Bhagavatha Vahini, Chapter 19 - Pandavas - An Example for Kali Age

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Chapter 19Pandavas - An Example for Kali Age

 

Agnideva, the God of Fire, was gladdened at this; He granted Arjuna the two

boons: an inexhaustible arrow-sheath from which he could draw out a continuous

supply of arrows and a chariot with the Maruthi Flag. Besides, He created the

Aagneya-asthra, the Weapon of Fire, and placing it in the Hands of Krishna,

took leave of them both.

Son, Parikshith! Krishna, you must remember, accepted that weapon only to

satisfy the God of Fire; He has no need of such weapons. There is no weapon

more effective than His Will; it can, in the fraction of a second, transform

the earth into sky and the sky into the earth. He acts the human role when He

moves among people and so, men frame their own guesses without understanding

the inner significance of His acts. That is but the consequence of the delusion

that veils the vision of man.

After taking leave of Krishna in this manner, Agnideva started consuming the

Khandava Forest. Just then, exactly as anticipated, Indra sent His attendants

on the mission of saving the Forest from destruction. Their efforts failed to

rescue it. They returned to their Master and reported their discomfiture. So,

Indra Himself with His stalwart followers rushed to the scene, to save the

Khandava-vana, and fell upon your grandfather, Arjuna.

Arjuna received Him with a shower of arrows from his famous Gandiva bow. Indra,

too, fought with all His might. Within minutes, the followers of Indra turned

back, unable to withstand the rain of arrows which pelted them from all sides.

Indra realised that the person who inflicted the defeat was His own son,

Arjuna; He was overcome with shame at this. He regretted that He could not

defeat His own progeny, and, returned sad and chastened.

Meanwhile, the God of Fire consumed the Forest merrily and with hearty appetite,

swallowing everything with His thousand red tongues and raising a huge

conflagration. Only ash was left behind. Seeing this, the birds and beasts of

the forest tried in vain to escape from the holocaust, but, they could not;

they were caught by the flames and roasted alive. Krishna was going round the

Forest in His chariot to prevent any denizen from running out into the open for

safety, especially the animals and the snakes. He discovered the snake

Thakshaka, a great friend of Indra, in the act of escaping from the fire.

Krishna called Arjuna near Him to point this out to him; that gave Thakshaka

the chance to wriggle out and speed towards Kurukshethra.

But, Agni pursued the snake; He sought the help of the Wind-God to catch up with

his fleeing speed. So, Thakshaka sought refuge with Maya the architect of the

Devas and the Danavas; he and Maya were moving fast towards Kurukshethra.

Krishna noticed this and He pursued them. Just then, Maya surrendered to Arjuna

and sought his protection for himself and his protege, Thakshaka. Arjuna granted

his wish and so, Maya, out of a sense of gratefulness, fell at his feet and

said, "0, son of Pandu, I will never forget this kindness. Whatever is in my

power, I shall gladly do for you. You have only to indicate your desire".

Your grandfather reflected for a while and replied, "Maya! If you yearn to

satisfy me, I demand but one thing: Build a Sabha (Assembly Hall) for my

brother to hold court, the like of which is not to be found on earth. It must

be so grand that no Deva or Danava or Gandharva can ever hope to build such a

one for himself. It must fill all who see it with amazement. I have no desire,

other than this". Krishna too added a suggestion. "In that hall of wonder, you

must establish a Throne of Wonder for Dharmaraja to be seated; then only will

the Hall be fully magnificent".

Did you note, Parikshith, how much Krishna loved your grandfather? Do you need

any more convincing proof than this to know that He is ever mindful of the

welfare of His devotees? The wicked Duryodhana was overcome with envy, at the

sight of that amazing Hall. Duryodhana and Dussasana and their companions were

puzzled and discomfited into humiliation, when they were led to believe that

there was water where there was none and that there were doors, in places where

there were no doors! They fell in so many places and knocked their heads against

so many walls that they nurtured unquenchable hatred against the Pandavas. The

Kauravas plotted incessantly to destroy the Pandavas; but, since the Pandavas

had the Grace of Krishna in a large measure, they were able to overcome them as

if they were mere child's play and to enjoy varied manifestations of His Mercy.

The Kauravas developed violent hatred against Krishna too, for they knew that

the son of Yasoda was the

bestower of Fortune on the Pandavas. But, what can any one do to the very Lord

of all Creation? To cultivate hatred against Him is a sign of their ignorance,

that is all.

When Vyasa was thus relating the story of Thakshaka, Parikshith was listening

with rapt attention; when he finished, Parikshith queried in wonder, "What was

the reason which provoked the wicked Kaurava to ill-treat and insult my

grandmother, Droupadi? How did grandfathers bear the insults they heaped on

their spouse, how did it happen that they were mere onlookers, unable to

retaliate or punish, in spite of their prowess and un- doubted manliness, when

their spouse was dishonoured publicly, in the royal court? I find it beyond me

to understand how these incidents came about. Tell me the real facts, and

enlighten me. You can clear my doubts, I am sure".

Draupadi's Imprecation

Parikshith prayed with tearful eyes and with such humility that Vyasa said,

"Son! The Pandavas are staunch adherents of the moral law; they never deviated

from the given word. They observed the rule that the defeated party has no

right to challenge the victors; your grandfather and his younger brother

recognised the moral superiority of Dharmaraja, their elder brother and

suppressed themselves. Or else, they would have felled the foul Kauravas to

wallow in their own blood and cast their corpses to be mangled by dogs and

vultures.

In spite of this, however, your granduncle, Bhima, was straining to fall upon

those vicious men like a lion chained to a tree; he was laughing cynically at

the weak attachment that Dharmaraja had towards Dharma. But, what could he do?

He was rendered harmless, by the will of his eldest brother. So, he had to

behave like an ineffective person.

When Vyasa said thus, Parikshith asked him the reason why the grandfathers were

so enslaved; Vyasa smiled and replied, "Son! I shall tell you that also. Your

granduncle, Dharmaraja celebrated in unprecedented grandeur the Rajasuya-yajna

in the Assembly hall that Maya built for him. The Kauravas were invited for the

Yajna and as I said, they were struck with amazement at the magnificence and

wonder; they were also filled with envy and a spirit of vengeance, as if they

were insulted by the affluence and power of the Pandavas. They held counsel

with wicked elements and sought some means by which they could undermine their

fortune. At last they struck on a plan.

That was the Gambling Contest through the royal game of dice. They behaved as if

they were filled with filial love and as if they were motivated by the utmost

affection. Their words were poisoned drops of honey, stabs steeped in butter.

They persuaded their blind old father to send Dharmaraja a communication which

ran thus: "Son! you are all brothers. Come and be together in one place and

make merry over a game of dice". On receipt of this invitation, your granduncle

who had no inkling of the wiles that the Kauravas are capable of, who had a

guileless mind himself, accepted it and played the games they proposed, unaware

of the stratagems they had planned. He was then tempted to stake his brothers

and finally, even his queen, Droupadi. He did not realise that the game was fun

of foul movements and conspiratorial tricks. He never imagined that his cousins

will land him in abject misery. So, under the rules of the gambling game,

Droupadi became the property of the

victors. They too, in order to wreak vengeance and cool their overwhelming

passion of hatred, designed to dishonour the Queen of the Pandavas in fun sight

of the entire Assembly of Courtiers. Foul brains can hatch only foul plans.

At these words, Parikshith began shedding tears; he asked Vyasa in a voice

interrupted by sighs, "How did that blind Dhritharashtra, himself an Emperor,

suffer this degrading behaviour towards another woman and a queen to happen? Of

course, he had no eyes to see; but, he had certainly ears to hear. Had he

plugged his ears so that her wailings could not reach his understanding? Or,

had they too become blind? The Sastras teach that no woman can be injured or

insulted; she has to be given help and succour; and, these rulers who ought to

be exemplars to their subjects in morality and justice have the audacity to

break the Sastras with impunity. How can such vicious persons be Emperors? Are

they not the meanest of mortals? Only the worst sinners will contrive to insult

and dishonour another's wife, a helpless woman. I feel that this land has been

torn into bits, only because such abominable persons were raised to power; at

last these disasters brought about total

destruction. God is not blind, is it not?"

Coontents of this Vahini

Source: http://www.vahini.org/bhagavata/chapter19.htmlVahini.org: 'Vahini' Books

written by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

 

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