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Bhagavatha Vahini, Chapter 17 - Vyasa's Voice that Heals - Recalling the Bygone Days

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Chapter 17Vyasa's Voice that Heals - Recalling the Bygone Days

 

Emperor Parikshith journeyed in state over the entire Indian continent,

acquainting himself with the administrative excellence of the rule of his

grandfathers, with the unique relationship which they had established between

themselves and Lord Krishna who had then come down on earth as Man, listening

to the experiences of many a saint and scholar who lived in those halcyon days,

and reflecting on those cheering memories, as he travelled along. Often he was

overcome with remorse at the thought that he was not alive during those days

when the grandparents were in such heavenly bliss.

Vyasa's Voice that Heals

While thus immersed in the joy of recollecting the annals of his forefathers and

the glory of those bygone days with Krishna, Vyasa, the great sage, appeared

before him quite unexpectedly; he welcomed him with great honour and seated him

on an elevated seat. The sage praised the rule of Parikshith and said that he

was reminded of the reign of the Pandavas. The young king listened

reverentially to his talk. After some time, Vyasa said, "Son, I must be going

now". But Parikshit said, "It is like placing a dish of delicacies before a

starving man and just when he is about to stretch his hand towards it, dragging

it away from his grasp. Your accounts of the adventures of my grandfathers and

of the splendour of Sri Krishna are like the most precious gems spread out

before me; but, you cause the most painful disappointment to me by refusing to

let me have them. Your leaving me just now makes me feel desperately sorry".

 

(see also Srimad Bhagavatam Chapter 4: The appearance of Sri Narada)

He pleaded with the sage to stay a little longer. "Tell me on what mission you

have come. Be with me for some more time and assuage the hunger that is gnawing

me. I missed the great good fortune that my grandparents had to spend their

lives with the Lord Himself. I shall save myself from decline, at least by

listening to their exploits and their devotion which drew upon them His Grace.

Seeing the King who prayed in great earnestness and humility, Vyasa said, "Son

do not feel that you are in any way inferior or less endowed with good fortune.

I declare that no one else had such good fortune as you earned. For, you drew

upon yourself the Grace of the Lord, the moment you were born. The Lord,

Vasudeva, gave you the breath of life; He raised you in His arms and played

with you, while you were yet a baby. You too stuck to Him so close that you

scarce kept aloof. Your youngest grandfather, Sahadeva, had to pluck you by

force from Krishna and hand you over to the women

in the inner halls. You were named ceremonially by Vasudeva Himself. What a

memorable scene it was! You showed us that you were a wonderful child; you

followed with your eyes the Lord wherever He moved, whichever side He turned.

You were intent on "pariksha" (finding out) where He was, as no one else was in

that hall that day. Krishna hid Himself very cleverly behind pillars and tried

various means of diverting your attention away from Him; but, you proved too

clever even for Him! Your eyes were searching for Him alone; they saw only Him

and His splendid Form.

All of us who were then present were wonderstruck at your devotion and

concentration. It appeared as if you were examining each face and trying to

find out whether it was Krishna's; your face fell when you saw it was not; it

blossomed when your eyes saw Him and Him only. Scholars and simple folks, ryots

and rajahs, realised that you were a remarkable child. That is the reason why,

when your grandfather Dharmaraja prayed to Him to give you an appropriate name,

He named you after your strange behavious, Parikshith (he who examines, he who

tries to find out).

When the Lord announced this name to Dharmaraja, in the hearing of that vast

gathering of courtiers and scholars and sages, they all applauded, saying,

"Very apt, excellent, fine". "Being so richly favoured by fortune it is not

meet that you should condemn yourself as unlucky. You were fondled by the Lord;

He played with you and watched your gambols; He gave you your name. How few earn

this fortune! Do not consider these just common gifts of Grace".

Tears of joy welled from the eyes of Parikshith at these words. He had a

question rising up from his throat, but, Vyasa saw him swallowing it and so he

patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him to ask it. "Son, it looks as if

you desire to put some query to me. Ask without hesitation, do not quail".

Taking courage from this prompting, Parikshith said, "Worthy master! Man cannot

know the value of either joy or grief, unless he is aware of them. The joyful

contacts of which you spoke now were awarded me when I was scarcely aware of

the bliss inherent in them. Real joy can be tasted only when one is conscious

of its value. If a child is given a billion-rupee diamond, it will only deal

with it as a lump of glass. The happiness of being with the Lord, which you say

I had in my childhood, is as in- effective as the joy experienced in past

births. I did not know then what precious moments they were. Had I known it,

were I capable of knowing it, I could have

treasured that joy for ever. Now it is all mere inference. I have no ocular

proof of the Grace of the Lord which I received then; so, I depend now on

auricular proof only. So, please tell me of the greatness and glory of Krishna;

let my ears drink the nectar of those stories".

Vyasa was moved by his entreaty; he agreed. "Son, do you consider His leelas to

be just one or two? How can I relate to you His leelas which are beyond one's

capacity to enumerate. So, ask about what He did in connection with some

particular person, or during some particular incident or situation; I shall

gladly tell you all the details". Parikshith was elated at this; he begged him

with folded hands, "Master! Tell me how this great attachment between my

grandparents and Lord Krishna was born."

Vyasa burst into laughter. "Son, your earnestness surprises me much. For, only

such earnest individuals can get Jnana; I am delighted that you have this deep

yearning. So, I shall tell you what you have asked for. Listen!" Saying this,

Vyasa made himself comfortable in his seat; Parikshith, too, got ready to hear,

with a heart that was blossoming with joy and ears that widened in the ambition

to learn.

"Son! King Drupada grew anxious to give his only daughter in marriage to a

suitable groom but, could not succeed in securing one, in spite of the most

diligent search. So, he announced a Swayamvara (festival for choice of

Bridegroom) and, kings of great might and majesty assembled in his capital,

along with scholars endowed with charming personality, all eager to wed the

princess whose beauty was unexcelled in the three worlds. They were all proud

of their wealth and valour, for they felt they could win her by those

attainments.

In that assembly hall, the king had fixed a contrivance on a pillar. It was a

wheel revolving fast, a wheel that was reflected in a sheet of water, below the

pillar on which it turned. The wheel had a 'fish' tied on it: the competitors

for the hand of the princess were asked, one by one, to come forward and,

drawing the bow looking at the reflection, shoot at the fish target up above.

Drupada announced his intention to give away his daughter in marriage to

whomsoever hit the target, so prepared. The city was full of princes and kings

who had arrived to try their hands at this unique festival of bowmanship.

News of this festival reached the ears of your grandparents who had then assumed

the role of Brahmins, to mislead the wily Kauravas. They felt at first that they

should not come out in the open on that occasion; but, Arjuna, your grandfather,

was able to persuade his brothers to attend the festival of valour, for, as he

said, no Kshatriya should stay away when bowmen compete for a worthy prize.

Thus it happened that the five brothers sat among the assembly, in the garb of

Brahmins, like a group of lions, casting a halo of heroism around; all eyes

were drawn towards the place where they sat; people commented on their

presence, many in admiration, some in derision; some praised them as champions,

some laughed at them as prize fighters or cooks. The whispers aroused by them

spread all round.

Lord Krishna had come for that festival. His eyes were fixed on Arjuna all the

time; this was noticed by his brother, Balarama, who spoke, something to his

brother. At last, the Swayamvara contest began; one by one, the candidates

proceeded to the shadow seen in the water and aimed the arrow at the 'fish'

rotating above. They failed and returned pale with humiliation. They walked

back to their seats, heavy with disappointment and shame, and sat sunk in

sorrow.

Krishna had no intention to rise and have a try at the target, for, He sat quiet

in His own place. If He had that intention, He could have quite easily hit the

'fish' and won. But, who can gauge the depths of His mind?

Just then, Arjuna rose and proceeded towards the 'contrivance', casting a

lightning flash of brilliance over the assembly by the heroic aura of his

personality. Droupadi, the princess, lifted her head and watched him in

admiration. Her mind merged in that flash of light. In an instant, Arjuna's

arrow split the 'fish'; he won. The applause of the gathering rose to the

skies. The princess came forward and wedded him, placing a garland of flowers

around his neck and holding his hand.

When Arjuna emerged from the Hall holding the hand of the bride, the horde of

defeated kings and princes yelled that the rules of the contest were broken,

since a Brahmin who had no right to compete in bowmanship was allowed to

participate and declared the winner. They fell on your grand father, in an

angry clump. But, Bhima pulled out a huge tree by its roots and whirled it at

the crowd of foiled kings.

 

Coontents of this Vahini

Source: http://www.vahini.org/bhagavata/chapter17.htmlVahini.org: 'Vahini' Books

written by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

 

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