Episode # 1244 – Bhagwan Krishna initiates the “Jala-Tarpanam” for all the departed people!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Mother Gandhari cursing Bhagawan Krishna that His entire “Yaadava-Kulam” at Dwaraka will see a similar fate after thirty-six years. Just like how the entire Kaurava Kulam was banished in the Kurukshetra war, the entire Yaadava-Kulam will also banish completely from this world as Bhagawan Krishna’s tenure comes to an end. As Mother Gandhari inflicted this curse out of sheer frustration and grief of losing all her sons, Bhagawan Krishna took it happily with a smile. He replies politely by saying that He too was waiting for such a thing to happen. In other words, Bhagawan Krishna feels that He can use Mother Gandhari’s curse to call it quits from this world! With this, we come to the end of the “Sthree-Vilaapa Parva” – The second “Upa-Parva” under the main “Sthree Parva”. Now, we will enter into the next and the last “Upa-Parva” of this “Sthree Parva”, which is called “Shraadha Parva”. Here is where all the people who are currently alive, are going to perform the “Jala-Tarpanam” for all the departed souls. This is going to be a very important “Upa-Parva”, which commences with Bhagawan Krishna’s reply to everyone who are trying to pin the blame for the debacle on Bhagawan Krishna. 

So moving on further thus, Bhagawan Krishna feels that He has taken enough blame upon Himself. Several people including King Dhritarashtra, Mother Gandhari, the wives of all the warriors who had died in the battlefield on both the sides cry aloud and come forward to squarely blame Bhagawna Krishna for the entire devastation. Bhagawan Krishna too is patiently listening to all these accusations, even though He is no way responsible for whatever has happened. Finally as Mother Gandhari’s curse comes by, Bhagawan Krishna decides that He has to speak up now and life has to move on from this. Bhagawan says thus, “Oh people! Oh King Dhritarashtra! Oh Mother Gandhari! All of you are squarely blaming me for the entire catastrophe – Aren’t you? Not even a single person in this gathering is realizing that it is the individual’s “Karma” that has played a role in this devastation. Little do you understand that I tried my best to stop this war from happening. Who was the orchestrator of this entire Kurukshetra battle? It was none other than Duryodhana himself! It was because of his arrogance and ego, all these people had to sacrifice their lives! If such is the case, why are you blaming me? What wrong did I do? Anyway, now that the blame is on me, do you think that this is going to solve the grief and pain? It is only going to get bigger and bigger! Hence, rather than simply playing the blame game, let us collectively move on to do what has to be done further. Even if you keep mourning and blaming, are those dead people going to come back to life again? The answer is a big “No”! All of them have attained the respective “Lokhas” where they are destined to attain. Everything in this world has to come to an end at some point in time. Hence, let us accept this moment and move on further with the other duties that we’ve to perform! Let us do the “Jala-Tarpanam” and “Shraadham” for all the departed “Atmans” in this nearby lake!” 

It is worth noting here that the lake where the “Jala-Tarpanam” was performed by all of them can be worshipped in its entire presence even today – In Kurukshetra city, there is a lake by name “Brahma-Sarovaram”. This is the very lake where the “Jala-Tarpanam” of the entire set of dead warriors was performed. This is a very sacred place even today and if we get an opportunity to visit Kurukshetra, we should not miss being here! Moving on further, Bhagawan Krishna asks Yudishtra to take a count of how many people have died on the battlefield on both sides. This includes frontline warriors, foot soldiers, etc. along with the animals like horses, elephants, etc. which have died in the war. As Bhagawan Krishna asks Yudishtra to take stock of the situation, Yudishtra replies with a very important set of statistics with regards to the loss on both sides. We shall wait till the next episode to witness this and move on further! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1243 – “My ‘Avatara’ will culmiante, thirty-six years from now!” – Bhagawan Krishna declares!!!

We’re at the midst of a very important event in the Mahabharata text, wherein Bhagawan Krishna is being cursed for the first time (perhaps the only time) during His divine incarnation in this world. This happens at a time when King Dhritarashtra and Mother Gandhari are touring Kurukshetra to assess the extent of damage that has happened on the battlefield after the war has ended. Everybody is of the opinion that Bhagawan Krishna is the sole reason behind this vast destruction. However, little do people realize the extent of “Paapa Karma” the Kaurava brothers had accumulated over time and the resultant of their “Paapa Karma” ended their lives! Unable to withstand the fact that her sons are no more in this world, an aggrieved Gandhari could not hold back her frustration. She vents herself out to Bhagawan Krishna, who tries His best to console her with the fact of life in this world. Even though whatever Bhagawan Krishna explains is the truth, Mother Gandhari is in no mood to accept all those. Her immediate thought is that she has lost all her sons, and if one person can be blamed for all this, it is Bhagawan Krishna. Even though Bhagawan Krishna is a “Paramatman”, Mother Gadhari feels that He hasn’t done His duty towards her sons by protecting them. Hence, Mother Gandhari inflicts a heavy curse on Bhagawan Krishna that His “Yaadava Kulam” will also meet a similar end, thirty-six years from this point. 

As Mother Gandhari vents out all her frustration through her curse thus, Bhagawan Krishna is still unmoved and smiling at her. He takes everything upon Himself without talking a single word back! This is where we’ve to understand that if a “Bhakta” tries to walk the path of “Dharma” and if the “Bhakta” is ready to follow Bhagawan Krishna’s advice, He goes to any extent to protect them. Here also we’re seeing how Bhagawan Krishna goes on to even take upon Mother Gandhari’s severe curse on Himself, in order to protect Yudishtra and Co. Bhagawan Krishna could have easily passed it on to Yudishtra and Arjuna, couldn’t He? Yet, He did not do so. Even though it meant His own destruction, Bhagawan Krishna happily takes it upon Himself, so that Yudishtra and the Pandava brothers are protected. This is why we say that Bhagawan is an embodiment of never-ending compassion towards His “Bhaktas”. 

Moving on further thus, as Mother Gandhari inflicts such a heavy curse, Bhagawan Krishna slowly replies to her. It is now Bhagawan Krishna’s turn to talk back to Mother Gandhari, as the entire gathering around them is stunned to bits! Yudishtra couldn’t not believe his ears as Mother Gandhari inflicted such a heavy curse on Bhagawan Krishna! Arjuna could not hold back himself and came forward to fall on Mother Gandhari’s feet to seek forgiveness. Despite all this, Bhagwan Krishna replies thus, “Oh Mother Gandhari! Till now I’ve been thinking deeply about this – I’ve done enough and more in this world to protect “Dharma”. My time in this world is coming to an end, and how do I call it “quits”? I should need some reason in this world to depart back to “Vaikunta”. Maybe your curse can be the best reason upon which I could complete my incarnation in this world! Even though no “Karma” can touch me eternally, I shall take your curse upon myself voluntarily to end my “Avatara” in this world. Oh Mother Gandhari! Let me declare in front of you and everyone today – My incarnation in this world will come to an end, thirty-six years from now! My “Yaadava Kula” will face unprecedented destruction at Dwaraka and through which, I shall also depart from this world, marking the culmination of my divine “Avatara”! If this is destined to happen, let it happen!”

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna makes a very important declaration here. It is evident from this reply that Bhagawan Krishna was waiting for such a situation to take place, wherein He could convert a curse into an opportunity! This is how “Deiva Sankalpam” works. So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion further in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1242 – Aggrieved Mother Gandhari curses Bhagawan Krishna!!!

We are in the midst of a very sober time as King Dhritarashtra and Gandhari are at Kurukshetra. They are going around to look at all those people who have died in the recently concluded war. Sage Vyaasa, the Pandava brothers, Bhagawan Krishna, etc. are accompanying both of them. Sage Vyaasa had gifted a divine pair of eyes for Gandhari to look around and assess the extent of the disaster. Upon seeing everything, Mother Gandhari cries inconsolably! She is experiencing an untold misery at the moment. As Sage Vyaasa sees this, he tries to console Mother Gandhari, and Yudishtra & Co. also join him to seek unconditional apology to Mother Gandhari. Meanwhile, Sage Vyaasa requests Gandhari not to curse anybody for this debacle that has unfolded. 

As this happens, we enter into the “Sthree Vilaapa Parva”, wherein all the wives of the dead warriors are coming in front of Bhagawan Krishna and venting all their grief. As we know, several warriors not only from Hastinapura, but also from several other kingdoms have lost their lives and because of this, all these kingdoms too are struggling without a ruler and successor. Upon seeing this, the wives of Drishtadhyumna, Guru Dhronachaarya, Jayatrada, the Kaurava warriors, etc. come in front of Bhagawan Krishna and cry aloud. Bhagawan Krishna listens patiently to all their cries and He tries to console them one after the other. All of them are heart-broken completely and are unable to hold themselves back. All of them are under the perception that Bhagawan Krishna is the one who is responsible for this entire debacle that has happened. This continues for the entire “Sthree Vilaapa Parva” and towards the end, there is a very important conversation between Bhagawan Krishna and Mother Gandhari. 

Moving on further, as all the ladies come and pour out their grief, Mother Gandhari says to Bhagawan Krishna thus, “Oh Krishna! You are Bhagawan Himself and I totally understand that you are the “Paramatman. Having said that, you should have ensured that the entire clan is not wiped out! Of course, there were mistakes that had happened in the past. But that does not mean that you wipe out the entire “Vamsam” like this!” As Mother Gandhari says thus, Bhagawan Krishna patiently replies back – “Oh Mother! I understand your point. But please realize that nothing is going to be reversed now just because you are crying and pouring out your frustration. When the blunders were happening right in front of you in the past, this kind of cry and frustration was not visible in you! When Duryodhana’s ways had to be mended, where did you go? Why didn’t you rough up Duryodhana as a mother and make him mend his ways? If you would have done that, we wouldn’t have been in this situation today!”

As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, an already aggrieved Mother Gandhari looks up at Him with anger. She replies to Bhagawan Krishna thus, “Oh Krishna! I never knew that you would be such stone-hearted with me like this! Let me tell you one thing clearly now – Till now, nobody would have been brave enough to render a curse on you, however today, I’m going to inflict a heavy curse on you! Just like how my hundred sons are lying dead today – Just like how I’m suffering the loss of my children – Just like how the entire Kaurava clan is wiped out – You will also face a similar situation during the start of the thirty-sixth year from now! You will also see your entire Yaadhava clan getting destroyed right under your own eyes! You will also die at the end of this debacle and with this, your incarnation will come to an end in this world! From now, during the thirty-sixth year, you will face this huge debacle and at that time, you will understand the pain of this mourning mother!” 

Saying thus, Mother Gandhari inflicts a huge curse on Bhagawan Krishna! So what is Bhagawan Krishna’s reaction to this going to be? Is He going to get angry or is He going to take it calmly as ever? Let us wait and witness this in our next episode! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1241 – Mother Gandhari in inconsolable grief – Bhagawan Krishna & Yudishtra try consoling her!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna consoling King Dhritarashtra as he is amidst the Kurukshetra visit. Gandhari has also accompanied King Dhritarashtra to visit the dreaded battlefield after eighteen days of war. As King Dhritarashtra sees Bheemasena, he tries to hug him with all his frustration, in a bid to kill him. However, thanks to Bhagawan Krishna, Bheemasena is saved. Continuing further, King Dhritarashtra torments Bhagawan Krishna that He is the one who is responsible for the entire debacle. As King Dhritarashtra squarely puts the blame on the other side, Bhagawan Krishna clarifies immediately. He says that there is no point in blaming Yudishtra or Himself. Bhagawan Krishna explains to King Dhritarashtra politely that he should have mended Duryodhana’s ways, given that there were several opportunities to make amendments. When Sage Vyaasa or Bhagawan Krishna Himself or any other senior people like Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, etc. tried to advise King Dhritarashtra or Duryodhana, they never paid heed to any of their words of wisdom. If that is the case, what is the point in blaming Bhagawan Krishna for the debacle, and that too after everything is over! 

Consoling King Dhritarashtra somewhat, Bhagawan Krishna now moves towards Gandhari. She is an unfortunate mother who has lost all her hundred sons in the Kurukshetra battlefield. As she moves through the place, she is in inconsolable grief. Sage Vyaasa had gifted a divine pair of eyes to her for having a look at the extent of devastation. Sage Vyaasa also accompanies Gandhari and as Gandhari gets stunned with the extent of devastation that she sees around, she bursts out crying. At this moment, upon seeing Gandhari in such inconsolable grief, Sage Vyaasa anticipates something disastrous that is about to come. He immediately tries to console Gandhari thus, “Oh Gandhari! It is tough to see your sons lying dead here on the battlefield, however, please understand that this is the consequence of their own “Karma”. Neither Yudishtra nor Bhagawan Krishna have any role to play in this. I know that given this mindset of yours, the immediate thing that you would be tempted to do will be to curse Yudishtra or the Pandava brothers. Please do not do that. They are in no way responsible for what has happened. Hence, please understand the reality!” 

Even as Sage Vyaasa says thus, Yudishtra could not hold his tears and grief upon seeing Mother Gandhari in this pitiful state. Yudishtra runs towards Mother Gandhari and falls on her feet. Yudishtra says thus, “Oh my dear Mother! Please forgive me. I’m the one who is responsible for all this. Please accept me as your own son. It is  my fault that this has happened. I know I’m fully eligible to be cursed by you. I can understand the pain behind every drop of tears coming from your eyes. I deserve to be punished by you for all that has happened!” As Yudishtra says thus, he also weeps inconsolably! Similarly, Bheemasena immediately comes and falls on Mother Gandhari’s feet and seeks apology unconditionally for what has happened. In similar lines, all the five Pandava brothers tender their unconditional apology to Gandhari and King Dhritarashtra, even as both the parents are inconsolable with unending grief! 

As this happens, we shall move towards the next “Upa-Parva” called “Sthree Vilaapa Parva”. This is the continuation of what we’re seeing currently wherein all the women in Hastinapura mourn the loss of their near and dear ones. So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion forward into the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1240 – “You’ve got to blame yourself for this debacle!” – Bhagawan Krishna tells King Dhritarashtra!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a very important event wherein Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Anugraha” once again protects the Pandava brothers – Especially Bheemasena this time. When King Dhritarashtra wanted to hug Bheemasena with him, Bhagawan Krishna categorically stopped it from happening by moving a statue in front of King Dhritarashtra. When he hugs the statue, it breaks into a thousand pieces and with this, King Dhritarashtra’s anger and frustration of losing his sons come down. Now Bhagawan Krishna allows Bheemasena to go near King Dhritarashtra with affection, and along with this, Bhagawan also gives a few important pointers for leaders. As a leader, it is important that we understand the mindset of others, rather than getting carried away by what we see in front of us. 

Moving on further, as King Dhritarshtra cries out aloud, he looks at Bhagawan Krishna and says thus, “Oh Krishna! You were the person who is behind all this mess, aren’t you? Why did you do this to me? What wrong did I do to you? What wrong did Duryodhana do to you? We never had any rivalry with you at any point in time. Inspite of all this, why did you destroy my entire family? Why did you destroy my entire next generation? Now what will my kingdom do without anybody in it? You’ve orphaned my kingdom completely! Are you happy now? Are you content now? You wanted Yudishtra to win by hook or crook, didn’t you? For that, you’ve taken away my entire family! This is extremely abysmal on your part!” Saying thus, King Dhritarashtra falls down on the ground and faints. He is still in extreme frustration and distress! Of course, as a father, it is understandable that he has to go through the grief of losing his own sons in front of his own two eyes! The “Putra-Vaatsalyam” and “Putra-Shokam” have taken centre-stage completely in King Dhritarashtra! 

In a bid to console King Dhritarashtra, Bhagawan Krishna talks to him with a lot of affection. He says thus, “Oh great King! I understand your pain and frustration. It is indeed very hard to see a son dying in front of you. However, please try and understand one thing – This was destiny and it was bound to happen, irrespective of whether you like it or not. There are certain happenings in this world which are beyond one’s control. This had to happen, and it has happened! Oh King Dhritarashtra! Wherever there is creation, there is destruction which would follow. Nothing is permanent in this world. All of us have to meet death at some point of time. Oh King Dhritarashtra! Duryodhana has attained “Veera-Svargam” and you’ve to be happy for it as a “Kshatriya” king. You also should understand that I’m no way responsible for this – I’ve tried my best to stop this war from happening. I’ve come as a messenger to your place to try and broker peace. But all my attempts failed to bear any fruit. Had Duryodhana accepted my proposal, he would have been a happy king today and Yudishtra would also have been happy. Your entire family would have been intact today! However, due to Duryodhana’s arrogance, we are in this state of affairs today. Had you mended Duryodhana’s ways earlier, we would not have been in this state today. But, you’ve failed to do your duty as a father towards your son! Oh King Dhritarashtra! Whatever has happened – We cannot change anything right now. We’ve to just move on with whatever we have in life! This is how the world functions. You still have a few more years left in your life. Hence, utilize this time to do something productive spiritually and try to attain “Moksha”, rather than brooding over what has happened! This is how a wise king should think. You should ensure that you hand over the reins of your kingdom rightfully to Yudishtra and when the time comes, you should enter the “Vaanprastha-Ashramam”! The earlier you do it, the better it is for you and for Yudishtra!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna consoles King Dhritarashtra. Moving on further, Bhagawan Krishna goes to Mother Gandhari to talk a few words with her. So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall witness an important conversation between Bhagawan Krishna and Gandhari! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1239 – Bhagawan Krishna saves Bheemasena from King Dhritarashtra’s humongous power!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the culmination of an important conversation between Vidura and King Dhritarashtra, wherein Vidura is trying to cheer up King Dhritarashtra, who is still brooding over the demise of his sons. Meanwhile, Sage Vyaasa also has a part here, wherein he explains how destiny and Bhagawan’s divine “Sankalpa” are more powerful than everything in this world. If this is Bhagawan’s “Sankalpa”, nobody can alter it or change its course. Thus, unwillingly after all these conversations, King Dhritarashtra decides to go to the Kurukshetra battlefield along with his wife Gaandhaari to have a look at how things have panned out there. So far, he has been listening to Sanjaya’s narrative, sitting at Hastinapura, but now, he wants to assess the situation directly on the battlefield. As the news of King Dhritarashtra’s arrival reaches the Pandava brothers, Yudishtra is getting ready to receive him with all the due respects. Meanwhile, as King Dhritarashtra is set to arrive, Bhagawan Krishna smells something fishy! He immediately swings into action and let us witness what is going to happen next. 

Moving on further, as King Dhritarashtra expresses this interest, Sage Vyaasa is also happy about it. He gifts King Dhritarashtra a divine pair of eyes, through which he could see whatever has happened at Kurukshetra. Thus, along with his wife, King Dhritarashtra leaves Hastinaupra palace and sets off on his journey towards Kurukshetra. On the other side, Yudishtra and the Pandava brothers are waiting for King Dhritarashtra’s arrival with all the “Argyam”, “Paadhyam”, “Aachamaneeyam”, etc. as per the protocol. King Dhritarashtra arrives, and as Yudishtra welcomes him formally, Bheemasena runs towards King Dhritarashtra out of affection to hug him. King Dhritarashtra also awaits Bheemasena to come close to him, so that he can hug him. However, Bhagawan Krishna stops Bheemasena from proceeding further. He holds Bheemasena’s hands and pulls him back. Next – Bhagawan Krishna brings a huge statue of Bheemasena in front of King Dhritarashtra. As King Dhritarashtra thinks that this statue is Bheemasena, he ends up hugging the statue! It should be remembered that this is the same statue which Duryodhana had created earlier (A replica of Bheemasena) to practise the “Gadha-Yuddham” to fight him down! 

As King Dhritarashtra hugs the statue, it breaks into a thousand pieces with a loud thud sound! King Dhritarashtra, although being blind, is a very powerful person. We’ve seen this earlier as well – King Dhritarashtra has the power of a thousand elephants! He is an invincible person when it comes to power! Thus, at this moment, King Dhritarashtra’s anger and frustration manifests in the form of his power, which breaks the statue into a thousand pieces! As everyone listens to the loud thud, it sends shockwaves! King Dhritarashtra is also shocked as to what happened – Has he killed Bheemasena with his humongous power? Bhagawan Krishna clarifies immediately thus – “Oh King Dhritarashtra! You’ve not hugged Bheemasena. You’ve hugged a statue of him. The one which broke into a thousand pieces was the statue of Bheemasena. I purposefully brought the statue in front of you to ensure that your anger and frustration are reflected on it, rather than on Bheemasena! Oh King Dhritarashtra! Now your son Bheemasena is safe. You can hug him now!” 

Turning towards Bheemasena, Bhagawan Krishna says thus, “Oh Bheemasena! You’ve to understand one thing very clearly – As a “Kshatriya” warrior, you should be able to read the other person’s mind and situation. You should understand how the opponent is going to behave when he comes in front of you. King Dhritarashtra was extremely frustrated over the loss of his sons. If you would have hugged him at that moment, you would have been dead by now! Now that the frustration went into the statue, King Dhritarashtra has come back to his normalcy. Now you can go and hug him out of your affection! Oh Bheemasena! You should not get carried away by seeing someone in tears! You should first analyze whether those tears are for real or are they just crocodile tears. King Dhritarashtra’s initial tears were none other than crocodile tears, which came out of sheer frustration upon you. However, now that the frustration is gone, his tears presently are genuine. Now King Dhritarashtra is genuinely crying out of his heart! You may now go and console him from his grief!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna explains a very important point of leadership here – As a leader, we should understand the other person clearly without getting carried away. It doesn’t matter if we take some time to do so, but this is important! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall continue further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1238 – King Dhritarashtra goes to Kurukshetra battlefield to assess the situation!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Vidura continuing his accord to King Dhritarashtra, who is still brooding over his son Duryodhana’s demise in the recently-concluded Kurukshetra war. In due course of the conversation, we’ve witnessed Vidura narrating a very interesting story to make King Dhritarashtra understand that life in this world is a mere bubble and we’re just getting carried away by the “Maya” that surrounds it. Continuing further, Vidura slams King Dhritarashtra for his indifference in attitude, to squarely put the blame on Yudishtra and Bhagawan Krishna, so as to escape accountability! Vidura blasts King Dhritarashtra saying that the entire kingdom is in shambles primarily because of King Dhritarashtra’s lack of administrative skills and abilities to keep his flock together! Vidura reminds King Dhritarashtra by also saying that it was Duryodhana who wanted this war to take place, and not Yudishtra. In fact, Bhagawan Krishna and Yudishtra tried several times to stop this war from happening, but it was Duryodhana who was adamant to go ahead with it. If such is the case, and if Duryodhana’s arrogance is behind the entire debacle, why put the blame on someone else for it? It was King Dhritarashtra’s failure to control Duryodhana, which cost him dearly! 

Moving on further, as Vidura’s conversation comes to an end, Sage Vyaasa comes in. Upon seeing a sad King Dhritarashtra, Sage Vyaasa provides some consolation. Unlike Sanjaya and Vidura being brutally honest and harsh with King Dhritarashtra, Sage Vyaasa is a bit more compassionate to cheer him up. Sage Vyaasa says thus, “Oh King! I empathize with you, however, please try to understand an important thing in life – Destiny and Bhagawan’s divine “Anugraha” are bigger and more powerful than anything else in this world! If Bhagawan has made a “Sankalpam” (Divine Will), it would definitely take place without any deviation. Your sons have been killed in the battlefield due to Bhagawan’s “Sankalpam”, and in a way it is good only. Oh King Dhritarashtra! Please think – If your sons wouldn’t have been killed today, are they going to live permanently in this world? Death will definitely come knocking doors at some point in time for everyone. This is the law of this world, and nobody can go against this. We’ve to abide by nature, don’t we? Hence, Duryodhana’s demise, although it is painful, should be accepted by you like a bitter medicine. You’ve to move on with this and you do not have an option!” 

As Sage Vyaasa is trying to console him, King Dhritarashtra acknowledges it and now turns towards his wife and says thus, “Oh Gaandhaari! This is a moment in life which I dreaded heavily! I’m sure you are also in the same amount of grief that I am in. Come! Let us together go to the Kurukshetra battlefield to see the amount of destruction that has happened. There are so many people who have laid down their lives for our kingdom. So let us go there and pay our respects to all of them!” As King Dhritarashtra says thus, Gaandhaari accepts, and Sage Vyaasa also approves of it. A message is now sent to Yudishtra and Co. about King Dhritarashtra’s arrival at Kurukshetra. Yudishtra and the Pandava brothers are getting ready to receive King Dhritarashtra along with Gaandhaari with all the “Argyam”, “Paadhyam”, etc. Bhagawan Krishna is also present amidst the Pandava brothers and as He comes to know of King Dhritarashtra’s arrival, there is a skeptical thought which comes to Him! So what is going to happen next? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1237 – “You are unwilling to take responsibility for the Kurukshetra debacle!” – Vidura lambasts King Dhritarashtra!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Vidura narrating a very interesting story to King Dhritarashtra, to drive home the important point highlighting how life is extremely fickle in this world. We tend to go behind momentary pleasures of life, which is like those honey drops falling from the top of the hanging roots in the banyan tree. We tend to go behind our uncontrollable senses, just like how the animals are chasing the boy in the dense forest. Such is the reality of life, and within this short lifespan, we tend to think that everything in this world that we see around us, is permanent! Sadly, just like how the boy is hanging on with the thin thread of the banyan root, we are also hanging on such a thread, wherein several forms of dangers like desires, anger, etc. are ready to swallow us. However, we do not realize this danger and we happily get carried away by the sweetness of the honey drops! Vidura explains that King Dhritarashtra should move on from just those sweet honey drops and understand that life is greater than those mere momentous joys and sorrows. 

In between all this, Vidura says that the real test for this boy in the story is whether he is seeking help from an external source or not. Vidura says thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! This boy, rather than sinking into temporary happiness by tasting the honey drops, should seek external help from someone, so that his life can be secured! He should shout for help and maybe someone in the forest who is in close vicinity can climb over the banyan tree to save him with a rope! If the boy is pulled upwards with the help of the rope, he can escape the wrath of the tiger, elephant, snake, etc. on the ground, which are ready to pounce upon him, isn’t it? Similarly, Oh King Dhritarashtra! From this life, if one person is there to save us with the rope, it is none other than Bhagawan Krishna! He will give us the rope, through which we can escape the entire “Samsaaram” of this world. The pit that I was talking about in this story, is nothing but the “Samsaaram”. If you keep your leg inside the pit, it would keep pulling you further and further inside, isn’t it? Similarly, the “Samsaaram” in this world has the capability to pull you further and further inside it, and make you carried away by its “Maaya”. However, if you’ve to come out of this “Samsaaram”, the only savior can be Bhagawan. You’ve to exhibit surrender (“Sharanaagati”) towards the divine and that would make you come out of this treacherous birth-death cycle and the “Samsaaram” that is associated with it!”

Saying thus, Vidura now slams King Dhritarashtra here. He says angrily thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Whatever I’ve said till now, is not difficult for you to follow! While the entire world is searching for the divine “Anugraha” from Bhagawan Krishna, He is roaming around with all of you freely, claiming that He is your close relative! Even if you are not going near Him, He is coming close to you several times! Will any living being in this world get this golden opportunity? While the rest of the world is yearning for His divine “Darshan” atleast once in their lifetimes, you have Him amidst you in your family, who is ready to go to any extent to help you. However, you are not realizing this! Instead, you are trying to search for playing the blame game after the disaster has unfolded! Oh King Dhritarashtra! How many times did Bhagawan Krishna request you to mend Duryodhana’s ways? Did you listen to Him? How many messengers did He send to your courtroom to make you understand the reality of life? Did you pay heed to any of them? How many times did Bhagawan warn you and Duryodhana? Did you consider any of those warnings and acted accordingly? After all this, if you’ve to say that Yudishtra and Bhagawan Krishna are responsible for the entire debacle, how unfair would it be upon both of them? Did they wantedly fight this battle against your sons at Kurukshetra? Oh King Dhritarashtra! Please remember – It was Duryodhana who called them for a war! Yudishtra never wanted to fight this! After all this, if you’ve to keep blaming them for the debacle, you’re only trying to pass the buck without taking any sort of responsibility for whatever has happened!” 

Saying thus, Vidura blasts King Dhritarashtra left, right and center! So for today, let us understand this important segment of the conversation and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this further! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1236 – “Life is all about ‘Maya’ (Illusion)!” – Vidura explains!!!

In the previous episode, we’ve continued with the accord of Vidura, who is narrating a mysterious story. He talks about a boy who has been entangled in between a dense forest, wherein several animals are trying to attack him at the same time. On one side a tiger is ready to pounce and from the other, an elephant is ready to attack. This boy is hanging from the top of a banyan root (hanging root), where there is a huge beehive. From the beehive, drops of honey are spilling over into his mouth. This boy is relishing the honey taste, unmindful of the fact that he is in great danger. Meanwhile, the root of the banyan tree upon which he is hanging, is slowly starting to give up, as two rats are trying to bite it. Not realizing this fact that he is going to fall into the tiger’s and elephant’s “danger zone”, this boy is going behind the honey drops and gets carried away by its sweet taste! Narrating this story, Vidura explains that King Dhritarashtra is like the boy in the forest! As usual, King Dhritarashtra doesn’t understand the head or tail of this story, and Vidura is now going to give a beautiful clarification. 

Moving on further, Vidura says thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! I’m saying that you’re like this boy because you do not understand the impending danger of the “Samsaram”, which is like the animals that are ready to pounce upon this boy. You are getting carried away by the “Maya” (illusion), which is the honey in the story. Just like the boy is getting carried away by the drops of honey falling on his mouth, you are getting carried away by the “Maya” that is preventing you from understanding the impending danger you are in. Oh King Dhritarashtra! Life in this world is very fickle. We are surrounded by several impending dangers, which we are unaware of most of the time. However, we are carried away by the momentous infatuations of life, just like the boy getting carried away by the honey drops. Now let me tell you the analogy in detail – The dense forest is the “Samsaaram”. The well into which the boy is about to fall is the “Shareeram” (Deham or physical body). The Atman is embedded into this “Shareeram”, and this living being is unable to know where he is going. Similarly, we are unable to understand any way to get out of the “Samsaaram” in our life and we keep wandering here and there! However, as we go deeper and deeper into the forest called “Samsaaram”, we fall into the pit, which is something from which we are unable to come out! This pit is nothing but our “Sense organs”. These sense organs pull us into several impending dangers every passing day! The animals including the tiger, elephant and the snake are none other than the impending dangers and challenges that we are suffering every day. Similarly, the beehive which is on the top of the banyan tree is the collection of all the desires that we have in our life every day. The honey drops that are dripping from the beehive and the sweetness associated with them is nothing but the sweetness of the temporary desires that we are experiencing day by day! Oh King Dhritarashtra! Please understand – Life is merely a “Maaya” (Illusion) and we are getting carried away by the “sweetness” of the desires accompanied with it!” 

This is a very important accord that Vidura is giving here. So for today, let us understand this beautiful analogy that Vidura is giving here, and let us reflect it upon ourselves to understand the extent to which we are getting carried away by the “Maya” associated with our lives! We shall wait till the next episode to continue further from here! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1235 – How do we get carried away by the “Maya” of this world? Vidura illustrates beautifully!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Vidura once again rendering golden pieces of advice to King Dhritarashtra, but this time after the Kurukshetra war was over. King Dhritarashtra is continuing to brood over the demise of his sons in the war and Vidura is trying to cheer him up with some aspects of “Dharma”. Here he explains the treacherous birth process that all of us undergo – Inside the mother’s womb, the baby suffers with enormous things, right from the inception and formation. The baby suffers without adequate light inside the womb. Obtaining proper food may sometimes be a problem. Coming out of the mother’s womb is a big process in itself. After coming out, we get carried away by the “Maya” of this world by running behind money, name and fame! In due course, we completely forget our roots and deviate so much from Bhagawan, that it becomes extremely difficult to come back to the path of “Dharma” again after that. Only a few people in this world are able to exhibit “Sharanagati” and follow Bhagawan’s words of wisdom to lead a life in this world. Because of this, only these few people are able to break this birth-death cycle and attain “Moksha”. Vidura is telling all this to King Dhritarashtra in a bid to make him realize all these facts of life atleast now. 

Moving on further, Vidura now narrates a story – A story which only Vidura would understand! 🙂 I shall tell this story in brief for all our understanding, and then we shall try and make sense out of it. There was once a boy who was walking through a dense forest. Flanked by tall trees all around, he was mesmerised by the beauty of the forest. He started walking along a lone path, which is not taken by many others. As he walks deeper and deeper into the dense forest, he is able to listen to the chirping of birds, sounds of animals roaming around here and there. Attracted by the natural beauty, he keeps walking deeper into the forest. All of a sudden, the sounds of animals start increasing manifold and he slowly starts getting into a fear. The sounds that he’s hearing are those of lions and tigers roaming around here and there. Fearing to advance further, this boy decides to turn around and leave the forest. However, as he does so, a tiger is waiting on the opposite side to pounce on him! Fearing this tiger, the boy starts to run for his life and the tiger gives chase! The boy runs and runs, and finally the path that he is running upon, leads him to a surface well. This well is surrounded by dry leaves fallen from the trees nearby and is completely covered. Nobody will understand from a mere look that this is a deep well inside. Unknowingly, the boy steps on to this well and is not able to take his feet away from it. The well starts to pull him downwards. Exerting a lot of force, the boy catches hold of a long rope-like structure and moves away from there. This rope-like structure is nothing but the hanging root of a huge banyan tree! 

Hanging in it thus, the boy thinks that he has escaped the incoming tiger and the deep well! However, with the swing of the hanging root, the boy sees from a small distance, a huge elephant approaching him! This elephant is extremely ferocious in nature and upon seeing this boy hanging for his life, the elephant is very happy that it has obtained its prey for the day! The elephant comes running in from one side, and the tiger is waiting on the other side! Now this boy thinks that he would get down from the hanging root and run away in a different direction, however, beneath the hanging root, the boy spots a huge python waiting to swallow him! Now what does he do? This is what we call in management terms, a “Catch-22 situation”. The boy now has nowhere to go and is hanging by a small distance from all these animals! Having said all this, the boy thinks that this hanging root is his potential savior and he decides to remain like this for a while until all these animals disperse off! However, now here comes the catch – There are two rats on top of the banyan tree, trying to bite off this hanging root! The rats slowly keep biting the root and as time progresses, the root becomes thinner and thinner! 

In the meanwhile, there is a huge beehive on top of the banyan tree and from there, several drops of honey are falling onto the ground! A few of those drops of honey fall into the boy’s mouth and he relishes the taste of the sweet honey! As the boy is still hanging for his life, this comes as a pleasant surprise and happiness! However, this boy is getting carried away by the sweetness of the honey and is trying to taste more and more of it. He tries to move in the direction of the honey drops, along with the hanging root, in order to taste them. As he does so, he gradually forgets that he is surviving a great danger in all four directions! In other words, the boy is so engrossed in the honey taste, and he forgets that his life is in danger! 

Narrating this story thus, Vidura says – “Oh King Dhritarashtra! You are like this boy in the story!” 🙂 As Vidura concludes the story in this way, King Dhritarashtra did not understand the head or tail of this! He asks Vidura for more explanation and I’m sure all of us are also wanting the same from Vidura! So what does Vidura try to convey through this story? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂