By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Yudishthira was inspired by the story of Nala and Damayanti. Hearing the story from Sage Brihadvasa encouraged him to be more content and present with the situation, while he was preparing for the future. 

It had been five long years since Arjuna left them. As they hadn’t heard about Arjuna for a very long time, again the Pandavas started to worry about him.  

During this time Sage Lomasha visited them.  Through his divine vision he was able to know about Arjuna’s wellbeing and comforted Pandavas.  

Sage Lomasha advised the Pandavas to go on a pilgrimage.  Yudhishthira humbly requested the sage to join and guide them.  The sage happily agreed and escorted them to numerous holy places.  The sage recited many stories to the Pandavas, teaching them to be courageous and to be patient.  The Pandavas heard stories about sages, kings and demons. Here are some of those stories the Sage shared with them.

The first and foremost story was about Agastya Muni, who is one of the seven most revered rishis in the Vedic texts. Once Agastya witnessed some souls hanging upside down, being in pain. Startled by this sight, Agastya asked them who they were and the reason for their severe austerities. 

The souls answered, saying they were souls of his ancestors.  The reason they were in that state was because of Agastya himself.  They explained that Agastya, by being celibate, therefore hadn’t produced any children to do the rituals for the deceased forefathers.  They also said if Agastya would marry and have children then, not only them, but he himself would be set free from life and death.  So, Agastya decided to marry to gain salvation for his ancestors.

The king of Vidarbha came seeking Agastya’s blessings to have a child. The sage said that the king would be blessed with a beautiful daughter but with the condition that, when she comes of age, the marriage should be with him and no one else.  The king was delighted to receive this blessing, as at that time he was desperate to have a child.  

The king had a beautiful daughter as the sage promised and named her Lopamudra.  The king’s daughter grew up to be a beautiful maiden.  Even though her beauty was known to all, none came to marry her as they were afraid of Agastya muni. 

Agastya visited the kingdom of Vidharpa to claim his bride.  The king was not at all ready to give his daughter away to an ascetic.  He loved her so much and was worried that she would not be able to survive living in the forest.  But remembering his promise to the sage, he was afraid to break it so he was forced to full fill it.  

Seeing her parents in distress and understanding their dilemma, Lopamudra also consoled them and persuaded them to give her to the sage.  Hearing this from his beloved daughter was such a comfort to the king.  The marriage happened according to the Vedic rituals. 

As they were about to leave the palace, Agastya asked his wife to give away all her royal attires and jewelry, so she could wear clothes suiting an ascetic.  Having been brought up as a woman of high virtue and piousness, Lopamudra happily accepted his words without hesitation.  She went to live with him in the forest in ascetic clothes.  She devoted herself in his service and served him very well, winning his heart.  They both did severe penance and performed a great deal of austerities. 

One day Agastya thought that the time has come to bear a son, as he promised to his ancestral sprits. He approached his wife lovingly and shared his desire. Lopamudra, with due respect, spoke sweetly and said she would very much like for Agastya to first fulfill her wish. Her wish was for the sage to provide her with comforts similar to the ways she was raised by her parents. At first Agastya told her that such a lifestyle would incur expenses. With him being a sage, he could not afford to provide such a life, as this wish demanded that Agastya to earn the needed wealth. 

She reminded Agastya that he could certainly make all this happen by his spiritual powers. But Agastya didn’t want to diminish his state for material gains. Falling for her beauty and well-mannered nature, Agastya decided to seek help from nearby kings to fulfill her wishes.

To the first king he visited, Agastya said that he would like some donation from the king without the citizens of the country being affected by it. The king then produced the income and expenditure records which showed that nothing could be spared to fulfill Agastya’s need. This was the case with many other kings.  

Agastya began to look around for a way to earn some income.  When he couldn’t find any source of income, this led him to get the wealth from a demon named Ilvala.  

Ilvala and his brother Vatapi despised brahmins so much that they wanted to kill them all.  Bringing the dead from Yama Loka (hell) was a boon Ilvala had been blessed with in the past.  So, Ilvala would invite a brahmin for dinner and would magically change his brother Vatapi into a delicious food and serve that to the brahmin.  When dinner was over Ilvala would call Vatapi to come out from the brahmin’s stomach. Vatapi would come out, ripping the brahmin apart.  

Agastya knew this, so he went along with their plan when he was invited to dinner.  He ate Vatapi and digested him fully, using spiritual powers.  Ilvala called his brother many times but failed to bring him back.  Agastya explained that his brother had been digested and there was no way to bring him back. Knowing Agastya’s powers and desperate to bring his brother back Ilvala bowed before Agastya and gave him the wealth he needed.

After reaching home with the wealth, Agastya asked his wife if she would like to have ten good sons or one son who could win over ten at a time. She said she only needed a son who is rooted in righteousness with praiseworthy knowledge. She was blessed with the good and learned son as she wished. With this boon, Agastya fulfilled his ancestor’s wishes as well.

Lopamudra was not only the wife of a great sage but a great being in her own right. Many of the Rig Veda hymns are attributed to her. It is said that her hymns elaborate on the relationship between husband and wife who are following celibacy. 

As there are many stories about Agastya Muni, one of the other stories Sage Lomasha told the Pandavas was the following.

Mount Vindhya was the mighty mountain of the central range of India. Once Mount Vindhya got jealous about Mount Meru. It wanted to be as tall and mighty as Mount Meru, reaching to the sky and blocking the sun and the moon. So, Mount Vindhya started growing and growing, and began to block everything in its reach. 

The devas were threatened by this, so they sought help from Agastya Muni, who was on his way to the south. When Agastya arrived at the Mount Vindhya region, he sat down. Seeing the great Sage, Mount Vindhya bowed down to Agastya Muni with devotion and shared his frustration about Mount Meru and its mightiness. 

Agastya said to Mount Vindhya, “Just stay here. I will go down to the south and on my way back, we will deal with your issue.”  So, Mount Vindhya remained bowed down, waiting for Agastya to come back. It is believed that Agastya never returned.  He remained in the south, thus Mount Vindhya remains subdued. 

Sage Lomasha also recited the story of Rishyashringa to teach the Pandavas another important lesson.

Sage Vibhandaka, son of Rishi Kashyapa, saw the most beautiful nymph, Urvashi. This sight aroused him and he emitted his seed which fell into the river.  A nymph, cursed to be in a body of a doe, swallowed it and miraculously became pregnant. After giving birth to a son, she was liberated from her curse. 

The baby boy was born with horns, thus named Rishyashringa (deer-horned). Sage Vibhandaka decided to raise him isolated from society, specifically not exposing him to any female. So, Rishyashringa grew up unaware of the existence of the female gender. He practiced brahmacharya and acquired powers due to his chastity. 

The King of Anga, Romapada, was desperately searching to get relief from a drought and famine.  He couldn’t perform any yaj~nas (ritual fire ceremony) for relief as he had offended a brahmin. Therefore no other brahmin would agree to perform the rituals for him.  Due to the lack of the yaj~nas, Indra, King of the Devas, punished the kingdom of Anga by stopping the rain.  King Romapada was urgently searching to find a man with perfect chastity to get relief when he learned about Rishyashringa.  

King Romapada sent one of his courtesans to the forest to Rishyashringa, while his father was away, to bring him to his kingdom. Rishyashringa was amazed by the presence of the woman who claimed to be a hermit herself. She spoke so softly with a sweet tone.  He had never heard such a sweet voice in his life.  

He thought the woman was a man but was puzzled by the feelings developing in him naturally when she hugged him.  She played her tricks on him, arousing him, and then left before his father arrived.  Due to this Rishyashringa became lovesick and started slacking in his duties. 

When the father arrived, he was shocked to see the state of his son, not to mention the state of the ashram.  At once the sage knew what had happened.  He immediately went in search for the culprit who had disturbed his son’s celibacy. 

The courtesan came back to the son, carefully watching the father, without getting caught.  She invited Rishyashringa to follow her to her ashram, taking him straight to the kingdom of Anga.  Romapada was very pleased as it started to rain the moment Rishyashringa entered the kingdom. The king married his daughter Shanta to Rishyashringa. Thus Rishyashringa started to know about women for the first time.

The king was now afraid of Sage Vibhandaka’s wrath. He knew that the sage would come in search of his son. He prepared a grand welcome for the sage. Once the sage witnessed his son being so happy, living a royal life, he blessed him with a full heart and advised him to return to the forest once he had a son. Rishyashringa followed his father’s advice, returning to the forest life with his wife Shanta after producing an heir to the throne. 

Thus, Sage Lomasha narrated the story of Rishyashringa and gave the following teaching, “Some think that if someone is brought up without the knowledge of the world, it is easy to live a celibate life, but this is worthless.  Similarly, a kingdom guarded in the above manner would fall to the enemy easily.”   He then showed the Pandavas the place where Rishyashringa’s ashram once stood.  He asked them to have a holy bath in the nearby river to purify themselves and to get the blessings. They continued with their journey with Sage Lomasha. 

More to come…

1. Sage Lomasha – https://www.hindu-blog.com/2021/04/lomasa-devarishi-guide-of-pandavas-in-mahabharata.html
2. Agastya Muni – https://glorioushinduism.com/2021/08/11/agastya-the-conqueror-of-nature
3. Lopamudra – https://www.mythoworld.com/lopamudra-the-wife-of-sage-agastya
4. Agastya and Lopamudra – https://peepalinspires.com/lopamudra-and-agastya-exploring-the-relationship
5. Agastya and Ilvala – https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/rishyasringa/
6. Sun blocked by Mount Vindhya – https://kathakids.com/mythology-for-children/when-vindhya-grew-tall
7. Agastya and Mount Vindhya – https://curiousport.com/story-of-vindhya-mountain-of-maa-vindhyavasini
8. Sage Vibhandaka – https://www.hindu-blog.com/2018/12/story-of-sage-vibhandaka-father-of-rishyasringa.html
9. King Romapada – https://www.indianetzone.com/33/romapada_king_anga.htm
10. King Romapada and Rishyashringa – https://www.sawanonlinebookstore.com/rishyasringa/

Krishna Avatar Part 41

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Sage Brihadvasa came to visit the Pandavas in the forest.  The sage narrated the story of King Nala of Nishadha for Yudhishthira to know that times will change.

Once there lived a mighty king named Nala who ruled the kingdom of Nishadha. He was very generous and noble.  He was not only brave but also very handsome, and was loved by all his citizens.  Nala was a gifted charioteer and also was known for his culinary expertise.  Still today in India, in the Tamil language, a dish well cooked, is called “Nalapakam,” meaning a dish as delicious as that prepared by Nala.

One day while Nala was wandering alone, he came across a lake with some beautiful swans.  Especially one of them really caught his attention. He slowly crept forward and caught the swan.  The bird cried out in pain while the other swans waited helplessly.  Nala spoke softly to the swan assuring it that he wouldn’t harm it and brought it to his palace.  

To free itself, the Swan told him about Damayanti, the charming daughter of King Bheema of Vidarbha kingdom.  It promised Nala that it would sing the praises of Nala to Damayanti if he would free itself.  Nala was delighted hearing this.  

He told the swan that he had once been told about Damayanti by someone else.  Ever since hearing about her, he had fallen in love with her without even seeing her. Nala said that he had decided to marry her and only her. Damayanti was indeed a very beautiful princess, and it is said that even the Devas, the celestial beings, wanted to marry her. 

Nala immediately freed the bird and requested it to do what it had promised him.  The swan flew away into the sky and reached Vidarbha kingdom.  Upon entering the royal garden, it started to recite Nala’s name. It certainly caught Damayanti’s attention.  She wanted to have the swan for herself.  She slowly went down to catch the swan.  It wasn’t easy to catch it, but at last she managed to grab the swan. 

Out of curiosity, Damayanti asked the swan about the name Nala that it was repeating.  The swan happily started telling praises of Nala.  Hearing this Damayanti fell in love with Nala as much as he was in love with her.  She decided to marry Nala, none but him.  

The swan thus finished its job successfully and returned to Nala.  Nala was thrilled to hear the news about Damayanti’s love towards him and released the swan back to its family, keeping his own promise.

When the time for Damayanti’s swayamvara came, Nala was invited, as were many other kings and princes.  The hall was not only full of mighty kings and princes from all over the earth, but also with celestial beings. They were all anxiously waiting to be selected by Damayanti.  But Damayanti’s eyes were fixed on one man, Nala himself.  She garlanded him at the ceremony, and they were happily married in front of all the guests with their blessings. 

When the celestial being Kali, the personification of Kali Yuga, heard about Damayanti disregarding the Devas and choosing a mortal man, he got very angry.  He vowed to bring down the happy life of Damayanti with Nala.  But it wasn’t easy because Nala was following the path of righteousness. It is said that it took 12 years for Kali to find fault and divert Nala from the righteous path.  

Being influenced by Kali, Nala played a game of dice with his cousin-brother Pushkara, gambling away his wealth and kingdom to him.  As Nala lost everything in gambling, he and Damayanti sent their children to her parents.  They went to the forest and wandered aimlessly.  

As they underwent much suffering, Nala was worried about Damayanti.  He didn’t want her to suffer any longer for his mistake.  He tried his best to convince her to go to her father’s kingdom, showing her the way. But she refused to leave Nala as she said that the husband needs the wife even more in adversity, therefore she will remain with Nala. Overpowered by grief, seeing his wife suffering, he then deserted Damayanti so that she would be forced to return to her father’s kingdom.

After leaving his wife with a heavy heart, he walked a long distance purposelessly in the forest came across a devastating fire.  When he was turning away from it, all of a sudden, he heard a cry for help. There, he saw the Serpent God, Karkotaka, caught on fire.  Nala jumped right into the fire and saved the serpent’s life.  

As requested by Nala, as a favor to him, Karkotaka changed Nala into an ugly dwarf so that he wouldn’t be recognized by others.  Karkotaka also suggested that Nala should go to the kingdom of Ayodhya and serve king Rituparna. There he could learn the game of dice, as Rituparna was the best there was in the game.  

Karkotaka, then gifted Nala a magic cloth which would restore his original form back when he desired. Taking his advice, Nala went to King Rituparna, taking the name of Bahuka and served him as both charioteer and cook. 

Meanwhile waking up alone in the forest, not knowing what had happened to Nala, Damayanti wept and wandered in the forest crying out for Nala. She sobbed for a while, coming to the conclusion that he left her deliberately. She searched for Nala everywhere, asking every animal and bird about him.  

When she was grabbed by a deadly python, a hunter saved her.  The hunter desired to marry her for her beauty. Taking advantage of her loneliness, he made his mind known to her.  He was burnt to ashes by her vow of chastity when he tried to force her into it.

While she was roaming in the forest, she met some great saints.  They received her with kindness and consoled her that she would be reunited with her husband after some time.  After these blessings Damayanti met a group of traders who were on their way to the kingdom of Chedi.  They invited her to join them. After travelling for many days, they camped at a lakeside.  At midnight, elephant herds came, destroying all that they carried.  She was shocked at the misfortunes striking at her one after another.  

After a long journey she was among the survivors who reached the kingdom of Chedi.  There, she met Queen Bhanumati. As she didn’t want to reveal her true identity to the queen, she told her that she had been abandoned by her husband, who was very noble but made a big mistake when gambling, playing a game of dice.  The queen received her with kindness and asked her to stay. Damayanti agreed and stayed with her, serving her as a royal maid.

Meanwhile, the king of the Vidarbha kingdom searched for his daughter everywhere.  He sent people all around to find her.  One day a minister of Vidarbha came to Chedi. He recognized Queen Damayanti, assisting Queen Bhanumati as a royal maid.  The minister was happy to find her there as he had been searching for her for a long time. 

Damayanti then found out that she had been staying with her aunt all along.  She happily returned to Vidarbha to her father’s kingdom and saw her children who had grown up fast. They reminded her of Nala, which made her miss Nala even more.  Her father promised to find Nala and sent out his ministers in search of him. 

When one of the ministers arrived at the court of King Rituparna, Bahuka caught the minister’s attention.  Even though he didn’t look like Nala, he resembled him so much in many ways, especially his charioting skills and culinary skills.  

He returned to his kingdom and told what he had observed in King Rituparna’s kingdom to Damayanti.  She too was convinced that it was Nala. Soon after, a plan was made to bring Nala to Vidarbha.  Damayanti, with the help of her father, planned to hold a fake second swayamvara, knowing Nala would somehow show up.  They announced that Damayanti has agreed to remarry. The invitation was sent to Ayodhya inviting King Rituparna.  He was informed only the day before the fake swayamvara.  

As there was not enough time to travel, the king was worried about missing the ceremony.  Hearing this, Nala assured the king that he would take him there in time to attend the ceremony.  The king agreed and Nala drove the chariot.  The horses flew in the air, so they reached the city within a day.  But both of them were surprised because there weren’t any festivities.  They were told that, as it’s the second marriage, they were keeping things quiet.

Reaching the palace Nala in the form of Bahuka, recognized his children playing outside at the terrace. He ran towards them and hugged them tightly. Observing this from her palace Damayanti rushed down and said to Bahuka, “I know it is you, Nala, I am sure of it.  I am so pleased to see you. Thank you for coming.”  

Nala was surprised at this and asked how she knew that it was him.  He also added a second question without a pause, with a sad voice asking if she was going to marry again. Damayanti with a smile instantly said, “No, Nala.  It was all a trick to get you to come here.  Who else but you could travel such a long distance in a day?” 

Hearing this, Nala was overjoyed.  He put on his magical cloth, which transformed him to his true form.  All were happy to see Nala, Damayanti and their children reunited again.  But now Nala had to regain his kingdom from his cousin Pushkara.  As Nala had learned Rituparna’s skills at dice and numbers, in exchange for his skill as a charioteer, he was ready to meet his cousin once more. 

After returning to his kingdom, Nala challenged Pushkara for a rematch of the game of dice.  Nala staked all the wealth he had earned from his father-in-law, himself and his wife for the Nishadha kingdom.  Pushkara was driven by the desire to gain the beautiful Damayanti. Sure of his own success, he accepted the rematch in dice. 

Nala, after many years of hardship, during which he never deviated from the path of righteousness, had overcome the influence of Kali.  He regained his kingdom by defeating Pushkara in the rematch.  Pushkara lost everything and became a slave.  But Nala forgave him for what he had done and gave him his palace back.  Nala and Damayanti were reunited with their citizens and lived happily thereafter. 

It is said that Kali offered Nala a boon when he left him.  Nala sought the boon that whoever read his story would not be unduly affected by the malefic effects of Kali.  Sage Brihadvasa, continued and said, “Now that you have listened to the story of Nala and Damayanti, you will be free of the ill effects of Kali, and the future will be bright for you and your family.” 

More to Come

1. King Nala and Swan – https://tamilandvedas.com/2018/08/28/science-in-nala-damayanthi-story-of-mahabharata-post-no-5371/
2. Damayanti and Swan – Damayanti and Swan https://kathakids.com/mythology-for-children/mahabharat/tales-from-mahabharata-damayantis-swayamvara/
3. Dayamanti about to place garland on Nala – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Damayanti_Choosing_a_Husband_by_Warwick_Goble.jpg
4. Nala leaving Dayamanti as she sleeps – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nala
5. Hunter and Dayamanti – https://kathakids.com/mythology-for-children/mahabharat/tales- from-mahabharata-the-separation-of-nala-and-damayanti/
6. King Rituparna guard and Bahuka (Nala driving chariot) – https://tamilandvedas.com/2018/08/28/science-in-nala-damayanthi-story-of-mahabharata-post-no-5371/
7. Dayamanti and Nala – https://www.indianetzone.com/6/nala_damayanti.htm

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Sage Vyasa visited the Pandavas in the forest, gave his support and offered great wisdom. He warned them to prepare themselves for a dreadful but a great war between their cousins, the Kauravas, and themselves.

He advised Yudhishthira to do penance with his brothers and wife and acquire many divine weapons. He then directed Arjuna to go to Mount Kailasa to do penance, to please Lord Shiva, to obtain a mighty weapon as a blessing.

Following Sage Vyasa’s advice, Arjuna at once got ready to depart. Draupadi wished him good fortune.  Her blessing words were felt as his mother’s wishes for him to fulfill what he was born for.  Draupadi also reminded how all their lives were dependent on his mission. She prayed to Gods and other divine powers for his success.

After taking leave from his brothers and Draupadi, Arjuna set out for the Himalayas. He reached the foothills in no time, with the knowledge he had acquired and been blessed with. He crossed the Gandhamardan range and reached Indrakeela Mountain. There he met an elderly sage who asked, “Who are you? Why are you wearing armor and holding weapons like a warrior, here in a place where sages who gave up everything and have given themselves to God live?  War and violence have no place here.”  He started laughing while saying this and advised Arjuna to leave his weapons behind.  

Arjuna introduced himself as the son of late King Pandu of Hastinapura and refused to obey the sage.  As Arjuna was hesitant to leave his weapons, the Sage revealed himself to be Indra, King of the Gods.  He blessed Arjuna, saying he just came to meet him and offered him a boon.  He also suggested that it was of no use to acquire weapons, but instead to ask for wealth and pleasure. 

Arjuna said that he is seeking only divine weapons, as he had left his brothers and wife in the forest. Indra asked Arjuna to worship the Lord of Lords, Shiva, and then to return to him for all further knowledge of divine weapons. 

Arjuna went to Mount Kailasa and began meditating in Lord Shiva’s name. Lord Shiva recognized Arjuna and knew the purpose for which he was there. Seeing Arjuna’s intense austerities, Lord Shiva decided to test his devotion before granting his wish. Along with his wife Parvati, Shiva came to the forest, dressed as hunters where Arjuna was doing his penance. 

When they reached there, they saw a wild boar charging at Arjuna. This wild boar was a demon called Mukasura, sent by Duryodhana to kill Arjuna. Hearing the wild boar’s grunts disturbed Arjuna’s meditation. He opened his eyes and charged the wild boar immediately with his bow. 

Simultaneously the visiting hunter shot at the wild boar. The two arrows pierced the boar at the same time. As Arjuna got closer to his kill, he found another arrow. Arjuna was furious about this incident. Then he saw the hunter who emerged from the trees. Arjuna asked the hunter who he was and why he was in this forest with a woman? 

The hunter replied. saying that the forest belonged to him and his clan.  He claimed the wild boar as his kill. Arjuna didn’t agree that it was the hunter who killed the boar, but said that he definitely can take the meat.  The hunter refused to take anything that belonged to someone else, arguing that it was his kill.

Unable to come to a conclusion about who killed the boar, they decided to settle it with a challenge. The fight between them went on for a long time. Arjuna found it surprisingly hard to beat his opponent. He used all his skills and weapons.  He ended up losing his Gandiva when the hunter simply snatched it away.  

At last, they ended up fighting each other without any weapons.  Arjuna was unable to beat the hunter in that duel as well.  Arjuna was so ashamed, as he had never lost a single challenge before. When he realized he could not defeat his opponent, he decided to seek divine intervention. 

He made a Shivalinga, placed a garland on it and prayed to Lord Shiva. To his amazement, he saw the hunter wearing the garland he’d offered to his Shivalinga.  Thus he realized that the hunter was none other than Lord Shiva himself. He sat at the hunter’s feet with folded hands and asked for forgiveness. 

Lord Shiva, pleased with Arjuna’s devotion and valor, appeared in his true form.  He gave the Gandiva bow back and blessed Arjuna with the mightiest weapon “Pashupata-astra.”  He gave a warning along with the weapon, saying, “Never use it unmindfully.  Use it only when you really need it, as it has the power to destroy the universe.”  He then asked Arjuna to visit Indra.  

Arjuna stood there with delight, especially after being blessed by Lord Shiva along with Parvati. He felt fully contented and in bliss.  All the Gods appeared, blessing Arjuna and granting him their own special divine weapons. Indra presented him his divine weapon “Vajra-yudha.” Arjuna thanked them all and offered his respect to them humbly with folded hands.

Indra brought down one of his special chariots to escort Arjuna to Amaravati, his abode in heavens.  Indra gave a grand welcome to his earthly son, asking him to stay in Amaravati for five years to learn to use all the celestial weapons he had acquired.  Arjuna agreed, but with one condition, that his brothers and Draupadi be informed of his wellbeing and his extended stay in Amaravati.  Indra immediately called upon Rishi Lomasa and requested him to convey the message to the other four Pandava brothers and to Draupadi on earth. 

Arjuna was delighted to see the grandeur of Amaravati, the beautiful gardens, the celestial nymphs and their divine dances.  He not only enjoyed hearing the music of the Gandharvas but also learned the art of music, musical instruments and dancing from Chitrasena, chief of Gandharvas.

During Arjuna’s stay in Amaravati, Urvashi, one of the most beautiful celestial nymphs, had fallen in love with him. But Arjuna could only see her as a mother, even though she was blessed to stay young forever. He gave her the respect that he would give his own mother.  Wishing for his love, Urvashi tried her level best to attract Arjuna by captivating gestures and postures.  Arjuna with his iron will was quite unshakable.  This offended Urvashi. 

Rejecting her efforts to win his love made her so angry, she cursed him. As he could not return her love, thus disappointing her, she cursed that he would turn into an eunuch.  Immediately regretting her hasty words and impressed with his self-controlled behavior, she modified her curse, saying that it would be effective for only one year, whenever he wished for it. 

Her curse was a boon which would help Arjuna successfully go through the period of incognito, so he could be unrecognized.  Arjuna bowed to her with gratitude.  Indra was very proud of Arjuna for his steadiness in his state.

In the forest after Arjuna’s departure, the Pandavas were a bit low in their sprit. All of them loved him dearly, so they really missed him. He was the favorite brother. They kept thinking about his safety and at times feared about losing him. Yudhishthira often blamed himself for creating distress for all his brothers and Draupadi, which buried him in sorrow. 

His brothers and Draupadi would cheer Yudhishthira up by praising Arjuna’s bravery and wisdom. Bhima and Draupadi continued their constant badgering about fighting to get their kingdom back, as they both believed it to be the right thing that kshatriyas would do. 

One day, as the two brothers Yudhishthira and Bhima were arguing, Sage Brihadvasa came to visit them. The Pandava brothers and Draupadi welcomed him, duly paying their respects. They took care of his needs and gave him a comfortable seat. 

Yudhishthira lamented to the sage in a distressed tone, saying, “Oh Sage, the cheaters invited us to play the dice game and have taken all our wealth and kingdom. Due to this, my brothers, the incomparable warriors, and my dear wife are in exile in the forest. My brother Arjuna, who went to acquire divine weapons, hasn’t returned for a very long time. We feel lifeless without him. Could you kindly tell us if our dear brother would return? When will we see him? We are in great grief. No one would have ever suffered the way I am suffering now. I am the most unfortunate and unhappiest man of all.”

Sage Brihadvasa spoke kindly to Yudhishthira, identifying his self-pity.  He said, “Don’t dwell in grief. Arjuna will return after receiving the divine weapons and blessings. You will defeat your enemies. You said there is no other man as unfortunate, who has suffered like you. That is not correct. There once lived a king who was more unfortunate and his sufferings were far greater than you could ever imagine. All that was due to a very small negligence. The result of this, he not only lost his kingdom but also his senses, mind and experienced hardships and embarrassment in life. Let me tell you his story.”  

Thus, Sage Brihadvasa started narrating to them the mind-blowing and heart-wrenching story of King Nala of Nishada.  

More to come…

1. Sage Vyasa – //indian-temples-history.blogspot.com/2012/02/bhagwad-gita-prayer-to-vyasa-maharshi.html?m=0

2. Mount Kailasa – https://www.flickr.com/photos/vincentdesplanche/12219182375

3. Shiva and Arjuna – https://www.indiadivine.org/arjunas-penance-pasupataastra

4. Shiva, Parvati and Arjuna – https://chithirapoomalai.wordpress.com/2022/01/25/mh_03_01-shiva-and-arjuna

5. Shiva, Parvati and Arjuna – https://www.researchut.com/hindu-mythology/arjuna-and-shiva/#gsc.tab=0

6. Urvashi and Arjuna – https://srimadmahabharat.blogspot.com/2018/05/46b-urvashi-curses-arjuna.html

7. Yudhishthira – https://i.pinimg.com/originals/83/7e/87/837e879cccf038bb375e3cb3c56bb8a2.jpg

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

What else could Yudhishthira stake? 

Yes, Shakuni asked Yudhishthira what else he could stake! Shakuni further provoked Yudhishthira by saying that he has brothers who might bring some luck to him. Yudhishthira pointed at his brother Nakula and said he would stake him. 

Shakuni threw the dice while shouting “Look! Your beloved brother Nakula will be ours now!” To everyone’s surprise, or maybe not, he won, just as he said. The audience were taken by this. Then Yudhishthira called out Sahadeva and said, “This brother of mine who is scholarly and virtuous. Even though I am not supposed to stake him, I will.”  “Sure,” said Shakuni and threw the dice, winning Sahadeva too. 

Now that Yudhishthira had lost two of his brothers, Shakuni was afraid that he would quit the game. So he said provokingly, “In your opinion, Bhima and Arjuna are of a higher standard than your stepmom Madri’s children, right? That’s why you wouldn’t stake them.” 

Yudhishthira exclaimed, “You fool are you, trying to divide us brothers? As you always live in the wrongdoings you wouldn’t understand righteousness. Here I am, staking the brother who would always save us from all odds, the great victor Arjuna. Now play.”

Shakuni threw the dice again. Yudhishthira lost Arjuna too. Now, with tears in his eyes, Yudhishthira said, “The one whom can never be defeated in a physical combat, the mighty Bhima, I stake him too.”  He lost Bhima too. In this way, Yudhishthira wagered all his brothers and lost them all.

Shakuni asked again if Yudhishthira had anything else to stake? Yudhishthira stubbornly said, “Yes. If you win, I will be yours too.” “Here I am winning you,” Shakuni shouted loudly in a thundering voice, and he did win indeed. 

With this Shakuni announced to the audience that the five Pandavas are now slaves to Duryodhana, himself and the Kauravas. The audience were frozen to their seats. 

After losing himself, defeated Yudhishthira said to Shakuni that he had nothing more to stake. But Shakuni’s game was not over yet. He pointed out to Yudhishthira that someone belonged to him that he could stake. In fact, that someone might bring blessings, so he could gain all that he had lost. That someone he suggested was none other than Empress Draupadi, the beloved wife of the Pandavas. 

Hearing this. both Vidura and Bhishma raised their voices in disapproval. Bhima and Arjuna picked up their weapons to show their rage. Finally, persuaded by Duryodhana and Shakuni, Yudhishthira wagered Draupadi, then screamed loudly in sorrow. Despite the shame and disgust among the spectators and the strong objections by Vidura, Duryodhana had overruled everyone. Only the Kauravas, Shakuni and Karna were delighted about the situation. 

Duryodhana persuasively said if the Empress Draupadi was to be staked, and if Yudhishthira would win this throw, Duryodhana would return all that Yudhishthira had lost so far. Yudhishthira fell for this. as he was deeply lost in his troubled mind and clouded senses. Hoping for a miracle to happen, he staked his beloved queen, something no man would ever do. The result was nothing other than expected. Shakuni won. The whole assembly was in upheaval. Duryodhana was overjoyed when Yudhishthira lost the throw, losing Draupadi. 

Duryodhana’s plot had worked.  He gained, not only the other half of the kingdom, but he also owned the Pandavas as well. He was laughing like a madman, arrogantly ordering Vidura to go to the chamber of Draupadi to bring her to him. He announced to the public that Draupadi would work as a maidservant in the palace from then onward. He hurried Vidura to fetch her soon so she could start her cleaning duties. 

With anger bursting out of his face, Vidura yelled, “Duryodhana, you fool, inviting death home. You don’t know how much trouble you are inviting to yourself and to the kingdom. Talking like a lunatic!” Then he addressed the assembly, “Yudhishthira, after losing himself, had no right to stake his wife Draupadi. The end for the Kauravas is nearing, as they refused to listen to the wise and good.  They are paving their way to hell.”

Duryodhana was furious about Vidura’s comments and insulted Vidura, accusing him of siding with the Pandavas. He added that Vidura’s alliance was always with Pandavas, that he is afraid of them and hates him and his family. Later, he yelled at his charioteer, asking him to bring Draupadi to the court. He said to the charioteer, “You don’t fear the Pandavas, do you? Now go fetch Draupadi and bring her.”

As ordered by his master, the charioteer went to Draupadi’s chamber.  He told her the unfortunate news about how Yudhishthira had fallen into the trap of gambling and lost her to Duryodhana. He also told her why he was sent. 

Being the Empress, due to the great Rajasuya Yaj~na, Draupadi was shocked to hear this news. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She refused to believe that anyone on earth would stake their wife at a gambling game. “Didn’t he have anything else to stake, other than me, his wife?” 

To her question the charioteer quietly answered. “Yes, Empress! He didn’t have anything other than you to stake, as he had lost everything else already.” He told her about the appalling things that had happened at the court. 

This news broke Draupadi’s heart into pieces, killing every inch of her. But after all, she is the Empress Draupadi, who was born out of a yaj~na fire. She was able to console herself.  With a firm and fierce voice, she said, “Oh charioteer, go and ask the man who staked me in the assembly, in front of the audience, whether he lost himself first or me, his wife, first? After getting the answer to this question, you can come and get me.” 

So, the charioteer went back to the court and asked Yudhishthira, in front of all, the question from Draupadi. Yudhishthira remained like a dead man, not uttering a word, with his head hanging low. Losing his patience, Duryodhana insisted that Draupadi herself should come to the court and ask this question of Yudhishthira so the charioteer was sent back again to bring Draupadi to court. 

Draupadi once again sent him back to the court, demanding that he ask the same question, but now to the whole assembly. The charioteer didn’t have any other choice but to return to the court and announce the question from the Empress to the audience at large. 

Angry, Duryodhana yelled at the charioteer, calling him a coward.  Duryodhana ordered his brother Dushasana to bring Draupadi to the hall, dragging her in if necessary. Dushasana was delighted to carry out the order and rushed to Draupadi’s chamber. He told her not to make any trouble, as she was already won by them so it’s only fair for her obey them, to be at their mercy and to serve them. Saying this, he started to move towards her. 

Screaming loudly, Draupadi started to run towards Queen Gandhari’s chamber. Chasing her from behind, and swiftly catching her, Dushasana dragged her by the hair into the assembly hall. 

Empress Draupadi was brought to the hall in this disheveled state which made the assembly stop in horror. Containing her emotions, Draupadi stood bravely with her head held high addressed the assembly in a stern voice. “How could you all in this great assembly, let all the evil master minds of gambling get together and devise this terrible plot to make Emperor Yudhishthira stake me in a gambling game? How could you agree to this shameful deed? How can a man who lost everything he had, his kingdom, his belongings, his freedom, his brothers and himself, stake anything else, let alone his wife? Did he have any right at all to keep me as the stake in the game, as I belong to all five of the Pandava brothers?” 

Draupadi continued in a voice filled with fury and distress, “You Kauravas, belonging to this ancient house of the great Kuru dynasty, those of you who have wives, daughters and daughters-in-law can answer my plea.” In this way Draupadi pleaded with the Kauravas, the elders and her husbands. But none answered nor helped her.

Witnessing the state of their wife Draupadi, the Pandavas hung their heads in shame.  Bhima trembled with fury. His anger towards his brother Yudhishthira was very clear on his face as well as in his words. When Bhima started uttering angry words towards Yudhishthira, Arjuna consoled him and reminded him never to lose his state. Arjuna warned him that the unrighteousness deeds of the Kauravas were provoking the Pandavas to do the same. He cautioned not to fall into that trap, as that’s what the Kauravas were plotting to do anyway. 

Hearing this Bhima kept his silence. The elders sat in misery at the shameful action of the Kauravas. The only Kaurava brother who protested was Vikarna. 

More to come…

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna 

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow 

Though the killing of Shishupala generated some unpleasant moments, which were skillfully controlled by Krishna, the yaj~na ceremony was completed successfully.  Soon after the ceremony, Sage Vyasa came to say goodbye and to bless Yudhishthira. He also advised Yudhishthira that he should be prepared for some unpleasant events and misfortunes soon. Yudhishthira decided that he would always be polite with all his relatives and not give them any cause to become agitated. This decision indeed cost him and his family great sorrow later.  

Duryodhana was so mesmerized by the wonders of Yudhishthira’s palace that he decided to stay for few more days with his uncle Shakuni after the yaj~na ceremony was over.  He went all over the palace, admiring all its features and envying the prosperity of the Pandavas.  He longed to possess all of its glory to himself but didn’t know how it could be accomplished.   

Everything about the palace was a divine mystery.  Once, while he was walking through the assembly hall built by Mayasura, he bumped his head against a wall thinking it was a door.  It was not so bad for there had been no one visible to witness it.  But he heard a suspicion of girlish giggle, and the voice was very familiar. It was Draupadi.  She happened to be in an overlooking chamber seeing him bump into the wall and giggled.   

It didn’t end there.  More things happened to fuel the fire in Duryodhana’s heart. Duryodhana’s anger grew more and more out of control with each such experience in the throne room.  He saw Yudhishthira sitting on a golden thrown in the hall of illusion, looking like Lord Indra, the King of the Devas, surrounded by Draupadi and his brothers.  As the hall was full of illusions, Duryodhana mistook a hard floor for a pool of water, making a fool out of himself walking across the floor with his clothes pulled up to the knees.  For this he received a mocking laugh from Draupadi and Bhima as well as chuckles from the others.  

Infuriated by this, he strode forward and fell into a pool which appeared like a beautifully polished floor. Draupadi, unable to control her laughter, tried her best not to laugh again. Bhima with all the other onlookers had a good laugh, much to Duryodhana’s irritation. Yudhishthira, always good natured, could never bear the sight of another’s distress, so he immediately ran to comfort Duryodhana, offering him rich and fancy garments.  

Yet, this incident deeply upset Duryodhana, enraging him so much he wanted to take revenge for the insult. Especially Draupadi’s laughter made him swear vengeance on her as well as the Pandavas.  These incidents rejuvenated the embitterment in Duryodhana’s heart and mind against the Pandavas. Additionally, his resentment towards the Pandavas was encouraged by his uncle Shakuni. 

Feeling greatly insulted, Duryodhana spoke to his uncle, saying that he could no longer tolerate the Pandava’s wellbeing and prosperity. He wanted to wage a war against them, to take away their kingdom and their pride. His cunning uncle Shakuni cautioned him, making it clear that defeating the Pandavas in a war would be nearly an impossible task.  But then he told Duryodhana that he had a devious plan to win everything back while taking revenge on Draupadi who insulted him. With doubt written all over his face, Duryodhana exclaimed, “Is it really possible?” 

Shakuni pointed out that Yudhishthira’s gambling habit was his true weakness. Shakuni then said he had never lost a single game due to his enchanted dice.  He proposed to throw the dice on behalf of Duryodhana, who should simply leave the rest to Shakuni.  So, once they returned to Hastinapura from Indraprastha, the plan was for Duryodhana to convince his father to invite the Pandavas for a gambling match. As Duryodhana was sickened to stay any longer, they departed for Hastinapura right away. Duryodhana was ruminating over his ridiculous fall. He couldn’t get the image of Draupadi laughing at his discomfiture out of his head. He could never rest in peace until he made Draupadi a laughingstock in the same way.  

Duryodhana had to convince King Dhritarashtra to agree to the scheme.  This would not be difficult as Dhritarashtra was weak-willed and so fond of his son that he would do anything for him. He had always ignored all Duryodhana’s mistakes and wrongdoings. At first, he would start advising his son, then he would agree to everything his son fancied.  

As soon as Duryodhana returned to Hastinapura, he met his father and described the grandeur of the Pandavas’ palace of illusion, built by Mayasura. He also shared the outrageous experience of how he was insulted by Draupadi and Bhima. Seeing the anger on his father’s face, he knew that was the best time to put forth his plan to take revenge for this insult. He was now very sure his father would agree to the evil plan, due to his troubled emotions.  

Duryodhana immediately told Dhritarashtra about their plan and easily persuaded him to agree to it. It wasn’t hard because he repeated the taunt of Draupadi in order to fuel the anger. He convinced his father that they would be able to win Indraprastha without war and bloodshed. Dhritarashtra fell for the scheme, thinking they could get back the other half of his kingdom.  

Though he was burning under the anguish of Draupadi’s insulting act, Dhritarashtra decided to consult with his brother Vidura, the chief minister. Vidura warned about the consequences, as dishonest acts can sow seeds of conflict and ruin the peace of both sides. But Vidura’s advice was not at all acceptable to Duryodhana.  

At last, as always, Dhritarashtra allowed his son to have it his way. He ordered the servants to prepare a hall for a game of dice.  He requested Vidura to invite Yudhishthira to compete in the game despite his warnings. Vidura was very unhappy hearing about this, but as the chief minister he had to carry out a royal order.  

At Indraprastha, Vidura gave Yudhishthira the royal invitation publicly.  Then, at the personal level, Vidura told Yudhishthira that he was very much against the idea of the game. Instead of persuading Yudhishthira to attend the games, Vidura alerted him, explaining the evils of gambling. In this way he urged Yudhishthira not to accept as Vidura knew it was a trick devised by Duryodhana and Shakuni.  

While having Vyasa’s warning in his head about the future, Yudhishthira did not wish to make Dhritarashtra unhappy by refusing to attend, so he accepted the invitation.  Refusing the invitation might be an insult to King Dhritarashtra.  It is very common in royal affairs to invite each other for games, and refusing it is uncommon. But most of all, Yudhishthira’s addition to gambling affected his decision.  He didn’t want to let the opportunity slip by. As Vidura couldn’t convince Yudhishthira, who remained firm on his decision, Vidura advised to be on guard at all times. 

The Pandavas, along with Draupadi, arrived in Hastinapura. Shakuni and Duryodhana gave a passionate welcome to the Pandavas. The Pandavas were given a magnificent feast. The next day, when they entered the hall built for the dice game, the Pandavas were quite honest about their admiration of the hall. It was crowded with people, friends, relatives and teachers. Amongst them were Grandsire Bhishma, Dronacharya, Kripacharya, ministers and other prominent citizens. Dhritarashtra was sitting on his throne. Yudhishthira was determined to maintain a cordial relationship at all costs.  

Shakuni was going to play on behalf of Duryodhana, as they had decided earlier.  Shakuni using his own dice would easily defeat the unskilled Yudhishthira. It is said that Shakuni’s father, King Subala, had asked Shakuni to make dice from his backbone after his death, so these dice were full of powerful magic. They would roll the number Shakuni wanted when thrown. So Shakuni would decide what number would be called for each game.  

On behalf of the Kauravas, Shakuni spoke to Yudhishthira to set the rules and the stakes for game. Yudhishthira insisted the games should be fair without any room for cheating. Shakuni, knowing the remark was for him, got annoyed and said to Yudhishthira, “Remember this is gambling. The dice decides the winner. So, no room for cheating.” Duryodhana said he would set the stakes while his uncle would roll the dice on his behalf. Yudhishthira at first objected to that arrangement, but later agreed due to sarcastic comments from Shakuni.  

The game began. Yudhishthira would usually start anything by invoking divine blessings but somehow it slipped his mind on this important occasion.  The game began and Shakuni rolled his magical dice. Yudhishthira lost the first stake. The trend continued.  Yudhishthira lost every stake, one by one. The whole court watched this with pin-drop silence.  

After every throw, the Kauravas would shout in triumph. Gradually, Yudhishthira lost all his worldly possessions, his jewelry, elephants, horses, chariots, army, servants, castles and finally his entire kingdom. Shakuni’s cries of triumph and Duryodhana’s victorious howls filled the hall enormously.  

No one in the assembly dared to intervene as they were afraid of the Kauravas. Even at that point, it never occurred to Yudhishthira to mentally ask for help, for a divine intervention. It was clear that noble Yudhishthira was under the influence of his senses.  The only question was what else could Yudhishthira stake? 

More to come…

By Nirooshitha Sethuram, Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

After Jarasandha agreed to have a duel with Bhima, a fierce duel began. It attracted a large crowd of people. For thirteen days they remained engaged in a ferocious battle with no winner in sight. They both showed no signs of exhaustion. On the fourteenth day, Krishna addressed Bhima encouragingly, “The enemy looks very tired so don’t attack him with all your force, as it’s sure you would kill him if you did. Also don’t use your divine powers, with which you are so blessed by the Wind God.”  

Bhima got the message that it was time to put an end to Jarasandha’s life on earth. Bhima attacked Jarasandha in full fury, lifted him up in the air and tossed him down with a thud. Jarasandha was lying there for a moment, trying to regain his strength. Krishna caught Bhima’s attention by tearing a leaf into two. Bhima took this as a signal. He tore Jarasandha’s body into two in the same manner. As described earlier in the story, Jarasandha’s body was a vertical join of two halves of bodies, joined by the demoness Jara. So, Bhima could tear his body apart into two pieces without much difficulty. 

He threw the pieces, each on its own side, and turned towards Krishna and his brother with joy. But the happiness didn’t last long. When he turned back, he was horrified to see that the two parts of Jarasandha’s body drew closer and closer together and in no time joined again. Jarasandha was standing right in front of Bhima with a fierce look on his face.

Again, the duel continued. Again and again, Bhima tried his best, tearing Jarasandha’s body apart a few times relentlessly. But each time the same thing happened. The two parts of Jarasandha’s body drew closer and closer and joined together, again and again. Bhima felt quite helpless seeing this. So, he turned his eyes towards Krishna with frustration. He saw Krishna tearing a leaf vertically and throwing the halves in opposite directions. 

Bhima was able to understand the hint. He fell upon Jarasandha, flung him down and tore his body into two pieces once again. Now he threw the right side of his body to the left and the left side to his right. To his astonishment, the torn pieces didn’t move from where they had been thrown. That was the end of Jarasandha. 

Krishna along with Bhima and Arjuna freed all the imprisoned kings. The kings expressed their heartiest gratitude to Krishna and the two Pandava brothers for freeing them. Accepting that with humility, they invited each one of them to take part in the Rajasuya Yajňa at Indraprastha. 

Krishna, along with Bhima and Arjuna, were cordially invited into the palace of Jarasandha by his son Sahadev. He apologized on behalf of his father for his behavior and his arrogance. The three of them decided to forgive Sahadev and crowned him as the next king of Magadha kingdom. He wore his father’s crown with humility and gratitude. All congratulated and blessed him whole heartedly. 

Bhima’s victory was celebrated at the uppermost level. He was praised highly for his skill in wrestling. Sahadev praised Bhima for his immense prowess. But Bhima remained modest and attributed the credit of his success to his cousin Krishna. Krishna was duly honored and respected too. Krishna and the Pandava brothers then said their farewells to all and departed to Indraprastha.

As soon as the three of them returned to Indraprastha, they conveyed the successful news about Bhima slaying Jarasandha. Yudhishthira was very happy to hear the news of Jarasandha’s end. He was so pleased with Krishna that he celebrated him and, as a token of gratitude, presented a beautiful chariot to him. 

Yudhishthira was now cleared of all obstacles toward performing the Rajasuya Yajňa. Invitations were sent to saints and learned brahmins to participate in the yajňa. Invitations were also sent to all kings, respected merchants and other prominent citizens from all kingdoms to take part in the yajňa. Yudhishthira sent one of his brothers to Hastinapura in order to invite grandsire Bhishma, Vidura, Guru Drona, Kripacharya, Dhritarashtra and all the Kaurava princes. All of them came with valuable gifts for the Pandava King. 

As Saint Dhaumya was the Pandava’s royal priest, he was appointed as the chief priest to perform the yajňa. After all arrangements had been completed Yudhishthira inaugurated the yajňa. Sage Vyasa was there to supervise all rituals, making sure they were done according to the scriptures. By the grace of God, the yajňa was completed successfully without any interruption.

It was customary to select one guest as the special honored guest, to be honored before honoring everyone else who were present. Yudhishthira  chose to leave this choice to the assembly of kings who were gathered. He addressed the assembly, requesting them to choose the best participant so that the ritual of honoring can be initiated, then all the participants could be honored thereafter. Sahdev, the King of Magadha stood up and proposed Krishna’s name.  Bhishma seconded along with Guru Drona. 

Even though a large number of kings agreed with the decision, a small group of kings opposed the proposal.  They suggested either Bhishma or Drona should be honored as the best participant. The opposition group was led by Shishupala, a cousin of Krishna from his father’s side. He stood up and started attacking Sahadev verbally for proposing Krishna.  He went to the extent of insulting Bhishma and Drona for supporting the proposal. Then he demanded that Krishna refuse to accept the honor, as Shishupala thought that Krishna was not worthy of it. 

Shishupala kept launching abusive words towards Krishna who was standing quietly and patiently. Calling him a mere cowherd, Shishupala insisted that Krishna was worthless to be honored. The Kauravas were thoroughly enjoying all the verbal abuses, especially the ones targeted at Krishna and the Pandavas.

Bhishma stood up, asked Shishupala to calm down, then addressed the assembly. He said, “Among the kshatriyas the most valiant deserves this honor. In my opinion, Krishna stands above all of us in many ways. His courage, fame and his knowledge of Vedas and scriptures, as well as the wisdom and patience that he has, which he demonstrated at the moment when Shishupala used abusive words to insult him.”  

Shishupala was outraged by this praise of Krishna by Bhishma and burst into fury, now starting to use abusive and offensive language towards Grandsire Bhishma. Insulting Bhishma, Shishupala called his great vow to remain celibate throughout his life an act of cowardice. 

When Krishna heard the impolite words used against the elderly honorable Bhishma, he stood up and addressed the assembly. He said “Shishupala, my cousin, has repeatedly caused a lot of distress to me and my family. Every time when I tried to punish Shishupala for his misdeeds, his mother, my aunt came to me, begging to spare his life. So, I promised my aunt that I would pardon Shishupala for his first hundred offenses. I have been counting his misdeeds. They have already come to hundred. One more offence and I will have to punish him, as an example for all who don’t follow righteousness.”  

When Krishna said this, Shishupala laughed and again came out cursing and insulting Krishna using vulgar language. When these words were uttered by Shishupala, Krishna wielded his Sudarshana Chakra, which whirled around and went straight to targeting Shishupala. It chopped his head off his body, killing him on the spot.

All who were witnessing this stood frozen to their feet. Krishna consoled them all, then helped and guided Shishupala’s son to perform the last rites for his father. Krishna also crowned Shishupala’s son as the next king of Chedi. Shishupala was none other than Jaya, the gatekeeper of Vaikuntha. This was his third and last birth before his return to Vaikuntha. Thus, Jaya ended his three-birth curse on earth at Krishna’s hand, as promised by Lord Vishnu in Vaikuntha.

As for Vijaya, he was born as Dantavakra, a cousin of Shishupala from his mother’s side, who was also a cousin of Krishna. He was very fond of Shishupala, thus hated Krishna. He refused to go to the Rajasuya Yajňa of Yudhishthira as he was furious about the death of his other friend, Jarasandha. To protest the killing of Jarasandha, he had not attended the Yajňa. 

When he heard about the death of Shishupala, he was outraged.  To avenge Shishupala’s death, Dantavakra attacked Krishna on his way home to Dwaraka after the Rajasuya Yajňa. Dantavakra was killed by Krishna in a duel with maces during this attack. Thus Vijaya, born as Dantavakra, also successfully completed his third lifetime on earth due to the curse.  He joined his brother Jaya, returning to Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu. Both Jaya and Vijaya were very thankful to Lord Vishnu, who was on earth as Krishna, for liberating them from their curse. They were delighted to be back in Vaikuntha, awaiting their Lord’s return.

More to come…

By Nirooshitha Sethuram. Yogaratna

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

One fine day, while Krishna was in the assembly hall of the palace, one of his guards came in and announced the arrival of a stranger.  Krishna gave permission to admit this person to the royal court.  The stranger came in and bowed to Krishna, explaining he was sent by the kings imprisoned by Jarasandha, the mighty king of Magadha.  He said he came seeking help to save the kings from the tyrant Jarasandha.  He also said that Jarasandha was planning to capture as many kings as he could, to do a sacrifice to Rudra.  While Krishna was trying to console the stranger, and the stranger was praying to Krishna to save the kings, Sage Narada walked in.

Krishna welcomed the sage, offering due respect and a seat in the assembly.  Krishna said to Narada, “Honorable Sage, there is nothing you don’t know about.  You know all that happens in this manifestation of Ishvara (God).  So, we are delighted to hear about your visit to the Pandavas from you.” 

Narada was happy to share the details of his visit with the Pandavas. “I visited the Pandavas in Indraprastha.  I was duly received by Yudhishthira.  I was very much honored and warmly welcomed by them all.  Then I conveyed to them that I was going to tell them a wish their father King Pandu had.  Yudhishthira with respect immediately said that he will fulfill his father’s wish at any cost.

Then I disclosed the wish of Pandu by saying, ‘You must perform the Rajasuya Yaj~na to establish your superiority to all other kings. Yudhishthira immediately called his royal priest and conveyed his desire.  He also wanted to consult you, Krishna, about this matter.”

Hearing this, Krishna immediately started his journey to Indraprastha to advise Yudhishthira on the Rajasuya Yaj~na and the need to eliminate Jarasandha.  As soon as Krishna reached Indraprastha, he was lovingly welcomed by Yudhishthira and his brothers.  Krishna embraced them all with love and affection and gave his respects to Kunti, their mother and his aunt.  Draupadi received Krishna’s wives cordially and led them to their rooms.  

Yudhishthira begin to explain his plan about the yaj~na, also expressing his concerns about Jarasandha and Shishupala.  After listening to Yudhishthira Krishna started to devise a plan.  Yudhishthira then asked, “How can we accomplish the killing of Jarasandha?  He is gifted with inimitable strength by Lord Shiva and has thus become invincible.”

Krishna assured Yudhishthira not to worry but to simply send Bhima and Arjuna with him.  He said that he would make sure Bhima kills Jarasandha.  Bhima defeating Jarasandha would establish Yudhishthira as the mightiest king, capable of performing the Rajasuya Yaj~na.  As Yudhishthira completely trusted Krishna,  he had no fear in sending Bhima and Arjuna with him.  Still knowing Jarasandha’s valor very well he had several doubts in his mind which disturbed his peace.

Krishna again assured Yudhishthira saying, “Bhima will challenge Jarasandha for a wrestling duel.  Knowing Jarasandha, he will be sure to accept it.  By dueling with him, mighty Bhima will get a chance to kill him.” Yudhishthira was satisfied as he knew that, with the help and guidance from Krishna, Bhima will be victorious.  Also, the invincible archer Arjuna will be there with them.  Krishna also pointed out that Jarasandha’s end is imminent because his misdeeds have crossed all limits.  Nature never spares a man whose excesses exceed the appropriate norms.  Yudhishthira was certain that the Gods would be on their side because, by killing Jarasandha, they would be rescuing the kings who were imprisoned by him for sacrifice.  

As a first step towards this, Krishna advised Yudhishthira to send Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva on a journey in all four directions to conquer all the other neighboring kings.  They went as emissaries to all these other kings, demanding a vassal fee.  This showed their willingness to accord Yudhishthira the position of an Emperor.  This was done easily and all four of them returned in no time, with vassal fees sent to Yudhishthira willingly as he was loved by them all.  

Now only Jarasandha remained.  As planned earlier by Krishna, Bhima and Arjuna set out with Krishna to Magadha Kingdom, traveling in the guise of brahmins.  After a long journey they reached the capital city.  On their way, they destroyed the revered mountain of the Magadha kingdom.  The brahmins belonging to the mountain took this as an ill omen.  Right away, they informed Jarasandha about the mountain having been destroyed by some strangers.

Advised by his priests, Jarasandha started a Yaj~na to resolve the effect of the bad omen and to avert the misfortunes that looked to be looming large upon him and his kingdom.  This was a great opportunity that created a way for Krishna and the Pandava brothers to enter the venue of the Yaj~na and meet Jarasandha.  

They presented themselves before King Jarasandha and were cordially welcomed by him since he didn’t recognize who they were, because of their disguise.  According to Krishna’s plan, both Pandava brothers stayed silent without uttering a word.  Jarasandha was annoyed that the two men didn’t acknowledge his warm welcome.  Krishna addressed their silence saying that they were both on a silence fast and they will not speak until midnight.  Jarasandha requested them to rest and agreed to return after midnight to meet them.

As agreed, Jarasandha came to the place where Krishna, Bhima and Arjuna were staying and offered his salutations to them again.  Arjuna blessed him and asked him to take a seat.  Jarasandha gazed carefully at both the Pandava brothers and got suspicious of them.  When they spoke, he recognized their voices to be familiar.  Even their appearance was recognizable, despite the clothing they were wearing.  And looking at their wrists confirmed his doubts that brahmins in front of him were not at all brahmins but kshatriyas (warriors).

Looking at them closely, he said to them, “You claim yourself to be brahmins.  Except for your clothing, your physique and all your deeds are like those of kshatriyas.  Upon your arrival, I am hearing about our revered mountain been destroyed.  Plus you refused to accept my honor this morning on the pretext of observing a silence vow.  So, I demand you disclose your true identity and the purpose of your visit, like true kshatriyas.” 

Krishna replied, saying they didn’t accept his honor that morning as they were then, and even now, in the presence of their enemy.  Jarasandha couldn’t quite understand what Krishna was saying and asked how they are enemies to him, demanding an explanation.  So, Krishna pointed out how he has imprisoned kings for no fault of theirs.  As kshatriyas, they came to Magadha for those who were imprisoned.  Therefore, they considered Jarasandha as an enemy.  Jarasandha argued, saying that he imprisoned them after defeating them in fierce battles.  As victor, it is his right to treat them as he wishes.

Jarasandha was an ardent devotee of the brahmins and followed the dharma of giving.  Due to his visitors’ brahmin attire, he decided to fulfill their wish, despite what consequences it might would bring.  So, he asked what their wish was.  

Krishna said that they were not there to beg for food but to challenge him to a duel.  He then disclosed their identity, saying, “I am Krishna, the son of Vasudeva of the Yadava clan.  This is Arjuna, the greatest archer of all times and a Pandava prince.  And this is Bhima, his elder brother, destroyer of demons Hidimba and Bakasura.”  Then he threw out a challenge to duel, asking him to choose one of them for the duel.  

Jarasandha was furious at once.  Especially his arch enemy Krishna being right in front of him, he couldn’t refuse the challenge, because of his arrogance.  He then roared with laughter and exclaimed, “Hey Yadava! you are so afraid to fight with me that you deserted Mathura and took refuge in the city of Dwaraka.  So, I wouldn’t want to fight you.  Arjuna is youngest of you all and wouldn’t be a match for me in a duel either.

“The only one whom I can even consider is Bhima.  Even though he is incomparable to my valor, he is better than both of you.  So, I am willing to have a fight with him.”  So, the day was fixed for the ferocious fight between the two mighty men.  

More to come…

By Nirooshitha Sethuram

Graphics by Sheralee (Shambhavi) Hancherow

Krishna wanted to tease Rukmini, so he started with a questionable statement, “My dear Rukmini, I could never understand why you chose me out of many great personalities in the royal order who wanted to marry you.  Among them, some were famous kings, very powerful and strong.  Some may not have been kings, but they all possessed the affluence and riches of kingly order.  They were not unfitting in anyway.  In particular, your parents and brother gave their word of honor to Shishupala who was a great king.  He was madly in love with you, especially after your beauty and he would have remained with you just like your faithful servant.  In comparison with Shisupala’s personality, I am nothing.  I am surprised you rejected him for me.  May I ask you the reason that convinced you to accept me, as I feel I am inferior to all those princes who wanted to marry you?  Remember I was so much afraid of Jarasandha that I could not dare to live in Madura, and I had to construct Dwaraka in the middle of the sea to evade him.”

He didn’t stop there.  He continued, “It’s not too late.  You have the freedom to select a suitable husband who is an actual equal to you in family tradition, wealth, beauty and in all other respects.  As you know, usually a person does not establish a marital relationship with a person who is either higher or lower than his position.” 

Rukmini was well aware that her husband was not an ordinary being.  But upon hearing this, Rukmini was afraid of being separated from her Lord, for she had never heard such insensitive words from Krishna before.  Filled with fear and anxiety, without replying with a single word, she cried as if being drowned in an ocean of grief.  She lost all her reasoning powers and became so weak that immediately her body lost so much weight that the bangles on her wrists became loosened.  The fan with which she was serving Krishna immediately fell from her hand.  Her mind and memory became puzzled, and she lost consciousness.  She fell down straight, like a tree brought down by an axe.

Lord Krishna immediately realized that Rukmini had not taken his words in a playful spirit.  She had taken them very seriously.  In her extreme anxiety over immediate separation from him, she had fallen into this condition.  

Seeing this, Krishna’s heart was softened by Rukmini’s condition.  He appeared in front of her in his real form, as Lord Vishnu with his four hands.  He got down from the bedstead and brought her up by her hands.  He placed his hands on her face and smoothed the scattered hairs on her head gently.  He then hugged her to his chest.

He began to speak again in a soft gentle way, “My dear daughter of Vidarbha, my beloved Rukmini, please don’t misunderstand me.  The words I spoke that affected you so much are not factual.  I just wanted to irritate you and was expecting you to make counter arguments.  I am very sorry that you have taken them seriously.  I expected to see your angry face and that your red lips would tremble in anger.  I thought you would chastise me in many words.  I never expected that your condition would be like this.  My dear Rukmini you know that we are householders and are always busy in household affairs.  We long for times that we can enjoy some teasing words between us, the ultimate game in household life.”  

In this way, Krishna wanted to exhibit himself as just an ordinary householder who delights himself by exchanging joking words with his wife.  Thus, he repeatedly requested Rukmini not to take the words he had spoken seriously.

Hearing this, Rukmini was freed from all her fear of separation from the Lord.  She started speaking softly.  “Oh Lord! Yes, you are right about we not being equal.  I can never be equal with you as you are the One Divine Reality in its full form.  You are the master of all greatness, controller of the three qualities and object of worship.  You reside in the deep recesses of the heart of all beings, who are always battling the powerful material senses, which are their enemies.  Your movements which are mysterious for even the sages are certainly incomprehensible for human beings.  There is nothing beyond you.”

Krishna said, “Oh dear princess, as I said earlier, I fooled you just because I wanted to hear what you would say.  Your answers are absolutely correct.  Even though you were disturbed by my words, your mind couldn’t be dragged away.  I have now perceived pure love towards one’s husband, and adherence to vows of chastity.  In all my palaces I do not find another as loving as you.” Rukmini’s delight by hearing this was unmeasurable.  

Days and weeks passed in Dwaraka.  One fine day the guards came into the palace and informed Krishna that his dearest friend Sudama had come to see him.  Hearing this, Krishna rushed to meet Sudama.  When he saw Sudama, he embraced him and welcomed him with the greatest joy.  Then he took him to his personal room.  Who is this Sudama that Krishna is so fond of?

Krishna and Sudama were childhood friends who studied under Guru Sandipani.  Years passed and Krishna became the King of Dwaraka, Sudama returned to his village and immersed himself into Vedic studies.  Sudama belonged to a poor Brahmin family.  After some time, he got married and had many children.  Even though he was a Vedic scholar, he was suffering from severe poverty.  But he never begged for money from others, as he was satisfied with whatever the little money he earned.  As he didn’t have good clothes to wear, he often wore worn out clothes with holes in them.  

That made people call him Kuchela, a person who wears rags.  Kuchela’s wife was admired by all for her domestic virtues.  She was always satisfied with whatever her husband brought, having devoted her life to him and the children.  She gave the children the education they needed and filled their hearts with dharmic principles, preparing them to be good citizens.  Even though what Kuchela brought was not enough, she found a way to feed them all sufficiently, going to bed with an empty stomach herself.  After some time, living that way too became difficult.  It was time for her to come up with a plan, as she couldn’t bear the sufferings her family was going through.  

That’s when she remembered Krishna, a great friend of Kuchela.  She went to her husband and told him to approach his good old friend Krishna and ask for help, hoping that he would honor his request.  She was sure of it, as she had heard many stories about people approaching Krishna with love and devotion.  They always got rewarded for their devotion.  Though Kuchela was hesitant at first, he was encouraged by his wife’s persuasion and decided to visit Krishna.  

He didn’t want to visit his old friend empty handed, after all these years.  But he didn’t know what he should offer to Krishna.  The usual practice and courtesy required him to take something, so he asked his wife for suggestions.  She told him that the idea of a gift was excellent, but as they were so poor and couldn’t afford any gift to be given to a king.  After contemplating they both agreed that Kuchela should carry some aval, rice flakes.  So, he carried aval in a small sachet and started his journey to Dwaraka.  

Kuchela began dreaming about meeting Krishna at Dwaraka.  He prepared himself with all the things he could say to please him.  He was so delighted that he was getting to go and serve, honor and embrace him.  Then suddenly, fear came into him.  He wondered how he would pass through the guards.  What if they don’t let him in?  

But he was determined to go see Krishna so he entered the palace confidently.  To his surprise, no one stopped him from entering the palace.  He went straight to the guards, who came to Krishna and informed him of his dearest friend Kuchela’s arrival.

After inquiring the welfare of his family, Krishna asked Kuchela what he had brought for him.  After seeing the splendor of Dwaraka, Kuchela was feeling embarrassed with his gift of rice flakes.  Krishna noticed that Kuchela was hiding a small bag and even without asking for it he snatched it from his hands.  He opened it and his eyes lit up in delight, seeing the rice flakes.  Immediately he took a handful of rice flakes and happily put them into his mouth.  It was so tasty that Krishna wanted to eat more, but Rukmini intervened and took it from him.  

Kuchela enjoyed the stay with Krishna and his family.  When the time came to leave, he was very sad.  On his way back home, he was thinking only about the time he spent with Krishna, particularly the happiness he felt when he was with Krishna.  But halfway home, he was a bit unhappy that he had not asked for anything from Krishna, as he and his wife had planned.  But he consoled himself by saying, if it was to be, Krishna would have given him the wealth. Krishna didn’t want me to immerse myself in the pleasures of worldliness, he thought to himself.  With these running through in his mind he returned to his hut.

He was pleasantly surprised that a miracle had taken place.  He couldn’t recognize his hut.  In its place was a beautiful and lavish mansion.  What he gave Krishna was a merely a fist full of rice flakes with love, but in return Krishna had ordered Vishwakarma the divine architect to build this fine mansion for him.  Kuchela noticed his family wearing new clothes and found an abundance of food in the house, or should we say mansion.  He was so happy that Krishna had showered his blessings on him.  

In spite of all this wealth, Kuchela did not indulge in worldly pleasures, but instead immersed in the thought of Krishna for the rest of his life.  Kuchela set an example to all, as the grace of God is the final gift to every human being and we should aspire for it and it alone. 

More to come…