asuras were a menace on earth
assuming forms of arrogant kings assisted by their armies. The celestials too
found it difficult to endure their atrocities. They approached Brahma in the
form of a wailing cow. With tears rolling down her eyes, she sought redressal
for her distress. Brahma, Shiva and other deities went to the milky ocean.
Brahma meditated on the Supreme Being by reciting the Purushasukta, the sacred
hymn of the Rigveda. Brahma heard a voice from the heavens, as he was
meditating. The voice gave clear instructions for the deities to act upon.
Brahma carefully grasped what he heard and guided the deities accordingly. The
gods were to be born as Yadavas and the Lord himself would be the son of
Vasudeva. Ananthashesha, his constant companion, would precede him as his elder
brother to carry out the favourite biddings of the Lord. The Lord’s illusory
energy will descend as Yoga-maya to suitably organise the situations for the
Lord’s mission on earth.
As the curtain rises to present the Lord’s plan, it unfurls the story of the
birth and life of Sri Krishna, the son of Vasudeva. Vasudeva, the descendent of
the Surasena dynasty, married Devaki, the princess of Mathura, daughter of king
Ugrasena. Kamsa was Devaki’s brother. He enthusiastically hoisted himself as
the charioteer to please his sister, who was leaving for her husband’s home,
the city of Surasena. His excitement as he drove the chariot was dampened by a
voice from heaven. It warned him that his death would be brought about by the
eighth son of Devaki. Shocked by what he heard, Kamsa at once drew his sword to
kill Devaki. He thought he could falsify the prophecy by the death of his
sister which would throttle the birth of even one son to her.
Kamsa hears divine voice
Vasudeva tried to pacify Kamsa with conciliatory words. He said, “Only evil
minded people ought to be scared of death. As the protector of your subjects,
you have been a successful and a fair king. For what reason then would the son
of Devaki want to kill a noble king? Devaki, who is like a daughter to you,
should not be killed when her marriage festivities are not yet over.” As if
possessed by a devil, he was not in a state of mind to take any kind of advice.
Only the act of killing was dominating his thought at that point of time. His
brain was paralysed with the threat of death looming over his head. Vasudeva,
in a desperate attempt to appease Kamsa, finally offered him each of his sons
as soon as they were born, if his wife was spared. Kamsa had faith in Vasudeva
and was convinced that he would not go back on his words. So he decided against
the impelling urge to kill Devaki. Vasudeva kept his promise which mightily
pleased Kamsa. In a chivalrous mood, Kamsa returned to Vasudeva, the first
child, as only the eighth son was to ring his death knell. The other sons were
insignificant to him. Vasudeva was very happy to take back the child but at the
same time he was skeptical about Kamsa’s generosity.
At that time, Narada came to apprise Kamsa about the people of Vraja, Yadus and
Vrishnis. The sage told him that the Yadavas represented the celestials
descended to vanquish the asuras increasingly becoming a burden to the earth.
Terribly shaken by the warning, Kamsa began to see the form of Vishnu in every
child of Devaki. He imprisoned Vasudeva and Devaki, binding them with chains.
He went back to his original agreement with Vasudeva and killed his sons as
soon as they were born. His disposition towards the Yadus was bitter as the
eighth son of Devaki would also be a Yadu, a cowherd community, to which
Vasudeva belonged. Kamsa put in prison his own father, Ugrasena, as he was
sympathetic towards his daughter and son-in-law. Having removed all dangerous
obstacles, Kamsa assumed the lordship of Surasena and began to enforce his
authoritarian rule.
The entire force of the asura kings allied with Kamsa to harass the Yadus
jointly. The Yadus found it unbearable and scattered to other surrounding
states. The first six sons of Devaki met their end by the barbarity of Kamsa.
The seventh child in Devaki’s womb was Ananthashesha. The Lord began to
organise things well in advance, even before Kamsa had an indication about the
arrival of the seventh child. The Lord deputed the goddess of illusory energy,
Yoga-maya to transfer the foetus into the womb of Rohini, another wife of
Vasudeva, hiding in the mountain cave of the region under the rule of cowherd
Nanda. This child would be known as Sankarshana, for being moved from one womb
to another. He would also be known as Rama for the delight he would give to
everyone. Balabhadra would be another name, popularly known as Balarama, in
appreciation of his prowess. When the foetus was removed from Devaki’s womb,
people thought she had lost her child prematurely. How can people understand
the divine manipulation which is beyond human comprehension? Saving the seventh
son thus, God had to make arrangements to deceive Kamsa, when the Lord himself
would incarnate as the eighth child of Devaki. He moved on to his next miracle.
With the conception of the eighth child of Devaki, Yashoda, Nanda’s wife,
conceived Yoga-maya as her daughter. Honoured by people, the esteemed daughter of
Yashoda would have various temples erected, with her as the presiding deity.
She would be known by various names as Durga, Vijaya, Vaishnavi, Badrakali,
Kumuda, Chandrika, Krishna, Madhavi, Kanyaka, Maya, Narayani, Ishani, Sharada
and Ambika. The Lord at the same time revealed himself to Devaki and Vasudeva.
Devaki’s unusual hallowed glow instilled fear in Kamsa who suspected that the
Lord was already on his way to appear on earth. He desisted from his temptation
to kill Devaki because he realised that homicide was the most deplorable act
one could stoop down to. He was convinced it was the sure way to invite
irrevocable misery, not only to oneself but to future generations as well. It
would also throw the sinful into the cauldron in hell. Consumed by fear,
Kamsa began to visualize the Lord all round in the entire universe
While Kamsa’s disturbed mind was in confusion, Devaki gave birth
to the divine child, endowed with the auspicious marks, exclusive to Lord
Vishnu. The couple saw the incarnation of Vishnu in their effulgent son.
Vasudeva considered himself fortunate to be the father of the wonderful son and
paid obeisance to the child-god. Brahma, Shiva and other gods assured Devaki
about the birth of the Lord as her son, but still she was very apprehensive.
She prayed to the child to withdraw all the divine marks from his person, away
from public view, in particular from Kamsa. The marks, she was sure, would
reveal his identity and her brother would not spare him. The child said there
was no need to foresee any danger to him. He told them that he appeared in the
divine form before the couple to make it possible for them to associate him
with his previous incarnations. So saying he took the form of an ordinary human
baby, devoid of divine attributes. He assured them that constant devoted
meditation of him would help them reach his abode, the Paramapada.
Parallel to the birth
of the Lord to Devaki, Yashoda, Nanda’s wife, begot Yoga-maya as her daughter.
By the influence of the Lord’s illusory power, Maya, Yashoda was in a state of
faint and so she did not know the sex of her child. At the same time, Vasudeva
was also released from chains by the divine power. As ordained by the Lord,
Vasudeva started towards Nanda’s house. Now it might be puzzling to find
Vasudeva out of the prison with so many guards standing on strict vigil. Lord
again by his illusory power sent the guards into a sleepy faint oblivious of
what was happening around. The gates threw open on their own and Vasudeva
slipped out unnoticed with ease. Rain god was pouring cats and dogs and the
river Yamuna was in floods. The entire city was under a thick sheet of
darkness. In the Ramayana, the ocean made way for Rama to cross over to Lanka.
Similarly, the river Yamuna facilitated Vasudeva to wade through the water by
creating a passage. Ananthashesha, the great serpent of Vishnu in Vaikuntha,
followed Vasudeva to protect the baby in the basket from the torrential rain by
spreading his hood to serve as an umbrella. When he reached Nanda’s house, the
cowherds of the region were under the spell of Maya. Vasudeva left his son by
the side of Yashoda and came back to the prison with her baby girl. The gates
got locked again and the guards regained consciousness. No one knew the
conspiracy that had been carried out against Kamsa.
The cries of the new born alerted the guards. The information reached Kamsa
immediately which sent creeps all over him. He thought the dreaded moment had
arrived when he was on the precipice of death. Kamsa approached Devaki, with
trembling and faltering steps. His countenance showed more fear than hatred. He
was taken aback when Devaki pleaded him not to slay the child as it was his
niece. Regardless of the sex of the child, wicked Kamsa snatched the baby from
her mother as she hugged the child close to her chest. Holding the legs, he
tried to smash the baby on a stone. The girl flew out of his hands into the sky
in the form of a goddess. She had a bow, arrows, a trident, a shield, a sword,
a conch, a discus and a mace in her various hands. The people were astonished
at the unusual sight and they at once recognised her as the sister of Lord
Vishnu. She mocked at the futile efforts of Kamsa to kill her. Punctuated by
sarcasm, she told Kamsa that his adversary was already born elsewhere and
hereafter, there was no point in his killing any more babies. The goddess
advised him to mend his ways for his own good and then left for the temples
awaiting her arrival as the deity to be consecrated
Kamsa freed Devaki and Vasudeva from the
prison. He did not anticipate harm from them, hereafter, as their eighth child
happened to be a girl. He profusely apologized for his cruelty. The kind
hearted couple did not express any hatred towards the penitent king. He was
very happy to have patched up relations with his sister. The king boasted about
the thrilling incident in the prison to the allied asura kings. But his
supporters shrugged their shoulders with indifference at his enthusiasm. They
said, “It is true that the prophecy of the divine voice has been falsified by
the birth of your sister’s daughter. Yet we have to be conscious, the threat
from Vishnu has not been completely eliminated and complacency would be very
unwise. The information of utmost concern, conveyed by Devaki’s daughter, has
escaped your notice in the excitment of reconciliation. She has unambiguously
told you that your enemy has already taken birth elsewhere and is very much
alive. We suggest that all babies born in the past ten days be killed, no
matter where they are in the country. The Yadus will not pose any danger as the
cowherds are ignorant in the use of weapons. Another matter of great importance
has to be attended to. Vishnu dwells where righteousness prevails. The noble
acts are propagated on earth by brahmanas, the officiating priests, by means of
religious rites and sacrifices. The foremost action to be taken would be to
bring to a close all religious activities. For this to happen, brahmanas should
become extinct. These precautionary measures would also strip the deities of
their strength as they thrive on sacrifices. By the absence of virtuous
actions, we would have got rid of all possibilities that provide opportunities
for Vishnu to be present anywhere on earth. Thus planning a chain of actions to
our advantage, we can expect to establish ourselves without any opposition.”
Thus they put Kamsa to ponder over their suggestions and arrive at a final
decision
Chapter 25: Putana and infant Krishna
Kamsa was somehow convinced by the asura
allies on the necessity for killing all ten day old infants. Putana, the
demoness, was sent on this errand. She roamed to various cities hunting on the
lives of new born infants.
Disguised as a young woman, she entered the
palace of king Nanda. The cowherd women were stunned by her extraordinary
beauty. She found a charming child in a cradle. The child was the baby secretly
left by Vasudeva with Nanda, the eighth child of Devaki. He was named Krishna.
Unaware of the divine origin, the child was like any other infant to Putana.
Krishna recognised the demoness and closed his eyes pretending to be asleep.
Putana placed the child on her lap. She smeared a virulent poison on her breast
so that he would die as soon as he was put to suck. Contrary to her
expectation, Krishna began to suck with great force causing unbearable pain to
the rakshasi. Shouting fiercely, she tried to push him away from her bosom but
the small child persisted in sucking till her life was sucked out. When she
died, she went back to the demoniac form. The dreadful person scared the
cowherd women who were previously lost in her beauty on her arrival
This incident reflects the two great qualities
of God. He cannot allow the perpetration of evil. Secondly, he is generous
towards wicked people even if they have just one merit to their credit. Putana
met her death for her wicked intentions. She was also sent to heaven as she had
suckled him like a mother. Krishna sucked her sins and purified her to deserve
the honour of a mother.
Chapter 26: Miraculous Feats
Parikshit, listening to the greatness of Lord
Hari, expressed his desire to know more about the fascinating feats of the
Lord, in his incarnation as Krishna, the son of Vasudeva. Every incarnation is
to eradicate evil by the death of wicked people. In Vamanavatara, the Lord took
the stature of a dwarf to achieve his purpose but had to grow into a gigantic
person to accomplish the difficult task of punishing the wrong doer. As Rama in
another incarnation, he was a youth when he killed the ten headed Ravana. In
his appearance as Krishna what could be so impressive as to draw the interest
of people to hear his achievements? The outstanding feature was his miraculous
feats even as an infant and his brave act, as a young child, was killing of
Kamsa who was a dangerous man without morals or ethics in life. By reducing the
number of wicked people, he also lessened the burden of earth.
On the first birthday of Krishna, his foster parents Nanda and Yashoda
were engaged in honouring the brahmanas performing the religious rites for the
longevity of the child. In the grand celebration, the cowherds with their
families were invited to participate. An elaborate lunch was served. At that
moment, Yashoda noticed Krishna dozing off to sleep. She put him comfortably
under a cart and busied herself attending to the guests. In the hustle and
bustle, Krishna’s cry of hunger was drowned. Throwing up a tantrum, he started
kicking his legs which hit the cart hard to send it flying high. It returned to
the ground with a resounding thud alarming everybody. They were in dismay to
see the cart in pieces. They could not believe that a one year old would be
capable of so powerful an act, though the Vraja boys tried to convince the
elders that they had seen him do it. Benedictory rites were carried out to ward
off ill effects on the child. However, it is believed that Kamsa had sent a
demon as the cart to crush the child under its wheels. This incident is often
referred to as Shakatasura vadha, the killig of the asura as shakata [cart].
The famous Tamil saint poetess Andal has mentioned this story in her
Tiruppavai.
Putana’s death was a big jolt to Kamsa. Reflecting on what Devaki’s daughter
had said about the enemy being born elsewhere, Kamsa tried to associate her
words with the infant that killed the demoness. With the conviction that the
infant was none other than Vishnu, who alone could overpower Putana, Kamsa
began to hatch his evil plans directly against Krishna. Next, asura Trinavarta
obliged Kamsa in his mission. One day, Yashoda was fondlig her son on her lap.
Suddenly, the weight of the child became unbearable. So she put him on the
ground. An unforeseen whirlwind arose, throwing up a massive cloud of dust,
followed by a blinding darkness. It created lot of commotion and confusion.
People lost the whereabouts of each other. Trinavarta, finding it very
convenient, carried away the child high into the sky. The velocity of the wind
was so great that by force people got aimlessly scattered without any sense of
direction. Yashoda could not locate her son anywhere and she sat down
depressed, crying for her lost child. The maidens were equally sorry for the
missing Krishna for he was as dear to them as to Yashoda. They took it as a
personal loss. The fierce wind subsided after sometime but the melancholy
depression that came over due to Krishna’s disappearance was worse than the
storm. Initially, the asura went high with great fervour but began slackening
due to the steady increase in the child’s weight. Krishna clasped his arms
tightly round the asura’s neck and would not let go his hold however much the
choked demon tried to get released. Like a deflated balloon, the demon with
Krishna descended speedily to the ground and crashed against a rock that killed
him at once. Krishna was safe clinging to the asura. Krishna’s escape spread a
sigh of relief. They were thankful to Providence for the great mercy shown on
them. They were sure that they owe their gratitude to someone whose meritorious
deed had secured the divine benevolence to save their dear child.
While still an infant, Krishna revealed his divinity to Yashoda as
she caressed him after his feed. Krishna opened his mouth in a sleepy yawn.
Yashoda was surprised to view the entire universe, the earth, the firmament
with the galaxy of stars and planets inside his mouth. She closed her eyes in
fear but Krishna provided her a similar bewildering experience as a toddler.
His friends complained to Yashoda about his eating mud and she chided him looking
into his mouth by force. With an innocent countenance, he opened his mouth wide
for his mother to have a full view inside. Yashoda witnessed a repeat
performance of the earlier extraordinary vision. She was confused whether it
was a dream or an illusion. The wonderful experience took her to a higher level
of consciousness, beyond the mundane relationship with Krishna, as mother and
son. She saw herself as a humble devotee before the Supreme Lord. Full of
reverence, she offered her obeisance to him in the ecstasy of her communion
with God. After a momentary experience of the supernatural, she was back again
as an affectionate emotional mother embracing her son.
The endearing son of Yashoda never provoked
her anger with his childlike pranks in the company of other cowherd boys in
Vraja. He would let loose the calves when there was nobody to supervise. The
calves would drink up all the milk and leave the udders drained. When the
cowherds came for milking the cows, they would not yield any milk. Krishna was
very fond of butter and curds. He would go from house to house stealing it. If
the pots were hung high on a peg, he used to pile up logs of wood to reach it
or his friends would bend over each other to form a pyramid for Krishna to
climb. The catapult was a handy weapon to knock a hole in the pots through
which the milk or curd would flow out enabling Krishna to enjoy a liberal
helping with his friends. The other maidens enjoyed the child’s mischief.
Without malice they would discuss about Krishna’s mischiefs in the hearing of
Yashoda or directly talk to her jokingly about their difficulty in managing
this sprightly boy.
There is yet another episode which will make
an interesting reading. Once, Yashoda was churning out butter, when Krishna
pulled her upper garment to indicate his hunger. Just then the milk on the
hearth was about to boil over. To save the milk, she hastened to remove it from
fire. Krishna was annoyed with his mother for not giving preference to his
need. He broke the pot and started eating the butter sitting on a mortar. When
Yashoda returned, she was amused to see him happily eating the butter, his face
smeared with it. But she was angry to find him feeding the monkeys also through
the window. She picked up a rod to spank him. Nimble as he was, he ran around
with Yashoda chasing him but he always escaped her reach. After enjoying the
fun, teasing his mother for sometime, he decided to give in. With an apologetic
look on his face, he coaxed his mother to throw away the rod. Intent on
punishing him, she tried to tie the boy to the mortar with a rope.
Surprisingly, any extension of the rope always fell short of two finger length.
Yashoda refused to accept defeat and she persisted in her attempt even though
exhausted. The tired look on her face forced Krishna to please her again. She
tied him to the mortar with the rope round his waist. The rope made an
impression on his belly, which gave him the name Damodara [tied round the
stomach]. Thinking him to be well secured from any further mischief, she went
to attend to the household work. No sooner was she out of sight, than Krishna
crawled to a pair of trees nearby, dragging the heavy mortar along.
The two trees, named Jamala
and Arjuna, have a history to their existence. In their previous birth, they
were the sons of Kubera, the god of wealth. Then their names were Nalakubera
and Manigriva. They were great devotees of Rudra. Spoilt by excessive wealth,
they swindled it in indulging in uncontrolled drinking. In a drunken state they
would engage in sports with the gandharva damsels in the river Ganges and in
the gardens of mountain Kailasha. Overpowered by pride of wealth, they failed
to be respectful to sage Narada when he once came to the banks of the river.
The maidens tried to cover themselves, out of respect and fear. Indifference to
the holy sage subjected the youths to his curse. Finding them degenerated to a
deplorably low character, the sage wished to mend their manners with suitable
punishment. He wanted them to realise that pride of prosperity would lead a person
astray from the righteous path, and suffer the misfortune as a criminal. He
cursed them to have an immovable form in their next birth. The considerate sage
put a limit of a hundred celestial years, when Lord Krishna would redeem them.
Spiritual knowledge would reinstate them in their celestial position but at
that time, they would be the devotees of Sri Hari.
Jamala and Arjuna were the trees in
consequence of the curse. As Krishna went between the trees, he had to forcibly
squeeze the mortar through. The two trees were uprooted and razed to the
ground. A couple of radiant persons emerged from within. Their pride had
disappeared without trace and they bowed to Krishna. With the turn in their
attitude, they sang the praises of the Lord and returned to their celestial
habitation as sons of Kubera. The message of Narada was, ‘Ignorance of the Lord
binds one to evil while devotion to him breaks the fetters of sin and grants
blissful freedom to the soul.’
Chapter 27: Glories Galore
Blue berries: Krishna delighted the folks of
Vraja by his pranks and endeared himself to one and all. Of and on he also gave
a glimpse of his divinity by deeds beyond human capability. One day, he heard a
woman selling blue berries. In response to her call, Krishna took a handful of
rice to exchange it for her fruits. But before he reached her, the rice grains
slowly dropped from his small hand, with only one grain left in his palm. The
vendor woman, out of consideration for the child, gave him a handful of fruits
in return for the grain of rice. The woman was astonished at the miracle that
followed. Her basket was full to the brim with precious gems and jewels.
After the incident of Trinavarta, the Vraja people were completely shaken,
anticipating danger every moment. A senior gopa named Upananda suggested that
all the inhabitants of Vraja moved to Brindavana, a safer place to live in. The
omens did not seem favourable and it was unwise to continue in Vraja any
longer. The general consensus was Brindavana would be an ideal option, having
the welfare of the entire community in mind. The lush green pastures of the
place would be congenial to them especially to the cattle of the cowherds.
Krishna and Balarama jelled with the cowboys so well that they adopted their
way of life. Accompanying them, they took the cattle for grazing in the
meadows. The beauty of Brindavana, the mountain Govardhana and the banks of
Yamuna fascinated them. All of them enjoyed playing various games together
while tending the kine.
Vatsasura: It so happened that an asura sent
by Kamsa, disguised as a calf [vatsa] was spotted by Krishna among the cattle.
He discreetly informed his brother and they both casually walked into the herd.
Krishna suddenly held the hind legs and the tail of the calf. He swirled it
round a number of times with force and threw it into the air. The calf hit a
kapittha fruit on a tree closeby. Both the calf and the fruit went hurling
down. The impact of the fall smashed the demon to death. Krishna’s victory over
Vatsasura [asura as calf] was acclaimed by both the cowherds and the
celestials. Another version of the story is that the kapittha fruit was also an
asura and Krishna killed them both together.
Vakasura: Next, it was Vakasura to fall into the hands of Krishna. One day, the
cowherds led their cattle to a tank for water and they wanted to quench their
thirst also. There they saw a ferocious looking crane [Vaka] sitting. The
moment they reached the tank, the crane gulped Krishna whole. Balarama and the
others stood paralysed, not knowing what to do. Krishna would not succumb to
the threats of Kamsa’s emissaries of whom Vaka was one. Krishna began to scorch
the throat of Vaka like fire which made him cough out the oppressor. Vaka did
not let go Krishna. He tried to tear him with his beak but Krishna broke the
beak as easily as snapping a twig.
Aghasura: Expecting danger all the time, Kamsa had his mind fixed at finding an
effective way to kill Krishna. He wanted to try his luck by sending Aghasura,
the brother of Putana and Vakasura. Grieving over the death of his siblings,
Aghasura’s revengeful attitude was doubly stimulated. The cowherds were
exhilarated during their play in the company of Krishna. The following and
adoration Krishna enjoyed among his friends made his identity evident to
Aghasura. To carry out the commands of Kamsa, he assumed the form of a serpent
of enormous size with his mouth wide open extending from the earth to the sky.
He placed himself at a vantage point in the vicinity of the cowherds. The
serpent lay still with his mouth appearing like the entrance to a dark cave.
The red tongue gave the impression of a pathway leading inside. Its sharp teeth
were comparable to mountain peaks. The cowherds
thought it to be part of natural enhancement of the scenic beauty of
Brindavana, as they stood in admiration. The next moment they suspected that it
could be a real serpent waiting to devour them. But it was only a passing
thought. With Krishna by their side, they were confident that no harm could
ever come to them. Boldly, they entered the deceptive serpent cave in a mood of
adventurous exploration. The serpent was pleased to see the cowherds fallen
into his trap and he was waiting for Krishna to follow suit. Krishna wanted to
dissuade his friends but he was a little late to arrive at the spot. So he
entered the snake cave and assumed an enormous body. He blocked the mouth
completely which prevented even a draught of air from entering. The serpent was
suffocated and his life became extinct with the vital air blowing out of his
head. The cowherds escaped unharmed, resuscitated by the power of Krishna. When
the five year old Krishna walked into the mouth of the snake, the deities were
expecting a serious calamity but the way the young boy handled the situation
delighted them with surprise. The dried skin of the snake later became the
playground for the cowherd boys. Contrary to our expectation, the asura was
emancipated by the Lord. The mere touch of Krishna’s feet washed his sins and
the Lord’s magnanimity pardoned him of his impiety.
Lord’s aim is to be good and merciful to all
even if the merit is earned inadvertently. He has no grudge against anyone but
guides all to reformation. That is the reason why Vishnu does not resort to
curse as an expression of his dissatisfaction. Death penalty which is a
punishment for repeated births is also for the incorrigible people alone. This
exemplary attitude of the Lord is his Daya Bhava, his compassion.
The
famous saint philosopher Vedanta Desika has dedicated a hundred slokas in
praise of this endearing quality in his Dayashatakam. He bows to the Tirupati
Hill in the first verse which exquisitely brings out the power of the Lord’s
Daya Bhava. What a wonderful metaphoric description of the beauty of the hill
on which the Lord resides! Usually hills are made of stones and rocks but it’s
not so with the sacred hill, says the poet. Presence of the Lord who has
descended on earth as the idol of Venkateshvara on the seven hills has
converted them into hills of crystalized sugar. Desika is visualizing the
streams on the hills as the sugarcane juice flowing down by the Lord’s
compassion. The image presented is the idea of the Lord residing on the
solidified sugar hill created by his holy presence. His tender feelings are
evoked by his devotees. The warmth of his compassion towards them melts the
sugar that is the hill which often comes down in streams. The streams flowing
from the hill have inspired the poet to metaphorically associate the hill and
the flowing streams with sugar and sugarcane juice effected by Venkateshvara
and his compassion respectively.
प्रपद्यॆतम्
गिरिम् प्राय: श्रीनिवासानुकम्पया |
इक्षुसारस्रवन्त्यॆव
यन्मूर्त्या शर्करायितम् ||
Prapadyetam girim prayah shrinivasanukampaya
Ikshusarasravantyeva yanmoortya sharkarayitam
I bow to the hill, converted to crystalised sugar by the Lord’s presence as the
idol, which often flows down as sugarcane juice by his compassion.
Dhenuka: Balarama and Krishna went to the
forest with the cowboys and the cattle. One of the boys approached the brothers
to tell them about the juicy fruits of the palm trees deep in the forest and
expressed a desire to taste them. Balarama and Krishna, ever ready to please
their friends, went to the palm trees and shook the trunks vigorously for the
fruits. Asura Dhenuka was angry with the trespassers. He approached them in the
form of an ass, furiously walking with a heavy gait. He assaulted Balarama,
kicked him on the chest with his hind legs and forcibly pushed him to the
ground. Taken unawares, Balarama could not offer any resistance. Dhenuka
misjudged him to be a weakling and expected to overpower him easily by a
similar second kick. But sadly, he made an ass of himself. He tried to
attack once again but Balarama was alert this time. Holding his legs, he hit
Dhenuka hard against the trunk of the palm tree with a vigorous swirl and
killed him. Dhenuka’s relatives attacked them for the death of their kinsman
but received the same treatment. Rohini and Yashoda performed benedictory rites
to ward off evil as a result of their association with asuras. After that, the
people entered the palm grove without fear and enjoyed the fruits for a long
time.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
( A tribute to the great Bharatiya Samskruti)
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