Chapter
23
Arjuna's fight with Gods
Droupadi
was surprised that Krishna was able to discover a
fractional leaf in the vessel she had scrubbed clean.
"This must be your miracle; whatever work I do, I do
efficiently. I could not have scrubbed it so shabbily",
she laughed. When she approached Krishna to see the leaf
Krishna showed it to her, saying. "Look! I got this from
your vessel. This thing is enough to appease, not only My
hunger, but the hunger of all beings in the Universe."
Then He put it on His tongue with the end of His finger
and swallowing, exclaimed, "Ah! How nice! My hunger is
gone!" [See
also S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam,
C1:15-11]
At that very moment,
Durvasa on the river bank and his ten thousand disciples
felt their stomachs over-full with food. Their hunger too
was gone; they experienced supreme happiness, free from
the pangs of hunger they suffered a minute previously.
They communicated their wonder to each other in gestures
and then, in words. "Our stomachs are too full already,
there is no space in them for even an additional grain of
rice! Dharmaraja will be waiting for us there with a
heavy banquet of extra-delicious dishes and he will
insist on our doing full justice to his hospitality. But,
where have we the space for the feast he has prepared? We
are indeed in a terrible fix!", they said. Someone then
remembered the incident when their master, Durvasa cursed
Ambarisha and suffered discomfiture at the hands of the
very victim of his curse, through the intercession of
Krishna.
They reported their
condition and their surmise to Durvasa. The sage who
became aware of the Grace that was won by Dharmaraja
blessed him profusely; he left the place, with his
disciples, by another route avoiding the residence of the
Pandava brothers.
But, Krishna had
commissioned Bhima to proceed to the river and bring the
sage and his retinue quickly for lunch. When Bhima saw
them getting away through another route, he walked
quicker and the disciples, afraid of his intentions, ran
into the jungle to save themselves! Bhima confronted
Durvasa and told him, "Master! My elder brother ordered
me to meet you and bring you, for, lunch is ready for all
of you." Durvasa pleaded inability. "Bhima! We can not
eat even the fraction of a mouthful. We are full to the
bursting point. We are not displeased at all with you. I
bless you, that you may attain every happiness. I shall
come to you when you are ruling the world as undisputed
sovereigns and I shall then receive your hospitality.
Those who sent me to you with sinful motives, they will
meet with total destruction." Wishing them the best of
luck, Durvasa left, with all his followers.
Did you notice,
Parikshith, the devotion and sense of surrender of your
grandfathers had nothing to equal them; so, too, the
Grace that Krishna showered upon them was unexcelled.
When Vyasa was revealing these incidents to show
Parikshith the speedy faith of the Pandavas and the Grace
of Krishna, Parikshith listened intently, with awe and
reverence, wonder and anxiety, alternatingly affecting
his mind. When the dilemma of the Pandavas was described,
Parikshith was agitated; when some impending calamity was
described, he shed tears of sympathy, when success was
described, he shed tears of joy.
They
fought with Gods
Vyasa continued: "0
King, your grandfathers were ready to renounce everything
to God, if the need arose; they were prepared also to
fight with God, if the need arose, for they were only
observing Kshatriya Dharma when they fought so. You must
have heard the story of your grandfather fighting against
Siva and winning from Him the Divine weapon of
Pasupatha-asthra." At this, the King suddenly raised his
head and asked, "Master! What did you say? Did my
grandfather wage battle against Siva? I have not heard
about it so far. Tell me all about it; Satisfy my thirst
to know about it". Parikshith fell at Vyasa's Feet;
importuning him to narrate the story.
Vyasa cleared his
throat. "Son! How many stories have I to narrate to you?
The relationship between the Pandavas and the Gods need
for its full elaboration not hours, not even months, but,
years! Still, since you implore I shall tell as many as
possible, within the time available. "Listen, 0 King! The
Pandavas were living in the forest. One day, Dharmaraja
was overcome with anxiety. He felt that the wicked
cousins, the Kauravas, may not allow him to rest in peace
even after the period of exile is over. It was very
doubtful if they will give them their share of the
empire. Dharmaraja was afraid that war was inevitable and
that the great bowmen of the age, Bhishma, Drona, Karna
and Aswathama will then range themselves on the side of
the Kaurava hordes. He apprehended that the Pandavas may
not be able to overcome such a galaxy of strength. He
feared that the war might end in defeat and that the
Pandavas might have to spend their years in the jungle
itself. Seeing him in the depth of woe, Arjuna approached
him and craved for his blessings and permission to go
forth and win, by asceticism, weapons from the Gods to
defeat the foe. Dharmaraja directed him to proceed, and
please the Gods, and win through their Grace, weapons to
win the war.
Arjuna went into the
Gandhamadana area, which was inaccessible even to the
most enterprising ascetic and did Thapas (ascetic
practices), to propitiate Indra, the Sovereign of the
Gods. Heaven was amazed at the rigors of that Thapas and
his steady persistence. So, Indra appeared before him,
saying, "Son! I am pleased by your Thapas. But, if your
desire is to be fulfilled, first win the Grace of Siva;
thereafter I shall take you to heaven and arm you with
all weapons heaven can confer."
In accordance with
Indra's advice, Arjuna sat meditating on Siva in order to
win His Grace. Meanwhile, Siva resolved upon a drama of
his own. I shall tell you what it was: "A huge wild boar,
ferociously enraged, ran across the place where Arjuna
was observing penace; he saw it, and, though during the
penance one had to desist from injuring any living being,
he hastily took up his bow and arrows, when the boar was
about to fall upon him. Just at this moment, a Bhil
[Hindi: Bhl, hill people of west central India
having a bow-and-arrow culture; a member of the Bhil
people] of the forest, also armed with bow and arrows
appeared before Arjuna with his wife! Arjuna was amazed
that a woman was accompanying the Bhil in that thick
forest where no person could safely move about. But, when
he observed more closely, he found a huge retinue behind
the Bhil, consisting of men and women of fierce
appearance yelling and shouting in strange ways. Arjuna
was perplexed and astonished."
The person who first
appeared, the huntsman with the fierce face and the red
glowing eyes, spoke to Arjuna: "You, there! Who are you?
Why have you come to this place? You shall not live, if
you shoot an arrow against that boar, even by mistake, be
warned. I have pursued it and made it run thither; what
right have you to take up your bow and arrow against it?"
These words that he spoke entered Arjuna's heart like a
sheaf [bundle] of arrows. He felt terribly hurt;
for, a common huntsman had insulted him.
"The fellow does not
know my name or fame; or else he would not have
challenged me" he said to himself; he raised his bow and
shot an arrow at the boar; that very moment, the Bhil too
shot an arrow at it.
It rolled on the
ground, dead. The huntsman was in the throes af anger; he
showered abuses on Arjuna; "You, there. You do not know
the rules of hunting. When I have set my eyes on it,
pursued it and selected it as the prey for my arrows, how
dare you aim your arrow at it? You are a greedy
barbarian." His eyes were casting sparks, so
uncontrollable was his rage. Arjuna too was enraged. He
shouted back, "Shut up, you scoundrel. Or else, I will
despatch you to the Domain of Death. Save yourself by
stopping your wagging tongue. Get back the way you
came."
The Bhil stood up to
that threat; he did not quail. "Whoever you are, I am not
afraid; you may have three hundred and thirty crores of
gods on your side, but, I shall not yield. Take care; you
are an interloper. Who gave you permission ta enter here?
Who are you to order me out? This forest is ours; you are
a thief who has sneaked in; and you have the audacity to
ask us to get away!", he replied.
At this, Arjuna guessed
that he was no ordinary huntsman. He spoke in a calmer
tone. "The forest is the property of all; you have come
to hunt; I have come to do penance to please Siva. I shot
that boar, only to save myself from its rage." The
huntsman, however, was not softened. "I don't care whom
you adore, whom you desire to please. Accept the wrong
that you have done. Why did you shoot the animal I was
stalking? Accept and apologise, make amends", he
insisted. Arjuna lost all patience. This fellow's life,
too, is to end like that of the boar, he told himself. He
is not to be cured by soft words, he felt.
So, he selected a sharp
arrow and placing it on the bow, shot it at him. It hit
him; but, like a thorn on rock, it fell on the ground,
bent by the impact! So, the astonished Arjuna had to
shoot a crescent-headed arrow, which will sever his head.
But, this was brushed aside by the huntsman, with his
left hand like a blade of grass.
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