The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Naarada explaining fourteen items that should be under constant vigil under a leader. This is part of the Sage Naarada-Yudishtra conversation wherein Sage Naarada is reminding Yudishtra some key aspects of “Raaja-Dharma”, as he takes over as the king of Indraprastha. In this manner, we had witnessed the fourteen important items namely, “Desham”, “Durgam” “Ratham”, “Elephants”, “Horses”, “Armymen”, “Ministers”, “Antah-Puram”, “Food”, “Servants”, “Shaastram”, “Writing”, “Dhanam” (Wealth) and “Balam” (Strength) to be under constant check. We’ve witnessed how important it is to constantly protect and update the army so that the country gets ready to fight any enemy at any point in time. The army, cavalry, horses, elephants, and other important weaponry should always be “state-of-the-art” and should be tested every now and then. This is why even today we see many countries constantly “test-firing” certain important missiles and other modern weapons that are used in today’s warfare. Moreover, servants need to be under constant vigil, because they might fall on either side – Ours or the enemy’s. Chances are high that if these servants aren’t kept under vigil, they might poison us to death as well! Moreover, the king’s “Antah-Pura” should also be under constant notice. Like this, Sage Naarada explains fourteen important items that a king should always have under his control all the time. 

Moving on thus, Sage Naarada is going to explain the next set here – A set of “Eight”! Now what are those eight things that the king should always keep taking care of every passing day? Let us witness today. Sage Naarada explains the eight items thus – “Krishi” (Farming and agriculture) , “Vanigam” (Trade / Business), “Durgam” (Building bridges and other connectivity constructions to enhance transport), “Kunjara-Bandhanam” (Building places to protect elephants), “Kanyaakaaram” (Creating mines for extracting precious metals like silver, gold, diamonds, etc.), “Karaadhaanam” (Taxes that are levied from people), “Shunyam” and “Nivechanam”  (Some remote places which can be converted into beautiful residential areas). Sage Naarada explains that these eight items are essential for efficient administration of a kingdom. 

We can apply all of these eight items to today’s governance as well. As we always keep witnessing in the news and also in the country’s budget every year, agriculture takes a prime place. We keep seeing that successive governments especially in India give enormous subsidies to farmers, so as to encourage them in taking up plantations and sowing crops. Thus, agriculture should always remain the fulcrum of any economy because this is the ultimate source of food for all of us. Of course, when agriculture is bountiful, other businesses around it would automatically flourish. This is where we see governments today trying their best to attract business houses to set shop, thereby providing employment to thousands of people. Business and trade should be encouraged as this gives enormous opportunities for people to make their own livelihoods. Ultimately, the more people can earn, the more they would spend, isn’t it? Hence, this is a cycle and with this cycle, the governments also see opportunities to collect taxes to fill its coffers. With these taxes, many developmental activities like infrastructure building (Building roads, railways, bridges for better connectivity, etc.) can be taken up by the government. Thus, with better infrastructure, the lifestyle of people would gradually improve, wherein new and planned residential areas can be developed. People would definitely have a higher standard of living and gradually the country would become prosperous. Moreover, the government can also increase its revenue by exploring places where precious metals, crude oil, etc. can be obtained from under the earth’s surface. This is also a huge opportunity for many people to get employment and this again contributes to the business cycle of the country. 

This is exactly what Sage Naarada is also explaining here. We can see how Sage Naarada’s words are exactly applicable and totally relevant to today’s contexts as well. Thus, these eight items are eight pillars of administration in terms of business and development. So for today, let us understand these eight points clearly and let us wait for the next episode to continue this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had continued the discussion between Sage Naarada and Yudishtra, wherein Sage Naarada had asked Yudishtra whether he was following the six important characteristics or qualities that a leader should possess. Subsequently, we witnessed the seven important methodologies that a leader should adopt while handling different people differently. They are “Mantra”, “Aushadam”, “Indra-Jaalam”, “Saamam”, “Dhaanam”, “Dhandam” and “Bhedam”. We’ve had a detailed discussion on all these seven important methodologies yesterday and in today’s episode we shall move ahead with the next set that Sage Naarada is going to emphasize now. Now the number is “Fourteen”. Thus, Sage Naarada is asking Yudishtra whether he is constantly putting these fourteen people under test at all times! We might wonder here as to why we should “test” someone! Yudishtra also had this same doubt and Sage Naarada explains why a leader should keep these people under constant testing. We shall first understand who those fourteen are and then subsequently we shall understand why we should test them. 

Sage Naarada lists out the fourteen here – “Desham”, “Durgam” “Ratham”, “Elephants”, “Horses”, “Armymen”, “Ministers”, “Antah-Puram”, “Food”, “Servants”, “Shaastram”, “Writing”, “Dhanam” (Wealth) and “Balam” (Strength). Thus, these fourteen should always be under constant tests. Now we would have understood why these things are to be tested frequently. For instance, if we relax a bit and develop some sort of complacency with regards to the elephants, horses, armymen (Soldiers), etc. the army would become outdated. A king should always ensure that the army inclusive of all these should constantly be on high alert and vigil. Even today we witness this – Every country has its own army and every government investments thousands of crores of rupees (or whatever is the respective currency of that country) to build “State-of-the-art” army with all required equipments, weapons, aircraft, latest variants of missiles, and in some cases nuclear weapons as well. We’ve of late been hearing constant news on this front due to the ongoing war situation, isn’t it? Thus, constant testing and vigil is required in the army front. 

Similarly, servants, ministers, etc. should also be under constant testing, but the leader should do it secretly without their knowledge of them being under test. For instance, servants should constantly be under watch because they might steal something from the coffers while doing some cleaning or other routine work. Sometimes, if we’re careless, our enemy might secretly befriend our servant and in a bid to put us to death, the enemy might use this servant to maybe poison our food! We never know! These kinds of incidents have happened in the past with many leaders and we’ve seen the story of one such political leader in South-India losing her life to this. Thus, servants should be under constant vigil. Similarly, ministers should also be under constant check, because ministers are the main sources of corruption. Even in today’s scenario we’re witnessing how ministers are openly involved in public looting and at times, the top authority is clueless as to what is happening on the ground! The Prime Minister / President of a country might be good enough to announce some welfare schemes for people, but he / she should keep a check on the ministers who are supposed to take these welfare schemes to the public, isn’t it? Else, the ministers would use the funds allocated for these welfare schemes to build their own villas, buy expensive cars, etc. and roam around freely without getting caught! Thus, some sort of accountability should be maintained by the leader so that the ministers under him / her do not misuse their power to involve themselves in corruption. 

In similar lines, a king should also keep all his accounts (Wealth inflow and outflow) correctly. He should know what is coming in and what is going out. If the king is not having a check on this properly, we would have a situation that is currently happening in Sri Lanka, wherein the country is reeling under a huge economic crisis. If the leader doesn’t have a check on the public finances, the country will run into bankruptcy within no time and people would have to suffer excessive inflation costs and experience lack of essentials for their survival. Thus, “wealth management” for a leader is of paramount importance. Similarly, “Shaastram”, and its allied aspects should also be under constant vigil – One main reason behind this is that, if we let ourselves lose and if we do not practice the chanting of Vedas, Upanishads, and the likes, we might tend to forget them quite easily. Hence, we should make it a point to practice them frequently. 

Thus, we witness here that these fourteen items need special vigil and attention and should be under constant check. So for today, let us understand this point clearly and in the next episode, we are going to witness “Eight” things that a king should take care of every day. Stay tuned for more updates on this interesting and informative Yudishtra-Sage Naarada conversation! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the remaining three out of the six important characteristics that a king should possess as part of being a great leader. We’ve witnessed how a leader should stick to the path of “Dharma” no matter what the situation might be around him / her. Moreover, the leaders should have a great deal of remembrance of past experiences and events that had taken place, and should have the capability to implement those learnings in the future, if any such similar events take place. Thus, a leader should remember the past, live the present and plan for the future. All these three are important, and there should be a good level of balance between them. For instance, there is no use of just living in the past, wherein the leader only talks and talks about what happened ten years ago! At the same time, the leader shouldn’t completely ignore what happened in the past. This means that the leader is not ready to learn from his / her mistakes. At the same time, the leader should not completely devote time only in planning for the future. Focusing on the present moment is also of paramount importance. There’s no use of just planning, if there is no present-day implementation. Thus, a balance needs to be struck equally between the past (Learning from past experiences), present (Implementing the learnings from the past), and future (Planning and forecasting). This is exactly what Sage Naarada is trying to advise Yudishtra with regards to the six important qualities of a leader. 

Moving on further, Sage Naarada next focuses on “Seven”. We might now wonder what is this set of “Seven” Sage Naarada is talking about. He now focuses on “Sapta-Upaayam” which means, there are seven methodologies that a leader / king should follow for effective administration. They are “Mantra”, “Aushadam”, “Indra-Jaalam”, “Saamam”, “Dhaanam”, “Dhandam” and “Bhedam”. Many of us might know the last four of them – “Saamam”, “Dhaanam”, Bhedam” and “Dhandam”, isn’t it? Sage Naarada adds three more to this list. All these pertain to how a leader should handle different people differently. As we all know, “Saamam” is the most righteous and easy method to handle people – It involves giving a bit of an advice to people to mend their ways and fall into the path of “Dharma”. “Dhaanam” is a method wherein a leader gives some “gifts” or “donations” in order to bring people into the line. “Bhedam” is a technique wherein the leader purposefully creates rifts within the team, so that all the members would come towards the leader for a solution. This would enable the leader to gain control of the team effectively. Finally “Dhandam” means taking the stick in the hand to mend people’s ways. In other words, giving punishments for people’s wrongdoings is “Dhanda-Ubhaayam”. All of us might be knowing these four techniques of handling different people differently, and this is what Sage Naarada explains here. 

Apart from these four, as I had mentioned earlier, Sage Naarada explains three more – “Mantram”, “Aushadam” and “Indra-Jaalam”. Now let us witness what these are and how these fit into the list. Normally, we might have seen “Mantra” being used as a technique to bring people under control – Some people are good in “Pilli-Soonyam” (Black magic), wherein they chant certain “Mantras” aimed at detrimental effects on others. With this “Mantra-Jaalam” it is possible to blackmail others, thus bringing them under control. Similarly we have “Indra-Jaalam” which can be equated to “Maya-Viddha”. In English, we could somehow equate it to “magic”. We might have witnessed how magicians make people attracted to them and how they are able to perform some illusionary acts to surprise others. Similarly, “Aushadam” means medicine. Some people can be brought under control via certain medicines. We would have witnessed how drugs and narcotics work, isn’t it? Even in today’s scenario we have all this very predominantly. If we take certain drugs, it artificially increases our ability to do certain things, and we would be able to see this especially in sports. This is why in popular sports events like the Olympics, there is something called “Dope test”, which would detect whether the participants are under the influence of any drugs that would artificially increase their abilities. 

Thus, Sage Naarada explains these seven “Upaayams” with which a leader can exert control over his people. So for today, let us understand until this point and let us wait till the next episode to witness the next number – “Eleven”! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Naarada explaining some important qualities of a leader (King, in this context) with regards to executing “Raaja-Dharma”. We’ve witnessed Sage Naarada talking about a few “numbers” in the last episode – Six, seven, fourteen, etc. We’re subsequently in the process of witnessing what are these “Six, seven and fourteen”. In the quest of understanding the six, we’ve witnessed three out of the six yesterday – “Vyaakyaana Shakti”, “Pragalbadha” and “Kushalaha”. While “Vyaakyaana Shakti” implies that the king should have an in-depth understanding of what the other person tells him, and he should explore the deeper meaning into what people are saying, “Pragalbadha” indicates humility or “Vinayam”. A king should always exhibit humility towards his subjects irrespective of any situation. Third one was “Kushalaha” which means that a king should be prepared with counter narratives on any topic or subject, when people talk or debate with him. This simply means that the king should be scholarly and should know the subject very well. For this, of course, the king should do a lot of homework and preparation and should be on top of things at all times. 

Moving on thus, Sage Naarada  asks the fourth question out of the first six qualities here. He now talks about ”Bhootakaaluki Smriti”, which means that a king should never forget what had happened in his kingdom in the past. For instance, this is the reason why we have a “family doctor” today. Many of us might have the practice of going only to one doctor most of the time, whenever we fall sick, or if we have some medical complications. Why do we do that? It is simply because, if we stick to one doctor, he / she would know which medicine would suit our body conditions and which medicines might be allergic to us. We might have seen with ourselves and many others that certain medicines can cause some complex side-effects on our body and only our family doctor would know it better. Whereas, if we consult some other doctor all of a sudden, he / she might not know our medical history and might end up giving a wrong medication which might cause unwanted complications, isn’t it? Similarly here also, as a king, it is very important to remember the past history as to what had happened in the kingdom during the earlier days. This would enable the king to strategize and plan things better. 

For instance, the Covid-19 pandemic happened all over the world and India too had its share of problems last year. Since it was the first time we had such a large-scale disease, many of us did not know how to handle it, which led to lot of lives being lost. However, the question now is that, if another such pandemic occurs in future, what are the learnings that we’ve obtained from the previous experience, so that we can handle the situation better next time? Thus, the administrators should have the past Covid-19 experiences fresh in their memory at all times, so that the learnings from the pandemic would enable them to handle a fresh pandemic situation in future in a more systematic and professional manner. 

Moving on to the fifth one thus, Sage Naarada explains to Yudishtra: “Oh Yudishtra! It is not just important that you only keep remembering the past. Are you planning for the future too? You cannot live those days that have already gone by. You only have the present moment and the future in your hands. Just like how you remember the past, you should also be able to strategize for the future!” This is exactly what I tried to explain in terms of the Covid-19 pandemic example in the previous paragraph. It is not enough to remember the past pandemic experience and keep brooding over it. We’ve to plan for the future as well – If another such pandemic occurs in future, or if some new variants of the same Covid virus arise, how well can we handle the situation so that we can minimize the loss of lives? This is what we’ve to focus on as we move forward, and this is exactly what Sage Naarada also explains to Yudishtra. 

Moving on to the last of the six important qualities, Sage Naarada explains about “Neethi”. He asks Yudishtra thus, “Whatever happens in the kingdom, are you deviating from the path of “Dharma” or are you sticking to it?” This is also very important here for a leader. There might be compelling situations for a king / leader wherein he / she might be tempted to move away from “Dharma” for scoring some personal brownie points. Now the question here is that, are we remembering “Dharma” always and irrespective of whether we score brownie points or not, are we playing a neutral role as a leader? This is where many of today’s leaders go wrong – The moment they see an opportunity for themselves, they start taking sides where the opportunity for their growth is more! This is a very bad approach towards leadership. A leader should always exhibit neutrality and take unbiased and informed decisions, rather than leaning towards one side and ending up taking skewed decisions! 

Thus for today, let us understand these six points for effective leadership, as explained by Sage Naarada and let us wait for the next episode to witness the next number – “Seven” that Sage Naarada says! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Naarada giving a grand entry into Yudishtra’s Indraprastha, and Yudishtra on his part welcomed Sage Naarada with all the due respects as per the “Raaja-Dharma”. As Sage Naarada settles down on his seat, he asks a few questions to Yudishtra that are extremely important with regards to executing the “Raaja-Dharma”. Sage Naarada commences with the four important pillars of our “Sanaatana Dharma” namely, “Dharma”, “Artha”, “Kaama” and “Moksha”. Keeping aside “Moksha” for a while, Sage Naarada stressed upon the other three and asked Yudishtra whether he ensured a balance between them. For instance, too much focus on “Dharma” and leaving behind the “Artha” and “Kaama” is also disastrous for the kingdom. This means that the king only keeps talking rules and regulations and does nothing on the ground! Similarly, if “Kaama” goes high, the king would only be interested in filling up his coffers with all the wealth possible and will not spend anything for the people’s welfare (“Dharma”). Thus, Sage Naarada asked Yudishtra whether he was able to maintain this balance correctly or not. 

Of course, it is known to all of us that Yudishtra himself is an embodiment of “Dharma”, and also that Yudishtra has just taken over as the king of Indraprastha. Yet, Sage Naarada asks as if Yudishtra is on the throne for years together! Why is this so? It is only to remind Yudishtra of these important aspects of Raaja-Dharma”, and also to educate people like us who do not know anything of these, Sage Naarada is highlighting all these important points. Moving on further, Sage Naarada asks the next question thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Now that we’re discussing the “Artha”, “Dharma” and “Kaama”, are you allocating separate timings during the day for all these three aspects? For instance, are you allocating your morning time of the day for the aspect of “Dharma”? In the afternoon time, are you dedicating your time for earning wealth (“Artha”)? Similarly, are you dedicating your evening and night for “Kaama”?” 

Thus, whatever Sage Naarada is asking here, is represented in the Vedas under the “Daksha-Smriti”. The Vedas clearly allocates three different parts of the day for three different things to be done by us. This is exactly what Sage Naarada is invoking here. Moreover, Sage Naarada asks Yudishtra whether he is exhibiting six important characteristics that are prescribed by the Vedas, and whether is he employing seven important “Upaayams” (Methodologies) to execute his administrative affairs. Moreover, Sage Naarada asks Yudishtra whether he is testing the strength (“Bhalam”) of a set of fourteen types of people. Thus, as Sage Naarada asks these questions one by one whether Yudishtra knows these six, seven, fourteen, etc., Yudishtra thought within himself thus, “Oh Wow! What is Sage Naarada talking about? Why is he giving all these numbers to me? Is he here for teaching me some lessons in Mathematics or is he wanting to teach me the “Dharma-Shaastra”?” Thus, we shall understand what these numbers are all about! 

We shall witness these numbers now in detail and what is the intention behind Sage Naarada asking such questions. We’ll first begin with the first number – 6. Sage Naarada had asked Yudishtra whether he is exhibiting six important characteristics, isn’t it? The first of the six is “Vyaakyaana-Shakti” – If someone is explaining something to a king, it is the duty of the king to understand the in-depth meaning of what that person is telling. The king shouldn’t understand things in a vague way like how we do today! 🙂 The king should be able to analyze the content and extract the real underlying meaning behind every word that the other person is saying. For instance, we’ve witnessed this earlier – When Duryodhana wanted the Paandava brothers to enter into the “Laaksha Griha” (Wax Palace), Vidura gave a warning to Yudishtra in the “Mlecha-Bhaasha” (Secretive coded language). Vidura was telling Yudishtra that he should be careful while living in the new place, and “walls would have ears”! He was also saying that walls might be inflammable too! Readers might remember this very well. If we would have been in Yudishtra’s position, we would have left it off as some meek words of advice! However, Yudishtra understood the deeper meaning of what Vidura was trying to explain. This is called “Vyaakarna-Shakti”. 

Second charactiersitc is “Pragalbatha”, which can also be equated to “Vinayam”. When we talk to someone, we should not show arrogance in our tone, voice, accent of language and the words that we employ. We should always exhibit humility in whatever we talk and whatever we do in action. Thus, Sage Naarada explains how important it is to exhibit humility as a king. Third one is “Kushalaha” – If you’re debating a subject with your people and if they come up with valid arguments against your points, are you able to retaliate with counter narratives that can answer their concerns? In other words, when a ruler proposes certain welfare schemes for the people, not all of them would sink with them. Some people would raise concerns which might be genuine in nature. For these points, how is the ruler able to give a counter narrative and ensure that their concerns are also listened to, as well as duly addressed? This is a very important characteristic of a king! 

So for today, let us understand these points clearly as per what Sage Naarada explains. We shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well and witness the remaining three characteristics. Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Vyaasa giving a detailed accord on the prolific Sage Naarada, as the latter was going to pay a visit to Indraprastha. Sage Vyaasa explains how Sage Naarada is an epitome of all knowledge and wisdom, and how his heart and body melts down when it comes to “Bhakti” towards Bhagawan Vishnu. We’ve to understand an important point here – If we’ve to find the combination of knowledge / expertise and ardent “Bhakti”, it can only be present in unique people like Sage Naarada. In many people we might see that they would be extremely scholarly in terms of education, experience, etc. but they would think too much about themselves! That “Bhakti” factor would be absent in them. However, on the other spectrum, there might be people who are ardent in terms of “Bhakti”, but they might not be very scholarly in nature. However, Sage Naarada is one unique example conveying the message that Bhakti and scholarliness in a person should go in tandem with each other. We might be extremely scholarly, but if that “Bhakti” factor isn’t there, that scholarliness goes to the drain. Thus, the message here is that, our scholarliness should be channelized in the “Bhakti-Maarga” and this is exactly what Sage Naarada does. 

Thus, with all these significances, Sage Naarada makes his way into Indraprastha and reaches Yudishtra’s courtroom. As Yudishtra meets Sage Naarada, he was overwhelmed with joy upon meeting the great sage, and he does all the respectful gestures to him and makes him comfortable. As Sage Naarada was welcomed warmly thus, he was also extremely happy with Yudishtra. As Sage Naarada settles down, he starts inquiring with Yudishtra as to how the “Raaja-Dharma” is being executed at Indraprastha. Sage Naarada comes up with a huge set of questions, which Sage Vyaasa has compiled in the next fifty to fifty-five slokas! As Sage Naarada puts forth such a huge “questionnaire” in front of him, Yudishtra was thinking within himself thus, “Oh wow! My coronation was just over yesterday, and I’ve just taken oath as a king! Within just twenty-four hours, how can I accomplish all what Sage Naarada is asking me?” We might also have seen various political parties forming governments coming up with posters on the “Tenth day of forming the government”, “Hundredth day of forming the government”, etc., isn’t it? These political parties would come up with some public meetings and posters here and there highlighting their achievements within their first hundred days of forming the government. Of course, before the election, these political parties would have given some “assurances” to people while seeking votes. Thus, to project to the world that the government has lived up to people’s expectations, these meetings would be held. Similarly here also, Sage Naarada reminds Yudishtra of the assurances that he has given to his people with regards to the “Raaja-Dharma” and checks whether he is living up to the expectations of his people. 

This is a huge “Adhyaaya” and of course, I shall explain just one or two important points that Sage Naarada is emphasizing with regards to “Raaja-Dharma” and we shall move forward. Sage Naarada first settles down and asks the first question to Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! All of us might be knowing the four important parameters of our Sanaatana Dharma – “Dharma”, “Artha”, “Kaama” and “Moksha”, isn’t it? Let us set aside “Moksha” for the time being. Of course, only people who strive for it would be able to attain that, and let us discuss “Moksha” in a different context and at a later time. Now we shall talk about the other three. Oh Yudishtra! I know you’re an epitome of “Dharma”, and hence I wanted to check whether you’re focussing completely on “Dharma” and forgetting the other two (Artha and Kaama)! Or sometimes, many kings forget the “Dharma” part and focus completely on “Artha” (Earning wealth) and “Kaama” (Enjoying the earnt wealth)! Hence, I want to check whether you’re having all these important things in balance!”

How valid is Sage Naarada’s point here! Many of us might have this habit – We would keep earning a lot of money, but when it comes to spending, we would be totally a miser! This should not be the case, isn’t it? Even if we look at many temples today, there might be temples that get extremely good revenue in terms of crores of rupees per month. But if we look at what the temple spends towards its “Bhaktas” or towards the deity, it would be extremely dismal! For instance, the temple should channelize its income in terms of renovating and maintaining the temple with all sorts of cleanliness, orderliness, etc. The temple can recruit qualified “Archakas” and train them with all the Vedic lessons. The temple can procure new ornaments, dresses for Bhagawan. The temple can donate a lot of money for the poor and needy and also give free Anna-Dhaanam” (Prasadham) for people. In this way, many things can be done! But the question here is how many temples really do such things judiciously! Even government rules today say this very clearly – If you’re running a charitable trust and earning hundred rupees per month, you’ve to spend atleast 85 rupees towards “Dharma-Kaarya” (Charity) and can only save the rest of the fifteen rupees. It cannot be the other way round! A charity is not for saving truckloads of money. Instead, it is for spending the money in a “Dharmic” way to help people in some way or the other. 

This is exactly what Sage Naarada asks here – As a king, it is important to earn money in terms of taxes and other sources of income, but it is equally important to spend that money judiciously for the welfare of people. The king shouldn’t just fill his coffers and keep quiet, just like how the present government of India does! As we know very well, we’re paying enormous taxes on fuel (petrol, diesel, cooking gas, etc.) in spite of crude oil prices being at skyrocketing levels! However, nobody knows what is being spent out of the huge taxes that we pay with regards to people’s welfare! This should not be the case, isn’t it? Hence, for today, let us understand this point very clearly and let us continue this discussion forward in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a glimpse of the significance of Bindusaras, which is the first landing point of River Ganges into this world. We can worship this place even today in the North-Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and this is a site full of natural beauty. It is at this place, King Vrishaparva was residing and he had a beautiful palace built by Mayan. After many decades, as Mayan built the Indraprastha palace for Yudishtra and Co., he remembered the two important items – “Gadha” and “Devadattham” that were there in Vrishaparva’s palace. With the permission of Yudishtra, Mayan picked up both the items from Bindusaras and gifted the Gadha to Bheemasena and the Devadatham to Arjuna. Moreover, we’ve also witnessed that while burning down the Kaandava-Vanam, Arjuna was in need of a chariot, and Agni Bhagawan gifted him with one. This chariot was also created by none other than Mayan himself, with the flag containing Hanuman on its top. Thus, we can see here that Mayan has contributed immensely to the Paandavas in terms of Arjuna’s chariot, the “Devadattham”, the “Gadha” for Bheemasena and finally the magnificent palace of Indraprastha which was single handedly built by him! 

With all this in place, Yudishtra and Co. enter into the grand courtroom and the inaugural ceremony takes place in a grand manner. Yudishtra had invited around 10,000 Brahmin “Pandits” and fed them with sumptuous food. Thus, with this, we come to the end of this introductory “Upa-Parva” of the “Sabhaa Parva”, and now we are going to enter into the next one called “Lokha-Paala-Sabhaakhyaana Parva”. Here we’re going to witness Sage Naarada’s entry into Indraprastha and something interesting about the “Loka-Paalakas”. Now who are the “Loka-Paalakas”? They are none other than Yama-Dharma-Raja, Varuna Bhagawan, Kubera and Indra. Thus, each of them are the rulers of different directions. For instance, the southern direction is ruled by Yama-Dharma-Raja. Kubera is the ruler of the northern direction. Indra rules the eastern direction while the western direction is ruled by Varuna Bhagawan. For all these four “Lokha-Paalakas”, there is one leader, and he is none other than Bhagawan Brahma! Thus, in this “Upa-Parva”, we’re going to witness the beauty and significance of the courtrooms of all these people, as narrated by Sage Naarada. Actually Sage Naarada’s visit to Indraprastha was to do some “Dharma-Upadesha” (Some important pieces of advice pertaining to “Dharma” in this world), however, upon looking around the Indraprastha palace, Sage Naarada was extremely impressed. Thus, before he commenced his “Dharma-Updadesha” to Yudishtra, Sage Naarada gave an account of similar such courtrooms in the Indra-Lokha, Kubera-Lokha, Bhagawan Brahma’s Satya Lokha, etc. 

Thus, as Sage Naarada is about to make his way into Indraprastha, Sage Veda-Vyaasa has described his significance in a series of 10 to 12 slokas. Sage Vyaasa describes Sage Naarada as follows: He is the one who is the master of all the “Ithihaasas” and “Puraanas” in this world. He has gained expertise in all the Vedas and Upanishads. He is an expert in all the “Shaastras” such as “Nyaaya-Shaasthra”, “Dharma-Shaasthra”, etc. and also in all the “Angas” such as “Sheeksa”,  “Vyaakarna”, “Chandas”, “Nruttham”, “Jyotisham”. Moreover, Sage Naarada is an expert in the concept of “Aikyam”. In other words, “Aikyam” means “All is one” and “All originates and ends in one”. This is what all the “Shaastras” would repeatedly emphasize, and Sage Naarada knows all the intricacies behind this. Moreover, Sage Naarada knows in and out of all the important “Tatvas” (Logic) in this world, “Hitham”, and “Hithaartham”. 

Moreover, Sage Naarada is an expert in “Tarka-Shaasthra”. For instance, if we’ve to explain a concept in any language, we’ve to take care of five elements in it. They are “Prathignya”, “Hethu”, “Udaaharana”, “Upanaya” and “Nigamana”. Thus, if Sage Naarada describes any concept from our “Sanaatana Dharma”, he would ensure that he would include all these five elements in it, so that the listener would be able to understand it clearly without any doubts. Moreover, Sage Naarada clearly knows the significance behind “Dharma”, “Artha”, “Kaama” and “Moksha” and how one should strive to attain the ultimate “Moksha”. If anyone asks a doubt to Sage Naarada, that doubt would be cleared for their entire lifetime. This means that Sage Naarada is extremely clear in what he explains, and he makes sure that his explanation would be perfectly aligned to the person’s doubt and also to the person’s intellect, which has to grab the information. For instance, when we answer someone’s question, we should first understand their level of understanding of the problem, their intellectual capability, etc. and only then give an answer. If we’re talking at some high level and if the other person doesn’t understand anything of what we’re saying, we might still answer his / her question, but the other person would still have the same doubt in mind. Thus, we should ensure that our answer to the other person’s question would suit his / her understanding and we should structure our answer in that way. This is a sheer expertise that would come out of enormous experience and learning, and Sage Vyaasa explains here that Sage Naarada had that unique experience and expertise in him! 

So for today, let us understand all these important points of Sage Naarada’s significance and we shall continue this discussion forward in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

We’ve witnessed in the previous episode that Mayan takes Yudishtra and Co. around the newly built Indraprastha masterpiece and explains each and every aspect of it to them. Yudishtra was mighty impressed with what Mayan had done for them. Arjuna was wonderstruck beyond words! For just one small help that he had done by letting him escape the “Kaandava-Vanam” fire, Mayan has reciprocated with interest! This was a real masterpiece of all sorts, wherein one couldn’t find such a palace anywhere in this world! As Mayan was showing them place after place, he also adds an important accord here that he would like to gift Arjuna with the “Devadattham” (A special Shankam that is used in the battlefield to announce the commencement of war) and Bheemasena with the powerful “Gadhaa” (A heavy and a powerful weapon used in those days during warfare). To obtain these two, Mayan has to go to Vrishaparava’s palace that is at a place called “Bindusaras”. 

Now we should understand where this Bindusaras is and what is its significance. We’ve witnessed during our earlier Ramayana project that this Bindusaras is the place where River Ganga makes first contact with the world! We know that Mother Ganga is lodged amidst Bhagawan Shiva’s long and intense hair (“Jataa-Mudi”) and as Bhagawan Shiva loosens one strand of his hair, Mother Ganga flows through that one hair strand into the world. This is why Bhagawan Shiva is often referred to as “Gangaadhara” or “Jataadhara”. Thus, from Bhagawan Shiva’s hair strand, Mother Ganga lands on to the world in this place called Bindusaras. Here, Mother Ganga flows in three directions – One towards the Svarga Lokha, the second towards the Aakasha and the third towards our Manushya Lokha. We can worship this place even today in the North-Indian State of Himachal Pradesh. The entire place of Bindusaras is a huge rock where around 300-400 people can stand at one point. We can see Mother Ganga flowing in her full force on the rock and splitting into three directions. It is a paradise on earth and one of the most scenic places to be in! The water of River Ganges at this place is like crests of diamond stones falling! In other words, the water is extremely pure and seems like crystals falling on earth! As the sun’s rays fall on the falling water, we can see all the seven colors of the rainbow being reflected, which we might not get to see around the world! 

Thus, in this beautiful place called Bindusaras, King Vrishaparva had his exemplary palace, which Mayan had built many decades ago! Since this palace was currently unoccupied and with the demise of King Vrishaparva, Mayan thought of bringing these two items from this palace for Arjuna and Bheemasena. As Mayan proposes this idea, Arjuna and Bheemasena were more than happy and Yudishtra issued orders accordingly. With this, Mayan brought the two items from King Vrishaparva’s palace and gives it to both of them. It is with the same “Gadhaa” did Bheemasena killed many people during the Kurukshetra war and it is with the same “Devadattham”, did Arjuna announce the beginning of the war on all the eighteen days. As the days progressed in the war, the “Shankam’s” sound was starting to sound dreadful in the ears of the Kaurava camp. 

As Mayan returns back from Bindusaras, he brings around 8000 people along with him. These people were well-trained in various aspects of warfare, and they were part of King Vrishaparva’s huge army. Mayan explains to Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Apart from the two items that I had mentioned, here are extraordinarily trained warriors who would add to your already immensely powerful army brigade. They were part of King Vrishaparva’s army which is virtually non-existent now. These people would be of service to you at any point in time, whenever you require!” Saying thus, Yudishtra, along with Mayan and others, enter into the magnificent courtroom that was built in the center of the entire palace. The courtroom could seat any number of people and the seating capacity was almost close to infinity. Yudishtra would sit in the center of the courtroom and if he speaks from the center, he would be clearly audible from any corner of the courtroom with ease. 

Readers should recollect that during the “Maya-Darshana Parva” (The final “Upa-Parva” of the Aadhi Parva”), we had witnessed that Arjuna was gifted a unique chariot with the flag of Hanuman on its top. Even though Agni Bhagawan gifted that chariot to Arjuna at that moment, this chariot was created completely by Mayan only! Thus, we can see here that Mayan has gifted so many things to the Paandava brothers, and this is the reason why Sage Vyaasa dedicated an entire “Upa-Parva” called “Maya-Darshana Parva”! Else, why should a person who would have merely escaped a fire at the Kaandava-Vanam be given so much importance? It is only because Mayan has immensely contributed to the Paandavas’ welfare and growth, he has been given this special stature! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and we shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode we had witnessed an example of how the Paandava brothers along with Draupati were epitomes of the highest level of “Bhakti” towards Bhagawan Krishna. We’ve seen Bhagawan Krishna too reciprocating their unconditional surrender appropriately by being with them both physically and non-physically at all times. Now we’re at a stage wherein we’ve commenced the “Sabhaa Parva” detailed discussion and Yudishtra’s palace at Indraprastha is ready. It has a dazzling look from all sides and thanks to Mayan and of course Bhagawan Krishna’s minute-by-minute supervision, the palace was one amongst the best in the entire world. As the works were completed, it was time for Bhagawan Krishna to let Yudishtra rule Indraprastha on his own and return back to Dwaraka. However, the Paandavas and Draupati weren’t ready to let go off Bhagawan Krishna so easily. They tried to convince Him to stay with them for a little longer time atleast. Arjuna even went to the extent of saying that he would like to accompany Bhagawan Krishna all the way to Dwaraka for a few days. However, Bhagawan Krishna made sure that they stay-put at Indraprastha and assured them that He would be available for them at any point of time, with just a single thought about Him. 

With this, Bhagawan Krishna left for Dwaraka and as the Paandava brothers returned back to Indraprastha, Mayan was still there in the palace courtroom. He was doing all the finishing touches to the exemplary palace that he had built. As Yudishtra and Co. return back, Mayan takes them on a “campus tour” around the palace and asks Yudishtra thus, “Oh Dharma-Putra! Look at the way this palace has come up – Courtesy – Bhagawan Krishna’s divine Anugraha! Now you tell me if any other specifications need to be included. I’m ready to do it for you. If there are any alterations that are required from my end to the construction, please let me know and I shall take corrective actions accordingly!” As Mayan was talking thus, he suddenly remembered something important. Mayan explains it as part of his conversation towards the Paandavas thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Many years ago I had built a similar palace for a Raakshasa king by name Vrishaparva. That palace too resembled this Indraprastha one. However, Vrishaparva was killed in due course and nobody resides in that place now. That entire palace is empty. But, there are a couple of items in that palace if my remembrance can be trusted. There is a “Gadha” and a “Shankam” by name “Devadatham”. This “Gadha” is an extremely powerful weapon that can be used during wars to easily kill any kind of enemy! Perhaps, this “Gadha” would be an apt weapon for our Bheemasena to employ, given his enormous muscle power and strength. Moreover, for the “Devadatham”, I feel that Arjuna is the right person to have it. If you would grant me permission, I shall go there and see if these things are still present in Vrishaparva’s palace, and if they are still available, I shall bring them to you!” 

Now we would wonder who this “Vrishaparva” was all of a sudden and where did he come from! Now readers should trace their memory some hundred episodes back! 🙂 We’ve witnessed that Vrishaparva was a Raakshasa king, who had a daughter by name Sharmishta. Sage Shukraachaarya’s daughter was Devayani and both these women were married by King Yayaati, who in turn had five sons in total. The eldest son was Yadu and the youngest one was Puru. We’ve witnessed all these stories much earlier and I’m not going to repeat them here again. It is for this same Vrishaparva that Mayan built a magnificent palace, and now we’ve come so many years forward after that. In fact, we’ve crossed multiple generations after Vrishaparva to reach Yudishtra and Co. 

Thus, Mayan wants to go to this palace to look for these two weapons. Sage Vyaasa explains that this palace of Vrishaparva was located at a place called “Bindusaras”. Now we would wonder where is this Bindusaras! Let us wait till the next episode for an interesting accord on this! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna leaving for Dwaraka after a long stint at Hastinapura and Indraprastha along with the Paandava brothers. We had witnessed how Bhagawan Krishna ensured that the Paandavas are well settled at the new Indraprastha palace before He left. Unable and unwilling, the Paandavas gave a tearful send-off to Bhagawan Krishna, wherein Yudishtra himself volunteered to be the charioteer for Bhagawan Krishna for a short distance. If Yudishtra being an epitome of all “Dharma” is bowing down to Bhagawan Krishna, we can understand the unconditional surrender that the Paandavas had towards Him. It is for this reason that Bhagawan Krishna too was with them every minute and every second! Whenever the Paandavas had to undergo a tough ordeal, Bhagawan Krishna would immediately be by their side. In the further episodes we are going to witness how and where! So for now, we’ve to understand that Yudishtra and Co. are settled in their magnificently built palace – Courtesy Mayan. 

Moving on thus, Sage Vyaasa explains a beautiful point here as Bhagawan Krishna leaves Indraprastha. We’ve seen Yudishtra being His charioteer. Along with Yudishtra, Bheemasena was holding an umbrella for Bhagawan Krishna by standing adjacent to Him. Arjuna was fanning a “Shaamaram” (A type of an ancient fan) and making Bhagawan Krishna comfortable. Nakula and Sahadeva were standing behind Bhagawan Krishna in the chariot, with their eyes fixed upon Him. As the chariot moves along the streets of Indraprastha, even the people residing there were in tears. They were extremely sad that Bhagawan Krishna is leaving them! However, they made up their mind by consoling themselves that He too has a kingdom to take care. As the chariot moves to a certain distance outside the city of Indraprastha, Bhagawan Krishna stops it and tells Yudishtra thus, “Oh Yudishtra! For how long are you going to come and give me a send-off? You have your duties to discharge as a king, isn’t it? So I feel that all of you should return back to Indraprastha now and I shall continue my journey from here on!” 

As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, Yudishtra and Arjuna were in tears. They did not have the heart to leave Bhagawan and go back. Arjuna replies to Bhagawan Krishna thus, “Oh Krishna! Why are you saying such harsh words to us? I cannot even imagine living without you even for a minute. How can we spend our time at Indraprastha without you for countless days, months and years? We do not know when you will come back and see us again! Shall I accompany you to Dwaraka for a few days and then come back again to Indraprastha?” As Arjuna asks thus, he breaks down into tears and falls on Bhagawan Krishna’s feet. Upon seeing this, Bhagawan too was in tears for His ardent devotee. He lifts Arjuna, hugs him and explains an important point thus, “Oh Arjuna! Please do not worry! Oh Yudishtra! Please do not think that I’m leaving you completely. I’m only leaving you for a temporary period and that too physically. I’m always with you in your hearts. I will always protect you in reciprocal to your true Bhakti that you show towards me! Whenever you have a problem, or whenever you would like to see me, just think about me for a few minutes. I would appear in front of you immediately! I give my word to you on this!” 

As Bhagawan Krishna assures thus, Draupati was also by His side and these words impinged into Draupati strongly. Draupati clearly understood that Bhagawan Krishna is her only savior and from this day onwards, she was steadfast in her devotion towards Him. At a later stage we’re going to witness during the gambling episodes as to how Draupati remembered these words meticulously and called out for Bhagawan Krishna at a time when she was in that dire situation!Thus, as Bhagawan Krishna assures the Paandavas and Draupati, all of them reluctantly returned back to Indraprastha with sadness written all over their faces. However, as Bhagawan Krishna mentioned, Yudishtra’s “Raaja Dharma” is of paramount importance and he has to discharge his duties correctly towards the welfare of his people. With this in mind, Yudishtra took Bhagawan Krishna’s advice and returned back to his administrative duties. Days and months passed by and now, there’s going to be another important visitor to Indraprastha. Who is this important visitor and why did he make a visit to Indraprastha? Let us understand this in our next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂