Chapter
19
The Pândavas - 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 Âgneya-âstra,
the weapon of fire, and placing it in the hands of
Krishna, took leave of them both.
Son,
Parîkchit! 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 Khândava 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 Khândavavana, and fell upon your
grandfather, Arjuna [see also S.B. 1.15:
8].
Arjuna received him
with a shower of arrows from his famous
Gândîva 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 Takshaka,
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 Takshaka the chance to wriggle out
and speed towards Kurukshetra.
But, Agni
pursued the snake; He sought the help of the windgod to
catch up with his fleeing speed. So, Takshaka
sought refuge with Maya
(Dânava)
the architect of the Devas and the
Dânavas; he and Maya were moving fast
towards Kurukshetra. Krishna noticed this and He
pursued them. Just then, Maya surrendered to
Arjuna and sought his protection for himself and
his protege, Takshaka. Arjuna granted his wish and
so, Maya, out of a sense of gratefulness, fell at
his feet and said, "0, son of Pându, 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 Dânava 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,
Parîkchit, 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 Dushashana 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 (see also S.B.
10.75)! They
fell in so many places and knocked their heads against so
many walls that they nurtured unquenchable hatred against
the Pândavas. The Kauravas plotted
incessantly to destroy the Pândavas; but, since the
Pândavas 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
Yas'odâ was the bestower of fortune on the
Pândavas. 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 Vyâsa
was thus relating the story of Takshaka,
Parîkchit was listening with rapt attention;
when he finished, Parîkchit queried in wonder,
"What was the reason which provoked the wicked Kaurava to
ill-treat and insult my grandmother,
Draupadî? 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 undoubted
manliness, when their spouse was dishonored 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".
Draupadî's
Imprecation
Parîkchit prayed
with tearful eyes and with such humility that Vyâsa
said, "Son! The Pândavas 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, Bhîma, 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 Vyâsa
said thus, Parîkchit asked him the reason why the
grandfathers were so enslaved. Vyâsa smiled and
replied, "Son! I shall tell you that also. Your
granduncle, Dharmaraja celebrated in unprecedented
grandeur the Râjasûya-yajña in
the Assembly Hall that Maya built for him. The
Kauravas were invited for the yajña
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 Pândavas. 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, Draupadî. 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, Draupadî became the property of
the victors. They too, in order to wreak vengeance and
cool their overwhelming passion of hatred, designed to
dishonor the Queen of the Pândavas in fun sight of
the entire Assembly of Courtiers. Foul brains can hatch
only foul plans.
At these words,
Parîkchit began shedding tears; he asked
Vyâsa in a voice interrupted by sighs, "How did
that blind Dhritarâshthra, himself an
Emperor, suffer this degrading behavior 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
s'âstras teach that no woman can be injured or
insulted; she has to be given help and succor; and, these
rulers who ought to be exemplars to their subjects in
morality and justice have the audacity to break the
s'âstras 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
dishonor 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?"
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