The Indian Dharma

In the previous episode, we were amidst an important discussion on why we should embark on “Teertha-Yatras” whenever we have time and opportunities in our lives. We had answered a couple of important questions as we moved forward with the discussion – Especially for many of our readers who are residing abroad – All of us have some serious concerns whether our “Nitya-Karma” and our “Naimitthika-Karma” when not performed inside our “Bhaarata Desha” would bear any fruit or not. We had allayed those fears by saying that wherever we are in this world, we are entitled to perform all our “Karma” without fail. Of course, I’m not saying that our “Sanaatana Dharma” texts are wrong, but if we do not have an option to come to India and perform them, what else can we do? Just because we’re residing abroad and just because we’ve crossed over the oceans and left the country, nowhere does our “Sanaatana Dharma” texts say that we shall refrain from performing all our “Karma”! Hence, we can go ahead and perform all our duties from wherever we are in this world. Moreover, by performing our “Karma”, Bhagawan is going to get happy. If we’re following whatever Bhagawan has mentioned in the “Shruti” and “Smriti” correctly, Bhagawan is ultimately going to be satisfied that we are obeying His instructions, and it is with Bhagawan’s satisfaction, we are going to attain the highest “Moksha”. Hence, our geographical location doesn’t matter much, when it comes to performing our “Karma”, and our esteemed readers abroad should seriously take this into account. 

However, readers abroad should also understand simultaneously that whenever you get an opportunity to visit India, you should make sure that you wouldn’t miss it. While travelling to India, you should make sure that you allocate some time to embark on visiting a few important “Punya-Kshetras”, apart from spending time with your family. This is very important. In fact, all of us should be proud that we are citizens of this great “Punya-Bhoomi” called “Bhaarata Desha”. Right from Kashmir to Kannyakumari, there are enormous “Punya-Kshetras”, isn’t it? We have our holy River Ganga, Gaya, Varanasi, Somanath, Dwaraka, Mathura, Gokula, Ayodhya, Bhadreenaatha Kshetra, Naimishaaranya, etc. in the northern part of the country. In all these places, Bhagawan Rama and Bhagawan Krishna have personally lived their entire tenure! They’ve walked extensively through all these places and thus assume enormous significance. If we come towards the central and southern part of India, we have Pandarpur, Kolhapur, etc. in the Indian state of Maharashtra, Tirupati, Bhadrachalam, etc. in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, Srirangam, and most of the 108 Divya-Desam temples of Bhagawan Vishnu, along with the holy river of Cauvery in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, and the likes. Thus, we can see from head to toe, there are enormous “Punya-Kshetras”, which, by visiting, all our sins would be washed away instantaneously! 

Moreover, the beauty of today’s context is that, more than citizens of Bhaarata Desha like all of us, foreigners from all over the world from various countries have started realizing the significance of our country and our culture. This is why we’re seeing a tremendous uptick in the travel and tourism sector in India. Especially when it comes to “Spiritual Tourism”, India is leading the pack of many countries! This is because the world is recognizing India’s spiritual importance and vibrance. If such is the case, isn’t it the duty of we Indians to realize our own culture and significance? Sadly today, we’re unable to realize our own potential in this regard, owing to some “negative propaganda” of the so-called “Secular elements” within India! Ardent followers of our “Sanaatana Dharma” should never fall prey to such false and stupid propaganda, wherein the underlying intention is to malign and defame Hindus and eventually our Bhaarata Desha. We as Indians, should make sure that we rise up from all these stupid elements and prove our resolution to the world! We have enormous potential within ourselves. We have all the brains to make the world look at us in awe! We should use our intelligence in the right way to serve the world and to make a difference with our path of “Dharma”! Isn’t this our duty? Mother Nature and Bhagawan have given us things in abundance! But what are we giving back to Mother Nature and Bhagawan? Should we give them hatred, violence and lies? All of us, as ardent followers of our “Sanaatana Dharma” should think on these lines! We should set an example for others as to how one should lead a peaceful spiritual life by not harming anyone or any living being in this world! Thus, to obtain these “Saathvik” thoughts and intentions, the best way is to embark on “Teertha-Yatras”, and experience Bhagawan’s divine presence in all these places of “Punya-Kshetras”. The moment we experience these vibrations, automatically our minds would get purified and with this, our thoughts, intentions, actions, words, etc. would align towards “Dharma”. 

Thus, this is the inner significance of embarking on “Teertha-Yatras”! By doing so, our minds get purified and this would automatically make us walk the path of “Dharma”! So for today let us understand this important point very clearly and let us ponder over it! We shall continue this discussion in the next episode as well! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had commenced witnessing the details of “Teertha-Yatra” Parva, wherein, Sage Naarada makes his way to meet Yudishtra. At a time when the Paandava brothers, sans Arjuna are preparing themselves to commence their “Teertha-Yatra”, Sage Naarada’s visit assumes a lot of significance. As Sage Naarada arrives, Yudishtra asks him a very important question as to why should one embark on a spiritual journey, and what are the positive effects one would gain out of it. As Yudishtra asks thus, Sage Naarada doesn’t give a direct reply, but he refers to an important conversation between Bhishmachaarya and a group of Maharishis. On the banks of River Ganga, one fine day after Bhishmachaarya had finished his oblations towards his mother, a group of Maharishis, led by Sage Pulasthya approach Bhishmachaarya with almost a similar question which Yudishtra is asking here. Bhishmachaarya is now going to give a fitting reply to this context, as an answer to Sage Pulasthya, which, Sage Naarada is going to link to Yudishtra’s question. We shall witness the details in today’s episode. 

Moving on further, to extend this accord a bit further in today’s context, we too would have enormous questions lingering in our mind – Especially for those of our readers who are living outside the territorial borders of our “Bhaarata Desha”! In fact, even when I was residing in Europe for a while, I too had the same doubts within me! We might ask these questions – “Oh! Our Sanaatana Dharma text says that Bhaarata Desha which is south of the Himalaya Mountains and north of Kannyakumari is the “Punya-Bhoomi” and whatever “Nitya-Karma” including our regular “Sandhyavandanam”, “Brahma-Yagnyam”, etc., along with our “Naimitthika Karma” such as “Shraadham”, “Tarpanam”, etc. that we perform in this Bhaarata Desha will only give us the fruits! However, we are living outside the Bhaarata Desha! Hence, do we obtain the same effects of performing our “Karma”? Moreover, the other land masses apart from our Bhaarata Desha aren’t classified as “Punya-Kshetras”? If “No”, what is the use of performing all our “Karma”? Moreover, even if we’ve to perform all these activities, there is a time difference between where we reside and that of our Bhaarata Desha, isn’t there? So, if we’ve to do something at 9 AM Indian time, should we do it at the same time corresponding to our time in our country, or, should we wait till it is 9 AM in our country? Moreover, we’re unable to visit any of the “Punya-Kshetras” that are there in India, because of our geographical constraints! How on earth are we going to attain “Moksha”?” 

This is a very important question here. Of course, I’m not going to negate what our Sanaatana Dharma is saying! Also, I’m not going to say that performing our “Karma” outside the territorial borders of our Bhaarata Desha is a mere waste of time. Wherever we are, and whatever we do in life, all what I can say at this point is that, we should never ever compromise our “Karma”. Of course, it might not be effective as per the Shaastras, but if we’re performing our “Karma” regularly and with utmost sincerity, we should remember one thing – Bhagawan’s heart is going to melt towards us! If Bhagawan is going to get pleased with our actions, why should we bother about our geographical location or time difference or our inability to visit the requisite “Punya-Kshetras” at crucial points in time? Of course, I’m not saying that it is not necessary to visit all these places at all! We should assure Bhagawan that whenever we are visiting India, we would take time out to visit these places and finish all our duties, and we should execute our assurances properly! This would be more than enough! 

Hence, my answer to this important question is that, wherever we are in this world, we should never compromise on our “Nitya-Karma” and “Naimitthika-Karma”, for the mere fact that by doing so, we are earning Bhagawan’s happiness. It is only with Bhagawan’s happiness we’re going to obtain the highest “Moksha”, and not by merely performing this “Karma” in our Bhaarata Desha or by visiting the “Punya-Kshetras”. Of course, these are important as well, but the problem in India now is that, we ourselves do not understand the significance of being able to live in this holy “Punya-Bhoomi”! Even those of us who live in India, are today questioning the validity of whatever is mentioned in our “Sanaatana Dharma” texts, which is extremely unfortunate! Hence, we should clearly understand that for all of us who are residing in India, we’re extremely lucky and fortunate and this is a great opportunity given to us by Bhagawan to wash off all our past “baggage” and to attain “Moksha”! For all of us who live abroad, let us not worry – We should still continue performing our “Karma” regularly, and with this, Bhagawan would get mighty pleased! This would enable a lot of things to happen! 

So for today, let us understand this point very clearly and we shall take this important discussion forward in the next episode as well, before we move on with what Bhishmachaarya said! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the continuation of the discussion on why we should go on “Teertha-Yatras” within our lifetime. We’ve seen how “Punya-Kshetras” are designated “spots” created by Bhagawan for all of us, to feel His divine presence and vibrations. These “Punya-Kshetras” might be temples, ashrams, rivers, seashores, etc. Thus, we’ve to take the initiative to embark on such journeys, so that we would get closer to Bhagawan. Moreover, we’ve also witnesesd that by visiting these “Punya-Kshetras” in our lifetime, our “Paapa-Karma” comes down enormously and hence, it becomes easier for us to attain the highest “Moksha”. For instance, many of us might be aware that by taking a holy dip in the River Ganga, all our sins are washed away! These are certain opportunities given by Bhagawan to wash off our “Karma”. If we do not utilise these opportunities, how on earth are we going to overcome our “Karma” and its effects? Hence, we should think about this and do the needful. 

Moving on thus, we shall slowly get into the details of the “Teertha-Yatra” Parva and the accord begins with an interesting accord that takes place between Yudishtra and Sage Naarada. As the Paandavas decide to embark on their “Teertha-Yatra” thus, they have an opportunity to have a conversation with Sage Naarada and Yudishtra asks an important question to him. However, Sage Naarada doesn’t give a straight and a direct answer to Yudishtra, but instead, he refers to an important conversation between Bhishmachaarya and a very important Sage. Thus, Sage Naarada enters Yudishtra’s house in the Dandaka Vanam forest, and at that point in time, Yudishtra and Co. are extremely worried and sad that Arjuna is not there amongst us. Yudishtra is extremely concerned about Arjuna’s whereabouts, but is confident that he would be safe and secure at the “Svarga Lokha”. As Sage Naarada pays a surprise visit to Yudishtra and Co. the spirits of the Paandava brothers are lifted up! Yudishtra immediately runs forward and receives Sage Naarada with all the due respects. As Sage Naarada settles down, Yudishtra asks him a very important question thus, “Oh Sage Naarada! You’ve come at the right time, wherein we were looking for some guidance and support! We’re planning to embark on a “Teertha-Yatra” for sometime until Arjuna comes back to us. Hence, please explain to us – Why should we embark on a “Teertha-Yatra”? What are the effects (“Phalam”) of going on such voyages? What does one gain spiritually by going on “Teertha-Yatras”? Oh Sage Naarada! You’ve to explain all these to us, as we’re embarking on this mission!” 

As Yudishtra asks thus, Sage Naarada replies back. “Oh Yudishtra! You’ve asked a very important question! But I shall refer to an important conversation that took place when Bhishmachaarya was once sitting on the banks of River Bhaageerathi!” Readers should remember here that Bhaageerathi, Alaknanda, Jaanhavi, Tripagadha, etc. are all important divine names of River Ganga. Thus, at different places where the river flows through, it is described by different names. But the river is the same! This is the significance of River Ganga, right from its beginning to its end. Now coming back to the conversation, Sage Naarada explains thus, “Oh Yudishtra! As Bhishmachaarya was sitting on the banks of River Bhaageerathi, there were a number of Maharishis who were sitting around him. At that point, Bhishmachaarya had just finished performing all his respects to his mother, and was sitting there on the river bank. Amongst that group of Maharishis was Sage Pulasthya. As Sage Pulasthya arrived amongst everyone, Bhishmachaarya asks him an important question, which is quite similar to the one that you’ve asked me now – “Oh Sage Pulasthya! I have certain doubts in my mind with regards to “Teertha-Yatras”. Why should one embark on a Teertha-Yatra? What are the effects of the same? Is it just a mere waste of money by travelling all the way up and down to those places? What are we going to gain with these Yatras?” 

We might also have these same doubts in our minds as well! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and we shall wait till the next episode to expand on this conversation a bit more. We’ve to witness what was Sage Pulasthya’s answer, and how is Sage Naarada going to use this answer to explain to Yudishtra, so that he gives a reply to his question! An interesting accord awaits us tomorrow! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed two important questions with regards to going on “Teertha-Yatras”. We shall recall those questions as we proceed further – Why should we go for “Teertha Yatras”? What are we going to gain out of visiting various temples across our Bhaarata Desha? Why should we invest our time and money at our young age? Can we start going for all these Yatras after retirement? In this, we’ve tried answering the first question in a detailed way. We go for “Teertha-Yatras” because these are “Punya-Kshetras” designated by Bhagawan Himself, or, the “Alwars” and the “Aachaaryas”. As a “Jeevatma”, it is our bound duty to pay a visit to as many “Punya-Kshetras” as we can, so as to experience Bhagawan’s divine presence and vibrations. This is one way of looking at it. Of course, we’ve also seen that age is never a criteria to embark upon “Teertha-Yatras” to visit “Punya-Kshetras”. Many of us have pre-determined thoughts that we would take up these journeys only after retirement, and not while we’re young. We should ask ourselves here – Who said that we should not visit “Punya-Kshetras” while we are young? Who said that we should not exhibit Bhakti and Sharanaagathi while being young? What about little Prahlaada, little Dhruva and Andal? All of these people were extremely young when they embarked their spiritual journey! Hence, age is never a factor in this.

Moreover, we should also remember this – Do we know whether we would be alive the next minute? Do we even know that we would be alive tomorrow? Do we even know that we would be alive and fit next year? If such things are a huge question mark, what is the guarantee that we would live fit and fine after the age of 60 for undertaking “Teertha-Yatras”? Hence, if Bhagawan has given sound health, physical fitness and financial facilities today, we should look at making maximum use of the opportunity to visit as many “Punya-Kshetras” as possible, isn’t it? What are we going to get by postponing things further and further, without even an iota of guarantee about our life longevity? Hence, if we’ve to perform some good “Karma”, we should do it now, rather than procrastinating it to some other time! Given the uncertainty of the future, if something has to be done, it has to be finished today without any delay. Hence, this is one big reason why we should go on “Teertha-Yatras” in the present moment, if we have the time and the other requisite facilities. 

Apart from that, we had asked another question – “What are we going to gain by visiting these “Punya-Kshetras”? This is an important question and we shall address this in detail before we move on further. By visiting more and more “Punya-Kshetras” and by taking a holy dip in the waters of “Punya-Nadhis” (Holy rivers) across the Bhaarata Desha, our “Paapa Karma” gets speedily washed away. Moreover, the spiritual vibrations in all the temples that we visit, are extremely powerful in nature, and this would soothe our mind which is constantly restless. Once our mind is calmed down, our way of thinking and approaching problems in life would change for the good, and this would enable us to make informed and correct decisions – both in terms of personal and professional lives. More than all this, if we’re visiting more and more “Punya-Kshetras”, Bhagawan is going to get pleased that we are taking several steps towards Him! As Bhagawan’s heart gets happy and starts to melt, “Moksha” is assured for us! Ultimately, getting “Moksha” depends upon how we’re able to melt Bhagawan’s heart towards us. If we’re doing this on a regular basis, Bhagawan would be waiting for us! For instance, if we have the habit of visiting a temple every day, after a point, rather than we waiting to see Bhagawan, He would start waiting to see us every day! Thus, even if we cannot go to the temple some day due to some constraints, Bhagawan would get so worried! He would start thinking within Himself, thus, “Oh! My child would come to see me at this time every day! Why is he / she not to be seen today? Is there any problem with him / her? Let me go and see what happened to my child!” This is how Bhagawan’s heart would melt towards us, if we’re systematic in this! 

Thus, the main purpose of visiting “Punya-Kshetras” by undertaking “Teertha-Yatras” is to move closer and closer to Bhagawan. We should understand this point very clearly. Moreover, in today’s scenario, many things have become just a photo-op! We go to temples, click some pictures, post them on social media and come back! This should never be done! If we go to the temple, the connection should only be between us and Bhagawan (The presiding deity of the temple). There should not be anything else in between. This shows the level of depth in our connection between us and Bhagawan. If we’re doing all these photo-op business inside the temple, it merely shows that we’re on a tourism spree and not on a “Teertha-Yatra”. There is a difference between both of these terms, and readers should be aware of this. Hence, we should not transform a temple into a tourist spot. We should give the due respect to the presiding deity of that temple and take conscious efforts to get closer to Bhagawan. 

So for today, let us understand these points very clearly and in the next episode, we shall commence witnessing the various places that the Paandava brothers travelled to! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed the commencement of the “Teertha-Yatra Parva” after the culmination of the “Nala-Upaakhyaana Parva”. We had witnessed Sage Brihadarsha detailing to Yudishtra as to how King Nala too had to undergo enormous suffering because of the ill-effects of playing the gambling game. As this gets over, Yudishtra and Co. are missing Arjuna’s presence amidst them, as he had gone to the “Svarga Lokha” for a period of five years! As nobody knows when Arjuna would be back amongst them, in the meanwhile, Yudishtra and the others decide that they would go on a “Teertha Yatra” to some of the “Punya-Kshetras” in and around the Bhaarata Desha. All these details are provided by Sage Vyaasa as part of the “Teertha-Yatra Parva”, which we’re going to commence in detail from today. 

Moving forward, before we move into the details of this Parva, we should understand the reason behind going for “Teertha-Yatras”. Many of us would have this dilemma in our minds – Why should we go for “Teertha Yatras”? What are we going to gain out of visiting various temples across our Bhaarata Desha? Why should we invest our time and money at our young age? Can we start going for all these Yatras after retirement? Many questions like these would definitely be lingering in our minds, but we might not be able to ask them in a public forum upfront. We shall witness the answers for all these questions one by one. Yes! We should definitely embark on “Teertha Yatras” and this has many reasons – Firstly, every “Punya-Kshetra” and every temple has its own sacred energy. Every river in our Bhaarata Desha, starting from River Ganges in the north to River Cauvery and River Thaamiraparni in the south have their own unique significance. As a “Jeevatma” born in this earth, it is our prime duty to mark our presence in all these places and take a holy dip in all these rivers, so that our “Paapa-Karma” is brought down. We might ask immediately here – “How do we say that our “Paapa Karma” can be brought down if we take the “Snaanam” (Holy dip) in the River Ganges or River Cauvery? This is where Bhagawan’s “Deiva-Sankalpa” (Divine Will) lies in! We’ve witnessed during our earlier Ramayan project wherein Bhagawan Rama Himself proclaims to Mother Sita when both of them are crossing the “Ram-Sethu Bridge” built by the Vaanaras (Monkey Army), after Ravana’s demise! Bhagawan Rama says to Mother Sita thus, “Oh Sita! This is the holy bridge that we had constructed to cross over to Sri Lanka to see you! Please look at the bridge with your divine eyes and provide your “Anugraha” to it!” 

As Bhagawan Rama says thus, Mother Sita asks back, “Oh Rama! Why should I look at it now? I’ve been looking at it and the entire Sri Lanka all these ten months! Only you’re new to this place, whereas I’ve been here for a while now!” As Mother Sita says thus, Bhagawan Rama gives an important reply – “Oh Sita! Till now, you were looking at Lanka and the bridge very angrily because of Ravana’s wrath! But now, our son Vibhishana is going to rule Lanka! Now you should extend your divine “Anugraha” upon Vibhishana, shouldn’t you? Hence, the best way to do so is to cast your divine look on to the entire territory and on to the bridge! Moreover, in the future, whoever comes to this shore and takes a holy dip in these waters, all their sins would be permanently washed away! This place would become a “Punya-Kshetra” henceforth!” These words from Bhagawan Rama are true even today, aren’t they? Even today, we see hundreds and thousands of people flocking towards the holy town of Rameshwaram and Danushkoti in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, to take a holy dip in the ocean waters! Thus, every “Punya-Kshetra” in India has its own significance like this, and Bhagawan has established all these places for His devotees in such a way that they would be able to experience His divine presence even today! There are enormous amounts of temples in our Bhaarata Desha which have extreme spiritual vibrations in them, which can be a solution for all problems that we face in today’s world! Hence, it is our duty as a “Jeevatma” to pay a visit to such places and to experience Bhagawan’s divine presence in all of them. 

Moreover, in today’s context, all of us are busy with our own professional and personal commitments and are not able to find time to visit these places. Hence, we keep postponing our “Teertha-Yatra” trips everytime. We should understand one thing very clearly – Firstly, age is not a bar for anything in life. Prahlaada was a child when he exhibited ardent devotion towards Bhagawan Vishnu. Similarly, Dhruva was also a child who was able to see Bhagawan Vishnu in person within just days of his penance! We’ve witnessed all these “Charitras” in our “Shrimad Bhaagawatha Puraana” project earlier. Moreover, Aandal was a small girl when she exhibited ardent devotion towards Bhagawan Krishna and this is why we have the 30 Paasurams of the Thiruppaavai, which many of us chant during the auspicious month of “Maargazhi” in Tamil. Thus, there are innumerable examples wherein people have exhibited ardent Bhakti towards Bhagawan even at their tender age and have attained the highest “Moksha”! Hence, age is never a bar for approaching Bhagawan for “Moksha”. 

So for today, let us understand up to this point very clearly and we shall continue addressing the remaining questions with regards to the “Teertha Yatra” in the next episode! Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Sage Brihadarsha concluding the lengthy accord on the “Nala-Upaakyaanam” wherein he drives home an important point that there are predecessors in the past who had undergone the wrath of suffering because of the ill-effects of the gambling game. We had seen how King Nala, under the influence of Kali-Purusha had to undergo enormous suffering by losing his kingdom and wealth, by roaming in the forest with his wife, Damayanti, by losing even his one piece of cloth that he was wearing, by losing his wife in the forest, by being bitten by a snake, by working as a charioteer under King Rituparna, until he learnt the art of gambling, which finally chases away the Kali-Purusha from his body. Thus, finally King Nala was able to reunite with Damayanti and with that, he obtained the kingdom and wealth that he had earlier lost. With this event, Sage Brihadarsha motivates Yudishtra to stay strong and follow the path of “Dharma” meticulously than ever before. Of course, Duryodhana and Co. have the upper hand at the moment because they’ve outsmarted Yudishtra in the gambling game. But this is not going to last long! Time will heal a lot of problems in life, and this is the biggest message that Sage Brihadarsha had to convey to Yudishtra. 

Thus with this, we come to the end of the “Nala-Upaakhyaana Parva” and moving on, we shall witness what happened to Arjuna next. As we had witnessed earlier, Arjuna had a good time at Indra’s Svarga Lokha and he had learnt the arts of music and dance. Meanwhile, we had also witnessed earlier that Urvashi had fallen in love with Arjuna, but since he did not accept her, she became angry with Arjuna and cursed him. However, Urvashi’s curse is going to become an “Anugraha” for Arjuna later, during the “Agnyaatavaasam” period. After all this fiasco, Arjuna should have ideally returned back to Yudishtra and Co., but he did not. Rather, he spends more time with Indra in the “Svarga Lokha”, and this time period is almost five years! Readers should understand that the entire tenure for the Paandavas in the forest is twelve years, out of which, they had spent four to five years in the “Kaamyaka Vanam” and the “Dvaitha Vanam”. Subsequently, Arjuna goes for his “Teertha Yatra” to the Gandha-Madhana Parva and then to the Svarga Lokha, where he is currently in, and this tenure is another five years. Thus, after Arjuna returns from the Svarga Lokha, it is almost the eleventh year running. This is when the Paandavas begin to strategize how to win over Duryodhana and how to regain whatever they had lost earlier. 

So for now, let Arjuna remain in the “Svarga Lokha” for sometime, and in the meanwhile let us witness what happens with Yudishtra and the others in the “Bhoo-Lokha”. We now move on into the “Teertha-Yatra Parva”. One fine day, Yudishtra talks to his brothers and Draupati thus, “Oh brothers! Oh Draupati! All of us are pained with the absence of our Arjuna and nobody knows his whereabouts as of now. I’m sure he would be safe and secure because of Bhagawan Krishna’s divine “Anugraha” and I’m also sure that he would return back to us at some point in time. He has gone on a mission somewhere, and once he is done with it, he will be back amongst all of us. However, until the time he comes back, all of us should leave this “Dvaitha Vanam” and go on a “Teertha-Yatra”. We shall together visit many “Punya-Kshetras” around our Bhaarata Desha and let us spend our time in this way. 

Thus, with this, we shall commence the “Teertha-Yatra” Parva and so for today, we shall understand up to this point. We shall wait till the next episode to witness which are the places the Paandava brothers had visited! In fact, we would be surprised to know that the Paandava brothers have made their way to South India as well, all the way up to Sri Lanka wherein King Vibhishana was still ruling the kingdom! We’re going to witness all this starting from the next episode! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed King Nala and Damayanti reuniting with each other after an eight-year suffering that they had to undergo because of Kali-Purusha. We’ve witnessed that as King Nala learnt the art of gambling, Kali-Purusha had no other option but to run away from King Nala’s body. With this, life took a huge “U-turn” for King Nala towards the good! As King Rituparna takes King Nala and Vaarshneya to Vidharba Desha, Damayanti identifies King Nala who was at that moment, in his disguised form as Bahuka. As Damayanti comes closer to Bahuka with her garland as part of the second “Svayamavara” event, he quickly uses the two clothes that Snake Kaarkotaka had given him to regain his original form. As Bahuka transforms into King Nala, Damayanti’s doubts are all cleared once and for all, and both of them reunite with each other! With this, King Nala defeats Pushkara and regains all his kingdom and wealth that he had earlier lost. King Nala requests Pushkara to stay on with him and gives him some important responsibility in the administration of the Nishaada Kingdom. Thus, King Nala’s “Charitra” becomes an evident example as to how a king has suffered because of the loss that he had obtained due to the gambling game. 

Highlighting this story thus, Sage Brihadarsha explains to Yudishtra – “Oh Yudishtra! Now do you understand how King Nala had to undergo enormous difficulty because he had to lose the gambling game? If you compare your and his experiences, yours is much better! You atleast have five people near you who can cry for you! Whereas, King Nala had to cry all alone for himself! You have your wife with you to pour out all your emotions, and your wife is there with you to protect you in all ways! Whereas, King Nala had to lose his wife also in this pursuit. He was pushed to that extent wherein he had no other option but to desert his wife in the midst of the dark forest! Both of them had to roam alone, crying for each other in the forest! Are you having that sort of difficulty? Hence, Yudishtra! Please make up your mind and do not feel bad for whatever has happened! I’m of course, not criticising you that you’re bad. However, all I’m trying to tell you is that, please do not lose heart. Things will change with time. You’ve to be patient, and this is a test for your perseverance towards the path of “Dharma”! Please do not deviate from it!” 

As Sage Brihadarsha says thus, he continues further to advise Yudishtra – “Oh Yudishtra! These are the ill-effects of playing the gambling game. It is an illegal affair and this is the reason why our ancestors had deemed this game to be illegal. However, I know that you were pulled into the game, and you never volunteered to play it. You were cornered and Duryodhana used your so-called “weakness” and tried to outsmart you. But please trust me – This is not going to be the situation for a long time. You would definitely regain all what you’ve lost. You are a great “Chakravarthy” and you would regain all your lost kingdom and wealth. Catch hold of Bhagawan Krishna firmly and He will guide you to glory very soon!” 

As Yudishtra and the others hear this emotional and heart-touching accord from Sage Brihadarsha, the Paandavas pay all their respects towards him as he prepares to leave the place! So for today, let us understand the important message that Sage Brihadarsha conveys – If someone tries to outsmart us in the path of “Adharma”, this is not going to last long. We’ve to be patient and exhibit perseverance towards “Dharma”, and definitely Bhagawan would uplift us in some way or the other! We shall wait till the next episode to continue this discussion further as we move on with what happened to Yudishtra and Co. from here on! Stay tuned! 🙂  

In the previous episode, we had witnessed King Nala and King Rituparna reaching Vidharba Desha after a long journey. King Nala is still in his disguised form as Bahuka and enroute the journey, he learns the art of gambling and its nuances from King Rituparna, who is deemed as an expert in it. As King Nala shuts down this weakness in him, Kali-Purusha has no other option but to run away from him! Thus, as King Nala learns more and more of the gambling game, Kali-Purusha becomes more and more uncomfortable and finally exits his body! As this happens, King Nala is now free of any sort of danger henceforth! However, he still chooses to remain as Bahuka for some more time. Meanwhile, Damayanti has serious doubts about the identity of Bahuka. Can this Bahuka be King Nala? Is he in a disguised form like this? So she sends her children to Bahuka and as they play along with him, Bahuka’s emotions come out as a father of the kids! Strengthening her doubts thus, Damayanti patiently waits till the next day morning for the “Svayamvara” event to take place. 

Moving on thus, the “Svayamvara” event commences and as Damayanti comes with the garland in her hand, she spots Bahuka also standing at a distance, and comes straight in front of him. As Damayanti comes by, she asks the same set of questions which she wanted that Brahmin Pandit to ask earlier. Damayanti asks thus, “Oh gentleman! Is it “Dharma” to leave a wife in a pitiable state of affairs alone in the forest during the time of suffering? Is it “Dharma” for a husband to not share his suffering with his beloved wife when she is devoted completely towards him?” As Damayanti asks such questions straightaway in front of Bahuka, he gives the same set of answers which he had given to the Brahmin Pandit earlier. Bahuka replies thus, “Oh Damayanti! It completely depends upon the situation in which the husband is in. This is a very subjective question and you should look at it on both sides. If the husband feels that he would be a burden to the wife because of his suffering, it is “Dharma” that he leaves her, so that the suffering goes away only with the husband and not for the wife!” 

As Bahuka gives a sporting reply thus, Damayanti clearly understands now that this Bahuka is none other than King Nala himself! The game is over! As Bahuka gives this straightforward answer, Damayanti sinks down in tears! As Damayanti does so, Bahuka also thinks that he has had enough! He quickly puts on the two pieces of clothes which Snake Kaarkotaka had given him earlier, and with this, he once again regains his original form! King Nala is now standing in front of Damayanti and the couple reunites once again after almost eight long years! Both Damayanti and King Nala are extremely happy to see each other after all the difficulties that both of them had to endure! As King Rituparna sees this, he is surprised as well! Vaarshneya couldn’t believe his eyes! King Rituparna is very happy upon seeing King Nala reuniting with Damayanti and says thus, “Oh King Nala! Till this moment, I never knew that you were in this disguised form. I mistook you completely as Bahuka and as a charioteer! Now that I’ve identified your true form, I hereby pay my respects to you and Damayanti together! You are a divine couple and you’ve undergone a lot in your lives till today. Hence, I’m blessing both of you for a great life ahead from now onwards, without any problems!” 

As King Nala and Damayanti reunite thus, King Bheema is also extremely happy. He now understands that this “Second Svayamvara” fiasco was none other than a ploy created by his intelligent daughter, Damayanti to identify King Nala in front of everyone! Thus, the entire reunion event gets over, and it is now time for King Nala to regain all his lost wealth and kingdom. Hence, he once again calls Pushkara for a game of gambling. Now that Kali-Purusha is no more a hindrance for King Nala to roll the dice, and since King Nala now knows the nuances of the game – Thanks to King Rituparna’s timely intervention to teach him, King Nala now easily wins over Pushkara and with this, he regains his entire kingdom, his wealth, etc. There is no stopping King Nala now! Thus, as Pushkara tries to flee away from the kingdom, King Nala stops him. He says to Pushkara thus, “Oh Pushkara! Where are you going? I’m not that stone-hearted to make you run away and experience all the suffering that I had to undergo! Please don’t worry. You can stay here along with all of us, and I shall treat you as my own brother. From now on, you would also jointly rule the kingdom along with me. I shall give you all the powers and respect that you deserve. You are an excellent administrator and we need your services!” 

As Pushkara hears this from King Nala, he is in tears! Pushkara replies to King Nala thus, “Oh great King! First of all, my deepest and sincere apologies for all the sufferings that I had given to you and to your wife! I was the sole reason for all whatever you had to undergo till date! This is the difference between a king and a great king (Chakravarthy) – A king would chase away a loser from the kingdom, whereas a Chakravarthy would respect and revere even a loser and give him protection! Today, you’ve proved to the world that you’re not just a king, but a great “Chakravarthy”! From today onwards, I shall be a true assistant to you and would help you in all ways to administer our kingdom efficiently!” Saying thus, Pushkara and King Nala become excellent companions and the duo rule the Nishaada Desha with all the aspects of “Dharma” being followed! 

So for today, let us understand up to this point, and let us also join hands along with Pushkara to congratulate King Nala and Damayanti for their auspicious reunion! Narrating this story thus, Sage Briahdarsha is going to drive home an important point to Yudishtra! We shall wait till the next episode to witness this narrative. Stay tuned! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Bahuka and King Rituparna making their way towards Vidharba Desha for Damayanti’s “Second Svayamvara”. Vaarshneya is also going along with both of them, as Bahuka is doing the job of the charioteer. Readers should understand that even though Vaarshneya worked under King Nala previously, he was not able to identify the fact that Bahuka was none other than King Nala himself! King Rituparna also knows the significance of King Nala, but he too could not identify that Bahuka was King Nala and is working along with him. However, as the journey progressed, Bahuka proves his worth of being an excellently skilled person in horse-riding and horse-selection, and King Rituparna also proves his expertise in Mathematics and counting. Thus, both of them appreciate each other’s skill sets, and however, as the journey is on, Bahuka has one important desire that he is urged to talk about, with King Rituparna. Let us witness this today. 

Moving on thus, as Bahuka is riding the chariot with a great speed, he talks to King Rituparna thus, “Oh King! Now that I understand your great expertise in mathematics and counting, I’ve also heard that you’re an expert in gambling. So if you don’t mind, can you teach me that art as well? I’m very eager to learn from you!” As Bahuka expresses his wish thus, King Rituparna is more than happy to teach Bahuka. He requests Bahuka to stop the chariot mid-way and the classes begin! They select a nice scenic forest area and King Rituparna starts teaching Bahuka the art of gambling. As King Rituparna is an expert in this art, he teaches Bahuka the nuances of it very clearly! As Bahuka is a quick learner, he grasps whatever King Rituparna is teaching him. As this learning is going on at a brisk pace, Kali-Purusha, who is wreaking havoc in King Nala’s life till date, starts feeling uncomfortable! Readers should remember that the moment Snake Kaarkotaka bit King Nala, Kali-Purusha’s discomfort started, and now as King Nala is learning the art of gambling, Kali-Purusha is getting more and more uncomfortable, staying within his body. We should also remember that Kali-Purusha had used King Nala’s weakness in the gambling game to wreak havoc in his life and now that King Nala is correcting that weakness and converting it into a strength, Kali-Purusha is running out of options to create hurdles for King Nala. 

Thus, as King Rituparna completes the entire course of teaching, and as King Nala gains supreme confidence over the game of gambling, Kali-Purusha gets out of King Nala’s body! He has had enough with King Nala! The moment Kali-Purusha exits his body, King Nala regains all his lost strength and power! However, he doesn’t disclose his true identity and continues as Bahuka, as King Rituparna commences his journey towards Vidharba Desha. Thus, at the end of the day, the trio reaches King Bheema’s palace, and to their dismay, there is no special arrangement for any sort of “Svayamvara”! Normally, for a grand “Svayamvara” event, there would be enormous amounts of decorations, many people coming in and going, etc., isn’t it? But here, the palace was completely empty and there are no signs of any function or auspicious happening! Is this a ploy created by Damayanti to somehow identify King Nala? 

However, since the trio have made their way to Vidharba Desha, King Bheema welcomes them and makes them comfortable. King Bheema informs them that the “Svayamvara” is still on, and would take place the next day! With this, all of them go to rest, and Damayanti meanwhile begins her investigation. It should be remembered that Damayanti’s children are at Vidharba Desha only and as a smart move, Damayanti lets her children go and interact with the trio. She has a close watch on Bahuka’s reactions towards her children. This is because she knows the identity of Vaarshneya and King Ritpuarna already. But this Bahuka is the person who is under Damayanti’s doubt! As expected, Bahuka interacts with the children nicely and in a unique manner, since he is the father of the two children. Bahuka also identifies them personally, but still he doesn’t want to reveal his true identity as yet! He just wants to go with the flow of things. Bahuka has made up his mind with a plan before he reaches Vidharba Desha! So for today, let us understand up to this point, and in the next episode, we shall witness what Bahuka’s plan is, and how he is going to reveal his true identity to Damayanti and the others! Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂 

In the previous episode, we had witnessed Damayanti having her own doubts about the whereabouts of King Nala. She is quite sure that King Nala is roaming around somewhere, and is still alive. However, he is in a disguised form, else people would have identified him quite easily. With this intention in mind, she sends a Brahmin Pandit from the Vidharba Desha in search of King Nala with a couple of questions. As the Pandit goes around and meets many kings with these questions, he isn’t quite convinced, until he comes to King Rituparna. As King Rituparna tries giving answers, Bahuka (King Nala in disguised form) intervenes timely and gives a peculiar answer to both questions, which triggers a doubt in the Pandit’s mind. He makes a note of the answers of Bahuka carefully and conveys this to Damayanti. Upon hearing this from the Pandit, Damayanti is surprised! Nobody would give such an answer and is quite apt to what she has undergone with him! Is King Nala somewhere associated with King Rituparna? With this doubt in mind, Damayanti requests her father to arrange for a second “Svayamvara”, which shocks King Bheema. However, later he understands that this is a ploy being created by Damayanti to find out the whereabouts of King Nala. Accordingly, the “Svayamvara” invitation is passed on to King Rituparna in particular. King Rituparna accepts it immediately and gets ready to travel to Vidharba Desha to participate in the “Svayamvara” event, and requests Bahuka to ride his chariot. 

Moving on thus, Bahuka readies the chariot for King Rituparna with the best set of horses that would take him swiftly to Vidharba Desha. As King Rituparna gets on to the chariot, he is somehow not convinced with the set of horses that are tied to his chariot. He asks Bahuka to change them and replace them with the set of horses that he wanted. However, Bahuka tries to convince King Rituparna that these are the best in the lot and can travel long distances with ease. Bahuka is an expert in identifying the best horses and riding them with absolute expertise. However, King Rituparna does not know of Bahuka’s expertise, and insists with his set of horses. Obeying the king’s orders, Bahuka changes horses and rides them. However, to the king’s dismay, the horses that he selected aren’t even moving a few miles and are collapsing one after the other! Thus, King Rituparna understands slowly that what Bahuka had told earlier was right. Thus, he changes the set of horses to which Bahuka wanted to ride, and requests Bahuka to go ahead with his plan. Accordingly, Bahuka ties the horses that he wants to ride, and the horses run quite swiftly as expected! Upon looking at the swiftly running horses, King Rituparna is surprised with Bahuka’s unique expertise with his horse-selection and horse-riding skills! Thus, both of them, along with Vaarshneya proceed towards Vidharba Desha. 

As the trio are driving their way, they spot a huge banyan tree and upon spotting it, King Rituparna immediately exclaims that there are exactly 2505 leaves in this tree! As Bahuka hears this, he is shell-shocked! How can a person tell exactly how many leaves are there in a huge banyan tree, given the fact that he has just glanced at the tree only once during the fast travel? Having this thought in mind, Bahuka immediately asks King Rituparna thus, “Oh king! How is it possible that you’re able to tell exactly the number of leaves that are present in the tree? Are you simply faking it or, are you telling the truth?” As Bahuka asks thus, King Rituparna replies, “Oh Bahuka! Don’t you know? I’m extremely good at mathematics, counting and gambling. With my mathematical and counting skills, I was able to exactly count the number of leaves in the tree even as we were swiftly passing through that tree. If you want, you may stop the chariot and count it for yourself! But we do not have sufficient time!” 

As Bahuka hears thus, he really wants to confirm the number. He stops the chariot for a while, with due permission from King Rituparna and starts counting the number of leaves in the tree. As the counting is going on, King Rituparna also says exactly the number of leaves that had fallen on the ground, as against the exact number of leaves that are still in the tree! Upon counting the leaves, Bahuka is startled to find the exact number of leaves as King Rituparna had said! Thus, with these two incidents, both Bahuka and King Rituparna prove themselves to each other! On one hand, Bahuka has already proved that he has enormous levels of expertise in horse-riding and horse-selections whereas on the other hand, King Rituparna proves that he is an expert in mathematics and counting. This is exactly what Snake Kaarkotaka had advised King Nala before asking him to go to King Rituparna and spend a few days there. Apart from counting and mathematics, King Rituparna is also extremely skilled in gambling, which Bahuka remembers in a flash! 

So for today, let us understand up to this point and in the next episode, we shall witness how Bahuka is going to exploit this expertise on gambling that King Rituparna possesses. Stay tuned for an interesting accord! 🙂