Episode # 1204 – “I will destroy the Pandava brothers by tonight!” – Ashwatthama pledges!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Duryodhana continuing to rant in his deathbed. Even after getting into such a huge mess, he is not in a mood to relent and realize the blunders that he had committed. Instead, Duryodhana keeps trying to justify his actions against Yudishtra and consoles himself that it was the problem of “Kaala-Devata” and not his, which reduced him to this level. Ranting thus, Duryodhana calls Ashwatthama near him for some “Unfinished business” towards Yudishtra & Co. We might have thought earlier that with Duryodhana’s defeat, everything came to an end and all is well in the jubilant Paandava camp. But Duryodhana hasn’t given up yet, even during his last stages. He calls for Ashwatthama to pour all his sufferings. Initially we’ve seen that when Yudishtra & Co. came in search of Duryodhana, Ashwatthama, Sage Kripachaarya and Krita Varma managed to escape from that place. 

Moving on further thus, Duryodhana calls for Ashwatthama, and also for his helper by name “Chaaruvaaka”. Till now we’ve never seen who this person is. Chaaruvaaka is actually a “Raakshasa”, but works for Duryodhana in several ways as a helper. In fact, when Yudishtra and Co. are going to meet King Dhritarashtra and Gaandhaari in the future (after a few days), they go on a round across the Kurukshetra battlefield to check if someone is alive or not. Duryodhana is still alive even then, and this Chaaruvaaka is guarding him. When Yudishtra comes there, Chaaruvaaka abuses him with all sorts of unparliamentary words on behalf of Duryodhana. We’ve seen that Duryodhana is currently in a state wherein he cannot talk anything loudly. Thus, he deputes Chaaruvaaka for this job of abusing Yudishtra. However, Bhagawan Krishna makes a timely intervention and gives him a befitting answer, both physically and through words and chases him out of the battlefield! If we look at the meaning of this word – “Chaaru-Vaak”, it means, “An exceptional talent of speaking very nicely”! This “Chaaruvaaka” was an expert in talking about all sorts of things in the “Naastika” way – In other words, he would say that Bhagawan doesn’t exist, Karma doesn’t exist, the birth-death cycle doesn’t exist… So on and so forth… 

Thus, Duryodhana calls this “Chaaruvaaka” and asks him to bring Ashwatthama, Sage Kripachaarya and Krita Varma beside him immediately. Chaaruvaaka immediately takes Duryodhana’s message and goes in search of the trio, who are still hiding amidst the nearby woods. Upon Chaaruvaaka’s request, the trio comes near Duryodhana. Sage Kripachaarya is shell-shocked to see Duryodhana’s pitiable condition! He feels very sad for what had happened, and Ashwatthama is also speechless! He is simmering with anger too! As Duryodhana laments, Ashwatthama’s anger increases further and further! We’ve to also understand here that Ashwatthama is simmering with anger because his father, Guru Dhronachaarya was killed in the most unethical manner. Because of this, Ashwatthama is wanting to take every ounce of opportunity to kill the Paandavas by seeking revenge on them. 

Thus, as Duryodhana laments, Ashwatthama takes a pledge in front of everyone – “Oh Duryodhana! This battle at Kurukshetra should have been won by us by a mile! However, Bhagawan Krishna was the one who was constantly feeding thoughts of “Adharma” into Yudishtra and Co. This was quite evident in the way my father was tricked and killed! Bhagawan Krishna made Yudishtra lie to him that I’m dead! Now let me take a pledge in front of all of you! Oh Duryodhana! Oh Sage Kripachaarya! I shall ensure that I kill all the five Paandava brothers, come what may – Be it ethical or unethical! Be it “Dharma” or “Adharma”! I do not care! I will ensure that they are killed by hook or crook! I shall execute this pledge of mine by tonight, somehow or the other! This is the pledge that I’m taking!” 

Saying thus, Ashwatthama storms out of that place! This leaves Sage Kripachaarya and Krita Varma in shock and disbelief! So what is Ashwatthama going to do now? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1203 – Duryodhana calls Ashwatthama for some “unfinished work”!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna trying to console a devastated Mother Gaandhaari, who had lost all her hundred sons in the Kurukshetra battle. Of course, Bhagawan Krishna knows that words cannot be sufficient to console a devastated and an aggrieved mother, however, He tries His best to make her understand that all this had to happen because of their “Karma-Phalam” (Resultant of their actions). As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, He also adds an important point that Yudishtra or the Paandavas aren’t responsible for this. One can easily put the blame on Yudishtra at the point for the loss, but, Bhagawan Krishna explains that Yudishtra’s side too had enormous destruction. Thus, this war is a culmination of all people’s “Karma-Phalam”! As Bhagawan says thus, He conveys to Mother Gaandhaari that He has to go back to Kurukshetra on an urgent basis, to oversee some “unfinished work”. 

As Bhagawan says thus, Mother Gaandhaari asks what is that “unfinished work” at Kurukshetra. For this, Bhagawan Krishna continues His accord thus, “Oh Mother Gaandhaari! Ashwatthama is trying to come up with a wicked plan of killing the Paandava brothers during the night time, when everybody is fast asleep. I’ve to somehow get back before the night falls, so as to protect them from Ashwatthama’s wrath. Ashwatthama is making this crooked plan along with Duryodhana (Who is still on the deathbed), and is trying to seek revenge upon Yudishtra and Co. for allegedly killing his father, Guru Dhronachaarya in an illegal way! I’ve to do something immediately right now, else, Yudishtra & Co. would be finished!”

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna takes leave from Mother Gaandhaari for the moment. Meanwhile, on the other side, Duryodhana is still battling his life at Kurukshetra. He is still ranting within himself, but aloud. Duryodhana says thus, “Oh! I’ve been destroyed today because of the “Kaalam” (Time). “Kaala Devata” is the one who has reduced me to this level, and it is not because of Bheemasena. He doesn’t have the power that I have even now. Hence, my current state of affairs is not because Bheemasena has hit me. It is because my time of death has come closer. Afterall who is Bheemasena? What power does he have? The Paandava brothers have done something that they should feel ashamed of! They’ve managed to win over me, not because of their power. They won because of their cowardly act of hitting me below my belt! Is this real victory? Not at all! Bhagawan Krishna tries to justify all these acts, and he is the one solely responsible for misleading everyone! I will definitely obtain the “Veera-Svargam” after my demise, because I’ve fought this war with all my true ability! The Paandavas might be alive today, but when they’re facing death sometime later, they will definitely not be able to attain the “Veera-Svargam”. Also, I still have some unfinished work with the Paandava brothers. Let me call Ashwatthama for this. Of course, I cannot execute that work at this moment, given my present condition. However, Ashwatthama is the right person to do this!” 

Ranting thus, Duryodhana calls out frantically for Ashwatthama, who is currently hiding inside the nearby forest area. We’ve seen earlier that when Yudishtra & Co. came to the bank of the lake in search of Duryodhana (who was inside the water by then), Ashwatthama, Sage Kripachaarya and Krita Varma had fled that place and hid themselves somewhere else. Now, Duryodhana is calling out to Ashwatthama with his trembling voice from his deathbed itself! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and we shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1202 – Bhagawan Krishna consoles a devastated Mother Gandhari!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna making His way towards Hastinapura to meet the aggrieved King Dhritarashtra and Gaandhaari. Bhagawan Krishna makes this trip in a bid to alleviate the couple’s grief over losing all their hundred sons in the battle. Bhagawan Krishna first meets King Dhritarashtra, consoles him and tries to make him understand that Yudishtra is not the one who is responsible for this entire disaster. It was Duryodhana’s bad deeds, which led to this. Moreover, Bhagawan Krishna also reminds King Dhritarashtra slightly that this disaster was also due to the fact that King Dhritarashtra was indecisive at crucial times, and this let Duryodhana unleash his recklessness on Yudishtra and Co. Hence, at a time when Duryodhana is reaping the fruits of his actions, there is no point in cursing Yudishtra for all that has happened. Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna tries to console a devastated King Dhritarashtra. 

Now it is time for Bhagawan Krishna to make a move towards Mother Gaandhaari. He has told King Dhritarashtra enough. All the advice has been given and it is now up to King Dhritarashtra to act wisely – Atleast now! As Bhagawan leaves King Dhritarashtra’s chamber, He makes his way towards Gaandhaari’s. More than King Dhritarashtra, it is Mother Gaandhaari who is completely devastated. It is understandable that as a mother, the loss of all her sons is one of the toughest pills for her to chew! Upon seeing Mother Gaandhaari, Bhagawan Krishna says thus, “Oh Mother! I know that you are a person with a lot of mental strength and resolve. When you had to marry King Dhritarashtra, you knew that he was blind and because of this, you went to the extent of sacrificing your vision for him by closing your eyes forever. Oh Mother! You have good vision, but still, you have sacrificed your vision for your husband! Can anybody on this earth think of doing something like this? Hence, Oh Mother Gaandhaari! I’m sure you will be able to understand what I’m going to tell you. I know that you are extremely aggrieved with the loss of all your sons in the war. I’m with you on this, and this mishap is never your fault! It had to happen! The “Karma-Phalam” of your sons were haunting them all through these years and this war put an end to all of it. Oh Mother! I’m sure you will know this – If you have your “Karma-Phalam”, there is no other option but to experience it in this lifetime. Whatever has happened to your sons is the resultant of their own actions. Hence, please do not think that Yudishtra or the Paandava brothers are responsible for this disaster. I know that your mind will immediately try and put the blame on Yudishtra at this moment. But please try and understand that Yudishtra had no role to play in this literally. It was only Duryodhana’s “Karma Phalam” that destroyed him!”

As Bhagawan says thus, Mother Gaandhaari is completely choked for words! She is overpowered by the grief of losing her sons, and words are unable to come out of her mouth! She wants to say something to Bhagawan Krishna, but she simply could not do it! As Gaandhaari struggles thus, Bhagawan Krishna falls on her feet and continues further thus, “Oh Mother! I understand your grief completely. I have to leave at the moment, back to Kurukshetra. Everything is not over as yet. There are a few things that need to be done there. Hence, I shall come back to you at another time to sit with you and talk!” As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, Mother Gaandhaari suddenly looks up with a stare at Him! All of a sudden, Mother Gaandhaari is able to talk and words start coming out of her mouth! Mother Gaandhaari replies thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! I thought everything was over! Duryodhana is dead! So what more is left to be destroyed? Your favourite Yudishtra has become victorious, hasn’t he? Now what more is pending for you to destroy through him?” 

As Mother Gaandhaari asks thus, Bhagawan Krishna is going to reveal something very important that is going to happen next at Kurukshetra, through Ashwatthama. So what is Ashwatthama planning to do? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1201 – “Do not hold Yudishtra responsible for Duryodhana’s demise!” – Bhagawan Krishna advises King Dhritarashtra!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna and Arjuna conversing with each other as Arjuna’s chariot burst into flames. Along with that, we’ve seen Yudishtra making a request to Bhagawan Krishna to pay a visit to Hastinapura and meet the aggrieved King Dhritarashtra & Gaandhaari. Yudishtra requests Bhagawan Krishna to meet both of them as they would be in a state of despair after losing all their hundred sons in the Kurukshetra war. Hence, it is important to console them and help them to come out of this disastrous happening. Yudishtra’s request comes at a point wherein even though Duryodhana was his most bitter enemy, he is very clear that King Dhritarashtra & Gaandhaari (being in the level of parents), had no role in the enmity that he had with Duryodhana. This also shows how Yudishtra is very clear to differentiate between “Dharma” and “Adharma” and thus, wants Bhagawan Krishna to do the needful. Just because the anger and frustration was on Duryodhana and his brothers, it doesn’t mean that this anger should reflect upon elderly members of the family. 

Moving on further, as Yudishtra makes this request, Bhagawan Krishna is overwhelmingly happy and He accepts it straightaway! Bhagawan Krishna decides to commence His journey towards Hastinapura to meet the aggrieved couple. He does so, and upon reaching the Hastinapura palace, Bhagawan Krishna goes straight into King Dhritarashtra’s chamber. As Bhagawan enters, King Dhritarashtra is already devastated beyond words, and he had already fainted on his chair, unable to bear the news that his sons are no more with him! He has been completely deserted in his final stage of life, even though he gave birth to a hundred sons! As Bhagawan Krishna sees this sad state of affairs of King Dhritarashtra, He Himself sheds tears for a few minutes. Consoling Himself first, Bhagawan Krishna talks to King Dhritarashtra thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! I completely understand your pain of losing all your sons in the battle. It is indeed a disaster. I came to meet you to convey a very important message of advice to you. From whatever has happened at Kurukshetra, you might easily conclude that the Paandava brothers are solely responsible for the demise of your sons Duryodhana & Co. However, you’ve to understand a very important point here – Duryodhana had to meet this ghastly end to his life, not because of Yudishtra. Duryodhana only has himself to blame for all the mess that has happened. Had he mended his ways by utilising all the several opportunities given to him, this situation would not have come by! Please understand that Yudishtra cannot be held responsible for this. I know that your mind will be simmering to curse the Paandava brothers right now for all that has happened! Oh King Dhritarashtra! Be patient and analyze the situation in-depth – It is Duryodhana’s “Karma-Phalam” that has reduced him to this level. Moreover, it is your “Karma-Phalam” that you are experiencing this situation of losing your own sons. I’m sure you are mature enough to understand this. If you end up cursing the Paandava brothers for whatever has happened, please understand that you are complicating your situation even further than this. Hence, please refrain from doing so. Please try and move on from this as soon as possible. You are a “Kshatrya” and I do not need to tell you more than this!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna consoles King Dhritarashtra, who is still in a complete state of shock. He is in a stage wherein even Ashwatthama, Sage Kripachaarya and Krita Varma, who escaped from the battlefield, are not there near him right now. Only Sanjaya was there all through, but now he is also missing! Frustrated by King Dhritarashtra’s never-changing attitude, Sanjaya also flees the Hastinapura palace for the moment with a lot of frustration and grief. So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall take this discussion forward. Stay tuned! 

Episode # 1200 – Yudishtra requests Bhagawan Krishna to console King Dhritarashtra & Gandhari!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna explaining to Arjuna, the reasons why the chariot burst up into flames after both of them got down from it. Bhagawan Krishna explains that the chariot had bore the brunt of several powerful “Asthrams” like the “Indra-Asthram”, “Varuna-Asthram”, “Aagneya-Asthram”, “Naaga-Asthram”, etc. over the past eighteen days at Kurukshetra. After all this, the chariot was simmering with enormous heat, as it absorbed everything! Bhagawan Krishna explains that Arjuna is safe till today only because of this chariot absorbing everything and not allowing any “Asthram” to hit him directly. However, at some stage the chariot has to give up, as it is beyond it’s capacity to hold several “Asthrams” within it. This is the reason, the chariot burst into flames after Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna got down from it. Moreover, Bhagawan Krishna reminds Arjuna in the sidelines of this incident that he was able to win over the Kauravas, not just because of his effort, but it was possible because of Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Anugraha” and presence with him all the time. Bhagawan says further that when He had visited Hastinapura as a messenger of Yudishtra to broker peace between the two camps, Duryodhana & Co. insulted Him big time, and with this, Bhagawan Krishna’s mere glance at everyone sucked all their powers out! Hence, what Arjuna had to do now is only to fight with the “almost dead bodies” of all these people! 

Moving on further from here, Yudishtra comes to Bhagawan Krishna and prays thus, “Oh Bhagawan! We’ve been celebrating our victory for a while now. However, there are two important people at Hastinapura who have lost all their hundred sons in the battle, for no fault of theirs!” We can see here how Yudishtra doesn’t forsake his “Dharma” even at this point in time. He had won the Kurukshetra battle and now he can officially become the king of unified Hastinapura. However, just because of one psychopath called “Duryodhana”, all these people had lost their lives and livelihood. Yudishtra’s heart melts towards all of them and their families! The first amongst all is the most unfortunate couple of Gaandhaari and King Dhritarashtra, isn’t it? Hence Yudishtra prays to Bhagawan Krishna thus, “Oh Bhagawan! I’m sure that both these people would be in extreme grief over losing their entire set of sons in the battle. This is something which is unconsolable for both of them, and they’re going to live with this blot in their lives forever from now! As part of our “Dharma” it is important to take care of these aged people first and to try and alleviate the unbearable pain that they would be going through at this time! Hence, Bhagawan Krishna! Can you go to Hastinapura once and meet both of them and console them for the time being? I shall also come later to spend time with them!” 

Now this is a very important request from Yudishtra here. Even though Duryodhana was vengeful against Yudishtra all through his life, Yudishtra is always respectful towards Duryodhana’s family. This is where we’ve to understand that as a leader, one should have the quality of being calm and composed even during dangers and tough situations. Yudishtra could have easily deserted King Dhritarashtra, because Duryodhana and his brothers were his bitter enemies. In fact, during several occasions, King Dhritarashtra himself has blatantly and openly acted against Yudishtra’s interests, with the sole reason of favouring his son Duryodhana. Even though several incidents like this have happened in the past, Yudishtra wants to pay his respects to King Dhritarashtra, because he considers King Dhritarashtra as his own father, after King Paandu passed away. We’ve seen this during our earlier episodes in detail – When King Paandu passed away, Bhishmachaarya brings these children (Yudishtra & Co.) along with Kunthi Devi to Hastinapura from the forest, and asks King Dhritarashtra to treat them as his own sons, on par with Duryodhana and Co. However, it was King Dhritarashtra who failed in his duty! Whereas, Yudishtra is extremely steadfast in his “Dharma” that no matter whatever happened between him and Duryodhana, his respect towards King Dhritarashtra remains unchanged even today! 

So this is a very important lesson that all of us have to learn from Yudishtra, the righteous leader! So for today, let us understand this point, and we shall wait till the next episode to witness what Bhagawan Krishna is going to do next. Is He going to execute Yudishtra’s request and go to Hastinapura? Stay tuned for an important accord! 🙂 

Episode # 1199 – Why did Arjuna’s chariot burn down? Bhagawan Krishna reveals!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a very interesting event that unfolded, after Bhagawan Krishna and the Paandava brothers returned back to their tents. This was after Duryodhana had ranted enough, and Bhagawan Krishna had become fed up with his unrelenting psychopath behaviour. As Arjuna and Bhagawan Krishna reached their tents, Bhagawan Krishna wanted Arjuna to get down from the chariot first. Even though initially Arjuna didn’t want to do so, as it was a deviation from the protocol, Arjuna ended up obeying Bhagawan Krishna’s words, which he is known for! As both of them get down, to the utter shock of Arjuna, the chariot is suddenly up in flames! Of course, by that time, Hanuman (in the form of the flag on top of the chariot) had already fled from there. As the chariot is up in flames, it bursts into several pieces as well, with a loud explosion sound! As this happens, Bhagawan Krishna pulls Arjuna to a safe distance so that he doesn’t get hurt because of the explosion! 

Now, Arjuna asks Bhagawan Krishna the reason behind this sudden explosion of the chariot, and what would have happened had Bhagawan Krishna got down first from the chariot.  As Arjuna asks thus, Bhagawan Krishna replies – “Oh Arjuna! If you had not got down by obeying my words, whatever happened to the chariot would have happened to you also! In other words, you would have been burnt down by the flames!” As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, Arjuna is surprised! He asks back thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! I had won over all the Kaurava warriors, and would I be destroyed just by this single fire incident? How can this be possible?” As Arjuna asks thus, Bhagawan Krishna laughs out loud! He replies back thus, “Oh Arjuna! I’ve given you the entire Bhagawad Gita at the start of the war, and even after listening to all the 700 shlokas, you’re saying this? Do you think you won the battle on your own? You’re making this mistake again and again! It is because of my divine “Anugraha” only you have won this battle! Oh Arjuna! Let me tell you a few things now – The day I went to Hastinapura as your messenger, I made a few preliminary arrangements for the war! When Duryodhana insulted me with his abusive words, and when Ducchaasana supported him, I cast a look upon both of them! With this look itself, I drew out all their powers and reduced them to nothing! With this, they had already become extremely weak even before they walked into the battlefield! Oh Arjuna! In your absence, I had met Karna and had taken away his “Kavacha-Kundalam” (Protective earrings) which Indra had gifted him. Had Karna worn it during the battle, you wouldn’t have been able to kill him at all! He was invincible! I was the one who neutralized several of Karna’s powerful “Asthras” even during the battle! Hence, Oh Arjuna! Please do not think that you’ve done a great job by defeating these people! It is because of all these preliminary actions, the Kaurava warriors were already reduced to nothing, even before the war commenced! Your contribution to this war is very miniscule and you’ve to understand this!” 

Saying this, Bhagawan Krishna now comes to the most important point. He says thus, “Oh Arjuna! You asked me why the chariot got burnt down, didn’t you? Let me tell you one thing! When the war was going on, there were enormous “Asthrams” that came towards you, in the likes of several Brahma-Asthrams, Indra-Asthrams, Aagneya-Asthrams, Vaaruna-Asthrams, etc.! Where do you think these “Asthrams” went? All of them were absorbed by the chariot. Some of them were taken on by me, which includes the powerful Narayana-Asthram. So where will the “Asthrams” go? How will they be neutralized? Till now they’ve been absorbed by the chariot and it was simmering with enormous negative power and vibrations. Now that the war is over, it was time for all the “Asthrams” to get neutralized. This is the reason the chariot got burnt down! Beyond a point, the chariot was unable to hold back the immense heat and power. This is why I asked you to get down from the chariot first. Had I got down before you, the fire would have burnt you down and you wouldn’t have been able to overcome it! Hence, Arjuna! Please do not think that everything was possible just because of you. There is something called “Anugraha” which overpowers everything in this world!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna makes Arjuna realize a very important universal truth behind this incident! 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 # 1198 – Arjuna’s chariot bursts into flames as Bhagawan Krishna gets down!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna continuing with His befitting reply to Duryodhana upon all the allegations that the latter made against Him. However, Duryodhana still doesn’t seem to relent from his stance, and at this point, he even goes on to abuse Yudishtra once again saying that he is a beggar and it is Duryodhana who has given the “Raajya” (kingdom) to Yudishtra voluntarily. Unmindful of whatever Duryodhana says, Bhagawan Krishna pulls away Yudishtra and Co. from that place and escorts them back to their tents. Bhagawan Krishna rides Arjuna’s chariot once again, perhaps for one last time, and once the caravan reaches the tent area, something unique is going to happen. Normally, as we’ve seen earlier, Bhagawan Krishna would be the first to get out from the chariot, and Arjuna would “step on to” Bhagawan Krishna’s shoulder to get down next. As ardent Bhaktas of Bhagawan Krishna, we might term this as an “insult” to Bhagawan Krishna, as Arjuna literally stamps upon His divine physical body to get down from the chariot. However, if we see this from the angle of Bhagawan’s compassion towards His ardent Bhaktas, this is a great example of how Bhagawan goes to any extent to serve His devotees! 

Moving on further thus, as the Paandavas reach the tents, for a change, Bhagawan Krishna asks Arjuna to get down from the chariot first. Surprised by this move, Arjuna quickly asks Bhagawan Krishna back thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Why is the routine changing today? Usually you will be the first to get down and I would get down with your help, isn’t it? Now why is this sudden change? Why aren’t you getting down first? Normally the “Sarathi” (Charioteer) should be the one to get down first, isn’t it?” As Arjuna asks thus, Bhagawan Krishna thinks within Himself with a little bit of disappointment – “Oh wow! It is to this Arjuna I had given the Bhagawad Gita, wherein I had repeatedly mentioned about me and my significance. Inspite of all this, Arjuna is still not understanding facts and is wanting to command me! If such is the case, how is Arjuna going to exhibit “Sharanagati” and attain the highest “Moksha”?” 

Thinking thus, Bhagawan Krishna once again requests Arjuna – “Oh my dear Arjuna! I’m your direct cousin! If I tell you something, you’ll listen, won’t you? Hence, just for today, please get down from the chariot first, and I will get down later!” As Bhagawan repeatedly requests thus, Arjuna couldn’t understand the inner meaning of what He’s saying, and hence, Arjuna did not want to argue any further. He obeys Bhagawan Krishna’s words and gets down from the chariot! While standing on the ground, Arjuna looks up at his chariot and observes a very unique thing – The flag on top of his chariot flies away! We’ve already seen earlier that Hanuman is sitting on top of Arjuna’s chariot in the form of the flag! All of us know that Hanuman is a “Chiranjeevi” (Living permanently without death) will always mark His presence wherever Bhagawan is! Thus, during this entire battle at Kurukshetra, Hanuman has been present on top of Arjuna’s chariot and now, after the war is over, Hanuman flees away swiftly from it within the wink of an eye! 

As Hanuman flees off, Bhagawan Krishna jumps out of the chariot immediately, pulls Arjuna from there and runs away to a distance. As this happens, the entire chariot is up in flames! It is burning down like a pack of cards! Upon seeing this, Arjuna could not believe his eyes! He is literally scared of what is going on and also couldn’t understand where this fire came from! As the fire rages along, the chariot bursts into pieces! So why has this happened? What did Bhagawan Krishna think off when He asked Arjuna to get down first? Did He protect Arjuna yet again from a great disaster? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂

Episode # 1197 – Bhagawan Krishna escorts Yudishtra & Co. back to their tents!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna lambasting Duryodhana with all the past incidents, and also for the fact that he put his own relatives and friends in the front to fight the war at Kurukshetra, rather than him coming in the front. Bhagawan Krishna refutes the allegations of Duryodhana by saying that Duryodhana was given several opportunities to mend his ways, however, he failed to pay heed to any of them. Bhagawan Krishna, in this regard, lists down all the incidents wherein Duryodhana’s arrogance and ego were out in the open for everyone to see – When Bhagawan had come to ask for atleast five villages for Yudishtra, Duryodhana abused and insulted Him in front of everyone in the Hastinapura courtroom. Moreover, Duryodhana had enticed and cheated noble people like Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, Karna, King Shalya etc. to be on his side with a selfish motive of winning the war and becoming the king, at the expense of the lives of all these people! Highlighting all these, Bhagawan Krishna slams Duryodhana that He hadn’t seen a coward worse than Duryodhana in his entire life! 

As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, did Duryodhana get convinced atleast now? The answer is a big “No”! His life is at stake and he is going to breathe his last, and even then, Duryodhana’s ego is extremely strong! Duryodhana replies thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Let it be that I’ve destroyed everyone in the Kurukshetra battlefield. This implies that I’ve won over the entire world! From whatever I’ve won, I’m “donating” the Hastinapura kingdom to Yudishtra! Let him be happy, by being a petty king! If I would have been there, I would have never given a single inch of land to this useless Yudishtra! However, as I’m unable to rule Hastinapura because of my present condition, I’m giving it away to Yudishtra to rule it! Oh Yudishtra! Please understand that you’re going to become a king, not because of your merit, but because I’ve shown mercy upon you! Hence, there’s nothing for you to feel proud about!” 

As Duryodhana says thus, Bhagawan Krishna turns towards Yudishtra and says – “Oh Yudishtra! Henceforth, there’s nothing that we can talk about with Duryodhana. He seems to be in his own egoistic world and is not willing to relent even at this last moment of his life! Hence let us not waste any further time here! Let us go back to the kingdom and do the needful! Let Duryodhana keep ranting and blabbering till he dies! We do not need to bother about him anymore!” Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna leads the way for Yudishtra & Co. to their respective chariots. All of them are on the way back to their respective tents. Bhagawan Krishna is still the charioteer for Arjuna even now. As they are about to reach the tent area, something unusual happens here. Normally on all these eighteen days when the chariot stops at the tent, Bhagawan Krishna will be the first to get down from it, Subsequently He would enable Arjuna to get down from the chariot by lending His divine shoulders to him. Arjuna would step on top of Bhagawan Krishna’s shoulder and get out of the chariot! 

Now what do we consider this as – a “Bhaagyam” (Fortune) or a “Durbhaagyam” (Misfortune)? If Arjuna has to step on top of Bhagawan’s shoulder and get down from the chariot, this is definitely a “Durbhaagyam” isn’t it, because, this should be vice-versa! Given Bhagawan’s stature, He should be the one who should step on our shoulder and get down. Whereas, here it is happening in the reverse! This shows how compassionate Bhagawan Krishna is towards His ardent devotees! If the devotee demands anything from Bhagawan, He would be ready to execute whatever the devotee wants! Arjuna is Bhagawan’s ardent devotee and Bhagawan is prepared to go to any extent to make Arjuna comfortable! However, today as the war is over and as everybody is returning back to their tents, there is an unusual event that is going to unfold! What is that event? Let us wait and witness an interesting happening in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

Episode # 1196 – “You’re the biggest coward & opportunist I’ve ever seen!” – Bhagawan Krishna rips Duryodhana apart!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna showing the mirror to both Duryodhana and Yudishtra with regards to the Kurukshetra disaster. While Duryodhana is at fault on several occasions, Yudishtra is equally at fault as well. While all of us know what Duryodhana did, Bhagawan Krishna highlights where Yudishtra went wrong. As a righteous king, he shouldn’t have accepted the invite for playing the gambling game with Duryodhana at Hastinapura. This was his major fault. Next, Yudishtra shouldn’t have continued playing the game once he started to be on the losing side. Even after understanding the fact that there’s a conspiracy orchestrated by Duryodhana with the help of Sahuni, Yudishtra never relented, and he went to the extent of staking his wife, Draupati and playing. This is the biggest blunder that Yudishtra did, and even his other Paandava brothers failed to stop Yudishtra from proceeding further. Thus, it is not only Yudishtra – But also Bheemasena, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva who are at fault. 

Over and above all this, Arjuna’s fault here is to not keep Bhagawan Krishna in the loop when such an illegal thing is about to happen. Normally we would have seen all through the Mahabharata story that whatever Yudishtra and Co. did, they would consult with Bhagawan Krishna every time. However, when it came to taking the decision of playing the gambling game with Duryodhana, it would be surprising to know here that Bhagawan Krishna was not consulted! Yudishtra took a unanimous decision to go ahead with the gambling game, even though he knew that it was an illegal affair. Thus, the “Sharanagati Dharma” was compromised completely, and Yudishtra had to pay a heavy price for it! Mentioning all these points, Bhagawan Krishna explains that because of these blunders committed by Yudishtra, the loss is heavy on the Paandava side as well. Moreover, several people who fought the war, had several “Karma-Phalam” pending to be experienced – In the form of several curses from several Brahmana Rishis as well. How can the words of Brahmana Rishis go untrue? Hence, the Kurukshetra war was a culmination of all “Karma Phalam” of all the people who had assembled there! 

Moving on further thus, Bhagawan Krishna once again trains His guns towards Duryodhana, who still keeps ranting relentlessly, putting the blame on Bhagawan Krishna for all the disaster that happened. Bhagawan Krishna says thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Before the commencement of the war, I myself had come to meet you to request for five villages for Yudishtra and Co. and when I had come, you had the audacity to insult and abuse me! Did you forget all those incidents? I tried my best to prevent the war. I’ve been watching you closely for several years now. I’ve been giving several opportunities for mending your ways, but you failed to utilise even a single opportunity for it. Whatever Yudishtra asked from you is completely legitimate – You should have returned Yudishtra’s Indraprastha kingdom after he came back from the thirteen-year-exile period. It is his right. It is his kingdom, which duly came from his father, King Paandu. Whereas you had joined hands with evil forces and denied Yudishtra’s legitimate right of ruling the Indraprastha kingdom. Moreover, even if you didn’t want to part with the entire Indraprastha kingdom, I had requested you for five small villages from it. Had you given those five villages to Yudishtra, this war would not have happened at all! When I had requested you for the five villages, what did you reply to me? You said that you will not part with even an inch of land from the Hastinapura kingdom! How fair is this? Before I came, there were several messengers from both sides to broker peace, in the form of Vidura, Sanjaya, etc. You single handedly undermined all their efforts and it was you who wanted this war to happen at any cost. If such is the case, why are you blaming me for the state of affairs that you are in right now?”

Blasting Duryodhana thus, Bhagawan Krishna is in no mood to relent! He continues ripping Duryodhana apart further thus, “Oh Duryodhana! I’ve never seen a coward like you in my entire life! If you’ve to win over a kingdom and a war, you should have been in the forefront and fought the war under your leadership. In this case, what did you do? You dragged in Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, Sage Kripachaarya, Karna, and the others into it! Not even on a single day, I saw you in the forefront of the war. For you to rule the kingdom, you’ve made all your relatives and friends prey for destruction! Can there be another selfish person like you in this world? What mistake did Bhishmachaarya do? Don’t you understand that he’s your grandfather? For your selfish cause, would you place your aged grandfather in front of you like a protective shield and hide behind his shadow? What mistake did Guru Dhronachaarya do to you? He was your teacher. Unmindful of how he shaped you up as an individual, you went on to insult and abuse your Guru! What mistake did Karna do to you? He supported you all through your life, even though he knew that you are on the track of “Adharma”! I myself had spoken to Karna several times to bring him to the Paandava camp, however, Karna refused because he was so loyal to you! You betrayed Karna’s loyalty by putting him as a scapegoat in front of you on the battlefield! What mistake did King Shalya do to you? You cheated and tricked him to bring him into your fold and his three-crore-strong army of Madra Desha is completely destroyed today! Oh Duryodhana! You’ve been in fault for all these reasons and do not squarely put the blame on someone else and try to escape! Accept your mistake atleast now!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna lambasts Duryodhana left, right and center! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall continue this discussion further! Stay tuned!

Episode # 1195 – “You’re equally responsible for the Kurukshetra disaster!” – Bhagawan Krishna slams Yudishtra!!!

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna giving a strong and a befitting reply to Duryodhana’s wild allegations that it was Bhagawan Krishna who was responsible for the entire Kurukshetra disaster that unfolded. Bhagawan clearly highlights all the blunders that Duryodhana had committed right from his childhood days till the present day! Moreover, Duryodhana has been inflicted with several curses from Maharishis and their words can never become untrue. Also, it is not only about Duryodhana here – All people who assembled at Kurukshetra had several “Karma” accumulated in them at several points in time. The battlefield was just a meeting place for all “Karma” to take charge and interact with each other! Hence, Bhagawan Krishna explains that blaming Him for the fiasco is totally unfair and that Duryodhana has to reflect upon himself to check how he can correct himself atleast now, even if it is not too late! 

Moreover, Bhagawan Krishna adds another important point here thus, “Oh Duryodhana! Think this way now – Do you think the loss is only on your side alone? Look at the Paandava camp. There are several great people who died – In the likes of Abhimanyu, Ghatodgaja, King Drupada, King Virat, etc. Only the five Paandava brothers, along with Saatyaki and a very few others are remaining in their side as well. Of course on your side, the great Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, Karna, etc. have died. For all these deaths on both the camps, you are the one who is solely responsible!” As Bhagawan Krishna says thus, His attention suddenly turns towards Yudishtra. Bhagawan continues to say thus, “Oh Yudishtra! You were also party to all this, weren’t you?” As Yudishtra is looking on, he did not expect this sudden change of face from Bhagawan Krishna! A surprised Yudishtra replies back to Bhagawan Krishna thus, “Oh Bhagawan! What was my fault here? I tried my best to walk the path of “Dharma” at all times. I never wanted this war to happen. It was Duryodhana who wanted this entire fiasco to unfold. Why are you blaming me here?” 

As Yudishtra asks thus, Bhagawan Krishna gets slightly angry. He replies thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Have you forgotten whatever happened in the past? Even in these eighteen days, you should have protected all your people in the battlefield as the leader of the camp. However, you failed in your duty on many occasions! If you would have been in the forefront fighting the war, many lives could have been saved! Rather, you chose to play on the backfoot and you wanted all of them to surround you and protect you! This is your mistake! Moreover, you made the decision to attend and play the gambling game at the Hastinapura courtroom on that fateful day! Don’t you know as a righteous king that gambling is an illegal affair and is against the “Raaja-Dharma”? Fine! You played it – But what mistake did Draupati make? Why did you stake her in the game and play? Don’t you know that this is an extreme blunder? After she got insulted by the opposition, you started crying foul. But who was the reason for that entire disaster? It was solely you! Hence, Yudishtra! Do not even open your mouth once to say that you are without any fault!” 

We might wonder here as to why Bhagawan Krishna is suddenly training His guns towards Yudishtra! This is where we’ve to understand that our entire life and “Karma” are extremely complex in nature! For instance, in this “Draupati insult” episode, we’ve to understand how many people were at fault here – It is not just the fault of Duryodhana and King Dhritarashtra alone! Many of us, in fact, get carried away by this narrative, because we frequently put all the blame on Duryodhana only. Of course, Duryodhana was wicked and there’s no doubt about that. However, wasn’t Yudishtra at fault for staking Draupati and playing the gamble? Even the “Devas” have a fault on them – Why were they witnessing all these instances unfold in front of their eyes? All the Paandava brothers are also at fault – Because, as husbands, isn’t their duty to protect Draupati at all times? They allowed Ducchaasana to go ahead and do whatever he did! Duryodhana and Karna were of course at fault – It was both of them who ordered Draupati to be dragged into the courtroom in front of everyone! Thus, it is very clear that one person cannot be pointed out for this entire fiasco. Similarly, Bhishmachaarya and Guru Dhronachaarya are at fault because they never opened their mouth and opposed what Duryodhana was saying in the courtroom! Being senior pros, they should have stood for justice, but they failed in their roles! 

Thus, the Kurukshetra war was a culmination of all these elements and people, and hence, Bhagawan Krishna says here that this disaster happened not just because of Duryodhana alone – But also because of several people! So for today, let us understand up to this point and we shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well! Stay tuned!