The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we had witnessed a very interesting conversation between Sahadeva and Bhagawan Krishna. As Bhagawan Krishna is asking Sahadeva for his opinion on the proposed peace talks with Duryodhana and Co., Sahadeva gives a surprising and unexpected answer – The peace talks are a waste and war is certain if Bhagawan Krishna goes to Hastinapura! However, if Bhagawan Krishna is “tied up” here itself and if He is not allowed to go to Hastinapura, peace might be possible! As everybody including Bhagawan Krishna looks at Sahadeva in surprise, Sahadeva lets out his “Bhakti” take over completely! Sahadeva melts down in tears of “Bhakti” as he is now getting an opportunity to do so! He says that actually he wants peace, but he knows that if Bhagawan Krishna goes there, it would become counter-productive! By expressing his opinion, Sahadeva exhibits ardent devotion towards Bhagawan Krishna, which melts His heart completely! 

Acknowledging the “Bhakti” of the Paandava brothers thus, Bhagawan Krishna commences His long journey towards Hastinapura. He gets into the chariot locked with four fast-running and highly trained horses, driven by Daaruka, who is Bhagawan Krishna’s charioteer. Bhagawan Krishna commences His journey on the day when the “Revati” Nakshatra (Star) falls in the “Kaarthika” month. As Bhagawan Krishna commences His journey thus, news starts spreading thick and fast! As the chariot makes its way towards Hastinapura, all the Maharishis enroute, shower Bhagawan Krishna with their divine “Anugraha”. All the Maharishis wish Bhagawan Krishna with victory (“Jaya-Vijayee Bhava”) and tell Him in unison thus, “Oh Bhagawan! You’re going for a divine pursuit! You know what is best for the entire world! You’ve incarnated to restore “Dharma”. Hence, do whatever it takes so that “Dharma” is restored and ultimately results in the “Lokah-Kshemam” (Benefit of the world)! 

As Bhagawan Krishna makes His way through, all the Maharishis flock around His chariot to obtain His divine “Darshan”! Bhagawan Krishna too goes very slowly, thus providing His divine “Anugraha” to all of them standing nearby! Thus, as Bhagawan continues His journey, all the good omens start showing up one after the other. This signifies unidirectionally that Bhagawan’s visit to Hastinapura is going to signify victory to “Dharma” in whatever way possible! As Bhagawan nears Hastinapura, He halts at a place called “Vrikasthalam”, from where the news goes to King Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana that Bhagawan Krishna is on His way. Now comes a very funny and an amazing anecdote wherein King Dhritarashtra quickly convenes a meeting with his able ministers Sanjaya and Vidura. King Dhritarashtra wants to give a lot of prizes and gifts to Bhagawan Krishna, because He is coming to Hastinapura after a long time. King Dhritarashtra says to Vidura and Sanjaya thus, “Oh Vidura! Oh Sanjaya! I’m very happy and elated to know that Bhagawan Krishna is on His way to Hastinapura. In lieu of this, I’m planning to give expensive gifts to Bhagawan Krishna when He arrives here. I’m planning to gift Him a diamond-studded golden chariot which He woudn’t have seen anywhere in this world! Apart from this, I’m also planning to give some other expensive and priceless gift items like star-studded dresses, golden crowns, etc. I’m wanting to make Bhagawan Krishna feel extremely memorable and special when He comes to meet all of us!” 

As King Dhritarashtra says thus, Vidura quickly asks him back – “Oh King! Till yesterday you were not much in favour of Yudishtra and Bhagawan Krishna, but what happened to you today? Why are you wanting to give all these gift items to Bhagawan Krishna? What is your agenda here?” As Vidura asks thus, King Dhritarashtra is going to reveal his agenda to him, which is very important here for us to understand. So for today, let us enjoy Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Darshan” along with all the others on the way, as He makes His way towards Hastinapura! We shall witness King Dhritarashtra’s agenda in tomorrow’s episode! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna preparing Himself to commence His journey towards Hastinapura for the second round of peace talks. As He is leaving Viraata Desha, He is seeking the opinion of all the five Paandava brothers on this issue. We’ve witnessed Yudishtra giving his opinion, followed by Arjuna, Bheemasena and Nakula. While all of them are favouring the peace talks by saying that we shall opt for peace, rather than a disastrous war, Sahadeva has a different opinion completely. So let us witness what Sahadeva had to say, as we move forward. 

As Bhagawan Krishna comes to Sahadeva seeking his opinion, Sahadeva says thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! My opinion is very simple here – Please go and talk to Duryodhana in such a way that he would get provoked, which would result in an immediate war between the two camps!” As Sahadeva says firmly thus, Bhagawan Krishna is completely surprised! Even Yudishtra and the other Paandava brothers are shocked at Sahadeva’s answer! Bhagawan Krishna asks Sahadeva slowly thus, “Oh Sahadeva! While all your brothers are favouring peace in some form or the other, you seem to be the only one who wants a war! Why do you think so? What makes you say this? I want to understand your thought process!” As Bhagawan Krishna asks thus, Sahadeva slowly opens himself up to Him. Normally in the Mahabharata text, we would witness Yudishtra, Bheemasena and Arjuna talking a lot. We would rarely see Nakula and Sahadeva talking. However, this is an exception here – Perhaps for the first time we’re going to witness Nakula opening himself up in front of Bhagawan Krishna. 

Nakula says thus, “Oh Bhagawan! With due respect to you, I wish to ask you something frankly – Why are you wasting your time in asking everybody’s opinion individually? I’m aware that you’ve made a decision of the war taking place, and hence, why are you doing all these things by prolonging the inevitable? Oh Bhagawan Krishna! I feel that the only way through which this war can be stopped is by imprisoning you for sometime! Until the moment you’re roaming around scott free, war is inevitable! 🙂 Hence, only if someone ties you up somewhere for some time, war is going to happen. Your sole purpose of visiting Hastinapura according to me is only to fuel further rage between the two camps!” 

As Sahadeva jokingly replies thus, Bhagawan Krishna bursts into laughter! He asks Sahadeva in reply thus, “Oh Sahadeva! You’re thinking of tying me somewhere, aren’t you? Can anybody do this to me in real?” As Bhagawan Krishna asks thus, Sahadeva immediately quips, “Oh Bhagawan! Don’t you remember your childhood days? Mother Yashoda tied you to the “Ural” for allegedly stealing the butter, didn’t she? Hence, it is possible to tie you!” Laughing further thus, Bhagawan Krishna replies back, “Oh Sahadeva! If you really think it’s possible, please try tying me now!” Immediately, Sahadeva takes a small thread adorned with beautiful flowers and ties both hands of Bhagawan Krishna! Looking at this, Sahadeva says with tears in his eyes thus, “Oh Bhagawan! What I’m doing is just for fun. Who on earth can tie you up and control you? You are the supreme! You are everything in this world! As a Bhakta, I’m doing this to you, so as to prevent you from going to Hastinapura. If you go there, I know what will happen! Thus, my opinion is similar to Yudishtra’s – We do not require a war. We want only peace! But if that has to happen, you should not go to Hastinapura!” 

As Bhagawan Krishna sees this, His heart melts with emotions towards Sahadeva! What a beautiful way of expressing an opinion to Bhagawan! So for today, let us rejoice this beautiful moment and we shall wait till the next episode to witness the continuation of this discussion further! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna assuring Yudishtra that nothing would happen to Him if Duryodhana tries some ways and means of attacking. Bhagawan Krishna also indirectly sends an important message to the Paandavas saying that if at all Duryodhana attacks Bhagawan Krishna, His anger would ensure that Duryodhana and all his brothers would be finished on that spot itself and with this, there would be no need for Yudishtra to wage a war and fight a battle against anyone! In fact, this is exactly what Bhagawan Krishna is going to do. If we do a deep dive into the commentaries given by the famed “Alwar” poets in Tamil, it is clearly mentioned that the reason behind Bhagawan Krishna’s visit to Hastinapura is not actually to broker peace between the two camps. Then why did Bhagawan Krishna opt to go there? The primary reason is to “reduce” Duryodhana’s strength completely and make him a zero even before the war commences and even without Duryodhana’s knowledge! This would make Arjuna and Yudishtra’s job in the battle easier isn’t it? So let us continue with what conspired next, as Bhagawan Krishna is about to make His way to Hastinapura. 

As Bhagawan is getting into His chariot, He sees Bheemasena standing on the way to send Him off safely. Bheemasena’s face is completely clueless and Bhagawan Krishna could not control His laughter upon seeing this! Just to make fun, Bhagawan Krishna asks Bheemasena thus, “Oh mighty Bheemasena! What do you think of Yudishtra’s idea of me going there and brokering peace with Duryodhana?” As Bhagawan Krishna asks thus, Bheemasena replies back in a low voice: “Oh Bhagawan! As Yudishtra opines, if there is an opportunity for peace, why not try it out? We shall always stand by peaceful and amicable ways of resolving problems! If there is a peaceful method of resolving problems, why unnecessarily get into wars? This would result in so many people losing their precious lives, isn’t it?” As Bheemasena says thus, Bhagawan Krishna bursts out in laughter! He immediately asks Bheemasena back: “Oh wow! Look who is talking about peace and harmony! Now here’s a person who is waiting for someone to come in front of him to fight, and this same person is talking of peace today! Oh Bheemasena! What happened to you? Why are you talking like a loser today? I never expected this answer from you!”

As Bhagawan Krishna makes fun of him this way, this is enough to trigger Bheemasena’s anger! He immediately replies thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! I think you’ve mistaken my words! I’m just saying all this because my brother Yudishtra asked me to say! 🙂 Even now I’m saying – Let Duryodhana and Co. come in front of me for a war! I’ll singlehandedly ensure that all the Kaurava brothers are finished within just two days!” Listening to this, all of them start laughing! Bhagawan Krishna thus induces a jolly mood amidst the Paandava camp before He decides to leave. Bhagawan Krishna replies back thus, “Ah! This is what I expected from a person like Bheemasena! You should be ready to fight a war, but at the same time, you should be able to balance anger with peace as well! Oh Bheemasena! Please do not mistake me! I was just making fun of you! You should always be ready to fight out a war, and I wanted to check indirectly whether you are ready or not!” 

As Bheemasena gets consoled, Arjuna talks next. He says thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Till today, I’ve never been without you even for a single moment! Now you’re going away from me to Hastinapura and even though it is only for a few days, my heart and mind will always be with you at all times! I know you’re going alone and I also know that you are extremely capable of defending yourself if there are any adverse situations! Oh Bhagawan Krishna! I do not have anything further to say to you! Please go and come back safely without any harm!” 

As Arjuna talks to Bhagawan thus, it is now the turn of Nakula and Sahadeva to bid farewell to Bhagawan Krishna. Nakula also has a similar opinion as Yudishtra and the others. However, when Bhagawan Krishna comes to Sahadeva, he is going to tell something which is very important for all of us to see! So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall witness what Sahadeva had to say to Bhagawan Krishna! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna once again assuring Yudishtra and Co. of trying His best with regards to brokering peace between the two camps. This comes at a time when Sanjaya had gone back after an inconclusive first round of peace talks, and at the same time when Sanjaya’s advice to Duryodhana and Co. almost went in vain. Even though Yudishtra wants Bhagawan Krishna to go to Hastinapura and broker peace, he is also scared at the same time about Bhagawan Krishna’s security and dignity. What if Duryodhana insults Bhagawan Krishna and assaults Him both physically / verbally? What if Duryodhana attempts to kill Bhagawan Krishna? As these questions run in Yudishtra’s mind, Bhagawan Krishna consoles him that He would be able to take care of all these things without anybody’s help and obligation. 

Assuring thus, Bhagawan Krishna continues further, “Oh Yudishtra! Please understand one thing clearly – The best case scenario is that Duryodhana will not attempt to harm me in any way. This is because Duryodhana somewhat knows that I cannot be harmed that easily. Even if he tries to do something foolish by attacking me (worst case scenario), please understand that your job of fighting the war will come to an end! 🙂 I’m saying this because, if Duryodhana tries to harm me, the fire sparks that come from my eyes are more than enough to finish him off on the spot! My anger, even if it is for just a few seconds, is more than sufficient to destroy Hastinapura in its entire entity! Hence, Yudishtra! Please do not worry about my safety! Please be courageous and confident! We are fighting together for the cause of “Dharma” and hence, there is no question of defeat in our side!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna is about to leave for Hastinapura and even at this time, Yudishtra is inconsolably weeping. As Bhagawan Krishna starts walking towards His chariot, Yudishtra once again falls on His divine lotus feet and says thus, “Oh Bhagawan! It is so weird for me! Normally, ordinary people like us would go as a messenger to Bhagawan, but here it is the exact reverse that is happening! You are going as a messenger for us and this is unheard of! Hence, Oh Bhagawan Krishna! You talk whatever comes to your mind as you are the best judge! Who am I to tell you to talk about this and that? You know about us and what is good for all of us, don’t you? Hence, you yourself decide what to talk about and then go ahead! Please forget whatever this ordinary person told you! Moreover, you are the best to know Duryodhana and Co. too. Hence, you decide as to what is good for us and for them and accordingly speak your opinions out!” 

As Yudishtra says thus, Bhagawan Krishna smiles and acknowledges his words of wisdom and surrender. Now Bhagawan Krishna walks towards His chariot further, and on the way, He sees Bheemasena standing near the chariot, totally clueless! Upon seeing Bheemasena’s blank face, Bhagawan Krishna wants to strike a funny conversation with him before He leaves! So what is Bhagawan Krishna going to ask Bheemasena? An exciting and an interesting but small conversation awaits us in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna accepting Yudishtra’s request for a last-ditch attempt to broker peace between the two camps. Yudishtra’s message is loud and clear – We’ve tolerated Duryodhana for all these years and this cannot continue any longer. Indraprastha should be returned back and if this happens, we are not interested in a war. Both Duryodhana and Yudishtra can live happily. However, if this doesn’t happen, Yudishtra is also ready to just settle with five places, instead of the entire Indraprastha kingdom. Even if these five places aren’t given, war is the only solution and the Paandavas are getting ready for it. Taking this message with Him, Bhagawan Krishna is now going to travel to Hastinapura as the “Paandava-Dhoota”, which is going to be a very significant event in the entire Mahabharata text. 

As Bhagawan Krishna is about to start, Yudishtra has a concern. His pale face shows it out clearly! As Bhagawan Krishna asks Yudishtra for the reason, Yudishtra says thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! I know that you will talk and put forth all our points clearly to Duryodhana. I do not have any doubt. But I have another grave concern – What if Duryodhana causes any kind of harm to you? What if Duryodhana insults you very badly in front of everyone? Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Duryodhana is someone who is an embodiment of “Adharma” and he will go to any extent to insult and abuse people both physically and through words. I’m concerned about your safety and prestige. I do not want you to be insulted in front of the Hastinapura courtroom. If any sort of danger looms large for you, I would not be able to tolerate it even for a single minute!” 

As Yudishtra raises this concern, he breaks down into tears. Upon seeing this, Bhagawan Krishna’s heart melts too. He too is in tears of joy upon seeing how an ardent “Bhakta” is showing true concern towards Him. Bhagawan Krishna hugs Yudishtra with Him and replies thus, “Oh Yudishtra! Please do not worry about me! If Duryodhana does something against the law, I know how to handle such things. At the most, what best can he do? Can he threaten me? Can he try to insult me in front of everyone? Let him go ahead and do it! Even if he tries to kill him, he will not be able to do anything against me! Oh Yudishtra! Please understand one thing very clearly – The thought process of all living beings in this world passes through me! The actions that are performed by all living beings in this world are known to me at a granular level! Hence, please do not worry oh Yudishtra! Nothing will happen to me! I shall be very happy to represent your case in front of Duryodhana, as I know that you are following the path of “Dharma” and I will always be there to support you for this noble cause!” 

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna prepares Himself to leave for Hastinapura and for today, let us understand up to this point. We shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further and see what happens next! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna accepting Yudishtra’s request of going to Hastinapura to meet Duryodhana and Co. We’re in the midst of a very important conversation between Yudishtra and Bhagawan Krishna as to what is the message that Yudishtra wants to convey to Duryodhana and Co. For this, Yudishtra’s message is very simple and straightforward – If a person is wanting to own somebody else’s property through illegal means, this act of “Adharma” is going to bring about the downfall of this person sooner or later. Moreover, Yudishtra is also explaining how greed, intellect, inhibitions and “Adharmic” acts are connected as a sequence. Because of greed we tend to lose our intellect which is important to differentiate between “Dharma” and “Adharma”. The moment our intellect is lost, we start performing “Adharmic” actions without even an iota of inhibition or shame. Hence, the point here is that, Duryodhana exactly fits into this sequence and Yudishtra wants to give a chance to Duryodhana to introspect and correct himself atleast now before it becomes too late. 

Moving on further thus, as Yudishtra completes his accord, Bheemasena and Arjuna are also standing nearby, observing all what Yudishtra is telling here. As Bhagawan Krishna turns towards Arjuna, He has a beaming smile on His handsome face. Bhagawan Krishna asks Arjuna thus, “Oh Arjuna! What is your opinion on this? Do you think I should go to Hastinapura and talk to Duryodhana? Oh Bheemasena! Will it be of any use if I go there? What do you think?” Upon worshipping Bhagawan Krishna’s beaming face, Arjuna says thus, “Oh Bhagawan! Don’t you know the answers for all your questions? Why do you want to ask me and Bheemasena? You know what is right and what is wrong? Who are we to instruct you as to what you should be doing? If you feel apt for you to go to Hastinapura, please go ahead! Whereas, if you feel that there is no point in going and talking to Duryodhana, you may refrain from doing so. The choice is yours!”

As Arjuna says thus, Bhagawan  Krishna replies back to all of them: “Oh Yudishtra! Oh Arjuna! You are right! I should visit Hastinapura courtroom and see what can be done! I’ve taken a “Sankalpa” for doing so! So let me go and check out! I shall also convey Yudishtra’s firm message to Duryodhana. By doing so, I shall make an honest and sincere effort to broker peace between the two factions. I shall educate Duryodhana on what is good for him and what is not! If he doesn’t want to listen to me further, then it is left to him for defending himself! But let me give a try!”

Saying thus, Bhagawan Krishna prepares Himself to leave for Hastinapura and for today, we shall understand up to this point. We shall wait till the next episode to witness what Bhagawan Krishna is going to do subsequently! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bhagawan Krishna accepting Yudishtra’s request to travel to Hastinapura and broker peace between the two rival camps. As Yudishtra thinks this, Bhagawan Krishna immediately responds to Yudishtra positively as Bhagawan cannot turn down any request that comes from an ardent devotee and an ardent follower of “Dharma”. Even though Bhagawan Krishna knows clearly that there is no use of such attempts, He cannot turn down Yudishtra’s request. This is the significance of a “Bhakta”. Even if things aren’t really possible, Bhagawan comes down to the level of the “Bhakta” to give it a try if the “Bhakta” really wants this to happen. In this way, Bhagawan Krishna prepares Himself to travel to Hastinapura and as He does so, He asks Yudishtra for the message that he wants to convey through this peace talk attempt. For this, Yudishtra’s message is loud and clear – Return back Indraprastha amicably and the entire problem would get resolved on its own. If not the entire kingdom, atleast return five villages that come under Indraprastha and still we would be happy! 

Moving on thus, Yudishtra lists out the five villages that he is asking for from Duryodhana. Yudishtra says thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Please ask for these five places atleast, if not for the entire kingdom – Avisthalam, Vrikasthalam, Maakandhi, Vaaranaavatham and along with these four, Duryodhana can choose any other place of his choice and hand it over to us!” Readers should remember that this is the same “Vaaranaavatham” wherein the wax palace was built by Duryodhana to burn down the Paandavas earlier. Yudishtra concludes thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Please tell Duryodhana that if he can give us these five places, it is more than enough for me. I don’t even want the entire Indraprastha kingdom!” Saying thus, Yudishtra now explains a very important point to be conveyed to Duryodhana. He says, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Please tell this to Duryodhana clearly as my message – Oh Duryodhana! If you are being taken over by greed, you will lose your intellect completely! If you lose your intellect, you will lose the sense of inhibition when you’re doing an act that pertains to “Adharma”. The moment you lose this sense of inhibition completely, there is no stopping from any source to perform any kind of “Adharmic” act in this world!”
This is a very important point that Yudishtra is explaining here, which is applicable to all of us as well! For instance, we’re witnessing these useless politicians in our country who are looting poor people’s wealth through various means of corruption, isn’t it? How do these listless politicians who do not even have the basic educational qualifications make crores and crores of money so easily by cheating all of us? The first thing that makes them go behind truckloads of money is greed! With more and more greed, these politicians lose their intellect (if at all they have one)! Subsequently, if they lose their intellect, or if they do not have any intellect of their own (true in most cases), they lose that inhibition and conscience when they touch public money with their dreaded hands! Normally if we’re stealing others’ property, our conscience would inhibit us from doing so, isn’t it? Our conscience would alert us that whatever we’re doing is a gross mistake and we would have to face a huge punishment sooner or later, isn’t it? Do these politicians have such conscience in them even for a moment? The answer is a big “No”! Hence, Yudishtra’s third step is also validated! The moment this conscience is lost, automatically the inhibition goes for a toss, and these listless politicians indulge in large-scale corruption across the country! 

Now we can see how Yudishtra’s words are coming true in today’s context too. This not only applies to our politicians but also for us of course in several other ways! Hence, the bottomline that Yudishtra explains is very simple – Do not desire for others’ property! Now the question here is that, are we following Yudishtra’s advice? For today, let us introspect within ourselves, and we shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Yudishtra requesting Bhagawan Krishna to mediate between both the camps to maybe bring about an amicable solution. As Sanjaya had left for Hastinapura, Yudishtra and Co. clearly understood that Duryodhana is not going to relent any time soon from his ego and stance. As a strategic planning meeting is underway amongst Yudishtra, the Viraata Desha king, Arjuna, etc. along with Bhagawan Krishna, it is increasingly becoming conclusive that war is the only solution for this! However, upon thinking about the disaster that would be imminent with the lives of great warriors like Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, etc. are in threat, Yudishtra wants to make a last-ditch attempt to try and see how a consensus can be achieved. For this, he requests Bhagawan Krishna with tears in his eyes to travel to Hastinapura and meet Duryodhana and Co. to see what best can be done. Now the onus is on Bhagawan Krishna to take the call! What is He going to do next? Let us witness today! 

As Yudishtra says thus, he continues further with more tears in his eyes! He says thus, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! I’m requesting you to go and talk to King Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana only because if at all there’s someone in this world to whom they will pay heed, it is only you! If myself or Arjuna or any of us here would go, neither Duryodhana nor King Dhritarashtra would listen to us. We will not even have an iota of respect amidst them. However, I have one grave concern too – What if you are being insulted by them at the Hastinapura courtroom when you go and talk to them? This is something that makes me shudder with fear! Of course, I’m requesting you to go on my behalf to execute my agenda. However, at the cost of my agenda, I do not want you to be insulted in public! These people can go to any extent! If I think of this consequence, I feel that you shouldn’t go to Hastinapura. If you go and get insulted by Duryodhana there, it is equivalent to me losing the battle straightaway even without a single arrow fired! Oh Bhagawan Krishna! I do not know what to say at this moment! On one hand, my conscience says that you should go there and try brokering peace. On the other hand, my mind says that if you go there, you would be insulted by these people and thereby, it would be a great sin on my side to make Bhagawan get insulted on behalf of me! What do I do now? Oh Bhagawan! I surrender to your divine lotus feet! Please guide me with the appropriate action!” 

As Bhagawan Krishna patiently listens to Yudishtra’s accord, He replies slowly thus, “Oh my dear Yudishtra! Why are you talking on both sides now? You should be firm in what you want! If you want me to go and talk to them, I’m ready to do it! As you are an epitome of “Dharma”, I shall be ready to do anything for you! Please do not worry! If your wish is me going and talking to King Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana, I shall certainly do it. I know what they are and what you are. I know what they want and what you really deserve. If it is the question between “Dharma” and “Adharma”, I would always stand by “Dharma”. I know that “Dharma” is on your side and hence, I’m always by your side! Oh Yudishtra! Please tell me what should I talk to Duryodhana on your behalf? Please explain your message that you would like to convey to King Dhritarashtra!” 

Now this is a very important phase in the run-up to the Kurukshetra war. Yudishtra’s message is very clear – If the Indraprastha kingdom is returned back, obviously there is no need of a war at all! Things can be resolved amicably. However, if this is not happening, Yudishtra is now coming down on his stance and is going to point out five places within the Indraprastha kingdom which can be given to him, if not the whole kingdom! We are now going to commence a very important reply from Yudishtra, and for this, we shall wait till the next episode to find this out! Stay tuned for an important accord! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sanjaya trying his best to make King Dhritarashtra that he is trying to defend the indefensible. While Bhagawan Krishna’s “Sankalpa” is too strong towards destruction of “Adharma” completely, what is the use of King Dhritarashtra trying to hold fort by defending his son Duryodhana who is an embodiment of “Adharma” altogether? Duryodhana’s ego knows no bounds and what is the use of trying and protecting someone like this, who is not really interested in understanding the practical implications of sticking to his ego? With these questions looming large, Bhagawan Krishna Himself is now volunteering to make a last-ditch attempt to broker peace between the two camps! He is going to go to Hastinapura as a “Paandava-Dhoota”, which is a very important section of the entire Mahabharata text. This episode is nicely captured by Sage Vyaasa in the “Bhagawan Vyaana Parva”, which we’re starting to witness starting today. 

Moving on thus, as this conversation between Sanjaya and King Dhritarashtra concludes, the scene now shifts to Yudishra and Co. at Viraata Desha. All of them now go into a huddle after Sanjaya’s visit, as Bhagawan Krishna too is present in that huddle. All of them discuss the way forward from here on. Various people in the group express their opinions, including Yudishra and Arjuna. Bhagawan Krishna initially waits patiently for His turn as all of them keep opening up with their views. The debate is now whether we should declare a war straightaway or whether should we go for another round of peace talks. At this point, Yudishtra comes close to Bhagawan Krishna with folded hands and stands near Him. As Yudishtra comes near Bhagawan, he has tears in his eyes! Yudishtra is moved to such a state as the discussion veers off into a certainty towards having a war! 

As Yudishtra is getting into this state, Bhagawan Krishna immediately gets up from His seat and consoles Yudishtra thus, “Oh my dear Yudishtra! Why are you getting emotional now? What happened to you? Till now I’ve never seen you cry for anything and I’ve always been proud of your valour and stubborn decision-making. Now what has gone wrong in such a way that it is bringing tears to your eyes? Please tell me!” As Bhagawan Krishna comforts Yudishtra thus, Yudishtra replies back, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! The moment I think of a war. My heart shudders with all kinds of emotions! Apart from Duryodhana, there are great veterans including Bhishmachaarya, Guru Dhronachaarya, etc. aren’t they? Invariably all of them will support Hastinapura’s cause and fight on Duryodhana’s side. I do not have a problem with that of course. But what if we end up killing all of them just for the sake of “winning the war”? Bhishmachaarya is my dearest grandfather who has taken so much of pain and effort in bringing all of us up! Similarly, how can a student kill his own Guru? Is there any precedence to this in this entire world? Wouldn’t it be a great misdeed for my own selfishness of taking possession of Indraprastha? That would be one of the greatest sins I would be committing in my life, isn’t it? This is what makes me shed tears and this very thought that comes to my mind every now and then is making me shake with fear!”

Lamenting thus, Yudishtra continues further, “Oh Bhagawan Krishna! Of course I can confide to you with all these issues that are running in my mind, because of the fact that you are Bhagawan! Whom other than you can I trust in this? You have to guide me with the correct path!” Saying thus, Yudishtra breaks down completely and falls on Bhagawan Krishna’s divine lotus feet! Yudishtra makes Bhagawan’s feet wet with his tears of surrender and upon seeing this, Bhagawan Krishna’s heart melts instantly! He immediately lifts Yudishtra up and wipes off his tears. As Bhagawan comforts Yudishtra further, Yudishtra asks thus, “Oh Bhagawan! I have a small request to you – You are the only one who knows in and out about all of us. You are the one who stands by us at all times, especially when the going is tough! You are the one who has supported us in all difficult times. Hence, if possible, can you try and broker peace between the two camps by explaining our stance to them? Can you convey the message that Yudishtra always stands for peace and he is not ready for a war if an amicable solution is met? Please, can you make this last-ditch effort to save precious lives?” 

As Yudishtra explains his stance, Bhagawan Krishna clearly understands what Yudishtra is expecting. Whatever Yudishtra says seems genuine and concerning. Now it is up to Bhagawan Krishna to reply to Yudishtra. What is going to be Bhagawan Krishna’s stance? Is He going to accept Yudishtra’s request? Let us wait and witness Bhagawan Krishna’s reply in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the conversation between Sanjaya and King Dhritarashtra in the divine presence of Sage Vyaasa. Upon King Dhritarashtra requesting Sanjaya to explain the significance of Bhagawan Krishna, Sanjaya is explaining the same with the help of Bhagawan’s divine names and their intricate meanings. In this way, we’ve witnessed the significance of three of Bhagawan’s divine names in the previous episode, namely, “Vaasudeva”, “Maadhava” and “Krishna”. We shall continue this discussion today and witness some other important divine names of Bhagawan Krishna along with their significance. 

Sanjaya now talks about the next divine name – “Pundarika”. This means Bhagawan is always embedded inside the hearts of all living beings. This is one of the most important aspects of the Paramatman. When we say that the Paramatman (Also referred to as Brahman) is omni-present inside the bodies of all living beings, the divine name “Pundarika” is a representative of this meaning. Thus, Bhagawan Pundarika is always inside all our hearts and with this, we should understand that all of creation is His! Next, we witness the divine name “Saatvata”. This means, Bhagawan Krishna does not veer off the “Satva Guna” at any point in time. In other words, Bhagawan is an embodiment of “Satva Guna” and this is the meaning of the divine name “Saatvata”. Next in Sanjaya’s list is “Rishikesha”. This is a very common name and many of us might be quite familiar with this. The meaning of “Rishikesha” is that, Bhagawan has won over all the senses (“Karma-Indriyas” and “Gnyaana Indriyas”) completely and thus, reached a state of “permanent happiness”. This is a very important characteristic of a “Mahatma” and also of Bhagawan, which we’re again going to witness in detail in Bhagawan’s Bhagawad Gita in some time from now. 

Next in this list is “Adhokshaja”. This means, if a devotee comes and surrenders to Bhagawan’s divine lotus feet, He would never leave that devotee, come what may. In other words, Bhagawan never allows the downfall of all His ardent “Bhaktas” and serves as a protector for all of them! Explaining all these divine names one by one, Sanjaya finally asks King Dhritarashtra thus, “Oh King Dhritarashtra! Now do you understand who Bhagawan Krishna is? Now do you understand with whom are you trying to fight and win over? Do you think this is really possible? Please do not do this! Please refrain from this foolish act of fighting a war against Bhagawan Krishna’s divine will! Let me reiterate to you – You will never ever be able to win against Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Sankalpa” no matter how many trained and experienced warriors you might have in your camp!” 

Saying thus, the conversation concludes and this leads to King Dhritarashtra with so many thoughts in his mind! With this, we also come to the end of this “Parva” and we now enter into one of the most important Parva of the Mahabharata, which is the “Bhagawan-Vyaana Parva”. This is where Bhagawan Krishna is going to volunteer Himself to meet Duryodhana and Co. to try and broker peace between the two camps, as a last minute attempt to stop the disastrous war from happening! As we’ve witnessed a lot of conversations on the Hastinapura end, it is now time for us to turn our attention towards Viraata Desha and see what conspired after Sanjaya left back to Hastinapura. As Sanjaya leaves, Yudishtra and Co. go into a huddle, along with Bhagawan Krishna to chart out the next course of action. What is Yudishtra going to do next? Is he going to declare war straightaway or is he still willing to attempt another round of peace talks with Duryodhana and Co.? Let us wait till the next episode to find out! Stay tuned! 🙂