‘’Father, Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Are Doing’’

When the forces of darkness were nailing you on the cross, Jesus Lord, each nail piercing through your body, blood spilling out of your body, even in that acute pain, you said ‘’Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing’’. These words born out of acute pain and ultimate sacrifice acquired spiritual powers. You shed your blood to absolve the sins of others. The blood spilled from your body became the central theme of service to fellow travellers in life and showed the mankind a new path and a new purpose. This path is the path of purpose and service to the mankind. Service is an approach to human development.

Lord, you were born to a virgin, holy and blameless. When you were born on this day, that is 25^th December, seven Rishis (monks) from India followed a bright star which led to your place of birth. Those Rishis knew that a great soul was being born.

Jesus Lord, we lesser mortals keep drifting form the path shown by great souls. Buddha came back to the Earth in your form to teach us how to love humanity. Again you came back to earth in the form of Mahatma Gandhi whose path was truthfulness. Service, love for humanity and truthfulness together showed that the great souls think alike and they are one and the same in different forms. Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita said ‘’Sambhavami Yuge Yuge’’ that is I keep coming back to Earth again and again whenever there is turmoil on Earth.

Jesus lord, we lesser mortals have again drifted alarmingly. We dropped atom bombs on two cities, Nagasaki and Hiroshima, killing thousands of innocent people and we keep killing innocent people in the name of religion. Our sheer greed has made this Earth warmer and warmer. Man has advanced beyond imaginations. We have landed on moon and mars. Sadly, Jesus Lord, man is yet to learn the art of living on earth. At this time of conflict and turmoil we need you to put us on the right track.

Amidst the tragedy, conflict and agony we still hear your voice pleading with the father on our behalf. ‘’Father, Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Are Doing’’.  Your voice has given a new hope to mankind which makes our heart beat with joy and goads us to share the joy and wish the mankind-

‘’Merry Christmas’’!

Conqueror of Yamadharma Raja: Sati Savitri

Can we bring the dead back to life?  Yes, this unattainable feat was accomplished by a spiritual lady Savitri, who became popular as Sati Savitri. She brought back her dead husband Satyavan back to life through her sheer spiritual powers. This is an interesting and inspiring story told in our Hindu Purana.

Read on....

This happened long, long ago. Savitri was the daughter of the king Ashwapati and his wife Malawi. They didn’t have  offspring for a long time. They prayed and worshipped Goddess Savitri. The Goddess blessed the king with a radiant daughter. They named their daughter after Goddess Savitri. Savitri grew up. When she was travelling round the kingdom she saw an old couple under a tree and she saw a young man absorbed in work. He was offering fruits to his old parents.

The young man was Satyavan and his father was Dyumanathasena who was once the King of Salvadesha. He lost both his eyesight. The enemies easily defeated him. He lost his kingdom and came to the forest. When Savitri saw the bright young man, she fell in love with him and she expressed her desire to marry Satyavan. At that very time Narada  arrived there. After learning Savitri’s desire to marry Satyavan, he said Satyavan was a mine of virtues but the fate is against him. He has a short life. His life comes to an end exactly after a year. But Savitri was adamant. Despite this shortcoming, Savitri’s father agreed to the marriage and the marriage took place.

Savitri went to the forest and lived with her husband but she couldn’t forget Narada muni’s words. As days and months flew, she grew more and more terrified. After eleven months paused Savitri spent the remaining days in religious rites of the most rigorous kinds. She worshipped Goddess Savitri and begged her to protect her husband.

The last day of the year came. Satyavan’s death was round the corner. As usual Satyavan went to fetch the wood. Savitri too went with him. Suddenly Satyavan perspired. His head ached. Savitri took her husband’s head on her lap.

Then there appeared a dark mighty figure near the feet of Satyavan. Yamadharma Raja, the God of death is not visible to the ordinary eyes. Savitri was deeply devoted and had performed many religious rites. This enabled Savitri to see Yamadharma Raja.

Yama took Satyavan’s life and started moving towards the south. Savitri followed Yama. Yama knowing that Savitri could see him because of her spiritual powers was happy but asked her to turn back. Savitri said that if anyone walks seven steps with a person, that person becomes a friend. Hence she says that he was her friend and wanted to speak to him. Elders say that Dharma was greater than anything else and she said that it was her dharma to be with her husband. Yama was pleased to hear this. He gave her a boon and asked her to ask for anything except Satyavan’s life.

Savitri asked Yama to restore her father-in-law’s eyesight. Yama said yes and asked Savitri to turn back. Savitri said according to elders a single meeting with a good person makes him a lifelong friend. Therefore she wanted to keep company with Yama. He was happy about her maturity. He gave her another boon. Savitri asked for her father-in-law’s kingdom to be restored.  Yama said yes to that also.

“Oh! The lord of righteousness one should not deceive anyone in their thought, word or deed. Instead one should help others”. Yama was extremely happy and gave her another boon. Savitri said “I pray that Satyavan and I may have children who are strong and bring fame to their dynasty”. Instantly Yama said yes. Savitri said “may your boon be followed in a righteous way.” So I pray that my husband may come back to life. Here Yamadharma Raja was defeated and gave back her husband’s life. 

Human Thunderbolt: Abhimanyu

He was a boy, barely sixteen years old, yet his prowess made the Kauravas tremble in the Kurukshetra war. He was Abhimanyu. Abhimanyu was Krishna’s nephew, son of Subhadra and Arjuna. He became the sheet-anchor of the Pandavas. He was pitted against the mightiest in the Kauravas rank in the war. Mighty heroes among the Kauravas had to flee. The enemies that is the Kauravas had to kill Abhimanyu by unfair means.

There are several skills and secrets of war. Various formations of army like Makarvyuha and the Chakravyuha. The use of different types of missiles and weapons and the ways of crushing the enemy are the details of war Krishna was telling Subhadra when she was pregnant. Krishna came to Hastinapur to take his sister Subhadra to Dwarka. It was a long journey and Krishna told Subhadra the secrets of winning a war. Krishna explained how to break and enter Chakravyuha. At that time went to sleep. Again it was one of fate’s ploy. The child in Subhadra’s womb heard the story. He learnt how to break and enter Chakravyuha. But coming out of Chakravyuha wasn’t told by Krishna as at that time his sister was sleeping. A few days later Abhimanyu was born. The name means a person who always defends his honour. After a few months Krishna took his sister and nephew to Hastinapur. The boy grew up as everybody’s darling.

After completing twelve years of life in forest and one year of life in incognito, the Pandavas asked Duryodhana to give back their kingdom as per their agreement, Duryodhana refused to give even five villages. Hence the war between them became inevitable. The Kurukshetra war began and it was the fiercest war. It was the ninth day of war. Abhimanyu showered thousands of arrows on the enemies. The mighty Alambusa and Abhimanyu fought a terrible battle. Alambusa created darkness with his magical power. Abhimanyu swept off the darkness with his suryaastra. Alambusa ran away. On the eleventh day of the Kurukshetra Abhimanyu again shook the Kaurava army.

The kauravas were worried. Dronacharya arranged the Kaurava army in the pattern called Chakravyuha. To piece this vyuha and go inside and fight the enemy was very difficult. And it was equally difficult to come out of Chakravyuha. Only Krishna and Arjuna knew how to come out of the Chakravyuha. Abhimanyu knew only how to enter the Chakravyuha. The Pandava army was in distress. Hence Abhimanyu said ’I’ll get into Chakravyuha.’ His charioteer drove forward. Abhimanyu, like a lion fell on the brave men of Kauravas. Abhimanyu entered the Chakravyuha and fought vigorously. Karna and others encircled Abhimanyu and rained arrows on him from all sides. Abhimanyu’s bow was broken. Still Abhimanyu fought the enemy with his sword. The brave boy was standing on the ground. He was tired as he had fought all through the day and at that time Dushasana’s son hit Abhimanyu with his maize and Abhimanyu fell down.

The valorous Abhimanyu’s spirit still lives on.

A Matchless Devotee: Hanuman

Hanuman was a rare creation of rich imagination with a philosophical profoundness of sage Valmiki in the epic Ramayana. Hanuman was a matchless devotee of Sri Rama and an evolved being. He had the ability to assume any form. He was well versed in all the Shastras. He was also a skilled communicator and a sterling Brahmashchari.

Hanuman’s childhood was very interesting. Even as a child he was extraordinarily powerful and equally naughty. He once saw the rising red coloured sun. He mistook it for a fruit.   Since he was hungry, he leapt up to eat it and it proved to be fatal. He was burnt to ashes and fell on to the earth and the ocean. His ashes were gathered by various gods. His grandfather prayed the sun god to restore life to the child.  However his fragmented jaw couldn’t be rectified.

 Vali was the king of   Kishkindha and his brother Sugriva was crowned as the prince. Hanuman was a friend of ugreeva. I n one instance, when the two brothers went for hunting, Vali mistook that  Sugreeva was dead, and forcibly made Sugreeva’s wife to accept him. When Sugreeva came back, he became angry with this development and wanted to take revenge against vali and thereafter he lived with Hanuman near the ashram of the sage Matanga.

Hanuman was seated on a mountain top and was in deep meditation. An aura of holiness appeared around him. When he opened his eyes he saw the Ayodhya princes approaching the hill top. Hanuman who was in human form rushed towards Sri Rama and Lakshmana and touched their feet and introduced himself to the princes.  He  took the two princes by placing them on his two shoulders to the place where he lived.

The princes told Hanuman of their plight and the reason for searching the place where his wife was abducted by Ravana. Hanuman thought that the plight of Sugriva was the same. He asked Sri Rama to help defeat Vali and restore the kingdom of Kishkindha and his wife to Sugriva again. He also promised the princes that he would help locate the place where Ravana lived. Sri Rama killed Vali and restored Kishkindha and the wife to Sugriva.

Sampati, in the form of vulture, the elder brother of Jatayu, who resisted Ravana while he was carrying off SeethaDevi and who had given a tough fight to Ravana gave a clue about Seetha mathe. Hanuman was sent to Lnka, the kingdom of Ravana as an ambassador to release Seetha.

Sundarakanda, the most appealing part of Ramayana, describes the level of devotion and might of Hanuman.

Hanuman arrived in Lanka and met SeethaDevi and gave her the ring which Rama had given him and assured her that Rama would come and rescue her. Then when he was prowling in the city he was taken by the soldiers to Ravana. Ravana was enraged by the entry of hanuman to his kingdom. He ordered his soldiers to put a fire in Hanuman’s tail thinking that the Vanara would die because of it. But Hanuman with his tail burning went around the city and destroyed the major portion of the city and flew away to Rama to report his progress.

The preparation for the invasion of Lanka  began. The vast ocean of the Vanara army started marching towards the south. They constructed a bridge across the sea. The Vanaras carried huge rocks as if they were pebbles. The Vanara army led by Hanuman and Rama and Lakshmana entered Lanka. After a bitter war Ravana was killed and Seetha was rescued.

As long as hills and rivers exist in the world Hanuman will remain here and continue chanting Sri Rama’s name.  He proves to be the most appropriate example of  the might of faith,  which gives enormous strength  in overcoming any difficulties.

THE IRON LADY : INDIRA GANDHI

In the year 1965, after Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death (in Moscow) Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister of India. The Syndicate (a section of Congress party who were opposed to Indira) thought that they could easily manipulate Indira and occasion for that came when the Congress party had to select the presidential candidate. They met in Bengaluru (Lal Bagh Garden) and had a heated discussion with Indira.  Indira Gandhi who  opposed  the name suggested by the syndicate leaders left in a huff suddenly and flew to New Delhi.

A few tactical moves on the political chessboard took Indira Gandhi to the top level. In the same midnight she nationalised fourteen private banks. This move took everybody by surprise including the syndicate leaders. People wholeheartedly supported her.

In 1971 Indira Gandhi had another opportunity to assert herself. She won the war against Pakistan, divided Pakistan and created Bangladesh. The media described her as ‘the Empress of India’. Mr Vajpayee, who was the leader of the then Jan Sangh party called her ‘Durga’.

During Indira Gandhi’s time the country was importing food grains from America. Indira Gandhi created an atmosphere for the growth of the agricultural sector and ushered in Green Revolution.

There was a bad patch in Indira Gandhi’s political life. To bring some semblance of discipline in the country, she imposed emergency in 1974. For the first six months everything was alright. There was peace in the country and people supported emergency. Slowly unsavoury people who were close to Indira Gandhi started taking undue advantage which resulted in emergency excesses. When emergency was lifted and the country went to polls her party Congress was defeated and she herself was defeated in the elections. The new government couldn’t survive in power for more than three years. The country went to polls once again and Congress and Indira Gandhi won the elections and she once again came to power.

Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira’s father when he was in prison during the freedom movement wrote letters to his young daughter Indira, who was around nine-ten years old.  These letters had great influence over Indira and shaped her life to be a dedicated woman in her later years. 

‘You must learn the alphabet of nature before you can read her story in her books of stone and rock’. Through these letters she was taught to observe the swirls and textures in a little pebble. Nehru taught Indira to treat nature as a book. Indira’s granddaughter Priyanka Gandhi wrote that her grandmother Indira Gandhi may have appeared as rather a serious, formidable personality but she was the warmest and a loving personality.

Indira Gandhi was shot dead by her own security guards on 31^st October, 1984. Like her father Nehru, Indira loved India and its people. Madam, today the 19^th of November is your birthday, so

‘Happy Birthday Indiraji’.

The Architect of Modern India – Jawaharlal Nehru

Within one hundred metre there should be a school for every children.                                                 Every rickshaw puller (rickshaw was a popular vehicle carrying people from place to place at that time) should know politics as much as I know.

The above statements of Jawaharlal Nehru indicates his mind. He loved children and inturn children loved him too. Nehru’s birthday 14^th November is celebrated as children’s day. Nehru was a visionary and an idealist and statesman of international stature. Nehru was also an outstanding writer. Nehru took a central role in India’s struggle for freedom from British colonial rule. Nehru was interested in all subjects and was delighted in sharing his enthusiasm with everyone.

When India attained freedom in 1947, Nehru became the first prime minister of free India. India was recognised as a backward country at that time. Nehru set out to realise his vision India. The constitution of India was adopted in 1950 and Nehru embarked ambitious programmes of economy, social and political reforms.

Nehru believed in democracy and socialism. He laid the strong foundation for the democratic India in which multi-party system was adopted. Command economy was his financial policy. He started around 245 major public sector industries. B.E.L, H.A.L, I.T.I and H.M.T were among the major industries. In the field of education, Nehru established premier institutions such as I.I.T, I.I.M, and N.I.T. he also gave adequate attention for the development of science. He established the atomic energy commission of India.

Nehru’s foreign policy Panchsheel was acclaimed as the best foreign policy by all major advanced countries in the world. Panchsheel became the basis of governance of relation between the two states.

Nehru was the only son of Motilal Nehru, a prominent advocate and Swaroopa Rani. Nehru married Kamala and had a son who lived a short life and a daughter, Indira who later became the Prime Minster of India. When Indira was young he wrote letters to her about nature, this world and this life. He instilled the love of history and naturein his daughter Indira.

Nehru’s health began to decline. The major reason for this was the betrayal of trust by China when it attacked India in 1962. Nehru died on 27^th May 1964 .His wish was expressed in his writings like this : “If any person choose to think of me then I should like them to say, this was the man who with all his mind and heart loved India and the Indians.” and the people in turn were indulgent to him and gave him their love most abundantly and extravagantly.

Nehruji, today the 14^th of November is your birthday. “Happy Birthday Chacha Nehru”!  we remember your dedication, your love for the motherland forever.

Silence and Speech

Around five thousand years ago some enlightened Rishis (sages) realised Saakshatkara. In their inner mind they heard the mantras of the Vedas and the Upanishads. They were called ‘Mantra Drushtararu’ (the one who heard in their ears, the Upanishads and the Vedas). The one which is heard in the ears is called ‘Shruti’. Here lies the greatness of the ancient wisdom because the Vedas and the Upanishads were not written by any sages. The Hindu philosophy is very tough to comprehend.

The Upanishads say ‘Aatma’(self) is the ultimate reality. No word (speech) can describe Aatma. The intellectual mind cannot comprehend Aatma. It is ever spreading and omnipresent. Before words came into existence there was silence and the words were born out of silence and will die in silence. It is interesting to note that there was a friendly rivalry between speech and silence. Upanishads say words cannot describe Aatma and here words find their limitation and say it is beyond their capacity that they cannot grasp the unknown. Now the contradiction is that words have a limitation and it cannot know more. Thus words accept their failure but the awareness that there is more to know is the important factor. The word fails and wins simultaneously. This is the success of word in failure. Is this Aatma’s Leela? More importantly, words might try to describe Aatma, but silence prays.

It is strange that Aatma cannot be described by words takes the help of Aatma to succeed, this means Aatma indirectly helps the word to succeed. In the process it is more interesting to know that word becomes silent. Silence is always present whenever the word is in action, but it is not affected by word. This makes word to turn silent and get the satisfaction same as silence gets. The friendship of silence which contains no evil makes the word feel free.

This is our ancient wisdom.

MADHYAMA OF PANDAVAS - ARJUNA

Arjuna, Kunti’s third son by the grace of Devendra was a special male character in the epic Mahabharata. Arjuna mastered archery to perfection. When Arjuna as a young prince and was playing Chinni Kolu with his brothers and cousins, One of the brothers played hard and the peg fell into an abandoned well. The well was very deep. They all tried to retrieve the peg but failed. At that time a Brahmin came that way. He was Drona and he showed how to retrieve the peg from the well. The princes told this to Bhishma and also mentioned about the Brahmin. Bhishma invited Drona to the palace and made him the teacher to teach the princes archery.

Arjuna was a devoted student. He engaged himself in serving his guru. The Pandava and the Kaurava princes completed their education. Duryodhana was very jealous about his cousins and even hated them. He wanted to kill the Pandavas. He built a beautiful palace using highly inflammable materials. Vidura through his spies got this secret and secretely built a tunnel for the Pandavas to escape this tragedy. When the palace was on fire, the Pandavas, through the tunnel escaped into the forest and disguised themselves as Brahmins and lived in the forest for some time.

The Panchala king Drupada had arranged his daughter Draupadi’s Svayamwara and had set the severest test of shooting down a fish by seeing its reflection in a container filled with oil. Drupada always wanted to give his daughter Draupadi to Arjuna. He knew only Arjuna could accomplish the task. This was the reson why he arranged this nearly impossible task. He got a bow which only Arjuna could lift, and string and shoot the arrow from the bow. The princes gathered there failed to even lift the bow. Then Drupada unwillingly announced that even the Brahmins could attempt.

The Pandavas in the disguise of Brahmins encouraged Arjuna to attempt. Arjuna went around the bow once. He prostrated and prayed lord Shiva. By remembering Krishna he lifted the bow easily and fixed the string and fired. The target was broken and fell on the ground. Draupadi put the garland around his neck.

At the Kurukshetra war the Pandavas’ and the Kauravas’ armies stood face to face. Arjuna saw his teacher Drona, Bhishma and other relatives. The thought of killing them brought gloom to his mind. He thought it was a sinful act to kill his own teachers and elders.

Arjuna asked Krishna to stop the chariot and placed his Gandiva on the ground and sat downcast. Krishna understood Arjuna’s plight and said “Arjuna, this is not the time to show mercy and this is not a place for emotions.” He asked Arjuna to do his duty as a Kshatriya. “I am the doer and you only follow your Dharma”.   He displayed Vishwaroopa to Arjuna. 

The mankind should be grateful to Arjuna who was the reason for getting us  the great Bhagavadgita from the mouth of Lord Krishna himself. 

BHIMASENA

Bheemasena was an important male character in the epic Mahabharata. Kunti’s second son Bheema excluding Karna was born by the grace of Vayudeva. Bheema was the strongest among the Pandavas. Duryodhana, eldest of Kauravas treated Bhima as his strongest opponent in all walks of life and strated developing hatredness since childhood. Duryodhana wanted to kill Bheema  but couldn’t do it in a straight fight because of Bheema’s strength. Therefore Duryodhana hatched many plans to see the end of his arch rival but failed.

Duryodhana got delicious sweets specially prepared for Bheema. The sweets were mixed with deadly poison. After eating the sweets Bheema laid down on the ground to take rest. Duryodhana arranged for poisonous snakes and set them on Bheema. After biting Bheema the snakes lost their teeth. Bheema turned on one side and crushed all the snakes.  Duryodhana tied Bheema’s hands and feet and pushed him into a deep pool. Bheema got himself released from the knots and went down to Nagaloka.  Bheema was well received by the king of snakes  in Nagaloka .  The king of snakes gave him nectar to drink which made Bheema matchless in strength.

Duryodhana’s second plan to keep the Pandavas away and kill them in a grand palace which was built of lac and wax of highly inflammable material. The palace looked very beautiful. Vidura got the news of Duryodhana’s secret plot. Vidura secretly got a tunnel dug from the palace to a forest on the banks of Ganga. When the palace was set on fire the Pandava’s got into the tunnel and escaped to the forest called ‘Hidambi Vana’. The people were afraid to enter this forest because of the Rakshasa (demon) Hidamaba. This demon got the smell of human blood and sent his sister Hidambi to bring those humans to him. When Hidambi saw the handsome Bheema she fell in love with him and asked him to marry her. When sister Hadambi didn’t return Hidamba himself came to them. There was a fierce fight between Hidamba and Bheema. Finally Bheema killed Hidamba. Kunti and Yudishtira gave their consent for the marriage of Hidambi and Bheema. The couple got a son Ghatodkacha who valiantly faught in the Kurukshetra war killing many Kauravas.

Bheema killed another demon Bakasura who wanted a cart full of food and a human being every day form a nearby village. Kunti sent Bheema with a cart full of food to save the villagers. Bheema heartily ate all the food and killed Bakasura.

In the Kurukshetra war, Bheema defeated Duryodhana by breaking his thigh fulfilled his vow which was given to Draupadi.

Bheema as a boy was amazing and as an adult, he was matchless in his bodily strength.

PANDU AND DRITARASHTRA

It was a grim situation for Queen mother Sathyavathi when her son Vichitraveerya, the king of Kuru dynasty died without  any successor to the thrown.  Such grave situations in the epic Mahabharatha always threw up an unexpected answer which would affect the dynasty greately later on.  Perhaps it was the script prepared by fate that eventually led to the Kurukshetra war where in good prevailed over evil.

Queen mother asked her step son Bheeshma to retract from his vows that he would not become king or and he would not marry, and marry her son’s Vichitraveerya’s widows Ambalika and Ambika to get children from them to avoid succession crisis.  Bheeshma refused to retract from his vows.  Queen mother, then meditated upon her son Vyasa, the great sage, to present himself before her to bless the widows to get children by yogic power. 

Events were waiting to happen.  The story of the birth of the 3 important male characters, Pandu, Dhritarashtra and Vidura was the origin of the epic Mahabharata.  When Ambalika went before the sage Vyasa she closed her eyes to avoid the brightness of the sage.  This is how blind Dritarashtra was born.  Queen mother was greately unhappy about this.  This time she sent Ambika before the sage.  Seeing the great sage, Ambika became pale.  Thus pale Pandu was born.  Queen mother asked Ambika to see the sage once again, but Ambika was unwilling.  Instead she sent her maid servant in the queens dress before the sage.  Thus Vidura was born to maid servant.

As Dritarashtra was blind his yunger brother Pandu was made the king.  This is the origin point of jealousy and heatred between Kauravas and Pandavas.  Bheeshma, brought Gandhari from Gandhara kingdom for Dritarashtra and Kunti married Pandu.  Gandhari tied a silk piece of cloth around her eyes and remained blind throughout her life because her husband Dritarashtra was blind.Dritarashtra got 100 sons and a daughter from Gandhari who were called Kauravas.  Pandu because of a curse by a sage could not touch his wives and hence, Pandu asked kunti to invoke a Mantra which was given to her by sage Durvasa.  By invoking this mantra and praying a particular god she would get a son from him.  In this way Kunti became mother of Yudhishtira, Arjuna, Bheema.  She has encouraged Madri, the second wife of Pandu to invoke the mantra to get Nakula and Sahadeva.  They were called Pandavas. Kauravas and Pandavas  were never on friendly terms.  Duryodana eldest brother of Kauravas was always planning to destroy Pandavas. 

After king Pandu’s death, Dhritarashtra divided the kingdom into 2 parts and gave one each to his sons and Pandavas.  Duryodana retained Hastinapura.  Pandavas built their own capital Indraprastha.  Duryodana defeated Yudishtira in the game of dice with the help of Shakuni.  As perthe  agreement of the game, Pandavas went to forest to spend 12 years of exile and 1 year in Agnyatavasa (incognito life). 

Pandavas spent 13 years (including 1 year agnyatavasa) and returned to Hastinapura and demanded their part of the kingdom.  Duryodana refused to keep up his own words of the game of dice, resulting in the Kurukshetra war and distruction of Kauravas. 

In his inner mind, Dritarashtra knew that his son Duryodana did not follow dharma yet because of his love for his son, he encouraged Duryodana to go ahead in his crucked thinking.  After the death of his sons Dhritarashtra along with Gandhari, Kunti and Vidura went to forest to do the penance and they died in the forest fire.

INCORNATION OF YAMADHARMA : VIDURA

The birth of Vidura, cousin brother of Pandu and Dhritharashtra, is an interesting story.  The Sage Mandavya was ritious and truthful.  He performed severe religious pennons under a tree in front of his hermitage.  He spent years in deep meditation.  One day misfortune visited him.  A band of robbers who were chased by king’s men came to the sage’s hermitage and hid their stolen goods in the hermitage and hid themselves behind the nearby bushes.  King’s men saw the sage who was in deep meditation.  King’s men did not get a suitable reply from the sage.  They entered the hermitage and found the stolen goods.  They also caught the robbers.  After executing the robbers, king’s men crucified the sage and left the place.

The sage did not die because of his yogic power.  He wanted to know why he was punished like this even though he had not committed any mistake.  He went to Yamadharma and questioned him.  But the reply did not satisfy the sage.  The sage cursed him and said.  “Yamaraja, you will born as a son of a servant maid”.  This is how Vidura was born. 

Kuru king Vichitraveerya died without having sons.  Queen mother Sathyavathi begged Vedavyasa to bless the widowed queens of Vichitraveerya.  Queen Ambalika was frightened when she saw the brightness of the sage.  She closed her eyes.  Thus Dhritharashtra was born blind.  The second queen too returned pale when she saw the sage.  That is how Pandu was born very pale.  Queen mother asked the second queen Ambika to serve the sage again.  But Ambika sent her maid servant in her place and Vidura was born.  Vidura is the incarnation of Yamadharma.    He mastered Dhrmashastra, Artha shastra and spiritual knowledge. Vidura became famous as Mahatma Vidura.

Prince Pandu became an adept in Archery.  Blind Dhritharashtra was supreme in his physical strength.  Vidura was riteous.  Pandu married Kunti, Dhritharashtra married Gandhari.  Pandu’s sons became famous as Pandavas and Dhritharashtra’s sons were known as kauravas.  When Panndu died, Dhritharashtra divided the kingdom into 2 parts.  Duryodhana, the eldest son of Dhritharashtra retained Hastinnapura.  Pandavas built their own capital Indraprastha.  The rivelry between them grew.  Duryodhana was very jelous of his cousins Pandavas.  He wanted to destroy them.  Vidura’s advise went unheaded.

Duryodhana beat Dharmaraya in the crucked game of dice.  When Pandavas returned from excile from forest for 12 years and one year of Agnathavasa as per agreement of the game of dice, Duryodhana refued to hand back the kingdom of Pandavas.  Vidura’s advise had no effect on Dhritharashtra.  Kurukshethra war became inevitable.  “Let things happen according to god’s wish” said Vidura.  Kauravas were defeated and were killed in the Kurukshethra war. 

Dharmaraya visited Vidura who was in deep tapas, counting his last days of life.  n Vidura opened his eyes and looked fixedly at Dharmaraya and passed away.  Vidura’s soul left his body and became one with Dharmaraja’s.

INDIA @ 70 : A REPORT TO BAPU

“Happy Birth day, Bapu”.  My father has narrated that incidence many times.  We should experience it from his  own words.  “I was only 7 or 8 years old when they shot you dead in the evening at the prayer time in the Birla House.  The entire nation was weeping.  I did not, then, understand the significance of your murder.  As I went through the school and college, more appropriately through the University of life, I realised what your murder meant.  Then I wept.”

Times, Bapu, have changed.  Today’s India is not the India you know.  Alarmingly we have drifted from the old ideals and values of freedom and life, you and other leaders like Nehru, Patel and others had put India on the right path of progress along with ideals and values of life.  You used the most powerful weapon “Ahimsa” (non violence) which brought down the British empire to its knees.  Sorry Bapu, today this  weapon has lost it’s strength.  Instead we use “Himsa”(violence”) weapon to get money, political power or whatever we want.

Means don’t mean anything to us.  We have twisted and blunted your another powerful weapon “Truth”.  Situation in India today is such that we do not get anything if we still use your old weapon, “Truth”.   Again means mean nothing.  To attain the political power we use the old British “Divide and rule “ policy.  We have improved on that.  We have divided the people on the basis of caste, language and religion basis.  That is very essential for us to attain or retain political power.  They are our vote banks.

Gender discrimination is another thing you don’t believe if i describe it.  Newspaper carry the news of violence on women every day.  “Nirbhaya” like cases are reported on daily basis.  We simply don’t care.  “Unity in diversity” is an old ueless culture we no longer believe in.  We are fast creating a new culture in which there will be no diversity. 

Bapu, we the common people have  lot of  hope.  You are still relevant to us.  We know your name is powerful enough to reverse the trend and put India on the right track.  We are waiting for that to happen.  Once again “Happy Birthday” Bapu.

THE KAURAVA MOTHER - GANDHARI

Gandhari, another important female character in the epic Mahabharata also underwent physical and mental sufferings like Kunti and Draupadi. Gandhari was the only daughter of the Gandhara king Subala with  hundred brothers, Shakuni being the youngest one. Gandhari made unparalleled sacrifices throughout her life. She imbibed strong moral values in her life.

King  Subala was worried when he came to know that Gandhari’s horoscope predicted that  her husband would die immediately after her marriage. To avert such calamities, he first performed her marriage to a goat, but misfortune for Gandhari didn’t stop there. Bhishma arrived and requested the king to give his daughter Gandhari in marriage to the blind Dhrutarashtra of the Kuru dynasty. It is then her high moral values surfaced and she wanted to identify completely with her husband. Hence she tied a piece of silk to her eyes voluntarily. The youngest brother Shakuni wasn’t happy with this. When sage Veda-Vyasa came to Hastinapur after marriage she served the sage with reverence and devotion. The sage granted her a boon and wished for a hundred sons. Thus Gandhari became a mother of hundred Kauravas, Duryodhana being the eldest one.

Gandhari was a loyal and a dedicated wife to Dhrutarashtra. She disliked her eldest son Duryodhana’s jealousy and hatred towards his cousins, the Pandavas. She tried to educate Duryodhana about the perils of jealousy. She even warned her brother Shakuni for misleading her son Duryodhana. She told them that hatred towards the Pandavas would ruin them. Unfortunately her advice went unheeded and Gandhari witnessed their destruction with agony and sorrow.

Gandhari had a good relationship with Kunti. Both of them were loving mothers. Despite the fact that they stood on opposite sides during the Kurukshetra war they supported and shared each other’s sorrow. Gandhari followed the Pativrata dharma which enabled her to attain great spiritual powers.

In the Kurukshetra war all of her sons except Duryodhana were killed. Duryodhana finally had to face Bheema and Gandhari wanted to save him. She asked him to stand before her naked and she would unfold the cloth which she covered her eyes with, and glance through his body which would give him a diamond strong body so that no one could defeat him in the war. Krishna heard about this and approached Duryodhana and chided him about appearing before his mother naked. Hence Duryodhana covered his thighs with the loins and appeared before his mother. When Gandhari removed her cloth to focus on Duryodhana’s body she was aghast that he had disobeyed her.

In the Kurukshetra war all her sons were killed. She was grief-stricken at the loss of her children. She cursed Krishna that the entire Yadava clan too would be destroyed and Krishna would also die like an ordinary man. Krishna accepted her curse gracefully. After the war Yudhishthira became the king. Dhrutarashtra, Gandhari and Kunti decided to leave Hastinapura for forest to engage themselves with this spiritual practice. In the forest they perished in the forest fire. Yudhishthira with a heavy heart performed their last rites.

Gandhari’s goodness and purity were severely tested. Her sorrow and agony on the loss of her sons touches one’s heart.

Born Of Fire: Draupadi

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”. This is an old English adage. Draupadi was scorned, so she became a cause for the destruction of the Kauravas. Draupadi was the second most important female character after Kunti Devi in the Mahabharata. The most ignonimous insults that can be heaped on a woman was subjected to Draupadi.  Draupadi was most tortured, ill-treated and insulted lady character in the epic Mahabharatha.. In a way the Mahabharata starts and ends with Draupadi.

Mahabharata contains many twists and turns and the birth of Draupadi was one. She was born out of the “yagna” fire. The king of Panchala, Drupada, wanted a son who could kill Drona who had insulted him and he consulted two sages- Yaja and Upayaja to perform a suitable yajna to favour him a son. At the end of the yagna, Drupada was favoured with a son and a daughter. The boy was named Drishtadyumna and the girl was named Krishnaa and was also called Draupadi as she was Drupada’s daughter. When Draupadi grew up to a young lady,  king Drupada announced her swayamvara.  Arjuna (due to circumstances  the Pandavas were in the Brahmins’ disguise on the advice of Veda Vyasa at that time), won the hard test of archery and also won Draupadi.

Here life took a turn for Draupadi. The pandavas were very happy and when they returned home they announced to their mother Kunti who was in the kitchen. “Mother we have brought a special alm.” Kunti mistook it for eatable and said “Good. Share it equally among yourselves.” Hearing this the Pandavs were worried and they consulted Lord Krishna and many sages who told the Pandavas to fulfil their mother’s wish, even though the wish was announced by mistake. This is how Draupadi became Panchali (wife of the five pandavas).

Draupadi’s marriage didn’t end with happiness. Difficult days started as the Mahabharata had to happen. Fate decided a devious way in Draupadi’s life in such a way that good prevailed over evil. Yudishthira lost everything including Draupadi and his brothers in the deceitful game of dice. Duryodhana announced that Draupadi was his servant and asked his younger brother Dushyasana to bring Draupadi court. Dushyasana, being an evil mind,  brought her forcefully by holding her hair in spite of her opposition and disrobed her before the full court. Draupadi prayed hard to lord Krishna and he covered Draupadi by thousands of unseen sarees until dushyasana was tired. Deeply pained by this, Draupadi took an oath that till she apply the blood of kauravas to her hair and comb her hair with their bones, she will not fold her hair. Bhima, unable to control himself announced that he will fulfil her oath. This was the unseen beginning of the Kurukshetra war.

As per the agreement of the game of dice, Pandavas went to the forest and completed twelve years of their life in forest and one year of Agnyatavasa (incognito life ) and returned to Hastinapura and requested Duryodhana for their share of kingdom, but duryodhana refused to fulfil his part of the agreement. Thus the kurukshetra war became inevitable. The kurukshetra war was the ultimate game of fate where good prevailed over evil.

In the kurukshetra war, all the Kauravas were defeated and killed. Bheema as he had vowed, killed dushasana which fulfilled  Draupadi’s oath.   Draupadi’s difficult days were not over.  All her five sons called upapandavas were killed by kauravas unethically.  But the war was not completed because Ashwatthama, the son of Drona was still alive. He had a divine jewel on his head. He had it from birth. Until the jewel was removed he couldn’t be killed. Arjuna succeeded in removing the jewel and was about to kill Ashwatthama. Draupadi stopped Arjuna from killing him and said he was equal to Arjuna’s guru as he was the son of Drona, and he was the only son of Drona. Drona was already killed in the war and Ashwatthama’s mother was still alive and killing him also, causes unbearable grief to his mother.

Although Draupadi suffered unbearable insults, one can find a compassionate mind in her.

KUNTI DEVI

Kunti Devi was a model women in the history of mankind.  She stood for great ideals and practised it.  Boons and Curses are a part of the Mahabharata.  Once Kunthi served sage Durvasa with great devotion though she was very young.  Pleaed with her service,  Sage Durvasa blessed her with 5 divine manthras , on chanting each mantra, she would beget a child by the grace of the god of that mantra.  The sage taught  Kunti  the Mantras and said “Little child, if you chant these mantras and invite any of the gods they will grant you a child.. 

Kunti who acquired the power of mantras was very curious.  With her childhood curiosity   she chanted the mantra facing the Sun.  The Sun god appeared before her and placed a baby boy in her hands and disappeared.  It was a bright child with divine armour and two divine ear rings.  Kunti was very happy when she saw the child but was afraid because she was still a maiden.  She placed the baby in a box and  set the box sailed on the water of the river Ganga. The child was wearing armour and  earringson his birth , Later he became famous by the name Karna who suffered a lot  in his life though he wass the eldest among Pandavas..

In the course of time Kunti got married to prince Pandu.  One  day, the king went hunting and killed  a male deer which was spending time with a female deer. .  It was not an ordinary deer.  The deer cursed the king and said “If you touch your wife you will die”.  All were worried about the future.  Kunti remembered the divine mantras given by sage Durvasa.

Kunti thinking of Yama dharma chanted the mantra and got a child who became famous as Yudhishthira.  Then she again chanted the mantra thinking of Vayu Deva.  Thus Bheemasena was born.  Yet again she chanted the Mantra, thinking of Devendra and Arjuna was born.  King’s second wife Madri desired to have a son and Kunti initiated Madri into mantra and Madri was favoured with twins.  Nakula and Sahadeva were born.  Thus the Pandavas were born.

When the Pandavas grew up and went to Draupadi’s swayamwar and Arjuna won the task given by King Drupada and won Draupadi.  When they came back home, they told Kunti, that they have brought a specialAlms.  Kunti who was inside the house said “all of you share it equally amongst yourselves”.  She spoke these words unknowingly  and Draupadi became the wife of pancha pandavas.

As years rolled by and when the Kurukshetra war became inevitable, Kunti went to Karna and revealed the secret and said Karna was the eldest of the Pandavas and begged him to come to the side of the Pandavas.  Karna though he was happy to learn that he was a Kshatriya and not a sutaputra (low caste).  He refused to change his side and stood by Duryodana, his friend who helped him in his bad days.

During the Kurukshetra war, Kunti used to take Drutarashtra and Gandhari to the river Ganga everyday for performing Sandhya Vandana.  Kunti’s will power was amazing.  It was as strong as the Himalayas.  After the Kurukshetra war Yudhishthira became the king, Drutarashtra and Gandhari decided to leave to the forest.  Disagreeing everyone’s request Kunti accompanied them to serve them in the forest.

Kunti reached heaven when her body was consumed by wild fire.

THE LEGENDARY TEACHER: GURU DRONA

The epic Mahabharata is full of riddles and ironies. One such irony was that  guru Drona had to fight his own pet student Arjuna who was an expert in archery and  in the use of divine weapons in the kurukshetra war. A shade of tragedy is interlinked  with guru drona’s life. Drona was the son of the sage Bharadvaja. Drona studied the Vedas and shastras and became a great scholar. Drona studies archery and Agneyastra and the secrets of a number of divine weapons and mastered the art. He  had a son and a daughter. After some time he left the ashram and went to the Himalayas

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Drona and drupada studied together in the gurukula and were great friends. Drupada wass the king of Panchala.  Drupada had promised Drona, his friend during his studies in gurukula that he would share half of his kingdom when he becomes the king. Drone was very poor. After coming from the Himalayas he met Drupada who was throned as the king of Panchala.  But Drupada had changed after becoming the king and he insulted Drona. The dejected Drona went to Hastinapura and met  Bhishma.  Bhishma appointed Drona as Acharya to teach the Kuru princes the art of archery.

The kuru princes progressed well in the art of war. Arjuna excelled in archery. Drona was very well satisfied with their progress. Drona couldn’t forget the insults he suffered from Drupada. Now is the time to take revenge on drupada he thought. He explained everything to Arjuna and asked him to go on war against Drupada and defeat him and bring him as a prisoner to him. When Drupada stood as a prisoner, drona gave half the kingdom to Drupada.

Drona’s school was meant only for the kshatriya princes. When ekalavya who wasn’t a Kshatriya approached drona and requested him to accept him as his shishya  but drona rejected his request. Ekalavya made an idol of dronaacharya and placed it on a pedestal and began to learn lessons in archery with full of devotion and became an expert in archery. Dronacharya was informed about this by the kuru princes. Dronacahrya came face to face with Ekalavya and asked his right thumb as gurudakshina. Ekalavya didn’t hesitate even for a second and cut off his thumb and placed it on the feet of Dronacharya. This episode was a riddle, irony and tragedy in the life of dronacharya.

Before the kurukshetra war Yudishtira approached Dronacharya to side with the pandavas in the war but the great teacher said  he was bound by Duryodhana’s hospitality and was obliged to Duryodhana. Then Yudhistira asked Guru drona as to how he could beat him in the war and asked him the secret of defeating him. Dronacharya said that he would lay down his arms when he hears something from a person whom he believes the most.

In the war Krishna made Yudhistira to declare ‘Ashwatthamohataha  Kunjaraha’, an elephant named Ashwathama was dead.  But by the time he announced kunjaraha meaning elephant, Krishna sounded his Panchajanya so that Dronacharya could not hear that and Drona understood that his son Ashwathama was dead.  As soon as dronacharya heard this, he laid down his arms and Arjuna using this opportunity killed his teacher.

Indeed, dronacharya’s life was a mixture of tragedy, irony and riddle.

ICCHAMARANI: BHISHMA PITAMAHA

Every day thousands of people die but none of us know when the end comes to us. We don’t have the will power to decide the time of thee end of our life.. We, Hindus believe that one’s span of life is in the hands of god. However there was one man in the epic, Mahabharata, who was ‘Icchamarani’. That was Bhishma Pitamaha. This boon was given to Bhishma by his father Shantanu. Death wouldn’t approach Bhishma until he himself gave consent to death.  Bhishma was the second most important character in Mahabharata after Krishna.

Shantanu, the emperor, was enjoying the beauty of the holy Ganga, where he saw a young heavenly maiden. Instantly Shantanu approached her with a marriage proposal. She agreed to Shantanu’s proposal on one condition that the king shouldn’t object to anything she does. If there were to be any objection she says she would leave the king. The king agreed to this condition.

Years rolled by. The queen gave birth to a handsome boy. The queen took the child to the river  Ganga and threw the baby into the river.In this way the queen threw seven children into the river. Then the queen gave birth to her eighth child which also a boy. She took the child to the river. Shantanu couldn’t withstand this anymore. He shouted ‘Stop your cruelty’. Then the queen said ‘The time has come for me to go for you have broken your vow’. She revealed herself that she was Ganga Devi and disappeared. The survived eighth child was Bhishma.

After Several years  Shantanu made Bhishma (Devavrata) as his heir (Yuvraja) to the throne. At this juncture, life took another turn for Bhishma. Shantanu went hunting. And while returning back he saw a beautiful lady and became mad after her. He wanted to marry her. Her name was Satyavati.  Shantanu didn’t express his desire to anyone. Devavrata understood his father’s worry. Then he met Satyavati’s father to marry his daughter to king Shantanu. But Satyavati’s father put a condition that Satyavati’s children should become heirs to the throne. Devavrata readily agreed and also made a vow that he would remain unmarried. Satyavati gave birth to two boys-Chitrangadha and Vichitraveerya. Shantanu passed away. The elder son Chitrangadha became the king but in a war, Chitrangadha was killed. Hence after Vichitraveerya became the king. Bhishma wanted to perform his marriage and went to Kashi where the Kashi king had arranged for a swayamvara. Here life took another fateful turn for Bhishma. Amba, Ambika, Ambalika the three daughters of the king of Kashi  were taken away by Bhishma after defeating the other ambitious kings  who had attended the  the swayamvara with the aim of marrying the princesses.. Ambika and Ambalika married the king Vichitraveerya. Amba the eldest daughter, vowed to take revenge on Bhishma and went away to do tapas and turned herself into Shikandi (transgender) who ultimately became the reason for the downfall of Bhishma in the kurukshetra war.

Arjuna took shikandi with him on his chariot to fight Bhishma who flatly refused to fight with a Shikandi. Arjuna took this opportunity and showered arrows at Bhishma. Bhishma rolled down on the ground but Arjuna made a bed of arrows for Bhishma to lay down, without touching the ground. Bhishma spent 58 nights on the bed of arrows to wait for Uttarayana to set in.

The only icchamarani in the mankind and a matchless warrior, Bhishma Pitamaha chose his time in Uttarayana to breathe his last.