Great Indian Women -2

Great Indian Women

Dharmabalam

Ugraayudha, the Raaja of Ajaamiidha vamsham, was very famous. He was a balavanta. He even got the Chakraayudham from Shri Hari. However he then got Ahankaaram. With Bala-garvam, he used to unnecessarily do Yuddhams with other Kings. He stopped thinking about Dharmam-adharmam, Nyaayam-anyaayam, Saadhyam-asaadhyam. None used to stand before him in Yuddham. Many became his saamanta-raajas, others lost their lives in the Yuddham. This increased his Ahankaaram.
Once he heard that Devavrata (Bheeshmaachaarya) was a Veeraadhiveera. He heard that in the Bhuu-mandalam, no one can defeat him. Ugraayudha then decided to do Yuddham against Gaangeya, so took a huge Sainyam and reached Hastinaapuram.
Just at that time the Pita of Bheeshmaachaarya, Shantana mahaaraja became a Svargastha. Bheeshmaachaarya had great duhkham. The Shraaddha-karma was not yet over by that time. Only few days were over. Ugraayudha thought it was the right chance and sent a duuta to Devavrata:
“Bheeshma! There is no one who can defeat me. You also know this. You also know the power of the Chakraayudham. I dont want your Aishvaryam, Raajyam. I want Matsyagandhi, Bhuvanaika-sundari, Satyavatii Devi. I will give you one day time”. Bheeshmaachaarya became very angry listening to the Dur-bhaasha of the Dushta. He couldnt bear that someone spoke like this about his Maata, Pativrata, Satyavatii Devi. Immediately he ordered Yuddham against the Dushta, Ahankaari Ugraayudha.
However, the Panditas, Purohitas, Nitya-hita-kaamas said “O Dharmaatma! Bheeshma! Ugraayudha is like a Pipiilakam (ant) before you. There is no need for you to go for Yuddham. Also your Pita’s Shraaddha-karma is not yet over. Shraddha is the most important thing in Pitru-kaaryas. You must not take Aayudhas, Divya-vastras now. Also one must always try to avoid Yuddham, because of its evil effects on the samaajam. Hence you send a Duuta, use Saama-daana-Bheda Upaayas and try. Then you can try Danda-upaayam. By that time the Pitru-kaaryam will also be over”.
The Dharmagnya, Bheeshma, listened to the advise of the Panditas and sent a Duuta to Ugraayudha. However all the efforts of the Duutas went waste. The Durahankaari never listened to them. Infact he immediately used his Chakraayudham on Gaangeya. However even the Chakraayudham became nistejam because of the Paativratyam of Satyavatii Devi and Dharmabalam of Bheeshmaachaarya!
The Chakram kept on spinning but didnt move an inch!! Ugraayudha used all his aatma-shakti, but the Chakraayudham never moved. Ugraayudha thought “Chakraayudham is more powerful than Brahmaastram. What is stopping it? May be because Bheeshma now has Aashouchakam, the Chakram is not approaching him. I will wait till the Aashouchakam is over”. However, even after the Pitrukarma was over, the Chakraayudham didnt move, it stayed in the same place in the air, spinning. Ugraayudha was amazed.
In no time Bheeshma reached the place, along with his Anuja Vichitraveerya. In the hands of the Veera, Bheeshma, Ugraayudha lost his life. Seeing the Bala-paraakramam of Bheeshma, even the Devatas were surprised. All the people who were supressed in the Paalanam of Ugraayudha, then did Stuti of Bheeshmaachaarya.
Morals in the Story:

1. Ahankaaram destroys the person having it. One must always remember that there is always someone who is greater than us. Even though Ugraayudha got Shri Hari’s Chakram, just because of Ahankaaram, he was destroyed.
2. A real Veera never shows off his Balam (see this too). Ugraayudha, with Bala-garvam, always did Yuddhams. Whereas Bheeshma, even though he had the Shakti to kill Ugraayudha, tried to send Shaanti-sandesham to Ugraayudha.
3. One who wishes a Para-strii, that too a Pativrata, will be destroyed. Before the Paativratyam of Satyavatii Devi, and Dharmabalam of Bheeshma, even the Vishnu-chakram became equivalent to a grass-shoot!
4. The amruta-vaakyas of the Panditas must always be remembered. Bheeshma followed the Dharmabodha of his Purohitas and was able to complete the Pitru-kaaryam and also teach Ugraayudha a lesson.

The story of Ghuśma

There used to be a sampanna-graamam near Devagiri in Southern Bhaarata-desham. A Braahmana by name Sudharma used to live there. His patni’s name was Sudeha. Sudeha was sad because they didnt have any santaanam. She then arranged Kalyaanam of her sister, Ghushma and Sudharma, hoping to get santaanam. Ghushma was a great Shiva-bhakta. She used to do archana of 101 Paarthiva-lingams (Shiva-Lingam made of sand) everyday.
On a sumuhuurtam, Ghushma gave birth to a boy. Everyone was happy. But the happiness didnt last for long. Many used to give more respect to Ghushma than Sudeha and used to say Sudeha was a Vandhya (woman with no children). Slowly Iirsha and Asuuya started in Sudeha on Ghushma.
Meanwhile the kid grew up and Sudharma did his Kalyaanam. The putra (son) and snusha (daughter-in-law) always used to respect Sudeha and look after her with prema. Similarly Sudeha and Ghushma also loved her. However because of Iirsha and asuuya, Sudeha’s heart was burning.
Finally Iirsha turned into Matsaram and one night she went near the newly married couple and killed the putra when they were sleeping. She then cut him into pieces and put the body into a kuupam where Ghushma used to put Nirmaalyam and used Paarthiva-Lingams! She came back and slept peacefully as if nothing happened.
Next day morning Sudharma and Ghushma were inolved in their Dina-charya and Sudeha was in kitchen acting as if nothing happened. But the snusha, to her terror, found that her husband was missing and she saw blood and flesh pieces. She tried to tell Sudharma and Ghushma, but they didnt respond as their were completely immersed in Daiva-dhyaanam.
When Ghushma was returning after putting that day’s Paarthiva-Lingams in the kuupam, she saw her putra walk towards her! At the same time Parama Shiva gave His divya-darshanam to Ghushma and told her to ask for a Varam. Ghushma said “please appear here as a Jyotirlingam and bless all of us”. Immediately Parama Shiva took the form as “Ghushmeshvara Jyotirlingam” (one of the 12 Jyotirlingams). The Kuupam became a Pushkarini by name “Shivaalayam”.
Morals in the story:

1. Iirsha, asuuya and Matsaram are very terrible. They change even a woman, with Komala Hrudayam into a Kathinaatma. Sudeha, who herself did Kalyaanam of Ghushma and Sudharma, developed Iirsha and finally did Mahaa-paapa kaaryams.
2. Bhakti of Ghushma and Sudharma are well shown in the story. Nothing disturbed them, they had 100% belief in God. God always protects such Bhaktas.

Goḍagūchi

Shivadeva and his Bhaarya were great Bhaktas of Parameshvara. Everyday they used to do Shiva-abhishekam, give Ksheera-naivedyam and do Stotram of Shiva, in their village’s Shivaalayam. Shivadeva never used to leave the village and go, because he was worried “if we are not there, who will do Ksheera-naivedyam?”. His Bhaarya also used to follow him and not leave the village.
Once due to an un-avoidable reason, they had to go out of the village for few days. Not knowing what to do they told their priya-putrika to do Ksheera-naivedyam without fail till they come back. They told her many many times not to forget and continue this Vratam.
After the Maata-pita left, Shivadeva’s putrika did snaanam, boiled Go-ksheeram, put it in a vessel, covered with a small silk cloth and took it to Shivaalayam. She kept the Ksheeram before Parama Shiva and said “Please take this Ksheeram Svaami!”. She saw that Pinaaka-paani did not drink the Ksheeram. She wondered why? She said “Svaami! Didnt the Ksheeram boil well? It is shuddha Go-ksheeram only Svaami please have it. Did you get angry that I dont know puuja-vidhi and mantras? If you dont like Ksheeram, shall I get some bhakshyas, along with which You can drink Ksheeram? We have Go-ghrutam and Navaneetam too in our house. Shall I run and get them? Shiva! will You eat paayasam instead? Everyday You accept when my Maata-pita do Naivedyam to You. Now why are You not accepting?”. Whatever she did, however she pleaded, Umaa-pati didnt drink the Ksheeram. Finally the putrika thought what is the use of a putra’s life when he cant follow Pitru-aagnya? and started to bang her head against the Shiva-lingam and do Praana-tyaagam.
Before that, Parameshvara stopped her and drank the Ksheeram! Everyday the baalika used to bring Ksheeram and Gangaadhara used to drink the Ksheeram. One day, when she was returning from the Devaalyam, she ran into her Maata-pita, who just then returned from the yaatra. They asked her why the vessel was empty. The Baalika replied that Shiva drank the Ksheram. She replied the same on being repeatedly asked to tell the truth. Not believing in her words, they took her to the Shivaalayam, along with a vessel containing Ksheeram and asked her to do Naivedyam. But this time Parama Shiva didnt drink. Thinking that his putrika lied, he tried to beat her. The baalika then did aalinganam of the Shiva-lingam. Before everybody she became aikyam with the lingam. Shivadeva tried to pull her with her hair and some hair was left coming out of the Lingam. Even now, the puujaaris of the Shivalingam do Kesha-samskaaram every 6 months of this adbhuta-lingam. From then onwards the baalika was called Godaguuchi and became famous in the list of great Shiva-bhaktas.

Morals in the story:

1. The Nishkalmasha-bhakti of Godaguuchi was great. With her ananya-bhakti, she achieved Shiva-aikyam in the end.
2. The importance of Niyamam, vratam is well shown in the story. Shivadeva everyday without fail used to do Ksheera-naivedyam. Discipline is a very important thing that we need to inculcate.

Kaikasī’s Śiva Bhakti

Rāvaṇa’s śakti increased day by day and we all know what ghora pāpa kāryas he did once he got Ahaṅkār seeing his own śakti. Devendra, hence, wanted to reduce the śakti of Rāvaṇa (Devatas, the Aditi putras, do not have kāma-krodhādi Ariṣhaḍvargas). He learnt that his śakti was mainly due to his Mātṛ-bhakti and her (Kaikasī’s) śakti was due to her niścala Śiva bhakti. Hence Devendra, once attempted to stop the Śiva pūja of Kaikasī: Kaikasī used to do Śiva pūja everyday on the banks of the ocean and on one day the ocean with its high tide came and washed away the Śiva saikata (made of sand) Liṅgam; stopping her Śiva pūja.
On seeing the great duhkham of her mother, Kaikasī, Rāvaṇa immediately gets angry on Mahāviṣhṇu and blames him to have stopped her mother’s Śiva pūja! Kaikasī then does hita-bodha saying that “if really my Śiva bhakti had no doṣhas then nobody could have stopped it. This happened means there is some mistake committed by us only and it is more important to please Paramaśiva and correct our mistakes than blaming others. Also none can stand against the great Viṣhṇu and even though we are Śaivas must never do Viṣhṇu droham (see this too)”. Realizing his mistake Rāvaṇa immediately sets out to do a tapas for Parameśvara for Śiva Ātma-Liṅgam (to replace his mother’s Saikata Liṅgam)!!
Morals in the story:

1. Before blaming others for the mistakes they committed it is very important to correct ourselves. Anyway no one will be spared by the God for the mistakes they have done (if they escape King’s punishement on the earth).
2. The importance of Mātṛ-bhakti is well shown by Rāvaṇa.
3. The story also shows how a mother, not encouraging the durguṇas of her child, can instead inspire him to do wonders. The parents must always try they level best to teach their children what is good and bad, rather than leaving them on their own.

Story of Heeraakaanii

We heard many many stories about greatness of Chatrapati Shivaji. Shivaji always followed the path of Dharmam. He never enjoyed the bhogas of a King. He had no vyaamoham on stri and never went even near by any suraapaanam (drinking alcohol). He gave daanam of his Raajyam to a Sanyaasi and ruled the Raajyam as his pratinidhi (this is the recommended way of ruling a kingdom according to our Shaastras). He never used to put unnecessary taxes on people  . Even his own Pattaabhishekam he did with his own money.
Shivaji maharaja had para-mata-sahanam, even though in his Raajyam the others were in minority. He did this even though he knew that in the neighbouring kingdoms the Moghul emporers suppressed, killed the Hindus and destroyed many many Devaalayas. Daya and Karuna were his svaabhaavika-lakshanas. This small story happened when he had his Durgam (fort) at Raayagadh.
Shivaji’s Durgam at Raayagadh was impenetrable. It protected him and his kingdom from many enemy kings. Security of the Durgam was of ultimate importance for the Raajyam. The Simhadvaaram of the Durgam used to be heavily guarded and it was strictly opened during 6am to 9pm only. Raaja-aagnya was that no one must be allowed in or out from the Dvaaram except in these times.
Heerakaanii was a ordinary women. She used to supply Goksheeram to the Raaja-aasthaanam. Everyday she used to come and go, for this purpose, into the Raayagadh Durgam.
One day, wife of one of the Sainikas was having Prasava-vedana. Heeraakaanii helped her and in that she became late. By the time the work was over, it was past 9pm and the Simhadvaaram was closed. Heeraakaanii told the Dvaara-paalaka to let her out. She said if she doesnt go back to her house, her baby will not get her milk. The Dvaara-paalakas took pity on her but they did not go against Raaja-aagnya and followed Seva-dharmam. They adviced her to take rest in the Sainika’s house and since Heeraakaanii’s husband is there in the house, he will manage feeding the baby.
The next day morning as soon as it passed 6am, the Dvaara-paalaka searched everywhere for Heeraakaanii, to send her out of the Durgam. He didnt find her. They searched everywhere and found signs that Heeraakaanii crossed the Durgam!! The Sainikas were ashtonished because even great great mahaaveeras can never cross the Durgam; how come Heeraakaanii crossed it? Fearing insecurity, they immediately reported the news to Chatrapati Shivaji.
Shivaji immediately came to the Dvaaram and checked what happened. While everyone was wondering how this happened, Heeraakaanii came before Shivaji and told Shivaji that she didnt follow Raaja-aagnya because she had to feed her baby. She said she was very sorry and was ready to take the punishment for her mistake. She said she herself didnt know how she managed to cross the Durgam and went out.
Shivaji fell at Heeraakaanii’s feet, did Saashtaanga pranaamam to her and ask her to pardon his mistake! He said “Amma! Your Maatruhrudayam I can understand. Please excuse me for not being able to send you out. No rule is greater before a Maatruhrudaya-karuna. This watch tower will be named on your name in order to respect your Maatruhrudayam”. From that time onwards the tower became famous as Heeraakaanii Buruzu and people never forgot the greatness of Shivaji and Heeraakaanii.

Morals in the Story:

1. The story clearly showcases the importance our people gave to a mother and a women. Shivaji though being a Chatrapati maharaja did Saashtaanga-pranaamam seeing the Maatruhrudayam of Heeraakaanii.
2. The paropakaara buddhi of Heeraakaanii was well shown in the story. She immediately helped the Sainika’s wife, whenshe was in need.
3. The Maatru-prema of Heeraakaanii was so high that even the impenetrable Durgam was easy for her to pass through
4. The qualities of a good ruler are shown well by Shivaji. He gave daanam of his Raajyam to a Sanyaasi and ruled the Raajyam as his pratinidhi. The Sanyaasi never wanted the bhogas of a King and asked Shivaji to rule the Raajyam without going against Dharmam.
5. Para-mata-sahanam (does not even remotely mean we follow other people’s religion) was always recommended by our Shaastras. Shivaji was a firm follower of it.
6. Seva-dharmam is one of the most difficult Dharmas to follow. The Sainikas of Shivaji firmly followed it.

Annapuurna

Dokkaa Seetamma was born in 1841 in Mandapeta ( near Rajahmundry, East Godavari Dist, Andhra Pradesh ) . She was known by many as “Annapuurnamma”. This was because of her sadgunams like Atithi-seva and Anna-daanam. To whoever was hungry, she used to cook food and serve them. In no time her fame went to all directions.
In 1902, December, she was called to Delhi for receiving an award for her daana-gunam. With great Vinayam, thinking that Atithi-seva, Anna-daanam are the minimum things that Bhaarateeya Samskruti imposed in order to show one’s Krutagnyata to his fellow humans, she didnt attend the function to receive the award. She was a true Bhaarateeya who was humble, never thought about name and fame. The collector, knowing this, made a painting of her, put it in the award cermony and respected her.
Once on a heavy rainy day a Vruddha sharana-arthi was shouting like this from the other side of the Godaavari river “I am very hungry. Please give me food. O Seetamma!”. Listening to the aarta-naadam, Seetamma felt pain. She immediately cooked food and herself carried it across the river in the heavy rain and served the hungry old man.
In a village by name Munganda, there was a Bhraatru-hantaka (he killed his own brother for property). Due to this dushkarma, he became a pishaachi. He experienced ghora-narakam with that form. Once he came into a small girl and said “one night Seetamma did great Annadaanam to a Vruddha. Please ask her to give me this one Anna-daana phalam. With this I will get Vimukti”. The family ran to Seetamma and told this. Immediately Seetamma did Phalatyaagam of her Anna-daanam with the help of her Purohita. Before everybody, the pishaachi got Vimukti. Seeing this everybody came to know the greatness of Anna-daanam. Bhaarata-desham will never forget Dokkaa Seetamma. Annadaata Sukhiibhava!
Morals in the story:

1. The Atithi-seva tattvam, Anna-daana gunam of a Bhaarata-naari is well shown in this story through Dokkaa Seetamma.
2. The greatness of Anna-daanam is well shown in the story. The punya-phalam of one Anna-daanam was enough to give Vimukti to even a pishaachi.

 

Om Tat Sat

                                                        

(Continued...) 

 

<sub>(My humble greatfulness to Moral Stories dot com,  Hindu dot com and Devotees   for the   collection)

( A tribute to the great Bharatiya Samskruti)</sub>