Chapter
21
The Durvasa Episode
Sage
Vyasa continued, "Listen, O King!" Droupadi was
overwhelmed with amazement when she experienced the Grace
of Krishna who granted the boon of unending folds of
clothing to protect her honour; she shed profuse tears of
gratitude and exclaimed in ecstasy, "Krishna!
Krishna!"with such a rush of feeling and zeal that those
present in the audience-hall were struck with fear. The
shining splendour of her face made them suspect that she
must be the veritable Goddess (Sakthi) who energises the
Universe.
Meanwhile, Krishna
manifested Himself in concrete Form before your
grandmother, Droupadi and said, "Sister! Why are you
troubled in mind? I have taken birth with the express
purpose of destroying these evil men blinded by pride. I
shall see that the glory and fame of the Pandavas are
held high for the admiration of this world for
generations to come. Console yourself".
At this, she fell at
the Lord's Feet, washing it with her tears darkened by
the collyrium in her eyes; the tresses of her long thick
hair, unloosened by wicked hands, fell over His Feet and
covered them. She rolled on the ground round the
Feet.
Her furious contentment
and her angry excitement steeped the assembly of
courtiers and warriors in astonishment. Krishna raised
her up and placing His hand upon her head, He blessed
her. "Rise! Tie the hair into a knot. Await patiently the
events that will happen in the days ahead. Go, join your
companions in the inner apartments", He implored her.
Hearing these words, Droupadi started like a serpent that
has raised its hood. Her eyes shone through the veil of
hair that covered her face; her glances were like flashes
of lightning among the clouds.
She stood in the centre
of the assembly and turning on Krishna, she said in
deliberate tones "Krishna! Cloth that gets torn can only
be stitched; the rents cannot be mended otherwise. A
virtuous bride can be given away only once. Curdled milk
cannot be restored to its primal purity. The tusks of the
elephant can never be withdrawn into the mouth, from out
of which they came. Droupadi's tresses have been
loosened, by the foul hands of these evil men. They can
never be knotted again, as formerly, to mark the
happiness of a wife". At this, every one sat silent with
bent head, overcome with the shame of the insult to the
queen.
But, Krishna broke the
silence. "Then when do you dress your hair as of old?
Sister! These loose tresses make you really frightening".
At this the heroic queen roared like a lioness, "Lord!
pray listen! The filthy rascal who dared touch this hair,
hold it in his foul hand and drag me into this Hall must
have his head broken into bits and his corpse gnawed by
foxes and dogs; his wife must be widowed; she must
unloosen her tresses and wail in unquenchable grief; that
day, I shall dress this hair into a knot; and not till
then". Hearing this imprecation, the elders in the Hall
were alarmed at its terrible consequences. They covered
their ears so as not to hear more; they pleaded, "Pardon"
"Peace" "Quieten yourself", for they knew how calamitous
was the curse of a woman of virtue. The heart of
Dhritharashtra, the old blind father of the wicked gang
that insulted her, very nearly burst with fear; his sons
tried to put on brave faces but, withim them, they were
struck down by a tornado of panic. A wave of dread swept
over the assembly, for, they knew that her words must
come true, the wrong must be avenged by the punishment
she has pronounced.
To reinforce this
apprehension, Krishna too said, "O! Droupadi! May it
happen as you have said. I shall destroy these wicked men
who caused so much sorrow to your husbands. The words you
spoke now must come true, for you have not tainted your
tongue with falsehood, even in fun, since the moment of
birth. Your voice is the voice of Truth; Truth will
triumph, in spite of everything."
This was the assurance
given to your grandmother by the Lord; the Kauravas were
destroyed and the righteousness of the Pandavas
vindicated, before the world. Where Dharma is, there, the
Lord is; where the Lord is, there, victory is; this holy
axiom was taught to the world by the Lord through this
tragedy.
Did you notice? How
great were your grandfathers to derserve this
continuous shower of Grace from Lord Krishna! Their
adherence to Dharma, their unwavering allegiance to
Truth, these won for them that Grace. Though one can
perform costly and elaborate Yajnas and Yagas, if he but
adheres to the path of Dharma and Truth, he can cross the
ocean of change and grief, and reach the shore of
liberation. Or else, when the terror-striking sage
Durvasa went into the forest to 'burn' your grandfather
into ashes, as planned by Duryodhana and his gang,
how could they be rescued? Poor Durvasa had to learn that
the Grace of God is more effective than the earnings of
years of asceticism and denials. He who was sent to
destroy, departed with deep admiration of his intended
victims.
The
Feeding of Durvasa
When Vyasa was thus
proudly declaiming about the devotion of the Pandavas to
the Lord, Parikshith raised his head in wonder; he asked,
"What did you say? Did Durvasa suffer defeat at the hands
of my grandfather? Ah, how fortunate I am, that I was
born in the dynasty that has proved itself superior even
to that great sage! Tell me, Master, how did it happen?
Why did Durvasa go to them and what was the
result?"
"Listen, O Maharaja,"
Vyasa continued, "your grandfathers, exiled into the
jungle were able to spend their days happily there, with
their fame for hospitality unimpaired, through the Grace
of Lord Krishna. They felt that the jungle was more
filled with joy than Hasthinapura from where they were
exiled. The hearts of the great will be so full of divine
content and equanimity, that they will not be affected by
the ups and owns of fortune. A fragrant flower will
please one with its captivating scent, when it is held in
the left hand or in the right; so too, whether in the sky
or in the forest, village or city, on the heights or the
valley, the great will be equally happy. They know no
change, as your grandfathers demonstrated in their
lives.
When the good are happy
and living in peace, the bad cannot tolerate it; they
develop intense headache. The bad have to contemplate the
loss and hardships that the good undergo, in order to be
happy! The loss suffered by the good is the gain of evil
minds. The sweetness of the cuckoo is bitter to the ear
of the crow; similarly, the unmolested happy life of the
Pandavas gave misery and pain to the Kauravas in the
capital.
But, what more could
they do? They had heaped on them as much grief as they
could; they had cast on them all the abuses they could.
Finally, they drove them out of the kingdom itself. They
sent them into the forests on empty stomachs.
Empty stomachs! Yes.
That is what they imagined. But, the truth was different.
For, their frames were saturated and filled with Lord
Krishna. To fight against such God-filled bodies is only
to engage in a hopeless fray. That is why the Kauravas
took from them their material possessions and sent the
bodies safe from the kingdom. After the game of dice, all
properties and possessions were taken away. The Kauravas
tried their worst to create dissensions among the
brothers and spread heinous scandals, affecting one of
the other. But, the brothers respected Truth and stuck to
Truth and so, nothing could separate them. The fact that
nothing could make a dent on the happiness of the
Pandavas consumed the Kauravas like forest fire.
At the moment of
despair, Durvasa who was the very incarnation of rage
came into Hasthinapura, with ten thousand disciples,
determined to spend the four-month retreat in the royal
city. The Kauravas knew very well the ascetic powers of
Durvasa, as well as his weaknesses and vagaries. So, they
invited him to the palace and lavished their hospitality
on him and his followers, during the four months of his
stay. They planned to utilise that sage for their wicked
stratagem and so, they showed extraordinary enthusiasm to
provide for every want of his and of every one of his
huge entourage. They ensured that Durvasa had no cause to
be disappointed or dejected or discontented. For four
months, they served him with fanatic zeal. When the sage
flew into fits of rage, they hung their heads and with
folded hands put up with all the fire poured on them.
Thus, the holy visitor was mollified and won
over.
One day, when Durvasa
was resting after a delicious meal, Duryodhana approached
his bed and sat reverentially on one side. The sage spoke
to him thus: "O King, your service has pleased me much.
Ask from me any boon, no matter how valuable or how hard
I shall grant it." Duryodhana was ready with the boon he
wanted from Durvasa. He was glad the time had come for
asking. He exhibited great humility when he prayed that
it may be granted. "Master! That you are pleased by our
service is itself as valuable as a million boons. That
expression of appreciation is enough for me. What do I
need in riches or fame? Even if I acquire
sovereighty over the three worlds, I can find no joy in
that authority. I am grieving that, when I could serve
you for four months at a stretch, my brothers, the
Pandavas were not with me here. Let them too save
themselves by rendering this unique service; that is my
desire. Please proceed to their resort also, with all
your disciples and give them too this chance. My elder
brother, Dharmaraja is such a staunch follower of Dharma
that, in spite of our protests and prayers, he chose to
go into the forest rather than break his word. I hear
that even there he is rendering magnificent hospitality
to millions of guests and visitors. He can serve you with
more luxurous banquets and festive dinners there. If you
have a mind to shower your pleasing Grace on me, I shall
request you for just one favour, when you go to the
Pandavas." "Go, after Droupadi has eaten her meal!" With
these words, Duryodhana fell at Durvasa's feet, to
propitiate him more. The sage understood the stratagem;
he burst into laughter.
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