The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Arjuna emerging successful in accomplishing the competition, which everyone including Duryodhana, Shalya, Karna, etc. struggled even with the first step. As Arjuna invokes the divine “Anugraha” of Bhagawan Krishna, he successfully lifts the bow in his hand, has a look at the doll and the fish that are rotating inside a wheel on the top, subsequently looks into the water table to locate the mirror-image of the same, aims at the mirror image and lets go of the arrow towards the wheel above. This was something completely unrealistic to happen, and as Bhagawan Krishna was looking on, Arjuna correctly hits the eye of the fish with the arrow in just a single attempt! This took the entire courtroom by awe and stunned the whole lot of kings and Brahmana-Rishis who had assembled there and who had encountered failure before that! Thus, at a point when people were raising questions on the credibility of King Drupada and Drshtadhyumna, Arjuna clears the air and establishes that anything and everything is possible in this world, provided one has the determination, perseverance, right approach, skillset and over and above everything, Bhagawan Krishna’s divine Anugraha. 

As Arjuna accomplished the task thus, the entire courtroom appreciated him as “Savyasaachi”. As we had seen yesterday, “Savyasaachi” means “Ambidextrous” in nature. Arjuna had equal prowess in both his left and right hands while employing the bow. In other words, Arjuna could comfortably hold the bow in his left hand and employ the arrow with the right hand. Also, he could comfortably hold the bow in his right hand and employ the arrow with this left hand. Both of these were possible for Arjuna, and in fact, he had employed this technique here too. While holding the bow for the first time after lifting it, Arjuna was holding it in his right hand and had the arrow in his left hand. However, while looking at the “mirror-image” of the fish on the water surface, he quickly changed the bow from his right hand to his left hand, so that he could aim the arrow with the correct angle that would take it to the wheel above. This is because a mirror-image usually would be the opposite of our appearance. For instance, if we look in front of a mirror and look at our appearance, our left shoulder would be to our right and our right shoulder would be to our left, isn’t it? This was playing in Arjuna’s mind and immediately he adapted to this situation by understanding this technique. 

As this happens, the entire gathering was surprised. Questions were being raised as to how could a Brahmana Rishi achieve a warfare-related feat that even a Kshatrya king cannot achieve? Was this person really a Brahmana-Rishi or somebody else? In another two minutes, the identity is going to be revealed! Meanwhile, Bhagawan Krishna is also extremely happy and turns towards Balarama and says thus, “Oh Balarama! Look at what he has achieved! I’ve already told you, isn’t it? This person isn’t an ordinary Brahmana-Rishi as he appears to be. He’s none other than Arjuna himself! By the way he held the bow in his hand and by the way he switched the bow alternatively between his left and right hands, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that he’s Arjuna only. Else, nobody in this world could do what he has done right now. It is not easy!” As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, Balarama too acknowledges His opinion and both of them sit down to watch the further proceedings and action that is going to happen. 

Thus, with this, Arjuna was declared as the winner and this was an extremely bad insult to all the king’s assembled there. They felt that they were cheated right royally in public. All of them came together and threatened King Drupada thus, “Oh Drupada! What are you doing? What is going on here? You had called and promised to give your daughter in marriage to a Kshatrya prince and now you’ve made a Brahmana Rishi win the contest and you’re conveniently trying to marry off your daughter to a Brahmana Rishi! How could this happen? This is against the rule of Dharma. We would not accept to this. If you still want to proceed by giving your daughter to this Brahmana Rishi, we would team up together and fight you down. Perhaps, you can win over all of us in the battlefield and then proceed with your wish!” 

As the kings threaten thus, King Drupada got scared! He immediately approached Arjuna and seeked a solution for this. At this point, Arjuna got up and spoke thus, “Oh kings! Oh King Drupada! Oh Drshtadhyumna! My salutations to all of you! Before I could raise the bow in my hand, what did I ask? I asked whether you would give Draupati in marriage to me even if I’m a Brahmana Rishi. It is only after Drshtadhyumna had given the confirmation did I even touch the bow. If you had an objection, you should have expressed it at that point in time. Why did all of you keep quiet at that time? Now that I’ve won the contest, I’m the person who has the authority to marry Draupati. If anybody wants to oppose me, I’m ready to take down everyone in the war, and the war would happen inside this courtroom only! If you have the guts, you may come forward and attack me and my bow!” 

As the “Brahmana-Rishi” exclaimed boldly thus, the kings got extremely provoked! They decided to take him down together! Duryodhana, Shalya, Ducchaasana, Sishupala, Karna, etc. team up together and rage towards Arjuna! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall witness what happened next! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

We’re at a critical juncture wherein the “Svayamvara” event is moving on and king after king fail to qualify. As “greats” like Duryodhana, Shalya, Karna and the others end up in a failure, doubts start creeping into the minds of all people assembled there. Are they being fooled by King Drupada? Are they called to be insulted and shamed in public? Is it an unachievable target? Many questions were running in the kings’ minds and gradually as every king meets with the same failure, the thoughts transform into murmurs. It is at this time, Arjuna gets up from his seat from a corner of the courtroom. It was his turn now and the entire audience was taken by surprise as a “Brahmana Rishi” was taking to the center-stage. They were skeptical about how a Brahmana Rishi would be able to succeed in this pursuit when even highly trained Kshatrya kings aren’t! As Arjuna approaches the bow, he quickly confirms with Drshtadhyumna whether if he manages to win the competition, will Draupati be given in marriage to him or not. Drshtadhyumna too clears the air by giving an assurance that he’s ready to give his sister in marriage to anyone who wins the competition, irrespective of him being a Brahmana Rishi or a Kshatrya prince. 

As the assurance comes by in front of the entire audience, Arjuna keeps his hands on the bow for the first time. The way in which Arjuna kept his hands on the bow astounded many people, especially the Maharishis. Bhagawan Krishna is also looking at the proceedings with awe. While this was happening, the Maharishis commented within themselves thus, “Oh wow! Look at this sage’s approach towards the bow and arrow. I guess today is an important day wherein the world would come to know that Brahmana Rishis aren’t just known for performing penance and leading a simple and a quiet life. Brahmana Rishis can take the bow and fight too, if required! This Sanyasin is going to prove this point and is going to silence many of our critics today!” Thus, as Arjuna catches hold of the bow from the ground, he starts invoking all the important “Devatas” with his prayers. Most importantly, Arjuna invokes Bhagawan Krishna into his prayers as well. Bhagawan Krishna is sitting right in front of him and Arjuna invokes him with a request that it is only with His divine “Anugraha”, the event should be successful. 

As Arjuna offers his prayers thus, his strength and concentration increases manifold! We’ve to understand an important point here – We cannot achieve everything in life with just our effort alone. Of course, our effort is very important, and there’s no denying that. However, we also require Bhagawan’s “Anugraha” along with our effort, to achieve success. This is exactly what Arjuna is doing here. By employing his strength and concentration, Arjuna is invoking Bhagawan Krishna’s “Anugraha”, and this is a formidable combination. Thus, within a fraction of a second, Arjuna lifts the heavy bow in his hands and with this itself, many people were stunned! With the way in which Arjuna lifted the bow, everyone were damn sure that he’s the person who is going to achieve the target! Thus, within a whisker, Arjuna looks at the target while locking the arrow into the bow, looks down at the water table, aims his arrow upwards towards the target with the help of the shadow that falls on the water surface, releases the arrow and it straightaway goes and hits the “bull’s eye”! The fish is hit correctly where it had to be hit, with just a single arrow! 

As Arjuna achieves this quite easily without much effort, the audience were completely taken aback! Duryodhana couldn’t believe his eyes! Karna and Shalya were stunned beyond words! King Drupada and Drshtadhyumna were in awe of this “Brahmana Rishi” who has achieved something that even trained Kshatrya kings and princes couldn’t! This was an unbelievable success and it took a few minutes for this to sink into everybody’s minds! Moreover, this was the time that Arjuna obtained the name called “Savvyasaachi”. This word “Savvyasaachi” in English means “Ambidextrous”, which means that a person is equally powerful and capable with both left and right hands. Most of us might only be capable either to our left or to our right, isn’t it? We can’t be both. For instance, if we’ve to write something on a paper, we would only be able to write with either our left or right hand. We can’t do it with both our hands with equal capability. Only a very few people have that unique capability of being able to use both their hands to equal effect. Arjuna was amongst that exception and this was his secret of success! 

So why do we say that Arjuna’s “Ambidextrous” capability made him successful? We shall witness Arjuna’s “Secret of success” in our next episode! For now, let us understand and celebrate Arjuna’s victory over the other kings and let us soak into this victory for today. We shall continue this discussion in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the commencement of the grand “Svayamvara” event for the marriage of Draupati, the daughter of King Drupada. A countless number of kings from various territories across the Bhaarata Desha had assembled for the important and prestigious event. Normally these kinds of “Svayamvara” events are  more of a prestige issue for kings, because this is perhaps the easiest way to let the world know that a king can outsmart his counterparts, and the prize for achieving this feat is huge as well! With this intention, as all the kings including Duryodhana have assembled there, the “Svayamvara” commences. We’ve already witnessed the rules of the “Svayamvara” being read out by Drshytadhyumna in our previous episodes. Thus, each king comes forward to try his hand on the heavy bow and the arrows. However, some were not even able to lift the bow in their hands due to its heaviness. Even if some others lifted it, they weren’t able to lock the arrow inside the bow, and the rope was too long for that. While trying to do so, the rope hit the person’s face and he was pushed on to the ground! 

This was the same saga that was happening to king after king, and even Sishupaala wasn’t an exception. He too was very interested in accomplishing the challenge, however, he fell on the ground, thanks to the bow’s heavy rope. As Sishupaala falls down, the entire courtroom, inclusive of Bhagawan Krishna burst into a rapturous laughter and this embarrassed him to the core! Next in the list was Jaraasandha. He too failed in the attempt, although he being a great warrior. We’ve already witnessed who Jaraasandha was, during our previous “Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana” and Shri Vishnu Puraana” projects. We would again be talking about this Jaraasandha in a while from now. Moving on further, Karna was next in the list. Karna now being the king of the “Anga Desha” came forward to try his hands on the bow. As for the case of Sishupaala and Jaraasandha, Karna too failed when he tried to lock the arrow into the bow. Duryodhana was next. He too met with the same fate as Karna and the others did! Shalya came forward next, but again met with disaster. 

As king after king, prince after prince, warrior after warrior met with failures, the courtroom started having its own doubts! People started doubting King Drupada’s rules and regulations slowly, as nobody was able to win over the competition. Was it a fair competition? Was it a really achievable task? If nobody is able to achieve it, is it really worth going for it? These were the questions that were going round among all the kings who were assembled there. Initially the kings celebrated each other’s failures, but when individually they started realizing the toughness of the task, these doubts started creeping in. It is at this stage, a so-called “Brahmana-Rishi” got up and came near the bow. Till that time, he was sitting in one corner of the courtroom, without making any hue or cry. This so-called Brahmana-Rishi was none other than Arjuna himself! As he got up from his seat, he started walking towards the bow, which was kept in the center of the courtroom. As Arjuna walked towards it, the entire courtroom was surprised! How is a Brahmana-Rishi going to win over this challenge? Even when various Kshatriya kings and princes weren’t able to lift it, how come a Brahmana-Rishi is going to succeed in performing this task? As this was being spoken on one side, another side of people were asking a counter question here – Who said that Brahmana-Rishis cannot accomplish this? They are capable of accomplishing anything in this world. This bow is afterall a “nothing” element for great Brahmana-Rishis. By looking at this Brahmana-Rishi, the other Rishis assembled there seemed a bit more confident that he might somehow succeed in this pursuit. 

As murmurs were going around thus, Arjuna came forward and stood in front of the bow. Initially he did not try his hand on to it, but straightaway asks Drshtadhyumna thus, “Oh Drshtadhyumna! Assuming I would be successful in lifting this bow and hit the target, will you give your sister in marriage to me?” Upon hearing this, Drshtadhyumna replied thus, “Oh Brahmana-Rishi! Of course I would definitely do that! This is what I had announced earlier, isn’t it?” Arjuna again asks back thus, “Oh Drshtadhyumna! It is not about that! I’m not a Kshatrya prince like all the others who have assembled here. I’m a Brahmana Rishi! You are also part of a great Kshatrya family. So will you still be ready to give your sister in marriage to a Brahmana Rishi?” This was a more specific question from Arjuna, which made Drshtadhyumna think for a moment. However, he stood firm in his stance. He replies to Arjuna thus, “Oh Brahmana Rishi! Irrespective of which of the four “Varnaashrama Dharma” that the person might belong to, if the person is able to lift the bow and achieve the target, I shall give my sister in marriage to that person without any hesitation! This is my promise in front of everyone in this courtroom! “Varnaashrama Dharma” doesn’t matter to me. I believe in merit and whoever is capable of proving his mettle, would be able to win my sister’s hand immediately!” 

Hearing this assurance from Drshtadhyumna thus, Arjuna places his hands on the bow. So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode we shall witness whether Arjuna was successful in proving his merit! An interesting episode awaits us tomorrow! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Drishtadhyumna read out the important rules and regulations of the “Svayamvara” event as all the kings and the major Brahmana Rishis along with Bhagawan Krishna and Balarama were looking on. As Drishtradhyumna listed out thus, the important thing that has to be achieved was to lift the heavy bow that was kept in the center of the courtroom, lock the arrow into it, aim at a revolving fish inside a small wheel along with a doll from beneath a water table and hit the eye of the fish without looking at it! In other words, the person should focus his concentration by only looking at the shadow of the fish that falls on the water surface, and with that, he should know precisely at what height the fish is located. With that, he has to look down at the water surface and hit the fish’s eye. The person who accomplishes this challenge would be eligible to marry Draupati. This was a unique challenge and the kings assembled there were ready for it. 

As the challenge was read out loud and clear thus, all the kings were extremely happy. This is an opportunity for them to prove their might, without going for a war with any other king. Also, the prize of winning this isn’t an ordinary one either! Draupati wasn’t a normal woman. She was extremely beautiful and did not have a biological birth. She was someone who emerged out of a “Yaaga” that King Drupada performed. All of them knew of it and were very eager to take part in the competition. As this happens, readers should also note one important point here – Among all the kings who had assembled there, Duryodhana was also sitting on one corner, all set to try his hand on the bow and arrow. It should be noted here that Duryodhana doesn’t know that the Paandavas are sitting right opposite to them, as they are in a disguised form. However, the Paandavas realized Duryodhana’s presence along with his brother Ducchaasana. Along with the kings, even the Devas, Apsaras, Gandharvas, etc. who are all classified as “Celestial beings” were also interested to be spectators of this grand event, and they too assembled there in an “invisible” manner. We’ve already witnessed that Bhagawan Krishna was also amongst the gathering to witness what was going to happen! 

Thus, the Svayamvara event commences with all its grandeur. The first king comes forward with a lot of self-pride more than self-confidence. He tries to lift the bow, but fails miserably due to its heaviness and divinity! As he tries again and again, and as he exposes his inability to even lift the bow, the entire courtroom laughs at him, and the king is completely embarrassed! He has no other option but to walk back to his seat! Subsequently the next king comes and tries his hand to lift the bow. This king was able to lift the bow successfully! First step completed! But when he tries to lock the arrow into the bow, the rope with which the arrow has to lock is too long to be done, and because he’s unable to adjust the length of the rope to lock the arrow, the rope comes and hits him on his face! Unable to bare the force with which the rope comes and hits, the king hurts himself on his face with bloodstains all around! As this happens, again the entire courtroom roars with laughter over this second king’s failure to achieve the objective! As king after king comes forward, they meet with the same result! Sishupaala tries his hand on the bow as well. Sishupaala, as we know, is Bhagawan Krishna’s cousin brother, just like how the Paandavas were. Sishupaala came up with a lot of pride and tried to lift the bow. He succeeded in doing that, but similar to the fate of the second king that we had witnessed, the rope of the bow hit Sishupaala on his face, only to be pushed on to the ground! Again, the entire courtroom was up in laughter and rapture and Sishupaala was totally embarrassed. Moreover, Sishupaala knew that Bhagawan Krishna was around and this embarrassed him more! We should remember here that right from day one of his birth, Sishupaala had a lot of enmity with Bhagawan Krishna, although both were brothers. Both of them did not go well with each other for some reason. Now when Sishupaala failed in this attempt, it was like readily served bread and butter for Bhagawan Krishna, who also laughed at him along with the others! 

As the challenge was extremely tough, king after king failed in their attempt. This continued for a while and for today, let us understand up to this point! We shall witness in the next episode, something unique that happened at the courtroom! What was that? Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a huge gathering assembling at the Drupada Desha, wherein the Svayamvara event is about to take place with a lot of grandeur. Amongst the gathering are the five Paandava brothers and Bhagawan Krishna too. We’ve witnessed that this is the first time that Bhagawan Krishna comes into the story here, and He is very eager to see His cousin brothers (The Paandavas). We’ve already witnessed earlier that the Paandavas were cousins to Bhagawan Krishna, wherien Vasudeva (Bhagawan Krishna’s father) was the own brother of Kunthi Devi. It has been a long time since Bhagawan Krishna had met his cousin brothers and He was very eager to see them. As all of them got seated, Bhagawan Krishna shows Balarama that the five brothers are seated at one corner of the courtroom with a disguised form. Initially Balarama wasn’t able to identify the Paandavas, but later on with Bhagawan Krishna’s repeated description, he was able to do so. 

As Balarama identified the Paandavas, he was very eager to go and talk to them now itself! He was so eager to understand why they were in such a disguised form and what happened to them. As Balarama stood up, Bhagawan Krishna immediately stopped him and made him sit. Bhagawan Krishna mocks at Balarama thus, “Oh Balarama! Why are you getting so excited now? This is why I do not disclose many things to you! 🙂 You find it very hard to control your emotions! Are we here to conduct talks? We’re here just to watch the proceedings that are taking place. Oh Balarama! Please remember one thing always in life – You should be a mute spectator to whatever happens in this world! You should see everything with a sense of detachment. The moment you see something exciting in front of you, you should never react immediately. You should have the patience and wait for the right time and place to react!” 

These words of Bhagawan Krishna are of extreme importance. Even now He’s doing the same thing with all of us! He is inside all our hearts and watching all our actions and deeds like a mute spectator. He never reacts or says anything to us – whether we’re doing the right actions or not. He only keeps watching all whatever is happening and “noting down” everything carefully. However, when the right time comes, He would immediately swing into action. We shouldn’t immediately mistake Bhagawan to be inactive when we ardently pray for His divine intervention. Where can we see this as an example? We can witness this in the life of the same Draupati whom we are talking about now. When Duryodhana and Ducchaasana tried to strip her down in the public courtroom during the gambling game, Draupati was completely helpless, isn’t it? Her five husbands had to desert her and because they had lost the game to Duryodhana, they couldn’t open their mouths and defend for her! Until that point, Bhagawan Krishna was a mute spectator to whatever is happening! However, when Draupati called out for Bhagawan Krishna’s help, He immediately appeared in front of her and kept on extending her saree, isn’t it? 

What do we understand from this episode? The important message here is that, if we pray ardently for Bhagawan’s divine intervention, He would definitely answer our prayers. We should have this confidence within us while we pray towards Bhagawan. He might not appear in the physical form in front of us. But His divine intervention would manifest in many subtle forms that we might not be able to understand or comprehend with the small and limited minds and intellects that we have. However, His divine intervention would always be there if we’re steadfast in our “Bhakti” towards Bhagawan. This is something that all of us should understand, not only from this section, but from the entire Mahabharata text. Of course, we’re going to witness this point in greater detail when we come to the “Parva” that talks about the gambling game in detail. But for now, I’ve just laid a prelude to that important discussion that is coming up shortly. 

Coming back to the context thus, Bhagawan Krishna instructs Balarama to remain a mute spectator and to watch the next set of events that are going to unfold. Now, Drishtadhyumna starts his accord to describe the rules and regulations of the “Svayamvara” event. He explains thus, “Oh kings! Here is a bow, which is divine in nature, and there are a few arrows that are kept by the side. Each king should come forward according to his turn and first lift the bow in his hands. Subsequently the arrow should be locked inside this bow. This itself would be a great achievement! However, this is not the end of it all! If you look at the top, near the roof, there is a wheel inside which a doll is circling up and down, as the wheel rotates. Adjacent to the doll, there is a small fish. On the floor, you see that there is a small pool of water. Now, the winner of the competition would be the person who looks into the water where the shade of the fish appears, aims the bow and arrow towards the roof, and hit the eye of that fish that is circulating constantly inside the wheel. You should not look upwards towards the fish and hit it. You should look into the water, locate the shade of the fish wherever it falls, aim into that shade and hit it upwards! If a person does this, he would be declared the winner and Draupati would become his wife from thereon!” 

This is an extremely tough competition isn’t it? So for today, let us understand the rules of the game very clearly and let us wait for the next episode to witness who was successful in this competition and how! Stay tuned for the interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the Paandava brothers finally making a move on, along with Sage Dhoumya towards the Paanchaala Desha. Just like how Sage Vishwamitra led Bhagawan Rama and Lakshmana to Mithilapuri for the “Sita-Kalyanam” event, Sage Dhoumya led the Paandava brothers for the “Paanchaali-Kalyanam” event. As they proceed towards King Drupada’s palace, there is a huge crowd of people walking along with them. The “Svayamvara” and the “Yagnya” that King Drupada was supposed to perform were extremely significant and people were in awe of them. Moreover, since King Drupada is known for his extremely warm hospitality towards the Brahmana Rishis, many great sages made their way to participate in the “Yagnya” that he was about to perform. Also since Paanchaali (Draupati) wasn’t just an ordinary girl, many kings were interested in attaining her and hence, many prominent kings from all across the Bhaarata Desha made their way to the Drupada Desha. 

From this point onwards, we’re entering into the “Svayamvara Parva”. Till now we’ve witnessed the “Chaitra-Rasa Parva” in a great detail. Of course, I wanted to keep the “Chaitra-Rasa Parva” short, but I ended up explaining the Vishwamitra-Vasishtaachaarya relationship in detail. Nevertheless, we shall now take a step into the “Svayamvara Parva”. As we commence, we witness that the Paandava brothers have reached the Drupada Desha and to conceal their identity, they go and stay with a very ordinary person who resides in one corner of the kingdom. It should be remembered that the Paandavas are still disguising their real identity and now are appearing as Brahmana Rishis with long beards, long hair, etc. and clad with robes that are meant for “Sanyasins”. With this concealed identity, the Paandavas’ routine everyday was to go and request for some “Dakshina” from all the people in the neighborhood area and with whatever they obtain, they would cook a meal out of it and have it for the day. 

As days were progressing this way, after almost a week of their arrival in the Drupada Desha, King Drupada called for an important meeting in his courtroom. A huge bow was brought in and placed at the center of the courtroom. This bow was not an ordinary one. It was extremely powerful and heavy and it wasn’t easy for a single person to lift it. As the bow was transported into the courtroom and placed at the center in a cart that was pulled by five to six people together, King Drupada stood up and proclaimed thus, “Oh ministers and all the others assembled here! Thank you for your attendance! My son, Drshtadhyumna would further take over from me to explain the significance of this bow that all of you are seeing in front of you!” This meeting was none other than the commencement of the “Svayamvara” event of Draupati. For this event, as we’ve witnessed earlier, a huge number of kings have assembled in the courtroom of King Drupada, eagerly awaiting their turn to show their capabilities and in turn to marry Draupati. 

As all of them are in assemblance, the job given to Drshtadhyumna was to explain the “Rules and regulations” for the “Svayamvara” event. The entire audience was in deep silence to listen carefully to what Drshtadhyumna was about to say. Amongst the audience, we have two important people who are sitting – Bhagawan Krishna and His brother, Balarama! This is the first point wherein Bhagawan Krishna comes into the Mahabharata text. Till now, we’ve witnessed around 200 episodes, and not even in a single episode we had spoken about Bhagawan Krishna, isn’t it? From now onwards, Bhagawan Krishna would have a key role to play in each and every event that is going to follow! We shall witness how is that going to happen. But for now, Bhagawan Krishna and Balarama have also come to the Drupada Desha to be part of the “Svayamvara” event. 

In fact, Bhagawan Krishna wasn’t there to participate in the event. He was so eager to witness the important scene wherein the Paandava brothers would break all their shackles to announce to the world that they are a force to reckon with. Bhagawan Krishna wanted to be a part of this important scene and to provide His divine “Anugraha” to the Paandavas and also to Draupati, who was going to marry them. As mentioned earlier, from now onwards, we would witness how Bhagawan Krishna led the Paandavas towards the path of “Dharma”. Till now the Paandavas were being guided by various sages at various points, including Sage Veda-Vyaasa. But from now on, Bhagawan Krishna is directly going to take the mantle and guide the Paandavas all along. We would be able to witness that when the Paandavas proceed towards Indraprastha, Bhagawan Krishna would be present even for small and insignificant occasions and events that take place there! This is the level of love and affection that Bhagawan Krishna had for the Paandavas, especially for Arjuna, as we’ve earlier witnessed that the Arjuna-Bhagawan Krishna combine is none other than the “Nara-Narayana” combine of the sacred Badrinaatha Kshetra. Hence, Bhagawan Krishna is from now going to be the “right hand” and an able guide for Arjuna and Co. 

Moving on thus, as all these events conspire and as Drshtadhyumna was about to commence his talk, the Paandavas arrive at the arena! They are still in the disguised form and are occupying the seats in one corner of the courtroom, without the knowledge of anyone around! However, Bhagawan Krishna knew that His purpose of visit was going to be satisfied now, and He was extremely happy with the arrival of the Paandava brothers! As Bhagawan Krishna looked around as to who all were assembled there, His divine eyes correctly fell on the Paandava brothers one after the other! Thus, let us understand up to this point for today, and let us wait eagerly till the next episode to witness Bhagawan Krishna’s reaction upon seeing them! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Vasishtaachaarya blessing his grandson, Sage Paraashara with all the “Shaastrava Tejas” and the most important “Brahma-Gnyaana”. However, as he blesses Sage Paraashara, Sage Vasishtaachaarya has his own doubts whether he would be spoken ill about, because he has blessed his own grandson without really testing him whether he is eligible to obtain it or not. This throws light on an important point on “nepotism” and how our ancient Maharishis were extremely conscious of this nepotism menace. Even though Sage Vasishtaachaarya blesses Sage Paraashara, he was very careful that he doesn’t pass on the important “Anugraha” of “Brahma-Gnyaana” just because Sage Paraashara was his grandson. He makes sure that someone else outside of the family lineage approves of it. In today’s world, we see all these family-run political parties wreaking havoc in our country and this “nepotism” is taking a huge center-stage. I’m not saying that family members should be given a chance, however, they should be duly tested and certified as eligible candidates for the job, before being pressed into the position, like how Sage Vasishtaachaarya ensured. 

However, Sage Pulasthya who was looking on, clarified immediately that Sage Paraashara is very much eligible to obtain the highest “Brahma-Gnyaana” and with this, he confirmed Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s “Anugraha”. With this, Sage Paraashara obtained the “Brahma-Gnyaana” and as we had witnessed earlier, Sage Paraashara composed the “Shri Vishnu Puraana” text, as an interaction between himself and his disciple, Sage Maithreya. If we’ve to obtain the “Tatva-Gnyaana”, “Hita-Gnyaana” and “Purushaartha-Gnyaana”, we should read the “Shri Vishnu Puraana” text without fail. We’ve also discussed some glimpses of this great text as part of our previous project as well. With this, Sage Paraashara’s significance was recognised by the entire world and till today, he is greatly appreciated for his enormous contribution to our “Sanaatana Dharma” literature. Moving on thus, subsequently of course, Vishwamitra took it as a challenge and worked hard to obtain the “Brahma-Rishi” status from none other than Sage Vasishtaachaarya himself. Eventually he succeeded in his pursuit and Sage Vasishtaachaarya conferred Vishwamitra with the highest status, and thus, Vishwamitra transformed himself into “Sage Vishwamitra”. Thus with this, the “action” between Sage Vasishtaachaarya and Vishwamitra came to an end.

Narrating all this thus, Chitra-Rasa concludes his accord. Readers should remember here that so far we’ve been witnessing the detailed narration of Chitra-Rasa towards Arjuna and the other Paandava brothers, on the bank of river Ganga, while they were about to cross over to reach the Paanchaala Desha. Readers should be extremely careful not to get carried away by just the one story that we witness in detail. Readers should make sure to remember the context and who is narrating the story to whom, and only then we would be able to continuously witness the text with proper understanding. Thus, it is at this point, Chitra-Rasa advises the Paandavas to take Sage Dhoumya along with them as they travel towards the Paanchaala Desha. Chitra-Rasa gave this valuable advice because, the Paandava brothers  being Kshatrya princes, might encounter trouble on their way because, chances are high that their real identities might come to light by some unwanted people. However, if they accompany a Brahmana Rishi, nobody would suspect them to be Kshatrya princes. Chitra-Rasa was very smart in realizing this and thus, he gave this valuable advice. 

Thus, the Paandavas proceed to meet Sage Dhoumya and as per their request, Sage Dhoumya agreed to accompany them to the Paanchaala Desha. With this, just as Sage Vishwamitra took Bhagawan Rama and Lakshmana to Mithilapuri during the Ramayana time, here also, Sage Dhoumya leads the Paandava brothers towards the Paanchaala Desha. As they cross over the River Ganges, they had to wade through a huge crowd of people, who were all making their way to the Paanchaala Desha! As they walk through, many other people ask Sage Dhoumya and the Paandavas as to where are they heading to. Sage Dhoumya replies thus, “We are also heading to the same place as you are heading to. It seems that there is a huge “Yaga” (Spiritual offering) that is going to happen at the Paanchaala Desha, and subsequently the “Svayamvara” event of King Drupada’s daughter, Draupati. We’re willing to be part of that huge “Yaga” and receive the “Dakshina” that King Drupada would give us. You might have known that King Drupada is a person who is known for his great hospitality towards Brahmana Rishis, isn’t it? We’re thus going there to bless King Drupada and receive his “Dakshina”!” 

Talking thus, the entire set of people walk towards the Paanchaala Desha. As they walk on, Sage Dhoumya explains to the Paandavas, the history of how Drshtadhyumna and Draupati were born out of a huge “Yaga” that King Drupada performed a few years ago. We’ve already witnessed these events in our earlier episodes and I’m skipping this part here. With this, Sage Dhoumya explains how Draupati or Yaagnyaseni or Krishnaa or Paanchaali appeared from within the “Homa-Kunda” of the “Yaga” that was being performed and how she was a divine child of King Drupada. With this, the Paandavas too knew who was Draupati and her “Charitra”. So for today, let us understand upto this point, and we shall continue this discussion in the next episode on what happened after the Paandavas reached the Paanchaala Desha. Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the accord on the feud between Sage Vasishtaachaarya and Vishwamitra, wherein it was now the turn of Vishwamitra to avenge Sage Vasishtaachaarya with the help of King Kalmaashapaada, who had a curse from Sage Shakti that he would be consuming human flesh and meat for his survival. We had seen how Kalmaashapaada mercilessly swallowed all of Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s sons and subsequently, as Kalmaashapaada’s curse got released, he became normal and all of Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s sons including Sage Shakti were released from Kalmaashapaada’s stomach. We had also witnessed that meanwhile, Sage Paraashara took birth as Sage Shakti’s son and knowing that his father had to undergo such a severe torture in the hands of Kalmaashapada, he decided to conduct a “Raakshasa-Satra-Yaaga” to completely destroy all the Raakshasas in this world. This was in the same lines as King Janame-Jaya who had tried to perform the “Sarpa-Satra-Yaaga” to get rid of all the snakes in this world, because his father, King Parikshit was killed by a snake bite! We’ve witnessed all these incidents in our first few episodes of this “Mahabharata” project and readers might refer to them for more clarity and recollection. 

However, as Sage Paraashara went ahead with the “Raakshasa-Sarpa-Yaga”, and as the entire “Raakshasa” community started trembling with fear of falling into the “Yaga” and giving up their lives, all the great sages including Sage Pulaha, Sage Pulasthya, Sage Vasishtaachaarya himself, etc. came forward and stopped the “Yaga” from continuing further. This is again in the same lines of how Sage Aasthika came and stopped King Janame-Jaya from continuing with the “Sarpa-Satra-Yaga”. Thus, the consortium of sages explain to Sage Paraashara thus, “Oh my dear son! Please do not attempt such fierce “Yagas”. This is not only bad for yourself, but also dents the balance of this world as a whole. Just as how the Devas and other Maharishis have a right to live a life in this world, the Raakshasas too have a right to live in this world, even though they might be evil by nature. If Sage Vasishtaachaarya had lost his son Shakti to a Raakshasa, it is because of his “Karma” of “Putra-Shoka” that he had to experience. If you destroy all the Raakshasas like this, the entire “Karma-cycle” would take a hit and you’re trying to alter nature’s course of “Dharma”!” in fact, Sage Vasishtaachaarya too explains to Sage Paraashara thus, “Oh Paraashara! If I myself as a father did not worry too much about the loss of my son, why do you worry about it? As sages, it is not proper for us to take revenge like this on others for the harm that they had caused to us. We should never lose or compromise our mental strength and we should be steadfast with it!” 

Even as the sages including Sage Vasishtaachaarya explained thus, Sage Paraashara was not ready to relent from his attempt. He was still fuming with anger over what had happened to his father. However, the sages again intervened timely and advised Sage Paraashara to stop the “Yaga” from proceeding any further. They again explained in detail to him various examples and aspects as to how such things should not be conducted and how such “Yagas” create a huge imbalance in the world and cause dangerous aftereffects later. After all the detailed storytelling, Sage Paraashara finally relented and with this, Sage Vasishtaachaarya blesses Sage Paraashara thus, “Oh Paraashara! From today you would be the hub of all “Shaasthrava Tejas” and “Brahma-Gnyaana”! You’ll show to the world the significance of being a “Brahma-Rishi”! As Sage Paraashara received the “Anugraha” from Sage Vasishtaachaarya, he was more than happy and content. 

However, as Sage Vasishtaachaarya blesses Sage Paraashara thus, he has a doubt within himself! He thinks within himself thus, “Oh no! I’ve provided this “Anugraha” to Sage Paraashara, but what would the world think of it? The world would comment tomorrow that Sage Vasishtaachaarya is providing the “Anugraha” to Sage Paraashara just because he was his grandson. Perhaps, if it was another person, he would have tested that person to the brink and would have provided the “Anugraha” only if he is really eligible! However, in the case of Sage Paraashara, he never tested whether he was eligible to receive such a great “Anugraha”!” Thinking thus, Sage Vasishtaachaarya immediately turned towards Sage Pulasthya and told thus, “Oh Sage Pulasthya! Out of an urgency and just because Sage Paraashara obeyed my words, I gave him this “Anugraha” of “Brahma-Tejas”. I did not test him whether he was really eligible for it. Tomorrow, I will be criticized by the world for showing nepotism towards my grandson. Therefore, I hereby declare that only if you approve of it. If you really think that he is eligible for obtaining the “Brahma-Gnyaana”, my “Anugraha” would work. On the other hand, if you feel that he is ineligible, you may very well take the authority to stop the “Brahma-Gnyaana” from entering into him!” 

As Sage Vasishtaachaarya declares thus, Sage Pulasthya immediately replies thus, “Oh Sage Vashishta! What are you even saying? You are such a great sage and the whole world knows about who you are and your significance! Nobody will talk ill about you ever! If Sage Paraashara has come in your family lineage, there needs to be no testing for this child! He’s born great and I approve of your “Anugraha” straightaway without a question!” Saying thus, Sage Pulasthya also provides his “Anugraha” to Sage Paraashara and it is only with this “Brahma-Gnyaana” and the “Shaastrava-Tejas”, he composed the famous “Shri Vishnu Puraana” text, which we had witnessed in our previous project fully! So for today, let us understand until this point and let us continue this discussion in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

We’re at an important juncture wherein the feud between Sage Vasishtaachaarya and Vishwamitra is increasing by the minute. As we had witnessed earlier, Sage Vasishtaachaarya ensured that none of Vishwamitra’s “Astras” neither harmed him nor Nandini nor any of his family members at home. In turn, Vishwamitra decided that “Asthras” and other physical means are not the way to take on Sage Vasishtaachaarya, and the only means to do this is by “Tapo Bhalam”. Meanwhile, the Kalmaashapaada episode happened and we had witnessed that Sage Shakti (Son of Sage Vasishtaachaarya) had cursed him that Kalmaashapaada would transform into a Raakshasa who only consumes human flesh and meat. This curse actually backfired very badly on Sage Shakti and Sage Vasishtaachaarya, as Kalmaashapaada was smartly used by Vishwamitra to consume all of them! According to Vishwamitra’s suggestion, Kalmaashapaada comes to Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s ashram and starts swallowing all his sons including Sage Shakti! 

This wasn’t expected by Sage Vasishtaachaarya, and he sank into a deep state of shock and distress! Within the wink of an eye, Sage Vasishtaachaarya had lost his entire family to the treacherous Kalmaashapaada and on the sidelines, Vishwamitra was laughing at the pitiable state of Sage Vasishtaachaarya. Vishwamitra has had his vengeance thus! For all that Sage Vasishtaachaarya had done to him, Vishwamitra ensured that he had given it tit for tat, back to him! Of course, Sage Vasishtaachaarya could have easily reacted and stopped Kalmaashapaada from his destructive spree. However, he did not do so. He respected his “Tapo-Bhalam” and remained calm and composed with all his senses under control! Moreover, he was the same person who had advised Vishwamitra that the most important characteristics of a Brahmana Rishi are “patience” and “perseverance”. Now if he himself reacts angrily or shows his grief in front of Vishwamitra, he would be mocked, isn’t it? Thinking thus, Sage Vasishtaachaarya stacked up all his frustration, grief, etc. deep within himself and slowly returned back to his ashram. 

It was at this time, Adrishyanti, who is the wife of Sage Shaki was carrying. She was almost nine-months pregnant and was about to deliver a baby very soon. As Sage Vasishtaachaarya walked back slowly, Adrishyanti prayed to Sage Vasishtaachaarya that she should obtain a son who is as great as her husband and her father-in-law. As Sage Vasishtaachaarya saw Adrishyanti, he was amazed to listen to the sound of Vedas being chanted from near her stomach. Upon seeing this miraculous moment, Sage Vasishtaachaarya blessed Adrishyanti thus, “Oh Adrishyanti! Please do not worry! Things are happening for some good and benefit for the world! By sensing all that is going on around us at the moment, I’m sure that you’re going to be blessed with a son who is going to be an extremely great sage right from day one of his birth. He is going to bring about a lot of “Dharma” into this world and with him, the meanings of “Tapas” and “Brahmana-Tejas” are going to get a new definition altogether!” 

This child was none other than Sage Paraashara. As per Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s “Anugraha”, this child was having the sole intention of attaining “Moksha” right from day one of its birth. Meanwhile, the news of Adrishyanti delivering a baby reached Vishwamitra, who was still fuming with anger. He was under the savage determination that the entire family lineage of Sage Vasishta should be destroyed completely. Nobody should be spared! With this intention, he again sends Kalmaashapaada to consume the baby as well. However, the time-limit of Kalmaashapaada comes to a close! Initially when Sage Shakti had cursed him, the curse was for a limited time period. Once Kalmaashapaada arrives at Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s ashram, by the time he wants to consume the little one, he once again transformed into the original “King Kalmaashapaada” form! Also with this, Sage Shakti and all the sons of Sage Vasishtaachaarya were relieved from Kalmaashapaada’s stomach. All of them came back to life again and Sage Shakti explains to his father thus, “Oh great Sage Vasishtaachaarya! He is none other than the great king Kalmaashapaada! Please do not think of him as our enemy. It was only because of my curse that he had been transformed into the Raakshasa form and was eating all human beings around. Now that his curse has come to an end, you’ve to shower your “Anugraha upon King Kalmaashapaada and give him a send-off!” Acknowledging Sage Shakti’s words, Sage Vasishtaachaarya gives his “Anugraha” and with this, all of them were happy. King Kalmaashapaada bid farewell to all of them and went back to his kingdom. Sage Vasishtaachaarya was also happy that he got back all his sons. 

Thus, as time passed by, Sage Paraashara grew up and he decided to conduct a “Raaksha-Satra-Yaaga” to avenge his anger and frustration on the Raakshasas, who were responsible for all the torments and torture that his father and grandfather had to undergo! Kalmaashapaada was a Raakshasa when Sage Paraashara was born, isn’t it? This scene of Kalmaashapaada coming with utmost fury got impinged into the child’s memory forever, that, even after Kalmaashapaada transformed into his normal form, Sage Paraashara couldn’t accept it! Once the damage is done, it is done forever, isn’t it? Thus, Sage Paraashara decided that there should be no Raakshasas in this world, and with this intention, he started the great “Raakshasa-Satra-Yaaga”. So for today, we shall halt at this point, and we shall continue to witness what happened to this “Yaga” in the next episode! Is it going to be stopped, just like how King Janame-Jaya’s “Sarpa-Satra-Yaga” was? Stay tuned for updates! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Vishwamitra being taken down single-handedly by Nandini, by releasing all the “Devas”, “Raakshasas” and other celestial beings to fight a rather unprepared Vishwamitra! Deeply hurt by this loss to Nandini, Vishwamitra tried his “Asthras” one by one to fire up Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s ashram along with him and family, but Sage Vasishtaachaarya proved to have an upper hand over Vishwamitra yet again. He placed his “Brahma-Dhandam” at the entrance of the ashram premises, which absorbed all of Vishwamitra’s “Asthras”, thereby preventing them from going forward and wreaking havoc. With this, Vishwamitra realized that neither physical strength nor “Asthras” are good enough to take Sage Vasishtaachaarya down. He should now think of some other methodology to do so. Angered and frustrated with subsequent losses, Vishwamitra leaves the place with embarrassment written all over his face! This was the first time in his entire life as a Kshatrya Prince that he was taken down embarrassingly like this. Thus, Vishwamitra also started to have a thought deep within himself that maybe the only way to take on Sage Vasishta is becoming a “Brahma-Rishi” himself and attain enormous “Tapo-Bhalam”. 

Meanwhile, as things go forward, Sage Vasishtaachaarya had a son by name “Shakti”. He was also a great sage like his father. Once upon a time as Sage Shakti was walking down the road, he came across King Kalmaashapaada, who was a great king himself. As both of them came opposite to each other on the same path, King Kalmaashapaada asked Sage Shakti to give him some way. Irritated by this, Sage Shakti replied thus, “Oh Kalmaashapaada! I’m a great Brahmana Rishi! Why should I give you way? Instead, you should be the one who should pay the due respects to me and give me way!” Irritated by this, King Kalmaashapaada had his own ego coming in the middle. An argument broke out between the two of them! At the end, Sage Shakti cursed King Kalmaashapaada thus, “Oh Kalmaashapaada! For all your arrogance that you have within you, I hereby inflict a heavy curse on you that you would be born as someone who would thrive on human flesh and meat!” 

As Sage Shakti curses heavily thus, King Kalmaashapaada’s form and appearance changed drastically. He took a fierce form of a “Raakshasa” who would do anything and everything for eating humans. As Sage Shakti curses thus, he leaves the place immediately and this was the opportunity for which Vishwamitra was waiting for! Vishwamitra understood that Kalmaashapaada is a wicked person now and he can use him to destroy Sage Vasishtaachaarya and his entire family lineage! Vishwamitra goes and talks to Kalmaashapaada thus, “Oh Kalmaashapaada! I heard that you were cursed by this Sage Vasishta’s son, Shakti! Is it true?” Kalmaashapaada angrily replied thus, “Oh yes! He cursed me for a simple argument that broke out as to who would give way for each other. This was a bit too much from him!” Vishwamitra saw this as an opportunity and shrewdly replied thus, “Oh Kalmaashapaada! Never mind what had happened in the past! What is going to happen in the future is more important. Now what was the curse that was inflicted on you? You should be someone who thrives on human flesh and meat, isn’t it? Why can’t you go and thrive on Sage Shakti’s flesh and meat? Anyways, the curse has to come true isn’t it? So let the person who inflicted the curse on you, be the start point for it? Subsequently, you can thrive on the meat and flesh of the others who are residing there!” 

As Vishwamitra gives this “smart” idea, Kalmaashapaada too thought within himself that this is a good one! He should start executing Sage Shakti’s curse with Sage Shakti himself! With this “Raakshasa-Svabhaava”, and with enormous motivation from Vishwamitra, Kalmaashapaada comes straight to Sage Shakti! It should be remembered here that when Kalmaashapaada was a king originally, he was a righteous king. However, he became a “Raakshasa” because of Sage Shakti’s curse, which is aptly utilized by Vishwamitra, who was waiting for such an opportunity to take down Sage Vasishtaachaarya. Thus, Kalmaashapaada arrives at Sage Shakti’s place, picks up an argument with him again and declares thus, “Oh Shakti! You cursed me the other day that I shall thrive on human flesh and meat isn’t it? Now let me start executing that curse with your own flesh and meat! This is the best way that I can satisfy my vengeance and hunger at the same time!” 

Saying thus, Kalmaashapaada straightaway attacks Sage Shakti, even before Sage Shakti could say or do  anything to stop him. Kalmaashapaada “consumes” Sage Shakti and “eats” him up completely! As Kalmaashapaada was consuming Sage Shakti happily, Vishwamitra came running to check if everything was going according to his plan! Upon seeing Kalmaashapaada relishing and enjoying himself, Vishwamitra was extremely happy! He thus motivated Kalmaashapada even more:  “Oh Kalmaashapaada! Do you think that your diet is satisfied? Not at all! This Sage Shakti was afterall just one son of Sage Vasishtaachaarya! There are many other sons in his ashram! You go straight to his ashram and devour all of them!” Buoyed by this advice from Vishwamtira, Kalmaashapaada makes his way to Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s ashram and wreaks havoc with his destructive abilities! At the end, Kalmaashapaada ended up consuming all of Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s sons, even as Sage Vasishtaachaarya was looking on! 

As this happens, Sage Vasishtaachaarya sank into deep distress! Within a fraction of a second, everything was over! His grief knew no bounds! Vishwamitra has given him “tit-for-tat” at the right time in the right way! Sage Shakti has right royally fallen into Vishwamitra’s trap! Now what does Sage Vasishtaachaarya do? Let us wait till the next episode to witness an interesting turn of events! Stay tuned! 🙂