Bhagavad Vahini ----- Chapter 3

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Bhagavad Vahini by Sathya Sai Baba

 

Chapter 3

Ceremony of Name Giving

 

 

" Alas! Is he to suffer at last this tragic fate? Is this to be the

reward for all the good in store for him? Can the consequence of

years of good living suddenly turn into this calamitous end? It is

laid down that those who die drowning, those who are killed by fall

from trees, and those who die of snake-bite have a bad after-life.

These are considered " inauspicious deaths " ; those whose deaths are

such, become ghosts and have to suffer so, it is said. Why should

this child end up like that? O, the horror of it, o, the injustice of

the whole thing! " , lamented Yudhisthhira, biting his lips to suppress

his sorrow.

 

The brahmins hastened to console him. " Mahârâja! " , they

interceded. " There is no reason to give way to grief. Such a great

man will never meet with such a tragedy. No. In the horoscope of this

child, studying the positions of the planets, we can clearly notice

two happy conjunctions, which indicate vajra-yoga and bhakti-yoga,

both powerful and propitious. Therefore, as soon as he learns of the

curse, he will give up his kingdom as well as his wife and children

and retire to the bank of the holy Bhagirathi river and surrender

himself to the Lord. The great sage S'uka, son of Vyâsa, will arrive

there and initiate him into âtmâ-jñâna (self-knowledge) through the

recital of the glories of Lord Krishna and the singing of His praise.

Thus, he will spend his last days on the sacred bank of Ganga and

breathe his last with the adoration of the Lord. How can such a man

meet with any tragedy or calamity? He will not be born again, for,

through bhakti-yoga, he will attain oneness with the Lord of All,

Purushothama. Hearing these words, Yudhisthhira gave up grief and

became happy. He said, " If so, this is no curse; it is a unique boon! "

 

The Name - Parîkchit

 

At this, every one rose. The brahmins were honored as befitted their

learning and austerity. They were given gems and silken clothes and

the king arranged to send them home. Yudhisthhira and his brothers

moved into their palaces, but, they spent many hours talking about

the happenings of the day and of the fears, luckily removed. They

were filled with joy at the turn the predictions had taken.

 

The baby grew in the lying-in-room, as the moon in the bright half of

the month. Since it was born as heir to the great empire, after a

succession of dire dangers, every one loved it and guarded it like

the apple of the eye, as the very breath of their lives. Draupadî who

was broken by the loss of her own children, (the Upapândavas),

Subhadrâ who had suffered inconsolable loss in the death of

Abhimanyu, and the Pândava brothers who dreaded that the terrific

sorrow of As'vatthâmâ directed against the posthumous child of

Abhimanyu, still in the womb of Uttarâ, might do the worst and

destroy for ever the Pândava line - all were relieved, nay, were

overjoyed when they saw the child. They were supremely happy; they

spent the days doting over the little lovely baby, whom they brought

from the zenana for the purpose, whenever they felt the urge to see

it and hold it in their arms.

 

The child too was very bright; it seemed to watch the lineaments of

every one who fondled it or came before it. It stared into their

faces long and longingly. All were surprised at this strange

behavior. Every person who came to it was subjected to this searching

examination by the child who seemed determined to trace some one or

some thing, in the world into which it was born.

 

Some said, sadly, it is seeking its father, Abhimanyu. Others

said, " No, no, the child is searching for Lord Krishna " . Some others

opined that it appeared to be trying to discover some divine

brilliance. The fact remained that the child was examining all, for

some trait or sign which it knew already, to recognise some form it

had in mind. " Parîkcha " was the word used by every one for

the 'quest' in which the child was engaged and so, even before the

formal Naming Ceremony, every one both in the palace and outside it,

began referring to the child as the Parîk-chit, 'he who is engaged in

Parîkcha!'

 

That name, Parîkchit, stayed! From the râja to the ryot, from the

scholar to the boor, from the monarch to the man-in-the-street, every

one addressed the child as Parîkchit or referred to him so. The fame

of the child grew from day to day. It was on every one's lips. One

auspicious day, Yudhisthhira had the court priest brought before him

and he commissioned him to fix a good day for the ceremony of naming

the child-prince.

 

The priest called together his group of scholars and astrologers and

after consulting the conjunctions of heavenly bodies, they discovered

a day which all of them agreed was a good one for the event. They

also settled at what hour the actual naming has to take place.

Invitations to attend the ceremony were sent to the rulers of the

land and to scholars and pundits as well as prominent citizens. The

king sent his emissaries to invite sages, and personages, full of

spiritual wealth. Arjuna went to Lord Krishna and reverentially

prayed that He should shower His grace on the child on the occasion;

he succeeded in bringing Krishna along when he returned.

 

Namegiving-ceremony of Parîkchit in Lord Krishna's presence

 

When Lord Krishna arrived, the sages, brahmins, râjas, subordinate

rulers and citizens got ready to receive Him with respectful homage;

the Pândava brothers, attired magnificently, waited at the main gate

of the palace to offer Him welcome. When the chariot of the Lord was

sighted drums sounded, trumpets pealed mighty welcome, and

joyful 'Jais' rose from every throat. Yudhisthhira approached the

chariot and embraced the Lord as soon as He alighted; he held Him by

the hand and led Him into the palace, where a high throne was

specially placed for Him. After the Lord was seated, all else

occupied their seats according to their rank and status.

 

Sahadeva went to the inner apartments and the child was brought on a

gold plate, resplendent as the sun, made more charming by magnificent

jewels. The priests recited mantras, invoking the Gods to bless the

child and confer on him health and happiness.

 

Sahadeva laid the child down in the centre of the Court Hall. Maids

and chamberlains came in long lines towards the place where the

prince was, holding in their hand gold plates full of perfumes and

flowers, silks and brocades. Behind specially fitted curtains, the

queens Rukminî, Draupadî, Subhadrâ and Uttarâ were rejoicing at the

happy scene, watching the gambols of the child. Sahadeva took the

child and placed it on a bed of flowers in the mantap that was

erected for the naming ceremony. But, the child rose on all fours and

started crawling bravely on, in spite of the remonstrances of the

maids. Apparently, it wanted to proceed somewhere!

 

The efforts of Sahadeva to stop its journey proved futile.

Yudhisthhira, who was observing its movements with interest said with

a smile, " Sahadeva! Do not stand in the way. Leave him alone. Let us

see what he does. " And, Sahadeva left his hold. He allowed the child

to move wherever he liked. Only, he took care to keep his eye always

on him lest he fall or hurt himself. He followed him at every step,

vigilantly.

 

The child, who got freedom of movement, soon made a bee line towards

the place where Lord Krishna was seated, as if He was a long

acquaintance whom he was seeking to meet. The child grasped the Feet

of Krishna and pleaded, by his looks, that he may be taken onto the

lap and fondled! The Lord saw his yearning; He laughed aloud; then,

He graciously bent low to lift the child onto His lap.

 

Sitting on His lap, the prince was staring at the Lord's face without

even a wink; he did not turn his head this way or that or pull at

anything with his hands or make any sound. He just sat and stared.

Everyone was amazed at this behavior, so unlike that of a child. Even

Krishna shared in the feeling that pervaded the Hall.

 

Turning to Yudhisthhira, Krishna said, " I did not believe when I was

told that this child stared at everyone who came before him and

examined their lineaments. I thought it was a new explanation given

by these priests, to the usual prank and play of children. Now, this

is really a wonder. The fellow has started examining even Me! Well, I

shall test his behavior, a little, Myself. "

 

Then, the Lord tried to distract the attention of the child from

Himself by placing before him a variety of toys, and Himself hiding

from view. He expected that the child will soon forget Him. But, his

attention was not drawn towards any other object. He had fixed his

eye inexorably on the Lord Himself, and it was seeking Him and no

other. He was trying to move towards the place where he imagined

Krishna was. When His attempts to transfer the attention of the child

from Himself failed, Krishna declared, " This is no ordinary child. He

has won through My tests. So, the name Parîkchit is the most

appropriate one for him. He lives up to it, already! "

 

At this, the pundits recited verses indicating their blessings on the

child. The brahmins recited relevant passages from the Vedas. The

music of trumpets rent the air. Women sang auspicious songs. The

family preceptor dipped a nine-gemmed jewel in a golden cup of honey

and wrote the name, on the tongue of the child; on the rice grains

spread on a gold plate, the name was written and the rice was then

showered on the head of the child, in token of prosperity and

happiness. The naming ceremony was thus celebrated in grand style.

Men and women who attended were given presents as befitted their rank

and they departed. Every one was talking appreciatively of the

wonderful way in which the child sought out the lap of the Lord. Many

praised the steady faith that the child had already attained.

 

Yudhisthhira who was puzzled at the unique behavior of the child

approached Vyâsa, the great sage, to know from him the reason for the

strange search and learn about the consequences of this attitude.

Vyâsa said, " Yudhisthhira! When this child was in the womb, the

deadly arrow that As'vatthâmâ aimed at it in order to destroy it was

about to hit its target, Lord Krishna entered the foetal home and

made it safe and saved it from destruction. This child therefore has

been eager to know who had saved him from within the womb where he

lay. He started examining every one to find out whether he had the

same effluence that he saw, while a foetus in the womb. Today, he saw

that Divine Form with all its splendor and so, he moved straight

towards Him and prayed to be taken up and seated on the lap. This is

the explanation for the strange behavior about which you are curious

to know . "

 

Hearing these words of Vyâsa, Yudhisthhira shed tears of joy and

thankfulness. Overjoyed at the limitless grace of the Lord, he paid

Him reverential homage.