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.