The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we were at an important juncture wherein a huge war of words broke out between Sage Vasishtaachaarya and Vishwamitra over the “Nandini” cow. Vishwamitra stuck to his decision of somehow obtaining the cow from Sage Vasishtaachaarya, however, Sage Vasishtaachaarya was no ordinary person to be easily convinced. He also stood his ground that he is not going to part with his holy cow. Vishwamitra argued that it is such a waste of resource if the cow is with a Sage who has nothing to do in life, whereas, if the cow would have been in the kingdom, it could feed thousands of people every day. However, Sage Vasishtaachaarya was not ready to buy that argument of Vishwamitra and emphasized repeatedly that Vishwamitra was “selfish” in his needs and he would end up using the cow to fulfill his own personal requirements. A huge argument broke out and finally Vishwamitra decided to somehow abduct the cow and leave the place. It is at this time, Sage Vasishtaachaarya has a look at Nandini and gives her the choice of being with him or to go with Vishwamitra. 

Nandini greatly respected Sage Vasishtaachaarya as her own Aachaarya or Guru. She had extremely high regards for him. As Nandini sees her Aachaarya getting frustrated, she couldn’t bear it anymore. Thus, Nandini swung into action and released all its “Devas”, “Raakshasas”, “Dhaanavas”, etc. who were residing within her, to attack Vishwamitra. As the entire set of celestial beings came to fight Vishwamitra, he was clearly caught off guard! He wasn’t prepared to take on a war with anyone as he was just on a hunting spree. Moreover, he had to maneuver “heavy-weight” fighters, and this proved to be very costly for him! The entire army of Vishwamitra was reduced to dust within no time and within no time, he was left all alone to fend for himself! This was an embarrassing situation for Vishwamitra, who was a great king at that point in time. He was an invincible warrior, however, with Nandini’s fury, he was reduced to rubble! 

Unable to bear the insult thus, Vishwamitra decided to take Sage Vasishtaachaarya single handedly! He thus decided that mere fighting doesn’t help. The only way to defeat Sage Vasishtaachaarya and Nandini was by employing powerful “Asthras”. Thus, as Vishwamitra was getting ready with one “Asthra” after the other (Brahmaasthra, Indraastrhra, Varunaasthra, etc.), Sage Vasishtaachaarya planted his “Brahma-Dhanda” in front of his ashram, took Nandini along with him and went inside! While going, Sage Vasishtaachaarya fumed in anger towards Vishwamitra thus, “Oh Vishwamitra! You’re thinking too much about yourself! You may go ahead and try all your “Asthras” on me and Nandini! However, you would only be more embarrassed with yourself because none of your so-called “Asthras” would be able to withstand the power of my “Brahma-Dhanda”. You may try attacking me at your own peril!” Saying thus, Sage Vasishtaachaarya walks away, and Vishwamitra tries “Asthra” after “Asthra” to set his ashram on fire – Only to be neutralized by the powerful “Brahma-Dhanda”. Thus, Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s entire “Tapo-Bhalam” is concentrated in that “Brahma-Dhanda” and it is refusing to let any Asthra pass through! This added more insult to injury for Vishwamitra, who was already embarassed because he wasn’t able to withstand an attack from a cow after all! 

As all his “Asthras” fail and fall on to the ground, Vishwamitra slowly realizes thus, “Oh! This “Brahma-Bhalam”, “Atma-Bhalam”  and “Tapo-Bhalam” seems to be way too powerful than my Asthras! Till now I’ve only been looking at my physical strength and taking pride in it. But today I understand that there is something that is more powerful than mere physical strength, which is the power of penance (Tapas). Vishwamitra realizes this and slowly walks away, accepting the defeat! Thus, Sage Vasishtaachaarya won this first round of battle successfully! However, even as Vishwamitra accepted defeat, he was still having that vengeance in his mind. He was somehow looking for ways and means to take on Sage Vasishtaachaarya again, apart from mere physical strength. As he was contemplating thus, meanwhile, Sage Vasishtaachaarya had a son by name Sage Shakti. 

So for today, let us understand until this point, and in the next episode we shall witness how this feud between the two “greats” continued further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the commencement of a huge feud between Sage Vasishtaachaarya and Sage Vishwamitra, who was a Kshatrya at that time. He was never a sage and he did not know what it takes to be one. As Vishwamitra was on a hunting spree along with his army men, the entire fleet started to feel hungry and thirsty. It is at this time, Vishwamitra spots Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s Ashram along with the “Kaama-Dhenu” or “Nandini” cow that was standing at the corner of the ashram. Upon Vishwamitra’s request of feeding all of them, Sage Vasishtaachaarya, with the help of the Nandini cow, was able to feed all of them with sumptuous food and water. With this, all of them were extremely happy. However, Vishwamitra had an unwanted thought in his mind thus – If this cow was able to feed all of them so easily, how would it be if this cow was in his kingdom? It can feed thousands of people, can’t it? What is the use of this cow standing in this ashram amidst the dense forest? Hence, with this idea in mind, Vishwamitra wanted to take it along with him to his kingdom, and proposed this to Sage Vasishtaachaarya. 

However, even as Vishwamitra asked thus, Sage Vasishtaachaarya did not get angry. He calmly replied to Vishwamitra thus, “Oh Vishwamitra! Whatever you say appears noble to me. You can feed hundreds and thousands of people with the help of this cow. However, if you do so, you are doing it to enhance your personal name and fame. This cow is so sacred that none can use it for their personal benefit. I’m using this cow to obtain all possible things to do my “Tapas”, “Shraadha-Kaarya”, and other important spiritual offerings that need to be done for the “Devas” and “Pitru-Devatas”, which in turn would ultimately benefit the world. Hence, if you want this cow for fulfilling your selfish needs, I wouldn’t be interested in giving this cow to you!” Upon hearing this from Sage Vasishtaachaarya, Vishwamitra started getting angry. He replied thus, “Oh Sage! I’m a great Kshatriya prince, and you’re trying to take pride upon yourself on having this cow with you, which rightfully should belong to the kingdom! This is a mere injustice that you are doing to the kingdom that you are living in. Moreover, even when the king asks with a lot of respect, you are trying to insult the king by saying unwanted words! This is not befitting for you as a sage! I respected you for your greatness and significance. However, you’re trying to disrespect me with your selfish words!” 

Saying thus, Vishwamitra was extremely angry! These words from Vishwamitra made Sage Vashistaachaarya angry as well. He replied to Vishwamitra thus, “Oh Vishwamitra! By talking such unparliamentary words, you’ve not only insulted me, but you’ve insulted the holy “Kaama-Dhenu” cow as well. Do you think it is easy to obtain this cow? I’ve obtained this with my “Tapo-Bhalam”. My final word to you is that you do not even have the right to touch this cow – Forget taking it along with you to your kingdom and palace!” As Sage Vasishtaachaarya firmly conveyed his decision thus, Vishwamitra could not control his anger anymore. He decided that this “talking” and “negotiating” aren’t going to work anymore! The only way to take this cow along will be to abduct it from Sage Vasishtaachaarya! Thus, Vishwamitra jumped up with his army men to try and abduct it from Sage Vasishtaachaarya. This resulted in a huge “war of words” between them again. 

Upon seeing Vishwamitra trying to take the offensive route, Sage Vasishtaachaarya again gives him a piece of advice thus, “Oh Vishwamitra! Do you know the difference between a Kshatrya and a Brahmana Rishi? For a Kshatrya, “Tejas” is a very important characteristic. Whereas, for a Brahmana Rishi, “Patience” (“Kshama”) is a very important characteristic. With the words and actions that had come from you, I could have easily taken you down with my “Brahma-Tejas” that I had accumulated for years together. However, I won’t do that. I’m a very patient person who tries to forgive people for their mistakes. If I hadn’t exhibited this patience, would I be able to obtain complete control over my senses? Would I be able to undertake “Tapas” if my sense organs aren’t under my control? So, please understand – Your bow and arrow cannot stand in front of my “Tapo-Bhalam” that I have accumulated for years now! I’m warning you – Please mind your business and get out of this place calmly. I shall let you go. However, if you are going to test my patience and “Tapo-Bhalam”, you wouldn’t be successful against it!” 

Even as Sage Vasishtaachaarya patiently explained thus, Vishwamitra was in no mood to listen! He was steadfast in his decision to somehow take the cow with him. Finally, Sage Vasishtaachaarya decides that he has had enough with Vishwamitra. He finally turns towards the cow and talks to her thus, “Oh Nandini! Oh holy divine cow! Now you decide as to whom you should go! If you feel that you’ve to go along with some who is seemingly wanting you for fulfilling his personal selfish agenda, you might go along with him! If you feel that you’ve to be with someone who wishes for the selfless benefit of the world, you might be with him! It’s up to you to decide now which person you should go with!” As Sage Vasishtaachaarya tells this to Nandini, she gets angry on Vishwamitra! Afterall, Sage Vasishtaachaarya is her “Aachaarya” and how dare could Vishwamitra insult him? 

Thus, Nandini gets angry and she is now going to take on Vishwamitra single-handedly! What is she going to do? Let us wait to find out in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had gone back a bit to the “Chaitra-Rasa Parva” to witness the important narrative that was given by Chitra-Rasa to Arjuna and Co. who were on the verge of proceeding towards the Paanchaala Desha along with Sage Dhoumya. All these narratives are being given at a time when the Paandavas are sitting on the raft and are about to sail over to the other side. Chitra-Rasa explains in detail about how Tapati (Soorya Bhagawan’s daughter) got married to King Samvarna and how Sage Vasishtaachaarya recommended King Samvarna to Soorya-Bhagawan to give his daughter in marriage with him. Eventually after their successful marriage, Kuru was born to Tapati and King Samvarna and it is to his family lineage, the Paandavas and the Kauravas belonged to. As Arjuna listened to all this, he was very happy. However, he had one more question that was lingering in his mind – As Chitra-Rasa was narrating about the marriage between Tapati and King Samvarna, he had mentioned that Sage Vasishtaachaarya had played an important role in it, isn’t it? Arjuna was curious to understand the significance of Sage Vasishtaachaarya and how he had the unique ability to “stop” Soorya-Bhagawan, strike a conversation with him and recommend his daughter. If Soorya-Bhagawan should listen to the words of Sage Vasishtaachaarya and act accordingly, he should be a great sage, isn’t it? Thus, Arjuna wanted to know more about Sage Vasishtaachaarya. The narrative continues. 

Chitra-Rasa now continues with his explanation about Sage Vasishtaachaarya and his family background. Sage Vasishtaachaarya was a great “Brahma-Rishi” and he lived continuously for many “Yugas” put together. It is this same Sage Vasishtaachaarya who who was Bhagawan Rama’s Guru during the “Tretha Yuga”. It is the same Sage Vasishtaachaarya who adorned the courtroom of the great King Dasharata. Thus, Chaitra-Rasa explains how Sage Vasishtaachaarya married Arundati and he was having a good life. However, as Sage Vasishtaachaarya was living his saintly life thus, there was another person by name Vishwamitra, who wanted to obtain the “Brahma-Rishi” status like that of Sage Vasishtaachaarya. Vishwamitra was actually born as a “Kshatrya” with enormous anger within him. However, he had the desire to compete with Sage Vasishtaachaarya and obtain the title of “Brahma-Rishi” from the mouth of Sage Vasishtaachaarya. This was not going to be an easy task as he thought. Normally also, Sage Vasishtaachaarya and Vishwamitra never went along easily together. Both of them kept having enormous “wars of words” and occasional fights with each other. 

As Arjuna was listening to this, he immediately asks Chitra-Rasa thus, “Oh Chitra-Rasa! Why did Sage Vasishtachaarya and Vishwamitra perennially fight with each other? What was wrong with both of them? Isn’t it bad and dangerous if two great sages fought with each other? I’ve heard and seen Kshatryas fighting with each other, but that is their job! But I’ve never heard two Brahmana Rishis fighting with each other! Can you explain this in detail to me?” As Arjuna asked thus, Chitra-Rasa explains in detail, the reason that triggered an enormous fight between the two of them – One day, Vishwamitra was going on a hunting spree amidst a dense forest and all of a sudden, he started feeling extremely thirsty. He badly wanted some water to drink. As Vishwamitra was walking by, he found out an “Ashram” at a distance, which was Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s. Unable to control his thirst for water, Vishwamitra went near the ashram to check if he could get something to drink. At that moment, Vishwamitra spots a beautiful cow that was standing nearby the ashram. It was looking so divine and it captured the eye of Vishwamitra. This holy cow was none other than “Nandini” or often referred to as the “Kaama-Dhenu”. 

As Vishwamitra was gazing at the beauty of this cow, Sage Vasishtaachaarya arrives from inside the ashram. He sees Vishwamitra and his enormous army men who had camped in front of his ashram. Upon seeing Sage Vasishtaachaarya, Vishwamitra introduces himself and explains thus, “Oh great Sage! I’m Vishwamitra and these are my army men. We had come into this forest area for hunting, however, on our way back, we started feeling hungry and thirsty. We badly wanted some food to eat and some water to drink! So please, can you provide them to all of us? Will you be able to feed all of us at the same time?” Hearing thus, Sage Vasishtaachaarya pitied at them and immediately sent an eye-to-eye signal to his “Kaama-Dhenu” cow. In turn, the cow understood what was required, and it ensured that all the army men along with Vishwamitra were well fed with food and water. All their hunger and thirst went away in a moment and everybody was satisfied with the sumptuous and tasty food and water that was provided to all of them! 

Thus, the “Nandini” cow ensured that all of them were well-fed. With this, Vishwamitra was very happy. But the entire game starts now. It is to be remembered by readers at this point that Vishwamitra is not a sage as yet. He was a king and a “Kshatrya prince” at the time when this story happened. As Vishwamitra’s hunger came to a halt, his mind went in a perverted way! He immediately thought to himself thus, “Oh wow! This cow is so divine that it was able to feed hundreds of people adequately within a moment! What is the use of this cow being with a saint like Sage Vasishtaachaarya? If this cow was with a king like me, I can use this cow to feed hundreds and thousands of people in my kingdom, isn’t it? This would be a great service to the world! Hence, this cow should rightly belong to the king, and not to a sage who doesn’t have anything under his possession!” 

Thinking thus, Vishwamitra proposes to Sage Vasishtaachaarya that he wants to take away the “Nandini” cow along with him to his kingdom! So for today, let us understand upto this point, and we shall witness in the next episode whether Sage Vasishta is going to hand over the “Nandini” cow to Vishwamitra! Stay tuned for updates! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a brief on the ancestral history of the Paandavas. As Chitra-Rasa addressed Arjuna during the conversation as “Taapatya”, Arjuna did not understand as to why is Chitra-Rasa addressing him like that. Normally people address him as “Arjuna” or “Kauntheya” or “Paartha”, etc. But this term “Taapatya” seemed very new for him. Upon asking Chitra-Rasa the reason for addressing him like that, Chitra-Rasa understood that Arjuna did not know his ancestral history. Thus, he narrated to the Paandavas about Tapati, who was the daughter of Soorya-Bhagawan. Chitra-Rasa explained how the family lineage grew from Tapati onwards until the birth of Kuru. He also explained who all came after Kuru and where did Paandu and Dhirdiraashtra stand in the family lineage. Even in our cases, if we are being asked about our father, grandfather and perhaps our great grandfather, we might be knowing. Normally when we do the “Shraadha-Kaarya” and “Tarpana”, it is a mandate to mention the previous three generations of our family lineage, and this is something which we would straightaway know. But if someone is going to ask us about our family lineage that was there before our great grandfather, we might not know, isn’t it? This is the similar case with Arjuna and Co. as well, and this is where Chitra-Rasa is clarifying. 

With this brief understanding, now let us witness what Chitra-Rasa explained in a bit more detail. Starting with Tapati’s accord, once when King Samvarna was going on a hunting spree amidst the thick forest, he spotted Tapati amidst the beautiful landscape. As King Samvarna sees Tapati, he gets attracted by her beauty and thereby falls in love with her. With this, he struck a conversation with Tapati and proposed his love for her. However, Tapati wasn’t ready to accept King Samvarna straightaway. She conveyed to him that she is the daughter of Soorya-Bhagawan and if he has to marry her, he should go and ask her father for permission. Upon hearing this, King Samvarna got scared. He did not expect this answer from Tapati. With this, King Samvarna started losing his self-confidence. He was thinking within himself thus, “Oh no! How will I go and approach Soorya-Bhagawan to marry this girl? What kind of qualification do I even have to go and stand in front of Soorya-Bhagawan? If I go there, I’m sure that Soorya-Bhagawan would kick me out! I guess I’ve made a mistake of falling in love for this woman!” Thinking thus, King Samvarna became extremely sad and frustrated with himself. On one hand, he was not having the confidence to approach Soorya-Bhagawan, whereas on the other hand, he was unable to sacrifice his love for Tapati. His love for Tapati was so deep that he slowly started falling sick. King Samvarna fainted due to fatigue and high fever, and when Tapati comes close to him, he feels energetic. However, when Tapati is away from him, he again falls sick. 

As the ministers of the kingdom see this, they were concerned. Who would run the kingdom efficiently if King Samvarna is perennially sick like this? How will the administrative duties of the kingdom be discharged if the king is not in good shape? If an enemy comes and invades the kingdom, who would protect all of them? With all these questions in mind, the ministers did not know what to do. They went straight to Sage Vasishtaachaarya for help. The ministers fell on Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s feet and explained the situation of King Samvarna to him. Upon the ministers’ request, Sage Vashishtachaarya immediately accepts it and prays towards Soorya-Bhagawan. He prays thus, “Oh Soorya Bhagawan! The one who is the most important for the survival of this world along with all its living beings! The one who gives light and food to all living beings in this world! The one who is always close to Bhagawan Narayana! I have a small request for you!” As Sage Vasishtaachaarya prays thus, Soorya-Bhagawan stops his chariot and asks him thus, “Oh Sage Vasishta! Normally you never pray anything for yourself! You are a great sage who works for the benefit of the entire world, isn’t it? I’m honoured to be of service to you! So tell me! What should I do for you?” 

As Soorya-Bhagawan stops and asks thus, Sage Vasishtaachaarya explains the situation of King Samvarna to him and how King Samvarna has fallen in love with Tapati. As Soorya-Bhagawan hears this, he was extremely happy. He replies thus, “Oh great sage! Is this all for what you were praying ardently to me for? This is a simple thing! I know of King Samvarna, who is the son of the great King Riksha-raaja! He is a very good boy and my daughter should be extremely fortunate to marry King Samvarna. I shall immediately give my daughter in marriage to King Samvarna!” With this, the news was conveyed to King Samvarna and he was extremely happy! He immediately came to meet Sage Vasishtaachaarya and thanked him for the timely help. 

Thus, the marriage between Tapati and King Samvarna happened in a grand manner. King Riksha was also happy with the marriage. Thus, Kuru was born to Tapati and King Samvarna. This story, as mentioned before, was narrated by Chitra-Rasa to make Arjuna understand where did Kuru and the subsequent family lineage come from. As Chitra-Rasa narrates thus, Arjuna immediately quips thus, “Oh Chitra-Rasa! All this is fine! I’m very happy that my grandfather and great grandfather have had such a beautiful and a famed history. But where did Sage Vasishtaachaarya come from? What is the significance of Sage Vasishtaachaarya?”

As Arjuna asks this question subsequently, Chitra-Rasa had to explain the entire background of Sage Vasishtaachaarya. For explaining about him, Sage Vyaasa has written about eight “Adhyaayas” inside this “Chaitra-Rasa Parva”. He has explained in detail as to how Sage Vasishtaachaarya was a Brahma-Rishi and how he entered into a feud with Sage Vishwamitra and what happened henceforth. We shall witness this also in a bit more detail in the next episode! Stay tuned for more updates! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Chitra-Rasa narrating an important accord to Arjuna and Co. as they prepare themselves to cross over the River Ganges to reach Paanchaala Desha. Chitra-Rasa started with the birth story of Sage Paraashara. We’ve witnessed this accord in the last episode, wherein Sage Vishwamitra and Sage Vasishtaachaarya were in a perennial fight mode with each other. Sage Vishwamitra wanted to somehow get an upper hand over Sage Vasishtaachaarya and obtain the “Brahma-Rishi” tag, and he did all whatever he could to stem the growth and popularity of Sage Vasishtaachaarya. Sage Vishwamitra wanted to abduct the “Kaamadenu” cow of Sage Vasishtaachaarya and with this, a huge war broke out between the two. Sage Vishwamitra was made to run for his money by Sage Vasishtaachaarya, however, Sage Vishwamitra never relented. He sent Kalmaasha-Paada to fight Sage Vasishtaachaarya and at the end of the day, Kalmaasha-Paada ended up “eating” all of Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s sons, including Sage Shakti. This happened at a time when Sage Shakti’s wife was carrying and eventually she gave birth to a child within the stomach of Kalmaasha-Paada itself. Since this child was steadfast in attaining “Moksha” right from day one of birth, it obtained the name called “Paraashara”. 

With this, we’ve witnessed the complete lineage of the famed set of sages – Sage Vasishtaachaarya, Sage Shakti, Sage Paraashara and Sage Veda-Vyaasa. It is to be remembered that Sage Veda-Vyaasa is none other than the son of Sage Paraashara. Thus, Chitra-Rasa is narrating this accord as he commences his story narrative to Arjuna. We might wonder why is Chitra-Rasa is telling something completely out of context now, at a time when the Paandavas were proceeding for an important “Svayamvara” event. There is a connection here. Let us see that today. We’ve already witnessed someone called Tapati, who was the daughter of Soorya-Bhagawan. Tapati was in love with King Riksha’s son, Samvarna. Upon praying to Sage Vasishtaachaarya, he helped Soorya-Bhagawan to give his daughter, Tapati, in marriage to Samvarna. The child that was born to this couple is none other than “Kuru”. We’ve witnessed this Kuru multiple times in the past, but till now we’ve not really witnessed his background in much detail. However, readers might remember that it is in the family lineage of “Kuru” were the “Kauravas” (Duryodhana and Co.) were born. 

Now for the reason behind Chitra-Rasa narrating all this to Arjuna – As the Paandavas were fast proceeding towards the Paanchaala-Desha, we’ve witnessed Chitra-Rasa explaining the reason behind him picking up a fight with Arjuna. Since the Paandavas were “Kshatriyas” by nature, the “Kshatriya”  in Chitra-Rasa mooted him to fight against Arjuna. However, if the Paandavas would have proceeded with a “Brahmana Rishi” along with them, Chitra-Rasa wouldn’t have picked up this fight. This is where Chitra-Rasa suggests that the Paandavas take Sage Dhoumya along with them, so that if a Brahmana Rishi is around, nobody on the way would pick up fights with them, and they would reach the Paanchaala Desha safely. While saying this, Chitra-Rasa uses the word “Taapatya” to address Arjuna, which refers to this Tapati, about whom we’ve witnessed above. This word “Taapatya” means, “Son of “Tapati”. As Arjuna hears this, he has a doubt. He asks Chitra-Rasa back thus, “Oh Chitra-Rasa! Why are you mentioning me as a son of Tapati? Who is this Tapati? I’m the son of Kunthi Devi, who is standing right next to me. How can I become the son of someone else if my mother is near me here? All people around me would refer to me as “Kaunteya” or “Paartha”, but why are you referring to me in a different manner?” 

As Arjuna asks such a question, Chitra-Rasa replies to Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! It seems that you are not aware of your ancestral history. I shall highlight to you as to how you are born in the family lineage of Tapati, who is Soorya-Bhagawan’s daughter. Tapati’s son was Kuru. Kuru’s son was Pradeepa. Pradeepa’s son was Shantanu. Shantanu’s sons were Chitraangatha and Vichitraveerya. After this generation came King Dhirdiraashtra and your father, Paandu. You were finally born to King Paandu, aren’t you? Thus, you might be able to observe here that all of you belong to the great “Kuru-Vamsa”. Since Kuru’s mother is Tapati, you belong to the “Tapati-Vamsa” ideally, and this is the reason why I addressed you as “Taapatya”!” 

As Arjuna listens thus, it is only now he understands his own ancestral history! Till now he was only knowing his mother and father, and maybe King Shantanu onwards to an extent. Beyond this, Arjuna wasn’t aware. Even in our case, beyond our grandfather or great grandfather’s generation, would we even know who existed? We might not know unless and until somebody comes and tells us all the stories! This is simply because we’ve not seen them with our own two eyes, isn’t it? This is exactly the case with Arjuna as well. Thus, it is through Chitra-Rasa, Arjuna comes to know his ancestral history. So for today, let us understand until this point, and from here, we’ll witness a more detailed accord on Tapati, as narrated by Chitra-Rasa in the next episode. So far, I’ve only narrated a brief of the story, for us to understand where this context fits in. Stay tuned for more updates! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the Paandavas getting some vital information from Sage Vyaasa before onboarding the raft to cross over the River Ganges. This is precisely the time when Chitra-Rasa comes to fight the Paandavas and finally comes to terms with them. It is Chitra-Rasa who suggested that the Paandavas take Sage Dhoumya along with them while they go to the Paanchaala Desha. As both Chitra-Rasa and Arjuna exchanged pleasantries and gifts with each other, Chitra-Rasa explains an important story to Arjuna and Co. All this comes under the “Chaitra-Rasa Parva” only. I had missed out mentioning this story in our earlier episodes, but I was waiting for the right context to narrate it. Now let us witness this story that Chaitra-Rasa is explaining, and then we shall proceed further on how the Paandavas reach Paanchaala Desha. 

This story commences with an accord on Bhagawan Soorya (Sun God). Soorya Bhagawan had a daughter by name “Tapati”. In fact, this story talks about this Tapati a lot and is then going to branch into Sage Vasishta’s importance and significance. Many of us might know that Sage Vasishta and Sage Vishwamitra had a perennial fight with each other. Sage Vishwamitra was extremely jealous of Sage Vasishta because he possessed the holy cow called “Nandini” or “Kaamadenu”. Sage Vishwamitra wanted to prove his might by abducting the Nandini cow, but he failed in that heist attempt. Following this, a huge fight broke out between Sage Vishwamitra and Sage Vasishta. However, Sage Vasishta proved to the world why he is an extremely powerful “Brahma-Rishi” with extreme amount of “Tapo-Bhalam”. He made Sage Vishwamitra run for his money! Unable to bare this insult from Sage Vasishta, Sage Vishwamitra approached someone by name “Kalmaasha-Paada”. This Kalmaasha-Paada was such a cruel person by nature and according to Sage Vishwamitra’s instruction, Kalmaasha-Paada attacked Sage Vasishta again and at the end, he consumed all the hundred children of Sage Vasishta. Upon seeing this, Sage Vasishta cursed Kalmaasha-Paada very badly and he had to undergo a very tough life after that. 

One of such sons of Sage Vasishta who were eaten by this Kalmaasha-Paada was none other than Sage Shakti. Sage Shakti’s wife was Adrishyanti. Kalmaasha-Paada attacked and consumed Sage Vasishta’s sons at a time when Adrishyanti was carrying. As Kalmaasha-Paada consumed all of them, including Adrishyanti, her baby inside the womb was asking questions from within! For whatever things that were being talked about outside, the baby asked the question “Why”! It was repeatedly proclaiming that the sole purpose of it’s birth in this world is to attain “Moksha” and nothing else. This intention is summed up by the phrase called “Paraasu” in Sanskrit. It is this phrase that the baby was chanting all the time as it was born. This is why the baby obtained the name “Paraashara”. We’ve already witnessed the story of Sage Veda-Vyaasa who was in turn born to Sage Paraashara. However, we’re now witnessing how Sage Paraashara was born. 

Thus, we can witness here that Sage Vasishtaachaarya’s son was Sage Shakti. Sage Shakti’s son was Sage Paraashara and Sage Paraashara’s son was none other than Sage Veda-Vyaasa. Thus, this is the famed lineage of the great sages who were instrumental in documenting all what we’re witnessing now – The “Ithihaasas” and the “Puraanas”. Now we might have a question in our mind – Why are we suddenly witnessing all these stories? Isn’t it out of context? Why is Chitra-Rasa narrating these stories now to Arjuna at a time when the Paandavas were hurrying towards the Paanchaala Desha for the “Svayamvara” event? The answers to these questions lie in the next episode! There is a purpose behind why these stories are being narrated at this point! Stay tuned to understand this purpose! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed how apt communication is crucial while we ask something to anyone including Bhagawan Himself. We’ve witnessed in the case of Draupati as to how she wanted to ask something to Bhagawan Shiva and how she ended up asking it five times! With this, Bhagawan Shiva blessed her with five husbands, hearing which, the little girl was shell-shocked! However, once asked, is asked forever! Bhagawan Shiva had no option but to grant what she had asked for! With this, the little girl took a re-birth from King Drupada’s “Yagnya” as Draupati or Yaagnyaseni or Paanchaali or Krishnaa. It is for this Draupati (commonly referred name) is King Drupada arranging the “Svayamvara” event and the Paandavas are making their way to the Drupada Kingdom. However, the agenda of the Paandavas was never to participate in the Svayamvara event. They wanted to meet King Drupada as “disguised Brahmin sages” and seek his help to get a good place for them to stay. 

As Sage Vyaasa narrates this background story to the Paandavas, he just limited his words by saying that Draupati is about to marry five people. He stopped just short of mentioning that it is the five Paandava brothers who are going to marry her. It should be remembered here that great Maharishis would tell what is required, but not even a single word beyond that. This is the significance of being a great sage. Thus, here too we’re witnessing that Sage Vyaasa was exactly telling what was required by the Paandavas to know at that point in time, but not a single word beyond that. He explained Draupati’s background story completely, but did not mention to the Paandavas that it was they who are going to marry them. So what is the lesson that we can learn from this characteristic of Maharishis? We should talk only what is required to! If someone is asking us something, we should keep our reply only to the apt answer for the asked question. We should not talk beyond what is asked. If we do so, we would only get into unwanted traps and finally we would end up getting caught for talking about some unwanted stuff. 

This is applicable not only in our personal space, but also in our professional space as well. If we’re going to attend some recruitment interviews or if we’re part of some important corporate meetings, we should know exactly what we’re talking about and we should keep a complete check on the context and the words that we employ. Especially while attending recruitment interviews, it is extremely important that we maintain our answers crisp and to the point. We shouldn’t use unnecessary words to keep “beating around the bush”. Moreover, it is always better not to go beyond what is asked. We should always limit our answer to what the interviewer wants to know. If we go overboard out of excitement, chances are very high that we might get into some traps of the interviewer. Many a time, the interviewer might frame subsequent questions from the answer(s) that we give. Hence, it is always preferable to be precise with our answers that we give. However, having said that, whatever has to be said, has to be said. We should not mince our words. We should be open and transparent with our answers to the extent of what is being asked for. This is also important. Thus, giving limited answers doesn’t mean that we either fudge our answers or not answer any question that is asked. We should be able to strike a balance between the two here – We should make sure that we answer all the questions without blemish, but at the same time, we should know what we’re answering. We should be precise and to the point. 

This is something that we can learn from this accord of Sage Veda-Vyaasa here. Of course, Sage Vyaasa is a “Maha-Gnyaani” and with his “Tapo-Bhala”, he knows exactly what is in store in the future! However, great Mahatmas like Sage Vyaasa wouldn’t reveal what is going to happen in the future! They might give some hints in the form of some valuable advice, but wouldn’t explicitly say that this is what is going to happen in the future. Moving on thus, as the Paandavas get this message from Sage Vyaasa about the Svayamvara, it is at this same point that Arjuna and Chitra-Rasa enter into the fight and Chitra Rasa was defeated by the “Aagneya-Asthra” of Arjuna. We’ve witnessed this story in our earlier episodes as well. As Chitra-Rasa understands who Arjuna was, he was very happy and wanted to gift something to Arjuna. He thus gave the “Chaakshusi” Mantra to Arjuna, who in turn gave the “Aagnyeya-Asthra” to Chitra-Rasa. As the Paandavas are about to board the raft along with Sage Dhoumya to cross over the River Ganges, Chitra-Rasa tells the Paandavas an important story! So for today, let us understand until this point and in the next episode we shall witness the story that Chitra-Rasa narrated to the Paandavas! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important background story of Draupati as narrated by Sage Veda-Vyaasa to the Paandavas. Sage Vyaasa was damn sure that the Paandavas are going to be the winners of the “Svayamvara” event that was about to take place at the Paanchaala Desha, and hence, he explains the history of Draupati to the Paandava brothers well in advance. We’ve witnessed how a little girl of a great Maharishi was in penance towards Bhagawan Shiva for a long time. Impressed by the girl’s dedication, Bhagawan Shiva appeared in front of her and requested her to ask Him for a boon. Thus, instead of asking for one husband with a set of characteristics, she ended up asking the same boon five times with five different sets of characteristics. Thus, Bhagawan Shiva did not have an option but to grant the boon that the girl asked for – Five husbands with five different sets of noble characteristics. Hearing thus from Bhagawan Shiva, the girl was shocked! This wasn’t what she wanted Him to grant her! However, because of the tension and nervousness, she ended up asking something else, instead of what she thought of asking! 

This is what happens to many of us as well! For instance, if we’ve to talk with some important person or even a “Mahatma” for that matter, we might stumble because of nervousness. This is why we always emphasize keep our mind calm and composed at all times, as much as possible. It is only when the mind is calm, will we be able to articulate our thoughts into the apt words when we talk. If our mind is lingering with so many thoughts, we start searching for words and end up talking about something else! This is exactly what happened to this girl as well! Not only this girl – There are many other examples as well. Kumbakarna, who was Ravana’s brother, wanted to ask for a boon to Bhagawan Brahma. He undertook a great deal of “Tapas” towards Bhagawan Brahma and with this, the entire world started shaking with fear. The Devas and the entire set of “Celestial Beings” know of Kumbakarna’s immense power and strength, and that he can take on everybody single handedly. Bhagawan Brahma too had no other option, but to appear in front of Kumbakarna. 

However, before going in front of Kumbakarna, Bhagawan Brahma winked at Goddess Saraswathi Devi, who is His divine consortium. Accordingly, Goddess Saraswathi Devi understood the message! Being the “Vaak-Devata” (Goddess of speech, knowledge and wisdom) Saraswathi Devi immediately entered into Kumbakarna’s tongue and this was precisely the time that Bhagawan Brahma appeared in front of him. As Kumbakarna wanted to ask for the boon, his thought process was to ask for something that would make him invincible against all powers in the world, especially the Devas. Kumbakarna’s main enemy at that point was Indra and Co. and he wanted to ask for a boon to destroy the entire lot of the Devas (“Nir-devathvam”). However, instead of asking Bhagawan Brahma for “Nir-devathvam”, Kumbakarna ended up asking it as “Nidraavathvam” – Thanks to Goddess Saraswathi’s divine “tongue-twister” in Kumbakarna’s mouth! The phrase “Nidra” in Sanskrit means “Sleep”. Thus, instead of asking for the complete destruction of the Devas, Kumbakarna ended up asking for continuous sleep from that time onwards! Happy with what Kumbakarna asked for, Bhagawan Brahma immediately granted it to him and with this, Kumbakarna fell into a great slumber! The world was relieved! 

Thus, the message here is that, when we ask something, we should be clear in what we’re asking! We should be able to use the apt words for the apt context. Our thought process should clearly correlate with the words that we employ. Of course, Goddess Saraswathi Devi’s role is also predominant here, but all we can do is to take the right effort to use the right words at the right context. Thus, through the Kumbakarna and Draupati episodes, we understand the importance of communication at critical times. Thus, as the little girl was shocked thus, Bhagawan Shiva consoles her: “Oh little one! Please do not worry! This was not your mistake. This was the divine will that played a part in your tongue while you asked for the boon. You’re going to get five noble husbands, who would be impeccable in terms of character, valor and youth! They would be extremely powerful and would always walk the path of “Dharma”. They would treat you like a queen and with this, the entire world would learn a lot of important lessons from your life!” 

Thus, the little girl was waiting for the opportunity to get married and thus, in her next birth, she was born out of the “Yaaga” that King Drupada was performing. We’ve already seen this earlier, isn’t it? In order to avenge Guru Dhronaachaarya, King Drupada performed a huge “Yagnya” to bring out someone from it, who can be extremely powerful to kill Guru Dhronaachaarya. Thus, as the spiritual offering was being performed, Drshtadhyumna came out of the “Yagnya” first. He is the person who is going to kill Guru Dhronaachaarya later. Along with Drshtadhyumna came Draupati or “Krishnaa” or “Yaagnyaseni”. It is this Draupati who is going to marry the five Paandava brothers now. So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall wait till the next episode to find out how the Paandavas reached the Paanchaala Desha and what happened further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important accord wherein Chitra-Rasa gives a key advice to the Paandavas that when they proceed to the Paanchaala Desha, they should not go all alone by themself. They should take a Brahmana Rishi along with them as they go. Prior to this, we had also witnessed Arjuna exhibiting his prowess with the powerful “Aagneya-Astra” against Chitra-Rasa and winning over him quite easily. Thus, as per the advice of Chitra-Rasa, the Paandavas go in search of Sage Dhoumya, pay all their respects to the great sage, and with his acceptance, the Paandavas make their way to the Paanchaala Desha. As they proceed towards the Paanchaala Desha, the Paandavas once again come across Sage Veda Vyaasa. We’re witnessing umpteen number of times wherein Sage Vyaasa is meeting the Paandavas. It should be understood here that since Sage Vyaasa himself is an incarnation of Bhagawan Vishnu, Bhagawan Himself is protecting the Paandavas and guiding them from time to time. Earlier too, when the Paandavas were entering into the “Eka-Chakra-Nagara”, Sage Vyaasa met the Paandavas and blessed them. Now when they’re proceeding towards the “Paanchaala Desha” along with Sage Dhoumya, Sage Vyaasa meets them and explains the significance of the place and the people there. 

Thus, Sage Vyaasa is going to explain an interesting accord as to why Draupati has to marry five people at the same time. Normally we see that a woman can marry only one man in her life at a time, isn’t it? However, why is Draupati going to marry all the five Paandava brothers together? There is a “Deiva-Sankalpa” (Divine Will) behind this entire happening, which Sage Vyaasa is going to explain to the Paandavas in advance! Sage Vyaasa explains the background story of Draupati thus: There was once a great Sage who had a daughter. This daughter was wishing to get married to an extremely good person and to attain a righteous person as her husband. With this intention, this girl started performing an intense penance towards Bhagawan Shiva. This penance went on for days and months together, and towards the end of it, Bhagawan Shiva was extremely impressed with this little girl’s perseverance and strong will power to continue the penance for such a long time. He appears in front of the little girl and asks her for the reason that she had called upon Him. 

As we know, Bhagawan Shiva is someone who grants any boon to anybody who willingly and lovingly approaches Him. Bhagawan Shiva is a God full of compassion and mercy towards His devotees. As Bhagawan Shiva asks the little girl to request Him for a boon. For this, the little girl replies to Bhagawan Shiva thus, “Oh Bhagawan! I pray to you to gift me with a husband who is a handsome person! My husband should be an epitome of youth! My husband should be a person who has a strong valor! My husband should be a well-learned scholar. He should have all the education under his possession. He should be wealthy!” 

This is a good request from the little girl. Normally in today’s world, we too would want all this from a person whom we’re going to marry, isn’t it? We would want all the above mentioned characteristics imbibed in a single person. However, by mistake, the little girl asked this a bit differently to Bhagawan Shiva. She framed her sentence in such a way that she wanted a certain set of characteristics in one person, certain set of characteristics in another person, etc. Thus, she ended up asking the same type of question five different times! In other words, she wanted one set of characteristics in the first person, second set of characteristics in the second person, and so on, until the fifth person. Simply put, instead of asking for one husband with all characteristics, this little girl ended up asking for five husbands with five different sets of characteristics! The girl asks thus to Bhagawan Shiva: 

“Atha eshwaram uvaachedam aatmanasvaa vachohitham!

Pathim sarvaguno petham icchhaameethi punah punaha!!”

Here we can witness that this little girl asks Bhagawan Shiva for the same wish again and again (“Punah punaha”) As the little girl asks thus, Bhagawan Shiva replies, “Oh my child! You’ve asked for a wish five times with five different sets of characteristics! Thus, you would be blessed with five different husbands who would be embodiments of all these characteristics that you had asked for!” As the little girl hears this from Bhagawan Shiva, she was stunned beyond words! She had wished for one husband, but she had ended up asking for five husbands! She immediately requests Bhagawan Shiva thus, “Oh Bhagawan Shiva! This is not my wish! I only wished to ask you for one husband with all these characteristics. However, I had messed up with my wordings in asking you the same. I do not want five husbands at the same time!” However, Hhagawan Shiva replies her thus, “Oh little girl! I do not know the intention behind which you had asked the boon. All I know is what you had asked me! You had asked me for five husbands with five different sets of characteristics! It is my duty to honor your words!” 

Thus we can witness here that when we ask for boons to Bhagawan, we should ask correctly! We should not mess up with our words and end up conveying something else! Thus, communication assumes extreme importance here! So for today, let us understand up to this point on how Draupati ended up attaining five husbands instead of one! We shall continue this important discussion further in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Chitra-Rasa confronting the Paandavas as they were trying to cross over the river Ganges to reach Paanchaala Desha. The Paandavas were trying to cross over during the wee hours of the night, so that they would be unidentified by anybody who is known to them in some way or the other. It is to be remembered by readers that the Paandavas are currently living a disguised life wherein they’re hiding their identity from the rest of the world. As Duryodhana and Co. think that the Paandavas are dead, this entire game has to be hatched, courtesy Vidura. Thus, as Chitra-Rasa was involved in the “Jala-Kreeda” during the wee hours of the night, he asked the Paandavas the reason for roaming around at this time of the night. 

As Chitra-Rasa states thus, Arjuna replies back, “Oh Chitra-Rasa! This is River Ganges. This is one of the most purest rivers in the entire Bhaarata Desha. Hence, there is no restriction of timings to come and take a holy dip in this river. Of course, you’re right – It is a normal “Dharma” that human beings aren’t supposed to roam around in the wee hours of the night, which belongs to the Raakshasas and the Gandharvas. However, when it comes to taking a holy dip in the river Ganges, there is an exception. One can visit this river bank 24*7 without any problem. Please understand this!” As Arjuna replies back thus, it was like hurting Chitra-Rasa’s ego. There was a huge argument that broke out between the two of them. Chitra-Rasa wasn’t ready to accept Arjuna’s words. He felt insulted because he was seen by these five people while he was amidst the “Jala-Kreeda”. 

As the argument went beyond control, Chitra-Rasa attacked Arjuna with all his might. Chitra-Rasa did not know that he was entering into a fight with one of the world’s greatest warriors of all times. Out of anger and frustration, as emotions were running high, Chitra-Rasa attacked Arjuna, which irked Arjuna! He immediately took out his bow and arrow and aimed an “Aagneya-Astra” on Chitra-Rasa. The “Astra” was extremely powerful and it hit Chitra-Rasa on his chest. He wasn’t able to react and fight further and with this, Chitra-Rasa gave it up! Finally Chitra-Rasa falls on Arjuna’s feet, seeking forgiveness. He now understood who Arjuna really was! As Chitra-Rasa seeks forgiveness, Arjuna too accepts him and apologizes from his side for employing such a powerful “Astra” just for a mere sake of an argument. Both of them came to terms and Chitra-Rasa reveals the exact reason for picking up this argument and fight against Arjuna and the Paandavas. 

As Chitra-Rasa continues to talk thus, he explains: “Oh Arjuna! It is not that I came to know about you just now after the fight. I knew your real identity even while trying to cross the river. I knew that you had escaped from the “Laaksha Griha” and are currently living a disguised life. However, I wanted to stop you for a reason – As you’re trying to cross over the river and proceed towards the Paanchaala Desha, I wanted to give you the advice of taking a Brahmin person along with you. If you do not do this, you might end up in some sort of danger as you reach there. I wanted to warn you and give you this important piece of advice!” As Chitra-Rasa advises thus, Arjuna asks back, “Oh Chitra-Rasa! Thank you for letting us know this important point. Yes. We also realize the potential danger that might await us, but where do we go now in search of a Brahmana Rishi? We are Kshatrya princes and we do not know any Brahmana Rishi in this area!” 

As the Paandavas express their concern thus, Chitra-Rasa gave a solution for that as well. He explains thus, “Oh Yudishtra and Arjuna! I shall show you an important sage who lives amidst this locality. He is none other than Sage Dhoumya! You would be able to meet him at a short distance from here. You might approach Sage Dhoumya, seek his willingness and then proceed along with him to the Paanchaala Desha. I’m sure Sage Dhoumya would accept your request to accompany you wherever you want to go! Meanwhile, before you go from here, I shall give you the “Chaakshusi Mantra” which is extremely powerful. This is a gift to Arjuna who won over me!” 

Thus, Arjuna received the “Chaakshusi Mantra” from Chitra-Rasa and the Paandavas bid farewell to him. They now go in search of Sage Dhoumya and find him. Sage Dhoumya was very happy to receive the Paandavas and he too accepted their proposal to accompany them to Paanchaala Desha. Thus, the Paandavas, Kunthi Devi, along with Sage Dhoumya proceed towards the Paanchaala Desha, and with this, the “Chitra-Rasa-Parva” comes to an end. So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode we shall commence the next important “Upa-Parva” and continue the discussion from there on! Stay tuned! 🙂