The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Little Krishna and Balarama obtaining education at the Gurukula of Guru Saandeepani at Avantika city. Subsequent to that, we also witnessed Bhagawan Krishna taking over as the king of Mathura city after Kamsa’s demise. Eventually, as Bhagawan Krishna was ruling Mathura, Kamsa’s wives were extremely pained and saddened over their beloved husband’s death. They grieved over right from the day when Bhagawan Krishna killed Kamsa, and there came a time when these two women went to their father, Jaraasandha and complained! They projected to Jaraasandha that it was Bhagawan Krishna who had murdered their husband Kamsa, and because of that, they were lifeless after that. With this, they of course added their own stories too, that Bhagawan Krishna insulted them, etc. and made a case for themselves!

As Jaraasandha learns all these stories, he becomes furious. He decides to finish off Bhagawan Krishna once and for all! He thus invades Mathura city with his mighty army one fine day and fights a bitter battle with Bhagwan Krishna and Balarama. However, after a huge war, both Jaraasandha and Bhagawan Krishna weren’t able to win over each other! It should be noted that Jaraasandha was an extremely powerful person with some great boons that he had received because of his immense penance. He’s not a person who can be taken lightly by any chance. His strength was in such a way that even Bhagawan Krishna couldn’t win over him – Not once, but for seventeen times! Yes! Every time Jaraasandha got defeated in the hands of Bhagawan Krishna in the war, he goes back, and comes again with a huge army for a fight! This continued for seventeen times, non-stop! Even Bhagawan Krishna couldn’t find a way out to kill this Jaraasandha. Similarly, Jaraasandha too didn’t understand how to win over Bhagawan Krishna! The fight continued on and on without any result.

It is at this time, Bhagawan Krishna and Balarama talk with themselves about this. Bhagawan Krishna opines to Balarama thus, “Oh Balarama! I think this Jaraasandha is an invincible enemy and there’s no point fighting with him any further. Constant fights are only causing lot of inconvenience to our people and army. We’re wasting time and resources in fighting someone who is invincible. Hence, let us leave this place and go somewhere else for few years.” However, Balarama wasn’t very convinced with this idea. Normally the habit between the two of them is that, both will have opposite view points in everything – This was right from day one and we would be able to witness the same during the Mahabharata war too! When the epic battle was happening between Bhima and Duryodhana, Balarama appears out of nowhere and he openly starts taking Duryodhana’s side, knowing that he was an epitome of “Adharma”! It is because, Duryodhana was Balarama’s student, and he had taught the “Gadha” warfare to Duryodhana during his childhood days! Thus with that, Balarama had a huge soft-corner for Duryodhana! Thus, as the last phase of the battle was happening between Bhima and Duryodhana, Bhagawan Krishna had a tough time in convincing Balarama to stop supporting Duryodhana’s cause!

We’re witnessing a similar difference of opinion here too – When Bhagawan Krishna suggests that they should leave Mathura city and move to a new place, Balarama wasn’t ready! Thus, Bhagawan Krishna had to take the hard decision and literally “runs away” from Mathura city overnight! 😊 He eventually runs and runs for a long distance until He reached a place called “Dwaraka”, which we find today at the western Indian state of Gujarat! We can calculate the distance here – Mathura is somewhere in the north-Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, very close to Indraprastha (Today’s Delhi). From there, if we’ve to draw a line to Dwaraka, it would be around 1500 kilometers! 😊 We can imagine how much would have Bhagawan Krishna ran by foot!

So for today, let us stop at this point and I shall give a detailed description of Dwaraka city and how Bhagawan Krishna established it, in the next episode. It is going to be a marvelous place – Literally like a place in the dream! Let’s witness what conspired after this and how the Dwaraka city came up! Stay tuned for the interesting episode! 😊

In the previous episode, we had witnessed an important event wherein Bhagawan Krishna comes to the prison complex for freeing His parents, Devaki and Vasudeva. We’ve witnessed in detail why Bhagawan Krishna, although being a “Paramatma” prostrates in front of His parents. It is to show the message to the world that we’ve to bow down to elders, especially our parents. As Bhagawan Krishna pays His respects to His parents thus, Devaki holds her son’s hands and prays to Him that she has to witness all His childhood days that He had spent at Gokula with Yashoda and Nandagopa. As per His mother’s wish, Bhagawan Krishna blesses her with “divine eyes”, with which, she was able to see all the instances that Little Krishna was part of, at Gokula – Right from being a child, till He was 10-years-old. Devaki and Vasudeva were able to see all whatever Little Krishna did at Gokula and with this, they were overwhelmingly happy. They were contented and safe that they now did not miss any of the childhood incidences of their darling son.

Moving on thus, as Bhagawan Krishna brings them out of the prison, His first mission of the divine incarnation was achieved. As Devaki and Vasudeva walked out of the prison, the first question that they asked Little Krishna was whether He had gone to school till date! 😊 Since Little Krishna was brought up in a totally village setup, He did not even have the understanding of what a school is! 😊 However, Bhagawan Krishna doesn’t need a school to “educate” Himself, isn’t it? But since He has taken a human incarnation, He has to obey certain rules and regulations of going to a school and educating Himself. Thus, Vasudeva suggests to Little Krishna and Balarama that they’ve to go to the city of Avantika and approach a person by name “Saandeepani”, who is an excellent teacher. Little Krishna and Balarama thus leave for Avantika in the next few days to undergo the systematic “Gurukula” education.

Many of us might be knowing about this “Gurkula” system of education that was very popular in ancient Bhaarata Desha. It involves the student going to the house of the “Guru” (Teacher), perform all possible “Seva” activities for the Guru and his family, and in turn, with the blessings of the Guru, the student has to learn all the lessons. We shall be able to witness this kind of education system being spoken about widely in various occasions in our Sanaatana Dharma Literature. During the Tretha Yuga, Bhagawan Rama along with His brothers, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna go to Sage Vasishtaachaarya to learn their lessons under the Gurukula system. Sage Vasishta teaches them all the important aspects like artillery, various kinds of warfare, etc. Similarly, if we look at the Mahabharata text also, the Paandavas (Udishtra & Co.) and Kauravas (Duryodhana & Co.) took their Gurukula lessons under Guru Dhronaachaarya. Similarly here too, Little Krishna and Balarama go to Guru Saandeepani at Avantika city to learn all the 64 different types of art forms, including various kinds of warfare. Genius as He was, Little Krishna learnt all the 64 different art forms within just 64 days!

As this comes to a close, Bhagawan Krishna and Balarama return back to Mathura city, it was still without a king ever since Kamsa was killed. Thus, the responsibility fell upon the shoulders of Bhagawan Krishna to take up the honors and thus, He was coronated as the king of Mathura city and as a successor of King Kamsa. As Bhagawan Krishna took over with a grand coronation ceremony, He ruled the Mathura kingdom for the next few years.

As days, months and years passed by, there were problems that began to surface! This time, it was in the form of the wives of the dead Kamsa. They started branding Bhagawan Krishna as a “murderer” of their beloved husband and straightaway went and complained to their father, Jaraasandha. Accordingly, Jaraasandha was aggrieved with the fact that his daughters have becomes widows because of Bhagawan Krishna! Hence, he decided that he should somehow take revenge on Him and put Him to death!

What happened next? Was Jaraasandha successful in his pursuit? Let’s wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 😊

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Little Krishna killing his uncle, Kamsa. With this, the ten-year long “torture” that Little Krishna was experiencing ever since His incarnation came to an end. Right from the day He took birth, Kamsa was after His life. Eventually after that too, Kamsa unleashed innumerable number of Raakshasas to Gokula to kill Him. However, Little Krishna was smart enough to neutralize all sorts of enemies who came to kill Him. Afterall He’s Bhagawan Himself! How can a simple Raakshasa kill Bhagawan so easily? Kamsa unfortunately did not realize this and he went for the kill! Finally the reality was that, he got killed by Little Krishna! 😊 With this, the city of Mathura obtained freedom from the clutches of a wretched and a wicked king.

Upon seeing Kamsa falling dead on the ground, all the Devas (Celestial Beings) including Indra, Varuna, etc. showered flower petals on Little Krishna. Sage Naarada too was undoubtedly overwhelmed with Little Krishna’s victory over “Adharma”. He was happy that finally “Dharma” is starting to be re-established in the world. Of course, Kamsa was just the start point of this great mission of Bhagawan Krishna. There are many more yet to come. But having said that, it was a great start, isn’t it? With this, Little Krishna announced to the world that He has come on a great mission!

As Kamsa was killed, it is now time for Bhagawan Krishna to liberate His parents Devaki and Vasudeva from the prison. We should understand here that they were in prison ever since they’ve got married to each other. It’s almost twenty years now since they’re in prison due to the wretched Kamsa’s arrogance and ignorance. Now it is time for them to see the outside world after twenty long years. Thus, as Kamsa is dead, Little Krishna hurries to the prison complex wherein His parents are kept captive. As Bhagawan Krishna approaches them, He first prostrates on their feet to seek blessings!

It is to be remembered that Bhagawan Krishna is a “Paramatma” and Devaki and Vasudeva are ordinary “Jeevatmas” like us. It is very interesting here that a “Paramatma” is falling on the feet of a “Jeevatma”, wherein ideally it should be the other way round! This is where, Bhagawan sets an example of Himself as a role model for all of us. By worshipping His parents, He is illustrating to the world that a son or a daughter should mandatorily worship his / her parents in this way. It is only for this reason is Bhagawan Krishna worshipping Devaki and Vasudeva by prostrating on to their feet. In fact, there is no absolutely necessity that Bhagawan should fall on the feet of anybody in this world! Only devotees like us should fall on His feet and worship Him.

We witnessed the same thing during our Ramayana episodes as well – How Bhagawan Rama worshipped King Dasharata and Mother Kaushalya before setting off to the forest for fourteen years. We’ve witnessed how Bhagawan Rama obeyed the words of His father, without straying away even an inch. We might easily wonder – Why didn’t Bhagawan Rama oppose His father’s decision to send Him away to the forest for a long fourteen-year period? Afterall, who was this Kaikeyi to send a “Paramatma” Rama to such a treacherous exile? However, Bhagawan Rama never even had an iota of such thoughts in His mind! The moment these instructions came from His parents, He had no second thought of staying back at Ayodhya, isn’t it? This is where we should understand how to respect the words of our parents, no matter how cruel they are. In fact, Valmiki Maharishi Himself points out in the Ramayana that when King Dasharata orders Bhagawan Rama to go on exile, he expected Rama to oppose it. However, as Bhagawan Rama did not do so, this itself killed King Dasharata! The guilt that King Dasharata had within himself that he’s capturing the kingdom from his eldest son, although He had every right to rule it, made him fall on the ground unconscious!

Thus from all these instances, Bhagawan illustrates how we should obey our parents’ instructions. More than anything else, we should atleast learn to pay our respects to our parents in a way that it should only be with their blessings that we should commence any task or activity in our life. Having said thus, Bhagawan Krishna prostrates on the feet of Devaki and Vasudeva and seeks their blessings. As her son falls on her feet, Devaki was in tears of joy. She immediately holds her son in her loving arms and asks Him thus, “Oh Krishna! For the past ten years, I was not able to see you even once! However, I’ve heard that you’ve done so many “Leelas” at Gokula, wherein Yashoda and Nandagopa had the divine opportunity to witness all of it! I’ve heard that you’ve played with so many kids there, you’ve stolen butter, you’ve been tied with the “Ural” by Yashoda for it, you’ve killed treacherous Raakshasas like Aghaasura, Poothana, Kesi, etc., you’ve danced over the Kaaliya snake’s heads, you’ve lifted the Govardhana mountain with your fingers…. However, it was my misfortune that I’ve not witnessed any of these! Hence, Krishna! Can you please give me your divine darshan to your mother and make her witness all of these for one more time?”

Hearing thus from His mother, Bhagawan Krishna was moved to tears. His heart melted with love and compassion towards His poor mother! Afterall she has undergone so much of trouble and pain to save Him from Kamsa, and how can Bhagawan be without reciprocating this great motherly gesture of Devaki? Hence, Bhagawan Krishna immediately gives Devaki the “divine vision”, wherein she was able to see each and every instance of His childhood days at Gokula. All the instances and miracles that Little Krishna did for the past ten years, came in front of both Devaki and Vasudeva! The parents were overwhelmed and overjoyed upon seeing each and every instance of their little son! After they witnessed all of it, they hugged their child and cried profusely, as a thanksgiving for what He has given to them! They were totally satisfied with whatever they had got now!

As this happens, Little Krishna frees both of them from all the chains that were tied to their hands and legs till date. The prison door opened and all of them thus came out of it, once and forever! So for today, let us enjoy this moment of joy and emotions and let us absorb the important lesson that we had learnt today! We shall wait till the next episode to witness the next set of events that are waiting to unfold. Stay tuned! 😊

We’ve witnessed in the previous episode that the kickboxers headed by Mushtika and Chaanura proved to be no match for the strength of Little Krishna and Balarama! As Kamsa was looking on, Little Krishna neutralized both of them smartly, along with some help from Balarama at the other end. Both the children beautifully complemented each other in the effort of neutralizing the powerful kickboxers. As this conspired, this definitely sent waves of fear and shock to Kamsa! He couldn’t believe his eyes! Was Kamsa’s enemy so powerful that he has neutralized all the Raakshasas who had been sent? Right from Poothana to Kesi and to the mad elephant and now finally to Mushtika and Chaanura – Bhagawan Krishna, being a child in appearance stunned Kamsa by killing all of them! It’s now left to Kamsa to defend himself.

As Kamsa thinks all of these thus, he also remembers the divine voice that sounded like a dreaded thunder when Devaki and Vasudeva got married! Kamsa was thinking within himself whether that fateful day has finally arrived! With lot of fear and frustration in his mind, Kamsa got up from his throne, but tried hard to conceal it, just to maintain his stature as a king. Whatever might be the problem, a king or an administrator should not give up, isn’t it? Similarly here too, Kamsa trusted his own physical strength and got up from his throne. He now goes near Bhagawan Krishna and Balarama and calls both of them for a fight!

The stage is now set for the epic battle to begin. People have gathered in huge numbers to witness this battle. As Kamsa approaches Little Krishna, initially he was still refusing to believe that this Little Krishna was not an ordinary kid. The “Maya” (Illusion) unleashed by Bhagawan Krishna made Kamsa more and more stupid in nature, that he was totally carried away by His appearance. Thus, the battle begins. It was a high-intensity fight. Kamsa was extremely powerful. Little Krishna too, being an incarnation of Bhagawan Vishnu Himself – We do not need to doubt on His physical strength and power! Thus, it was a matching and a befitting battle! Sage Naarada too is a bit tensed upon witnessing the fight taking place!

The duo exchange lethal blows to each other, but both were unfazed! At one stage, Balarama signals to his brother whether He needs any help. Little Krishna signaled him back that He can handle Kamsa by Himself! At one stage, Little Krishna’s divine power started winning the game! Finally Little Krishna gave Kamsa one lethal blow and with that, Kamsa fell on the ground unconscious! The entire audience erupted in joy! Finally “Dharma” has won and is being restored! A treacherous and a wicked Raakshasa is being neutralized, and is being done by none other than Little Krishna Himself!

As Kamsa falls on the ground, Little Krishna waits for him to regain consciousness. But as Kamsa regains the same, he was too weak to stand up and give a fight again! It is at this time, Bhagawan Krishna shows who He actually is! He’s none other than Bhagawan Vishnu Himself! It is to be remembered that Kamsa was none other than “Jaya” who was one of the security personnel at Vaikunta’s gates along with his companion “Vijaya”! Both were cursed by Sage Sanaka that they would be born in this earth as Raakshasas and that, Bhagawan Vishnu would Himself come in person and release them from their human birth. This Kamsa was none other than Jaya and as Bhagawan Vishnu shows His true color, Kamsa realizes his folly! It is to be remembered that both Jaya and Vijaya were ardent devotees of Bhagawan Vishnu! Thus, Kamsa seeks an unconditional apology to Bhagawan Vishnu for all what he has done for the past ten years, and thus, he gets to return back to Vaikunta!

With this, Bhagawan Krishna and Balarama now rush to the prison complex to meet Devaki and Vasudeva. It has been ten years now, since Bhagawan Krishna has seen them, isn’t it? So let us all eagerly wait till the next episode to experience this divine moment wherein Little Krishna is going to meet His parents for the first time in ten years! Stay tuned! 😊

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Little Krishna making His way into Kamsa’s palace for the first time in ten years. It should be remembered that Vasudeva had escorted Baby Krishna carefully into Gokula, the night when He incarnated. After that, Little Krishna is visiting His birthplace and Kamsa’s palace for the first time. As Little Krishna was about to enter, Kamsa had tied a mad elephant at the entrance in such a way that Little Krishna would be neutralized by it. Although the elephant was mad, it sank into tears of joy and devotion as it saw Little Krishna approaching. Afterall, this same Bhagawan Vishnu had protected elephant Gajendra once upon a time and the elephant was in full gratitude to that great help! Clever as he was, the elephant knew that Little Krishna was none other Bhagawan Vishnu walking towards him! Hence, he bowed down in front of Little Krishna and allowed Him to pass through the main gate. The route was clear now!

As Little Krishna entered the palace along with His brother Balarama, Kamsa was surprised and shell-shocked! How did these children escape the wrath of a mad elephant so easily without being harmed even an inch? Kamsa couldn’t digest it even a bit! However, he had other plans in place as well – He had 5-6 kickboxers headed by “Mushtika” and Chaanura” ready to take on Little Krishna and Balarama. Even if by some means, the children are able to win over these kickboxers, Kamsa himself was ready to take them head on!

As Little Krishna approaches closer to Kamsa, the kickboxer-team came to the forefront! Led by Mushtika and Chaanura, the entire team came forward to attack the two children. Both of them gave a warning thus, “Oh kids! If you’ve to advance any further than this point, you should first win over us and only then take another step forward! Don’t think that we’re ordinary people. We’re professional kickboxers! If you really feel that you have the strength to fight us, please go ahead!” As both of them said thus together in one voice, Little Krishna and Balarama approach them further with a savage resolution. A huge fight begins! Both Little Krishna and Balarama were exchanging heavy blows with Mushtika and Chaanura and the intensity of the fight thus increases!

As the fight progresses, there were many people around, who were witnessing this epic affair! All of them were cheering aloud as the intensity goes up every single minute. Sage Naarada too assembles there to witness this golden moment! The fight goes to such a state that Mushtika and Chaanura were totally immersed into it. Little Krishna was very smart here – As Mushtika takes a huge leap backwards to come and stab, Little Krishna moved away from that spot a little bit and with that same intensity, he went and rammed into Chaanura, who was standing in the vicinity! 😊 Thus, unable to bear the extreme stab, Chaanura fell on the ground dead! As this happens, Balarama now takes over the charge and attacks Mushtka with all his valor! At one stage, Balarama proves to be no match for Mushtika’s heroics and thus, he captures Mushtika with his ultra-strong elbows and arms! Balarama thus gives heavy blows to Mushtika and with that, he fell on the ground dead!

The death of the ultra-strong Mushtika and Chaanura in front of his eyes, sends waves of shock into Kamsa’s spine! He was sweating all over his body! However, his ego doesn’t let him give up! He stands up from his throne and decides to take Little Krishna head on! There’s no use of depending on anybody henceforth! As Kamsa approaches towards Little Krishna, the entire world is eager to witness the interesting happening! Sage Naarada is totally absorbed in the event and so are we, isn’t it? So for today, let us wait for Kamsa to approach Bhagawan Krishna with all our eagerness till the next episode, and let us witness the all-important event that’s going to conspire! Stay tuned! 😊

In the previous episode, we had witnessed how Little Krishna and Balarama enter Mathura city for their first time ever since Vasudeva transferred Little Krishna to Gokula on the day when He incarnated! Upon seeing Mathura city, both the children were awestruck with its sprawling urban area and the people there. They saw how beautifully people were dressed in the city. Till date, the children spent all their time in a village and hence, they’ve not given so much importance to their attire and appearance. But now, since they’re entering a city, they felt that they should dress up on par with the Mathura city residents.

Accordingly, Little Krishna expressed His wish to Balarama thus, “Oh Balarama! Look how beautifully these people are dressed! Look at the parity between them and us with respect to the dressing. If we’re going to go with our current appearance to the palace, it’s not going to go well with the king and his people. Hence, we should find out someone who can dress up in a nice way and with a “contemporary look”! 😊 Upon hearing from his brother thus, Balarama too agreed and they collectively express their wish to Akrura, who was driving the chariot. As the little children wished thus, Akrura too felt that he has to fulfill them. Hence, he takes them to three people who can do some “beautification works” with respect to their “Vastra” (Dress), “Chandan” (Sandalwood paste) and “Pushpa” (Flowers). They were taken to a person by name Kubja, who gave them a nice bathing with fresh sandalwood paste. With that the two children were smelling fragrant! Next, the children went to a popular dhobi who was washing the clothes of people who resided in the palace of Kamsa. As the children approach him, they were asking for some nice dresses for them to wear. Initially the dhobi refused to give dresses to the kids, however, Balarama became furious with the dhobi’s arrogance and stabbed him straightaway! Thus, all the dresses that were in the dhobi’s possession became theirs! 😊

Third, they approached a person in a nearby street who was stitching nice garlands with fresh smelling flowers. Upon seeing Little Krishna approaching him for a garland, he was moved by the charming beauty of the child. He automatically put all the garlands that he had with him, around the necks of both the kids. He felt it as a great fortune in his entire life to submit all his garlands to Little Krishna and Balarama! Truly so, isn’t it? How fortunate was this flower vendor to garland Bhagawan Krishna in person? Thus, this flower vendor too got his wish fulfilled by Bhagawan Krishna and Balarama.

As all this “beautification process” comes to an end, they now decide to make their way to the palace wherein Kamsa was eagerly waiting for Little Krishna’s arrival. As the chariot nears the palace, Kamsa had tied a huge elephant at the entrance. This elephant was called by the name “Kuvalayaapeetha”. This elephant was fed with all possible food items that would make it run amuck. Kamsa’s idea is that, as Little Krishna tries to enter the palace, this elephant would stamp Him and kill Him then and there at the entrance itself! However, when the chariot made its way to the palace entrance, Akrura stopped it a few meters away and the kids got down from it. They walked towards the entrance door wherein this elephant was tied. The moment Little Krishna came to the vicinity of the elephant, it was untied from the pillar and it came towards Him. However, the elephant was moved to tears upon seeing Little Krishna and it prostrated in front of Him then and there!

We should remember that Gajendra is this same elephant, whom Bhagawan Vishnu had saved from the clutches of the crocodile. We’ve witnessed Elephant Gajendra’s story in our previous episodes and readers can go through it to refresh memories. Here too, the elephant remembers that it is that same Bhagawan Vsihnu who is walking towards him! Hence, rather than running amuck here and there, the elephant surrenders to Bhagawan Krishna’s feet! On His part, Bhagawan Krishna too blesses the elephant and makes sure that it doesn’t harm Him in any way. The elephant too allows Bhagawan Krishna to pass through without any hassles!

Upon entering the doors of the palace without any hiccups, Little Krishna and Balarama make their way to the main center, where Kamsa was sitting. He was supposed to arrange everything for the “Yaaga” (Spiritual offering), but Little Krishna didn’t find any. Rather, He found few people standing there who were experts in “kick-boxing”, waiting for Him! The ploy was very clear here – There was no “Yagna” or anything! Kamsa had called for Little Krishna to finish Him off then and there inside the palace itself. This is the reason for which Kamsa had tied a mad elephant at the entrance, and stationed the kick-boxing experts as the next shield of protection for himself.

Now Little Krishna and Balarama had to fight these kick-boxers and should win over them. The entire lot of people in the palace were gathering around the place, eager to see the epic battle between Little Krishna and the kick-boxers. Kamsa too was seated on his throne, watching all the proceedings. Initially of course, Kamsa couldn’t believe his eyes when Little Krishna was walking through into the palace! Kamsa was under the opinion that the elephant would have killed Him, but little did he realize that Little Krishna was smart enough to tame elephants too! 😊

It is now all up to the kickboxers now to tame Little Krishna and Balarama. They were six or seven in number and are gearing up to take on these two little kids! Kamsa still has the confidence that these kickboxers would be able to neutralize his perennial enemy, who now is standing right in front of him! What is going to happen next? Was Little Krishna able to tackle the wrath and intensity of the soaring and angry kickboxers? What was Balarama doing? Let us wait for the interesting battle till the next episode! Stay tuned! 😊

 

 

 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed how Bhagawan Krishna showed His omni-presence to Akrura, who underestimated Little Krishna’s significance a little bit! Although Akrura was very much devoted to Bhagawan Krishna, as for every human being, the “Maya” took over and made him underestimate Bhagawan Krishna. Befittingly, Bhagawan Krishna too showed that He’s the supreme power under whose grace, the entire functioning of the world takes place. As Akrura was able to see Little Krishna wherever he turned his head, he realized his folly and surrendered to Little Krishna’s lotus feet. With this, Akrura had learnt his lesson! Till that point, Akrura was thinking within himself that it was he who was taking the pain and effort to bring Little Krishna from Gokula to Mathura. But now he realizes that it was Bhagawan Krishna Himself, who voluntarily is coming along with him, and that, He’s coming along for a great mission. Akrura was afterall an instrument in the divine hands of Bhagawan Krishna to execute His divine mission! 😊

As this conspires, Akrura thus takes Little Krishna and Balarama inside Mathura city. Little Krishna was very happy to be in Mathura, because it is His birthplace! Moreover, He’s seeing a city and a sprawling urban area for the first time in His life! For the past ten years He had been in a totally rural setup in Gokula, and this was a welcome change for the Little children. Moreover, since this was His birthplace, Little Krishna had a special affinity towards Mathura. Even for us, this is very common isn’t it? For instance, we might be working somewhere abroad, but would have our “native place” somewhere in a village in India. Although we might be working at a very far off place, we would make it a routine to visit our native place atleast once every year, isn’t it? The moment we land at our native place, we would recollect and remember all our childhood days, our friends, the games that we played together with them, etc., isn’t it? We nowadays brand these remembrances as “golden memories” and cherish every moment of it, isn’t it? 😊 This is exactly the same thing that Little Krishna is also feeling here. Of course, He did not spend even a minute of His life in Mathura city after His birth. We should remember that Vasudeva took Him away to Gokula, the very next moment since He took birth. Still, Little Krishna was so eager to witness Mathura city with all its beauty and glory.

As the chariot passes by the streets and lanes of Mathura city, Little Krishna says to Balarama thus, “Oh Balarama! For the first time in our lives we’re visiting a city, isn’t it? Look at the way the people are dressed up here! And look at the way we’re dressed. Don’t we need a change in the way we’re dressed up at the moment?” Even today, it is a common sight – If we go to villages, people there would roam around on the streets with just a towel on their shoulder. For them, dressing up doesn’t matter much, because the work which they do in the paddy fields is physically intensive. But in the cities, even if we’ve to go out of our homes to buy few groceries from the neighboring shop, we would wear an expensive jean and a tshirt or a shirt! 😊 We can see the difference clearly here, isn’t it? Whereas in the rural setup, people do not care much about dressing, but in urban sectors, dressing plays a prominent role!

This is where the children get awestruck when they see the Mathura residents roaming around beautifully dressed! Upon seeing this, the kids are wanting to get themselves dressed up the similar way. Moreover, they’re now going to meet the king of the city. They’re not here for an ordinary visit like how we do. Hence, the kids have to be even more careful here. So what dresses did they wear? What were the different decorations did they do to themselves? Who were the people who were instrumental in decorating the children? How did King Kamsa receive the children once they entered the palace? Let’s wait till the next episode to witness the answers for all these questions! Stay tuned! 😊

 

We’re at a sad juncture wherein Gokula town is bidding adieu to its darling Little Krishna! Mother Yashoda was devastated beyond words, and so was Father Nandagopa. However, as the instruction of Bhagawan Krishna’s departure has come directly from the king through Akrura, they weren’t able to talk a word beyond that. There is no other option but to let Little Krishna go along with Akrura. As Little Krishna packs His bags and sets out along with His brother Balarama, the entire town of Gokula, including the cows, cattle, etc. stand in unison in front of Him with tears in their eyes! This was an extreme sad moment for all of them. Little Krishna’s dearest Gopikas were also shattered upon Him leaving them forever! As the entire town gathers near Akrura’s chariot, Little Krishna assures all of them that they would be able to see Him as and when they would like to, through their “divine vision”. Little Krishna explains to all of them that He has a big mission to accomplish and that, His duties are compelling Him to leave Gokula. He also assures them that they would always remain evergreen and fresh in His heart!

It is thus, all of them got consoled and Little Krishna leaves Gokula in Akrura’s chariot. It is to be remembered that after this fateful and decisive day, Little Krishna never came back to Gokula in His physical form. Of course, He would have definitely visited His Gokula people through various other forms, as He has done in the past! We should remember how Little Krishna assumed multiple forms of the cows and His little friends, when Bhagawan Brahma abducted all the cattle for almost a year. In that way, Little Krishna is always omni-present at Gokula, even today! This is why we feel the divine vibrations when we visit Gokula, Vrindavan and Mathura city to this date. We should always remember this and should make it a point to visit these holy and sacred places to obtain the infinite blessings of our Little Krishna! 😊

With this concluding note thus, Little Krishna and Balarama make their way to Mathura city in Akrura’s chariot. As they near the banks of the Yamuna river, Akrura stops the chariot for a little while, so as to perform his regular “Sandhyavandanam” (Routine Spiritual practices). At this time, Akrura leaves both the children in the chariot itself and he goes into the water to perform his duties. At this time, Akrura wrongly underestimates Little Krishna as a normal child. Although we know that Akrura was a great devotee of Little Krishna – This is where the “Maya” (Illusion) takes over! In today’s scenario too, we worship Bhagawan Krishna in our prayer rooms and after that, our ego and illusion take over, isn’t it? As we’re in the prayer room, we would tell Bhagawan that He’s everything and He’s the one who’s protecting me! However, when we come out of the prayer area, our narrative totally changes! 😊 We now start saying that I’m the one who’s trying to safeguard myself in this world! This is where we lose the plot. At whatever situation we’re in our life, we should never underestimate Bhagawan. We should always have the thought that Bhagawan is supreme and it is He who’s protecting all of us in whatever situation we are.

This is exactly where Akrura too went haywire for a few minutes. The “Maya” got the better of him and Akrura started thinking too much about himself! It is at this time, Bhagawan Krishna decided to teach Akrura a lesson. As Akrura was doing his “Sandhyavandanam”, he suddenly saw Little Krishna in front of him amidst the water! Upon seeing the child in front of him standing in the water, Akrura was surprised! As he turns his head towards the chariot now, he sees Little Krishna sitting in the chariot with His brother Balarama! Again, Akrura turns towards the Yamuna river waters and again he sees Little Krishna standing there too! He turns to the opposite direction now, and again he sees Little Krishna standing there too! In short, wherever Akrura turns his head and in whichever direction, he was able to see Little Krishna standing there with all His beauty and handsome smile! 😊

This was indeed a miracle, isn’t it? Of course, this isn’t the first such instance that we’re witnessing with Little Krishna, but we should remember that this was Akrura’s first such experience! 😊 We’ve already seen that till date, for the past ten years or so, Akrura has never had the opportunity to spend time with Little Krishna. Seeing Little Krishna at multiple places at the same time thus, Akrura realizes his folly and straightaway runs towards Him, falls on His feet and seeks refuge! Akrura understands the fact that Little Krishna is not an ordinary child by any means!

Thus, as Akrura finishes his “Sandhyavandanm”, they proceed towards Mathura city. In the meanwhile, Akrura also understands that Kamsa’s enemy isn’t an ordinary person, and it is all but over for Kamsa in a short while from now. From this divine episode, our learning should be that we shouldn’t get carried away by the “Maya” that comes in front of us. This is where we should be able to use our discrimination and sort out which is important for us – Is Bhagawan important for us, or the worldly pleasures and affairs? If we’ve to select the first choice, we’ve to be really steadfast in our approach. “Maya” can take over at any point in time, and we should be extremely careful and watchful. In fact, this “Maya” itself is a “Leela” (Divine play) of Bhagawan, to test us whether we’re getting carried away by it, or are we able to throw it away and still approach Him!

So for today, let us realize this important point and let us wait till the next episode to witness how Little Krishna enjoyed the Mathura city! Stay tuned! 😊

 

Dear Esteemed Readers,

With the divine grace and blessings of Bhagawan and with all your overwhelming support and feedbacks, “The Indian Dharma” blog has achieved a staggering increase in viewership of over 75,600 across 120 countries worldwide! This in itself speaks volumes of the global reach that our “Sanaathana Dharma” possesses! Of course, this has come along with the constant support and feedback from our esteemed readers from various parts of the globe. My humble gratitude to all of you!

From Valmiki Ramayana to Vidura Neeti (Mahabharata) to Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana:

By March 31’st 2018, we were able to complete an elaborate discussion on one of the most important and auspicious texts of our Sanaathana Dharma Literature – The Valmiki Ramayana. We’ve taken 324 episodes to witness almost each and every detail of the Ramayana text, right from the “Baala Kaanda”till the end of the “Uttara Kaanda”. We had learnt innumerable lessons for modern day life and management from all of these details. This was in itself a mega-project in all its glory. It was with Bhagawan Rama’s and Mother Sita’s divine grace that we were able to experience each and every part of the Ramayana story – Happy, sad, emotional instances, along with some important messages for leading a life according to the “Dharma”.

As we completed the Valmiki Ramayana experience, we made a switch-over to the next important text of our Sanaathana Dharma literature – The Mahabharata. Of course we did not witness the Mahabharata in its full entity as we did in the case of the Ramayana, and we just took a part of it, given the enormous size and complexity of the text. In that way, discussed a section of it called the “Vidura Neeti” wherein Vidura is trying to provide key advice to King Dhirdiraashtra with respect to the various aspects of “Raaja Dharma”. This advice spans over innumerable slokas packed into various “Adhyaayas” under the “Prajaakara Paruva” of the Mahabharata text. We’ve taken  390 episodes to complete the Vidura Neeti by May 2019 and subsequently commenced the third mega-project – Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana. We’ve done 291 episodes till date, and looking forward for more in the upcoming months of this year!

As always, I sincerely & wholeheartedly solicit the cooperation and support from all our esteemed readers to make these upcoming months of the year an even more productive one, both in terms of our learning as well as execution of our learning for the benefit of our society and our country at large!

There had been repeated requests from many readers across the globe for access for all the archive episodes of our blog that are online till today. For those readers who wish to go through them (Ramayana, Vidura Neeti & Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana), you can log on to the site

https://theindiandharma.wordpress.com/

Here you can find all our episodes and you might download and read through them at your own convenience. For those readers who are on various social media platforms, there is a dedicated page on Facebook, titled “The Indian Dharma”. Link for this page is as follows:

https://www.facebook.com/LeadershiplessonsfromMahabharata/

All you need to do is to “Like” and/or “Follow” this page and you would receive updates on every episode we publish each day. Additionally, episodes of “The Indian Dharma” blog are available on other social networking platforms such as Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram. You may follow them at your own convenience!

Once again, I take this opportunity to thank all of you for your constant encouragement and support and I sincerely look forward for the same level of enthusiasm in the upcoming months and years as well!

 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the final Raakshasa in the form of Kesi being destroyed by Little Krishna. Meanwhile, we also enjoyed the blissful experience that the Gopikas had with Little Krishna. We witnessed how they were so involved and immersed into “Bhakti” for their Bhagawan. In fact, we’ve repeatedly emphasized the point that the level of devotion that the Gopikas expressed towards Bhagawan Krishna is of the highest level. In fact, we’re going to witness in the coming episodes how Bhagawan Krishna Himself recalls all His golden moments that He had spent with the Gopikas, many years from now. At one stage, every night when Bhagawan Krishna goes to bed, He used to think of the Gopikas and shed tears for them! We can witness here, how Bhagawan responds to the ardent and selfless devotion exhibited by His devotees. We shall witness this important point again in detail when the time comes. But for now, Little Krishna gives a blissful experience to the Gopikas and this goes a long way in teaching us that ardent devotion is perhaps the easiest way to attain Bhagawan.

Moving on thus, as Kesi is neutralized, Kamsa started shaking with fear. He’s clearly running out of options and people to kill Little Krishna. So he came to a conclusion that rather than sending Raakshasa after Raakshasa to kill Krishna, he himself should shoulder the responsibility to take on his enemy head-on. There’s no use on depending upon someone else to kill him anymore. So he calls Akrura, one of his relatives, to go to Gokula and “invite” Krishna for a “Yagna” (Divine offering) that Kamsa is going to perform. Accordingly, Akrura sets out in his chariot with the eagerness of worshipping Bhagawan Krishna for the first time in ten years. It is to be noted that this Akrura was an ardent devotee of Bhagawan Krishna and during these ten years of time, he had listened to loads of “Krishna-Leela” episodes, just as how we’ve enjoyed it for the past one month or so! 😊 However, having heard all the “Krishna-Leela”, he hasn’t seen Little Krishna yet. So his heart was full of joy as he approached towards Gokula.

Finally, Akrura reaches Gokula and makes his way to Little Krishna’s home. Yashoda and Nandagopa offer him a warm reception and finally he was able to see his Bhagawan! Upon seeing Bhagawan Krishna, Akrura forgot about himself totally! He was moved to tears upon seeing the charming Little Krishna! Thus, Akrura had the divine darshan of Little Krishna from head to toe! How fortunate was Akrura to have this divine experience!

As Akrura worships Little Krishna thus, there is a long conversation between both of them. Akrura explains to Little Krishna that his uncle, Kamsa has invited Him to be part of a huge “Yagna” that he has arranged the next day. Accordingly, Little Krishna, along with His brother, Balarama accepted the invitation. Next day, Little Krishna had to leave Gokula to Mathura – Once and forever! In fact, after this fateful day, Bhagawan Krishna never ever came back to Gokula in His physical form! Even today, if we happen to visit Gokula and Vrindavan, we can see a place called “Akrura-Ghat”. It is only from this place, Little Krishna had bid farewell to everyone in Gokula.

As Little Krishna packed His bags to leave Gokula, the entire town gathered in front of His house! Yashoda and Nandagopa were devastated beyond words! So were the Gopikas! So were the kids who are Little Krishna’s friends! All of them gathered around Little Krishna and tried stopping Him from going away with Akrura! In fact, some of them even started to scold and insult Akrura very badly for “abducting” their Little Krishna away from them! This was a real sad moment for the entire Gokula town – A dark day indeed for all of them who have been immersed in love and devotion towards their Bhagawan, in the form of Little Krishna!

Thus, Little Krishna enters into the chariot and as Akrura drives Him away, the entire town follows the chariot with a tearful send-off! They’ve lost their Little Krishna forever in the physical form! How emotional these people would have been? In fact, even Bhagawan Krishna too felt the same, but He never showed it out. Being Bhagawan, born with a divine mission, obviously He could not stay at Gokula forever, isn’t it? He has other things to accomplish and thus, He had to move on! He thus assured all the people of Gokula that He’s always going to be in their hearts embedded forever!

As Akrura drives the chariot away, Little Krishna and Balarama were coming along with him. As the chariot reaches the banks of River Yamuna, Akrura stopped the chariot for sometime to perform his “Sandhyavandana”. He thus parked the chariot in a corner and went into the Yamuna river for his duties. As Akrura stepped into the Yamuna river, he had a thought in his mind that Little Krishna wasn’t going to follow him and that, He’s going to sit in the chariot only! Akrura had a thought in his mind that afterall, Little Krishna was just a kid! However, Little Krishna was well aware of Akrura’s thought process! He wanted to teach Akrura a lesson! What did Little Krishna do? How did Akrura realize that Little Krishna was not an ordinary kid as he had thought? Let’s wait eagerly till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 😊