Chapter 16
Reverence for Krishna
Whenever
Mahârâja Parîkchit toured any
region, the rulers and kings of that area welcomed him
enthusiastically with appropriate honors, military and
civil. They declared that they were ever ready to render
him loyal service, whatever the nature of service that he
required them to do. Parîkchit replied that he had
no need of their services and that he expected from them
only the promotion of the happiness and prosperity of the
people entrusted to their care. He advised them to devote
special attention to the protection of brahmins and
women, guarding them against harm. He exhorted them to
foster the worship of God throughout their dominions.
Those were the only requests he made to those who were
his tributary kings.
In some important
regions of his empire, the people entertained him with
folk-songs, depicting the fame and prowess of his
ancestors; they sang of the excellences and exploits of
the Pândava brothers. The songs extolled the
mercy and grace which Lord Krishna showered on
the Pândavas and the devotion and faith with
which the Pândavas revered Lord
Krishna at all times. They also enacted
folk-plays, taking on the roles of Pândavas
and Kauravas, with Krishna in their midst,
unravelling the story that He had planned with these
instruments.
When
Parîkchit heard these songs and saw these
plays, tears rolled down his cheeks, in spite of his
efforts to control his emotions. The ministrels and
story-tellers, the actors and stage-men - all discovered
that their Emperor was fascinated by plays and songs
having these themes only - so, they gave up other fields
in their search for material and concentrated their
attention on the dynastic history of
Parîkchit and the overpowering grace with
which Krishna saved it at every turn. The Emperor
listened reverentially and sat through with great
devotion; his gratefulness was shown in other ways too.
He was supremely happy; he confirmed from his ministers
and elders that the tales were completely true; at this,
his faith and devotion multiplied and he sought these
chances more often and enjoyed them even more. He treated
the performers and musicians with intense affection and
honored them with lavish prizes.
When news spread that
Parîkchit delighted in hearing songs about
his forefathers and Krishna, those, who had
personal experience of these, gathered around him,
wherever he went. They were themselves eager to see a
ruler, who was so full of devotion. One day, while
returning from Mathurâ, an old brahmin was
among those who stood on the side of the road, to catch
the imperial eye. The Mahârâja did not fail
to notice him. He approached him and enquired lovingly
about his welfare. The brahmin said,
"Mahârâja, years ago, when your grandfather
Dharmaraja (Yudhishthhira) performed the
horse-sacrifice, in the divine presence of
Krishna, I officiated as a ritvik,
as the chief priest, to conduct the rites. On that
occasion Krishna approached me and enquired
lovingly about my welfare, with as much affection as you
are now showing me. Your words bring those words to my
memory". The rest of the brahmin's words were smothered
by his sobs and tears. At this, Parîkchit
exclaimed, "O, how fortunate you are! To be spoken to
by the Lord in the Yajñasala!" He took off
the cloth he had on his shoulders and placing it folded
on the floor, he pleaded with the old man to sit upon it
comfortably and tell him more about his experiences at
the Yajñasala and other places with the
Lord.
Saying feebly, "My
heart is torn to pieces because it cannot endure the
grief at the error I committed that day," the old man
wept. The Mahârâja enquired, "Master, what is
the error? If it can be revealed to me, I would like to
know". He held both the hands of the old man, clasping
them together and prayed to him to disclose it to
him.
The brahmin replied:
"That day, all of us, who were initiated into the holy
order of priests for the yajña,
put on the sacred clothes gifted to us and entered the
sanctified enclosure. Then, Lord Krishna sitting on a
golden plankseat, in front of a golden plate, poured
water from a golden vessel on - no, I cannot tell further
- I do not get words". The old man wept and sobbed and
could not proceed with this narrative.
This sudden stoppage of
the story just when it had reached a critical point only
heightened the curiosity of the Emperor. He prayed, "what
happened, Master, tell me please". The brahmin took
courage to comply. "O King, what shall I say? We
ritviks were asked to place our feet on that
golden plate and the Lord washed the feet of each one of
us; He dried the feet later, with the cloth on His
shoulder; He sprinkled the water from our feet on His
Head. Since I was the chief among them, He was consulting
me about all the details of the rite. Lastly, on the day
of the Valedictory Offering in the sacrificial fire, He
granted us a vision of Himself, with Sankha
(conchshell), Cakra (disk or Sudars'ana)
and Gadâ (club, mace) [and lotus
flower] in His divine hands, and that vision
liberated us all from bondage for ever. Now, that
Merciful Lord is away from us, I feel that seeing you is
like tasting a few drops of refreshing water by a poor
fellow, dying of thirst in the raging sun of the
desert.
The brahmin concluded
his account and holding the hands of
Parîkchit, he placed on the king's head a
few grains of sanctified rice, which he had with him tied
in a knot at the corner of his dhoti.
Parîkchit acknowledged the blessing and exclaimed
"Master, I am indeed fortunate. Though I could not see
Lord Krishna in person, I have today the good luck
of meeting the feet that He revered", and, so saying, he
fell at the old brahmin's feet. He called the ministers
to his side and instructed them to place the brahmin in a
palanquin and take him to his home. He also gave
him large quantities of valuable gifts and treasure (see
also S'rîmad
Bhâgavatam
Chapter 2: The Lord in the heart).
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