Chapter
9
The Ascent of Krishna
Dharmaraja who was reeling in
agony at the departure of his uncle and aunt -
Dhritharāshtra and Gandhāri - had
another bout of unbearable pain which was like a
needle-thrust underneath the nails. Wherever he
turned, he began seeing bad omens in his
kingdom. He noted in every act around him the
taint of falsehood, cruelty and injustice. It
met him at every step and confused his vision.
As a result, an
inexplicable anguish possessed him, anew. His
face became pale with apprehension. It was
marked by constant agitation and anxiety. Seeing
this and becoming agitated themselves, the
brothers - Bhīma, Nakula and
Sahadeva - approached their eldest and
expressed their eagerness to delve into the
reasons for his strange sadness. They stood
before him with folded hands and inquired, "lord
and master; Day by day we find your countenance
rendered dimmer and dimmer; you seem sunk in
unfathomable agony, sinking deeper and deeper
with every passing hour. You have become too
weak to stand firm. If any of us has caused you
pain, please tell us, we shall guard ourselves
against repetition, and we pray we may be
pardoned. If all this is due to something else,
you have only to tell us about it, we shall at
the cost of our very lives set it right and
restore your mind. When you have such heroes
obedient as we are, to correct any one, however
high and mighty, it is not proper for you to
give vent to grief. Inform us the reason and
command us what to do", they prayed.
Dharmaraja
replied: "What can I tell you, dear brothers? I
see ominous things all around. From the homes of
ordinary citizens to the hermitages of the
saints and sages, wherever my eye falls, I see
only inauspiciousness, ill fortune, and the
negation of joy. I argued within myself that
this was only the result of my warped
imagination and I tried my best to muster up
courage and confidence. I did not like to fall a
prey to my fears. But, I could not succeed.
Recollecting the scenes made my fear even more
fearsome.
To aggravate the
sadness, I saw also some scenes that are
contrary to established morals and dharma.
Not only did they come to my actual notice, the
Courts of Justice in this kingdom have been
receiving petitions and pleas regarding wrongs,
injustices, iniquities and misdeeds, which make
me grieve deeply.
I saw some
situations which were even worse. Last evening,
when I was returning after a tour in the
kingdom, I saw a mother cow refusing to nurse
and feed her new-born calf! This is quite
strange and contrary to nature. I saw some women
wantonly loitering in the bazaar. I hoped that
they would rush into their homes when they saw
me, but, no. It did not happen so. They had no
reverence for authority; they went on as if I
was not in the picture; they continued to talk
without restraint to the menfolk. I saw all this
with my own eyes. I simply proceeded further
from that horrid place. (See also S'rīmad
Bhāgavatam Chapter 14: The disappearance of
Lord Krishna)
Very near the rajabhavan,
when I was about to enter it, I perceived a brahmin
selling milk and curds! I saw people emerging
out of their houses and closing the doors behind
them, I found them fixing some iron lump to
them, so that they may not be opened! (The
reference is, evidently, to locks, which were
strange things in Dharmaraja's kingdom for no
one had any fear of thieves). My mind was very
much concerned with all these tragic
transformations.
I tried to forget
this state of affairs and so started doing the
evening rituals, the sacred rite of offering
oblations to the consecrated fire and shall I
tell you what happened? The fire could not be
lit, however hard I tried! O, what a calamity it
was! My fears that these events foreboded some
great catastrophe is fed by other happenings
too. They are confirming my premonitions every
minute. I find myself too weak to overcome them.
Perhaps the Kali era has begun or is
about to begin, I believe.
For, how else are
we to explain such facts as this: a wife has
quarrelled with her husband and is arguing
before the judge in court that she should be
permitted to go to her parents, leaving him to
himself. How am I to face such a plea in court
that she should be permitted to dissolve the
marriage and leave for her parents' home,
deserting her husband? A petition from such a
wife was admitted yesterday in the court of
justice! How am I to ignore such abominations?
Why go on
recounting these occurrences? Yesterday, the
horses in the royal stables started weeping, did
you hear? They were shedding copious tears, the
syces [horse tenders] reported.
Sahadeva tried to investigate the causes
of their deep sorrow, but, he could not discover
why and he was struck with wonder and
consternation. These are indications of
wholesale destruction, not of any minor danger,
or small evil". Dharmaraja placed his
chin on his upright arm and rested a while in
deep thought.
Bhīma did
not give way to despair. He laughed a scornful
laugh and began: "The incidents and events you
mention might have happened, I do not deny them.
But, how can they bring disaster to us? Why
should we give up all hope? All these
abnormalities can be set right by administrative
measures and their enforcement. It is really
surprising that you are so worried about these
small matters that can be corrected by us. Or,
is it the imminent breaking out of another war,
that you fear? Perhaps you are anxious to avoid
the ravages that the revival of war might bring
about. That contingency is impossible. For, all
our foes have been exterminated, with their kith
and kin. Only we five are left, and we have to
seek for friends and foes only among ourselves.
Rivalry will not break out among us, even in our
dreams. Then, what agitates you? I cannot
understand why you are afflicted. People will
laugh at you when you take these little things
to heart and lose peace of mind." Bhīma
said this and, changing his mighty mace from the
right hand to the left, he laughed a laugh which
was half a jeer.
For this Dharmaraja
replied: "I have the same discrimination and
intelligence that you have in these matters. Nor
have I an iota of dread that enemies will
overpower us. Have we not defeated the renowned
warriors, Bhīshma, Drona and the rest
who could singly and with but one arrow destroy
the three worlds? What can any foe do to us?
And, what can agitate us who were bearing even
the direst calamities with fortitude. How can
any difference arise between us now, who stood
so firm in the days of distress?
Perhaps, you
suspect that I am afraid of anything happening
to me, personally. No, I shall never be agitated
by anything that might happen to me, for, this
body is a bubble upon the waters, it is a
composite of the five elements waiting to be
dissolved back into its components. The
dissolution must happen some day, it is bound to
fail, to fall, to fester, to be reduced to ash
or mud. I do not pay heed to its fate.
My only worry is
about one particular matter. I shall disclose it
to you, without any attempt to conceal the
seriousness. Listen. It is now more or less
seven months since our brother Arjuna
left for Dvārakā. Yet, we have not
heard anything about the welfare and wellbeing
of the Lord of Dvārakā, Krishna. He has
not sent any messenger or message regarding, at
least, his reaching Dvārakā. Of course I am not
worried in the least about Arjuna and his
reaching or not reaching Dvārakā. I know that no
foe can stand up against him. Moreover, if
anything untoward had happened to him,
certainly, S'rī Krishna would have sent
the information to us; of this there is no
doubt. So, I am confident that there is no
reason to be nervous about him.
Let me confess
that it is about the Lord Himself that I am
feeling worried; with every passing minute,
anxiety is increasing. My heart is suffering
unbearable agony. I am overwhelmed by the fear
that He may leave this world, and resume His
permanent abode. What greater reason can there
be for sorrow? If this catastrophe has actually
come about, I shall not continue to rule over
this land, widowed by the disappearance of the
Master. For us Pāndavas, this Vāsudeva was all our five vital
airs put together; when He departs, we are but
corpses, devoid of vitality. If the Lord is upon
the earth, such ominous signs dare not reveal
themselves. Injustice and iniquity can have free
play only when He is absent; I have no doubt
about this. My conscience is clear about it;
something tells me that this is the truth."
When Dharmaraja
asserted thus, the brothers fell into the depth
of grief. They lost all trace of courage. Bhīma
was the first who recovered sufficiently to
speak! He mustered some courage, in spite of the
wave of sadness that smothered him. He said,
"For the reason that Arjuna has not
returned or that we have not heard from him, you
should not picture such a dire calamity and
start imagining catastrophe. There must be some
other reason for Arjun's silence, or else, Krishna
Himself might have neglected to inform us.
Let us wait, seek further light, let us not
yield to the fantasies that a nervous mind might
weave. Let us not clothe them with the vesture
of truth. I am encouraged to speak like this,
for, one's nervousness is often capable of
shaping such fears".
But Dharmaraja
was in no mood to accept this. He replied:
"Whatever you say, however skilfully you argue,
I feel that my interpretation is correct. Or
else, how can such an idea arise in my mind? My
left shoulder is registering a shiver, see! This
is a sign confirming my fear that this has
actually happened. You know it is a bad omen, if
the left shoulder shivers for men and the right
for women. Now, this thing has taken place in my
body, and it is a bad omen. Not merely the
shoulder, my entire being - mind, body,
intelligence - all are in a shiver. My eyes grow
dim and I am fast losing vision. I see the world
as an orphan, having been deprived of its Guardian
and Lord. I have lost the faculty of
hearing. My legs are shaking helplessly. My
limbs have been petrified. They have no life in
them.
What greater proof
do you need to assert that the Lord has left?
Believe me, dear brothers. Even if you do not,
facts will not change. The earth is shaking
under our feet. Do you not hear the eerie noises
emanating from the agonished heart of the earth?
Tanks and lakes are shaken into waves. The sky,
air, fire, the waters and the earth are all
moaning their fate, for they have lost their Master.
How many more
evidences do you need to get convinced? News
came some days back of showers of blood that
rained in some parts of our kingdom.
Hearing these
words, streams of tears coursed down the cheeks
of Nakula and Sahadeva, even as
they stood before their brother. Their hearts
were struck with pain; they could not stand, for
their legs failed them.
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