See for the online version with illustrations http://www.bagavatham.

org Tales from the Bhagavatham retold for Children By P.S. Krishna Iyer Price: UnpricedFor Private Circulation OnlyBY THATHA Preface OM! NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA Chapter 1 Sk 3 . Ch 15 - Slokam 30 Coming of KapilaMother and Son Chapter 2 Sk 4 . Ch 6 - Slokam 32 The Great Daksha Yagam Chapter 3 Sk 4 . Ch 8 - Slokam 54 The Story of Dhruva Chapter 4 Sk 4 . Ch 16 - Slokam 16 The Story of VenanPrithu and Archis Chapter 5 Sk 4 . Ch 25 - Slokam 58 Prachinabarhis and His Sons the Prachetases The Allegory of King Puranjana Chapter 6 Sk 5 . Ch 5 - Slokam 1 Prachetas Daksha's DaughtersPriyavrataAgnidhra and PurvajithiThe Story of Nabhi Chapter 7 Sk 5 . Ch 8 - Slokam 1 The Story of BharataBharata the Brahmin Bharata and Rahugana Chapter 8 Sk 6 . Ch 2 - Slokam 15 AjamilaThe Story of AjamilaIndra's Disrespect of GuruNarayana KavachamThe Strang e Request of Devas to Dadichi The Battle Between Indra and Vritra How Indra Was Saved From The Sin Of Brahmahatya Chapter 9 Sk 7 . Ch 6 - Slokam 1 Prahlada Prahlada's Childhood The Story of Mayan, the Master Builder of The Asur asVarna Ashrama Dharmam Chapter 10 Sk 8 . Ch 2 - Slokam 1 Gajendra MokshamPrevious History of The Elephant and Alligator Chapter 11 Sk 8 . Ch 7 - Slokam 1 The Great ChurningThe Coming Of MohiniThe Great Deva Asura War Sri Siva's Illusi on The Manwantaras And Revival Of Bali The Payovrita Chapter 12 Sk 9 . Ch 4 - Slokam 15 Matsyavataram The Lord's Avatar As Fish Ambarisha Thrisanku And Viswamitra Sagar a And His AswamedhaBhagiratha Brings GangaKhatvangaKhatvanga's Descendants Chapter 13 Sk 9 . Ch 10 - Slokam 4 RamayanaAhalya MokshamMithila: Janaka's Court Parasurama Chapter 14 Sk 9 . Ch 21 - Slokam 2 YayatiSakuntalam Rantideva Chapter 15 Sk 10 . Ch 3 - Slokam 9, 10 Sri Krishna Avatar Brahma's Hymn of PraiseTrinavartha Yasoda's Vision Krishna Is Bound To A Wooden Mortar Liberation of Nalakubera And ManigrivaTheir Previous H istoryTrek to Brindavan Krishna And The Old Fruit Vendor Bakasura The Crane The Salvation of AghasuraBrahma's Vision Parikshit's Doubt Chapter 16 Sk 10 . Ch 15 - Slokam 1 The Death of Dhenuka Kaliya MardanamThe Women's PrayerPrevious Story of KaliyaTh e Summer Season - Pralamba's Attack Saved From The Forest Fire The Rainy SeasonA

utumn Chapter 17 Sk 10 . Ch 21 - Slokam 1 Music of the Flute Karthiyayani PenanceSalvation of the Brahmin Women Preparatio n for the Indra YagnaLifting of GovardhanDivinity RealizedKrishna's Abishek Or H oly Bath Revelation of Vaikunta Rasalila The Song of The GopisSudarsana's Salvat ion Sankhuchuda's Salvation Yugala GeethemThe Death of Arishtasura, the Ox Demon Kesi's Death Vyomasura The Magician Chapter 18 Sk 10 . Ch 38 - Slokam 1 Akrura's Vision Akrura's HymnKrishna In Mathura Further Adventures The Episode O f The Crooked SundariDhanur YagnaThe Brothers At Sandipani AshramUdhava And The Gopis Chapter 19 Sk 10 . Ch 50 - Slokam 1 Confrontation with Jarasandha Dwaraka Muchukunda Moksham Rukmini's MarriageRukmi ni's Letter The Story of the Jewel SyamanthakaThe Destruction Of Narakasura The Story of NrigaDiversion of Yamuna Paundraka Moksham Dwivida The Monkey Chapter 20 Sk 10 . Ch 69 - Slokam 41 PradyumnaKrishna at IndraprasthaKhandava Dahanam A Lover's QuarrelThe Story of U sha And AnirudhaDragging Of HastinapuraKrishna the Householder The Lord's Daily RoutineFight With JarasandhaElimination Of Salva and Dandavakra Chapter 21 Sk 10 . Ch 80 - Slokam 6 The Story of Kuchela Or Grace Supreme Chapter 22 Sk 10 . Ch 82 - Slokam 1 The Great Reunion Devaki Sees Her Dead Sons Again Krishna's Visit To Srutadeva A nd Janaka The Hymn of the VedasThe Story Of Vrikasura, Sri Siva And Sri HariVrik asura Chapter 23 Sk 10 . Ch 89 - Slokam 22 Recovery of the Brahmin's ChildrenKrishna The In.nite The Curse Of The Brahmins Sermon of the NavayogisDevas Request For The Lord's Return Chapter 24 Sk 11 . Ch 6 - Slokam 43 Avadhuta's Twenty-Four GurusThe Story Of Pingala The CourtesanLimitations Of Ved ic Ritualism The Song Of The SwanMore About The SanyasinThe Bhikshu's StoryThe B hikshu's SongPururava And Urvasi Krishna Bids Farewell Chapter 25 Sk 12 . Ch 6 - Slokam 8 The End Of The Yadavas Krishna's Ascension Advent Of KaliyugaTime Another Aspect Of GodParikshit Attains Moksham Janamejaya's Sacri.ce Chapter 26 Sk 12 . Ch 8 - Slokam 11 The Story Of MarkandeyaMaya Darsanam - Sutha ContinuedMarkandeya Has Vision Of S ri Rudra HARI OM CONCLUSION OM ! NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA Preface It will be generally agreed that some of the happiest moments of our life were t hose spent listeningto bedtime stories told by our doting old grand parents. Ver y often they may be repeating the same old story; but that did not matter at all . "Hello Children, come here. Once upon a time there was aking" and the story wo uld go on and children would be in fairyland. Now on re.ection, we realizethat t hese bed time stories served a great purpose. Children were led to appreciate br

avery, truthfulness, honesty, goodness etc and detest sins. And all this was acco mplished in the least expensive and psychologically most effective way. Unfortun ately all these have changed. Thousands of miles separate modern grand parents from their grand children to th e detriment ofboth. This defect can be overcome to some extent through good stor ybooks and only through books.Advice from parents, however good, can be awfully boring; it may even have negative effects. Stories from Greek classics served a g ood purpose. Heroes by Kingsly and Tanglewood tales by Hawthorne are typical. Th ey increased the child's vocabulary and language power in the most natural way, t hrough context; not through dictionary. A clear understanding of our own numerous deities is necessary. They are just co ncepts leading to the grand philosophy of the Gita. Hoping that the book will .nd favour with children and the kind indulgence of th e elders. Your Servant P.S. Krishna Iyer OM! NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA After the great holocaust of Mahabharata when most of the friends and all the en emies of Pandavaswere slain, Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna was installed as the king at Hastinapura (Modern Delhi). He was as valorous as his father Abhimany u and invincible like his grandfather Arjuna and it seemed that Krita Yuga had o nce again returned. But it was not to be. All things must change. The king went out a hunting. It was essential to keep the wild animals at bay. A fter a daylong hunt, the king got separated from his attendants. He was very thi rsty and looking about, saw an ashram(hermitage) at a distance. Taking off his s hoes and with folded arms the king gently entered the ashram and there saw an ol d sage, Maharishi Angeras sunk in deep meditation. Parikshit tried to rouse him but the sage would not open his eyes. In a weak moment the king was overcome wit h anger. A serpent had cast off its coils near by. With the end of his bow the ki ng took it up and placed it round the neck of the meditating saint and departed. The bad news soon reached the ears of Sringi, the son of Angeras. At once, surro unded by his playmates he returned to the ashram and saw the dead snake round his father's neck. He burst into tears. Hearing that, it was done by the king himse lf, he .ew into a rage and taking a handful of water inhis palms pronounced a te rrible curse. He said. "On the seventh day from now the king shall die ofsnake b ite, bitten by Takshaka". Angeras Maharishi hearing the hubbub woke from his samadhi. On hearing all that had happened,he was displeased with his son. He said, "What have you done my son ! The king is a great ruler. Who will protect us, ensuring peace all around, ena bling us to pursue tapas? You must go at once and beg for pardon." Sringi was ab ashed to hear this. Meanwhile the king too had heard of the curse. Too late he repented for his cond uct. A Brahmin's curse was irrevocable and death was certain. But he now wanted to know how to meet it remembering Hari always and of course at the last moment. The ministers - most of them being sages and rishis - advised him to call on a g reat conference.News spread fast, couriers were sent to distant parts of the kin gdom and even outside. A vast concourse assembled on the banks of the Ganges. Bha gavan Atri, and the great sages Vasishta, Chyavana, Bhrigu, Angeras, Bharadvaj, G autama, Agastya, Dwaipayana, Viswamitra, Sri Narada himselfand many others had a ssembled. When all were comfortably seated, the king asked them what a dying man should do to realize God. While they were debating, there came by accident as it were Vyasa Maharshi's son Sri Suka, the bachelor saint, always sixteen years old , glowing like the risingsun. The great assembly rose en-masse and conducted him to the acharya's seat. Parikshit said, "It is certainly our great good fortune that Bhagavan has chosen to come amongst us.Kindly tell us what a mortal facing death should do to reali ze Hari". Sri Suka replied "Oh! King! Your question is most opportune. We all face death a ny moment. At least you have the certainty of living for seven days. Consider th

is whole universe as the manifestation of Sri Hari. His feet are in the nether wo rld; His waist and abdomen constitute the earth. Hishead is the heavenly region. His eyes are the sun and moon. His heart is Truth itself. Contemplate on this d ivine form and before long you will be merged in Him enjoying great peace and ec stasy." Sri Suka continued. "Sri Hari takes various forms. The most pleasant is Adi Nara yana with four arms carrying the conch, the disc, the mace and the lotus, loungi ng on the serpent body of Adisesha with the ever-constant Sri Devi attending wit h all the other Parshadas. It is Vaikunta, glistening withgolden domes and marbl e palaces. All the blessed inhabitants look alike and are in the prime of youth. The women resemble their mistress Sri Devi. The fragrance of heavenly .owers ex ude from them, and they sing hymns praising the glory of the Lord. Even the parr ots chant Vedas. It is all so pleasant. But, Sri Narayana wanted a change. It ca me about as follows." Thus Bhagavan Sri Suka started to tell the sacred story of the lord The Bhagavat ham. CHAPTER 1 Sk 3 . Ch 15 - Slokam 30 The Sanat Kumaras, the great Rishis were closest in attendance on the Lord. They were four in number and all looked like .ve-year-old children. They could trave l anywhere in the universe with the speed of thought on missions of peace and go odwill. It happened that they were just on such amission and the same thought oc curred to all of them . They said to each other, "Brothers, we have been absent from our Lord too long; let us return." The next moment they were at the gates of Vaikunta and holding each other by the hand they con.dently entered the .rst of the seven golden gates, when they were brusquely stopped by two gigantic guards with crossed lances. The guards said. "S top! Sri Narayana and Sri Devi have retired to rest. Wait till they wake up." Th e Kumaras were stunned. There was no time restriction for entry to heaven. But t he guards were adamant. The Kumaras became angry, which was something quite unus ual. They said, "You two do not deserve to be here! Go down to the lower regions and after expiating your sins you can come here again". The Lord of course, knew that something was amiss and with Sri Devi came down to set thingsright. The Lord appeared before them along with Sree Devi. Everyone p rostrated, feeling rather guilty. The Supreme Lord said, "You Kumaras and you Dw ara palakas, do not feel guilty. It was all my wish. Now the curse pronounced by the Kumaras cannot be revoked. But I give you a choice.You can return to me aft er three birth - death cycles as my enemies or after seven birth - death cycles as my devotees". The giant guards replied, "We cannot wait for seven births and deaths. We would rather choose the shorter course of three cycles". Their request was granted. Im mediately the gigantic guards were thrown head downwards to earth. We have now to revert to the events happening with Kasyapa Prajapati. It is need less to say that Brahma's son Kasyapa Prajapati was a very great Maharishi. He h ad two wives, Diti and Aditi. The devas (gods) were the sons of Aditi, Indra bei ng the eldest and most powerful. Diti also underwent rigorous tapas for children . Kasyapa was pleased and resolved to bless her also with sons; but shewould not wait for the right time. The sun was setting and it was time for prayer; but Di ti did not mind all that. Overcome with sudden passion, she enticed the protesti ng Kashyapa. He said, "Oh! My dear, this is time for worship of my brother Sri Rudra who is presently going round the universeaccompanied by his followers and his ire will be roused if pe ople misbehave." But Diti would nothear. It was fate. Just then the two guards w ere hurtling towards the world and they entered her womb Diti knew that they were asuric (demoniac) and suppressed them for a hundred yea rs within herwomb. There were ominous signs. The atmosphere became intolerably h ot , jackals howled, owls hooted and showers of red-hot stones fell from the sky . The twins named Hiranyakasipu and Hiranyaksha were born and they grew apace . T heir golden crowns touched the clouds. As they walked around , the earth trembled . The seas swept over the land. As Hiranyaksha the younger brother stepped into

the sea, it was only knee deep. It was water all around. The sages and gods, as usual appealed to Sri Hari who immediately took the form of a huge boar and plun ged into the sea. And then ensued a .erce battle, which lasted many days with ma ny ups and downs and many an anxiousmoment for the sages. At last Sri Hari gave a .erce blow and the demon fell dead . Hiranyakasipu heard about the terrible death of his brother and resolved to aven ge it. He thought, "Imust be well prepared. By intense tapas I will acquire such boons as will make me invincible." Withthis unholy resolve he left his queen an d kingdom and repaired to the forest and undertook unheardof austerities, - such as standing on one leg only and fasting all the time. Birds settled on his matt edlocks, wild bees stung his face and carnivorous ants slowly devoured his body. Fumes and tongues of .ame began to shoot from his body because of the intensity of his tapas. Thus he continued his tapas for long long years. Meanwhile important events were happening in the regions ruled by the Manus. Her e the land wasbroad and the forests were green. The broad rivers and the numerou s sparkling rivulets made the land almost like another heaven on earth. The work ers toiled happily. There was peace and plenty everywhere and the elderly sages stayed in the forests engaged in tapas. Over this blessed land ruled, the king Sw ayambhuva Manu with queen Satarupa. Kardama was a renowned sage, young and handsome. He wished there were more peopl e. When a great rishi has a particular wish, God at once ful.lls it. And so it h appened. The next day, emperor Swayambhuva Manu came riding in a golden chariot accompanied by his queen Satarupa and theirbeautiful daughter Devahuti. They sal uted the young sage and said "Sir, I have been told that you intend to marry and we humbly entreat you to accept our beautiful daughter as your partner. She is quali.ed in every respect, by her age, character and upbringing. We will be bles sed if you accept her. O! Great Sage!" The sage was pleased for this was what he himself had desired and accepted the bride. Leaving their daughter in the ashra m the king and the queen returned to their capital.They gave their daughter many costly and useful gifts and with a tearful farewell left her in thehermitage. The princess was the ideal Hindu wife. She would sleep only after her husband ha d slept. Shewould get up early before him and sprinkle holy water in front of th e ashram. She kept the ashramclean; gathered .owers for the pooja and attended o n him like his shadow. Thus years rolled by and Devahuti became thinner. Her vei ns showed under the skin. The Maharishi noticed it and he was overcome with pity . He asked her what she wanted and she replied, "My lord! I want what every woma n wants. Children from you my wedded husband." The sage relented and said, "My d ear, You are emaciated and weak. Take a dip in that lake Bindusara near the rive r Saraswathy." The princess obeyed and entered the lake. And then a wonderful thing happened. S he was surrounded by hundreds of damsels who bathed her and dressed her with beau tiful garments. They adorned her with divine ornaments and .owers . The princess became very beautiful and radiant . Such was the Rishi's tapas. He himself beca me gloriously handsome like a god. The hermitage too was changed into a marvellou s mansion with hundreds of rooms and terrace above terrace. The golden domes on t op gleamed in the morning sun. The servants were clad in golden dresses. They we re eager and anxious to carry out any order. Devahuti knew that all this was due to the power of the Rishi's tapas .But the most wonderful thing about this pala ce was that it was a .ying mansion. They had only to wish and it would .y swiftl y over the clouds to wherever they wanted. In this way theyspent a happy time in the gardens of the gandharvas , demi-gods , and in the gardens around mountKail as itself. Sometimes they would be on mountain tops amid the rolling clouds or o n mountainslopes amid the tall cedar trees., Birds of every hue .itted here and there. The sunshine re.ected from their wings and their warbling sounds .lled th e air. Was there ever a honeymoon like this? But alas! Everything must end. The Maharishi woke up as from a sleep and realize d that he had strayed from the path of Brahman far too long. Meanwhile nine daug hters were born all of the sameage, as fair as the dawn. Devahuti was sad. She could read his mind. Kardama sadly said "My dear wife, now I must go. Ihave given you most beautiful children as I had promised." With a w

istful look, Devahuti sadly said, "My lord! I have been a foolish woman hankerin g after .eeting, foolish pleasures. With such agreat husband as you, I should ha ve earned the way to everlasting bliss. Besides, how can I - a lonewoman - .nd s uitable matches for these our beautiful daughters? And my lord, I would like to have a son who would be a support and guide me to salvation." The great sage relented. He remembered that God had promised to be born as his s on. He agreed tostay for some time more. Coming Of Kapila In due time Devahuti gave birth to a beautiful son. There were auspicious sounds all around . Agentle breeze wafted heavenly fragrance. Wild animals became tame and gentle. Devas and angels with Brahma at their head appeared overhead with g arlands in token of worship. For, it was their own lord, - the lord of the unive rse - who had come down to this sphere, to dispel the doubts ofrishis and establ ish Sankhya dharma for the salvation of mankind! Kardama and Devahuti prostrated before their child who had assumed his true form with four handsbearing the conch, the disc, the mace and the lotus. Now Kardama, his mission over, arranged the marriage of his daughters with nine renowned sages; Anasuya with Athri, Arundhathi with Vasishta and so on. Kardama took a last look at his divine son and bidding a tender farewell to the princess left for the Himalayas. Mother and Son Devahuti was now left alone with her son. She realized that her son was Vishnu ( God) incarnate. With folded hands she said, "I am deeply distressed my Lord. Dec eived by the senses, I have wasted my time in sensual enjoyments. Save me from t hese and teach me how to reach that eternalbliss from which there is no return." And the son, remembering that his body was derived from her, addressed her with great tenderness, "O Mother! This mind is the seat of everything good or bad. In association with the evil, it takes on that color but the same mind in associat ion with the good and the saintly, becomes like them. These saintly people will always do good actions or talk about godly things and enchanting stories aboutmy actions and me. When people hear about my glory, I enter through their ears and their hearts melt and they see the whole world as their kin. They see myself pr esent everywhere. Thus of all methods of reaching me, none is so pleasant or safe as the path of devotion. And therefore O Mother! You too leave off all thoughts of relatives or home and I assure you, you will come to me." Kapila then set off to the Himalayas with the permission of his mother and at Ba dariyasram began to do tapas. Though he was God himself, he did tapas as an exam ple to all yogis and taught Sankhya philosophy. It is said that he is still there , clearing the doubts of all earnest seekers as Sankhya Acharya. Devahuti now lived in a cottage by the side of river Saraswathi. She forgot her physical existence. Her mind .xed on Vasudeva, she .nally merged in Him . Her bo dy became a sparkling river known as Sidhitha. You may see it even today rolling over saligrama murmuring "Sivoham! Sivoham! " CHAPTER 2 Sk 4 . Ch 6 - Slokam 32 The Great Daksha Yagam Devahuti had a sister Prasuti by name and she was married to Daksha Prajapati, a son of Brahmahimself. This Daksha was the doyen of all the priests, performing elaborate rituals and sacri.ces. On one occasion all the priests and sages assem bled together and performed a famous sacri.ce.Daksha , shining like the sun , en tered there. Every one stood up in respect and awe except Brahmaand Rudra. Daksha noticed it. He went up to Brahma (his father) and saluted him formally an d took his seat,ignoring Sri Rudra who was one of the trinity. Daksha stood up a nd casting a baleful look at Sri Rudra declaimed, "Look at this presumptuous ups tart. Obeying my father Brahma, I gave my doeeyed daughter to this monkey-eyed b eggar whose abode is the burning ghat. He smears himselfwith ashes from the fune

ral pyre. The serpent is his necklace and ghosts and goblins are his attendants." But Sri Rudra, the great God that he was, calmly stood up and departed with his attendants. However Nandiswara, foremost among Sri Rudra's followers could not co ntain himself and cursed Daksha and his progeny to be idolatrous, slaves of women , traders in mantras with no real Brahminhood. Bhrigu of Daksha's camp .ung curs e for curse prophesying that saivites would follow unclean methods and unholy tan tric practices. Thus heartily cursing each other they departed. Years passed without any diminution in the enmity between father in law and sonin-law. One day Dakshayani (Sati) observed the sky thick with bright chariots of the cel estials drawn bysnow-white swans. The gods and demi gods with their highly bedec ked consorts were moving in the direction of her father's palace. From their tal k Sati understood that they were going to attend agrand Yagna called Brihaspati Seva and it was to be conducted by her father. They talked of the grand festivit ies and the rich presents they would get. Sati's heart yearned to go and to her lord she said, "My lord! Your father-in-la w is conducting a great yagna. All the celestials with their brides are going. My dear sisters with their husbands will be there and I too long to be with them, along with you. You are generous. You have given to me half of your body even. W e have not been invited, what then? One can go to a friend's house or to one's f ather's house or one's guru's ashram without invitation." Sri Rudra replied, "Your observations are correct. We can go uninvited to the ho use of a good friendbut not to that of one who is envious and looks with an evil eye. The evil words of a proud man rankle in the heart much more than the sharp arrow of an enemy. If you go, it will not be good for you and may even end in d eath". With this the Jagat-Guru retired and remained silent. Sati was not convinced. Sh e became restless looking up; she saw the sky, teeming with the celestials. She retired into the hermitage , and again came out into the open. She trembled with anger at her Lord and .nally decided to go without hispermission.. But Nandiswa ra and others would not let her go alone. Nandi the bull carried her onhis back, Maniman sounded the conch, others sounded the cymbals and the godly procession soonreached the yagna sala. Her sisters and mother received her with great affec tion but Daksha frownedand even said, "Who asked you to come?" Sati ignored the taunt but noted that her Lord was ignored. No seat was set apart for the Lord of the Yagna. Her anger blazed. "You hate the great Lord Siva by uttering whose name a dying man is absolved of all sins and is released from further birth and death. Such an all-merciful all f orgiving God you hate. I am ashamed of this body, which is derived from you." Then sitting in the lotus posture and concentrating on the feet of her Lord her body was consumedin a trice by holy .re. The ganas of Rudhra tried to avenge her death in vain. Bhrigu reciting a mantra poured an oblation in the holy .re and h ordes of demi gods armed to the teeth arose from the .reand put to .ight the fol lowers of Sri Rudra. Sri Narada Maharishi who could travel anywhere broke the sad news to Sri Rudra. But the greatGod being omnipresent had known everything. Sri Rudra became furiou s. He sprang up and fromhis matted locks, plucked a strand and hit the earth wit h it. A huge gigantic form, Veerabhadra with a golden crown and wielding a tride nt .ashing .ames danced round Siva. Prostrating before thegreat God he addressed him thus, "Your servant my lord, what shall I do?" The Lord said, "Go! Anddestr oy Daksha and his yagna. You are the foremost of my commanders." Veerabhadra roared with delight and accompanied by all the myrmidons of Siva, sp ed towards the yagna sala. The earth trembled under their feet, the sky darkened . A whirlwind destroyed everythingbefore them heralding their coming. The sages conducting the yagna were frightened. Ladies of the royal household , Sati's mot her and sisters , trembled with fear. And all at once the avengers were upon the m. With .aming torches they set .re to the yagnasala. Nandiswara caught hold of Bhrigu and said, "You proudly stroked your beard when the great Lord Siva was in sulted. ." Saying so he plucked off his beard. Pushana the sun god, - who had de

risively laughed earlier - had his teeth knocked out. Daksha put up a brave .ght but Veerabhadra caught hold of him, wrenched his head off and threw it into the sacri.cial .re. Thus ended the great Daksha yagna. The devas were not too pleased. Was not Daksh a their great leader, master of Vedic hymns, who sustained them with frequent ya gnas.? And now who will conduct great yagnas? How can they derive their strength from the yagnas now? They approached Brahma and requested him to pacify Sri Rudra and revive Daksha. Brahma replied, "All of you and Daksha in particular have deeply offended Sri Rud ra, the embodiment of calmness. Still I shall come with you and try to console S ri Rudra who is in deep grief over the demise of his dear wife". So they formed a great procession and with Brahma at their head, slowlywended their way to Sri K ailas, the abode of Sri Rudra. On the way they had to cross many valleysand rive rs and wooded forests with magni.cent trees like cedar, devadaru, and sandal woo d. Their giant branches were raised to heaven as if in prayer, entwined with ten drils of jasmine and many sweet smelling .owers. They passed by many lakes of cr ystal clear water crowded with blue lotusesand the thousand petalled lotuses cal led souganthika. Heavenly damsels, the apsaras sported withtheir spouses in thes e lakes. On and on they passed. Parrots, cranes and peacocks were .ying inswarms overhead all singing the praises of the Creator. Still they pushed on and passe d by the hermitages of sages, who had reached various stages of realization. They passed through the land of the yakshas guarded by holy rivers, the Nanda and Al akananda. Finally, they approached Sri Kailas,the abode of Sri Rudra. There they saw a great banyan tree and under it's spreading branches was Sri Rudra himself . The crescent moon shone like a jewel in his matted locks. The embodiment of ca lmness, He was sitting cross-legged . His body so dear to the sages was smeared with ashes. Holding the japamala in one hand and indicating the chin mudra with t he other, he was instructing the sages Sri Narada Sanaka Sananda and many others . The sages were sitting around in deep attention On seeing Brahma Sri Rudra arose and prostrated before him as a son should and s o did all theothers. Then Brahma said, "O! Rudra! You are the all merciful, allpowerful, the all seeing one. It behoves you to forgive this Daksha and his foll owers for their ignorance. Be pleased to give Dakshahis life, Brigu his beard, P ushana his teeth and wisdom to all." Sri Rudra smilingly replied "Indeed! I do not want to punish these foolish peopl e who are subject toMaya." Daksha's followers repented for their mistakes and humbly requested Sri Rudra to accompany themand see that the yagna was completed. Sri Rudra graciously agreed and followed them to the yagnasala. Daksha's head had been burnt up. So they su bstituted it with the head of the sacri.cial goat. Itsbeard was grafted on Brigu 's chin. It was decreed that Pushana would get only puddings as sacri.cial offeri ngs, as he had no teeth. Now Vishnu (Hari) also appeared and in the presence of the Trinity the great yagna was concluded. All the gods and sages returned to the ir respective abodes chanting the Rudram and Chamakam, Daksha leading them all. These verses are recited with great gusto even to day by learned pundits all ove r the land. CHAPTER 3 Sk 4 . Ch 8 - Slokam 54 The Story of Dhruva Devahuti, daughter of Swayambhuva Manu and Satarupa had two brothers, Priyavrata and Uttanapada. The latter became king and he had two wives Suniti and Suruchi. Suniti's son was called Dhruva and Suruchi's son was Uthama. Suruchi the younger was the favourite wife. One day, the king was sitting on his throne with the younger wife Suruchi. Her son Uthama was sitting on the lap of the king. The king fondled the younger prince Uthama. The elder prince Dhruva wa s playing nearby and he also wanted to be fondled by his father. Dhruva toddled up to the throne and climbed up the steps to sit on his father's lap. The haught y queen pushed him aside and said, " If you want to sit on your father's lap you

should be born as my son. Go away to the forest and pray to Hari to be born as my son." Dhruva began to cry when he heard her taunting words. But he was a king's son. H e hissed like aserpent that was beaten by a rod and ran to his mother. The poor queen took him up in her arms and kissed him. From Dhruva's playmates the queen heard about it all and began to shed tears. In herdistress, she called upon Lord Hari. She took the child in her lap and said tearfully," Beloved son, Lord Hari is your unfailing refuge. You were born to an unfortunate one. The king is asha med even to look at me. You are suckled and brought up by me who am most unfortu nate.. We are all suffering for our past mistakes. Worship the lotus feet of Sree Hari, your desire shall be ful.lled." The poor queen wilted like a tendril in a forest .re. Dhruva was now resolved wi th unbelievable.rmness. He resolved to follow his mother's advice and started fo r the forest. Sri Narada hearing of this met Dhruva on the way and warned the child about the dangers ahead.But Dhruva was so .rm that in the end the sage ended by helping hi m. Sri Narada pointed the wayto Madhuvana on the bank of the Yamuna as a place d ear to the Lord. Then he gave a glorious description of the Lord's form and impar ted the holy mantra, "Om Namo Bhagavathe Narayanaya" "Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya" These mantras consisted of twelve syllables. Then the divine Sage said to Dhruva."Dhruva, You should bathe three times a day and perform puja with thulasi and other .owers. Constantly remember the fascinat ing stories of the Lord's Avatars and do your tapas." Dhruva heard all this with rapt attention and prostrated before the sage and wen t towards Madhuvana. He began his great tapas, the like of which has never been h eard of, either before or after. Bathing in the river before dawn, he began meditating on Sri Hari as directed by Sri Narada. Hisfood consisted of only a few fruits in the .rst month. In the se cond month, he ate only a little grass;in the third only a few fallen leaves. In the fourth month, he established control over the breath. Inthe .fth he would s tand on only one leg and when he changed his stance to the other leg, the earthb egan to shake. In the sixth month restraining all outlets , he became one with t he universe. Fumesand .ames began to rise around him.. The devas in heaven becam e breathless and were toppled from their seats. Gasping and breathless and in gr eat fear, they approached Sri Hari the ultimate refuge of all. Sri Hari consoled them. "Have no fear you gods. The son of Uttanapada is doing intense tapas. I will go and pacify him." Dhruva was absorbed in the form of Sri Hari and the whole universe in his heart. He suddenly missed the Lord in his heart. He opened his eyes and saw the same Ha ri standing before him. He was dumb for a moment not knowing how to praise the Lord. The lord touched hi s forehead with his conch and then hymns of praise gushed forth from his lips. "O! Lord! Having created this universe, you have entered the hearts of everythin g alive or inert.You make them act with your Maya, keeping them under the illusi on that they are independent. Only by your grace can we come out of this illusio n. May you be pleased to grant us this grace andthe .nal resting place which is yourself." Sri Hari granted him sovereignty of the earth and advisedhim to go ba ck to his father. After leaving Dhruva in the forest Sri Narada straightaway met king Uttanapada w ho was by thistime bitterly repenting his conduct. The Devarishi Narada assured him that Dhruva would return after the tapas and that he would bring great honou r and fame to the royal line. The months passed soon and messengers announced that Dhruva was returning. The k ing went in his royal palanquin with the queens to welcome Dhruva. The courtiers , priests and all the royal retinue went with the king to receive Dhruva . The ki ng conducted him to his palace with great love. Dhruva prostrated before Suruchi .rst and then before his mother and father and they all embracedhim with tearfu

l eyes. There was great rejoicing throughout the kingdom for many days. But a sad event befell beforelong. It was the practice for princes to go out hunting in those da ys. Prince Uttama had gone to theforest when as fate would have it a gandharva k illed him. Dhruva was infuriated and he entered theforest with a vast army, dete rmined to avenge the death of his brother. Dhruva had acquired divine weapons by his tapas. A .erce battle ensued and the gandharvas were almost exterminated. K ubera, the lord of wealth and one of the guardians of the world was in sore stra its. Now Brahma appearedand appealed to Dhruva to show mercy to a beaten enemy. Dhruva obeyed and in return Brahma granted him numerous boons. Poor queen Suruch i in her grief entered the forest and a forest .rekilled her. King Uttanapada became very old. He had conducted many yagnas and had ruled long and well .And like his forefathers he decided to retire to the forest for tapas . So Dhruva was crowned as king.Long were the festivities and it is said that ev en the gods graced the occasion. Dhruva was the ideal king; the darling of his subjects. He too conducted many ya gnas. There was peace and plenty everywhere. But he too, was subject to time and handing over his kingdom to hisson, entered the forest for tapas. In due time a divine chariot appeared. Sri Hari's parshadas gloriously attired and waving lotu s .owers beckoned to him to enter the chariot. Dhruva raised one footand then he sitated for, he remembered his poor mother. The divine messenger read his though ts and pointed to another chariot that was already speeding toward heaven. Sunit i was reclining there happily, surrounded and attended by heavenly damsels. Dhruv a's attendant showed him his .nal abode. He became the pole star high above the world and remained there forever. All other stars and galaxies revolved below. You may see the Dhruva Star even to day as the Pole Star looking down and blessi ng all mortals. CHAPTER 4 Sk 4. Ch 16 . Slokam 16 The Story of Venan Srimad Bhagavatham is a replica of the world's virtue and vice. It is like day a nd night, that appearand disappear. After the passing of such a heroic soul like Dhruva, there appeared on the scene, Venan the personi.cation of senseless wicke dness. Born in the same line of illustrious kings Venan was the son of king Anga and queen Sumitha. Even as a child, his evil nature showed up. Being quite stron g, he would toss his playmates into the swollen river and watch the drowning chi ldren withgreat delight. As he grew up his wickedness also grew. The people beca me desperate and appealed to the king who in desperation banished him to the for est. King Anga was disconsolate. His heir andonly son banished, he too retired t o the forest. He did tapas like his forefathers and attained the feetof Lord Har i. The land was without a ruler and soon the effects were seen. Robbers had a .eld day, roaming everywhere looting and killing. The rishis who were performing a hol y sathra (yagna) on the banks of river Saraswathy were startled to see clouds of dust and smoke raised by the robbers. Now Venan, though he was a ruf.an, was a strong ruler and the rishis requested him to resume his kingship. Heput down the robbers with a strong hand and there was peace again. But now he was more arrog ant.He proclaimed with placards and drum-beat that he alone was to be worshipped and yagnas shouldbe conducted for him only. When the sages remonstrated he fret ted and fumed. " I am protecting you, so you must worship me. Instead, like an u nchaste wife who worships her paramour, you worship Hari. Out with you!" The Ris his were roused and chanted "Hum!" The Kundalini .re was roused. It rose up thei r spines and blazed through their eyes and Venan was burned up. The charred body remained. This did not solve their problem. The robbers were again on the rampa ge. Venan's mother, queen Sumitha had somehow kept his body intact. The Rishis appro ached and took the dead body. Chanting powerful hymns they churned Venan's thigh . A black dwarf with low forehead, a .at nose and curly hair came out. "Give me a

place to live," he cried and the rishis assignedhim the forest. From that day o nwards, the dark forests have been the dwelling place of his race.The right arm of the corpse was churned next and a divine form with all the marks of divinity emerged. The conch, the disc and lotus marks were all clear. With further churnin g a goddess of the same.gure emerged. The celestials showered heavenly .owers an d garlands and danced overhead to the music of .utes and cymbals. A cool breeze blew wafting divine scent and there was an unutterable peace everywhere. Evident ly here was an avatar of Hari . The rishis named them as Prithu and Archis. Prithu and Archis They grew up in a moment proving their divine origin and the Rishis crowned them as King andQueen. They were the greatest of all kings and queens. Peace was res tored almost immediately, as punishment was quick and stern. The earth which was untilled and barren was tilled by the king himself setting an example. In his g olden chariot he went round the earth seven times levellingdown the hill tops, l evelling up the valleys and throwing bridges across wide rivers. He constructedb road road ways throughout the land. There was prosperity and happiness everywher e. The great poet Sage Veda Vyasa compares the earth to a great cow and the king to a master milkman, who could milk out anything and every thing needed for man . The cow, goddess earth, was very generous and various people milked whatever the y wanted. The devas milked off nectar. The apsaras, heavenly damsels, got divine perfumes and .owers and gandharvas, got the art of music and dance . The rishis got kusa grass and materials for conducting yagnas The asuras milked off wine tha t inebriates. The earth was covered with green .elds. There was plenty of rain i n season and no deluge. And even the sun's heat did not scorch. Robbers did not dare show their faces. Justice was quick and stern and impartial. Heaven had alm ost come to earth. Itwas evident that an avatar of Sri Hari was the ruler. The king, like his forefathers, decided to conduct a grand yagna. It was a grand offering to the gods for the bene.ts they showered on the people. The gods subs ist on their yagna offerings . Grand arrangements were made on the banks of the r iver Saraswathy. Invitations were sent to all the kings, sages and people in all ranks of life. The priests seated around the holy .re recited Vedic hymns. They poured ghee and oblations in the holy .re and all the devas were personally pre sent to receivethe offerings. In this way King Prithu conducted ninety nine gran d yagnas and the hundredth was inprogress. Now, Indra, the king of gods became j ealous, instead of receiving his share with gratitude.He was the only person who had completed hundred yagnas and received the title of Sata Kratu -performer of hundred yagnas - and now here was a rival. He could not brook this and so, disg uisedas a barbarian he stole the sacri.cial horse. As he was speeding across the sky with the stolen horse,the leader of the priests, sage Athri, spotted him an d ordered the king's son to pursue him and recover the horse. The prince went in hot pursuit and recovered the horse. This was repeated two or three times. Final ly king Prithu himself took up the pursuit with his divine weapons He would have killed Indra when Brahma appeared and pleaded with king Prithu as Indra was one of the immortalsand deserved to be spared. The magnanimous king obeyed out of re spect and in return they showered many gifts on the king, though really he did no t need any. Lord Brahma added that Prithu wouldget all the bene.ts and credit of completing hundred yagnas. After a long and glorious reign king Prithu's time was running out . Before .nal retirement and exithe once more decided to give a .nal farewell address. He sum moned them all in a vast assemblyand addressed them thus." My dear people, Hear me! Providence has made me your king. After collecting taxes, if I do not protect you and punish the evil doers I will be sinning. I will have to suffer the cons equences. On the other hand by protecting you and upholding Dharma I will get on e sixthof the virtues earned by you. God has ordained thus. Have no doubt. God e xists. Otherwise what isthe reason for the differences we see? Good begets good and bad begets bad and only God can ordain like this and therefore God exists." "So, take refuge at his merciful feet; surrender your burdens there and enjoy se rene happiness Sowhile on this earth, serve holy men. An offering made to a sage

is an offering made direct to Him. He Himself derives His power by following th ese sages. Finally, he who has a virtuous character and he who is grateful and k ind to old people, is sought after and blessed by prosperity. And may God bless us all " The vast concourse raised their voice in appreciation. " We are indeed blessed to have such a great king as our ruler. Not only our present position is blessed but our future is also assured. May you live long." Singing the glory o f God they dispersed. Then by chance there arrived the Kumaras. They are the .rst four ascetics who ne ver grow old. They appeared as .ve year old children and attended on Lord Hari r eciting holy Vedas. They could travel anywhere in all the worlds and wishing to convey their blessings, they appeared before theking. Bowing low the king said, "Great Maharishis, I should not ask if you are well because you areself realized souls always in the presence of Hari. And if you roam about the world, it is on ly to shower blessings. Still kindly advise how mortals should conduct themselve s. " Kumaras replied "The easiest way to reach the Lord is through unstinted lov e and devotion. Recite his stories and lovefellow creatures great and small. Thi s removes from the mind even the last vestiges of passion and illusion. By const ant association with the realized saints and carefully avoiding the company of t heworldly, the mind is slowly brought under control and it almost vanishes. With the disappearance ofthis intervening re.ecting medium - the mind - you are face to face with the Lord and there isnothing more to be gained." Their work done, the Kumaras vanished. The king continued to rule, his divine tendencies further strengthened by the Kumaras. Every action of the king, strengthened the hands of God. Handing over the kingdom to his son, the king retired to the forest for th e .nalpenance and exit. The queen Archis also followed him. Reducing his body by severe penance to a shadow of his former royal presence he roused up the Kundal ini .re and the body vanished. The queen too entered that .re and as in life, so too in death they rose to the higher world. Thus ends the immortal story of King Prithu and Queen Archis setting a glorious example to all succeeding kings and fellow mortals. CHAPTER 5 Sk 4 . Ch 25 . Slokam 58 Prachinabarhis and His Sons the Prachetases Prominent in the long line of descendants of Prithu was Prachinabarhis who was f amous for performing yagnas. He performed them so continuously that if the kusa g rass used for it was laid endto end, it would girdle the earth. He had twelve so ns all alike and virtuous . The king asked them to travel and meditate until the y found Hari. They travelled due west and reached a lake near the sea coast. The y could hear a heavenly music. A gentle breeze wafted heavenly scents. And there emerged from the lake the glorious form of Lord Siva, like a burnished statue of gold with shining face,a bluish neck and a coiled serpent as necklace. With arm s outstretched and one leg raised he was dancing the cosmic dance. The princes overcome with awe and wonder prostrated before the Lord and prayed f or guidance. Lord Siva, addressed them thus, "You are blessed princes! The lovers of Sri Hari are dear to me. Brahma, Vishnu and myself are the same. We are only three aspec ts of the one, universal, Omnipotent power. As Brahma it creates, as Vishnu it su stains and as Siva it destroys and this cycle rotates .So worship without any di fference and escape from this cycle of birth and death." Saying this Sri Siva va nished. Sri Siva's address to the princes is known as the famous Rudra Geetham.The princ es repeated thishymn and immersed in the lake. They did penance for many years u ntil after a very long time Sri Hari himself appeared in a blaze of glory, mount ed on Garuda and with goddess Lakshmy by his side. He was .anked by the heavenly retinue. Sri Hari said, "I am pleased with your tapas and yourinnate purity and devotion to Sri Rudra. Ask me any boon". The princes, thrilled with the vision, with one voice requested, "Grant us O Lor d! That wherever wemay be , we will have the company of holy sages . Nothing is

dearer to us than hearing your glory." The lord granted their request and added, "He who is kind to all creatures is always blessed. Nowdepart and do as your fa ther desires." Accordingly, they returned to their kingdom and ruled over their vast kingdom as advised by the sages. They married and after a glorious reign, crowned their el dest son Daksha ,who was a re-incarnation of the earlier Daksha, as king. They re turned to the forest to do penance and attained freedom. Meanwhile Sree Narada approached Prachinabarhis. who had become old. and was sti ll performingyajnas. Sree Narada said, "O King! Enough of these desire motivated sacri.ces. Just touch me andlook there!" As the king looked he observed all the cattle he had slaughtered in the sacri.ces. They were waiting to tear him to pi eces when he too would go to the other world. The king was terri.ed and then Sre e Narada told the following story. The Allegory of King Puranjana King Puranjana accompanied by his close friend Avijnata wandered in search of an ideal place to build a city. At last he found an ideal place in the southern si de of the Himalayas. Every where, there were verdant meadows and murmuring stream s that joined the broad river that encircled the city. The city itself was divid ed into perfect squares with wide roads crossing each other at right angles.Tall avenue trees like poplars, cedars and deodar lined the streets and birds of bri lliant plumage, parrots and peacocks darted about. A pleasant breeze wafted divi ne fragrance. It had nine gates for exit and entrance. The king congratulated himself thinking that he had reached the end of his searc h. Meanwhile hiscompanion had slipped away. Then the king heard a pleasant sound as of anklets near by. A beautiful damsel approached him. She was accompanied by soldiers and a serpent. The king was spell bound to see her beauty. He said." A re you the goddess Parvathy, Lakshmy or Saraswathy? Or an apsara? It cannot be, because your feet are touching the ground. These grim soldiers following you, ar e they your guardians? And this coiled serpent with .ve hoods, is he also your g uardian?" The damsel replied, "I am the queen of this city. I am unmarried and I am looking for a protector and husband. Who would not be attracted by such a ha ndsome, noble warrior like you? Let us together enjoy all these gifts of God". Puranjana who had a natural liking for sensual pleasures, needed no further pers uasion and embarked on a life of stark enjoyment. He was so engrossed in sensual pleasures that he forgot everythingelse. He would talk when she talked, he would sing when she sang and he would dance when shedanced . He wept when she would w eep, and laughed when she would laugh. He did not troublehimself with the affair s of government and left it entirely to his councillors. He would go out hunting all-day carousing and sleeping all night. Thus passed months and months lengthened into years, many years. The king, like any one else, was getting old and time brought changes that were not too pleasan t. The gandharvas three hundred and sixty in number accompanied by their ladies fair and dark, mounted an attack on Puranjana'scity. They were assisted by the y avanas. A fearful lady called kala kanya(time) who could suck the strength out o f one's limbs and Prajivara (disease), her ally, visited Puranjana. Weakened by a long life of reckless indulgence, deserted by sons and friends he put up a bra ve resistance. His guardswere beaten back; even the guardian serpent could do no thing. The enemy swarmed in like a .ood and the king sank back, still thinking o f his wife. He could never think about god even in his lastmoments. As he could think only about his queen always after death he was born as a woman, the daught er of the king of Vidarbha. The child soon grew up as a beautiful princess and i n due time was married to Malayadhwaja, the Pandyan king. The sacred river Tambr aparni .ows through his kingdom. They had .ve sons and a daughter. Being a saint ly king, he entrusted the rule to his sons and retired to the forest accompanied by the queen. Very soon he attained Brahmam and the queen was now left with a c orpse. She (king Puranjana) wailed her loss and gathered a funeral pyre. Shetook a dip in the river and was about to jump into the lighted pyre when a sage sudd enly appearedand stopped her. The sage was Avijnata (the unknown) his former boon companion. The two had toget her roamed over the world He said, "Dear friend, we are two birds . Together we

were roaming over the world. We were sitting on a tree enjoying the calm. Then y ou the Jeeva wanted to taste the pleasures of the world. You plunged into it lea ving me alone. Now you have tasted the pleasures. You are not this widowed queen ; not even Puranjana. You are my image. Remove the re.ecting medium ,mind, and w e are one. Come! We shall .y over land and sea and over hill and dale; basking i n God's sunshine;enjoying eternal bliss." And the two, now one, .ew away. As Narada concluded, king Prachina Barhis asked. "Great Sage! I have not fully u nderstood themeaning of the allegory. Kindly explain more fully ." Then Sri Nara da continued, "The city with thenine gates is your body with the nine holes, two eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth and so on. The queen is none other than "Budhi" i.e . intellect whom every one obeys. The serpent with .ve hoods is the prana (breat h) with .ve aspects as prana, apana, vyana , udana, and samana. The attacking ga ndharvas are days and nights. Kala kanya is the terrible maid of time, and Prajiv ara is disease to which allmust succumb and Avijnata is our immortal conscience which we must never neglect. And if you want to end this seemingly endless seque nce of birth and death take refuge in Sri Hari. Resort to thecompany of the sain ts and enjoy everlasting peace and bliss." The king listened to the advice. He gave up all sacri.ces and retired to the for est. He went to Kapilasram and doing intense penance, attained Brahmam. CHAPTER 6 Sk 5 . Ch 5 . Slokam 1 Prachetas Prachetasa Daksha created devas, asuras, men and other creatures merely by his t apas. When this was found to be insuf.cient he began tapas by the side of lake A ghamarshana. The Lord said your method of peopling the earth is not rapid enough . You must marry the daughter of Prajapthy Panchajana. Her name is Asikni and by marrying her you can people the world. It is said that the institution of marriag e began from that time. Prachetasa Daksha had many sons. All of them were well versed in the sastras and before settling down, Daksha told them to travel towards the west, so that they could gather more experience andknowledge. They reached the estuary of the Indu s with the ocean. Bathing in the Narayana lake theywere completely puri.ed and s unk in contemplation. Sri Narada Maharishi appeared before them.He raised a seri es of paradoxical questions the purport of which was that they were trying to ge t divine sanction for getting involved in worldly affairs. As a result, the princ es renounced all worldly desires for ever and became immersed in contemplation o f god and god alone. When their father heard of his sons' fate, he got annoyed a nd again begot one thousand sons known as Sabalaswars.Like their brothers these boys also travelled west, reached the same lake and met the same SriNarada who r epeated his former success. Daksha became very angry and said, "You have misled my poor sons from doing thei r duty to their forefathers, the rishis and gods. So, I curse you to wander perp etually unable to reside in any placefor more than a few hours". Sri Narada had already known that the princes were all free souls. As for Daksha 's curse, he accepted that too as a blessing! Daksha's Daughters To avoid this apparent perversion by Sri Narada Daksha prayed for daughters and he was blessed with sixty daughters all fair and beautiful. He gave ten daughter s to Dharma, thirteen to Kashyapa,twenty seven to Tharkshya . The progeny of the se peopled the earth. Some were god like, others were demoniac some were vulture s , some reptiles and the rest became the various forms of life Priyavrata Swayambhuva Manu had two sons. Uttanapada was the elder, whose story has already been told and now we turn to the story of Priyavrata. He had no interest in sta te affairs and being of an asceticturn of mind, he was interested in tapas for s elf realization. Now he was commanded by his fatherand Brahma (one of the Trinit y) himself to return to the kingdom and assume the reins of kingship. Brahma had to plead rather sternly.

"Dear son, none of us is really free to do whatever we like. Neither myself nor Lord Siva nor yourfather nor any one else is really free. We are all led by the nose as it were by our own karma, directed by Sri Hari. Even a realized saint has to suffer the consequences of his past actions. But he knows that it is all tra nsitory and therefore he is not much affected. A house holder is like a king in a fort. Temperate living helps him to overcome the senses gradually. As a fort h elps the king to wardoff the enemy, a family life helps the house holder to ward off the attacks of the senses. Therefore return to your kingdom and assume the reins of government and in the end you can resume thesaintly life and come to me ." Priyavrata obeyed. He was an ideal ruler strong and just. The seven seas, the mo untain ridges and the continents were evolved as the king drove around the world in his mighty chariot. People gladlyobeyed the law as otherwise punishment woul d be quick and stern. At the end of his glorious reign, the king woke up as it w ere, from a dream and resuming his original natural bent of mind, entrustedthe v ast kingdom to his sons. He gave up everything and after intense penance, attain ed the feet ofHari. Agnidhra and Purvajithi Agnidhra, Priyavrata's son was now ruler of the entire Jambudvipa. He was young, energetic and well skilled in the arts of war and peace. After some years, desi ring an heir, he retired to the forest and prayed to Sri Hari. The Lord grants whatever a devotee desires. Worldly desires are very readily gra nted. Soon there was a change in the atmosphere .. A pleasant wind wafted the sc ents from opening lotus .owers,champak and jasmine. Voluptuous music trilled from the anklets of a dancing apsara coming towards him. The prince was dumbfounded by her celestial beauty and began to talk incoherently."O beautiful lady! Are yo u a mortal or a goddess? I will be your slave, I cannot live without you." The d amsel complied smilingly. She was an apsara named Purvajiti sent by Indra for th is very purpose. They returned to the capital and to year long celebrations by t he people. Aghnidhra had nine sons, Nabhi, Kimpurusha, Harivarsha, Ilavita, Ramya ka, Hiranmaya, Kuru, Bhadrasura, and Ketumala. They all had great beauty of form and divine qualities like their mother , Purvajithi. ; her mission done she decid ed to return to her apsara world. But the king was loath to leaveher and so both went to the apsara world where they live to this day. The Story of Nabhi King Nabhi and his queen Merudevi desirous of ensuring prosperity of his subject s and the glory ofhis line decided to perform a great yagna. Preparations were m ade on a very large scale. Only purestof ingredients were used and the priests w ere self realized sages. They poured offerings into the sacri.cial .re reciting v edic mantras in praise of Vishnu (Hari). So great was their sincerity and purity that Sri Hari himself appeared and asked what they wanted. They said. "Great lor d! This noble king wants an heir to the throne, who will be the equal of Lord Ha ri himself ."Sri Hari was amused. Stillhe said, "How is that possible? O Sages! There is none quite equal to me. Still because of your sincerity and the purity o f this king and queen I shall be born as their son, a partial avatar." The king, queen and the assembled rishis were greatly delighted and all departed awaiting the happy event. Indue time the queen gave birth to a beautiful son with all th e divine marks of conch, the chakram andmace engraved in his palms and feet. The child Rishabha, grew up very rapidly into a tall, powerful and handsome person, the very picture of Sri Hari. The parents, knew that their time was over. Theyh anded over the great kingdom to their divine son and retired to the forest for t he .nal penance.Rishabha married Jayanthi, daughter of Indra and had a hundred s ons. Bharata was the eldest whoruled this land , known thereafter as Bharat. Nin e of his brothers were known as Navayogis whomwe shall see later. The remaining sons had brahmanic qualities and became Brahmins. King Rishabha, also known as Rishabha Deva, in the course of his travels came to Brahmavartawhere the Brahma Rishis were holding a great conference. Finding suc h a .ne responsive audienceRishabha Deva wanted to address them. His sons were a lso there among the audience.

Rishaba addressed the assembled sages. "O Rishis and you my sons, hear me patiently,. This human body is not for miserable pleasures,. These pleasures are given even to .lth eating worms, The human body is for divine tapas by which you can be puri.ed And attain permanent happiness Service of the great is the gate to freedom eternal, Company of the lechers is the open door to darkness and hell! They who love Me are only moderately attached to wife, family and relatives, Not taking from them anything but the minimum. They come back to Me easily But they who indulge in pleasures without restraint And they who commit prohibited acts, I do not approve of them As long as they do not want to know the reality So long their ignorance will con tinue, and attachment will persist And the mind carries it over to the next birt h. And even then, because of their forgetfulness they again indulge In sex and s ense pleasures, the home and possessions seem real The bonds are further strengt hened. The sense of duality is the strongest bond that binds the heart. When the mind forcibly breaks asunder this bond (the result of previous actions) then th e soul now free from the bond of duality goes back to its source. From where do we get this required force? From teachers who are realized saints by implicit obedience to t hem, rejecting duality with great fortitude, knowing the sorrow of all, by a gre at desire toknow the cause of all these and by desireless action, devoting them to me, delighting in my storiesand in the companionship of my devotees, with enm ity towards none ,with equality to all, by engaging in spiritual studies, getting control over the mind through proper pranayama by good attentionand practice of brahmacharya, (celibacy) by controlled speech without any exaggeration, and see ing my presence everywhere and by wisdom embellished with knowledge by practicing yo ga with satvic determination. Give up once for all the idea of I and mine. This idea is the seat and origin of all actions. It is due to ignorance After reaching this stage there is nothing more to get, so retire from everythin g even yoga. As there are no bonds any more, you have reached Brahmanandam. Those who aspire to come to My world and receive My blessings, whether they are parents, teachers or kings should without anger guide the aspirants to avoid the pitfalls . Otherwise they fail in their allotted duty. People blind to their real progress, intensely desirous of amassing riches earn only misery and with it intense enmity and the chimera of happiness. Which wise man, full of kindness will fail to guide a fool wandering from one fo olishness to another? Should not one, who is blessed by sight, guide a blind man who has lost his way? He is not a teacher, he is not a relative, He is not a father and she is not a mother, And that god is no god nor that husband a true one, Who does not release one from approaching death. This body is dif.cult to understand But my heart is full of sathvic virtues and dharma, And I have put adharma far behind, Hence the wise ones call me Rishabha. You are all born, out of my heart Therefore all of you deserve to follow, And obey implicitly your eldest brother Bharata, That way, you will be serving me and the people.

Among creation you have immovable things like stones, Then come tanks and rivers, then trees and reptiles, Then human beings, and then gandharvas, And then yakshas and beyond them gods. And there is Indra, chief of gods, above him Daksha, the sons of Brahma, And Lord Siva, part of me, I follow the realized sages and Brahmins, These Brahmins are above every one else and the offerings made to them, Is superior even to offerings in the .re made to me. The Vedas are my body, the Brahmins preserve it by study, by restraint of mind and body, by following the truth, by penance and by fortitu de Even from me, the dispenser of all blessings and .nal salvation, These wandering sages desire nothing but continuous devotion. My sons! Worship not only Brahmins, worship all living creatures And even inanimate nature, because I abide everywhere. That is real worship, let all your actions, and words be dedicated to Me, and only this dedication will help you to escape from the meshes of death. Thus advising his sons , who were by nature already saintly, King Rishabha hande d over the reins of government to Bharata and taking nothing with him, left for the forest, compl etely alone. He travelled over hill and dale, not caring for the big mosquitoes or even wild animals. He subsisted on wild fruits and roots, making no attempt to get food, slaking his thirst from the mountain stre ams, sometimes lying down, and not even taking a bath. But, strange to say a swe et fragrance like that of musk spread all over the place. Various sidhis such as distant vision, e ntering another body, transporting oneself to any place, reading another's thoughts and the like now p resented themselves before Rishabha willing to obey him but Rishabha declined. Instead he continued to wander in the southern regions of coorg. Rishabha had already become free. The body alone was moving about and it was con sumed in a moment by a forest .re. O King! This omnipresent Lord was the guide, friend, charioteer, and even the servant of your ancestors the Pandavas. A man c an wish for nothing more. CHAPTER 7 Sk 5 . Ch 8 . Slokam 1 The Story of Bharata King Rishabha had made Bharata king of this land that was known as Ajanabha. Bha rata married Panchajani and had .ve sons through her. He ruled over his subjects like a father. He performed numerous sacri.ces - yagnas and kratus . During his rule all his subjects performed their duties asenjoined by their nature so that no one was dissatis.ed. All were contented and happy. As a result ofthese yagna s and benign rule he became .lled with boundless devotion towards Sree Hari. Div idingBharata Varsha among his sons he repaired to the forest for doing tapas. He reached Pulahasrama bythe side of which .ows the river Gandaki also known as Ch akranadi. Bharata would wake up much before sunrise and have a dip in the river. With wate r dripping from his locks, dress, he would face the rising sun as the manifestat

ion of God and offer prayers. His food consisted of ripe fruits lying on the gro und and the tender leaves. The rest of the time was spent in contemplation so de ep, that his eyes became wet with tears while an intense bliss .lled hisheart. O ne morning as usual, he had just .nished his bath, when he saw a full grown fema le deer onthe other shore. She was big with child. Suddenly there was the terri. c roar of a lion. The deer made a tremendous leap to cross the river and as she w as half way over the river the fawn droppedfrom her womb and the swift current w as bearing it away. The deer itself reached the opposite bank but was so much ex hausted that it fell down dead. The swift current carried the fawn to the very s pot, where Bharata was standing. As he had a merciful heart , Bharata took it up as a gift of god, wrapped it up in his own cloak with great tenderness and took it to his ashram. Bharata, who had given up even an empire, was now attracted by the fawn. He bega n to gather tender leaves and .owers for the little deer. He daily watched it gro wing up with growing affection within his heart. He took it out daily for a morn ing walk and never left it alone for fear of wolvesand other wild animals. Whene ver he had to leave it alone in the ashram for taking his bath and gathering frui ts he would think, "O! What will happen to my darling! O Lord! Thou who seeth ev erything, everywhere, kindly protect my darling." When Bharatha returned, the faw n would jump abouthim gently rubbing its sprouting horns against Bharata's body. Thus Bharatha was engrossed night and day in looking after the fawn.. He even f orgot the routine daily worship and contemplation. It was "The fawn O! my pretty fawn!", all the time. Thus days passed in complete oblivion of all his duties, even his daily worship. But time and tidewait for no one and Bharata was facing death. Even in this ext remity his thoughts were for thedeer." What will happen to my darling deer?" Thi nking thus he breathed his last. Now whatever a man thinks of at the last moment, that, he becomes! And Bharata w as born as a deer some distance away. Because of its meritorious actions in its previous life, the deer remembered his previous life and determined not to commit the same folly. So, the little deer repaired to Pulahasramam, heard the discours es of the rishis, and lived on tender leaves and the prasadams - foodoffered to gods - given by the rishis who treated it as an inmate. The deer grew old and wh en its time arrived thinking of God all the while expired, casting off its body in the river. Bharata The Brahmin There was at that time a pious Brahmin of the Angiras gothra, known for his lear ning and austerity. He had a large family of sons and one daughter. Bharata the deer was born to the second wife of thisAngiras Brahmin. Bharata knew all about his previous births because of the great tapas and austerities he had undergone a nd was now determined to avoid all contacts. To achieve this, he pretended to be a hopeless dunce. When addressed by others he would reply irrelevant answers, o r pretended not to hear at all. In spite of this, his father invested him with t he sacred thread and tried his best toteach him the holy manthra Gayathri withou t success. In due course the father expired and Bharata'smother accompanied him performing sathi. To do them justice, the brothers tried to bring him up but without success. Bhar ata was left to look after the .elds and work in them, as an ordinary labourer. Even this he would do indifferently. He would go on digging deeper and deeper or levelling up endlessly. As wages he would be given stale bread, which he ate wi th great glee. He would sleep in the open watching the corn and the wonderof it was that though he would not drive away the birds or rodents and other pests, th ere was alwaysa bumper harvest. Now, about this time, there was a .erce brigand, spreading terror and devastatio n. He had no children and to please the demons he determined to perform a human s acri.ce. His followers capturedsome poor fellow for this purpose. This poor man had escaped from custody and the brigand's followers were now searching for a pro xy. And as fate would have it they came upon poor Bharata in the .elds. The ruf. ans pounced upon him, bound his hands and feet and led him to their chief. The c

hief and the sacri.cing priest were more than pleased to see the young, robust v ictim. Surely Bhadrakali would be immensely pleased. The robbers and their chief gathered round the image of the goddess and began to recite the .nal verses. All this time Bharata was quite indifferent completely absorbed in the in.nite, enjoying in.nite bliss. The priest took up the sword and danced around and was a bout to bring it down on Bharata's neck. With a great roar Badrakali sprang out of the image snatched the sword from the priest's hand and cut off his head. Not satis.ed, the goddess with her minions cut off the heads of all the ruf.ans and began to play football with their heads. Bharata watched this gory game with th e same serenity. When the game was over the goddess and her attendants vanished, thereby teaching the world thatsuch would be the fate of those who would harm L ord's devotees. Bharata and Rahugana Rahugana was the king of the Soaviras (Sind). He was past middle age and thought that the timewas ripe to know more about the mysteries of life. With this end h e undertook a pilgrimage to the north where perchance he might meet some great y ogi. He was travelling rather in pomp, in a palanquin accompanied by body guards. They were looking for a good palanquin bearer and as luck would have it, saw Bh arata by the banks of the river Ikshumathy. Here was a young athletic .gure and they made the unresisting brahmin a palanquin bearer. The fresh recruit had a pe culiar habit. Hewas very careful to avoid treading on worms and ants and always looked yards ahead and wouldjump aside if there was any insect and the palanquin would also be jerked. Rahugana was joltedbadly and he got annoyed. He shouted a ngrily."Ho! Ho! Bearers! Be careful." The bearers humbly replied, "Sire, it is t he new recruit. He is often jumping about. It is very dif.cult to work with him. " Rahugana looked at the new recruit; with some anger and sarcasm he observed "Ho! Ho! Bearer!You are old and weak! Or I could teach you a lesson". The bearer replied, "Sir, who is master and who is servant? Both the terms are m yths. If you refer tothis body it is not true. It is perishable and will return to the elements from which it is made. If yourefer to the soul, it is immortal, part of the universal soul." Rahugana looked more carefully and observed the sacred thread clinging on the bo dy of the bearer. He sprang down and bowing low said, "Pardon! Pardon! Holy Brah min! You may be the sage I am searching for. Tell me further." Bharata continued. "In between the body and the soul there is the powerful mind, - a combination ofthe three gunas - a product of Maya. The mind works through t he senses and it is at the root of all the differences that you see. No amount o f learning or austerity will help. Get hold of the feet of a great guru and he w ill show the way. By the lord's maya the jiva is thrown into a forest where six dacoits live - desire, anger, greed, delusion, pride and jealousy are their name s. They devour the soul as wolves tear down a sheep. Tormented with thirst the t ired traveller approaches grass coveredwells without water. In life don't we app roach pitiless people for help? The hungry traveller gets only poisonous fruits. At last the traveller thinks he has reached shelter but that proves to be a drea m city. The traveller and his partner sit like two monkeys on the branch of a tr ee grinning at each other and think that this is felicity. Panting for water, he sees it at a distance. But when he goes near it vanishes. It was a mirage. Some times for the sake of little money he quarrels bitterly with fellowtravellers an d they become mortal enemies. When in need of a little help he gets contempt and disgrace. His friends prove to be jackals and vultures. This is the Bhava adavi or the worldly forest. Only His grace can help you to cross this." "O! Master! How kind you are! You are like all followers of Hari. They save not only themselves but also others. I bow to you, I bow to every one!" Thus worship ped by Rahugana, the great sage Bharata calm and full like the great ocean, went on his way. CHAPTER 8 Sk 6. Ch 2 . Slokam 15

Ajamila The successors of Bharata were all worthy of their forefather. Sri Suka now digr esses for some timeto give a detailed description of this earth and the universe . Bharatavarsha is ringed by mountainranges in concentric rings and in between t here are oceans of lime, milk and nectar. The rings of mountains rise higher and higher and from there originate great rivers. Different people of various hues and stature, gods and demigods; some golden and others dark or fair came to exis t there . Theyenjoyed heavenly pleasures without disease or old age and yet long ed to be born in Bharatavarsha(our country), because this is the karma bhumi whe re you can earn merit through actions and attainthe region from which you need n ot return. Then Suka Brahmam gives fascinating description of the abode of Anant a, the serpent, of Indra, lord of the gods. Finally he gives a gruesome picture of hell where sinners are sent to be punished for their sins. Now there are as m any types of hells as there are sins. Burning coals are forced down the throats of those who habitually lie. Those who have evicted their poor relatives through false documents are made to run through sharp blades of leaves - that look like p ointed lances - that cut their skin. A little further off, there is a cauldron o f boiling oil and some screaming wretches are thrown into it. They had done the s ame thing while alive frying live things like chicken. Tortured sinners' groans c ame from some other quarters. Parikshit was a bold man; still he was thoroughly frightened. However Sri Suka c omforted him "OKing! The punishments you have seen are terrible but they can be averted. If a sinner is really repentant and cries 'Om Namo Narayanaya', gods and angels will appear, and putting to .ight the devils, will escort the repentant m an to Gods' presence. So take heart, and listen to the famous story ofAjamila". The Story of Ajamila In the city of Kanyakubj there was an old sinner named Ajamila. A hunter and rob ber by turns he was eighty-eight years old and was now on his deathbed. The mess engers of Yama, , the god of death ,appeared with fearful countenances with ropes in hand . They were wresting the soul from his heart when Ajamila in a quaverin g voice called for his youngest son who was named Narayana. "O!Narayana! Narayan a!" Then a miracle happened! A group of Vishnu Parshadas, attendants of Sri Vish nu, immediately appeared from no where. They were all brilliantly clad. All were youthful and four armed like Sri Hari himself. They had lotus like eyes exuding energy. They scattered the messengers of Yama. Yama's messengers enquired in gre at fear. "Who are you that prevent us from our duty. Are you gods? We have been ordered by our master Lord Yama to bring this old sinner to Samyamani where he w ill be punished in the purgatories and puri.ed". The angels, were curious and asked what he had done. Yama's minions replied."Aja mila has grievously strayed from Dharma. He was born to a pious father, well vers ed in all the shastras and married to a virtuous wife. He lead an ideal life. One day he went to the forest as usual and saw a hunterand his mistress singing lew d songs and engaged in shameless amorous play. Their different postures entwined together affected his mind badly. All the training and asceticism of the young b rahmin were vain, his heart was shaken by cupid. He left his aged parents and vi rtuous wife, squandered allhis wealth for a shameless woman and took to briganda ge and hunting for a livelihood. We are taking him to hell by our master's orders ." The angels replied." You say, you are the guardians of Dharma! It is a pity you have not fully understood the law of Dharma which is as follows. However much a m an has sinned, if at the last moment of death he utters the four syllabled words NA-RA-YA-NA he is completely puri.ed. No matter if he says it in fun, in mockery or accidentally , he is completely absolved. You may say that he was only callin g his son. That does not matter." Yama's followers were in doubt and they returned to their master. The angels too vanished . Ajamilawoke up as from a dream. But it was no dream. He could distin ctly recall every word. "Alas ! What a fool I have been! Leaving my destitute ol d parents and my chaste virtuous wife I committed allkinds of ugly acts with a d runken bawd. Please Lord, have mercy on me!"

Thoroughly repentant, he spent the few remaining days of his life on the banks o f the Ganges andwhen at last his last day came, he saw the same heavenly messeng ers. He was given a new heavenlybody and the Lord's messengers escorted him to V aikunta the abode of Sri Hari. Yama Raja's messengers returned to Samyamani, and said, "O! Master! How many jud ges are there? By your order, we went to earth to fetch the sinner Ajamila and ha d tied even his hands and feet. Then we were thrown back by the superior energy of a group of glittering angels. They said that by uttering the word "Narayana" Ajamila was puri.ed. Pray, is th at the law?" The stern lawgiver closed his eyes in contemplation and bowing to Sri Hari in hi s heart, said, "LordHari is above us all. He permeates everything moving and unm oving like the warp and woof of acloth. Myself, Indra, all the chief gods and ev en the sages freed from the three gunas are led likeoxen by the nose strings hel d by the driver. We twelve - myself, Brahma, Sri Narada, Siva, Kumara,Kapila, Ma nu, Prahlada, Janaka, Bhishma, Bali and Sri Suka - know the law, the great Dharm a and therefore we have become immortal. Uttering the name of the Lord "Narayana " at the last momentabsolves one of all sins and even the tendency to commit sin is destroyed. All other forms of worship and remedies remove only past sins but not the tendency to commit them. The word "Narayana" though uttered chokingly, in a faltering voice puri.es one forever and ushers him into the kingdom of God forever." And Yama Raja humbly added, "May the great Lord Hari forgive me for this one err or." And turning to his followers he added, "My dear followers, do not even appro ach hereafter any dying person who is uttering the holy name Hari or Narayana. Gi ve them a wide berth. Do not be aghast.There is plenty of work for you. If any o ne moves about a place of worship without bowing hishead or who has never uttere d the name of God, bring that rascal here binding his hands and feetand then do your assigned work. OM! NARAYANA! NARAYANA". Indra's Disrespect of Guru Indra, Lord of the gods was holding court. He was seated on a glittering throne, with full regal paraphernalia, surrounded by the lesser gods singing his glory. The king of the gods was elated by his own greatness, when there entered his old Guru, the venerable Brihaspati, tottering with age . Indradid not rise from his seat. Though he saw the sage enter, he pretended not to see and the sage quietl y retreated. Indra immediately realized his mistake and starting up in alarm, ha stened after theGuru, but could not .nd him. By his yogic powers the sage had ma de himself invisible. The absence of the guru soon began to be felt. The enemies of the gods, the asur as were now emboldened and with the help of their guru, the great Sukracharya, ma de inroads even into heaven.They put to .ight the gods and usurped their places. Indra now bitterly repented and putting himselfat the head of the gods approach ed Lord Brahma. The Lord roundly reprimanded the deputation. "Proud of your position and prosperity, you have insulted a most learned Brahmin , the master of all secrets. See the consequence. You had to .ee from your palac es and your enemies who deeply respect and honour their acharya have driven you o ut. Your times are bad now, wait for better days. But you must have a guru, a wo rthy substitute. Viswarupa, the son of Thwashta , is a very great sage and he may accept your request and guide you back to your former glory. However, there is a slight .aw in this arrangement. This sage Viswarupa is related through his mot her to the asuras. Butyou need have no qualms. A learned scholar will not refuse to instruct an eager student." The devas were clever in arguing. Humbly approac hing Viswarupa they said. "Great sage! We request you to become our acharya. As a sister is the personi.cation of kindness, the mother the symbol of earth's pat ience and father the symbol of lord Brahma himself. , the acharya is our protect or and guide.Kindly lead us the right way, so we can regain our lost glory". Viswarupa was young and deeply learned but reluctant. Still, out of deep respect for the elders he agreed and became the acharya of the devas. Viswarupa then br ought out a famous incantation known as Narayana Kavacham. Reciting this mantram with great faith Indra and the devas becameinvincible and regained all their gl

ory. Narayana Kavacham Viswarupa taught." After washing hands and feet and performing achamanam pray as follows. May lord Hari with all his weapons protect me from all evils. May the lord in th e form of the .shprotect me in water and may the lord as Vamana protect me from all dangers on land. May The lord as Narasimha guard me from all .erce enemies. May lord Kapila save me from bondage of action.May the lord in the forms of his various avatars protect me from every conceivable evil. May thedivine chakram bu rn up every obstruction." The above is only the gist of the full mantra. Reciting the full mantra Indra an d the devas becameirresistible and occupied their own former abodes. Viswarupa had three heads. With one he drank soma , with the second he drank sur a or wine , and with the third he consumed rice. He performed yagnas for Indra w ith great devotion and proffered offerings into the sacri.cial .re liberally for the bene.t of the gods. But moved by affection for his relatives through his mo ther he unobtrusively offered offerings for asuras also. Indra was incensed and cut off the heads of Viswarupa. One of the heads became the black cock, another became the sparrow and the third became a partridge. As a result of killing a br ahmin saint Indra incurred the sin of Brahmahathya. He divided it among earth wa ter, trees and women. When old Thwashta heardof the sad end of his young son, he decided to take revenge. He performed a powerful hellish homaand reciting the p owerful spell, poured the oblation into the Dakshinagni. A huge form Vritra came out. Dark like the winter cloud with eyes shooting .re and tongue lolling out, he looked like death ..Wielding a huge trident from which lightning .ashed, he f ell upon the devas and began to gobble them up. The gods were no cowards but wha t could they do against such, an enemy? They made a fervent appeal to Sree Hari. They prayed recalling with gratitude how as a giant .sh he had saved them from the .ood and all the previous occasions when he had come to their help. Sri Hari revealed Himself. "I am pleased with your repentance. Approach Dadichi Maharishi. He is an old Bra hmajnani (knower of Brahmam) whose bones have hardened through tapas and request him to give you his backbone out of which a weapon can be fashioned to kill this asura." The Strange Request of Devas to Dadichi The devas approached Dadichi Maharshi with their strange request ."Great Sire," the devas said,"Be pleased to give us your bones to overcome our enemy. There is nothing that great sages like you will not give to relieve the miseries of help less people," Dadichi the knower of Brahmam was amused. He said." If I give my backbone I shal l surely die,And which man is not afraid of death?" The devas were abashed. Stil l they continued, "We know your great power and attainments. No one else can hel p us." The great rishi agreed and relaxed into eternal Samadhi. The devas reverently to ok his bones and fashioned a terrible weapon the Vajrayudham out of it. Indra to ok it up with con.dence and faced the enemy. The Battle Between Indra and Vritra All the asuras now rallied under Vritra. The battle raged for days but at last t he asuras were overpowered and began to .ee. Vritra stopped them, and commanded." Do not .y like cowards. Be heroes, follow me." With his .aming trident in one hand and a maze in the other Vritra strode forwar d. He smashed the enemy in dozens and impaled scores in his trident. The devas w ere beaten back. The opponents were now face to face. Indra was seated on his whi te elephant. As usual verbal recriminations preceded. Vritra said." By god's grac e you are in my power now. You killed your preceptor, insulted your guru, you ar e the slave of your senses and have committed many shameful acts." Saying so hes truck a terrible blow. The white elephant was beaten down and Vritra swallowed I ndra. The celestials and sages who were watching the .ght from above groaned with

fear." Only Lord Hari can save Indra now!" Indra with his divine weapon slashed his way out. Vritra now went berserk. His f orm was immense,his mouth bigger than a cavern and he gobbled up all the devas h e could lay hands upon. But Indrarallied and cut off his right arm. Then Vritra roared with pain but continued the havoc with his left arm and addressed Indra t hus. " I will go back happy like an eaglet waiting for its mother eagle; like a calf running to its mothercow. Like a maiden waiting for her absent lover I am waitin g to be united to my lord. Now strike my friend and gain what you want. I go bac k gladly to my lord." And those watching outside saw a dazzling light, rising up and moving across the sky until it merged with the in.nite. How Indra Was Saved From The Sin Of Brahmahatya The celestials and sages now relieved from Vritra's oppression, returned to thei r respective abodes. But Indra was unwell and the sages now performed a great ya gna, "The Rajasuya". Brahmahatya orthe sin of killing a brahmin now took the for m of an old hag with dishevelled hair, .erce eyes and exuding a nasty odour purs ued Indra. He .ed over the three worlds and at last took refuge in the.ber of lo tus .ower in the Manasa - saras. The devas wanted a substitute ruler to rule over them and lead them in battle ag ainst the asuras.There was a powerful king named Nahusha. He agreed to rule over them and was installed as thetemporary Indra. He ruled well, winning victories against the asuras. But this Nahusha had an evilstreak in his character. He insi sted that the chaste Indrani (queen of Indra) should be his partner. Thepoor que en was in a .x. But she was clever and thought of a stratagem. She told Nahusha to comein a palanquin borne by the great seven sages. The foolish Nahusha agreed and came riding in a palanquin borne by the seven sages. Agastya one of the bear ers, was of short stature and the progress of the palanquin was rather slow. The substitute Indra was impatient. He cried "Sarpa, Sarpa" - meaning "Quick Quick" and prodded the great sage Agastya with his feet. The all powerful sage became an gry and said. "You fool! Since you have said Sarpa, Sarpa' you will become a serp ent." At once Nahusha fell off the palanquin becoming a huge serpent in the proc ess. After aeons of existence as serpent Nahusha got his release in Dwapara Yuga as will be told later In the land of the Surasenas, there was once a great emperor Chitraketu by name. He was the overlord, getting tribute from subordinate kings , enjoying all the p leasures of life. He was in full vigourof life and had more than a thousand wive s, all as fair as the dawn and yet Chitraketu was unhappy. He had no son. Just t hen, by chance, the great sage Angiras came to visit him. The emperor immediately rose and received the sage with the greatest respect. The all knowing sage smil ingly addressed the king. "O! King! You are ruling over your subjects with great justice and your subjects are happy and contented and yet some discontent is clo uding your face" "What shall I say to thee whoknowest all! Yet I shall obey your command" The king continued "I have no son to continue the line. Who will prote ct my poor subjects and who will repay our debt to our forefathers and gods by p erforming the annual Sradhas and daily poojas I will be punished and banished to the nether worldlike a felon for failure in my duties" The poor king could proc eed no further. The kind hearted sage gently said "Take heart, great king. I shall perform a gre at yagna for the Sun god and you will have a son." Angiras immediately performed a sacri.ce to the Sun god and gave the remnants as prasad to the king who in tu rn gave it to his eldest queen Kritadyuti who partook ofit with great devotion. Soon she became pregnant and in due time gave birth to a .ne son. There were gre at rejoicings, throughout the land. The baby grew up a .ne boy bringing joy to w hoever looked on him. He was the darling of the step mothers and nurses and the courtiers. The king spent most of his time fondling his son and attending its mo ther and unfortunately he began to neglect hisother wives. They wailed "Alas how unfortunate are we childless and neglected. Our lot is worse than that of the f emale servants" As their misery grew they lost their reason and poisoned the chi ld. The poor queen Kritadyuti thought the child was sleeping and engaged herself

in some householdwork. Time passed, the child did not wake up and the queen tol d an old nurse to wake it up. The oldnurse gently approached the child. Its eyes were .xed; there was no breath; she fell down with acry. The queen now came nea r and .nding the child was dead, she uttered a wild cry and fell down in a swoon . The servants ran here and there and the king beat his breast wailing "Alas! Wh at sin have I committed that I am suffering thus. Great God! Take us also. We ca nnot bear this loss." Just then old Angiras Maharishi arrived along with Sri Narada. "Grieve not O! Ki ng! Nothing of this world is real It is all dream-land Your palace, kingdom, you r armies will all disappear into the womb of nature and your own body will becom e a handful of dust or ashes. I would have told youall this when we .rst met but your desire for a son was so great that you could not receive any message" Sri N arada now thought of a more effective method than just advice. Facing the dead b ody of the child he said "Rise again O! Jiva and gladden the hearts of all these people. Enjoy your throne .Your father and mother are grieving. Gladden their h earts again." To the intense astonishment of all,the Jiva said "Pray which fathe r and mother am I to choose? I have so many fathers and mothersand relatives thr ough my various births in different wombs, human, divine quadrupeds and even rep tiles. According to one's actions, a person is born. Escape from this coil by se l.ess service to all fellow beings" Saying this the soul again left the child Ch itraketu and others now convinced of theunreality of the body and the reality of the soul were more or less calmed took their bath in the riverand performed the funeral rites. Even the cruel step mothers repented for their cruel action. Rea lizedthat they were just pawns in the game of fate, and becoming really sorry, h ad a peaceful end. Sri Narada went one step more. It is the nature of saints to shower blessings wherever they go. He decided to teach Chitraketu how to overcome maya , illusion , by worshiping Bhagavan Sankarshana(Adisesha) But before that he had to be taught something important. Sri Narada taught him how torecognize t he Lord in various aspects such as budhi (Intellect) mind , feelings , and in tw elve divinemantras. As the mind became free, he could travel anywhere and reache d Adisesha's abode. He was very fair, clad in blue silk, adorned with rare gold ornaments and jewels such as warriors wear and his eyes were long and rather red dish. He was surrounded by groups of immortals. At this grand sight out of sheer devotion tears welled up in Chitraketu's eyes. He did not know what to ask for, as he wanted nothing. Still the Lord blessed him as the supreme master of the B hajan form of worship(musical recital of gods' actions). Chitraketu roamed over the spheres with his band of musicians blessing bhajan pa rties with theirpresence. In the course of his wanderings the party happened to pass by Mount Kailas and wishingto pay homage to Lord Siva, they alighted near t he Ashram. Lord Siva with Sri Parwathy seated on his lap and embracing her with one hand was expounding the meaning of the Vedas to the assembled sages. Chitraketu laughed loudly. "The great exemplar who should set an example is embr acing Sri Parvathy in public. Even ignorant persons do so only in privacy" Lord S iva only smiled and did notreact. But Sri Parvathy was enraged "Who is this pers on who has dared to insult Lord Siva, whenvenerable sages and even Hari and Brah ma see nothing wrong" The Devi continued "You do not deserve to be the minstrel of God. You have too much of Rajasic guna. I curse you to be born as an asura" T hough Chitraketu could curse in return, he did not do so. He meekly accepted the curse and was born as Vritra in the Homam that was being performed by Thwasta. Shri Siva observed , "You see my dear Parvathy the greatness of the devotees of Hari. They are free from anger and all such maladies" Such was Vritras origin. N o wonder he regained his former statusafter a comparative short relapse. CHAPTER 9 Sk 7. Ch 6 . Slokam 1 Prahlada We have now to look back a little. Hiranyakasipu's tapas lasted for a long time. It was an asuric form of tapas , c utting of pieces of.esh from the body and casting it in the sacri.cial .re. When

there was nothing more to cut off he was about to cast himself in the .re when Lord Brahma appeared "My son I am pleased with yourtapas. What do you wish?". "I wish immunity from death" Brahma replied "Nay, that is not possible. It is not i n my power to give that". "Then" said Hiranyakasipu "grant me invulnerability fr omall weapons, from beasts and men. I should not be killed either in day time or night" Lord Brahmasaid "Be it so" and touched his wasted body and Hiranyakasipu arose, his body shining like moltengold and hard as diamond. When Hiranyakasipu had left his palace years ago, he had left his pregnant wife Kayatu, unprotected . Indra, his arch enemy, pounced upon the poor lady, took her captive and was le ading her to prison when Sri Narada stopped him enroute. Indra protested "Great Sire,this lady will have a son and he will be as powerful as his father. So I am going to destroy it before it is born". "You fool!" the sage retorted. "You sho uld not harm a pregnant lady and moreover the child in the womb will be the fore most devotee of Hari". Indra at once agreed to release the queen.He circum-ambul ated her thrice and bowed and returned to his abode. Sri Narada took the lady und er his charge, gave her shelter and all comfort in his ashram. The queen herself kept the ashram clean, gathered .owers and fruits for the sages daily rituals. And during leisure Sri Narada told the fascinating stories of Lord Hari, of how he is the friend of the poor and oppressed and punishes theevil doers. Even in t he womb, the child was listening avidly and after he was born, the maharishitook him under his special tutelage and needless to say he became a peerless devotee . Hiranyakasipu ruled over the whole universe. In his palace of many spacious hall s the walls weresmooth as a mirror; the pillars shone with precious stones, the devas were in humble attendance.Agni cooked his food and the wind god Vayu swept the courtyard clean and goddess earth gave always bumper crops without ploughing . The gandharvas (demy gods) were constantly singing his praise. The apsaras (ny mphs) were dancing without pause and the monarchs of the world regularly brought their tributes. Even the offerings poured into the sacri.cial .res by the sages were forcibly diverted to him. It was continuous enjoyment all the time and yet the asura was not satis.ed. It wasadharma (unrighteous conduct) all along the l ine. Nobody should worship Hari. Instead they couldworship him "OM! Namo Narayan aya" was neatly replaced with "OM! Namo Hiranyaya" Ages passed. The gods were fa mished as good men could not perform any rituals or sacri.ces. The gods groaned. They were reaching the limit, Sri Hari consoled them "The end is near. I am wor king through my child Prahlada". Prahlada's Childhood Hiranyakasipu had four sons of whom Prahlada was the greatest, the master of all the greatest qualities that waited upon him as if he was their master. A lover o f saintly people, and of gentle conduct he was like a father to people in distre ss and a brother to all living creatures. He looked on his teachers as gods and w as entirely devoid of egoism. He saw the world as unreal and phantom like. Insho rt his virtues were countless like God's and saints do not tire of recounting th em in the assemblies of good people even as they do not tire of recounting the at tributes of Hari himself. Sometime,tears welled up in his eyes; sometimes he lau ghed. The reason for all this extra ordinary behaviour was his inborn devotion t o Hari. In short, he was possessed by Hari! And Hiranyakasipu hated this son! It happened thus. One day, the Asura took his little son on his lap and asked "Dear Fellow! What i s the best thing a person can do?" The child immediately replied "In this troubl ed world where people are torn with thoughts of mine and thine, they should leav e their houses which are like hidden wells and run tothe forests where they may take refuge in Hari" The Asura's brows darkened "My enemy or his agents have corrupted my poor son's mind. I must entrust him to proper teachers for his education". He summoned Chan damarkas the two sons of Sukracharya and commanded them to undertake his educatio n in the proper way. They took the child to their hermitage and taught him all t he usual sastras which he mastered with great ease. But hewas .rm in his devotio n to Sri Hari. He is the cause of everything; He is everything. The child af.rmed

. The teachers were in a .x "How did you get this idea? was it imparted to you o r is it your own?" Prahlada replied "The wrong notion that this is mine, that is yours is created b y Sri Hari's maya. Ibow to Sri Hari. When Sri Hari favours you, this beastly ide a "I am one, he is another" gets cracked.Even gods are not free from this dualit y. Even sages who are on the trail miss their way some time. I am aware of this danger and therefore I am .rm in my devotion to Hari". The tutors were dishearten ed "This boy is like a thorny bush among the mighty sandalwood trees, the asuras ". They then took him to his mother; she bathed and adorned him in a .tting mann er and led him to his father. Embracing him warmly the Asura spoke tenderly "Pra hlada, my darling, tell me the essence of whatyou have learned from your tutors" and Prahlada gently began "Hearing stories about Sri Hari, singing bhajans about him, remembering and serving him, offering .owers and worshipping, serving him implicitly by friendship and offering yourself completely - these are the nine f orms of devotion and if a man follows these he has learned his lessons properly" . Blind with anger Hiranyakasiputurned on the trembling tutors "How is this? You traitors have misinformed my son" Those poor fellows shaking with fear moaned "It was not done by us or by any oth er. This he has learned by himself. Please wait till your guru, our father retur ns. He will surely .nd some way". Turning to his son the Asura thundered "How did you get this pernicious idea in your mind?". Gently Prahlada replied "Devotion to Lord Krishna will not come to those who are devoted to theirown families with uncontrolled senses like unbridl ed beasts .They do not understand their own realinterest . People who are led by outward appearances follow others equally blind , like beasts following other be asts led by the nose string. Their mind will not turn to the worship of Sri Hari until they follow the footsteps of the sages and are hallowed by the dust of th eir feet. As a magnet attractsiron Sri Hari attracts me." The Asura threw down the boy and roared "He is an enemy. He has forgotten how my brother was treacherously killed and does not want to avenge it. If a limb of o nes own body is diseased it shouldbe amputated. Take him away, poison him, and t hrow him down the cliff" The demoniac attendants needed no further persuasion. T hey tried all these tricks and many more. As the child was merged inHari, all th eir efforts were vain. And the emperor of the three worlds became really anxious . He wasafraid. Chandamarkas, the tutors consoled the Asura "Bind the child with Varunapasa, so he will not run away and let us await the return of our father who will certainl y .nd out some way." And they continued with their own interpretation of Dharma, Artha and Kama, carefully omitting the fourth Purushartha of Moksha. Prahlada was an apt student. When the tutors retired for some other work, Prahlada would gat her his co disciples around and out of his great kindness addressed them "Dearfr iends, hear me carefully. Even from childhood a wise man should hear his duty as expounded in the Bhagavatham. Do not hanker after sensual pleasures. It is chea p. Available without effort even for animals. Life is short. At the most a hundr ed years. Half of it is lost in sleep; a good part as a child and yet another bi g part as a mature adult and householder and the .nal part in dottering oldage a nd regrets. All are bound .rmly by family affection and very few want even to es cape; wealth is even dearer than life as proved by the soldier, the trader and t hief. And who wants to leave his wife; the fond memories and secret pleasures? A nd who wants to forget the recollections of his children or their artless talk; who wants to forget the grown up sons and daughters either; or their progeny or ones own old helpless parents; and who wants to leave his own comfortable home a ndhard earned wealth. It is not a question of learning. Even learned men are pow erless to get over theduality of mine and thine and become the love pets of the other sex even when inexorable death approaches. Therefore dear friends, give up the company of sensual fools and worship the foremost and most ancient of all th e gods Sri Narayana, the very image of .nal release. And it is not at all dif.cu lt to .nd him, as he is present everywhere, in everything and in yourself. He is the seer andthe seen; He can be felt as spontaneous, intense pleasure without a ny reason and the lesson weshould learn from all these, is - Be kind to all crea

tures at all times and under all circumstances sothat He may be pleased Prahlada told the eager students how he had learned from Sree Narada Maharishi. How the body isephemeral, changing every moment, unreal while the soul is eterna l, a part of Sri Narayana himself.How the differences are unreal and vanish like smoke when the truth is realized. And there are, a thousand ways of reaching th is truth. The easiest and most pleasant way is through devotion, through bhajans (Psalms) and kind hearted service. He is in all. So you are serving God when yo uare serving the poor. So, cultivate sat sangh (company of the godly). Finally, dear friends , it is not birth as a high born brahmin or god or sage that matter s. Poems or songs or vast learning do notmatter, giving alms or austerity and pe nance are not as dear to Sri Hari as disinterested devotion. The rest is only pr etense. And all are eligible, asuras, yakshas, women, birds, beasts, reptiles, A ll, All are eligible. In fact, they have attained salvation. This is the truth" His co-disciples all asura boys listened attentively and began to sing hymns and danced roundPrahlada to the great consternation of the tutors. On hearing about the strange turn of events , Hiranyakasipu became blind with fury and grasping a sword rushed towards his son "You idiot! Where is the source of your strength? I will .nish both of you at once!" and Prahlada replied "Oh!King! Not only mine but yours and of every creature, Sri Hari is the source" "Is he in this iron pil laralso ?" asked the furious asura. "Yes. He is there also. I see him clearly". The Asura looked at the iron pillar and smote it with his bare hands. It split i n two with a deafening sound and there emerged a huge form, half lion, half man w ith many arms, armed with divine weapons. His head wascovered with golden manes, with ears erect and a cavernous mouth and cruel teeth and red tonguelolling out . Sparks .ew from his eyes and his continuous roar was like thunder reverberatin g inmountain top. With great agility, the Asura jumped aside and snatching a swo rd and buckler sprang at the man-lion. With his long powerful arms, the Narasimh am caught the Asura by the hip, laid himon his lap, dug his claws into the Asura 's breast and pulling out the heart and entrails garlanded himself with it. It w as all over. The great Hiranyakasipu , conqueror of the three worlds the terror ofthe gods and the tormentor of sages was laid low. The Narasimham had not calmed down. He was still shivering with anger. Nobody da red approach him. The gods, demi-gods, gandharvas, nagas and sages all tried to come near singing psalms of praise but the Man-Lion showed no signs of calming d own. He was still growling, drenched in blood lashing his tail and ready to spring on any one daring tocome near. The devas had a plan. They prevailed on Sri Lakshmy Devi, Vishnu's consort to go near. The Devi took one or two steps and stopped s hort. She too was terri.ed and could not recognize herLord in this guise. As a l ast resort the gods prevailed on Prahlada to go near the awful Man-Lion. Prahlad a had no fear and approached Narasimham , Man-Lion , with folded hands. The Lion 's eyes became moist thinking of the great sufferings his devotee had been subje cted to. Narasimham gently placed his hands on Prahlada as if blessing him and a t once songs of praise gushed forthfrom the Child. "When Brahma and the gods are unable to please thee, How can I, a child born of asura hope to please you. Me thinks, neither high birth nor wealth nor beauty and strength, nor intellect can please you great God as the devotion of that elephant in distress "A chandala of low birth who has devoted his mind, words and actions to you Is s uperior to a brahmin of high birth Who has turned his face away from you All thi ngs are yours. By giving you offerings A devotee is increasing his own worth As a man adorning his face is not doing it For the image in the mirror but for hims elf." Prahlada does not stake any claim. "A Father cannot save his son. Medicines do n ot always save. Even any number of births and deaths do not take one nearer to y ou. I do not want even blessings asthey are chimeras in the desert. The senses a re like the several wives of the householder, pulling him in different direction s. Bound by one's own past actions we are inexorably led to repeat our mistakes

unless you take pity and lead us to you. Save me, Save all". The Lord said "Prahlada, dear child! Wait a little more as an example to all dev otees. You are the emperor of the three worlds and the master of untold wealth. I know you have no desire for them.You must exhaust your merit by judicious enjo yment and demerit by patient suffering and when the account is clear both ways, come to your .nal abode with me." With these words the Narasimham vanished. "He prayeth best; who loveth best; All things both great and small For, the dear god who loveth us He made and loveth all" Coleridge - "The Ancient mariner" The story was .rst told by Sri Narada to Yudhishtira. Sri Narada continued "How lucky you are in having this same Vishnu, Sri Krishna, as your uncle, protector and guide all through your life. I shall now narrate another story illustrating his unique greatness. The Story of Mayan, the Master Builder of The Asuras After the lapse of a long time, the devas recovered their former glory and oppre ssed their rivals, theasuras. They approached their guru, Mayan the master build er who was also a great engineer and knew many secrets. He built three great cit ies of iron, silver and gold. Residing in these cities theasuras could .y over a ny place occupied by their rivals the devas and settle down crushing all thosebe low. The devas were in great distress and approached Lord Siva, one of the Trini ty. Lord Siva, thekindest of the Trinity at once obliged took out his mighty bow and showered arrows. The asuras were laid low but Mayan again came to the rescue . He dug a great well; .lled with elixir and threw theasuras into it. They were restored and came out like lightning from the clouds. The elixir had to be destr oyed. Sri Hari became a cow and Brahma became a calf and they jumped into the we ll anddrank off all the life giving elixir. Lord Siva resumed the .ght with spec ial arrows symbolizing wisdom, forgiveness, fortitude, truth, etc. The asuras cou ld not withstand these and were vanquished. The devas were once more restored to their abode. The magic cities of metal were reduced to ashes and Lord Siva was henceforth known as the Destroyer of Three Cities Varna Ashrama Dharmam King Yudishtira, Parikshits ancestor, was now desirous of knowing more about var na ashrama dharmam from no less a person than Sri Narada Maharishi. The sage obl iged "I shall tell you what Ihave learned from Sri Narayana Maharshi who is stil l at Badary ashram. People should be alwaysoptimistic, practice equality, mainta in silence, aim at renunciation and practice self introspection. These are essen tial for all castes." The caste system was not a water tight division. Some opted to become brahmins; others preferredsoldiering still others preferred trade or agriculture and chang e from one system to another was natural. Now all that has changed and we have be come the laughing stock of the world. CHAPTER 10 Sk 8. Ch 2 . Slokam 1 Gajendra Moksham In the southern regions there was a great mountain called Trikuta with three pea ks of iron, silver and gold and the foot hills were strewn with precious gems li ke diamond, emerald and pearls and itwas girt all around by an ocean of milk. As the shores were drenched by the ocean, all kinds of treeslike the banyan, teak, sandalwood, deodar grew in profusion and parrots of various hues, swans andkite s, .itted in the sunshine .lling the air with their notes. There were waterfalls , which with a subdued roar were .lling a vast lake. In that lake there grew lili es and lotuses, which imparted a fragrance to the cool water. The lake was fringe d with leafy trees that sheltered various animals. The deer and hare were harmle ss denizens but you could hear also the distant roar of a lion and growl ofthe t iger. But even these dared not approach a herd of wild elephants lead by their k ing, a huge tusker. He was undoubtedly the king of the forest.

On a particularly torrid day, the elephant herd decided to have a plunge and wit h trunks raised and rolling eyes and ears fanning and shrilly trumpeting, crashe d through the bush woods and bamboogroves and plunged into the cool lake. The ki ng tusker was foremost. He waded carefully; .lled his trunk with the scented wat er, drank his .ll and splashed the water over himself and then over the baby ele phants even as a householder bathes his children. They were thus happily sportin g in the cool waters little suspecting the impending danger. As fate would have it, a huge crocodile dug its teeth in the feet of the elephant king and began to draw it towards greater depths and there ensued agreat tug of war. The mighty t usker pulled with all his enormous strength but the crocodile was in his element . The .ght went on for days, weeks and months. The elephant was weakening. The o therelephants tried their best to save their leader but without success. The fem ale elephants too tried to save their lord. When they too failed, they just stoo d and wept. The story says, the struggle went on for years, a thousand years. Th us when the Gajendra (elephant king) was completely helpless and sinking, the as sociations of his previous birth revived in his memory and he sang a great hymn calling on Hari for help. Neither my cousins nor my wives can help me I am dragged by fate in the shape of this alligator, I surrender to Hari the refuge of all in distress. By your order death comes to creatures I come to you for help I bow to you Lord! From whom All this world has sprung Th is world is in you and To you this world returns And when there is total darknes s You alone remain and By your power you; Bring them back again. The seers, self -controlled, with no attachment Walk this world, without scratches with your hel p, May you be my friend too-I bow to you, who illumines the mind The eternal wit ness, beyond words Beyond mind and even intellect You can be reached only by sat vic conduct By desireless action. You grant saintly happiness And you are the di sposer of .nal release My salutations to Thee who art mild To thee who art terri ble, upholder of equality To thee, the essence of wisdom Because of your great k indness You save those bound by beastly qualities You have entered the body of e very creature And are present everywhere; I worship that eternal one Not very cl ear to ordinary men But realizable by the spiritual minded The lovers of solitude desire nothing They just want thy presence Getting immers ed in the ocean of bliss Singing the stories of thy deeds Brahma, Siva and other gods Are yourself with different names And different forms and attributes; Like sparks from .re and rays from the Sun You emit the worlds and the stream of gun as With intellect and mind streams of beings Thou art not god or asura Not man, not woman not beast Not the gunas, yet encompasseth all I do not want to lead th is life With its coverings inside and out I want realization that is beyond time To thee of irresistible power Beyond the gunas and protector of all supplicants , I bow again and again." Praised by the Gajendra in this way the lesser gods he ld back and Hari appeared borne on Garuda wafting the Vedas with his wings. Plucking a lotus with his trunk the elephant k ing offered it to Sri Hari in adoration crying "O! Narayana, Master of all, my s alutations!" Sri Hari threw his harka; thealligator was split into two; its jaws relaxed and the elephant was free! Sri Hari caressed his trunkand he was transf ormed as a Deva having the same form as Sri Hari. Previous History of The Elephant and Alligator Indra Dyumna the Pandiyan King was a great devotee of Sri Hari. One day, while h e was engaged in rigorous worship, the sage Agastiya arrived with his disciples. But the king neither rose to welcome him nor even moved. The sage's ire was arou sed "You are neglecting your duty of receiving holymen. You are dull like an ele phant. You must be born as an elephant" and straight away he was born as an elep hant . His former memories lingered and came to his rescue in the end. And this alligator was a gandharva Huhu by name. Once accompanied by his wives h e was bathingin sacred godhavari, splashing the water when he spied the Maharish i Devala who after the ablutions was praying to the sun. In a spirit of fun, perh aps to amuse his wives, the foolish gandharvadived in the water and caught hold of the feet of Devala, perhaps to frighten him. The Maharishi at once recognized

the gandharva and cursed him to become an alligator. As soon as Hari's harka to uched him he regained his former shining form and departed to his own world, sing ing the Lord'spraises. The devas and sages had assembled as usual to see the rel ease of the elephant, singing praises of the Lord and Sri Hari spoke as follows i n the hearing of all. "If in the early hours, before sunrise anyone sings about this release of Gajend ra, I shall give him aclear intellect and .nal release at the last moment when t he spirit of everyone leaves the body". CHAPTER 11 Sk 8. Ch 7 . Slokam 1 The Great Churning Brie.y describing the succeeding manuantaras (regions of various manus) and mino r avatars (incarnations) of Sri Vishnu Sri Suka mentioned the churning of the oce an of milk and Sri Hari's part in it. Sri Parikshith was curious and prayed the sage for a more detailed account. Sri Suka continued "Once, Indra incurred the curse of Durvasa and had to go into hiding and theasuras with Bali at their head usurped their abode. The devas as usual approached Brahma their common forefather; but Lord Brahma too could not h elp as the times were not propitious. With Brahma at their head they went in a d eputation to Vishnu (Hari). A great hymn in praise of Vishnu (Hari) gushed forth from Brahma and its gist is as follows: "Great Lord! Thou art without beginning or end Beyond thought, eternal witness, ever present Thou art the Truth, the axle supporting The wheel whose spokes are the senses and pranas Thy mind is soma, face is .re that gives wealth Thy eye is the sun and thy prana the cosmic energy We all follow as the retinue follows th e King Indra is your strength and devas your grace Your anger is rudra (Siva) an d Brahma is your intellect Your chest is the seat of Dharma and back of Adharma Yama resides in your brow and eyelids are time Your yoga maya created the all po werful gunas Desire prompted work may do some good but more trouble Even insigni.cant work done for you brings great reward With our limited powers we cannot understand you Salutations to you again and again" Thus extolled Sri Hari appeared in full splendour. He was azure blue in colour; face and eyes beaming with kindness and his long powerful arms carrying divine we apons. He spoke with a voicelike rolling thunder. "O! Brahman, O! Sambho (Siva) and you gods! I know why you have come. Bide a lit tle more .Your rivals ,unlike you, have great respect for their preceptor the hi ghly learned Sukracharya, the master of many secret mantras and their leader Bal i is a righteous ruler and invincible. But you come to me for succour. You must g et divine amrita by churning the ocean of milk with the help and cooperation of the powerful asuras. The Manthara mountain shall be your churning rod, serpent V asuki will be the churning rope. Let Indra with a few attendants go to Bali and r equest his help." The celestials agreed and Indra with Varuna, Agni and a few de vas approached Bali surrounded by his councillors and gently broached his scheme . "Great King! Why should we quarrel? Let us be friends and cooperate hereafter. Moreover, are we not cousins descended from the same ancestor, the great Kashya pa Maharishi? I have a plan by which we both can become immortal. By churningthe ocean of milk with mount Manthara as the churning rod and serpent Vasuki as the rope we can get many precious things (which we can divide fairly of course) and divine amrita, by drinkingwhich we can become immortal". King Bali was pleased with the proposal especially with the modest behaviour of Indra and agreed to coo perate. The devas next approached the great serpent Vasuki and requested him to be the c hurning rope. Vasuki at .rst demurred but agreed when the devas offered him also a share of the elixir. The devas and asuras now approached mountain Manthara fro m either side and began digging furiously. Thrusting their mighty hands under th e mountain and shouting in unison they heaved and raising itshoulder high stagge

red slowly towards the ocean. But the weight proved too heavy and the mountain sl owly settled down crushing the bearers. The surviving devas prayed to Hari. And Hari now assumed a colossal form sitting on a colossal garuda , easily lifted th e mountain and placing it onthe back of garuda .ew towards the ocean and dropped it in the ocean. Vasuki the great serpent wound himself round the mountain. Sri Hari, as a participant took his position at the mouth end andall the devas foll owed suit. The asuras had to catch the tail end. But now a problem arose. The as uras refused to take the tail end. "We are high born warriors and conquerors. Wel l versed in all the sastras and Vedas. We refuse to take the ignoble position at the tail end." Sri Hari smiled. He had anticipated this "All right! No problem. We shall exchange positions". Accordingly the asuras were positioned at the mou th end and devas at the tail end. And the great churning began. It ended also at once. The mountain slipped down easily from the slimy coils of Vasuki. The parti cipants were in a .x and the devas again prayed to Hari. Sri Hari of course resp onded. Taking the form of an immense tortoise he crawled under the mountain and h eaved it up. And now the churning began. Soon, the participants tired and stoppe d. And then a wonderful sight was seen Sri Hari was seen at the top of the mount ain. With one hand he was holding the tail end and with the other hand the mouth end of Vasuki. The mountain turned one semicircle and then back again and the c hurning went on briskly. A precious stone of great beauty and brilliance turned up. It was the Kaustubha and by common consent it was given to Sri Hari. A white horse the Uchaisravas ne xt surfaced. Bali appropriated it as his own special war horse. Next to surface was Airavatham, the white elephant with four tusks and Indra was glad to accept it as his own carrier. The churning became brisker and there arose a glorious la dy Sri Lakshmy Devi the goddess of wealth. Every one wanted her but Sri Devi wal kednonchalantly through the lane of suitors and garlanded Sri Hari who took her to his bosom. Nowarose Varuni a beautiful damsel carrying a large vessel brimful with wine. The asuras wanted nothing else and accepted the damsel with the vess el over.owing with wine and made merry. However this merriment was short lived . Soon the sea was agitated, black fumes were spouting; thedeadly poison Halahalam was surfacing. The devas panicked. This time they decided to approach Sri Siva, the kindest of the Trinity. "Hail! Great lord! Thou art the personi.cation of w isdom and mercy' Save us your dependants in this crisis". The great God Siva was in contemplation with Uma (Parvathy) by his side. He had given half his body to her "O! Uma, Bhavani, my dear! Do you seethese poor devotees who have come to m e in their distress. It is the duty of all good people to helppeople in distress even unasked! How much more when they actually crave for help in distress. Isha ll swallow this poison!" Bhavani was not shocked. She knew well the all merciful and all powerful nature of her Lord. The churning proceeded and the blue black poison emerged. No cup could hold it. So Lord Siva cupped his palms and received it. Seeing no other safe receptacle t he great Lord just swallowed thedeadly poison, retaining it in his throat. The f air throat turned 7blue and Lord Siva gained one more name Neelakanda or the god with the blue throat.The celestials who were witnessing all this fromabove, sho wered .owers and garlands worshipped Sri Siva's feet and returned singing hymns ofpraise about this unheard of sacri.ce. Soon, the atmosphere cleared; the churning became brisker, sweet airs were blowi ng, the water became luminous and a magni.cent form was emerging; Bhagavan Dhanva ntari, the foremost of all physicians, their patron and ideal , carrying the ves sel of nectar in one hand and the book Ashtanga Hridayam (The great treatise on medicine and healing) in the other. The asuras became restless and suddenly snat ching the vessel of elixir scampered with it to their camp and placed it in thei r leader'shands The poor gods were again in a .x. It was sad to miss the prize b y a hairbreadth. Their infallible refuge benefactor and patron was also not to be seen. Just then, they could hear a sweet sound as of ringing silver bells at a distanc e. The Coming Of Mohini Looking in that direction they saw a damsel of extraordinary beauty approaching

. All eyes ,of de-vas and asuras , were now riveted on the dancer. She was drape d in gossamer silk held in position by a golden girdle. The pearl pendants were of the purest and her bewitching smile proclaimed that she was no puritan. The s ensual asuras fell all in a heap. Even the devas who ought to have known better, were bewitched. On hearing the problem of the asuras about the distribution of the elixir, Mohini offered to help provided they raised no objection in the proc ess. The asuras were so fargone in their infatuation that they solemnly promised to keep quiet and Mohini took up the vessel andordered them all to take a bath as it was going to be a sacred function. When they had bathed, dressed and ornamented themselves she arranged them to sit in a long rowwith their plates before them. Facing them the devas sat in anothe r row with their plates. The lady with the vessel now approached with mincing st eps and turning right and left began to serve. Shewas so overwhelmingly beautifu l the asuras could see nothing else. The serving began with the de-vas. The asur as remembering their promise kept quiet. One asura was impatient. He changed row s and nudged himself between the sun and moon gods. He too was served the nectar and he promptlyput it in his mouth. But before he could gulp it down the mistak e was pointed out by sun and moon and the lady (Sri Hari) cut off his head. The body immediately fell dead but the head became immortal. Ever since it is .oating in the sky as Rahu, eclipsing the sun and moon during the eclipses.The elixir p ot was empty. All the devas were rejuvenated and strong. They had become immorta ls. The asuras were weary and disillusioned but had lost none of their ferocity. Taking up their arms, they rushed to their leader Bali for further orders. The Great Deva Asura War King Bali was a great warrior and devotee of Hari and grandson of Prahlada. He r allied all the asuric forces and seated in Vaihayasa a magic vehicle and surround ed by warriors like Namuchi, Jhamba advanced into battle. To them were opposed In dra mounted on Airavata, Matali, Vayu and Agni. The heroic warriors on both side s had curious mounts. Lions, tigers, hyenas, leopards, even cats anddogs were op posed to elephants, camels, bulls and rhinoceros. Birds were also engaged. Eagle s,peacocks, larks and parrots were opposed by vultures, kites and crows. Even aq uatic creatures entered the fray, whales against sharks and so on. In short half the creation was ranged against the other half. Indra wielded his thunder bolt B ali had his magic bow and inexhaustible quiver full of arrows.The battle was lon g and .erce. In the end by the grace of Hari the devas and their partisans prevai led. Bali and his partisans announced a temporary retreat biding their time. The y retreated to the western mountains where the great Sukracharya revived them wi th his mantras (spells) and medicines. Sri Siva's Illusion In his retreat at Sri Kailasa Lord Siva heard of the happenings at the end of th e great churning; howthe asuras were deprived of amrita (elixir) by Sri Hari tak ing the form of a female. Accompanied byUma Devi and the cohorts (goblins) they set out to Vaikunta, Sri Hari's abode. The Lord received them with great respect and after the usual greetings Sri Siva said "Great Lord! Thou art strength and existence. We have heard how you gave the elixir to the devas and not to the asu ras by assuming the form of a lady. We too are desirous of seeing that form" Sri Hari smiled and warned them of the danger. Presently there was a great calm and then as suddenly a breeze sprang up and the party found themselves in a garden th ick with .owering trees. The same divine damsel (who had dupedthe asuras earlier ) appeared. This time she was playing with a ball striking it with either hand a s it rebounded (as girls often do). A naughty breeze partly blew aside her silk dress revealing her charms. The great ascetic that Siva was, could restrain hims elf no longer and darted after the dancerforgetting all decorum and even the pre sence of his own consort Umadevi. The dancer was quicker; she slipped fast leadi ng him a pretty dance over hill and dale through briar and thorn; with bruisedfe et and perspiring brow. The great doyen of ascetics realized his error. He had o nce burned to ashescupid in his ire and the same cupid, since revived, had his r evenge now. Wherever the earth was drenched with blood or perspiration, a mine o

f diamonds or gold materialized. And Sri Hari appeared, fresh and glorious and sm ilingly said "O! Sambho! You have gallantly passed the test. Still, you see the danger of the proximity of the other sex. May this be a warning to all sanyasis" Sayingthis Sri Hari vanished and Lord Siva, sadder and wiser now, returned with Sri Umadevi and his cohorts back to the icy solitudes of his abode Mount Kailash . Sri Suka said "I have described to you the great power of Sri Hari. He who reads this with devotionwill be freed from all desires especially the sex. The Manwantaras And Revival Of Bali Sri Suka then proceeded to describe the different manuvantaras. He spoke about t he manus (rulers) and sages and Indras over a period of time that staggers the i magination. He also spoke about theminor avatars (incarnations) of Sri Hari as Y agna, Prajeswara, sustaining the Vedas and Dharma and how they were retrieved wh en lost. Parikshit wanted to hear the story of Bali which was left incomplete. Sr i Suka continued. Bali was in oblivion for a long time. He never lost faith in h is preceptorand guide, the great Sukracharya. Sukracharya, by his potent medicin es and mantras (spells) revived all the asuras. The sage and his disciples, next conducted a great yagna (sacri.ce) called Viswajit. Sri Hari himself emerged guid ing a splendid chariot and splendid horses and a divine coat of mail and weapons . From the .ag staff .oated a .ag with the emblem of a roaring lion. Thus equippe d and at the head of his mighty warriors, Bali approached the gates of heaven (I ndra's abode) andblew his conch. The devas, immersed in pleasure all the time, n ow trembled. Their guru the wise Brihaspathy advised them to lie low, hiding whe rever they could and wait for better times. In great haste they forsook the plea sure gardens, temples and palaces of marble, and ran for their lives andhid wher ever they could. Bali and his cohorts now occupied Indra's place and ruled the w orld. Aditi, Indra's mother, retired to a hermitage in the midst of a forest, spending her days in worship . One day, her lord and husband the great rishi Kashyapa ca me to the hermitage. Hiding her sorrow as best as she could Aditi washed his fee t, offered him a seat and fruits and .owers. The rishi performed his usual abluti ons; took his seat and now noted that his dear wife was sad and anxious. Hekindl y enquired "Are not the affairs of the ashram going on well? Are you not perform ing the daily pujas without fail? Did you send any sanyasi coming for alms, empt y handed?" Aditi replied "Lord!By your grace and power, the ashram is running we ll. No seeker of food is turned away and the pujas (worship) are performed punctu ally. You are the progenitor of all creatures, devas, asuras, gandharvas and ever y living being and therefore equally concerned with the well being of all. My ch ildren, the devas, have been driven from their abode and are wandering homeless a nd unhappy. Deign to have pity on them, so they may again come back to their abo de." The rishi smiled and observed "Wonderful is the power of maya (illusion). W ho is the son? who is the father, who is a relative and who is not a relative? S till, if you desire a restoration, worship Hari with all your heart. He is kinda nd generous and the giver of all things. And the best way of worshipping Him is by observing the Payovrita (milky discipline) as I have heard from Lord Brahma, my father. It is as follows. The Payovrita "In the bright fortnight of the month of Phalgun the devotee should make an imag e of Sri Hari.Aftertaking bath before sunrise, adorn it with fresh .owers and ga rlands, light lamps with ghee; burn incense; recite stotras (hymns) invoking the almighty even in that earthen image and prostrate in allhumility casting out all egoism. Perform arati and offer nivedyam (food for god). This holy food should be made of rice well cooked in milk adding sugar and honey. This should be made in generous quantities and offered to holy brahmins, guests and strangers. And ag ain prostrating before God's image should say "Great Lord! Absolve me of all sin and tendency to commit it" This should continue for twelve days and on the thir teenth day there should be general feasting. Even the blindand beggars should be fed. It must be clearly understood that food given to the poor, the sick and th e disabled, reaches God direct. This alone is real charity, real worship and rea

l wisdom ." Worshipped and addressed in this way, the lord immediately appeared, dressed in yellow silk , with lustrous eyes and beaming face, four armed, bearing the conch , the discus, the mace and the lotus ."I know what you desire. I was born as you r son in the past and I shall be born again as your sonand Kashyapa's and regain your lost splendours". Saying this the lord vanished. Aditi felt a great exulta tion and returned to the hermitage to inform Kashyapa about the great vision and its promise.But the sage knew all this through his foresight. Moreover he felt a great power within him and indue course at a particularly auspicious time when all the planets had positioned themselves favourably on sravana dwadasi, the div ine child was born to Aditi. The devas who had prior knowledge of this, had asse mbled overhead. Singing and dancing, they showered .owers and garlands. As the d elighted parents were still looking on, the baby suddenly changed his form to th at of a young boy ripe for initiation into Brahmachariyam. As the ashramvasis (o ther sanyasis) were preparing for the ceremony of investiture with the sacred th read the celestials took a hand. The sun himself instructedhim the Gayatri manth ra . Brihaspathy was ready with the sacred thread. Kashyapa gave the grassgirdle . Prithvi , earth goddess gave the deer skin to sit on and Soma lord of the fore sts, presented theBrahmachari's staff. His mother Aditi gave him a loin cloth. A n umbrella was presented by the sun and Brahma gave a kamandalu (Vessel) . A jap a mala of precious pearls was presented by goddess Parvathy herself. Kubera (the lord of wealth) gave the begging bowl. The young brahmachari, thus equipped had a divine halo of light and he immediately began to perform a homam (worship of .re). The assembled sanyasins heard a rumour that King Bali, now master of the three w orlds was performing a great yagna called Aswamedha or horse sacri.ce. Great gift s were distributed and they too wanted to go. Aditi's son, Vamana also decided t o go with them. The yagna campus was on the northern bank of the river Narmada a t a place called Bhrigukacha. As he walked, the earth trembled.With his staff an d kamandalu and umbrella Vamana looked brilliant like the rising sun. The Bhrigu sand all the of.ciating priests arose with one accord, dazzled by the brilliance . King Bali accompanied by Sukrachariya and the bhargava priests hastened to rece ive the approaching Vamana "O! Noble Brahmacharin! We are surely blessed by your coming" Bali then washed his feet sprinkling the holy water on himself and his queen and son and continued "What will you have? A house, farmland or a whole vi llage? Or a damsel with attendants so you can become a householder, grahastasrami ? Command me and all this will be yours". To this, Vamana replied "I expected no less from the descendant of Prahlada. Hir anyakasipu and Hiranyaksha were great heroes, Vishnu overcame them only by strat agem. They were generous and freely gave to holy men whatever they wanted. I wan t three feet of land measured with my feet".Bali smiled and said "O! ho! I see y ou have only a child's intellect. Ask for something more. A village, a country, a continent?" Vamana gently replied "Great King! A person who is not satis.ed wit hthree feet of land will not be satis.ed even with three villages or even with a continent. A brahmin should be content with what he gets accidentally. Otherwis e he loses his lustre . I want three feet of land and nothing more". Seeing the boy so .rm in his demand, the great emperor smiled and askedhis queen Vindhyaval i to bring holy water to make the gift. Just then, the astute Sukracharya intervened. "Hold! Hold! This is not a common boy. He is Sri Harihimself who has come in this guise to help the devas. He will assume a colossal form and with twosteps he will measure earth and heaven. What will you do after that. There is a limit to alms giving. One's wealth should be divided into .ve parts one each for the king, for family for guests, for ancestr al worship and only one part for alms giving. Giving everything to this Hari, ho w will youmaintain yourself, you fool! You are reluctant to say no after saying yes. There are .ve occasions when a lie is permissible! to please a woman, in je st, to .nalise a marriage, for preserving one's livelihood, to save a life. Bali, the emperor of the three worlds, pondered for a while and then said meekly but .rmly "GreatMaster! All that you are saying is true; but how can I, born in the family of Prahlada refuse to give aboon after promising it? Besides; if thi

s boy is Sri Hari himself, what greater happiness can I have?"So saying he asked Vindhyavali his queen to bring the vessel containing holy water. She was ready at hand . Together they solemnly poured the holy water into the boy's palms givi ng the land and then a great wonder was seen. The boy grew taller and taller; his head was beyond the clouds and touched the s ky. With one colossal step he measured earth; with another he measured heaven; fo r the third step there was no place.Bali quickly pointed to his own head. "Place it on my head my lord, so I can ful.ll my promise" Bali and the attending onloo kers looked up and wonder of wonders! They saw the whole of prakriti,the earth, sky , heaven and all the fourteen worlds, ranged in perfect order. Oceans formed the stomach region. Rishis and forests were in his matted locks . The netherwor lds formed the undersurface of his feet. His chest was the region of the stars. D harma was the heart . Vedas and sounds were in the region of the neck. There was sun in eyes, .re in face and vedic commandments in his brows . Day and night we re in his eyelids. Anger was in his forehead and adharma in his back . Death was in his shadow and maya in his laughter. Nanda, Sunanda, Sri Chakra (the deity of the discus) and the great eagle Garuda were in attendance.As a .nal test of Bali's attachment to truth, Sri Hari ordere d Garuda to bind him hand and foot.Even in this extreme predicament Bali did not .inch. He kept his vow. The celestials who were hovering above, all the time, co uld contain themselves no longer. Singing songs and hymns, they showered .owers a nd garlands shouting "Hail! Hail! To Maha Bali!" and Sri Hari said "Maha Bali, y ouhave stood every test. Loss of power, wealth and fame. Let Indra remain in hea ven for some time more. Meanwhile I shall send you to Sutala which is no less ma gni.cent and there you shall rulewith your queen and son and the foremost of dev otees your grand father Prahlada will also be thereand I will be the watchman at the gate, guarding your city from all enemies. And in due time you will even re turn to Heaven." CHAPTER 12 Sk 9. Ch 4 . Slokam 15 Matsyavataram The Lord's Avatar As Fish At the end of every long epoch of time, there occurs a great .ood submerging eve rything except Sri Hari and Adisesha the great serpent. We shall now narrate som e events leading to the impending great .ood. In the southern part of Bharat (In dia) there is a broad land through which .ows thesparkling river Kritamala (mode rn Tambraparni). On either bank at intervals are grand temples whose gopurams gl isten in the morning sun. Satyavrata the devout king of a devout people was one. ne morning performing the morning ablutions in the river. He .lled his palms wit h the river water and was about to pour it down as an offering to the sun god, w hen he noticed a tiny .sh within his palms. The .sh began to speak "O!King! do n ot throw me into the river which is teeming with my enemies sharks and alligator s" Moved with pity the king put it gently in his own kamandalu (brassvessel) .ll ed with water, intending to deposit it in a lake or big pond. Soon the .sh incre ased in size and the king hastily deposited it in a pond. Here too, it became to o big for the pond and then it wasarranged that it should be deposited in the se a. Now wisdom dawned on the king "You are no ordinary .sh. You must be Lord Hari, Sri Narayana himself who has taken this form for some de.nite purpose" and the .sh replied "True! O! King! I have assumed this form to warn you and all good pe ople. On the seventh day from now, there will be a great deluge. The seas will o ver run the land submerging everything. You must build a big boat . Fill it with provisions for a long time. Take specimens of plants and herbs and their seeds. Take the seven rishis too. As the billows toss your boat in the high seas agains t a strong wind I shall come as a huge .sh with a horn protruding from the head. With Vasuki (serpent) as a rope, attach your boat to my horn. I will guide you safely over the turbulent waters to a safe haven." Everything happened as foretold. During this dreary time the great .sh told Saty avrata some hometruths "Every living creature is born according to his previous actions. He has to be puri.ed in the.re of suffering and intense devotion. No ot

her means will suf.ce. As gold and silver cannot be puri.ed by any amount of wash ing but only by .re. Service to god (fellow creatures) is that .re" The king and the seven rishis listened with bowed head. The great .ood was over. The sun sho ne again. All heaved a sigh of relief Satyavrata was made the Manu (Ruler) of th e next Manvantara calledVaivaswata Manvantara. The puranam (story) adds that the lord killed two demons named Madhu and Kaitabha who had stolen the Vedas and re stored them back to the rishis. Ambarisha Nabagha the son of Manu had four sons, the youngest of whom was also named Nabag ha. He wassent to an ashram (hermitage) for gurukula education. After a long per iod , he became a learned scholar and with his guru's blessings returned to his father's house. Thinking that he would not return and might become a naishtika br ahmachari (celibate for life) the elder brothers had partitionedtheir father's s cant property among themselves and when Nabagha asked for his share they simplys aid "You can take our old father as your share" Nabagha was content but the old father was angry "I am not a property to be partitioned". Nevertheless he told h is son "Not far from here the rishis areperforming the Angiras sathram with a vi ew to ascend to heaven. The mantras are dif.cult requiringexpert practice. You a re well versed. Go and help them to recite correctly. When they ascend to heaven , they will give you the golden vessels and the remnants of the sacri.ce." The s on did as he was advised. The sages were delighted with his services and present ed him with all the remnants. Just as he was taking possession a stranger appear ed and claimed the remnants as his share. It wasSri Rudra (Lord Siva) himself an d he added "If you have any doubt, go and ask your father". Nabagha returned to h is father and said rather sadly "Father, I got the presents alright but a strang er with an imposing .gure came from the north and claimed them." The father thou ght for a while and replied "My son, the stranger is right. He is no other than great Rudra. According to a previous agreement arrived at the end of the Daksha yagna, he is entitled to the remains." The son immediately returned and prostrati ng before Sri Rudra begged his forgiveness. Sri Rudra was pleased "I am pleased with the truthfulness of your father and your own modest behaviour. I give you f reely all these". So saying Lord Siva disappeared. Nabagha took possession of th ese remnants and spent theremainder of his life worshipping Sri Hari and taking care of his old father to the very end. Ambarisha was the son of this Nabagha. Ambarisha, the darling of the gods became a kshatriya. Because of his devotion t o Sri Hari andtruthfulness he became invincible. He soon became the overlord of the seven continents girt by theoceans. Tributes came pouring in and he became t he master of immense wealth unequalled since or before. The subjects were so hap py and prosperous that they did not want anything better, not even heaven. All t his prosperity, only strengthened the king's piety and love of truth, if at all, it could be strengthened. The festivals of the Lord were conducted with pomp an d splendour. And yet the great emperor was the humblest of the humble. He was pe rfectly aware all the time that all these materialblessings were unreal insubsta ntial as a dream. He observed religious fasts, especially the fast onekadasi day as it was particularly dear to Lord Hari. He was always engaged in service to H ari. Hepersonally cleaned the temple precincts; his eyes feasted on Hari's idol; his ears were constantlyhearing stories or hymns and he was enveloped by the fr agrance of the tulasi garlands adorning theidol. As he was always thus engrossed Lord Hari sent his own weapon sudarsan to guard and help him in every way. Once as usual he had fasted on ekadasi day, kept vigil all night and bathing in the yamuna early morning was preparing slowly to break his fast. The brahmanas a nd every one present were sumptuously fed. It was dwadasi; only a few hours were left and the fast should be broken before it wasover. Just then, came the sage D urvasa with a large retinue of sages. The king received them with great courtesy . They were quite hungry but they said "We shall take our bath in the holy Yamun a .rst and after the morning ablutions shall certainly come for lunch" So saying , they departed andthe king waited. Hours passed. No sign of the guests. The kin g was becoming anxious. If he did not break his fast before dwadasi was over, th e vow would be broken; if he took food, he would be guilty of insulting his guest

s. He was in a serious dilemma. He consulted his ministers, wise men and sages. They pondered for a while and th en they said "O! King! It is written in the sastras that by taking a little holy water you can keep your vow and youwould not be showing any disrespect to your guest also" The king was relieved. He took just a few drops of holy water. His v ow was kept and he had not offended his guest and so he calmly awaited the retur n of great Durvasa maharishi. Soon after, Durvasa and his followers appeared. His lips were quivering with ang er. With his spiritual insight he had already known of what had happened. With .a shing eyes and quivering white beard he shouted "How dare you to invite a sanyas in for a feast and break your fast in his absence?Your riches and power have mad e you arrogant. I will teach you a lesson". So saying, the angry sage took a stra nd from his mattered locks and threw it on the ground. A .erce genii sprang up a nd rushed towards Ambarisha. But the king neither moved nor even winked his eyes . He stood .rm knowing well that he had done no wrong. But sudarsana chakra the .aming disc which had beendeputed by Sri Hari to protect the king came into acti on. It burned up the genii as .re consumes aserpent. Darting .erce tongues of sc orching .re it approached Durvasa who immediately turned and.ed. Over hill and dale he .ed. Over rivers and oceans, over mountains and valleys ov er continents he.ed with the .aming sudarsan in hot pursuit. At last he reached Brahmaloka and falling at Brahma'sfeet cried "Save me, Save me O! Father of gods and men. Save me from Sudharsana" . But lordBrahma said "Sorry my son. Try some one else. This is beyond my power" Durvasa .ed and sought refuge with Sri Rudra at Mount Kailas. But Sri Rudra also pleaded his inability "Dear son, none ofus can save you. There are countless universes like this revolving around. Who can understand Sri Hari's maya? Approach Sri Hari alone. He alone can give you peace ". Dispirited and humbled and scorched by the pursuing sudarsana, Durvasa at las t went to Sri Vaikunta Sri Hari's abode and falling at his feet cried "Pardon, Pa rdon! O! Lord for wronging thy devotee. Deign to tell me how Imay atone for my s in" Sri Hari replied "Noble Brahmin! It is as if I am not free, being bound to m ydevotees. How can I be free from those who have left their wealth and homes; wi ves and sons andeven their lives, seeking shelter with me? Those , whose hearts are bound to me, good people who view all things equally, they attract me by the ir devotion even as good women attract good husbands. My devotees want only to se rve me , not caring even for the four forms of mukti (freedom).These good people are my heart. I am their heart. I do not even care so much for Sri Devi (consor t)as I care for them. And let me tell you a secret. tapas (austerity) and knowle dge if properly used are ornaments to a brahmin but if misused they look otherwi se. Therefore O! Learned Brahmin go backto Ambarisha himself and beg his pardon and all will be well". Thus instructed Durvasa went back to Ambarisha and was about to fall at his feet . Greatly embarrassed the king raised him up and turning to Sudarsana praised him as follows: "I bow to thee O! Sudarsana dear to the lord; Thou art Agni the god of .re You have a thousand spokes And can swallow all other weapons You are Dharma, you are Truth Protector of all and source of all energy Destroyer of those that follow Adharma Irresistible, you destroy asuras in battle Be thou gentle to this sage, calm down For our sake and for the welfare of our clans And if there be any merit in my action' Calm down and be cool to this sage." Praised thus, Sudarsana immediately cooled down. Durvasa was fully relieved and began to praisethe king " Today have I experienced the greatness of Sri Hari's d evotees. They return only good for evil. What is there impossible for them? What is there, they cannot give up? And what is there, they cannot attain whose very touch makes men holy. O! King! I have been blessed by your astounding mercy. Yo u have pardoned my crime and saved my life" and blessing every one around Baghav

an Durvasa returned to his tapas (penance). Ever since Durvasa had .ed for life, the king was praying and fasting for one fu ll year. He had feasted Durvasa before he left and now began to break his year lo ng fast. All these trials only deepened his devotion. At the end of a long and pr osperous reign, entrusting the kingdom to his son he too departed to the forest for tapas and attained the feet of Lord Hari. It is said that he who reads this story of Ambarisha, with faith, will also atta in the feet of Lord Hari. Thrisanku And Viswamitra As we look at the galaxy of illustrious kings of the solar line some are outstan ding for particularqualities. King Thrisanku was famous for the steadiness with which he pursued his objectives. He wanted to go to heaven with his present huma n body. He implored his guru sage Vasishta, to conduct sacri.ces for this purpose . The sage became angry and left. The king then importuned the sons of the sage. They got angrier and cursed the king saying "You are telling us to do something that ourvenerable father has refused to do. We curse you therefore to have a dw ar.sh body and black complexion". The poor king immediately found himself transfo rmed into an ugly looking dwarf. But theking did not despair and was in search f or other powerful sages. At this juncture, as fate would haveit, Viswamithra the arch rival of Vasishta, appeared and agreed to conduct the yagna. It was conduct ed in grand style attended by sages and gods and at the end they invoked the pre sence of Indra withhis golden chariot. When Indra did not appear the Maharishi b ecame furious and raising both hands towards heaven he cried "Rise O! King! To h eaven" A tremendous miracle then happened. Thrisanku slowly began to rise. Higher and higher he rose till he almost reached the sky. Indra too became angry at th is intrusion and hurled his thunderbolt at the king who began to fall down head long towards earth. "Save me! Save me!" wailed the king. At this Viswamithra roar ed "Stop! Stop" The descent was stopped. And as the onlookers were gazing, speec hless with surprise Viswamithra raising the stuva (a vessel) thundered "Let there be other stars, other planets another sky" and all thesedid appear. The gods an d even Brahma were agitated. They implored Viswamithra not to proceed further. S o Thrisanku had his heaven and there they stand to this day, the seven rishis an d the duplicate stars proclaiming to the world the mighty power of these ancient rishis. Sagara And His Aswamedha Prominent among the descendants of Harischandra was Sagara. He was the overlord of many rulersand decided to perform the horse sacri.ce or Aswamedha. Indra (Chi ef of gods) was alarmed at the growing power of Sagara and stole the horse befor e the end of the function. The king ordered his sons by his .rst wife Sumati to go in pursuit and recover the horse. They were a hundred in number,powerful warr iors proud of their strength, and started in hot pursuit. They searched everywhe re but found no trace of the horse anywhere. And then they began to dig undergro und and reached a cave where a hoary Maharishi was sitting immersed in deep tapa s, sunk in contemplation , and the missing horse was grazing peacefully by his si de. The foolish soldiers thought that the thief had assumed this disguise as a he rmit to escape justice and rushed towards him. The hermit who was none other tha n the great Kapila Maharishi opened his eyes and they were reduced to heaps of a shes. It issaid that this was the result of their own sin for, a great sage, an avatar of Vishnu himself could not be so ignorant. When the princes did not retu rn, search parties were sent under his grandson Amsuman. Following the same trail he too reached the same place, saw the heap of ashes, the horse grazing by and t he sage Kapila. He praised Kapila and begged forgiveness for his uncles' mistake s. Thesage was pleased with the young man's wisdom and modesty and further conso led him saying "Mydear child, fate is irresistible. I shall tell you however how to raise your uncles to heaven. Bring theholy river Ganges down to earth. As th e waters touch the ashes your uncles will rise again and go straight to heaven". With this message and leading the horse the prince returned. King Sagara complet ed the yagnam (sacri.ce) but neither the king nor his sons and grandsons could b ring holy ganga down from heaven. This great feat was accomplished by Amsumans so

n, great Bhagiratha. Bhagiratha Brings Ganga When Bhagiratha became king the land was peaceful. People were contented and hap py. The king had only one consuming desire. "How shall I bring the holy ganga do wn to earth" He worshippedand prayed so intensely that Ganga devi appeared befor e him and said "I am pleased with you foryour devotion to purify your ancestors and shall come down. But who will bear the force of mydescent?" The king thereup on performed intense penance to please Sri Siva who graciously agreed to bear th e force of the descent. And so, Ganga devi from her place at the feet of Lord Vi shnu, gushed forth; a small rivulet at .rst but she soon gathered volume and beca me a mighty river andvainly thought " I am so powerful I will bear Lord Siva in my waves and rush with him down topatala (the nether world)" The all knowing Lor d Siva immediately grew to enormous size and absorbed the rushing waters complete ly in his matted locks. But the real sufferer was Bhagiratha. He began to do pen ance, a tapas of utmost severity to please Sri Siva. At the end of one full year the Lord relented and let out the river. Ganga again became a mighty river, som etimes gurgling, sometimes roaring, jumping over precipices, always sparkling, te eming with .shes and presently she wasa broad river. In her pride she swarmed th rough the hermitage of a poor old hermit, Jahnu by name, washing it down complet ely. Maharishi Jahnu was enraged and using his mystic powers drank up the whole river. The king now prayed to the Maharishi to set her free. The sage relented a nd let Ganga out through his ears so that Ganges is known by another name also J ahnavi or daughter ofJahnu. The king now led the way, Ganga meekly following him wherever he went. At last he entered Patala. Ganga followed washing the heaps of ashes. At once his ancestors arose with glowing bodies and slowly rose up to he aven and were received with joyous welcome by the devas. Holy ganga .owing past Kasi washes away the sins of all who take a bath with fai th, irrespective ofcaste or creed. In honour of Bhagiratha who brought ganga to earth she is also known as Bhagirathi. Khatvanga Khatvanga was one of the greatest of kings of the solar line. He was invincible and his help wassought by devas in their frequent wars with the demons. During h is last visit the war dragged on fora very long time and on its successful concl usion, Indra gave him many valuable presents but alsotold the king that he had o nly one hour more to live. The king was shocked but not distressed. "I have not done any wrong or unjust ac tion and I havedone my duty to gods and men. Surely, Hari will stand by me in th is hour of greatest need." Thinking thus he detached his mind from all earthly po ssessions, relatives and friends, concentrated onthe ultimate divinity that is p eace unutterable and happiness everlasting and merged with it. Moral "Time is no t too important. Even in the short space of one hour Khatwanga was able to attai n Brahmam. Why not we? With much more time?" Khatvanga's Descendants Khatwanga's son was Dirghabahu; his son was Raghu of great fame; Raghu's son was Aja and Aja's son was Dasaratha and Dasaratha's son was Sri Rama. We can only b rie.y recount the story of Sri Rama. CHAPTER 13 Sk 9. Ch 10 . Slokam 4 Ramayana Ramayana is one of the World's greatest epics composed by Maharishi Valmiki cons isting of twentyfour thousand beautiful resonant slokas, the delight and hope of millions of Indians. We can give only a brief outline. Dasaratha was the king of Ayodhya many thousands of years ago. A great warrior, his aid was sought even by the gods in their wars with the asuras. The king had three wives but had no children.He thought "I am getting old and still have no s ons. I must conduct the Puthra-kameshti yagnam".So he said to the family priest, sage Vasishta, "Revered Sir, I desire a son to succeed me, shall I not perform the Putra kameshti Yagam" And Sage Vasishta replied "Since the thought has occur

red to you, you will have sons, famous in all the worlds. I shall gladly conduct the yagnam". So, preparations were made. Invitations were sent to all maharishis ; the king and queens entered on a fast andworship of Hari. There was sumptuous feeding for all. At the conclusion of the yagnam a deity emerged from the sacri. cial .re carrying a golden vessel full of delicious divine payasam (pudding)Dasa ratha respectfully received the amrit and gave it to his queens. In due time Kausalya gave birth to Rama, Lakshmana and Satrugna were born to Sum ithra and Bharatha to Kaikeyi. No one can describe the joy of the king and his qu eens. The princes were the delight of the servants and courtiers and as they grew up they became the darlings of all the people, sobrave, so handsome and so resp ectful to elders and very pro.cient and skilful in all arts of war andpeace. Yea rs passed . They were all nearing the marriageable age and now the king became a nxious.He was thinking of their marriage. Just then, the guards came running and announced that the greatsage Viswamithra was approaching. Dasaratha hastily app roached "Welcome, Welcome Great sage, you are as welcome as the .rst born is to a childless woman; as copious rain to parched earth. To what happy event do we o we this visit. Only mention it and it will be carried out" The sage was pleased and replied "Rajan! I expected nothing less from a descendant of Ikshwaku and Ra ghu. We, the sages living in the forest, have been conducting yagnams for the we lfare of the world. Of late,our yagnams have been de.led by evil rakshasas, emis saries of powerful Ravana. Send your sonRama with me to protect us from these de vils, so we can conduct the yagnams in peace" The king was thunder struck. "This merciless sanyasi is asking for my darling son scarcely in his teens to.ght aga inst the blood thirsty monsters" His brows were clouded . For a moment he hesita ted andthen gathering courage he .rmly replied " My son is too young to .ght wit h these devils. I shallmyself come with my army." But Viswamithra was .rm "I kno w Rama and Vasishta also knows. If after promising to give any thing, you renege , well , May you prosper'. Fire darted from his eyesand Visvamithra prepared to return. Vasishta the family preceptor realized the danger and advised, "Rajan, s end Rama It is for his own good". The king immediately apologized and with the p ermission of the queens sent not one but two sons Rama and Lakshmana with the ira te Viswamithra who was now all smiles. The princes bade farewell to all their el ders and with their weapons followed the great Maharishi who was already a few s teps ahead. After walking in perfect silence for an hour or so they reached the river Sarayu. Then suddenly the Maharishi turned and looking with the utmost tend erness at the princes said, " Rama, you must be fatigued. Let us bathe in Sarayu ." After their dip in sacred Sarayu, the Maharishi imparted two manthras (sacred verses) the "Bala and Atibala" "Now hunger and thirst and weariness will not aff ect you" Further the Maharishi instructed them the manthras of various divine we apons. As the princes recited them, the deities of those weapons presented themse lves, and said " We are at your service. Command us": The princes recited anothe r manthra at which they retired. The trio now crossed Sarayu and advanced furthe r. It was a dense forest, very dreary and lonely and no bird twittered. All at o nce there was a booming sound and a dark cloud appeared overhead " O! Sir, what may this be? said the princes "Rama and Lakshmana be ready with your bows. This i s the rakshasi, Thataka, the bane of poor sanyasis Spare her not" By this time, she had come overhead raining rocks and huge stones. Rama sent a quiveringarrow through her heart. She fell thrashing the ground with her hands and feet and die d. Her twosons Maricha and Subahu, now loomed overhead determined to avenge thei r mother's death. Onearrow brought Subahu down; another arrow pursued Maricha wh o .ed and disappeared into the sea.Viswamithra and the sages were now free to co nduct their yagnams in peace. They showered their heart-felt blessings on the pr inces and small presents such as barks of trees, sacred threads and kusagrass. T hese were all the things they had and they gave their all. Just then tidings arr ived of a great yagna, that would be shortly conducted at Mithila and they all d ecided to attend that . Ahalya Moksham The very next day, the party started. After trudging some weary miles, their way led through a desolate looking hermitage "Pray Sire, whose is this desolate herm itage" Viswamithra looked grave and then added " O! Rama! Here once lived the gr

eat Gautama Maharishi with his chelas and Ahalya, his dharmapathni (wife) Unfort unately, she was deceived by Indra. Gautama cursed Indra quite .ttingly but he al so imposed a heavy penalty on poor Ahalya. -" Since you have behaved senselessly like a stone, Become a stone" Relenting the sage added "However, when Sri Rama comes this way, and steps on you, you will regain your real form and glory" As t he Maharishi was saying this, Sri Rama stepped on a stone, and it at once change d into a woman who fell on her knees and with tearsburst into praises. Just then Gautama too appeared and the pair departed for further penance Mithila: Janaka's Court All roads led to Mithila where king Janaka ruled. The roads were crowded with sa ges, commoners traders, peddlers, gamblers and dancers. A great gala festival in honor of the Siva Dhanus was goingon. News reached king Janaka that the great V iswamithra with two bright disciples was approaching. With suitable presents and garlands and .owers king Janaka approached "Great Maharishi! Welcome to Mithila . Kindly bless us with your presence and pray, who are these god like disciples who are .t to rule the world' Viswamithra was pleased and said "The elder one is Rama and the younger is Lakshmana; sons of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya They would like to see the great Siva Dhanush" King Janaka was overjoyed. He had two peerless daughters of marriageable age Sit a and Urmila.He had made a hasty vow that he would give Sita only to one who cou ld bend the great Siva Dhanush. Many suitors had tried and failed If perchance Ra ma could bend the bow his prayer would berealized. The princes and Viswamithra w ere lodged and entertained in a magni.cent palace. The Siva Dhanush (Siva's bow) kept some distance away on a platform like contriv ance on wheels,was slowly being dragged by a team of oxen towards a great hall a dorned with .ags and .owers forworship. Soldiers with drawn swords escorted it w hile musicians played on various instruments andpriests intoned hymns and Sri Ru dram. The bow was placed reverently before a statue of Nataraja Siva in his famo us pose of Cosmic Dance. The walls were adorned with paintings of famous kings o f old. Into this hall Viswamithra and the princes entered. They circumambulated the bow, worshipped Lord Siva with bowed heads and folded hands and at a word fro m Viswamithra, Rama bent down gently caressed the bow and lifted the great bow a s if he was raising a garland. Then he stringed the bow and as the onlookers were looking with bated breath, pulled the string to his ears. The mighty bow broke in two with a thundering roar that reached the ends of earth. Sita who waswatchi ng from the balcony took up the marriage garland and put it round Rama's neck. A mighty shout arose from the people, around and the devas above "Jai Ram! Jai Si ta! Jai Sitaram"! Words cannot describe the joy of king Janaka and his queen. Wi th the consent of the astrologer and rishis Lakshmana's marriage was arranged wi th Urmila. Similarly, the marriages of Bharatha and Shatrugana with two daughter s of Janaka's brother were also arranged. The happy news was immediately sent to king Dasaratha by a speedy courier for his gracious approval and consent. Speeding like the wind the courier found king Dasaratha in the midst of his vene rable councillorsand announced the happy news. Dasaratha immediately took a pric eless pearl necklace off from his neck and presented it to the messenger. On the advice of Vasishta orders were immediately passed for the whole court to procee d to Mithila with the treasury, the three queens and their attendants travelled i n palanquins. Some were riding on chariots, some on horses and some on elephants . After a few days the party reached the outskirts of Mithila and were joyfully received by king Janaka withpurna kumbam (vessels .lled with ganges water) , pip es playing and drums beating "Pray, what are the details of the dowry" asked Jan aka with grave misgiving. Dasaratha replied, "It is for the donorsto give what t hey like. The receivers cannot demand" The whole city was adorned with .ags and arches .There was feasting and singing and dancing without end. Vedic mantras an d songs were issuing from a splendid hall; the brides and bridegrooms were seated face to face and king Janakasaid "O! Rama! Take my daughter Sita by the hand. S he will be your partner and companion in following the path of duty and will foll ow you like your shadow in thick and thin" This manthra (sacred word) by the way is repeated even today in every Hindu marriage. The festivities continued unabat

ed for a week when prince Yudhajit arrived. He was Bharata's uncle whom Dasarath a in his haste, had forgotten to invite. But the noble prince did not take it am iss as Dasaratha sorely repentedand more than made amends. King Dasaratha now bade farewell to the generous hosts and with pleasant memorie s and greatthankfulness was returning to Ayodhya when a dark cloud appeared ahea d and ominous signs overhead boded danger. Parasurama An imposing .gure was approaching. He was a Brahmin as evidenced by the sacred t hread but hecarried a great bow and a fearful axe It was Parasurama, a partial A vatar of Vishnu himself. His father, the sage Jamadagni, had been brutally behead ed by an insolent kshatriya prince and in revenge, Parasurama was roaming round t he earth exterminating the kshatriyas and now he had comeupon the luckless weddi ng party. Poor Dasaratha, fell down in a swoon crying "Pity, Pity, great Brahmin . It behoves you a Brahmin, to show pity. My son is so young and only just marri ed". Moaning like this the poor king completely swooned away. Without even lookin g at Dasaratha, Parasurama turned sternly to Rama and said "Oh! Ho! So you are Ra ma, who has broken the Siva Danush.Look! Here is my Vishnu Dhanush. If you can b end it I shall know that you are a worthy opponent and I shall grant you battle" . Prince Rama looked stern and said "Give me your bow". The prince raised the pr offered bow, stringed it and .tting an arrow, drew it easily and sternly said to Parasurama " O! Brahmin, now show me the target I never draw an arrow in vain" P arasurama now realized that this was Lord Vishnu himself and said gently "You are Vishnu himself. I am not humbled by bowing to you Release your arrow and let it consume all the merit I have acquired" So, sayingParasurama retreated with fold ed hands. A great shadow had lifted and king Dasaratha recovering asked "Has Par asurama left?" On being assured that the redoubtable Brahmin had left, the kingh eaved a sigh of relief and resumed the journey to Ayodhya. The citizens hearing the glad news had bedecked the city, like a bride and eagerly awaited their prin ces' arrival. There were weeks of rejoicing. The three queen mothers doted on the ir daughters in law and Dasaratha in his durbar with his heroic sons around carr ying out his orders seemed like Indra in heaven holding court with the greatgods Agni, Varuna etc at his behest It was a time of great felicity for all but alas ! It was destined to be short. It occurred to the king that he too was getting old and that he must relinquish everything and enterthe forest for Tapas (penance) like his ancestors. He decide d to crown his eldest son Rama as King. His councillors,Vasishta and other sages approving, preparations were afoot for the grand coronation. Only prince Bharata was absent, He had, gone on honey moon to his maternal grandfather'scourt at Ke keya (modern Peshawar) By chance Manthara,(Kaikeyi s old maid servant,) ascended tothe top most terrace and was astounded at what she saw The whole city was get ting adorned with pandals (shelters) and arches. A passerby said "Why? Haven't y ou heard that Prince Rama is to be crowned tomorrow? " Trembling with anger as w ell as old age, Manthara ran down shrieking at Kaikeyi "You are ruined! Rama is going to be crowned tomorrow." Instead of getting agitated, Kaikeyi was pleased a nd presented a pearl necklace to Manthara. But she threw it down in anger. Famili arity and long service made her bold "You fool! Don't you realize you will be on ly a servant or worse of Kausalya's hereafter? Your poor son Bharata will be dep rived of his right" Manthara raved on like this till at last poor Kaikeyi gave i n and decided to make use of the two boons Dasaratha hadformerly given to her fo r saving his life in a battle .eld. Throwing away her ornaments she .ung herself down in a dark room. Quite unsuspecting Dasaratha entered her chambers to annou nce theglad tidings. He was shocked to see the chamber in disarray and Kaikeyi w as sprawling on the .oor, her hair dishevelled and .re darting from her eyes. Th e King tried to pat her but she hissed like a snake " Fie upon you! I want the t wo boons you once promised. Give me those boons now" Dasaratha replied "By my dea r son Rama whom I love more than my life, I swear I will grant you anyboon" Kaik eyi now assumed a serious tone, "Ye Gods! Bear witness to these boons. By the .r st boon I demand that my son Bharata shall be crowned King and by the second I r equire that Ramabe exiled to the Dandaka forest for fourteen years".The King fel

l on the .oor thunderstruck. Newssoon passed around that the coronation was canc elled and Rama was exiled . Prince Rama did not.inch. Seeing his father in pitia ble condition, he gently raised him up and announced his determination to leave f or the forest at once. Princess Sita had already packed her small kit and was re solvedto follow her husband, saying that this was her marriage vow. And Lakshman a got ready his weapons determined to stand guard over his brother and serve them night and day. Meanwhile, a chariotwas got ready. They bowed to the aged grievi ng parents promising to return. Sumanthra the faithful charioteer now took up th e reins and coaxed the unwilling horses forward. The rebellious populace blocked the way but Rama assured them that he would return and told them to be loyal to Bharatha.All the women were weeping, even birds stopped singing and amid cries of " O! Rama! O! Sita!, Opeerless Lakshmana!." the chariot slowly moved out of A yodhya. The renowned emperor Dasarathahero of a hundred battles now lay on the g round moaning " O Rama, Sita, O Lakshmana" and expired in the early hours next da y. The trio reached Sarayu, crossing it while the followers were still asleep and p ushed on into the forest, soon they came to a clearing and decided to take some r est. A sound as if a host was approaching was heard and their leader cried "Jai S riRamachandra" bowing low. It was Guha the forest chieftain. He added." I have h eard Sri Ramchandra, that you have been exiled, Please accept ourhospitality for the full term. There is no lack of good things in the forest" Rama was pleased and said with great kindness "Thank you Guha, till now we were four brothers. He reafter it will be .ve.However, I can't stay here as it is too near Ayodhya. I w ill not be ful.lling the vow. I must move out" After resting for the night they moved out escorted by Guha and his followers and reached the bank of the Ganges. Guha ferried them over in his boat and prayed "Oh Rama, I m ferrying youover in this boat. Do you also, kindly help me cross the ocean of samsara" Pushing on t hey metmany sanyasins and .nally, the great Sage Agasthia who directed them to P anchavati. At Panchavati(Nasik) Lakshmana constructed a Parnasala (Asramam) wher e they led a delightful life. Five greatbanyan trees spread a green canopy overh ead. The sacred river Godavari, has its source here. Peacocks are seen dancing ga ily and white-throated kites circle overhead. In this idyllic backgroundSita's d elight knew no bounds and they were almost grateful to Kaikeyi for this picnic. We shall now return to Ayodhya. Speedy messengers were sent to Kekaya to bring B harata and Satrugna urgently. The journey was full of bad omens. Rushing into the palace, he enquired "Where is my father? Kaikeyi coolly replied, "Your father h as gone to the place where all people have to go". When all the details were tol d he burst into uncontrollable anger. The funeral obsequies were hastilyperforme d and he announced his resolve to fetch his brother and crown him. A great army accompanied him and their din reached Rama's ears. "Lakshmana, climb that tree an d see who is approaching" said Rama. Lakshamana obeyed and explained that the Ayo dhya army was approaching. He was furious, " To arms, To arms, dear brother! Not content with usurping the throne, Bharata is advancing with the army to destroy us. You please guard Sita. I want to crush the enemy single handed." "Patience, P atience" cried Rama. "Bharata is coming to take us back to Ayodhya." By this tim e, Bharata was a bow shot from Rama and shouting "O! brother, brother! rushed to wards Rama, crying and blind with tears. He faltered and fell down clutching Ram a's feet. On hearing aboutDasaratha's demise, it was now Rama's turn to fall. Th e funeral rites were hastily performed and now Bharata came to business. "Brothe r, I will not return without you" To this Rama replied "The heavens may fall, th e ganges may roll back, I cannot return!" When things had come to such a pass Bh arata had a .ash "Rama step on these sandals" Rama did so and prince Bharata rev erently bearing them on his head took leave saying to Rama "O! Rama, These sandal s will rule for fourteen years and if at the end of it I do not see you, I will immolate myself. Rama too agreed and thus bearing the sandals on his head and sho uting "Jai Ram, Jai Sita, Victory to Ram!" the party returned toAyodhya . Bharat a stopped at Nandigram, a village on the outskirts of Ayodhya, installed the sand als on a royal throne and ruled in Rama's name. Rama, Lakshmana and Sita were now in comparative peace at Panchavati enjoying th e idyllic beauty of the Godavari against the backdrop of the blue mountains and t

hinking of the greatness of Bharata when Surpanakha a rakshasi came there by pure chance. She had spied them from a distanceand attracted by the magni.cent beaut y of Rama had come near. She introduced herself as the sister of the powerful de mon king Ravana. Her cousins, Khara and Dushana were the governors of Dandakarany a. If he would marry her, he would win the friendship of Ravana and they could r oam over Dandakaranya enjoying sensual bliss. Rama demurred and seeing that Sita was the cause, the rakshasi assumed her gigantic form and made a swoop upon Sita . But Lakshmana ever on the alert .ashed his sword and sliced off her nose and br easts. She ran bleeding and roaring and set her cousins Khara and Dushana agains t Rama. An army of fourteen thousand ferocious bloodthirsty rakshasas set upon R ama. And then ensued a terrible battle. Rama took his stand on a projecting prom ontory and sent volleys of arrows. They were like rays of the mid day sun. Rama seemed to be everywhere.In an hour's space the din of battle died. The ground wa s strewn with dead bodies and vultures circled overhead. Surpanakha saw the havoc she had done. She immediately .ed to Lanka and fell likea bolt from the blue be fore Ravana holding court, shrieking "Revenge! I want Rama's blood. Two brothers Rama and Lakshmana oh! how gloriously handsome, have intruded into our Dandakara nya. Rama's wife Sita is so beautiful. I tried to kidnap her for you and this is the result." She pointed to her bleeding nose. Ravana's cupidity was roused. He threatened and coaxed Maricha to assume the form of a golden dear and draw Rama a nd Lakshamana out of the ashram so that he couldkidnap Sita and bring her to Lan ka. Much against his will Maricha as a golden deer gambolled before the ashram. R ama pursued the .eeing deer and losing patience let .y an unerring arrow. The de er fell assuming its true form of a rakshasa and crying "O! Lakshmana, O! Sita! Help me!" Sita heard the cry and panic stricken cried "O! Lakshmana, go at once and save y our brother"Lakshmana protested in vain. Sita was raving. So taking up his bow a nd arrows he left . Half wayup, he met Rama returning after killing Maricha. "O! Lakshmana! Why did you leave Sita alone" cried Rama. The moment Lakshmana left Sita, Ravana came disguised as a sanyasin begging for alms and whenSita came out he forcibly placed her in Pushpaka Vimanam (.ying cha riot) and sped towards Lanka.Jatayu the king of Vultures trying to intercept, wa s cut down. Bereft of his Kingdom, bereft of his dear wife, Rama bewailed his lot like any o rdinary man.Lakshmana tried his best to console him and the two together began t o search. Soon they cameupon the dying Jatayu who gasped "It is Ravana who has . own southward with Janaki. Alas! I could not save her" Blood gushed out of his b eak and he fell back dead. Embracing him Rama grieved "Alas! How unfortunate are even loyal friends who befriend me!". He performed the funeralrites praying "Fai thful friend of my father! Go to the land of the faithful and enjoy the good fru its". The brothers trudged through the thick forest ever watchful with bent bows when all of a suddenthey found themselves in the clutches of a huge one eyed giant wh ose head was in the middle of hisbody and with arms a mile long. He carried a hu ge spear on which were stuck an elephant, a lionand a boar. The brothers cut off his hands and legs but the giant would not die. He roared "O! Rama! O! Lakshmana ! I know you. I cannot be killed by weapons. This is a boon I have won from Brah ma. Bury me in a deep pit." The brothers did as they were told. From the grave a rose the shining form of a gandharva. He said "Once I had been to Indra's court a nd cast covetous eyes on apsaras Rambha. Indra divined my thoughts and struck me down promising release and redemptionwhen I meet you , avatar of Vishnu. Janaky is taken to Lanka by the demon Ravana. You must makefriends with Sugriva who is hiding in the forests of Kishkinda driven away by his brother Bali. WithSugriva' s help you will recover Janaki". So saying the gandharva vanished. Trekking further south, they reached the ashramam of Matanga Maharishi. It was s wept clean for years by old Sabari, a low caste woman in the hope of meeting Ram a. He granted her moksha (the.nal release) As they were pushing forward along th e banks of the Pampa river, they were observed by Sugriva and his .ve followers atop a distant cliff. Sugriva was suspicious and asked his follower Sri Hanuman to go and reconnoitre. He cautiously approached but soon threw away all caution

andtold the whole story of Sugriva's exile. Rama killed Bali and crowned Sugriva king of all theVanaras. In return Sugriva promised to .nd Sita. A great army of monkeys marched south until they reached the sea. Now a messenger had to be sen t to Lanka and the choice fell on Hanuman. Assuming a colossal form and muttering "Ram ! Ram!" he made a tremendous leap, overcame all obstacles and dropped on La nka. Again assuming a small monkey's form explored Lanka thoroughly; its forti.c ations and defense systems and reaching Asoka vanam found Sita in the last extre mity of distress . He gently introduced himself.. He humbly presented her Rama's signet ring; received atoken jewel from herself and set Lanka ablaze . He made a return leap dropping before Rama andLakshmana with the glad news "I have seen Sita!" Rama embraced him with tears in his eyes. The bridge twenty miles long was ready and the monkey army crossed over. The att ack began. Many heroic acts were done by both sides. In the end the rakshasas we re annihilated. Ravana andhis son and brothers were killed, all except Vibhishan a who was pious. Lakshmana crowned him king and the monkey army retreated with R ama and Sita to Ayodhya. It was the last day of the exile and Hanuman was just i n time to save Bharata from immolation. Great was the jubilation in Ayodhya. The brothers embracing each other shed tears of joy and the citizens were delirious with joy crying "Where can we .nd such brotherly love or such devotion to husban d as Sita? Victory to Rama, Lakshmana, Bharatha and Satrugna, Jai Ram, Jai Ram" T he happiness of the three queen mothers can be easily imagined. Rama with his brothers reigned for many years. It was Rama Rajyam. No sorrow, no disease, no untimely death. Rains were seasonal and earth was bounteous. Peace and prosperity reigned everywhere. It is said that in the end Rama with all those who would follow him entered the Sarayu,returning to Vaikunta, his eternal abod e. A word of apology is due here, we have described all too brie.y the great story of Rama. To all believers it is not a story; it is a way of life. Rama is the gre at exemplar of how a man should behaveas a son, as a husband, as a ruler in pros perity and dire adversity, fully upholding the truth or dharmam (duty) even in th e most trying situations. He never said that he was an avatar. "I consider myself only as Dasaratha's son" But this was only to con.rm his identity with the comm on man. Hedid not want to distance himself from others. He wanted to teach peopl e that all can become divine.Jai Ram! Jai Ram! Jai Sita Ram!!. CHAPTER 14 Sk 9. Ch 21 . Slokam 2 Yayati Much later in the line of the solar dynasty occurs the name of Yayati. He was no t the eldest son of his father, the mighty king Nahusha. Still he was selected f or his kingly qualities and as the other sons preferred ascetic lives and had be come brahmanas. About this time Vrishaparva the descendant of Prahlada and Bali was the king of the asuras. He had a beautiful daughter named Sarmishta. This spirited princess along with her girl companions was roaming in the woodlands in quest of pleasure and adventure when they came across a broad crystalclear lake. They decided to take a plunge in the cool waters. So divesting their upper garments, theyplunged into the water and were having a merry time, splashing the water at one another when LordSiva with Parvathy was seen passing overhead. Hastily the girls swam t o the shore and put on theirgarments when it was seen that Sarmishta and Devayan i daughter of Sukracharya had put on eachother's garments by mistake. The prince ss lost her temper and shouted "Daughter of a beggarly brahmin! How dare you to put on my dress" Devayani retorted "I am the daughter of the great sageSukrachar ya. Kings and devas bow down before him. It is my father's spiritual power that sustainsyour father upon his throne" From words they came to blows and began to scratch and pull as girlsdo. In her anger Sarmishta pushed over Devayani into a deep well. And they all .ed leaving Devayani in the well. Her clothes were torn a nd some thorny bushes prevented her from drowning. Sheshouted; getting weaker sh

e began to moan. By chance Yayati was out hunting and hearing a low moan from the bottom of the w ell, peeped in and was surprised to see a girl moaning. Immediately he took off his cloak and threw it down and the kind king bent down and stretching his hand caught hold of her uplifted hands and pulled herout. He was a gallant prince ver y kind and very handsome. Devayani looked down and said "O!King! You have saved my life. You have given your hand to me and also a dress to wear. Deign to accep t me" Yayati was in a .x. How could a kshatriya marry a brahmin girl? But she as sured him that her father the great Sukracharya would not object. Meanwhile Sukracharya had returned and when he heard all that had happened he be came angryand retired from the court. Very soon things began to go awry. Bad ome ns multiplied. The reason was clear. The great sage's spiritual aura was not the re. Vrishaparva immediately ran up and prostrated before Sukracharya. Relenting, the sage said "I shall return on one condition. Your daughter and a hundred othe r maids must be sent as servants to my daughter" In the interest of his subjects theking agreed and so it was done. The servants and Sarmishta waited upon Devay ani. Here there was an unexpected development. Yayati and Sarmishta also fell in love with each other. Of course there was nothing wrong in this as kings had mo re than one wife in those days. But Devayani was furiouswith jealousy and .ed to her father. The rishi too became unnecessarily angry and cursed Yayati " Since you have been a slave to passion, may old age and weakness descend upon you at o nce" Suddenly Yayati found himself old and haggard. He appealed to the old sage " By reducing me to this condition you are depriving your daughter also of all enj oyment" Sukracharya now relented andsaid "If you can persuade one of your sons t o take on this old age and give you his own youth, youwill become young again". Yayati requested each of his sons for this unreasonable exchange. But the younge st Puru agreed. Yayati becoming young again lived a full sensuous life with Deva yani. However, in the end he realised the futility and phantom like nature of al l pleasures which have their origin in the mind. And resolving with his queens' approval, exercised an iron control over his mind and uniting it with Brahmam on ce for all attained realization. Puru who had regained hisyouth was made emperor of the entire world; his brothers being governors of distant provinces. Sakuntalam Dushyanta was one of the most famous successors of Puru. Unmarried and very hand some he wasout hunting. It was too late to return and so he had to seek shelter in a hermitage. He was receivedby the young disciples of Kanva Maharishi who had gone out. There Dushyanta saw a maiden of surpassing beauty and lost his heart entirely "Are you an apsaras or goddess. O! beautiful one?" Themaiden replied "I am Sakuntala, the daughter of Maharishi Viswamithra and apsaras Menaka. Abandon ed by both, I was brought up by Maharishi Kanva as his daughter and who may you becharming prince?" Dushyantha introduced himself. It was love at .rst sight and they married by theGandharva form of marriage. Next morning Maharishi Kanva ret urned. His spiritual insight toldhim what had happened. He entirely approved of the marriage and blessed the pair. Dushyantha returned to his palace promising to send for her in a be.tting manner, but by a quirk of fate entirely forgot Sakun tala. A year passed and she had given birth to a beautiful son. Kanva Maharishi sent her with an escort of his disciples to the king. But he had entirely forgot ten his association due to the curse of Durvasa. In this extremity the poor lady called on her mother Menaka who suddenlyappeared and carried off her daughter. At the same time a heavenly voice was heard "O! King! She is your lawful wife an d the child is your own heir!" The curse also lifted and Dushyanta now remembered with anguish all that had happened. But it was too late. He accepted his son ma king himhis heir. The child grew up strong and handsome with all princely qualit ies. This was Bharata the famous emperor of the entire earth and this land is kn own as Bharath since that time. This story is the theme of the famous poetic drama "Sakuntalam" acclaimed by eve n western criticsas the greatest romantic drama. Rantideva

In the Bhagavatham we always .nd the great kings towards the end of their reigns , giving up allpomp and power and becoming strict sanyasins to attain moksha (.n al release) But Ranti Deva gaveup all power very early, embracing the life of a sanyasin. His family also was with him and they lived on whatever they could get. On one occasion they got a little sweetened rice and were about toshare it when a hungry brahmin appeared and begged for food. Ranti Deva at once gave him half .The brahmin went away satis.ed and when they sat down to share the remnant a hu nter appearedand after the hunter a trader and then only some water was left. Ju st then an outcaste with his famished dogs appeared "Water! Water! " they craved. Ranti Deva was about to give that water when the gods (Trinity) revealed themse lves and took him and his family to higher worlds. Ranti deva is abyword for ext reme generosity. He could see god in every one. Sri Krishna Avatar The old order changes yielding place to new. The mighty Ganga when it nears the estuary breaks into a number of channels. Even so, the great line of solar dynas ty split into many lines of minorkings and chieftains. Some claiming descent fro m the moon called themselves kings of the lunardynasty. Many had degenerated and had become oppressors of the people. Pujas and rituals and yagnas were stopped; the devas were starved and appealed to Vishnu (Hari) the lord of gods and men a nd of all living things and Vishnu replied "Have patience you gods. When the tim e is ripe I shall descend on earth at Mathura. Meanwhile do you all precede me a nd take birth as gopis andgopalas at Brindavan in Mathura" And the devas obeyed as directed. Ugrasena Maharaja was ruling at Mathura. A good king but not stern enough. His s on Kamsa was a great warrior but too ambitious. He could not wait till his fathe r retired to become king With the help of some asuric associates he usurped the throne; threw his father into prison and began a reignof terror and oppression. Kamsa had a cousin sister named Devaki of whom he was very fond. Her marriage ha d been arranged with Vasudeva, a prince of a powerful clan. At the conclusion of the grand wedding, Devaki and Vasudeva seated in a splendid chariot were being d riven to their palace by Kamsa himself whenan unseen voice from above boomed "Ka msa, you fool! You are driving a couple whose eighth son will slay you!" Kamsa a t once. let go the bridle, jumped down from the chariot and catching hold ofthe long tresses of the bride, drew his sword. Even in this extremity Vasudeva kept his cool and calmly assured Kamsa that he would present every son as soon as it was born, to Kamsa, to be disposed of as he pleased. Kamsa re.ected. Vasudeva was known to be a man of his word. He let go his hold and allowed them to proceed. By the end of the year a son, bright as the morning star was born. True to his w ord, Vasudeva carried the child in his arms and laid it before Kamsa. Even Kamsa' s heart relented " Vasudeva I am glad you have kept your word. But I have fear o nly from the eighth child, so take this child backand cherish it" Vasudeva gladl y took it back but was not too glad. The devas got alarmed. Kamsa was softening; their plans would go awry. So they requested Sri Narada to set matters right. T he Devarishi smiled. Approaching Kamsa he said "O! King! You may have made a mis take because any of the eight children can be made the eighth by changing the or igin of counting." Kamsa thanked Narada for pointing out the error and immediatel y went after Vasudeva, snatched the child fromhim and dashed it on a stone that was conveniently near by. This went on six times. Six babies were brutally killed. Devaki conceived for th e seventh time hoping against hope that this one at least would be saved somehow. The scene now shifts to Brindavan, a pastoral village not far from Mathura. Dair y farming was theonly means of livelihood of these sturdy people. The lush meado ws, thick with green grass were ideal grazing grounds for cattle. The village li terally over.owed with milk and curds and honey which form the basis of wealth. Nandagopa was their prince and Yasoda was their consort. Kamsa's reign was becom ing unbearable to good people. Lord Vishnu decided that the time was ripe for hi s avatar (descending to earth) and requested his inseparable companion and other

self Adisesha to precede him and enter the womb of Devaki. Then, turning to Mah adevi Loka maya who shrouds him from the gaze of the irreverent and impious he s aid " Ho! Devi Mahamaya! You have also a role to play in this drama. Remove my b rother from Devaki's womb and transplant him in Rohini atBrindavan and yourself enter Yasodas body. Do this and as a reward for this great service, humanitywill worship you as Durga, Kali, Maya with offerings of .owers and rice sweetened wi th jaggery, and honey" Bowing low Mahamaya departed. Next day, news spread that Devaki had aborted. Kamsa, now knew for certain that the next would be his killer. He redoubled the guard and put Devaki and Vasudeva in chains. Now Vishnu himself entered Vasudeva's body. He shone like the sun an d felt an inexplicable elation. The elation spread to Devaki also and both felt that their misery would soon end. Kamsa was now getting nervous andgave strict i nstructions to the guards to inform him as soon as the child was born. He was ha vingdisturbing dreams portending death. The devas with Brahma and Siva were hove ring above with garlands and .owers singing songs of praise and welcome. Brahma's Hymn of Praise Hail! Lord of the universe, Truth incarnate Thou art the Truth three fold True now, in the past and in the future Like a great tree Thou art, with roots in Prakriti The four Purusharthas thy saps; the vital airs thy extension Hunger, thirst, sorrow, infatuation Old age and death thy constitution The mind, intellect, ego its branches And Jiva and Easwara the two birds that rest Thy feet the boat to cross Maya Hearing your stories, listening to songs about you and serving others is the way to your presenceand release from every af.iction. Singing like this they depart ed. The planets assumed favourable positions. A pleasant breeze wafted heavenly odou rs. A gentle rain revived all living creatures, moving and unmoving. Rivers roll ed limpid and clear and even thunderwas muf.ed keeping time with the waves of th e ocean. Holy rishis chanted manthras as Devaki gave birth to her divine son. Vas udeva saw the divine child with four arms bearing the conch, lotus, mace and cha kram, adorned already with priceless necklaces and kaustubham, wearing a jewelle dcrown, lotus eyed and smiling at the bewildered parents. He told them that this was not the .rst timehe was born as their son. Even in previous births he had b een their son because of their great purityand tapas. He asked Vasudeva to carry him to Gokulam, deposit him at Yasoda's side, take the baby girl he would .nd t here and bring it to Mathura. So saying the child resumed a baby's form. Vasudeva implicitly followed the directions. Placing the baby in a basket he reverently carried him onhis head and stepped out. Then wonder after wonder followed. The iron chains binding him and Devaki had fa llen apart and now the great gates .ew open. A deep sleep overpowered the guards who lay snoring. There was mild thunder and a slight drizzle, but he was not ge tting wet. Looking up he saw a great hoodedserpent protecting him from the rain. Gokulam was some seven or eight miles away and he had tocross the great river Y amuna which was already in spate. Not knowing what to do Vasudeva with his preci ous burden, just pushed on until he reached the brink of the roaring .ood. Then O! Wonder of wonders; the roar subsided; the waters became calm and Vasudeva was emboldened to cross. It was at .rst ankles deep, then knee deep, then waist dee p and there it stopped. Vasudeva waded on and on but the river continued to be o nly waist deep and the hooded serpent was covering him like ahuge umbrella over head. Reaching the other bank he continued his journey. The glowworms lighted the path and he reached Gokulam. Not a dog barked. He entered a well lighted house. Men weresleeping in the open verandahs. Inside a matron was sleeping with a new ly born baby by her side.Gently removing the baby girl Vasudeva put his own chil d there and regretfully traced his way backand nobody was any wiser about this b aby transfer. Returning to Mathura in the dead of night he found the prison gate s opening automatically as before and deposited gently the baby girl by theside

of Devaki. Sorely she missed her baby son but realized that this was all his pla y and fondledthe baby girl as if it was her own. The baby however began to cry s o loud that the sleeping guards awoke with a start and some of them dashed off t o inform Kamsa. Trembling with rage and fear the villain snatched the baby by it s legs and was swinging it around when slipping from his hands shesprang into th e air and assuming her own beautiful but awe inspiring form with eight arms, car ryingweapons, said in a ringing voice "Fool, you have killed many innocents in v ain. Sri Hari, your enemy is growing up elsewhere". So saying the Devi vanished. Kamsa fell back abashed "Alas! What afool I have been! Even gods tell falsehood. Alas! My poor sister! How I have wronged you! It is all due to fate. Kindly for give me for my cruelty". Kamsa's repentance was short lived. Back at his court, he was surrounded by his asuric courtiers Chanura and others "The devas are cowa rds whohave .ed from the shower of your deadly arrows. Vishnu sometimes overcome s our leaders by merestratagem. He derives his strength from the oblations offer ed to him by some traitorous brahmins and rishis. If we have your permission we will exterminate these vermins". Kamsa agreed and ordered them to destroy Brahmin s and temples. The villains obeyed with glee and torched the places of worship a nd cottages even in far off Gokulam. And one bright devil suggested "Why not we kill all new born children I have a sister Poothana by name who will do it with pleasure" "Agreed" roaredKamsa and Poothana started on her deadly mission. At Gokulam the month long rejoicings at the birth of an heir to their chief had not yet subsided. Itwas as if a brilliant star had risen. The baby was so beauti ful with its lotus like eyes and ruby lips and its complexion of a fresh rose, o ne could not take one's eyes off it. There was an endless stream of gopis (cowhe rd maidens) coming to pay their respects. The lowing cows yielded milk in greate r profusion. It seemed as if Sri Lakshmi, the goddess of plenty had descended up on the village andthe simple villagers believed that all this was due to the chi ld. Yasoda really believed that this was her son for she was unconscious at the time of her delivery and knew not its sex. Nandagopa herhusband had gone to Math ura to pay the annual taxes of butter and curds. He used this opportunityto rene w his friendship with his old friend Vasudeva. The two were great friends. The t alk naturally turned to the arrival of the new baby. "Even though you are past t he prime god has given you a .ne son. Cherish him with care for the times are ba d. Return home straight before anything happens."Nandagopa too had an uneasy fee ling of some impending danger, so taking a hasty leave he departed. Poothana was approaching Gokulam. Using her magic arts she had converted herself into a handsome gopi and bearing a golden tray with .owers entered the village w ith mincing steps and humming a tune. No one dreamt of stopping her. Entering bol dly Yasoda's open house she gazed at the enchanting baby, hesitated for a moment , a shade passing over her face. But it was only for a moment "I must be loyal to Kamsa or he will destroy me". So, steeling herself she took the sleepingchild a nd clasped it to her poisoned breasts. With eyes still half closed the baby bega n to suck. Aftera few seconds she tried to free herself from the still .ercely s ucking baby but could not free herself.The rakshasi resumed her true form, thras hing the ground with her hands and feet fell prone on theearth like a tree uproo ted , the baby still sucking at her breast. She fell with a terrible cry whose r everberations reached Kamsa's frightened ears. All the village now collected round the dead body of the rakshasi trying to extr icate the baby thatwas playing on the top quite unconcerned. Very soon Nanda als o arrived and together they extricated the baby. Then they made a bon.re of the r akshasi's body and strangely enough, a sweet perfume spread over the entire place . The baby had sucked out all the poison from her system and it now burned like camphor and sandalwood. Just because she had given milk, albeit poisoned, to the divine child she was granted Moksha (.nal release) How much more must be the rew ard of those whoworship and offer sweet payasam to him! Prior to the birth of a baby to Yasoda, Rohini had given birth to a .ne son, fai r as the moon, brightening the entire village with his brilliance. He was the ava tar of Adisesha, Vishnu's support and other self. The two babies seemed to be th e foci around which the entire village revolved. Nanda began to prepare for the naming ceremony and just then the great astrologer saint Garga arrived. He was t

he family purohit (priest) of the Vrishnis and Nanda now requested him to conduc t the ceremony. Garga agreed but cautioned that it must be done with the utmost s ecrecy. Otherwise, Kamsa would get wind of this and he would send his minions to kill the babies. So, the naming was donewith the utmost secrecy. The elder, Roh ini's son was named "Rama" because he pleased everyone and the younger, Yasoda's son was named Krishna as he attracted every one. The elder was also called Balar ama, as the baby was extraordinarily sturdy. The gopas and gopis were simple hard working people. When there was sunshine, th ey had to dry their grains or grind them into .our, churn the curds and collect the butter, split the logs for .rewood and so on. Yasoda, Nanda's wife, was also engaged in these activities laying down the sleeping baby in the shade cast by a cart that was fortuitously standing by. As Yasoda was absent too long, the baby became restless throwing up its tiny legs. The feet coming in contact with the cart, shattered it into a thousand fragments. The gopis rushing to the place, to ok the baby in their arms and .nding it unhurt and smiling, thanked the gods for its miraculous escape. The fragments were found to be pieces of a dead asura's body. The cowherd boys who were watching from a distance assured them that Krishn a had kicked the asura shattering him to pieces. But the elders did notbelieve i t; they thought it was just children's prattle. Trinavartha Once Yasoda was fondling her son as usual when she felt an unusual weight. Reeli ng under the weight she placed the child on the .oor. Suddenly with a screaming noise a .erce whirlwind struck the place. Columns of sand were whirling round an d round pelting everyone with sharp edged stones. Trees were pulled up by the roo t and even animals were lifted and whirled around. People ran hither and thither for shelter. It was Trinavartha, Kamsa's emissary, who assuming the form of a w hirlwind was sweeping the village to lift Krishna. He lifted the child and was s peeding with himto Mathura but quickly felt it was too heavy and tried to shake him off. In vain, the asura struggled to throw him off. The child had clasped hi m by the throat and he fell dead like a mountain cleft by lightning and thunder. The storm suddenly subsided and the gopas found Krishna playing in the debris. T he gopis could only thank the unseen gods for this miraculous escape. The babies now began to crawl on their knees and did enough mischief to keep all the gopies ontheir toes. They could not and did not want to take their eyes off the children. Even when they danced and played they carried him on their hips by turns and there was great competition for this pleasure. From crawling on their knees the children rapidly reached the next stage of toddling and walking erect w ith unsteady steps. There was no end to the fun and frolic. The gopis would make him dance offering a piece of cake or a little butter as prize. He who was maki ng the world or even the universe dance, was now dancing like a puppet to the tu nes of the simple milk maids! Sometimes hewould pull the calves by their tails a nd enjoy a tug of war. Growing bigger Krishna organized the boys into gangs maki ng forays into the dairies kept by grown up ladies. The complaint became general "Yasoda, your boy is stealing our butter. They break the pot and drink the curds as it pours out.Not content with this, they take the butter and feed. the monke ys and kittens that follow them always!" Yasoda protested "Why should my son stea l butter when we have plenty of it in our house. If you can catch him red handed I will punish him". The gopis murmured but they could not get angry with Krishna . One enterprising gopi laid a ruse. She kept the doors partly open, placed the butter pans deliberately within reach of little Krishna and lay in wait. Sure eno ugh, Krishna and hisgang (which included the son of the owner herself) appeared, .lled their hands and mouth with butter They were about to beat a retreat when t he owner lady pounced on little Krishna, caught him by the hand and thus catchin g him reached his house shouting "Now, Yasoda! What do you say to this?" Yasoda coming out said "Why this is not Krishna" The gopi who was dragging Krishna, now looked down and saw that it was her own son! Quite abashed, she let go her son, while Krishnalaughed loud from inside his house and Yasoda frowned. Yasoda's Vision

As days passed, Krishna's mischief waxed. He would release the calves before mil king time andwhen questioned, would make faces. He was the beloved leader of all the boys and girls who blithely followed him in all his pranks. On one occasion they complained to his mother "Yasoda Ma! ThisKrishna has eaten mud!" Immediatel y catching hold of Krishna Yasoda asked "Krishna! Did you eatmud? All these boys and even your brother says so" Krishna stoutly protested. "All right open your mouth" said Yasoda holding him .rmly. The child opened its little mouth and wond er of wonders Yasoda gazed and saw the heavens and stars; mountains and rivers; living creatures big and small and .nally her own village and herself looking in to the open mouth of another little Krishna. Yasoda fainted. Krishna relented and cast his yoga maya over her. Slowly opening her eyes Yasoda was once more her n ormal self back in this world of maya; in her own village and she entirely forgo t herexperience Krishna Is Bound To A Wooden Mortar After setting her servants to various tasks Yasoda was herself engaged in churni ng curds. She was rather a large sized lady wearing many bangles and a girdle. A s she churned, the bangles made a jingling musical sound and at the same time li ttle Krishna was clasping her round the neck beggingto be suckled. Because of he r intense affection milk was oozing from her breasts. She stopped the churning a nd turning round, took the child in her lap and began to suckle it. The feeding was only half over when she heard the milk pot in the kitchen boiling over. Hast ily putting the half fed child on the .oor she rushed to the kitchen. Krishna wa s annoyed. Getting up, he snatched the churningrod and broke the pot. .ooding th e room with curd and butter. The ever ready kittens and monkeys were lapping up happily. Not content with this mischief Krishna collected some butter in his lit tle hands; went to an adjoining room and sitting on an upturned wooden mortar, w as throwing bits of butter to the crows and squirrels. Yasoda returning from the kitchen, observed all the mischief. The mother smiled but pretended to be angry and taking up a cane caught hold of the little rogue threatening to chastise him ; but the child now began to sob. Tears rolled down his cheeks and Yasoda found it hard to keep up her pretension of anger. But the child had to be punished som e how. She took up the rope used for churning and began to bind Krishna to the w ooden mortar. But winding round and round she found it two inches short. So she attached another piece of rope but that tooproved two inches too short. This wen t on for some time. Always it was two inches short. Some other Gopis who had gat hered round to witness the tamasha began to laugh. Poor Yasoda was getting tired trying to bind the in.nite. The Lord, now took pity on his mother and allowed hi mself to be bound, teaching the world that he can be bound only by love. Leaving Krishna like that, Yasoda went back to her work. Liberation Of Nalakubera And Manigriva Out in the compound stood two giant Arjuna Trees like twins. The child crawling on all fours and dragging the wooden mortar behind slowly worked his way through the cleft. The mortar turned crosswise and got stuck between the trees. Krishna tugged, the trees began to shiver and with amighty prolonged roar, fell prone . at and two shining celestials materialized with folded hands and bent heads. The y began to sing "O! Krishna, Maha yogin Vasudeva You have created all this manifest and unmanife st They are thy body; Thou art time eternal Thou alone art Prakriti and its guna s Budhi, ego, mind, senses thy modi.cations None by itself can comprehend the wh ole Even as clouds caused by the sun, hide him Thou art the supreme Lord, now ma nifest For the prosperity of all the world. Salutations! Singing thus they depar ted to their world. Their Previous History These gandharvas were the sons of Kubera, guardian of all the wealth. Intoxicate d by wealth, theyhad become blind to decency and all the ills that this body is heir to . Wild with drink and accompanied by their women folk they had plunged in to holy ganges Casting off their clothes they were disporting themselves like el ephants when Devarishi Sri Narada passed that way. Seeing the sage from a distan

ce, the ladies immediately snatched their garments and clothed themselves; but n ot sothe two gandharvas. The great sage did not become angry. He was rather sad to see the effect of wealth Alas! Whose is this body? Is it the Father's or Mother's? Does it belong to, the worms or to .re Wealth makes him vain and Cruel to fellow creatures and Thoughtless to their sufferings, for such, Poverty is the all powerful panacea. So, I shall deprive them of all their wealth Let them be trees and when They come in contact with Lord Krishna Will regain their form and wisdom. To ful.ll the Rishi's words the Lord had To play this part. Trek To Brindavan Hearing the sound of the falling trees the gopas rushed to the place and were re lieved to .nd thechild unhurt. Some stray cowherd boys who had witnessed all thi s told them that the trees fell because Krishna had tugged at the rope and furthe r two resplendent celestials appeared and worshipped Krishna. But the elders dism issed all this and thought it was only children's prattle. Days passed. Rama and Krishna played with boys of their own age. The gopi girls were mischievous. They would tauntingly say "Krishna, you cannot dance". Krishna would protest and beg in to dance, throwing his arms about like a marionette. "Krishna! You cannot lift this stone". Krishna would again protest and lift the stone with great apparent effort and even walk a few steps, to the great merriment of the girls demonstrati ng that the Lord will do anything for a devotee, even dancing to theirtune. Krishna And The Old Fruit Vendor An old woman, a fruit seller, was one day trying to sell fruits without much suc cess. It was evening and she was tired. "Apples, Apples, Mangoes, Grapes!" she c ried but no one wanted any. The child Krishna observed it and called "Hey! Mothe r! Give me some fruits!" The tired old woman immediately put down her basket and .lled the child's palm with fruits. In return she had to be paid somegrain. Aski ng her to wait the child went in .lled his palms with grain and returned but the grains had spilled and only a few grains were left. But the child innocently pl aced it in her basket. The old woman smiled at the child's innocence and its goo d nature and .lled its palms with the choicestfruits. There was no more hawking. When, after returning to her cottage she opened the basket. O! Wonder of wonder s! It was .lled with the costliest pearls and diamonds! In spite of these miracles the elders were getting anxious. "Our village is beco ming the target of evilspirits. First it was Poothana; then the whirlwind and .r e; and now the arjuna trees. All along the Lord has saved us. We must not ignore these warnings or tempt fortune further . Let us move to a safer place. Brindav an is a safer place and the location too is good. The river Yamuna is nearby. Th ere are broad meadows and hill slopes lush with grass to feed our herds". All th e gopas agreed and the trek began. The stalwarts with bows and arrows marched in front; with trumpets and bugles an d .utes othersfollowed, and they were followed by the aged and the in.rm and the womenfolk and Yasoda and Rohini in chariots came last. Reaching an open space t hey pitched their tents in a half moon. The cowherds were delighted at the delig htful prospects all around and settled down to their usual occupation of grazing the cows and milking while the happy children ranged farther with their slings a ndpipes. They played with the calves, wrestled with the older ones; bellowed lik e bulls or imitated the larks. They grimaced at the monkeys and raced with the b irds. Days passed in this delightful manner. Rama and Krishna were growing .rmer and stronger every day when one day an asura disguised as a bull calf entered the fold. Krishna, at once, detected him and catching hold of the pseudocalf's hind

legs and tail, whirled him round and round until he died gasping and then threw him upso high that when he fell, he hit a kapitha tree shedding all its fruits. Bakasura The Crane Bakasura, another ally of Kamsa assuming the shape of a huge crane was sitting a top a cliff as if he was another cliff. The cowherd boys threw stones at him out of curiosity but disregarding all of them, he came straight to Krishna and gobb led him up. The children were stunned and gazed in speechless surprise. The Asur a felt as if he had swallowed a chunk of burning coal and coughed it out. Spring ing up quite unhurt Krishna caught the bird by its beak and tore it asunder as i f it was ablade of grass and that was the end of Bakasura. As the boys narrated the events of the day to the elders in the evening, they wo ndered. Said Nanda,"What the great sage Garga said is coming true. So many evil spirits have come and they have all been destroyed. Surely, this child is divine !" The Salvation of Aghasura One day, the cowherd boys decided to have a grand buffet dinner in the green law ns inside the forest. They rose early and gathering the victuals from their mothe rs and taking their bugles and .utesand with Krishna in their midst, left with t heir herds for the forest. As if the gold ornaments were not enough they had ado rned themselves with garlands of wild .owers. Sticking feathers in theirhead gea r they danced with the peacocks, raced with the shadows of over .ying swans, mim ickedthe birds, pulled the monkeys by their tails, shouted at the cave mouths mo cking the echoes. The Lord of the universe inaccessible to even yogis thus rolli cked freely with these simple cowherdboys. Who can fathom the merit that must ha ve been earned by these high souled cowherd boys? Impatient at the felicity of these simple cowherd boys Aghasura ,brother of Poot hana and Kamsa's friend decided to take revenge He assumed the form of a python and lay across their path quite motionless. It was so huge, many miles long, Its upper jaw was touching the clouds and lower jaw grazing the earth. The presence o f Krishna had made the cowherd boys fearless and fool hardy . Clapping their hand s they entered the cavernous jaws with their .ocks. Krishna who was closelywatch ing also entered the jaws. The devas above, trembled while the demons rejoiced. The python snapped its jaws sure of its prey. Krishna the great yogi suddenly en larged himself effectively throttling the python. Its eyes began to roll, its ta il lashed about, its head dashed on the ground andit died. The boys with their . ock trooped out hysterically singing the praises of their saviour and were aston ished to see a trail of light in the sky slowly moving down and entering Krishna 's body. Thus even Aghasura who came to kill was saved by the Lord. How much mor e will he be willing to save those who are good ! This incident was narrated by the cowherd boys to their elders, one year after i ts occurrence. Parikshit knew that this too was due to the Lord's Maya, yet to ma ke sure, he requested Suka to clearthis apparent mystery. Suka Maharishi replied "Your question is quite appropriate, for devout people, discussion about divine stories is ever pleasant even as vain talk about women is pleasing tolibertines. I shall reveal to you what happened for there is no secret that one may withhol d from devoted disciples." After rescuing the children from the python, they reached the river banks and pr epared for dinnerwith the victuals they had brought. They sat in a circle with K rishna at the centre. Every one wantedto see Krishna face to face and the wonder was that they were all facing him! They looked like lotuspetals with the perica rp at the centre. They offered each other and Krishna the delicacies their mother s had made for them; cracked innocent jokes laughing and making others laugh. It was a sightfor the gods to see! Standing at the centre with .ute and horn Stuck in the girdle, facing all at once With balls of rice and curds and pickles Stuck in different .ngers the Lord stood And heavenly hordes from above gazed in wonder.

He who partakes all sacri.ces. The Lord! He dined! One day as usual Krishna left for the woods early morning with his friends and a ll their .ocks ofcalves. While Krishna and his friends reclined in an open space the calves penetrated deep into the forest. The boys became anxious for their c alves and Krishna, though he had only half .nished his meal, offered to go and b ring them back. Krishna followed their track but could not .nd them anywhere. He returned to the base camp but the boys too had vanished. At once, the all knowi ng Lord knew that Brahma was the cause of all this mischief. He immediately created or rather himself became all the calves with their differ ent skins and marks and became the cowherd lads with their bugles and slings and returned in the evening to the villagecreating the usual hubbub and noise. Each calf entered into its own shed. The cows licked them with greater affection, th e udders oozing milk. The cowherd boys were embraced by their mothers with unusu al over.owing affection. And they all left for grazing next day and every day af ter that, as if nothing had happened. Only difference, was the inexplicable, ino rdinate affection the gopis feltfor their children who were all Krishnas now. One day the Krishna calves were grazing nearby while their mother cows were graz ing at the top ofa hill. Suddenly the cows became mad with uncontrollable affect ion for the Krishna calves and bellowing loud and with tails raised they galloped towards their calves overturning the gopas whovainly tried to control them. The y were very much annoyed and ashamed at their inability to controlthese usually gentle creatures. It was almost one year now and Rama became suspicious. Why sho uld the gopis show such extraordinary affection towards their sons and the cows to their calves. Soon he divined the truth. Brahma came to see the result of his handiwork. He was dismayed to seethe little children as little Krishnas with ga rlands and peacock feathers and the calves too were littleKrishnas. His egoism g one; he bowed with all his four heads in all directions again and again.Wherever he looked he saw only Krishna and looking farther, he saw different spheres (wo rld systems) emanating from Krishna's body and hurtling through space and other B rahmas presiding. Utterly confused he fell prostrate and his diadems kissing the feet of the Lord before him broke into a song. Brahma's Vision I bow to thee Lord, thy body is of condensed light With thy garlands, .ute and w and These you have assumed for your devotees And to bless me too by removing all pride and ego Vast learning and penance are riddled with needless pain Most eff ective are the ways of these simple gopis And they are pleasant too I am but a s park of that mighty .ame thou art Pardon me my pride. Even as a mother Pardons t he kicks of her unborn babe. Narayana thou art the soul and support Of all being s. I am so feeble and thou so great Through thine every pore swarm forth spheres Each as big or bigger than this earth Our reason fails; but we can feel that Yo u are beyond reason, you are too real Now permit me to retire Lord and May this scene I saw today give me strength And power to do your work. Parikshit's Doubt The king now asked Sri Suka "O! Maharshi! How is it that everyone felt such grea t love for Krishna? Even more than they felt for their own children?". The Rishi replied "O! Rajan! To every one his own soul is dearer than anything else. Krish na is the universal soul and that is why he is dearestto everyone though they do not know the real reason because of the Lord's Maya. If crossing theMaya, one r ealizes the Truth that He is everything and everywhere then this samsara (transi ent world) is easily crossed. He who reads this story of Krishna will attain all purposes of life". CHAPTER 16 Sk 10. Ch 15 . Slokam 1 The Death of Dhenuka

As they were past the sixth year Rama and Krishna were entrusted with the grazin g of the biggercows. The lawns and hill slopes and forests were in full bloom. A cool breeze, fragrant with the scent of the blooming lotus .owers in the ponds fanned their cheeks. A veritable paradise was this Brindavan. Krishna said "O! B rother, these trees laden with fruits bend before you in obeisance and the wavin g branches beckon you to their shade. The larks are singing your praise and look at the deer! Are they not looking at you with the eyes of gopis in adoration! S urely these cuckoos that singyour praises must be sages born again because they wanted to be here to adore you. The very grass you tread is thicker." Thus Krishna moved about among the trees which bloomed afresh in his presence Cr acking jokes, laughing and making others laugh Sudama and other gopas, all his b osom friends Cried "Krishna! O! Krishna! Inhale this smell How Sweet! It is from the palm trees yonder We yearn to taste its fruits but dare not go near Dhenuka , the cannibal guards it. How sweet are the fruits! Rama laughed loud and enteri ng the grove Shook the trees with such force The sweet fruits fell in showers co vering the ground The gopas had their .ll; their eyes beamed But Dhenuka the ass came galloping And like the ass he was, reared on his haunches to strike at the m. But Balarama caught him by the legs and whirling him fast and faster threw hi m at the tree which broke And that hit another palm and that another Covering th e entire ground with honeyed fruits The happy gopas had their .ll and Thanked Ra ma and Krishna all the more The cows and calves now grazed in peace And as night approached they returned to the village Anointed themselves with unguents and o ils Had their bath and a sumptuous meal and rested for the night. Early next mor ning Krishna rose and bathed And performed the morning rites and With the .ocks and without Balarama Went out to the river bank. Kaliya Mardanam A black serpent of gigantic size, named Kaliya had taken up its residence in a c avern at the bottom of river Yamuna. It had poisoned the water and the black fum es curling up withered the leaves of a kadamba tree on the bank. No .sh could li ve in that poisoned water and even birds .ying overhead,died and fell. The cows drinking the water were stretched dead on the bank and even the gopas whohad unw ittingly entered the water were lying unconscious practically dead. Krishna, rea ching thebanks alone, took in the situation at a glance. Girding up his clothes he mounted the withered kadamba tree. It sprouted at his touch and the cows and g opas too revived as his life giving glance fellon them. Then taking a mighty leap he plunged The waters sprayed and over.owed the banks A hundred feet and closed over his devoted head The gopas and cows stared distra ught Hot tears .owing down their cheeks But they knew not the power of his might y arms Or his yogic powers. For a moment he wrestled The deadly serpent tightene d his coils But the Lord in a trice shrunk himself And the coils slipped and lik e the full moon He emerged and began to dance And what a dance! The celestials W ith pipe and drum were dancing overhead With his hoods all dripping poison Kaliy a wriggled and tried to bite But ere it could bite, Krishna's foot was down The serpent hissed and raised another hood Again Krishna's foot was down and the Wat ers glowed with rainbow colours His anger and spite, thus trampled out Kaliya be gan to pray with his numerous wives and kin around. The Women's Prayer Mercy O! Lord! Mercy This wicked lord of ours has but got his deserts. It is his nature Serpents are cruel and angry by nature And You are the lord of nature. A re you not merciful It behoves you to forgive the sins. And we, the wives and th ese the children have done no wrong. Save us from widow hood, kind Lord and Let the serpent live. Krishna stopped his dance and relieved from the terri.c trampl ing the serpent said: "Lord! Pardon, Pardon We are but creatures of darkness Nat ure has made us cruel and vengeful And you, the Lord of nature, have made us all Pardon or destroy us all as you will. Willingly, we accept whatever you ordain. Krishna said, " Leave these waters and go to the island Ramanaka and live in pea ce. Garuda will nottrouble you there. The waters of Yamuna will be pure and nect ar like to cows and cowherds and all good people who may be coming in future. An

d you must promise one thing more. He who reads this with faith should be free f rom snake bite in future". The serpent promised and left. Previous Story Of Kaliya Kaliya with other serpents used to live in the island of Ramanaka. All the serpe nts used to make presents and sacri.ces to Garuda (Lord's mount) to get immunity from his attack. But Kaliya proudof his strength, alone resisted. He even dared to misappropriate the presents made by the other serpents. A .ght ensued and Kal iya had to .ee. Luckily there was a cavern in the yamuna immune to Garuda's atta ck. This immunity was obtained in the following manner. Garuda used to attack an d eat all the .sh whenever he could .nd them. In despair they appealed to sage S abari whose ashramwas on the banks of Yamuna. The sage out of his mercy placed a n interdict "Who ever catches the .sh in the cavern will perish. My curse is tru e, it will stand." So Garuda would not go near that cavern any more. Taking advan tage of this interdict, Kaliya made it his habitat until he was sent back to Ram anaka. The Summer Season - Pralamba's Attack Balarama was a silent witness of Krishna's exploits. He was not too excited as h e knew Krishna'spowers. The gopas and gopis were actually incarnations of devas and devis but they were not awareof Krishna's true nature. Carrying him shoulder high they brought him to the village amid great rejoicings. It was summer; the s un was high but because of the trees and luxuriant foliage it lookedlike spring. A cool breeze laden with the scent of opening water lilies and lotuses took awa y the heatand birds of many hues .itting hither and thither among the tree tops seemed to sing hymns in praise of their Maker. Next morning after the day's ablut ions the boys headed by Krishna and Balarama again entered the forest. They were in a playful mood. Dividing themselves in batches they played many ingenious ga mes such as the blind men's buff or catch the thief or wrestling matches at whic h most of them were experts. The vanquished should carry the victor on his shoul ders and set him down at the foot of a huge banyan tree. There were two parties, one led by Balarama and the other by Krishna. The demon Pralamba had entered th e group unnoticed in the shape of a cowherd boy. He easily allowed himself to be defeated by Balarama and had to carry Balarama on his shoulders.Krishna was def eated by Sudama and Krishna gladly bore him on his shoulders. The demon's plan w as to run away with Balrama out of Brindavan altogether. Krishna had earlier poi nted out to Balrama and he was prepared. The Asura carrying Balarama ran beyond t he tree and assuming his real form, rose in the air. Balarama tightened his grip on the Asura's throat. His eyes began to bulge. Balarama gave him such a .erce k nock. He fell vomiting blood. The gopas who had come rushing to help, lifted Bal arama on their shoulders and returned singing his praises. Saved From The Forest Fire As the cowherds were gradually recovering from this confusion, the cows had stra yed deeper intothe forest. Krishna then played on his .ute and the cows responde d by bellowing. Somehow the go-pas rejoined their .ock but another fearful disas ter faced them. Due to the extreme heat the tallgrass had caught .re. It spread rapidly enveloping the gopas and their .ock. In this dire calamity thegopas coul d only pray. "Save us your dependents Lord! Otherwise we perish!" Krishna told t hem to close their eyes. They did so and Krishna the great yogi, drank the fores t .re. "Now open your eyes" said Krishna. They did so and lo! the .re had gone. T he gopas were astounded at this miracle and said "It is certain that Krishna and Balarama are gods! And they returned to the village dancing to the enthralling music issuing from the .utes. The Rainy Season After the intense summer, the rainy season set in. The sky was suddenly overcast with dark bluish clouds interspersed with lightning even as Brahmam is covered by the gunas of prakriti. Whatever water they had collected during eight months of heat the clouds now released at the proper time forthe bene.t of the people.T he great clouds lashed by the wind released their water to the delight ofall peo ple as the king releases the taxes collected for the bene.t of subjects. Just as

person who hadbecome lean after great austerities becomes plump again when they are over, the earth again became soft and fertile after the rains. As the glowwo rms shine in cloudy nights clouding the stars even so false philosophies raise t heir head obscuring godly faith in this age of Kali. Hearing the music ofthe rai n, frogs began their rhythmic croak even as the disciples do when the Acharya ha s ended his lesson. The little streams till now unnoticed, now over.owed their banks cluttered with rubbish even as thewealth of a foolish man in prosperous times. The ground cover ed with green grass and .owers of various hues resembled the attire of men in pr osperity. The rich harvest brought pleasure to the poorfarmers and anxiety about their disposal to the rich. All the creatures on land and water wore a festive a ppearance as devotees do while adoring the Lord. As the rivers entered the sea t hey became agitated with waves as novices entering Tapas are agitated by turbule nt feelings.The mountains though battered by the rains were motionless and unaff ected even as those good people whose attention is .xed on the Lord are not affec ted even when surrounded and attacked by misfortunes. The pathways, covered by w eeds and grass became indistinct even as the Vedas became unclear through neglec t and lack of study in course of time. The lightning deserted those great benefa ctors, the clouds just as unfaithful women desert even good husbands . Just as t he stringless rainbow manifests in the sky the Lord without attributes manifests in the world of attributes. The moon is hidden by the clouds which are revealed by the moon's light only and similarly theAtman is hidden by the I' sense which can be revealed by Atman's li ght alone. As peacocks suffering from drought dance with delight at the sight of clouds portending rain so too householders suffering from the miseries of the wor ld, rejoice at the coming of the saints bringing the word of GodDrinking water t hrough their feet (roots) the parched trees sprouted shoots and .owers just as t heascetics who had become thin and famished during Tapas, again became full and prosperous through service to the Lord. Though the waters were disturbed and rec eding in summer, the water birds continued to stay due to their greed for .sh ju st as, unmindful of their misfortunes worldlypeople still persist in their luckl ess acts. The torrential rains washed away the banks and bunds just as the vedic rules and laws are broken byatheists and unbelievers. Driven by the wind the clouds relea sed the rain for people's bene.t askings release the taxes for their subjects , guided by the advice of sages. In this rainy season the forests were full of heavily laden palm trees and rose apples . Krishna, Balarama and cowherd boys entered it with intent to play. The c ows with heavy udders, moving slowly, quickened their pace, hearing Krishna's .u te. The forest dwellers too were happy; the trees gave them all they wanted and there were many cosy caves around. Entering them they put the curd riceand pickl es on leaf plates, spread on dry slabs and dined to their hearts content; the co ws lying alittle away chewing the cud. Thus ended the rainy season. Autumn The Autumn season now dawned with clear skies and a mild wind. The lotus bloomed everywhere in ponds whose waters were crystal clear again, like the minds of yo gis practicing yoga. The earth was free of mud and vegetation and became pure an d more green as devotion to Krishna puri.es themind. Deprived of water the cloud s shone in white brilliance like the minds of sages who have shedthe three sins of longing for wealth, sons and felicities. The creatures of the deep were unawa re of the gradual drying up of water even as family men are unconscious of their life span decreasingday-by-day. Slowly the ground gave up its moisture and the leafy bowers their greenery as wise men give up their egoism in perishing things . The ocean became calm as autumn advanced as a wise man becomes calm when he adva nces in spirituality. The farmers put up bunds in .elds to prevent water .owing a way as yogis conserve their energy by preventing them from .owing out in vain.Th e heat of the autumn sun was removed by the cool rays of the moon just as pride in the physical beauty was removed by Krishna. The starlit cloudless sky shone a

t night as the satvic mind is illuminated by the words of the Vedas. In the broa d expanse of the sky the moon shone attended by the stars even as Krishna encirc led by thevrishnis (cowherds) shone on earth. The forest breeze brought relief to the gopas but not to the gopis whose hearts were stolen byKrishna. All .owers like the lotus raised their heads when the sun rose except the lily, which blooms only with the moon, just as all the subjects are happy when a good king rules except thethieves. With a bumper harvest, villages and towns hummed with festivities more joyous th an usual becauseof the presence of Rama and Krishna. CHAPTER 17 Sk 10. Ch 21 . Slokam 1 Music of the Flute As the sun rose, a gentle breeze laden with fragrance of opening lotus .owers be gan to blow and thecowherds and cattle with Krishna and Rama entered the forest playing on their .utes. The thrilling notes reached far in the crisp morning air . The village girls, the gopis could not rest. They saw Krishna dressed like a d ancer with peacock feathers stuck in his crown and necklaces of pearls andpricel ess gems around his neck. His coral lips blowing while the nimble .ngers glided over the .ute, heavenly music .lled hill and dale with thrilling notes. All natur e stood still. Cows stared with open eyes and upright ears forgot to chew, the g opis swooned almost and nature throbbed. Said one gopi: These eyes have nothing better to see Than the faces of Rama and Krishna Casting gracious glances and twirling The lotus .owers by their stems. O! Gopis, what great merit we must have earned That we bask in the melody of the .ute Even trees drip with tears of joy This Brindavan is surely blessed O! sist ers To be trod upon by Krishna's feet Even the rocky cliffs, exude colourful tea rs And the peacocks drunk with delight Dance, with all their might non stop Thei r glorious feathers full spread. Blessed are the does! With half chewed grass Th ey look at Krishna with love lit eyes The celestial damsels from their aerial ca rs Shower .owers plucked from Indra's heaven And these birds that .it from branc h to branch Are surely the sages of yore singing the Lord's exploits And see how waves of Yamuna With graceful hands gather the .owers And places them at Krishn a's feet. This Govardhan mountain is most blessed As it bears the imprint of Kri shna's feet And echoes and re-echoes with the music of the .ute. Karthiyayani Penance It was late autumn, the wind was blowing cold. The gopi maidens would get up muc h before sunriseand clasping one another and singing about Krishna they would go to the river Yamuna and bathe. Then, making images of Devi-Karthiyayani they wo uld pray: Karthiyayani Maha Maye Maha Yogini! Dispenser of all boons Grant us as our Lord, Krishna Son of Nanda Gopa Salutations to Thee Great Goddess! Deign to accept these .owers and sweets. And they would return before sunrise to their homes shivering with cold all the time. They worshipped like this for a full month and on the concluding day laid their dress on the bank as usualand entered the river. Krishna, Lord of all yogis, was awar e of this and decided to test their devotionfor the bene.t of the world. With hi s jovial companions he took away all their clothes and climbing up a neem tree t ook a seat among its branches. The maidens .nished their bath and came to the ba nk to take up their clothes . But to their consternation the clothes were missin g looking up theysaw Krishna and companions high up among the branches with the clothes piled up near them.Krishna said:

"Come here O! maidens and receive your clothes! I am not joking! I have never to ld an untruth Before and I am not telling one now. Hearing this, the maidens alr eady immersed neck deep in water and shivering with cold replied Dear Lord! Most charming prince, we are your servants You know Dharma and we shiver with cold P ray give us our clothes "If you are my servants" said the Lord "Come here and ta ke your clothes" At this the girls giggled and hiding their body As best they co uld, came out slowly And the lord placed their clothes on their shoulders And sa id "By entering this holy river without clothes You displeased the gods. Hence t his punishment." The gopis put on their dresses but still would not go. They rem ained rooted as it were, and were ste aling bashful glances. Krishna divined their thoughts and said "I am aware of yo ur desires O! maidens. It is proper and approved by me. Love directed to me canno t sprout like parched grain. It willbe only like reunion of the sparks back into the .ame. Depart now. I will ful.ll your desire before long". One day Krishna and the cowherd boys went deeper into the forest enjoying the co ol shade underthe tall trees. "O! Krishna, look at these majestic trees. They gi ve us shelter in rain and shade in summer. We make sweet smelling oils and medic ines from their barks and leaves. They give freely timber for our houses and fue l for .re in winter. How gracious they are! They give all these unaskedjust as g ood men give their wealth freely to the needy. Glorious indeed is the life of th ese trees!" Talking like this they reached the banks of Yamuna and quenched their thirst wit h its sparkling cool water. Salvation of the Brahmin Women After quenching their thirst the boys began to feel the pangs of hunger "O! Rama O! Krishna! We are so hungry! It is nearly noon". The all knowing Krishna knew also about the devotion of the rahmin women and desirous of giving them salvatio n spoke thus to his hungry companions. " Ashort distance from here some learned rahmins are conducting an yagna (sacri.cial worship) calledAngirasam for attaini ng heaven. There will be great feasting. Go there, announce our presence and tha t we are hungry and beg for food in our name". The gopas gladly obeyed and hurry ing to the yagnasala, with great humility said "O! Venerable Brahmins! Rama and Krishna hungry and tired after grazing the .ock have sent us to you asking for f ood." The rahmins kept quiet as if they did not hear and the disappointed gopas sadly reported their failure .Gently smiling Krishna replied. "No matter, go aga in. This time to the rahmin women and announce our need. The gopas implicitly ob eying approached the ladies and said, "O! revered ladies, Krishna and his compan ions have comehere. They are very tired and hungry and resting a little distance away and would be glad to get some food." The rahmin ladies who had heard of Kri shna's exploits and that he was God himself got excited and in great haste gathe red victuals and delicacies in beautiful plates and rushed out likestreams rushi ng to meet the ocean. Brushing aside all obstructions from brothers and husbands theyrushed headlong .They saw Krishna and Balarama strolling on the river bank twirling a lotus, a fascinating smile lighting up their faces and surrounded by t he gopas. Dark blue like the rain bearingcloud, attired in golden brocade, and p eacock's feathers stuck jauntily in the headgear, one arm thrown on the shoulder s of a friend Krishna looked like an actor and smiling said: Fortunate ladies! What can I do for you You have done the correct thing For, I am the self of all Because of me, your mind Self, children and husbands are dear. You are blessed. Now return To your husbands and help them To complete the yagna as ordained The poor ladies were downcast. "Lord, our husbands and brothers may not receive us." But Krishnaassured them. "They will surely welcome you back as they have al ready forgotten this episode. "Thus assured the housewives returned. But one poo r woman who had been forcibly preventedfrom going attained realization and was f

ound dead. Thus, Krishna and his friends dined well and were refreshed and returned by even ing to Brindavan.The rahmins conducting the yagna (sacri.cial worship) were now repentant, "Alas! What fools havewe been! Our learning has lead us astray. Even when the Lord came in person, we turned him away in ignorance. May he forgive us this fault. But blessed are we because of our good women, surely Lord will pard on us for their sake!". Preparation for the Indra Yagna Balarama and Krishna observed that the gopas, especially the elders were busy wi th preparationsfor a great sacri.cial worship. They knew what it was for; still with great humility they asked, "Respected elders! We have been noticing these p reparations. Pray, for what is it done and to please which deity!"And the elders replied. "This is our annual tribute to Lord Indra who rules in heavenand contr ols the clouds. At his command the clouds release life giving rain. The trees be ar fruits andgrass grows everywhere. Our cows graze happily and we live because of our cows. All this is due toIndra and so we worship Indra by returning to him as sacri.ce a little of the wealth we enjoy." Krishna listened with great respe ct. But did not agree. "Our wealth and prosperity is due to our ownactions. A ma n is born in a particular circumstance because of his past karma and passes away according to his actions now. If anything, we should rather worship this Govardh an mountain which sustains us and our cattle. With all respect to you our elders , I suggest that we worship this mountain". The elders paused. This Krishna was no ordinary child. He had done super human t hings; saved them too many times. They decided to offer the sacri.ce to Govardha n as he advised. The gopas and gopis dressed in their best and carrying vessels of milk. Ghee and curds began to circumambulate Govardhan. Great was their surprise to see Krishna standing at the top of the Govardhan like a colossus receiving the offerings wit h outstretched hands. Lifting of Govardhan Indra, Lord of heaven saw that the sacri.ces meant for him were prevented by a m ere cowherd boy. He became furious and ordered the clouds to do their best or ra ther their worst to teach the gopas alesson. "I myself mounted on my royal eleph ant Iravatham will watch the operation." Thus prodded the clouds from all quarte rs gathered and mounted a heavy assault on Brindavan. The thunder rolledand burs t with a heavy downpour of rain. Continuous lightning lighted up the skies. Hous es andhaystacks were .ying in the sky. Hail stones pelted without mercy. "Protec t us O Krishna we seek refuge in you"! And the Lord said. "Do not be afraid.. I know that all this is caused by the proud Indra who is un.t to be a guardian of the world. Enter this cave, all of you, with the .ock". So saying, Krishna lifted the mountain Govardhan trees and all high above his head as a boy lifts amushro om. The gopas with all their families and .ocks trooped in safe. The heavy down pour continued for seven days and now the wind abated. The clouds had become .eec y and white. Indra had failed and fell down full length on the ground begging fo r mercy which was o f course granted.When all had gone out Krishna gently replac ed the mountain in its former place. Divinity Realized All doubts were now removed . As a child, only a few days old did he not suck th e life out of Poothana the rakshasi as time draws out life out of men. As the car t fell on him did he not with his tiny feet hit it shattering it to pieces. He k illed the demons who came in the form of a crane and a pythonand how he danced o n the hood of Kaliya serpent and lo! He lifted this mountain holding it aloft as a boy holds a rose by its stalk and O! Nanda how is it that we are attracted by an irresistible lovetowards your son and he too feels an indescribable love towa rds us all. Nanda replied: "O! Gopas ! have no more doubts about this boy. I shall tell you what Garga told of yore He was of three colours in the three yugas Pure white at .rst, then red, then ye llow And now he has assumed that blue black tint In earlier births too he was Va

sudeva's son And hence is known as Vaasudeva He has many names, this son of your s I know them all, though you may not He will bring renown to all gopas All ye f ortunate ones! Who love this wonder child Will have no enemies even as they that love Narayana No need for wonder any more. This child is the same as Narayana" May the Lord who saved the gopas so many times Save us too, his worshippers. Krishna's Abishek Or Holy Bath At that moment Surabhi Kamadhenu, the heavenly cow appeared and said, "O! Krishn a I have beensent by Brahma to worship you, as the Lord of Govardhan, Govinda th e supreme lord. " Surabhifrom her udders rained milk on him while Iravatham ,Ind ra's mount, drenched him with ganges water and devas and gopas danced around hail ing him as "Govinda! Govinda!" Then the earth over.owed with plenty. The trees .u sh with sap put forth new sprouts and .owers and even cruel animals became meek a nd tame. Indra returned to his abode a chastened and wiser god. Revelation of Vaikunta Once, Nanda after fasting on ekadashi and keeping vigil , got up too early next day and went out tobathe in the river. This was not proper, as it was the time a llotted to demons and a demon follower of Varuna (god of the sea) took him to th e sea world. The gopas raised a hue and cry. Varuna, realizing his mistake, apolo gized and treated Nanda with great respect. With many precious gifts and sincere apologies Varuna returned Nanda to Krishna and the gopas. Nanda gave a glowing account of the treasurers of the sea world and of his reception. The gopas were now certain that Krishna wasthe supreme Lord of all the worlds and Vaikunta as w ell and felt a desire to see Vaikunta. Nothing isimpossible to people who think that Krishna is their own. Krishna was of course aware of this desire and decided to oblige his devotees because of his great kindness. That region which can only be described as sathyam (truth) gnanam (knowledge) an d anandam(pleasure endless beyond reason) can be reached only by sages who have overcome the gunas(sathva, rajas and tamas). The gopas after immersion in the br ahma lake reached there and saw theirown Krishna being hailed by the Vedas. Rasalila Krishna now decided to enact the greatest of victories the conquest of cupid for the bene.t of mankind. With the help of his attendant, Mahamaya (illusion) he ma de the forest bloom out of season. Itwas autumn but the jasmine bloomed at night spreading a seductive fragrance miles around. The silvery orb of the moon hung in the sky .ooding the river bank with his cooling rays and a gentlebreeze spran g up removing the weariness from all living creatures. And Krishna took out his .ute and began to play gently at .rst but soon it gathered force and the thrilli ng notes seemed to say, "O! All ye maidens gay, I wait here to play with you. O! make haste, make haste!" The gopikas heard the thrilling note and they could no t stay still. Leaving their sleeping husbands, babies, fathers, mothers they ran out not even caring to dress or adorn themselves properly. One gopi had only one earring dangling carelessly. Another put her bangles on her feet and the anklets on her arms. Guided bythe moonlight and the .re.ies, they reached the riverbank and saw the beloved form of Krishnadressed like a dancer playing on the .ute. H e looked at them with a bewitching look but his wordswere not so kind. "Why have you left your husbands and elders? A woman should not forsake her husb and even if he is a thief or an addict. Go back and attend on them if you want t o go to heaven hereafter." The gopiswere abashed but would not leave. "We have a ttained the highest. Be merciful to your devotees. We want only to be the hand m aids of Sri Lakshmy who is always by your side!". The Lord could say no more and resumed the .ute and dance and the gopis too, now encouraged began to dance. Bu tnow they became vain "Who is so lucky and happy as ourselves? Surely we are the dearest and closest to him." Krishna divined their thoughts and to cure them of any vanity vanished all at once. In their distress the gopis began to search for Krishna following his footprints . "O! Jasmine O!Champak! O! Asoka! You seem to dance and smile! Did Krishna touc h you as he passed this way? And you majestic trees! Surely you have seen our Lo rd!" By the side of Krishna's footprints theysaw the footprints of a lady also.

"How lucky was this gopi whom Krishna selected for this specialfavour!" And then the footprints were not seen. The gopis surmised that the love struck Krishna h adlifted her on his shoulders! Before long, that special favourite Radha was see n crying bitterly. She confessed that Krishna had offered to carry her and had k nelt down and when she was about to climb, disappeared leaving her standing on o ne leg in the dense forest!. The simple gopis immediately sympathized with her an d took her into their fold. As they could not think of anything else they began to enact the childhood exploits of Krishna. One became Poothana while another be came thebaby Krishna. One gopi pretended to dance on the hood of the serpent Kal iya. Still another balanced an imaginary Govardhan on her .nger. Thoroughly exhau sted, they sat in a ring on the moonlit banks of river Yamuna and began to sing or was it a cry? The Song of The Gopis "Your presence has made our village bloom Because your consort 'Sri' has made it her abode Have we not left our all for you It is not meet, you leave us thus When at eve you returned with the herds Covered with dust; the blue curls waving round your charming face and divine notes from your .ute, made us wait with bait ed breath O! how we longed to kiss your tender feet and wipe the dust away with tears And now you have left us high and dry O! Return soon and give us back our souls You have enslaved! Krishna would not prolong the agony any further. Actually he was there only watc hing the game. He had gone behind a veil drawn by his ever compliant Maha Maya a nd now as the dazzling suncomes out from behind a cloud, he came out in full glo ry with outstretched arms towards them. The gopikas were in thousands, but each one thought the Lord was coming towards her. He had assumedas many forms as ther e were gopis illustrating thereby that he is within every living creature. They automatically formed a ring one gopi and one Krishna . To the celestials above i t seemed a brilliant necklace of radiant pearls alternating with .ashing blue di amonds was slowly turning round. Maharshis Sri Narada and Tumburu now appeared tu ning their veena. Gandharvas with their drums were keeping time and apsaras with their harps sang and danced . And that doyen of dance, Lord Siva and the inimit able Nandi the drummer and Maha Ganapathi and Sri Muruga on the peacockjoined th e merry-go-round.. Thus they danced till the early hours of dawn when the Lord b ade themgood bye and they returned to their homes. The gopas, their husbands nev er missed them at all, thinking the gopis were with them all the time. We must pause and re.ect on this. The Lord's rasaleela defeated the power of the god of love. The god of love now accepted defeat. With all his attendants, the morning breeze, the buzzing bees and beautiful women he had come to conquer and he was conquered. He even wished that he was bornas a woman, as a gopi, so he co uld dance with Krishna. And in atonement promised that anyone who reads this sto ry without carping and with devotion will be free from this malady of carnal lov e. Sudarsana's Salvation Once, the gopas with their leaders Nanda and Upananda repaired to Ambikavanam a place of pilgrimage on the banks of the river Saraswathi. After bathing in the ho ly river they offered puja and worship to Lord Pashupathi at the temple. They ga ve many presents and cows to rahmins after feasting them and spent the rest of th e day in fasting and meditation. At dead of night, when all were sleeping, a hug e python caught hold of Nanda and began to swallow him gradually. Nanda cried ou t, "O! Krishna, Krishna save me!" The gopas attacked the serpent with .aming tor ches without avail and then Krishna appeared and touched the serpent with his fo ot. At once the serpent let go hishold and a shining vidyadhara stood bowing in the air. The vidyadhara said, "Lord! I am the chief ofvidyadharas Sudarsana by n

ame. Proud of my beauty and gifts, I once mocked the holly rishis fortheir crook ed forms. In anger they cursed me to take this fearful serpent's form but the ki nd rishisadded that at the expiration of my sin, Lord Krishna would touch me wit h his feet and I would regain my form. "The vidyadhara then bowed and returned to his world while the gopas wondered atthis one more instance of Krishna's power. Sankhuchuda's Salvation Sankhuchuda a retainer of Kubera was unusually proud. One day Balarama and Krish na weredisporting themselves on the moon lit banks of Yamuna with the gopis when Sankhuchuda unable to control his jealousy forcibly seized a good many gopis an d rushed towards the forest with theshrieking women. Requesting Balarama to look after the remaining gopis, Krishna went out in hotpursuit. As Krishna gained up on the ruf.an, he lost heart and leaving the women .ed for his life. However Kri shna caught up with him and with his discus cut off his head and removed the pre ciousjewel. Krishna gave the jewel to Balarama who wore it as a pendant ever aft er. Yugala Geethem During day time when Krishna went to the forest to graze the cows, the gopis una ble to bear the separation assembled in groups and began to sing about him two sl okas each: O! Gopis when Krishna played on the .ute The cows and bulls with half chewed grass forget to eat And listen with upright ears and glazed eyes Like pa inted creatures on a canvas The rivers slow down their speed And eager to touch his feet With wave like hands Bearing sweet smelling garlands Plants and tendril s wave their hands And trees heavy laden with fruits Bend their heads in adorati on As Krishna's musical notes sweep over And the bees hum in unison The water fo wls and cranes Meditate in silent meditation As the waves of .ute pass over enve loping The clouds kept time with a gentle roar And let down drops like .owers dr opping from the sky, As Krishna played on his .ute O! Yasoda! Who taught your so n All these ups and downs and divine combinations of notes Surely he learnt all this himself Thus did the gopis sing all day Till evening when they spied O! delight of the eyes! Krishna Coming a - dancing with friends Playing the .ute all the time Suf.ce it to say, the Gopis did not spend a moment without thinking of Krishna a nd what is more, they could not. The Death of Arishtasura the Ox Demon One day, Arishtasura the ox demon and a friend of Kamsa, approached Gokulam. He had assumed afrightening size, his hump and horns almost touching the clouds. He bellowed and roared sendingshivers . With tale erect and lowered horns, he rush ed at the cowherds. The terri.ed cows .ed in all directions. The cowherds as usu al implored, "Save us O Krishna! Krishna!" and Krishna came to the rescue. He sa id, " Stop! You wicked rakshasa. Come against me if you dare," The rakshasa of c ourse dared and charged at Krishna. Catching hold of his horns Krishna forced hi m back on his haunches and lifting him whirled him round and round and threw him The giant bull fell a hundred yards away vomiting blood, and died . The celestials showered .owers from above. The gopas thanked their deliverer and retired for the night singing about this latest exploit of the Lord. Bhagavan Sri Narada Maharshi who could foresee events clearly saw the approachin g crisis and tohasten the deliverance of the long suffering people came to Kamsa and addressed him thus, "O! King of the Bhojas! Your great enemy Krishna has ar rived at Brindavan posing as Nanda's son. Balarama his elder brother is also Deva ki's son. The transfer operation was done by Maha Maya your arch enemy." On hear ing this Kamsa shivered with anger and fear. At once he summoned his great wrest lers, Kesi, Mushtika and Chanura, " O! My wrestlers all! It is time now to prove your worth.Arrange a great wrestling match and worship of the Shiva Dhanush. Le t invitations be sent and festivities be arranged". And now Kamsa began his maste

r plan. He summoned Akrura a great devotee and follower of the yadus and address ed him thus "My dear Akrura I know well about your great loyalty to me. We are c onducing a great Dhanur yaga and I request you to invite the gopas and their chi ef Nanda to grace the occasion with their presence along with their sons Balaram a and Krishna.Do this favour and I will be indebted to you ever after." Akrura w as no fool. He suspected a ruse butknowing that Krishna was god himself he under took the mission . The royal chariot beautifully bedecked and drawn by milk white horses was got ready. Kesi's Death Kesi was another demoniac follower of Kamsa. He assumed the form of a demon hors e of great sizeand pawing the ground with his iron hoofs and loudly neighing all the time he descended on the village and directly charged at Krishna. Krishna ca ught him by his raised forelegs, swung him round. The demon fell a hundred yards away but immediately sprang up and baring his teeth with open mouth rushed agai n at Krishna. With bare hands Krishna caught hold of it by the ears and thrust h is hand up to the elbow into its mouth. The demon horse felt that a red hot rod of iron was being thrustdown its throat. The iron teeth were knocked out like ni nepins . And in his death agony, dropping dung and urine, expired rolling his ey es. The celestials from above showered .owers and the gopas celebrated the event with dance and song. Vyomasura The Magician The merry cowherd boys were playing hide and seek near the forest. Some pretende d to be calveswhile others pretended to be thieves trying to lift them. Vyomasur a who was an adept magician pretended that he was also a cattle lifter and began to hide the calves in real earnest. Krishna observedthis and pounced on the demo n like a lion and throttled him with ease. CHAPTER 18 Sk 10. Ch 38 . Slokam 1 Akrura's Vision Akrura was immensely happy. He had heard of the advent of Krishnas's Avatar." It is my good fortune that I am selected for this errand. I shall behold the glorio us form of Sri Krishna. The Lord will not suspect me. Is He not the all knowing Lord who resides in the heart of all and therefore knowstheir innermost secrets ! He will look at me kindly and raise me gently when I fall down at his feet.Kri shna knows all." It was evening when his chariot approached the village. The cows were returning. On the ground Akrura saw the brother's footprints ,bearing the divine marks lik e the conch, the lotus. A little further he saw them. One was blue like a sapphi re mountain and the other dazzling white like apeak of snow Akrura jumped from t he chariot and prostrated before them. Krishna gently lifted him and led him ins ide. They washed his feet, offered light refreshments, and began to fan him. Krishna gently said "O Akrura we know you are our friend but our poor clansmen a t Mathura, how do they fare?" Akrura replied" O Lord ! What shall I say ? They l ive in fear. What mercy can we expect from a king who killed his own nephews" Th us they talked far into the night . Akrura announced the purpose of his visit. An d Krishna promised to accompany him and redress the wrongs. Akrura rose early and got ready the chariot. Nanda had announced earlier that al l able bodied menshould get ready to go to Mathura with the annual tribute of gh ee and curds. Now they were alsoready with their bullock carts. The gopis seeing all this felt sad "O sisters, Krishna is leaving. He may not re turn. How can we forgo the sight of Krishna's radiant face and smile which can re move the sufferings of the world! The chariot is leaving with Krishna and Rama O ur elders are keeping quiet. Will we see them again !" And unable to control the ir feelings they sobbed aloud. Krishna observed this and said "Dear gopis,You wi ll be always dearest to me. I shall come again" The gopis continued to look at t he fast receding chariot till they were seen no more and returned with a heavy he art.

Akrura then guided the chariot towards Mathura along the road parallel to river Yamuna. After driving for some time he parked it in a shady grove. They drank the water from Yamuna. Krishna and Balarama were seated on the chariot. and Akrura went to the river for a ceremonial bath. He repeated the gayathri manthra, medita ted on God and immersed himself in the river. Akrura had a splendid vision. He saw the great coiled serpent Adisesha with a th ousand hoods sparkling with jewels and Vishnu taking rest under the hood. Wearing golden silk garments and a jewelled crown he was beyond description . A high for ehead fringed with curls, an aquiline nose and lotus eyes that beamed compassion, ever smiling lips, a broad chest on which sparkled the preciouskausthubham, and the long powerful hands supple like an elephant's trunk bore divine weapons lik ethe conch, discus, club, as well as the graceful lotus. Around him were Brahma, Siva, the Seven Sages, the deities representing the Sidhis, Sri Devi and Mahamay a. Maharshis Sri Narada and Thumburu were there playing on the veena. Vishnu and Adisesha looked very much like Krishna and Balarama. Akrura was stunned. Was it a n illusion? How could Krishna and Balarama come under water. He rose from the wat er and looked at the bank. No ! They were there He immersed once more. Again he saw them as Vishnu and Adisesha. It was now clear. These two youths were actuall y MahaVishnu, Lord of the universe and Adisesha his companion!. He began to prais e the Lord. Akrura's Hymn I bow to Thee, the .rst cause From whom Brahma was born Who created this motley world It's seas, the sky, the shining orbs and stars, the air and the earth that swarms with living creatures big and small Moved by senses which have their ori gin in Prakriti Which again was created by you Even Brahma does not know you in full But sages know you by insight And worship you, the embodiment of all wisdom As rivers of diverse origin merge in the ocean Different faiths must merge in y ou Fire is thy face, Earth thy feet, Sky thy body The quarters thy ears . The tr ees and plants are also yourself O! Krishna and Balarama Salutations to you agai n and again You live in all and all .nd refuge in you I have found you! O! Save me! Save me! Krishna withdrew unto himself all these visions As an actor withdraws from the stage And asked "Akrura! You look dazed "Did you see any wonder ! " And Akrura said "Lord! What greater wonder than this That You exist in every thing around And they exist in you and you alone So saying Akrura slowly drove the chariot towards Mathura. Krishna In Mathura As they slowly entered the outskirts they observed the people standing in groups talking in excitement. They had heard about the great exploits of the brothers a nd now feasted their eyes looking at their glorious forms. Akrura requested them to visit and sanctify his house but Krishna said " Not yet Akrura! I must .rst free the city from the tyrant and shall enjoy your hospitality later. Meanwhile a llow us to get acquainted with the sights of the city by ourselves". Akrura relu ctantly withdrew and informed Kamsa also about their arrival. Next morning the brothers rose early; .nished their morning ablutions and set ou t with their friendsto see the city. It was a great city .. The streets were bro ad, well paved and straight, fringed by stately mansions on either side. Avenue t rees lent shade and brightness at the same time with their .ame coloured blossom s. Though a tyrant, Kamsa was also a great builder. There was no ramshackle buil ding anywhere. The citizens seemed to have an inkling of the Lord's arrival, for the front courtyards were decorated with .owers and garlands and shining brass-v essels heaped with golden corn.Incense was burning and though it was morning row s of lighted lamps were burning in honour ofthe visitors. Along the wide road sp rinkled with scented water there were blooming gardens in beautiful patterns. Th e roads curved past then in graceful curves. The brothers themselves were seen coming, almost dancing it seemed , bringing de

light and hope toall lucky enough to be looking at them. The ladies crowded the terraces and windows to shower .owers on these two gods. "O! sisters! What great merit those gopis have acquired , who had Krishna to play with, all these years !" They stood unable to take their eyes away from these young gods. Further Adventures A washer man was approaching with his attendants carrying bundles of dyed garmen ts. Krishna called out "Ho! ! Dear man! Give us some of these clothes. You will b e greatly rewarded!" But the fellow rudely retorted " These are meant for our kin g Kamsa. How dare you. Run, Run away if you want to save your lives". At these i nsolent words Krishna just extended his arm and knocked his head. The terri.ed f ollowers threw down their bundles and vanished. The gopas untied the bundles and found them full of beautifully dyed costly garments. The brothers now dressed t hemselves with appropriate garments, Krishna selecting gold coloured clothes and Balrama blue and distributed therest among the gopas. Thus dressed as if for a drama the group moved on. Now there came along a garland maker Sudama by name. H e was thrilled at the sight of Bhagavan Krishna and placed hisbig basket before them. Krishna chose a vaijayanthimala while Balarama selected a garland of bluel otuses and in return he was given a divine form, good health and life long prosp erity. The cowherd boys also adorned themselves with .owers and garlands. The pa rty moved on and the delighted bystanders shouted, "Jai Krishna, Jai Balarama". The Episode Of The Crooked Sundari They marched forward like conquerors entering a town and observed a young woman crooked andbent but still beautiful and coming towards them carrying a big silve r vessel containing sweet smelling unguents. Krishna looked at her and knew that her body alone was crooked and that her mindwas simple and straight. Looking at her eager upturned face Krishna said, "O! Sundari! What are you carrying in that vessel"? The young woman looking up said, "O! Sundara (Handsome one) I am Kamsa's hand ma id carryingthese scents to him". "And will you give us some?" asked Krishna and the woman replied, " Give?Why if not to you, to whom else will I give"? Pleased with her simplicity Krishna stepped forward.With his toe he stepped on her foot and with his two .ngers under her chin gave her a lift. She stoodup straight a v ery beautiful young woman !. Krishna smiled and turned to leave but she held him byhis dress and pleaded, "Lord! do not leave me !" Casting a smiling look at Ba larama, Krishna said,"My dear lady, I have very important work to do. After acco mplishing it I shall come to your house". The lady left content and the brothers and friends resumed their march. Dhanur Yagna They found people going in one direction only and on enquiry, were told that a g reat yagna called Dhanur Yagna or worship of the great bow of Lord Shiva was bei ng conducted. Accordingly the gopas too wended their way thither . The bow was k ept for public worship in a decorated hall and elderly Brahmins were intoning th e great Rudra Japam. The brothers with their followers also entered the hall and with great reverence circumambulated the huge iron bow touching it with their for ehead and prayed with folded hands. Krishna raised the mighty bow and stringed i t and pulled thestring. The bow snapped in two with a terri.c noise that reached the quarters. Kamsa heard it too and trembled. The guardians of the bow rushed upon the brothers with uplifted weapons but were easily beaten back. Other soldi ers rushed in but they too were brushed aside. The ground was soon littered with the wounded. Kamsa heard the news. The tyrant knew that his hour had come. With the approach of evening Krishna and companions withdrew and after a wholeso me meal of rice boiled in milk retired to rest .Thinking over the exciting event s of the day they fell asleep. Theyrose with the sun, had their morning ablution s; prayed to the rising sun and resumed the march. With Kamsa it was a different story. He could not sleep well. He was troubled by bad dreams. He saw his headless trunk in his re.ection in the mirror. Smeared w ith oil and stark naked he was riding on a donkey. Skeletons danced around him. S pringing from his bed he snatched his sword and fenced with an imaginary enemy. Owls hooted ominously all night and in the morning jackals howled. Beads of pers

piration ran down his cheeks. But he was a kshatriya and a warrior. Orders were forthwith issued that the celebrations should begin. Citizens were welcomed and seated in thegalleries around the arena. The royal Nagara -a drum- sounded. Chil dren whistled. Formidable wrestlers entered slapping their thighs, Krishna, Bala rama and the gopas were nearing the entrance.A particularly huge elephant was bl ocking their way. "Ho! Mahout!" They shouted, "Keep your elephant out of the way !" In reply the mahout urged the huge tusker forward. It was already in ruts and when goaded by the mahout it rushed madly at Krishna who promptly stepped aside . The tuskerimmediately turned round and got Krishna with his trunks. But Krishn a easily slipped down andplaced himself under its belly. It sensed Krishna and t urned round ; Krishna. caught hold of the tail and drew it twenty yards as a pla yful child sometimes drags a calf for fun. Seeing Krishna in frontof it for a se cond the tusker rushed and tried to ram him down between its tusks. Krishna agai n wastoo nimble and moved out just in time. The elephant pierced the ground with its tusks and could notpull out for some time. Krishna gave a mighty blow on it 's forehead. The elephant reeled and fell dead. Placing one foot on its forehead , Krishna pulled out the tusks dripping blood. Krishna shouldered one tusk, givin g the other to Balarama and thus armed the brothers entered the arena. They evok ed different feelings in the onlookers. To the wrestlers they looked like lightning incarnate The ladies saw them as kings among men and as the very personi.cation of the god of love. His own clansmen saw them as two of themselves And tyrants saw them as avengers come to chastise Kamsa could see only death approaching While the realized yogis saw the embodiment of truth. They advanced to the immense delight of the citizens. The people talked to one a nother about the fabulous exploits of these divine youths; how they were reputed to be avatars of the great Lord andAdisesha come to deliver the earth. Chanura and Mushtika were already going through the mock .ght. Said Chanura, "We have heard that you are good wrestlers. Let us give an exhibition before the ki ng. He will give us presents".Krishna replied, "We are but youngsters not even g rown to full form, we would rather play with youngsters of our own age". Chanura retorted, "O! No! Have you not killed the great elephant (Kuvalayapeedam) which had the strength of a thousand elephants?" And the .ght started; Chanura with Kr ishna and Mushtika with Balarama. They circled round and round and clashed like eagles hitting the divine youths with their iron .sts. The women fainted and eve n the elders murmured, "This is an unfair match, where huge wrestlers are pitted against fragile youths. When injustice is done elders should either protest or stop it or at least leave the place". So saying they began to leavebut by now th ings began to change. The youngsters were rallying. The giants were rolling on t he ground with Krishna and Balarama on top .sting them ferociously . They began to vomit blood and rolled up their eyes quite dead. The brothers of the dead wre stlers Sala and Tosala rushed into the fray and Balrama killed them easily. There was uproar in the stands. The people, long suppressed, now shouted without restraint. Kamsa from his throne began to issue vain orders, "Bind them! Kill t hem! Kill Vasudeva and Ugrasena my father!" Grasping his sword he was about to s pring but Krishna was upon him and threw him down.As he lay on the ground Krishn a with the whole weight of the world in him stood on his chest.Kamsa was dying! Now he saw Krishna in his real form as Sri Hari with his garlands, crowned andbe jewelled with four hands carrying the usual insignia and a smiling face that pro mised salvationeven to sinners. And the onlookers saw a wonderful spectacle A gl orious lustre emerged from Kamsa and slowly merged into Krishna. Kamsa had attai ned salvation Krishna hastened to the prison and fell down at the feet of his pa rents Vasudeva and Devaki, "O Father, Mother, we were deprived of your caresses a nd kind words in our infancy by a cruel fate, and we too were unable to serve yo u. Pray excuse us". Vasudeva and Devaki were speechless, choked by tears and jus t embraced their sons. Krishna continued, "Our grandfather Ugrasena will be king and with our support even the guardians of the earth will come and make obeisanc e before him."There was great rejoicing and week long celebrations. The gopas ha

d a gala day and they were the honoured guests. They were now preparing to retur n. Krishna and Balarama sadly said, "Dear fatherand friends you have caressed an d taken care of us in our helpless childhood. How can we ever repay you for all t his kindness. When we have .nished our education and put things in order we shal l again come to touch your feet and mothers' and the elders'." With moist eyes t hey touched the feet of the elders and the gopas returned with a heavy heart. The Brothers At Sandipani Ashram Vasudeva, now invited brahmins for the proper initiation of his sons into brahma charya and then sent them to a gurukula ashram conducted by Santipani maharshi a t Avanti. The two brothers were exemplary students and easily mastered all the s hastras and martial arts. At the conclusion, they respectfully approached the Ach arya to give gurudakshina. The guru's wife who had felt the divinity ofthe disci ples said, " Dear husband! these disciples of your's are divine beings. Kindly a sk them tobring back our son who was lost in the sea at Prabasa some years ago". Accordingly Santipani maharshi requested them to bring his son back as gurudaksh ina. The two brothers at once drove in their chariot to Prabasa. The god of the seas immediately appeared with costly gifts and pleaded, "Lord! The boy was not taken by me but by the rakshasa Panchajana who in the shape of a conch is residi ng at the bottom of the sea. At once the two brothers dived into the sea and kil led the demon but the boy was not there. Next they went to Samyamani the land of the dead where Yama ruled andblew the conch. Yama the great dispenser of justic e appeared with presents and asked with great respect, "Lord! What can I do for you?" Krishna said. "You have brought our guru Sandipani maharshi's son here some years back. Bring him back now". The boy grown older now was brought back. Kris hna and Balarama taking the boy in their chariot returned to earth and presented the boyto the delighted parents. Words cannot describe the joy of the old guru. Standing up with both handsraised he blessed his disciples, "May your desires b e ful.lled and may you never forget what you have learned and be able to remembe r them when most required and may you become pro.cient inwhatever is left unlear ned either". Uddhava And The Gopis Udhava, prominent among the vrishnis was about Krishna's age and size and a grea t friend. He hadhis education under the devaguru Brihaspathy himself and everyon e thought he was wise beyondhis years and probably thought so himself. He found Krishna somewhat sad and to cheer him up hesaid, "O Krishna, you are so wise and great and we know you are an incarnation of Sri Hari himself.Why are you sad?" Krishna replied, "O Udhava, when I remember my devoted gopis who abandoning their homes elders and even children came rushing to me and danced the whole night ev enunmindful of social norms my heart melts. Go to them dear Udhava, with my mess age that I havenever left them and shall come to them before long". Udhava was i ntrigued and wanted to see thesegopis and agreed to go. Accordingly the next day he drove in a well appointed chariot, reaching the vill age late in the evening. Everyone was busy. The cows were being milked. The sound of milking the shouting of the cowherds calling the cows by their names, runnin g after the calves, driving away the bellowingbulls - all these sounds .lled the air. Inside the houses, bells were ringing and the perfume of burning incense .l led the air. It was the time for worship. Hymns in praise of god were being sung loudly . Udhava got down before Nandagopa's house. Nandagopa warmly welcomed him and embracing lead him in. He was seated comfortably. Nandagopa then enquired: " O! Dear one! Is our friend Vasudeva's son well? He is now in the midst of friend s and relatives By great good fortune Kamsa is dead His own sins killed him. He hated the good yadus And drove them out Does Krishna remember us, His mother and his friends? The gopas and this Vraja itself The gentle cows or Brindavan itsel f With its ponds and verdant hills? Will Krishna come again? O! When can we see his high forehead And gracious eyes and graceful nose Those mirror like cheeks a nd smiling mouth He saved us from forest .re and heavy .oods From the .erce serp ent and death in other forms And when we remember his wondrous deeds His words, laughter, jokes and side long looks O! Udhava, this poor heart breaks! And when

we see these meadows And lawns sancti.ed by his feet The mind .ies back to that time I think, Krishna and Rama are verily gods Come here to ful.ll the wishes of the devas And Nanda could speak no more, choked by feelings And Yasoda could on ly weep, tears coming in .oods Such intense devotion Udhava had never seen and s aid "You are the most blessed among mortals As you are so attached to Krishna, t he soul of all These two sons of yours are the seeds of the universe Thinking of them even at the time of death One attains the eternal splendour. You both have .xed your mind on them What else remains for you to reach Ere long, they will c ome here again As he promised at the ring after Kamsa's death Do not be cast dow n, O! you fortunate ones You will shortly see Krishna again, He is already in yo u as .re is inside the fuel He loves not anyone in particular or hate either He does not consider anyone high or low Or as equal and unequal; has neither mother , father, nor wife nor sons, He creates the gunas and with them Makes this world of strange mixtures and opposites And entering them, plays many parts. Thus the y spent the whole night talking Till early dawn, when the gopis rose And lighted the lamps and began churning The big pans of curds, singing hymns About Krishna all the while and his wondrous deeds The scent and sound of curds spread far an d wide Dispelling all inauspicious things And when it was light, they came out A nd saw the chariot, golden domed Parked in front of Nanda's house! The gopis saw the chariot. It looked familiar." Has Akrura come again? He took our beloved Kr ish na to Mathura. Has he come to take us also there to be offered as sacri.ce to Ka msa's ancestors". The gopis wondered but looking closer they saw Udhava who look ed like Krishna and was attiredsimilarly. So, getting bolder they came near; fou nd that he was Krishna's messenger, surrounded him and pestered him with questio ns "Friend! when will our Krishna come? Does he still rememberus? Perhaps he has sent you to comfort his parents? He does not care for us any more. Bees abandon .owers after sucking the honey. Courtesans abandon their lovers after sucking th eir money. Perhaps Krishna too has left us!" And the poor gopis began to shed te ars while others found solace, singing about his exploits. A blue black bee came buzzing and settled before them. Apostrophizing it as if it was a messenger fro m Krishna, they began to sing: Do not touch us O! bee! Cousin of the faithless Krishna Your whiskers are the co lour of kumkum Worn on their breasts by those women of the town How does Sri tol erate them Those ladies of the town? Perhaps, Sri too is cajoled like us By the sweet, looks and words of the Lord Which, Alas! None can resist. Now go! You six footed ones And sing your notes to them Leaving homes and hearths our children and husbands we wander like birds that leave their nests giving up hopes here an d even hereafter . Hiding, like a hunter he killed Vali And dis.gured cruelly a lady Who! poor thing loved him dearly And bound the hands and feet of Bali Who w as kneeling at his feet The gopis now relented and cooling down they said, "Is t he noble Krishna still at Mathura? Does he still remember his father's house? Or his relations who worshipped him Does he ever recall our stories, his hand maid s Will he again place his strong hands on our heads? Hands that smell like sanda lwood Hearing all this Udhava said, "O ladies! You have attained the impossible You will be adored by the world You have given up all for Vasudeva Sages try to attain the same By sacri.ce, austerity, penance or knowledge What is unattainabl e to them, you have attained By your unparalleled devotion You have attained the supreme known as Krishna Your temporary separation has proved to be A great ble ssing for me. Now hear The message he has sent through me. My friends! I am neve r far from you, I create the world and permeate it As .re permeates wood. This s oul is distinct from body and mind Not subject to waking, dream or sleep As the awakened man views the events of dream So too, the awakened soul views the event s of life As the rivers have the ocean as their goal Self conquest is the goal o f the Vedas My staying away from you is to keep your mind tied on me A woman .xe s her mind on an absent lover More steadily than on one who is near By .xing you r mind on me absent, You .nally reach me without fail Pleased with this conversa tion, the gopis continued. Does Krishna please the ladies of the town By his swe et looks and even sweeter words? Does he still remember us and those memorable n ights in Brindavan When to the tune of jingling anklets, he danced with us? Will

he again, revive our drooping spirits As Indra revives the parched .elds with r ain?. Alas! Why would he come here What business has he with rustics like us ! P ingala, the courtesan spoke the truth, Despair is sweet. It is ultimate happines s" We know that, still our hankering desire strengthens Who can get free when ev en Sri has failed Those lovely ponds and forest greens The sound of .ute and his dancing friends Crowd memory's lanes making it sick And how can we forget thoug h try we may His gallant ways and tender looks Oh Lord! Lord of Vraja! Our Maste r! Raise us from this pond of despair! Udhava was stunned to see the devotion of these village girls. He had come to ad vise and teach. But now decided to learn and pray. Even Sri has not enjoyed the bliss these gopis had attained during Rasalila. May I be born as a creeper or bl ade of grass At Brindaban whose sands purify the world Praying thus Udhava remai ned for a few months more And then taking an affectionate leave And loaded with presents, returned To Mathura and narrated to Krishna all the events. CHAPTER 19 Sk 10 . Ch 50 - Slokam 1 Confrontation With Jarasandha Asthi and Prapthi the two bereaved wives of Kamsa now departed in tears to their father the mightyking of Magadha. The king was furious and swore he would exter minate the yadus.. He collected a mighty army of eighteen akshouhinis consisting of elephants, horses, chariots and infantry and laidsiege to Mathura. Krishna a nd Balarama came out with a small army. A divine chariot now appeared with chario teer and divine weapons . Said Krishna "Dear brother, you please go and destroy the army and I shall tackle Jarasandha". A .erce battle ensued. Arrows .ew, hors es screamed and elephants charged. Jarasandha was bound hands and feet by the po werful Balarama but Krishna let him free saying, "Let him go brother. He will so on collect another army and return. This will serve our purpose of ridding the e arth of asuric forces". And he was let free. But smarting under defeat and prodd ed by Maharshi Sri Narada, he returned with a bigger army which too was destroye d withease. This went on seventeen times. Now, he came on for the eighteenth tim e in alliance with Kalayavana and his countless hordes of wild yavanas from the n orth. The citizens of Mathura were now really panic stricken. The two divine bro thers now took counsel . Krishna said "Dear brother! You please hold the enemy i n check. I shall safely take all our people to an island fortress named Dwaraka by my yogic powers" And turning to the people Krishna said "My dear people! Clos e youreyes tight and open them only when I tell you. Now close". Dwaraka A few minutes later Krishna's voice rang out "Now open"! Krishna had ordered Vis wakarma to build a model city by the sea. And the citizens of Mathura now found themselves in the broad streets of a splendid city. It was ideally laid out with broad streets and storied mansions and squares with fountains and gardens where bloomed the parijata from Indra's garden and the kalpaka tree thatgranted your every wish. Every citizen had a mansion of his own according to his rank and sta tus.There were quite a few temples with great gates and high domes and grand pra karams and mandapams from where learned pundits intoned Vedic scriptures. Schools were housed in imposing structures with adjoining libraries. In short, Visvakarm a had shown all his skill to please his master Krishna. There was never a strike or a jatha in the good days of old. Finding the people well housedand fed Krish na emerged from the gate, completely unarmed and wearing a lotus garland and appe ared before Kalayavana who was besieging Mathura. Though a savage, this yavana was a sport "You are unarmed Krishna, so I too will .ght you unarmed". So saying he pursued Krishna who apparently .ed before him. T he yavana began to mock "O! Krishna! You are a scion of the gallant Yadus. You s hould not run from an enemy". Krishna would slacken and the yavana could almost touch him when suddenly he would dart forward andappear atop a neighbouring hill . Thus Krishna led him a dance and then suddenly entered a cave. Anancient man w ith a long beard and an effulgent appearance was stretched in deep slumber and K rishna hid beside him. The yavana too coming in hot pursuit, entered and observe

d the sleeper "O!Ho! So you have entered the cave and now pretend to sleep". So saying he kicked the sleeper whoslowly opened his eyes. His gaze fell upon the i ntruder and his eyes blazed. There was a .ash and the yavana went up in .ames. Muchukunda Moksham Here, Parikshit, interposed "O! Sage! Who was that ascetic? How came he there?" Then, Sri Suka continued "He was the emperor Muchukunda, son of the great king M andhata of the Ikshvaku family. Like his father, he was also a valiant soldier wh ose help was sought by the devas in their .ght against the danavas (asuras). He had to stay with Indra, Lord of heaven for a long time. When the devas got Lord Subramania as their commander, they allowed Muchukunda to return to his kingdom, loading him with precious presents and granting any boon he might desire. But by that time allhis relatives were dead, aeons had passed and so Muchukunda said " I have no desire except the desire to sleep". And Indra Lord of the devas said "L et it be so! Sleep soundly and whosoever disturbsand wakes you up shall be burnt to death!" And Muchukunda was sleeping soundly until the unlucky yavana rudely k icked him and was burnt to ashes!. Muchukunda now looked more closely at his radiant visitor. Seeing his glorious f ace and four arms with the discus, conch, lotus and mace he wondered "Are you In dra, or Varuna or any other guardian of the world? What is your name Lord?" and K rishna replied: I have countless names and births Even sages who know me cannot say how many I have been born now as Vaasudeva Son of Vasudeva the yadava chief I have killed Kamsa and his asuric aides Have n ow come to bless you and grant your wishes As you have prayed for these in previ ous births No one who comes to me goes with empty hands Muchukunda replied: Lord ! People ere this have been fooled by dire desires Craving happiness rooted in s orrows Man is ensnared with woman and vice versa Having achieved somehow this hu man birth Blindfold falls in the well of darkness Of sensual pleasures, like a b east Lord! My own life has been a waste Squandered in arrogance of wealth and po wer Kingdom, son, wife and untold wealth Sunk in delusion of empire pomp and pow er Man is suddenly confronted by thee as Death Like a serpent that waits for a r at That has ventured into its hole, you strike If by great good chance, man meet s a saint Who shows the way, he is blessed Therefore Lord! I renounce all boons And want only Thee, the essence of all consciousness And Krishna said "Great Emp eror! Your mind is pure, You are .rm as a rock buffeted by waves Stay here a lit tle more to work out your karma In your next birth you will be a pious Brahmin A nd attain me .nally. Muchukunda having no further desire entered Badrikashramam and built an ashramam for himselfnear Naranarayana ashram and after severe tapas, entered his next bi rth. Krishna too with Balarama destroyed the yavana, armies and faced the Magadhan ar my. Then instead of facing Jarasandha he pretended to run and entered the forest. Jarasandha surrounded theforest and set it on .re. Krishna was seen leaping on to a rock from where he took another leap andlanded in Dwaraka. Jarasandha thoug ht his enemy was burnt to death and returned to his capitalgreatly rejoicing. Rukmini's Marriage The brothers were now of marriageable age and Balarama was married to Revathy, d aughter of Revatha. Bhishmaka was the good king of Vidarbha. He had .ve sons, Ruk mi, Rukmamali, Rukma ratha etc and the youngest Rukmini was the avatar of Sri La kshmy herself. She had heard aboutKrishna, his charming appearance and exploits from travelling minstrels and had decided to choosehim as her husband. Her fathe r and relatives had approved but not so, her brothers especially theeldest Rukmi who hated Krishna and wanted to give his sister to Sisupala, prince of Chedi. E ven theday of betrothal was .xed and poor Rukmini was now in a .x. In this extre mity she could only cryto God for help and as if in answer to her prayer she saw an old brahmin approaching. She receivedhim with great respect and asked him te arfully if he could carry a letter from her to Krishna. The old man agreed and c arrying the letter like a precious treasure started on the long journey to Dwarak

a - Crossing much dif.cult terrain and some broad rivers the old man saw at last the gopurams anddomes of Dwaraka. Krishna, who was reclining on a couch saw the old man approaching and immediately getting down, took him by the arm and led hi m to his couch and gently said "Good sir, did you have a pleasant journey? Is Dh arma followed in the land you come from? Are brahmins content with their lot? An d other castes as well? If a brahmin is satis.ed with what he gets and if he is a friend of all and humble and sel.ess, I bow to him. And is the ruler helpful t o all? Dear to me is such a ruler. Now, tell me the purpose of your visit!" The old brahmin blessed Krishna and handed him the letter. Rukmini's letter Hearing your noble qualities sung by minstrels And your great charm, you have entered my heart And pray! Don't think me immodest For which modest maiden, however high born Can help loving a hero like you, peerless among men I have chosen you, I am yours and therefore Allow not the Chedi prince to touch me The lion allows not a wolf to snatch its food If I have acquired any merit in previous births By penance, rites, worship of elders or by giving alms May my hand be touched only by Krishna and not by any one else. If you say " You are within the lady's quarters How can I get at you, guarded as you are" I shall tell you how "When tomorrow I go out To worship at Bhavani's temple as our custom is Guarded by soldiers, come incognito, conquer them And marry me by the Rakshasa rite as reward to heroes If O! Lotus eyed Lord! If I do not get your grace I shall starve myself to death. This is certain The Brahmin said "These are the contents of my message. Ponder over this and do whatever you think is .t". On hearing this Krishna was greatly pleased and taking the brahmin by the arm sa id "I too am devoted to her and I am not getting any sleep. I shall free her even as the sacri.cial .re is freed fromthe fuel." Then ascertaining the date .xed f or her betrothal, he ordered Daruka to get ready the chariot. When the chariot wa s ready with four shining horses, Krishna ascended it with the brahmana by his s ide. They reached Vidarbha and the brahmana alighted. Rukmini was getting agitat ed. She was sunk in despair and then there were some good auguries. Her left eye , hand and thigh throbbedand in a few minutes she saw the brahmana approaching. By his bright appearance she knew thatthe mission had been a success and in her extreme joy not seeing anything valuable enough to give,prostrated herself at hi s feet. Blessing her the brahmana said "I have brought Krishna. He is at theouts kirts and will come at the appropriate moment". Needless to say, Rukmini was beside herself with joy. The city had already been bedecked with .ags and arches. Sounds of Vedic hymns and mantras came from the t emples. The initial dedication was over and the holy thread was wound round her wrist dedicating her to Sisupala . Married youngwomen adorned her and surrounded by them and escorted by soldiers with drawn swords the procession started to Dev i Bhavani's temple. The princess looked beautiful beyond compare just entering ma idenhood, slightly smiling and almost dancing, she was moving like a swan and en tered thetemple "O! Great Bhavani! Grant me a boon! May I have Krishna as my Lor d!" She prayed and itseemed the goddess did smile. The princess came out casting timorous glances all round and saw Krishna smiling and beckoning to her from hi s chariot. At once she hastened towards him and Krishna gave her his hand, seate d her by his side and nodded to the charioteer to drive. The bystanders, mainly r ival princes, suitors, who had come to try their luck, were too stupe.ed and stu nned toprotest. By the time they recovered Krishna and his bride were off. The armies of Sisupala and Jarasandha now tried to pursue. But Balarama with the yadava army hadcome just in time and a .erce battle ensued. Balrama with his pl ough (a weapon) and the yadavaleaders Samban and Gada battered the enemies. Kris hna's bow twanged repeatedly and the groundwas littered with the dead bodies of

the enemies. Jarasandha consoled Sisupala saying that the timeswere unfavourable and they could wait for better times and take revenge. But Rukmi , Rukmini'seld est brother, would not be consoled. He continued to .ght until he too was disarm ed and dis.gured .He was tied to the chariot wheels and Krishna was about to cut off his head when Rukmini fell on her knees and pleaded for her brother's life. It was of course granted especially since Balaramaalso advised restraint. Krishna and Rukmini now entered Dwaraka at the head of the victorious army. They were now married according to Vedic rites. The city wore a gala appearance and m onth long celebrations followed. The Story Of The Jewel Syamanthaka Satrajit a prominent yadava was a worshipper of the sun god. The sun god Surya w as so pleased with his friend and worshipper that he presented him with a rare j ewel, an immense diamond of rarelustre. Satrajit prostrated before the god and w earing it round his neck was returning home. Peoplemistook him for the sun himse lf and thought the sun god was coming to pay homage to Sri Krishna.Satrajit had a small temple built in his house to house the jewel and performed puja (worship ) withthe help of learned brahmins. Every day the jewel would produce gold and t his became the talk ofthe town. Krishna sent for him and said it was better to k eep such a treasure in the king's treasurywhere the immense wealth it produced d aily, could be used for the peoples' bene.t. But Satrajit was greedy. He demurre d and Krishna did not force him. Now Satrajit had a younger brother Prasena by name. One day he went hunting with the jewelround his neck. He got separated from his friends and did not return a t all. And it was public secret that Krishna had asked for it and gossips immedi ately began to talk suspiciously about Krishna.Now this was unbearable and Krish na with his friends entered the forest in search of Prasena. Soon they came upon the ghastly remains of Prasena. He had been killed with his horse and dragged u p ahill by a lion. There they found evidence of a .erce .ght between the lion an d a huge bear. Evidently the bear had won and dragged its booty up a hill and ent ered its lair. Leaving the attendants outside, Krishna entered the cave. The cave was lit up wi th the lustre of the jewel Syamanthaka which a child was playing with . Seeing t he stranger the child cried loudly andthe huge bear Jambhavan came to her rescue . Then ensued a great .ght, between Jambhavan and Krishna. The .ght went on for eighteen days Jambhavan the hero of Ramayana was now facing defeat and then reali zation dawned on him. His opponent seemed very much like Sri Rama his master.He now realised that it was the same Lord Vishnu in a new avatar. With tears in his eyes he prayed, "Pardon me, Lord now I see you are my master Sri Rama in a new avatar. Forgive my ignorance!" The Lord not only pardoned him but gently stroked him making him whole again. Krishna explained that he had come in search of the jewel to retrieve his reputation. Jambhavan gladly gavehim not only the jewel bu t also his daughter Jambavati and escorted them back to Dwaraka. Meanwhile at Dwaraka the citizens were plunged in grief. They blamed Satrajit wh o had brought this misfortune by his greed. Devaki, Rukmini and others went to t he temple of Mahamaya prayingfor Krishna's welfare. And as if in answer to their prayer Krishna entered the gates, victorious and with a new bride Jambavati. Sa trajit too, now entirely repentant, came with the jewel Syamanthakaand his daugh ter Satyabhama and requested Krishna to accept both . Krishna smiled and said "I gladly accept Satyabhama but not your other present, the jewel. Keep it yourself ". And the marriages of Satyabhama and Jambavathi with Krishna were celebrated wi th great pomp and splendour. The Destruction Of Narakasura Narakasura the offspring of Mother Earth was proving to be a scourge of gods and men. He waged .erce war against the devas, drove Indra from heaven; despoiled i t of its treasures and even snatched Aditi's ear rings and Indra was hiding in th e crest of mount Meru. The devas supplicated before Vishnu (now Krishna) for reli ef from this distress. Krishna seated on Garuda and with Sathyabhama by his side, started for Pragjyotisha the citadel of Narakasura. It was a heavily forti.edpl

ace, surrounded by several rings of defense. There was a moat .lled with alligat ors and then a wall of .re. Krishna seated on Garuda .ew over the moat, smashed the mountainous barriers withhis mace and blew on his famous panchajanya sending tremors throughout . A mighty demon named Mura with .ve heads breathing .re, came out rushing wieldin g a huge trident. He hurled the trident but Krishna's arrows cut it into pieces a nd another hail of arrows sweptoff his heads. Naraka himself now advanced seated on a mighty elephant, and .anked by an army ofelephants. Garuda, now struck the m with his powerful wings and they ran backward squealing andtrampling down thei r own army. Naraka was furious and was about to hurl his spear but before it cou ld leave his hand, his head bright with .ery ear rings was severed by Krishna's sudarshan. The earth goddess now appeared and presenting a necklace of priceless pearls and matching ear rings, gently said "Lord now forbear! The asura has been killed. He had been the very avatar of rajas and tamas. But these too begin from you alone . It behoves you therefore to pardon. His son Bhagadatta is a valiant prince. Let him be made king in his father's place. And my lord, let your gracious gaze Fall on these hapless maidens freed by you. The Lord of course, obliged. Bhagadatha was crowned king and Krishna was gentle and kind to theyoung women just freed. They were gazing with admiration, love at their saviour. Bhagadatha sent them in palanquins loaded with bridal presents t o Dwaraka. Later on Krishna married all the sixteenthousand of them at the same time in as many pandals and as many houses. There was no differencein status amo ng the sixteen thousand and eight women. Each thought that Krishna was with hero nly all the time. The Story Of Nriga Once the young princes of Dwaraka had gone to the nearby forests for a picnic. T here they saw an ancient moss covered well and peeped inside out of curiosity. T here at the bottom of the dry well they saw a huge lizard. The children tried to pull it out with strings and hooks but without success. They reported the matte r to Krishna who came to investigate and at once pulled it out easily. At his to uch the creature at once changed into a shining deva dressed in gold bowing befo re them withfolded hands. Krishna knew who it was; still for the bene.t of other s he asked "O! You, shining deva; tell us your story". The deva bowed low and sai d "Lord! I am Nriga son of Ikshwaku, and I ruled over this vast domain and deligh ted in gifting thousands of well adorned milch cows with calvesto as many learne d deserving brahmins. This, I was able to do for many days. One day, as an old b rahmin was leading the cow and calf to his ashram, another brahmin met him on th e way andclaimed the cow. The two brahmins disputed long and at last came to me for a decision. "The cow ismine. I was given this cow yesterday". "No No! it was given to me to day by the king" Both were telling the truth. The fact was that the cow which had been gifted the previous day had strayed back to join the herd and not knowing this the king had gifted it again. Here was a dilemma. Neitherb rahmin would oblige though the king offered a thousand cows in exchange and both departed in high dudgeon. At this point the king suddenly died and was taken to Yama, the god of death, for judgment. After consulting the great accountant Chi tragupta, Yama decreed "You have gifted thousands of cows for which you deserve e njoyment in heaven. But you have though unknowinglygiven a cow that belonged to another, for which you deserve the life of a lizard. You shall have yourchoice. Which do you prefer .rst." The king pondered a little and said "Let me suffer th e lizard's life .rst and have heavenly life later. It was decreed like that and I am here now" Saying this the deva slowly rose to celestial regions. The yadava youths realized that even by mistake they should not misappropriate a Brahmin's property.

Diversion Of Yamuna It was a time of comparative peace at Dwaraka and Balarama felt a longing to vis it Nandagopa andYasoda and Rohini and others and reached Brindavan. The gopas an d gopis felt as if their soul had returned and recalled with emotion the happy o ld times. With eyes slightly reddened he danced withthe gopies the whole night o n the river bank, bright in the moonlight. Feeling thirsty they wantedsome cool water and ordered the river to come near. But the river would not come. Balrama' s eyes became more red with anger and with his mighty plough drew the river towa rds him. This diversionof the river can be seen even to day. After satisfying th e aspirations of the Vraja, Balrama returned to Dwaraka. Paundraka Moksham Paundraka Vasudeva king of the Charusha was a very funny impostor. He pretended that he was the real Vasudeva, the real avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu and went to the extent of imitating Krishna in every detail He painted himself blue, wore golden attire, and had an imitation kaustubham suspended from his neck. He attac hed two arti.cial arms to himself and carried imitation conch ,discus,mace and o f course real lotus. Not content with this he sent messengers to Dwaraka "O! Kri shna! Iam the real avatar. Surrender your weapons lest I invade Dwaraka. " Krish na of course, did not waitto be invaded. He marched with an army of many divisio ns towards Charusha's capital. The Charusha's were aided by the king of Kasi as w ell. A great battle followed., The Charushas and the king of Kasi were defeated Paundraka was killed by the discus. A .ight of arrows severed the Kasi Raja'shea d and deposited it at his city gates. It burned up the city too. To avenge the death of his father, Kasi Raja's son resorted to black magic. He r aised an evil spirit which began to destroy Dwaraka but, Sudarsan chakra again . ared up and destroyed the evil spirit.Thus ended the adventure of Paundraka and his ally. Dwivida The Monkey Dwivida and Mainda the twin monkeys were heroes of the Ramayana and had fought f or Sri Rama,under Hanuman. Now, however in Dwapara yuga Dwivida had fallen into evil company. He had been a friend of Narakasura and wanted to avenge his friend 's death. Fate lead him to Anarta the land where Balrama was staying and the mon key began to work havoc. He pulled up trees, poundedthe hills and prevented the free .ow of river where Balrama's wives were sporting and insultedthem. Balrama came to their rescue and soon came to blows . Balrama wielding his club and them onkey armed with uprooted trees. Balrama who was none other than Sankarshana kil led the monkey soon. CHAPTER 20 Sk 10. Ch 69 . Slokam 41 Pradyumna A son was born to Krishna and Rukmini. The child was the image of Krishna himsel f and the fond parents named him Pradyumna. He was the avathar of Kamadeva who h ad been burnt to ashes bySree Rudras anger. While the child was still in the crad le it was stolen by Sambaraasura and thrown into the sea because the asura knew that he would meet his death at the hands of Pradyumnawhen he grew up. Rukmini w as inconsolable but even Krishna kept quiet knowing that destinywould have its w ay. The child however did not die. It was swallowed by a big .sh, which was caught i n a net by .shermen who gave it to Sambara's cooks. When the cooks opened it up t hey were surprised to see a shining baby within and immediately informed their mi stress Mayavati who took it under her care andbrought it up with great tendernes s. This Mayavati was none other than Ratidevi whose husband Kamadeva was burnt t o ashes earlier. Needless to say, Mayavati tended the child with special tenderne ss. Before long, the child grew up, as an exceptionally handsome youth, the cyno sure of ladies' eyes. Mayavati's manner changed from that of a foster mother to t hat of a lover. The young man noticed it and said. "O! Mayavati, your manner to me is changing recently pray why?" Mayavati replied, "Lord! You were Kama in your previous life and I was your wedded wife Rati. Our master Sambarasura is a powe

rful demon and a great magician. You too must master this art, to overcome him i n .ght and claim me your lawful wife." Pradyumna confronted Sambara and roused his anger. The asura madly rushed at him with raised club but Pradyumna deftly parried it, stepping aside. Then ensued a terri.c combat the demon trying his utmost with magic devices. He would appear a s a python; next moment as a wild tiger andagain as a demon in the clouds above raining arrows. All these, Pradyumna easily overcame with the help of the Mahama yamanthra, which Mayavati the great enchantress had taught him earlier. As a las t desperate attempt the demon took up huge mace and rushed at Pradyumna, but Pra dyumnatook up a .ashing sword and with a mighty stroke cut off the demon's head. The devas watching the.ght from above showered .owers and rejoiced. Mayavati knew the art of .ying. The couple .ew over hill and dale, and rivers an d came over Krishna's palace in Dwaraka. Like a light blue cloud and a .ash of l ightning in it, they hoveredoverhead and descended gently in Krishna's courtyard in front of Rukmini and her friends. Rukminiwho was grieving all these years li ke a cow bereft of its calf knew by instinct that this was her longlost son. She embraced her son and daughter-in-law while tears of love welled up from her eye s. Presently Krishna also came up from behind and greeted and embraced his son a s if nothing particular had happened. He had known this all along, but he did not divulge it to anyone. Balarama came hurrying and so did Sree Narada maharishi wh o explained everything. The entire city of Dwaraka was plunged in delight with ci tizens celebrating the event with sweets and crackers. There were bad tidings from Hastinapura. It was rumoured that the Pandavas had d ied in a .re accident. To .nd out the truth and offer condolence to the Kurus the brothers set out to Hastinapura. Krishna knew that it was not true but pretende d to sympathize with the treacherous Kurus and returned to Dwaraka. Balarama stay ed for some time at Hastinapura and Duryodhana used this opportunity to take less ons in wrestling from Balarama. During the absence of Krishna some evil thingsha d happened at Dwaraka. Satadhanva a former suitor of Stayabhama was burning for revenge. Ofall the people Akrura and Kritavarma instigated Satadhanva to commit a crime. They said " You have been cheated by this Satrajit. Rob him of his jewel , kill him if necessary." The wicked Satadhanva stole into Satrajit's house at ni ght: killed him without mercy and decamped with the jewel. Whenpoor Satyabama he ard of her father's murder she beat her breast and wailed piteously. Krishna soo n returned and consoled her saying, " I will avenge your father's death.". He started in pursuit of Satadhanva. Anticipating this, now thoroughly frightene d he had .ed leaving the jewel in the care of Akrura. After a hot pursuit Krishna caught up with the killer and cut off his head with Sudarshan chakra. Krishna r ansacked his baggage but the jewel was not found. Hereturned to Dwaraka. Mean wh ile Akrura had .ed to Kasi with the jewel and with the help of the immense wealt h it produced he started feeding thousands of Brahmins. He came to be known asDan apathy' king of alms givers. Krishna heard of this extraordinary alms giving and approachedAkrura who immediately confessed that the jewel was with him only. Kr ishna said, "Keep it with you and use it wisely." So saying Krishna returned to Dwaraka. He who reads this story with piety and faith will be cleared of all suspicion an d ill reputation. Krishna at Indraprastha Days passed and Krishna heard that the Pandavas were at Indraprastha. Desirous o f seeing them andtheir mother, aunt Kunthi- who had also arrived - he went to In draprastha with his friend Satyaki. The Pandavas receiving him felt as if the so ul had come to an inert body. Krishna prostrated before Yudhishtira and Bhima, e mbraced Arjuna while Nakula and Sahadeva prostrated before him. Droupathi receive d equal respect. When all were comfortably seated Kunthidevi said in a choking v oice, with tears in her eyes. " O! Krishna you are the Lord of all. Even in the midst of all our trials wewere strengthened by remembering you. Does Vasudeva my brother remember us now that he has sent you to comfort us? You do not consider anyone as yours or otherwise, still you comfort and brighten our lives in our t roubles when we think of you." Yudhishtira also echoed the same sentiments and th e cousins spent the winter months happily.

One day Krishna and Arjuna went out for a ride in the chariot. They were riding along the banks of the river Yamuna when they espied from a distance a beautiful maiden alone. Krishna said to Arjuna, "O! Arjuna, please go ahead and ascertain who that maiden is" .Arjuna obeyed. Soon he came up to her and politely asked " Pray, gentle maiden, who are you and why are you wandering alone"?The maiden rep lied," I am Kalindi, my mother is the deity of this river. My father is the sun god. I live in a palace under the river built by my father for me. I am in searc h of lord Krishna. I haveheard much about him and wish to marry him and no one e lse!" Arjuna gently replied, "Then princess get into the chariot. I shall take yo u to Krishna who is standing there." In a few minutes theyreached Krishna who re ceived them gladly. They drove up to Indraprastha to receive Yudhishtira's appro val and blessing for their marriage. Indraprastha was as yet undeveloped. It was a barren place where the Pandavas ha d not even ahome to live. At Krishna's behest a city was built by Vishvakarma th e architect of devas in a few days. With well laid out streets, gardens and pala ces, the city looked most beautiful. The Pandavas now lived in palaces very happ ily. Khandava Dahanam One day, Krishna and Arjuna went out hunting in the dense Khandava forest. Agnid eva had long wanted to consume this forest but without success. Arjuna now helpe d him to consume it without being drenched by rain by covering the forest with a roof of arrows. In return the Agnideva presented him with a shining chariot, fou r magni.cent horses an impenetrable armour, the bow Gandiva and an inexhaustible quiver. Mayan the clever architect of the asuras was caught in the .re and he w as allowed to escape by Arjuna. In return he built a wonderful audience hall for the Pandavas. By a clever arrangement of mirrors this hall produced an illusion of the .oor. Later Duryodhana was humiliated by this illusion and got insulted by Droupadi. This eventually increased his anger to Pandavas, leading to the gre at Mahabharata war. Krishna with his friend Sathyaki and the bride elect Kalindi now returned to Dwa raka and the marriage with Kalindi was solemnized with religious rites and festiv ities. Mitravinda the beautiful princess of Avanti also had longed to marry Krishna who was her cousin too. But her two brothers were partisans of Duryodhana and would not permit their sister to chooseKrishna as her husband. So Krishna had no opti on but to use force. He invaded Avanti with a large force, defeated the enemy an d carried away the happy bride to Dwaraka and married her also withsolemn rites. Nagnajit, King of Kosala was a good ruler. His daughter Satya known as Nagnajith i had loved Krishna ever since her childhood. She longed to marry Krishna. Krish na, ever devoted to his devotees was also willing but there was a big hurdle. The old King in his anxiety to select a suitable bridegroom had stipulated that the suitor should conquer seven .erce bulls unarmed. This proved calamitous. Many bra ve princes had been gored to death. Krishna too now offered to try. Girding up h is loins he divided himself as seven so that there was one Krishna for each bull . Catching each bullby the horns he forced it back on its hunches with ease as a child plays with a toy bull. After tethering them all together, the seven Krishn as became one again. The king was pleased and agreed to give his daughter to Kri shna. As dowry the King offered a well-equipped powerful army and hundred maiden s as attendants to the bride. Next he married Bhadra and the princess Lakshmana. A Lover's Quarrel An occasional little quarrel with one's own wife adds to the pleasure of family life. Krishna decidedto enact this little family drama and as usual he did it pe rfectly, perhaps, too perfectly as he himself realized later. One day Krishna and Rukmini were taking rest in the afternoon sitting leisurely in their jewelledswinging cot. The windows were open and a cool breeze from the garden laden with the perfume of .owers relieved the heat. Rukminidevi was as us ual dressed at her best. Her golden waistband sparkled with gems. With her jewell

ed hands and anklets she looked divinely beautiful. With a peacock fan she gentl y fanned her husband. Her smiling face made her even more beautiful because of h eradoration and love for Krishna. There was even a tinge of pride as she thought she was the dearest of all to her lord. Krishna realized this and perhaps to cu re her of this pride, suddenly said. "Beloved princess, you are the most beautifu l daughter of the famous king of Vidarbha. Why did you choose, this beggarly Kri shna from among so many eligible princely suitors? I am a beggar withoutany king dom and my worshippers are all beggarly sanyasins. Afraid of enemies we have tak en refuge in a barren island out at sea. Even now it is not too late. There is th e rich prince of Chedi or many others who would gladly accept you." Rukmini could not believe her ears. At .rst she was stunned then turned pale and trembled. The fan slipped from her beautiful hands. She swooned and fell down f rom the cot. Krishna now realizedthat he had played this hoax too well. He felt repentant for the .rst time and kneeling gently strokedher lovingly with his lif e giving hands. Rukmini gently opened her eyes and slowly began to speak."Lord, what you say is not true. Did you not defeat the enemy scattering them like chaf f? Dwaraka built by Mayan, has nothing equal even in heaven. Even Brahma the giv er of boons, worships yourfeet. Which woman will choose an ordinary man subject to birth and death in preference to you whoare eternal? Which woman will choose an ordinary man who dances to the tune of women like a dog, a cat or a mule? Eve n if I have to take thousand births I will stick to your feet alone and no oneel se." "O my beloved, I just wanted to hear these works from you. That is why I pl ayed this farce. You shall be with me always, as a part of me granting the devot ees, whatever they may desire." This pranaya sargam famous in Bhagavatham has a curious episode attached to it. Poonthanam Nambudiri was a great devotee of Lord Krishna and he lived some three hundred years ago near thefamous shrine of Lord Krishna at Guruvayur. Once he v isited and worshipped at a temple of Sree Siva in North Malabar. Sitting in the mandapam before the idol of Sree Siva, he read this chapter, the idol being his main audience. After the recital he put a bookmark, closed the book kept it in t he temple itself and left for the day. Next day the Namboodiri returned and afte r worshipping the idol was about to resume his recital. Someone had shifted his bookmark to the beginning of this chapter. The poor Namoodiri was puzzled thinki ng who could have shifted the bookmark form the end ofthe chapter to the beginni ng. Nevertheless he recited again. This shifting was repeated again and again an d the poor Namboodiri was very puzzled when a deep voice from inside the Garbha griha -sanctum - sounded. "My dear Namboodiri! It was I who shifted the bookmark . Your recital was so sweet; I wanted to hear it again and again. My blessings t o you!" Poonthanam was astounded. Itwas evidently Sree Siva himself waiting to h ear it again and again. Sree Siva enjoyed hearing, repeatedly the lover's quarrel between Krishna and Rukmini who are none other than Sree Hari andhis divine con sort Sree Lakshmi. Krishna next set an example of an ideal family man. Though he had sixteen thousa nd and eight wives, each one of them believed that Krishna was with her only all the time. Senses and sensationsbelongs to Prakriti, - Nature -which is his own a ttribute. All the created beings are his own power. He was impartial and generat ed in each wife, ten sons and a daughter so that Dwarka literallyswarmed with th em. Anirudha, grandson of Krishna and Rukmini was married to Rochana, Rukmi's daught er in spite ofthe enmity between Krishna and Rukmi. Rukmi loved his sister and h ence this marriage took place.Krishna, Balarama and the Yadava chiefs attended t he marriage celebrations. There were festivities and celebrations and gambling w ith dice was one of the items. Balarama and Rukmi played againsteach other. Bala rama suspected foul play, .ew into a passion and clubbed Rukmi down along with h is supporters. Thus, the festivities ended on a sad note. Poor Rukminidevi was i nconsolable for a long time. Balarama, apologized and consoled her and she bore her sorrow with dignity. Banasura, the grandson of the illustrious Mahabali of imperishable fame ruled at Shonitapura, capital of the nether world. He was a great devotee of Sree Shiva. When Sree Siva danced, the wondrous cosmic dance,- Banasura accompanied the danc

e by playing his percussion drum . Pleased with his performance Sree Siva gave hi m a thousand arms. The asura used these thousand arms for aggression. He conquer ed the three worlds and soon had devas as his servants. He had the impudence to a sk Sree Siva himself to be guard at the gates. Sree Siva agreed but the asura's next demand angered him. "Great Lord, ! You have given me a thousand arms for whi ch I .nd no work. I have struck down trees and shattered mountains. Give me a su itable adversary who can withstandmy blows." Sree Siva replied angrily, "Fool! W hen your .agstaff breaks in half and the .ag comes down, know that your enemy ha s come who will humble your pride." Instead of getting afraid, thefool was rathe r pleased. He thought, "At last I shall get and an adversary worthy of my blows! " Hedid not have to wait long. The Story Of Usha And Anirudha Bana had a charming daughter named Usha. Being a stern disciplinarian, Banasura would not allowtoo much freedom to girls and Usha was brought up in strict seclu sion in the ladies' quarters. Onenight she saw a charming prince in her dream an d fell in love with him and became disconsolate.Chitralekha her friend, was the daughter of Kumbhantaka, the Chief Minister of Banasura. NoticingUsha's sadness, her friend was concerned and enquired what he was like. The princess Usha told thedetails of his features. Now, Chitralekha was a good artist and she began to draw the pictures of various princes. When she drew the picture of Anirudha Usha blushed and confessed that this indeed was the prince she had dreamt of. Chitral ekha was a great magician. She could .y in the air unseen.She .ew to Dwaraka; ki dnapped the sleeping prince and .ew back and deposited him in Usha'sapartments w hile the guards outside snored peacefully. Usha was delighted and the two lived happily for many days until the guards became suspicious and reported the matter to Banasura. Banasurabecame furious and rushed at Anirudha with a huge mace. Ani rudha too was a great .ghter and retaliated scattering the guards. But Banasura m aking full use of his thousand hands and the naga pasa snake rope - imprisoned hi m and tied him up. There was consternation at Dwaraka. Anirudha was missing. Sree Narada Maharishi now appeared and apprised them of the situation. A great Yadava army was assembl ed. It was led by Balarama, Krishna and the Yadava heroes Pradyumna, Gada, Sambh a, Satyaki and other great heroes. They marched towards Shonitapura and laid sie ge. When Krishna's conch the Panchajanya sounded the .ag mast of Banasura broke in two and the .ag .uttered down. Banasura, Kumbhandaka and otherdemons came for th yelling and a .erce battle raged. It is said that they used even biological w eapons thus forestalling even modern inventions. It was a battle between the powe rs of good and thepowers of evil and Balarama and Krishna triumphed. Krishna mow ed down Banasura's hands - ofwhich he was so proud - with his Sudarsanachakra. O nly four hands were left now. Sree Rudhra himself intervened for his bhakta who was left with four hands. He pleaded with Krishna to sparethe four hands. It is said that even today, when Sree Siva is engaged in his cosmic dance in Kai las, Banasura plays the drum with his left over hands, to the rhythm of the danc e. When the war was won Anirudha was liberated. Anirudha and Usha were richly endow ed and seated in a golden chariot. Then they were escorted with full honours to D waraka. Rukminidevi and other ladies welcomed them, their heart over.owing with love. Needless to say festivities followed. Dragging of Hastinapura Duryodhana had a beautiful daughter named Lakshana. At her swayamvara, Samba, so n of Jambavathy took her by force and carried her away as the other suitors just looked on. The elders - kurus got offended. Druyodhana Karna and others shouted, "This cowherd's son has insulted us by dragging away an unwilling girl. We must i mprison him." Duryodhana, his brothers, Karna and even Dronachariar with the app roval of Bhishma, went in pursuit and surrounded Samba. Samba was avery brave wa rrior and fought like a lion but what could a mere boy however brave do against veterans like Drona and Karna? In the end the boy was overpowered and bound. News reached Dwaraka. The Yadavas were agitated but Balarama advised restraint and wi th a big retinue went to Hastinapura and camped in the gardens bordering Hastinap

ura and sent a message to his student Duryodhana. The Kauravas were indignant but still they sent a messenger with presents. Balarama receivedthe messenger and s ent a stern message through him. It was an order that Samba should be releasedim mediately with due apologies and that it was the order of the king Ugrasena the overlord. Onhearing this imposing order the Kauravas became impertinent and shou ted, "Who is this Ugrasenathat dares command us. It is by our grace, he rules ov er the land donated by us How can the shoeaspire to usurp the crown?" On hearing this insult Balarama became angry. His eyes usually red now blazed .r e. Taking up his dreaded weapon, the mighty plough he pierced Hastinapura and dr ew it across the broad Ganges.The great city tottered and began to move. Soon it was moving like a huge boat across the river. Thecitizens panicked running hith er and thither. The Kauravas now fell at Balarama's feet begging pardon. Duryodha na had been a very good disciple and mighty Balarama softened towards him andrel ented. The Kauravas pleaded. "Pardon us great Lord, you are the mighty Adisesha who bears the world on your hood. Pardon our ignorance Lord." And the city stopp ed moving. Duryodhana was a fond father. He gave priceless jewels besides an arm y of elephants as dowry, and the marriage of Samba and Lakshana was performed wi th great pomp at Dwaraka. Krishna the householder Sree Narada Maharishi heard that Krishna was living as a typical householder wit h sixteen thousandand eight wives and out of sheer curiosity to see this wonder decided to visit Dwaraka. In a moment he found himself in the outer precincts of the glorious city. It was beautiful with .owery gardens everywhere and ponds of crystal water sparkling an d blooming with water lilies and bluelotuses with countless petals. Golden bees zoomed among them. Bordering the ponds were mansions of marble and silver. Peacoc ks and parrots freely .itted in and out through the open windows warbling pleasa nt sounds. Servants, male and female well dressed and wearing ornaments hurried inand out, obeying the orders of their mistresses, the happy spouses of Krishna. Sree Narada Maharishi entered one house at random. Krishna and Sree Rukmini were playingchess. Seeing the Sage, Krishna immediately rose in a hurry, came out; e scorted him and seated himreverently in a couch. He washed his feet and with tha t holy water sprinkled his own head andRukmini's . Then he asked, "Holy Sire, wh en did you come? Is everything well? Krishna asked him about the welfare of the world because Sree Narada was a citizen of the world always on the move.Sree Nar ada Maharishi replied. "By your grace great Lord all are well." Rukmini Devi fanned the sage all the time with a jewelled fan . After exchanging a few more pleasantries, the sage left and entered another mansion. Here the Lo rd was deliberating with his wife about the marriage of his daughter and he asked Sree Narada the same question as if nothing hadhappened, "O! Holy sage, when di d you come?" In the next mansion the Lord was discussing with Udhava about the education of h is children and inyet another mansion he was teaching his sons horsemanship and the art of war. In another he was performing puja enjoined on a householder and in yet another listening to discourse by learned pundits. Everywhere he put the s ame question to Sree Narada. "Holy sage, when did you come?" At the end of the game Krishna said, "O! Narada! You understand now that I can b e everywhere?" "Pardon me my curiosity Lord, I knew you are everywhere; only I w anted to con.rm." So saying Sree Narada departed singing the glories of the Lord. He who reads this without carping will .nd his devotion increasing and his spiri tual journey to realization made smooth. The Lord's Daily Routine As the cock crew Krishna would get up, perform the morning ablutions, put on fre sh attire andworship the rising sun - which was part of him - and get ready to a ttend the council chamber. The charioteer would have got the chariot ready, yoke d with four magni.cent horses. All the sixteen thousand and eight spouses saw th

e same sight. The various chariots and horses merged into one as they entered th e portals of Sudharma, the grand council chamber where the yadava chiefs like Sat yaki and Udhava waited for him. Krishna would sit in the lion throne. Minstrels sang about the exploits of the yadavas and dancers gyrated at a respectable dista nce. Once Sree Narada Maharishi was seen approaching, chanting hymns playing on his d ivine Veena. The lord with great reverence, escorted him to a seat and asked, "G reat Maharishi, You are a traveller of the three words. Are all things well?" "All are well by your grace my lord! Your noble cousin Yudhishtira is eager to p erform the great Rajasuya Yagna with your help at Indraprastha and requests your gracious presence." As Krishna was pondering over the matter, there came another messenger, a Brahmi n form Giri Durgah, capital of Magadha. He was carrying a pathetic request from the princes who had been imprisoned by Jarasandha. "O! Lord! We have been impriso ned by the wicked, Jarasandha, as we would not accept his suzerainty. He intends to sacri.ce us to goddess Bhadrakali shortly. Help us lord, we beseech you. Sav e our lives." Now, here was a dilemma. Which should be .rst accepted? Krishna tu rned to Udhava for a solution. Udhava, foremost among wise councillors replied, "Lord!There is no dilemma. Both purposes will be simultaneously served by destro ying Jarasandha. Let usgo to Indraprastha .rst." Krishna consoled the Brahmin me ssenger, "We shall assuredly destroy this Jarasandha soon and release the kings. Please, go and give this assurance to your masters." The Brahmin hastened back with the happy news. Next Krishna started for Indraprastha leaving Balarama in charge of the defence of Dwaraka. Krishna was accompanied by a large army and camp followers. A train of palanquins carrying Krishna's wives also followed. It was as if a town in fes tival was on the move. They passed through many friendly countries, crossed moun tains, rivers and deserts on the way, and .nally reached Indraprastha. The Pandav as with Yudhishtira at the head received them with tears of joy. The streets of Indraprastha were gaily decorated and women from their terraces gazed with admir ation atKrishna's spouses and wondered with awe. "What merit have these wives of Krishna accumulatedin previous births to get Krishna as their lord!" The spouses of Krishna alighted at the ladies quarters and Kunthi Devi embraced them and said,"How wonderfully kind is Krishna to men and women alike if they ha ve devotion!" Yudhishtira affectionately lead Krishna to his quarters and in his extreme happi ness forgot to worship Krishna with .owers and holy water in the usual way. So g reat was his love and devotion!. After a few days of rest Yudhishtira gently expressed his great desire to perfor m the greatest of all yagnas the Rajasuya. Nakula and Sahadeva were sent in vari ous directions with the sacri.cial horseand returned unopposed with great tribut es. Only Jarasandha now remained. Udhava now advised,"Let Krishna, Bhima and Arj una disguised as Brahmins go to Girivraja and request Jarasandha to grant them . ght. He is a great giver of gifts and would grant anything at the proper time." Fight With Jarasandha The trio, Krishna, Bhima and Arjuna undertook the trip with alacrity. Disguised as Brahmin sanyasins they approached Jarasandha just at the proper time. He asked , "What do you want? I knowthat you are kshatriyas. But, as you are disguised as Brahmin sanyasins, I shall, grant whatever youask, even if it be my head" Krish na said, "Rajan! Your generosity is highly commendable. We only want to .ght a d uel with clubs with you! You may choose anyone of us as opponent. I am Krishna, your well known opponent. This is Arjuna the Pandava and this is Bhima his brothe r. Now choose!" Jarasandha replied, " I will not .ght with you Krishna, because you ran away fro m our last .ght. Iwill not .ght with Arjuna also as he is too young. I shall .gh t with Bhima who is my proper opponent!" Saying this he went in and brought out two clubs and asked Bhima to choose one. Bhima took oneand then the .ght began. Both were equally skilled and equally str ong and the hills echoed withshouts and the thunder clap of the clubs striking e ach other. At sunset, the .ght stopped as per rule and next morning it started a

gain. This terri.c duel went on for seventeen days. At night Bhima wassad and he dif.dently con.ded to Krishna. "O! Krishna! I am trying my best but I am unable to defeat this Jarasandha!" Then Krishna plucked a blade of grass, tore it in tw o lengthwise and again putit together the top end of one piece now touching the root end of the other. Bhima took the hint. Next morning they again clashed and the duel continued as usual. Suddenly Bhima threw down hisclub and wrestled with his opponent and threw him down. Placing one foot .rmly on the other'sfoot Bhim a clutched the other leg and wrenched it with all his force. Jarasandha's body w as split intwo, exact halves. Bhima put the two halves in opposite directions, c rumpled up the two pieces ofthe body and threw the mass outside. There was a gre at hue and cry. His queens came crying beating their breasts. They cried aloud. " Ho! Lord our King! How great and strong you were! Alas! We are undone! What shal l we do now? His son Sahadeva came grief stricken. Krishna comforted him, "Your father has di ed like a hero. It behoves you now to perform his funeral obsequies. You can mak e amends for the wrongs committed by your father, by releasing the prisoners and sending them back to their kingdoms with due honour."Sahadeva agreed and ordered the immediate release of the prisoners. They were bathed anddressed in kingly r obes and given royal gifts and sent to their respective kingdoms in golden chario ts. As they left they sang. "Oh! Lord! Oh! Krishna our saviour you are, All this you have done to us, thoughtless fools, We were mad after worldly power, And deserved in full this chastisement, We swear to be true to you, and you alone always, Living the rest of our lives in the service of our people, The deprived, down trodden and the weak, May we have your continued grace help and blessing, We shall meet again with all we have for the Rajasuya." The citizens of Dwaraka were getting anxious. It was more than a month since Kri shna, Bhima andArjuna had left. Just then the well known sound of Panchajanya, K rishna's conch, was heard and itwas soon followed by a golden chariot with .ying colours. Krisna Arjuna and Bhima descended amid loud acclamations. All rejoiced at the death of Jarasandha. Yudhishtira was now the undisputed overlord and coul d proceed with the Rajasuya. Elaborate preparations were made for the famous Rajasuya . Vast pandals were ere cted and decorated. Invitations were sent to all the .ftysix kings and sages like Vasishta, Viswamitra, Bharadwaja, Goutama, Parasurama, Bhishma, Drona and all t he Kauravas. Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Sudras assembled in thousands to witness this crown of all yagnas and receive the blessings. The Yagna vedi was ploughed with a golden plough. Yudhishtira was dully initiated with the queens. Ladies ranged around and the devas, gandharvas and yakshas were present with all their paraphernalia. The guests were all duly seated and to the accompaniment of Vedic mantras the purohits bathed Yudhihstira with the consecrated water, and ga ve him the soma juice at the same time. And now the lord of the yagna had to be selected from among the assembled guests. Now who was to beselected? Who was the most eligible guest?. Sahadeva the Pandava stood up boldly and asserted, "Lord Krishna is the noblest and greatest. Fromhim all things emanate and unto him they all return. He grants all boons to devotees. He alone is .tto preside." So, saying he sat down in hus hed silence. Yudhishtira was extremely pleased and with great adoration presente d costly garments to Sree Krishna. He washed Krishna's feet with holy water and s prinkled himself and Panchali with that sacred theertha-holy water-and conducted the lord to the throne. The devas showered heavenly .owers on Sree Krishna from above. Tears of happiness rolled down Yudhishtira's cheeks. The vast assembly sh outed, "Hail! Hail! Bhagawan Krishna!" On hearing this universal acclaim, Sisupala was unable to control his anger. He stood up and shouted, waving his hands wildly. "Stop! Stop this atrocity. It is i ndeed strange that time should bring about such change that even wise men and el ders listen to the prattle of fools. Is there any lack ofsages here? Bhishma, Dr

ona, are here. Are they not good enough to preside? And Vyasa and these venerabl e sanyasins are present. It is a sin to overlook them and choose a mere cowherd. What a shame! Fie On your choice, I protest. He is a renegade, a breaker of all the laws of caste and rulesof dharma. He is a law breaker devoid of any merit, a drunkard banished from the mainland and afugitive in a barren island." Hearing this unending abuse of Sree Krishna, some good persons in the assembly r ose and left closing their ears with .ngers. Sahadeva became furious and drew his sword. Sisupala's partisans alsorose, grabbing their weapons. Sisupala himself grabbed a sword and buckler and jumped into thering. Krishna who knew the antece dents of Sisupala - he was a parshada at Vaikunta - threw the discus and severed his head. Then a wonder occurred . A shining star slowly rose from Sisupala's bo dy,.oated through the air and entered Krishna. After the above interruption, the yagna proceeded in great style. Since Vishnu Sree Hari or Krishna - himself was the presiding deity, all the minor gods like Agni, Varuna and Indra were personally present to receive their oblations. Vedic hymns sung by learned pandits reverberated from the vast halls. Kings from dist ant lands had come with rich tributes to attend the Rajasuya conducted byYudhish tira, king of kings. The vast multitude was sumptuously feasted and feted. Bhima was in charge of the kitchen while Draupadi supervised the serving and Sahadeva who was well versed in the sastras was in charge of supplying the materials for the worship. Arjuna and Nakula were at the reception counter and doing general supervision. Duryodhana was given the all-important portfolioof .nance and Karna had the charge of distributing alms, gifts and dakshina to priests. With Draupad i on one side Krishna on the other and his heroic brothers around, Yudhishtira f elt so thankful that tears of happiness rolled down his cheeks. He shone like In dra in heaven in his assembly ofgods and rishis. Duryodhana did not like all thi s prestige and glory accruing to his elder cousin Yudhishtira. It should have co me to him. There was a blend of asura and kali in his blood. He fretted and fumed with jealousy though the whole world rejoiced. Before returning to his own capi talhe wanted to visit the famous hall of illusion built by Mayan the architect o f asuras. He went therewith a scowl distorting his handsome face accompanied by his brothers. Seeing a pond, he tuckedup his clothes only to realize that it was hard glass .oor. Later he stepped on carefully across a seemingly hard marble .o or and found himself .oundering in a pond. From the gallery above womentittered and lady Draupadi audibly said, "A blind man's son is blindly .oundering!" Swearing vengeance, Duryodhana stormed out. Though Yudhishtira and his brothers profusely apologized, Duryodhana would not be paci.ed. He departed to his capital Hastinapura determined toavenge this insult. Krishna, watching all this from af ar, smiled. The seeds of the Mahabarata war had been sown!. Elimination of Salva and Dandavakra Krishna and the yadava chiefs had to prolong their visit at Indraprastha at the earnest and almosttearful request of Yudhishtira, the Pandavas and the queen mot her Kunthidevi. In the end, Krishna could delay no longer. There were ominous si gns of calamities from a beleaguered Dwaraka. Salva the powerful king of Saubha took advantage of Krishna's absence and invaded Dwaraka devastatingthe countrysi de. He was the friend of Sisupala. He had tried to assist him at the time of Ruk mini'smarriage and had been soundly trounced in the battle. Burning with vengean ce he prayed and performed penance to please Sree Siva and when the Lord appeared , requested him to give him an invincible weapon. The Lord gave him a .ying fort made of iron. Seated in it Salva rained poisonous darts, serpents or sharp stone s at the defenceless citizens of Dwaraka. Sometimes he let the iron fortsettle d own on the .eeing citizens, crushing them at one stretch. Balarama the defender of the city was not at Dwaraka. In a .t of anger he had ki lled an upstart andto atone for the sin had gone on a pilgrimage to the south. P radyumna, Samba, Gada and other stalwarts were trying their best to defend the ci ty without much success against the magic of Salwa. At this juncture Krishna arr ived and launched the discus, which destroyed all the magic and severedSalva's h ead also. Close on this there appeared a huge giant named Dandavakra wielding a terriblemace. He was a friend of Sisupala, and like him another dwarapalaka- sen

tinel who was also cursedby the Sanat Kumaras -of Vaikunda. He too worked havoc until the discus eliminated him also, Peace and quiet once more reigned in Dwara ka. CHAPTER 21 Sk 10. Ch 80 . Slokam 6 The Story Of Kuchela Or Grace Supreme Krishna had a fellow student, now a realized Brahmin though a householder, maint aining his familywith great dif.culty by begging for alms. He would not strain t oo much and was content with whathe got and that was sometimes precious little. His wife was also of similar disposition. Sudama washis real name and Kuchela( p oorly dressed )was only an appellation and the wife was calledKshudkshama becaus e of her emaciated appearance. She had heard her husband mention about his great friend of student days, Lord Krishna of Dwaraka. Unable to bear the pangs of hu nger and thesufferings of her half starved children one day, she gently reminded her husband "Dear Lord, you have told me sometimes about your friend Lord Krish na who is presently at Dwaraka. He is knownto be a great giver of gifts. If you go and meet him, he will surely help us , Our children starve forwant of food". The Brahmin relented and agreed to go "But my dear", he said, "I must not go emp tyhanded when I go to see a great person" Whereupon the poor woman went out and got some paddy She fried and pounded them into .attened rice and packed it neatl y in a piece of cloth and gave it toher husband. He took it with great respect . With a walking stick and a pair of worn out chap pals started on his arduous journey. On the way, he had only one thought "At las t, I can see your beloved face again! O! Krishna! Krishna!" The poor Brahmin tru dged along buoyed up with this one thought. He did not feel the heat or cold or even any weariness. It was a long, long way . "O! Krishna, Krishna howblessed I will be" At last the distant spires of Dwaraka came into view. and he was at the golden gates. An unerring instinct led him on and he found himself entering the gates of one of the great mansions. Lord Krishna was resting there while Rukminid evi was gently fanning him. Krishna's glancefell on the poor Brahmin wearing soi led clothes entering the gates . He immediately recognized hisold friend and wip ing a tear from his eyes Krishna ran down, the steps crying "O! Sudama! Myfriend , why did you take so long a time to come?" and clasped him to his bosom and slo wly led himin. All this time Rukminidevi was closely following in stunned surpri se. Krishna seated his friend on the couch on which he was resting . Rukmini was now fanning Kuchela and washed his feet withcold ganges water. She sprinkled he rself and Krishna and all the attendants with it. Krishna gently said "Sudama, I am a big family man now. This is my queen, Rukmini. Kindly bless her and me". A nd with that they both knelt before him. Krishna continued " And of course you t oo have entered the grihastashram! And how is my sister and the children! Are al l well?" Sudama could scarcely speak with emotion. "They are all well lord! By y our grace" and with that, they began to talk of olden days. "O! Sudama, do you remember, how, one day, the three of us (we two and brother B alarama) went to the forest to fetch .rewood as required by our gurupathny and w ere overtaken by a great stormpreventing return and how we spent the night on tr ee tops, shivering with cold. Before day breakour guru came with burning torches and, loudly calling our names and took us back to the ashram.He was so touched that he blessed us saying "Dear pupils I am immensely pleased with your selfless service! May you never forget the lessons I have taught. May you be able to rec all them when required. Only by a teacher's blessings, a pupil becomes perfect" Like this they talked on far into the night, holding each other by the arm, when Krishna suddenlyasked "Sudama, have you not brought anything for me?." Sudama l ooked abashed. Noticing thisKrishna suddenly snatched the packet from under his arm and opening it exclaimed "Excellent! Ilike nothing better!" and grabbing a l ittle put it into his mouth and ate it with relish! "Ha how sweetit is!" and he ate another handful. When he took another handful for a third time, Sri Rukmini devi who was Sri Lakshmi herself caught hold of his hand whispering "Enough! Eno ugh! With two handfuls I have already made him rich beyond dreams!" Krishna stop

ped and Sudama did not understand what all this whispering was about. Leaving him comfortably in a velvet bed, Krishna retired. Sudama could not sleep for a long time thinking over the events of the day "A poor Brahmin like me ! An ill clad b eggar ! I have been embraced by the lord of all wealth as if I was his own brothe r. Ha The magnanimity of the great!" Full of thankfulness Sudama felt that he wa s in heaven and slowly fell asleep. Early morning he woke up with the birds. Kri shna was ready in attendance. Sudama again became Kuchela .He put on his old clot hes , old chappals and took up his sturdy staff and stepped out. Krishna escorte d him and affectionately said "Sudama! Do not forget me! Come again! Kindly comm end me to my sister your wife, May God be with you ! " . He did not give anygift and neither did Kuchela ask for any. "Alas!" He thought" I did not ask for anything. I know why he did not give me an y gift. Wealth would spoil my tapas (penance). How kind is the lord!" Thinking l ike this, a little sad nevertheless, he slowly wended his way back , homeward.. The familiar old land marks were missing. "Have I missed my way?" wondered Kuche la "But no, it cannot be!" In the place of his old house, therestood a great man sion with avenue of trees , parks and fountains. Well dressed servants were passi ng in and out. Even the neighbouring houses from which his wife had begged alms were changed.From the many pillared halls came sounds of music. As the poor man stood utterly bewildered the great door opened and a beautiful lady came towards him. It was his wife. The famished Kshutshama was now glowing like a goddess,. W ith tears of joy in her eyes she knelt before him and explained the mystery. The night before, some angels had knocked at the door with very precious giftsand ha d requested her and the children to come out. They were Viswakarma the engineer architect of Indra, lord of heaven, and his men . In a few minutes they built th is wonderful mansion with outhouses and orchards and lawns, rivaling those of Lor d Indra in heaven. Kubera, god of wealth wasalso there with his vast treasures. The servants, ornaments, provisions had all materialized from the air in a trice . As she was describing all this wonder the children came trooping in dressed li ke princes and bright like .owers in the garden. Kuchela too changed into golden attire, though he felt alittle uncomfortable. Not only Kuchela, but also his nei ghbours had become rich beyond their dreams. Thus Sudama the Brahmin though surrounded by luxury lived like a recluse with gr eat restraint,remembering that all this prosperity was due to Krishna's kindness his grace and attained the supreme grace from which there is no return. CHAPTER 22 Sk 10 . Ch 82 - Slokam 1 The Great Reunion There was a great solar eclipse and a great conclave of people from distant part s of Bharata converging for a holy dip at Syamanta Panchakam a lake near Kurukshe tra. There were the vrishnies from Dwaraka led by Lord Krishna and Balrama and t he yadavas from Mathura and Brindavan withNanda, Yasoda and Rohini and gopas and gopis. All the kauravas and their acharyas also arrived. Kuntidevi was complain ing to her cousin Vasudeva "Alas! Brother, even close relatives like you forsake unlucky people like me!." "Oh! not so, my sister! We too were oppressed by Kams a,. Now, we are free and have come, you see!" Devaki with tears thanked Yasoda " How can we ever repay our debt to you sister! You were taking care of our childr en in those early dif.cult years. It can never be repaid " And the two ladies cl asped each other. The Yadavas and like minded chiefs congratulated the vrishnies "How lucky you are to have the lord of the universe as your friend andguide. Ev ery day you play with him, dine with him and are not apart even when sleeping. W hat great good fortune is yours! Surely you are the most blessed of all beings!" The women had congregated apart. The gopis were curious to know how Krishna wooed and married the queens . Krishna approached the gopis "You still remember me, my dear gopis? Affairs of s tate compelled me to stay here. Kindly, don't be cross with me. Destiny unites p eople and separates them even as the wind unites the clouds and again separates them. Devotion to me alone makes beings immortaland by great good chance you hav

e got the devotion good ladies. I am the beginning and end of allbeings!" The go pis now fully understood and replied "Grant us lord that we who are tied by affe ction to husband, son and others may never forget you and your words. May we be a lways devoted to your lotus feet!". Krishna granted their request and then turned to Yudhistira and enquired about t heir welfare. Yudhistira replied "We are all well Lord, by your grace". All the g reat sages too had come for the holy dip. Vyasa , Sri Narada, Vasishta, Viswamit ra, Bharadwaja and others. In that great assembly Lord Krishna proclaimed By our great good luck we have got What all good people strain to attain The ble ssed sight of all these sages great A sight not attainable even to gods Holy riv ers, gods and idols Grant salvation in course of time to pilgrims; But saints li ke you grant immediate release by your very sight. Neither .re nor the sun and m oon Nor the galaxies nor the mantras nor mind Remove one's sin as sages do If yo u do even a little service to them . He who mistakes this body as the soul And t hinks his wife and intellect as his own And sees not the divinity enshrined in t emple Or learned men is only a donkey or a bull. Hearing these words of the worl d teacher the assembled sages said "Even we, who have been the preceptors of kings, have been fooled by your maya (illusion) Who knows why you have assumed this form? Still we have an inkling You have assumed this form for the establishment of good and removal of evil. You are Time. These assembled kin gs and even your own clan do not know that you have come for the establishment o f Dharma and removal of evil. Our salutations again andagain." Vasudeva knew that the best way to repay one's debt to ancestors, rishis and god s is through the performance of yagnas and so he desired to perform a great yagna . There was no better place or time asKrishna the Lord of yagna's was himself pr esent The mantras were recited by the sages, seers of the mantras, themselves. A t the conclusion after the .nal bath Vasudeva shone with splendour and the sages too left for their respective places. Nandagopa and Yasoda too were preparing t o leave. Vasudeva said "O! Brother! This bond of affection created by the great L ord himself cannot be easily broken even by saints." The gopis too left but it w as only, their bodies that left; their hearts were at Krishna's feet as always. At last Krishna and Balrama too left for Dwaraka. The rainy season was approachi ng and they had to be back at home in time. Devaki Sees Her Dead Sons Again By now Vasudeva and Devaki realized that their two sons were not just supermen; they were Maha Vishnu and his coiled power Adi Sesha. Thus emboldened, Devaki te arfully said "O! Krishna! Now we know you are the all pervading, all powerful su preme Lord. I have heard that you have broughtyour guru's dead son back from the land of the dead! How I wish to see my poor dead sons oncemore!". The Lord answ ered "Those boys dear mother are now with Mahabali, in the nether world They wer e the sons of Marichi and Urna in Krita Yuga. Once, they had the temerity to moc k lord Brahma for some silly action and he cursed them to be born as asuras. The y were born to Hiranyakasipu but immediately transferred as your children. They w ere destined to have a short life only. Kamsa was only an agent. Look at them ag ain now". Devaki embraced the children and was content. In turn they prostrated b efore Devaki and Vasudeva and vanished in a blaze of light. Krishna's Visit To Srutadeva And Janaka At Mithila there lived a great brahmin devotee of Krishna named Srutadeva. Thoug h a family man he lived on alms taking only the minimum without much effort and with this he entertained guests also. The king of Mithila the Janaka of that tim e was also an equally illustrious devotee and to please both of them at the same time Krishna started in his chariot driven by Daruka A great retinue of sages a nd sanyasins accompanied him. Sri Narada, Vamadeva, Atri, Krishnadwaipayana and many others too were there. All along the people stood in groups with garlands a nd scented water and perfumes as offerings. Passing through Anarta, Matsya, Panc hala Kekaya and Kosala the procession at last reached the outskirts of Mithila. B oth Srutadeva and Raja Janaka were waiting to receive Krishna. He assumed two ide ntical forms and followed both without either knowing the trick.Srutadeva and hi s wife received Krishna and the sanyasins with kusa grass, holy water and .owers

and fruits, seated them on mats made of grass and entertained them with every th ing they had whichwas not much. But the guests were quite satis.ed and blessed t hem with all their heart. The party that followed the king had a royal reception with elaborate rituals, feasts and dances. They too blessed the king and his hou sehold. At the end of a month both parties, highly pleased and showering blessin gs all-round returned. And as they returned they coalesced and profoundly impres sed reachedDwaraka. The Hymn Of The Vedas The deities of the Vedas now desired to praise the lord who had deigned to assum e human form. They came hovering and with folded hands began to sing the hymn of the Vedas. Thy Maya with her threefold gunas Veils, their master from these mortals As clay changes it's shape when moulded This universe too takes different shapes You have created them and indwell Them with your own spirit Of all methods of reaching you Bhakti remains supreme It is the .ower that blooms In the tree of knowledge It can bloom by itself too If th e devotee has but thy grace. Bahkti is the .fth and .nal goal Transcending even moksha . This body is given for this alone So develop Bhakthi step by step This all important Bhakti is got by grace alone Therefore we surrender to You without reserve And may You help us in this quest. Sanandana and the other sages heard this and departed to Their ashrams. The Story Of Vrikasura, Sri Siva, And Sri Hari Raja Parikshit raised a doubt "O! Maharishi! Usually we .nd devotees of Lord Siv a getting rich andpowerful very soon but not so, the devotees of Sri Hari. Why i s it so?" Sri Suka replied "O! Rajan! What you say is correct. Siva is associate d with the three gunas and so his worshippers get the bene.t of these adjuncts. B ut Sri Hari is beyond, untouched by them. Your grand father Yudhistira asked Lord Krishna the same question. Hear his reply "Those I wish to bless, I take away t heir wealthsteadily. Friends desert them and in despair they stick to me more cl osely and I give them the bliss of detachment and then there is no going back" A s if to illustrate this Sri Suka tells the story of Vrikasura Vrikasura The wicked asura Vrika, once happened to meet Sri Narada Maharishi on the way an d enquired "O! Maharishi! Which of the trinity is most easily pleased? Knowing h is motive the Maharishi replied "Of the three Sri Rudhra is easy to please and h e grants any boon". Highly pleased the Asura immediately rushed off to distant Ke dara, lit a holy .re and cutting off a little .esh from his body offered it as s acri.ce to Siva. He went on repeating this until on the seventh day, when no mor e .esh was left he was about to cut off his head to be thrown in the .re . Lord Siva himself appeared and held his hand "Why all this gruesome sacri.ce my frien d? I would have been pleased even by a handfulof water offered with devotion. As k what you want". With folded hands and apparent modesty the asura said "Great L ord! Let any one whom I touch on the head, fall down dead." Lord Siva was aghast at this terrible request but a word once given must be honoured; so rather unwil lingly Lord Siva said "Be it so!" At the touch of Siva the asura had become whole again with redoubled strength. His eyes falling on Sri Parvathy Devi the villai n desired her and raised his hand to touch Lord Sivahimself. The Lord turned and .ed, over the continents and oceans, over the three worlds and at last reached Vaikuntam itself where Sri Hari was taking rest and fell down exhausted. The sto ry was soon told. The asura coming in hot pursuit was also panting Sri Hari at o nce changed himself into a young brahmacharin holding kusa grass and kamandalu ( vessel) .lled with water and asked withfeigned surprise "Ho! ! Vrikasura What is the matter?" The asura gave a hasty account and his desire to destroy Sri Rudra. The brahmachari was incredulous "Haven't you heard that Sri Rudra as a result o f Daksha's curse, has lost his powers. Why not test it by trying it say on yours elf" This wassaid in such a plausible disarming manner that the foolish asura im mediately put his hand on hisown head which split in two. And he fell down dead split in two halves. The devas with Brahma at their head now broke out in hymns

and the gandharvas showered .owers. He who hears this account of the rescue of Sri Rudra, will himself be freed from the cycle of birthand death. CHAPTER 23 Sk 10. Ch 89 . Slokam 22 Recovery Of The Brahmin's Children A Brahmin citizen once came to the court with a complaint "My son died as soon a s he was born because of the worthlessness of the ruling kings. When a king just collects taxes and wastes it in luxury, evil raises its head" Krishna and Balar ama just ignored it. This complaint went on year after year and when it was repe ated for the ninth time Arjuna happened to be at Dwaraka and intervened "How is it, O! Brahmin! Is there no kshatriya here eager to help you? Never mind, I will help younext time" The Brahmin was not convinced and replied "When even gods li ke Krishna and Balarama or warriors like Pradyumna and Anirudha are unable, how c an you help?" Arjuna's pride was hurt and he said "I am not Krishna or Balarama. I am Arjuna and this is my bow Gandiva. If I fail toprotect your son I will ent er .re". The brahmin was content and left. Before the year was out, the brahmin came again and announced his wife was about to deliver for the tenth time. Arjun a gathered his bow and arrows prayed to Sri Rudhra and followed the brahmin. Arju na the master of archery, victor of many battles wove an impenetrable net work of arrows about the house and grimly waited outside awaiting the result. Soon sound s of lamentation arose. The child was born but before it could touch the .oor it was whisked away. The nurses and the brahmin loudly lamented beating their brea sts "Earlier we could at least see the body. Now even the body has vanished." Th e brahminwas angry and even insulting "Alas! What a fool I have been to believe that this eunuch could do what even the great gods could not. Now go and jump in to the .re. But no! you need not die; go andlive somewhere!" But Arjuna was a he ro. He went to the nether world Samyamani where yama ruled. The child was not the re. In turn he went to Indraloka, Chandraloka, Varunaloka. The child was no wher e. He returned dispirited, desperate and prepared to immolate himself. Touching him gently on the shoulder Krishna said "Why this haste Arjuna? I will show you the children. They are in Vaikunta. Come, get into this chariot" Togeth er they drove in the westerly direction over seas and continents. Soon the earth was left behind and they were travelling in space.Past planets, past stars the d ivine chariot and horses sped. They were now beyond light. It was fearful darknes s. The horses slowed down and Krishna took out the sudarsan discus and it was ag ain bright as if a thousand suns had risen. Now they reached the milky ocean buf feted by waves as highas hills and beyond was Sri Vaikuntam itself a vast city o f golden palaces and Sri Hari himself resting on the thousand hooded Adisesha. Sr i Hari was graciously smiling and adorned by garlands andkaustubham and srivatsa m and the divine weapons now taking forms were in attendance along withthe parsh ada Sunanda, Nanda and Sri Lakshmi was stroking his feet. Sri Devi was attended by modesty, fame, and victory, who had taken forms. Seeing Krishna and Arjuna Sri Hari said smiling "I have brought the brahmin's sons here. I was desirous of se eing both of you together .You can return with them and restore them to the brah min. " Sri Maya now produced them and Sridevi herself presented them to Arjuna. T hey bowed low and returned with the children. On seeing their children the brahmin couple were overwhelmed with joy . The brah min now blessedArjuna "O! Arjuna, Hero, Pardon me for blaming you unknowingly. M ay victory always attend your arms!". Krishna The In.nite Maharishi Vyasa tries to give us a panoramic view of the in.nite facets of life that Lord Krishna adorned, statesman, soldier, savior, a house holder; and an id eal husband to everyone of the sixteen thousand and eight wives. Each thought th at he was with her only all the time; sometime sporting incrystal clear lakes; s plashing perfumed water at each other and indulging in meaningless prattle "O! Nightingale! You were singing all the night

Are you also sleepless like us for love of Krishna! Great ocean! Are you moaning day and night Unable like us to bear our Lord's absence? O! Moon! You seem weak and wasting. Like us you too are famished for want of love!" With thoughts like these and extravagant fancies the ladies of Krishna's househo ld attained with ease what sages and saints attain by penance and worship and va rious ways. And it is no wonder; they were incarnations of devis, sent in advanc e to aid Krishna in his .ght against evil. How they and their children helped Krishna and how in his in.nite mercy, they to o had to be removed will be the subject of the remaining part of Sreemad Bhagavat ham. The Curse Of The Brahmins Krishna and Balrama had by now destroyed most of the asura kings , were now plan ning to destroytheir own yadava army lest they should become a burden to mother earth. Once Krishna invited the sages Viswamitra, Asita, Kasyapa, Atri, Vasista, Vamade va and many others for the performance of a yagna and at its conclusion sent the m on a pilgrimage to Pindaraka aholy place. Some playful youths bent on playful mischief had also followed them. They dressed Samba (Krishna's son) as a pregnan t woman . Leading her to the sages the impertinent youngstershumbly asked the sa ges "Holy sirs, this bashful young lady wants to know, the sex of the baby in he r womb" The Rishis looked and understood "You rascals! She will give birth to an iron pestle thatwill destroy all your tribe". The sages then departed. The youths were startled and leading Samba aside took off his disguise and were frightened to .nd an iron rod inside. They now informed their elders who blamed them for their impudence. Hastily they powdered the rod .A small piece was left out . They threw it all into the sea. The waves swept the powder ashore where th ey all became a kind of grass (araka) and the piece of iron was swallowed by a .s h. The .sh was caught by a .sherman who sold it to a hunter. The hunter in turn fashioned an arrow head out of that iron piece. Krishna was aware of everything b ut did not interfere. Thewheel of time was grinding slow but sure. Sermon Of The Navayogis Sri Narada Maharishi in the course of his travels came to Dwaraka .ourishing und er Krishna's protection. One day he came to Vasudeva's mansion. "O! Great Maharsh e! The visit of holy saints like you can be only for our bene.ts. Be kind to tel l us the essentials of Bhagavata Dharma" Thus implored, the sage began "I had tol d you that nine of the sons of Rishabhadeva had become sanyasins.These sanyasins known as the Navayogis, once went to king Janaka's court and he put them the sam e question. Kavi, the eldest replied "The root of all sorrow is the identi.catio n of body with thesoul. He who attains the feet of God is freed from this error and so is freed from all fear. The Lord himself has indicated the means- Dedicat e every action done by mind, word and deed to Him. Thus come to him and be free from fear" . Kavi continued" Hearing the elevating stories of the Lord Singing th em aloud, boldly, unashamed Your love for God waxes and melts the mind You laugh aloud, sometimes you cry Some times you dance, as if possessed You see the wind, the sky, the seas and stars And the creatures all as the lord's own body And prostrate before them all Then you get devotion, oneness and dispassion Even as food gives fullness, growth and strength O! Rajan! The devotee gets all these at once." The next sanyasin Hari said "He who sees the Lord in all creatures irrespective of who they are, heis indeed the greatest among devotees; who is just friendly o nly is a devotee of the second order;who sees the Lord only in idols but not in worshippers is a devotee of the third order only. A true devotee has no desires for sensuous things, he is not caste conscious. He never says "This is mine orth

at is his". He is serene peaceful, and considers all as equals. Even the wealth of the three worlds Cannot make him stray an inch The passions cannot hot him up Whose heart is kept cool by the Lord's grace Even past sins vanish like the dew When the sun of devotion rises in the heart. The king (Janaka) now desired to know about the origin of maya and Antariksha (o ne of the Navayogis) answered "Maya is the Lord's power using which in various de grees He created different creatures and these by virtue of their actions rose u p in the scale or went down. The soul itself is notaffected though it imagines i t is by its association with the gunas (qualities satwa, rajas and tamas) Some a ttain illumination by their own effort and rejoin the Lord. The rest are thrown into the melting pot called Maha Pralaya and the whole process goes on repeating. The remaining nava yogis cleared all the doubts of the king. Sri Narada .nally observed "O! Vasudeva! Do not think that Krishna is your son o nly. He is the darling of all dwelling in every heart. But you are doubly blessed because you had the privilege ofbringing him up as your own son. Sisupala, Salv a and others were also thinking of him constantlythough unpleasantly. Neverthele ss they too did attain salvation". Hearing this, Vasudeva and Devakiwere greatly surprised and overcame their illusion. Devas Request For The Lord's Return Brahma, accompanied by Indra and all the devas now came to Dwaraka to see the Lo rd in his present surroundings and to remind him that the purpose of his sojourn was over and that he shouldreturn to Vaikunta. "By reciting your exploits and st ories with devotion you have provided an easy method for realization. Yoga, yagn a, penance (tapas) are comparatively more dif.cult. You have achieved your purpo se. So pray return" Thus prayed the celestials. Krishna replied, "I am aware of all that you say; but a little more remains. My yadavas too have to be removed". The devas were content and returned. But all this was only a make believe; anot her drama of the Lord. Actually there could be no coming or going for the supreme . He is present everywhere, every instant. Now portents of evil began to appear in Dwaraka. The frightened elders went to K rishna for advice.The Lord said, "You have incurred the sage's curse . To atone for that sin, go to holy Prabasa seashore ,bathe there and offer oblations to the ancestors and sumptuous feasts to the brahmins". The yadavas at once got ready their chariots and started for Prabhasa. CHAPTER 24 Sk 11. Ch 6 . Slokam 43 Udhava, Krishna's friend and foremost among the wise knew that the yadhavas were doomed and Krishna was preparing to depart. He approached Krishna."Lord! We who have been a lways with you awake or asleep, how can we live without you even for a moment?. Take me als o with you Lord". Then taking him by the hand the Lord led him aside and in soli tude told Udhava as follows: "What you have said is true. O! Udhava! My mission is over. On the seventh day f rom now, Dwaraka will be swept under the sea. The age of Kali will begin. Men wil l become attached to unrighteousness. O Udhava Leave all attachments to your rela tives and your own clan, resign yourself to meand wander over the world recogniz ing my presence in everything. Whatever the mind sees throughthe eyes , ears or other senses is the result of illusion. The illumined soul is beyond good and ev il. His mind is like a child's mind. Avadhuta's Twenty-Four Gurus Udhava knew that time was running out. The Lord would be departing shortly. With grief gripping his heart he pleaded "O! Krishna, O! Lord! You say that attachme nt is the cause of all grief. I understand but it is so dif.cult to overcome, Lor d!" Moved with pity for his friend, Krishna continued"O! Udhava my friend! I sha

ll repeat to you the conversation between the Avadhuta yogi Dattatreya and our a ncestor king Yadu. Yadu while on a pilgrimage met the Avadhuta yogi on the way. He was young, strong and shining with the splendour of realization "O! Sanyasin! " Yadu said "You seem young and strong and yet are quite unconcerned with the su rroundings . You wander like a child free from passion for sex or wealth or posi tion, happy like an elephant that in the heat of summerhas plunged in the ganges ". With great kindness the Avadhuta told the king "O! thou grandson of Nahusha! Hea r me then. I have learned some lessons from twenty-four gurus. They are earth, ai r, sky, water, .re, the sun, the moon , kapota (dove), python, ocean, river, mot h, honey bee, elephant, honey gatherer, deer, .sh, Pingala the courtesan, kurare (osprey), maiden, arrow smith, snake, spider, pesaskrit (wasp) Now hear the det ails. A man of self control should not move away from his duty. He should be steady an d patient like the earth. Like the trees he should give and do good always and b e immovable like the mountainthough buffeted by the wind and rain. Like the air he should move freely uncontaminated. Like the sky the self is limitless. It is pure always like waters of the ganges In the .re of tapas all impuritiesare burn t off. Just as the sun absorbs the waters of the sea only to release them as rai n the Yogi takesup things only to release them at the proper time for the bene.t of others. Changes of fortune onlyaffect the body not the soul. This I learnt f rom the changes in the moon. From the dove (kapota) I learnt not to love things too dearly. A kapota loved a kapoti so much that he would not take his eyes off her. They had their .rst off spring, a lovely little bird. Soon they had quite a brood. Both kapota and kapot i were entranced with their chicks by the Lord's maya. While the parent birds we re out .nding food for the chicks a hunter caught the chicks in his net. The kap oti returning with food was so grief stricken that she too cast herself voluntari ly into the net. The father kapota, saw his whole family caught in the net and be came desperate. "Alas! My wife dearerthan life to me is caught and my darling ch icks are also in the net. I cannot live alone!" And he too cast himself in the n et. When the hunter came he saw his net full. He thanked his stars and took his prize home. I learnt from this not to love anything too much." The Avadhuta Brahmin continued, "Sensuous pleasures, O! Rajan! are available in heaven as well as in hell with an addition of misery in the latter. So a wise ma n should not hanker after pleasure. So whatever comes by chance he should accept even as the python does. Like the o cean the sageshould be still, calm, deep and boundless. Like the river ganges ma n should move on unperturbedby small rivulets and canals. Seeing the antics of women who are verily the avatar of maya (illusion) the sens ible man should notfall in the .re of passion like the moth. Like the honey bee the intelligent man should seek essential things only. The wise man will not touch with his foot even the wooden image of a woman. The male elephant is entrapped by contact with the female. The wealth accumulated by a miser is knocked away by some one else like the hone y gatherer. The deer is enticed by music and caught by the hunter. Likewise sensuous music e ntices man as Rishyasringa was enticed. Just as .sh perish by swallowing the bai ted hook a man who has not controlled his palate perishes swallowing unwholesome food. If the palate is controlled all other sensescan be easily subdued. From Pi ngala I learnt how to overcome greed. The Story Of Pingala The Courtesan Once there lived in the city of Videha a courtesan named Pingala. She lived by c ourting rich suitors.Daily standing in the verandah well dressed she would wait for the richest suitor. One day she rejected many expecting a richer one. As no o ne turned up she felt sad and then enlightenment came to her. "In all this great city there is none so foolish as me. Leaving the Lord seated in my own heart wh o can give me all I desire I roam after infamous creatures for wealth and perish ing pleasures.Certainly the Lord is pleased with me because he has changed my mi nd ..I shall devote myself toHim like Sri Devi and live the rest of my life in p

eace". Thinking thus Pingala concluded" Desire is the root of all misery Renunci ation is the crown of happiness" From the kite I learned that possession causes s orrow. A kite got a piece of meat and was going to eat it in peace when it was a ttacked by a more powerful kite. The former abandoned the piece and was left in peace. I am indifferent to honour or dishonour alike. With thoughts of the self (soul) I roam about like a child. Only two typesof people are immersed in comple te delight; thoughtless fools and the realized wise who are beyondthe gunas (sat va, rajas and tamas) From the maiden I learnt the value of being alone. Once whe n amaiden was alone in her house a party came with a view to marriage. She began to husk some paddy to provide some food for them. But the bangles made a noise. Then she removed them all but two in each arm. But these two produced the same s ound. She then retained only one on each armand there was no more noise. The mai den .nished her work in peace and entertained the guests. From this I learnt the value of being alone. From the smith who was fashioning an arrow head in thefor ge, I learnt the value of concentration. A smith was fashioning an arrowhead wit h such concentration that he did not hear even a noisy procession that passed by. Sitting in a lonely place, withdrawing from rajasic and tamasic qualities and co ncentrating on satvic qualities alone, one can attain union with God. A serpent d oes not make a house for itself. It lives in holes made by other creatures. Likew ise the sanyasin has no house. He lives for temporary periods in houses built by others.From the spider I learnt about the origin of the universe itself. The sp ider produces a world of nets out of itself and in the end destroys it by drawin g it all inside itself Likewise the Creator too hascreated this universe out of himself and in the end destroys it, drawing it all into Himself. The wasp places a worm in a hole and continuously frightens it by the sound of its wings so muc h so that inthe end the worm itself becomes a wasp. From this I learnt that what ever a man constantly thinks,especially at the time of death, he becomes that af ter death. Finally this body itself is my guru. I hadto pass through countless b irths and deaths to attain this. Though impermanent it has helped me to attain f reedom from further births and freedom from attachment of any kind and I wander free!free! free! And the Avadhuta Brahmin taking leave of king Yadu departed. King Yadu too became calm, free from all attachments. Limitations Of Vedic Ritualism "O! Udhava!" the Lord continued "Vedic rituals have their reward but they too ar e limited by time . One may enjoy in heaven all that is promised for a limited t ime. When the effect of the rituals ends you are sent back headlong, back to whe re you came from. He is only like a condemned man beingled to execution. He is g iven all enjoyments en-route but execution awaits at the end. Who can enjoy the p leasures ? Hence perform rituals of an obligatory nature without expecting any r eward. It ismeaningless to regard any one as your own relative. It is the same s oul that dwells in all. All the deities, even Brahma and the rest are time bound . So, come to me and you won't have to return. Because of my different aspects I am known under different names as Time, Atman, Vedas, The World,Nature, Dharma . Udhava again asks "What is the difference between a man of freedom and a man in bondage". Krishna replies". He who is free from illusion is free. He, who has st ill illusions is in bondage. I have earlier told you the story of the two birds ( under Puranjana) sitting in the same tree the Jiva andIswara. The .rst is in bon dage because it is subject to gunas; the second is not subject to them and so it is free with insight sharpened by dispassion .The sage is free like a man awake ned from a dream. He neither praises nor censures. If a man is well versed in the words of the Vedas but not in their spirit then his effort has been in vain lik e that of a man maintaining a barren cow. If one is unable to concentrate and co ntemplate then there is the easier method of devotion. By dedicatingevery action to God and singing or reading about His actions and associating with the good, I ameasily attained. O Udhava"! Now Udhava wanted to know more about the holy me n he should associate with and Krishna continued." The holy man is kind, never do es a harm to anyone, forgiving, truthful, unperturbed in happiness or suffering

and helpful to all. He is self controlled , soft spoken, pure, without any posse ssions, temperate, calm and steady and takes refuge in me. Never vain, everrespe ctful, kind and capable he prefers the greater duty to the less and he is the gr eatest of my devotees. He may not know me fully but still if he worships me with complete faith, I consider him asmy own. Visiting my temple and fellow devotees; by service and worship, and singing aloud hymnsthat proclaim my greatness, list ening with devotion to the stories about my birth and exploits he reaches me. Taking out processions with music and drum Going on pilgrimage and taking part in my festivals Cleaning my temple precincts with sincerity Adorning with lights and waving them before idols And whatever is dearest, offering that to me Seeing me in the sun, a brahmin, a devotee, a cow The wind, water, all creatures and worshipping all In general O! Udhava! Without bhakti and the company Of the devout, there is no other way And I have told you this great secret My life long companion and friend Irrespec tive of birth or rank; all sorts of beings Have reached me. monkeys, demons, ser pents elephants and poor ignorant gopis Thinking constantly of me through fear o r distress or hatred or love all have reached me . Can learned pundits and brahm ins be an exception.? Certainly not ! If they but have this constancy Yet anothe r method is the elimination of the three gunas Satwa, Rajas Tamas are the three gunas By Satwa, remove Rajas and Tamas And remove Satwa by itself. Krishna added that he had taught all this to Sanaka (the .rst of the sages) and his friends. Udhava wanted to know more of that and Krishna continued "The Sanaka brothers once aske d Brahma their father. Sire, how can the mind be weaned away from the senses?'. As Brahma could not immedia tely answer, he thought of me. I appeared as a swan. Not recognizing me he asked Who are you?' And I replied. The Song Of The Swan "Your question betrays your ignorance! If it is with reference to the soul, it c annot stand. For, all souls are one. If it refers to body then too, all are same being made of the same .ve elements So know for certain. that there is only Me everywhere The self that sees this unity in the three states Is in the fourth st ate Turiya Seated there reject the other three states As a man drunk with wine t hrows off his clothes And like him wander, free, free, untrammelled. Udhava said " O! Krishna! The Vedas prescribe different methods And now you say, Bhakti is the .nal crowning one Pray! Remove our doubts, once for all. The Lord replied, "Vedas too were made by me Sages prescribe various ways for various states For a man of no desire and no possession All the world is full of joy Such a man like you O! Udhava! Is dearer to me than Brahma or Balarama Dearer than Sri Rudra, d earer than even Sridevi I follow close in that Bhaktas' footsteps And purify mys elf with the dust of his feet Such a one enjoys a bliss intense, incomparable A bliss not possible for anyone else. Even when surrounded and assaulted by lust M y devotee is not overwhelmed Bhakti destroys even passion As .re reduces fuel to ashes dry barren Even an unlettered pariah can reach me if he has bhakti And wi thout it not even learned brahmins can When the heart melts and tears .ow in bha kti All sin is washed away Speech falters, heart melts The devotee laughs someti mes And dances for no reason My devotee saves the world And at last gets dissolv ed in me. As the mind gets purer and more re.ned Hearing my stories and visiting my shrines It develops an insight and sees the Truth As when collirium is appli ed eyes get bright. But thinking about sensual things The mind is enmeshed, entr apped And thinking about me, you get immersed in me By keeping at arms length wo men and women lovers Remain apart in splendid solitude And think about Me free u ntramelled Udhava enquired "How should the aspirant think of you Lord and in what form?"

And the Lord replied Seated at your ease and keeping the body straight And your hands limp and free L ooking straight at the top of the nose And keeping the air passage clear and pur e Practicing pranayama and reciting OM! OM! Think of Me balanced calm serene Smi ling and kind with lotus eyes Armed with discus, conch and mace Anxious to serve my devotees Surrender all your doubts and fears And arise, free, strong and gla d ever more. To a mind thus attuned Yogic powers (sidhis) come unasked Small and light or big and heavy Able to see far off things and guess their thoughts Ente r other bodies or travel through the air Quick as thought to where you please Bu t the true yogi is not too pleased He stands aloof quite unconcerned Knowing tha t these are but mirages Trying to keep him off his goal "In all beings high or low the yogi sees you Lord In what forms do I see you wit h ease?" asked Udhava And the Lord answered in a kinder softer tone "O! Udhava! You are clever! The same question was asked by Arjuna in the battle front" "Alas! I am undone, .ghting against kinsmen, elders For .lthy lucre and b arren land Fie on me! And him I answered thus "I am the friend of all and refuge I am all powerful, all devouring time The smallest of the small I am the soul A mong things invincible, I am the mind Indra among devas and Prahalada among asur as Whatever is best, that am I O! Udhava! Meet the end with mind .xed on me. Then Krishna continued to describe the yugas, the four asramas, the four varnas and their duties Krita, Threta, Dwapara and Kali are the four yugas and brahmana, kshatriya, vais ya and sudra the four varnas. In the Krita yuga there was only one varna brahman a. Men were all duty bound andthere were four stages in the life of every man br ahmcharya grihasta vanaprastha and sanyasa. These were the four ashramas. Accordi ng to their nature people gravitated to these four varnas but the ashramas were open to all. For the brahmanas in particular the four ashramas or stages were pa ramount. Poverty or non-possession was a cardinal virtue and human nature is such that there werenot too many brahmanas. King Yudhistra in answer to a question b y his father Yamadharma, in the guise of an yaksha, as to what constituted brahm inhood has clearly stated " Not birth not family, notriches are the basis; condu ct and conduct alone forms the basis O! Yaksha!" And the Yaksha who was his own father Yamadharma, agreed. The training of the Brahmin started early in a hermit age under a renowned sage. The disciple had to get up early, keep himself and th e surroundings clean, gather .owers and help his present mother (the sage's wife ) in her household work. And then he hadto go to the villages and beg for alms f or his master. Then studies would begin. Philosophy, sciences, skill in arms and warfare were all taught. After some twelve years of such rigorous training the y oung brahmin, glowing like the .re could return to his own home and enter matrim ony or becomea sanyasin for life. If the disciple was a prince he would become a king or if he was a vaisya hewould become a great merchant. Sudras would drop o ut much earlier and become workers. More About The Sanyasin The sanyasin with no desire Is bound by no further ties; giving up all to the de serving poor and free from all encumbrances He wanders over the wide earth, free as air. The devas, jealous of their privileges Try to hinder the high minded so uls They pose problems in the shape of wife Dependants and the rest of family ti es Undeterred, wearing at the most the loin cloth. The begging bowl and staff hi s only possessions He steps warily; making sure he steps on no insects, He drink s only .ltered water and Speaks only words puri.ed by Truth And conscientious in all his actions He will accept alms only from the virtuous And share that with gods and guests Thus he travels alone; Always glad because he knows the differen ce between bondage and freedom. Bondage is subjection to the senses And freedom is freedom from them Wise he is; but plays with children Though skilful he prete nds to be a fool He knows the Truth but wanders like cattle Deeply learned but w ill not dispute Neither avoids a crowd nor mingles with them Will not sponsor ex treme views nor insult any one For bodily needs, he will never quarrel Knowing a ll are one like re.ections of the moon

Udhava appealed again "O! Lord! For people sweltering under the heat of this journey of life, I do not .nd any refuge otherthan your gracious feet Kindly save us from this .re". Thus addressed the Lord continued. "The same question was posed by Yudhishtira the King To the dying grandsire, the invincible Bhishma Stretched on a bed of arrows in the battle front. Hear his words "There is a unity, consciousness, permeating all forms of life from the lowest to the highest. Know that as the Sath; evident to seers as the palm of their hand. Of the several ways of seeing this Truth ,devotion is the easiest and most pleasant too. I have told this before. Still out of kindness I repeat "Hearing with love my immortal stories, By constant singing of my Bhajans., Giving up wealth and all enjoyment for my sake One gets O! Udhava, my divine grace. And then there is nothing more to gain. One thus involved in devotion gains with ease, Wisdom, power and all powerful dispassion. Udhava was now in a hurry to clear all his doubts "Lord! What is yama, niyama , sama, dama, thithiksha, tapas, sourya, truth and w hat is thyaga, wealth, yagna and dakshina and strength. Who is learned and who is a fool and where is heaven and where is hell, who is rich and who is poor. And who is a Lord and who is a relative. What is a home,who is wealthy and who is po or and who is pitiable. Pray remove my doubts once for all." The Lord answered "Yama is internal control such as truth; non-violence, lack of greed, sense of s hame, belief in God, silence, steadiness, forgiveness and fearlessness and niyam a is the means to attain the same such as,cleanliness, prayer , attention, hospi tality, helping others etc. Sama is .xing the mind and intellect on Me; dama is control of the senses; thithiksha is fortitude; tapas is giving up of all desire and saurya or valour is conquest of one's own nature and truth is seeing all thi ngs as equal. Dharma thataccompanies you even after death is the giving of wealt h to the needy. He is learned who knows thecause of attachment and release. The fool is he who thinks that this body is everything. Heaven is when satvic (good) qualities arise and hell is when the tamasic (asura) qualities arise. Strength isregulation of breath (pranayama). Your relative is Myself. He who has all good qualities is rich and poor is he, who is discontented and he is pitiable too. W ho is unaffected by the gunas is the Lord and one subject to them deserves pity. Be thou above all obsession O! Udhava! Be steady. As Udhava was closely following the Lord's words a fresh doubt now arose in his mind . "DearLord, the Vedas were created by you. There you have prescribed certa in rules, and proscribed othersNow you say "Avoid both" Pray how is this?" And the Lord replied "Doubtless, the three yogas were prescribed by me. What I meant was - Avoid desire in all cases. For, desire leads to further birth and death. Even devas and asuras desire birth on earth To acquire merit to go to higher worlds. Like a bird that has made its nest high up in a tree That the woodsman had already marked down. And before he could bring his axe and saw Flies off to a safer place, Man too must ensure a safe retreat Before time with days and nights saws him down. In this human body so easily got You have a safe boat and guru as a pilot. And a favourable wind sent by Me.

The man who fails to cross this ocean of life Is one who destroys his own life. If even in the beginning a Yogi has no illusion. He must make his mind .rmer still and motionless . If the mind wanders a bit due to earlier vasana He may loosen the reins a bit as one who trains an untamed horse. And brings it back to full control. He should trace everything to its cause. The ego to nature; nature to earth; earth to water water to energy; and that to God. The mind becomes less and less brittle. Becomes soft, softens to the Lord. All desires end when the devotee desires Me And I reign supreme in the devotees heart. And then, the strings of attachments snap All doubts cease and all your karma ends And then I am seen every where in every creature. What others attain with great effort Through karma tapas, yoga or charity My devotee attains easily. Even heaven he attains, if he so desires. But O! Udhava, My devotee desires nothing No! Not even salvation. He has reached the refuge everlasting!! The Bhikshu's Story O! Disciple of Bhihaspathy! The taunts and ill treatment of the wicked affect on ly the body not the soul just as the wind lashes the trees on the shore of a lak e but not its re.ections in the lake below, though they too appear to move. Now listen to the story of the Bhikshu of Avanti. In the city of Avanti, there once lived a rich brahmin. Though a brahmin he was a great miser. He almost starved h is own children; would not entertain relatives or guests even with a kind word a nd spent nothingfor puja or worship or performance of sradhas for his own ancest ors. His wife, children and servantswould not obey him as they were continuously tormented and he would not spend a paisa for himself either. Thus devoid of dhar ma and kama the .ve participants of wealth became incensed. Gods, ancestors, the elements, men, and sages were offended. The rains failed. Agriculture was ruined. Robbers broke into his house and he lo st everything. With duty undone and deprived of any pleasure, deserted by friend s and relatives, he became full of remorse. "Alas! I have suffered and strained in vain Neither for charity nor for myself I used my wealth Verily the wealth of misers serves them not For pleasures here o r moksha there The fame of the famous And good name of the good Both are marred by greed . As leprosy mars beauty's form Theft, violence, greed and lust Anger, pride, malice , lack of trust All these have roots in wealth. Hence give up weal th If you seek happiness. Brothers quarrel, wives, friends, parents Even bosom friends fall out over money Having reached this gateway to heaven Who will yearn for wealth the cause of al l evil Wise men torture their limbs for Self This world is fooled by the Lord's Maya So, for the rest of my life I withdraw And may the gods help me now. The ti me is short; but what of that, Did not King Khatwanga reach the goal In as short a time? " With this high resolve this brahmin of Avanti rooted out all attachme nts and became calm. He wan dered as he pleased and for alms sometimes entered villages and towns. Seeing th e old man mischievous youngsters made fun of him; one snatched his staff; another his begging bowl and the string of beads and others snatched even his poor clot hes. They would pretend to give it back and when he stretched his withered hands , would take it back again , and snatch away his scanty foodshouting "This is th at same old rascally brahmin now returned in this pious guise. Strike him bindhi

m, this crafty crane". And when he was down, some one urinated on his body , ano ther spat on hishead. But the old Brahmin spoke not a word; rather he began to s ing. The Bhikshu's Song These people can do me no harm Nor ill luck nor planets, not even gods Mind, the mind alone is the cause Mind that turns the wheel of Time. Mind creates the thr ee gunas Creating actions white dark or red And from them rise the four varnas C harity, duty and all the laws All are meant for control of the mind Great is tha t Yoga that gives peace of mind Terrible is the power of the Mind Who controls t he mind he controls the world And he alone gets this power Who has the grace of the Lord. Happiness and misery are products of the mind. So too are friends, enemies and this world itself Cau sed by ignorance, darkness of the mind Hence, dear one, concentrate on God And t his in short is the essence of Yoga. Thus, deprived of all wealth and disowned b y friends the Bhikshu wandered all alone, .nding true happiness at last. Pururava And Urvasi The wandering saint should never associate himself with those addicted to food o r vice. Following ablind man one may also stumble and fall. Now hear the story o f Pururuvas. Pururuvas , a king of great renown , fell in love with the heavenly apsaras Urva si and lived with herlike one intoxicated . And when at last according to contra ct she left him he became almost mad . Luckily sanity returned . " Alas , how lo w have I fallen . Of what use is learning and penance to onewho has been deluded by woman ! And yet I should not blame her for she had often reminded me ofmy fo lly . " Saying thus that king of kings Withdrew his mind into itself Roamed the earth without a care Freed from emotions evermore And now O Udhava my friend Have you understood in full Has your illusion gone? y our doubts and your fears? Knowing this there is nothing more to know Having dru nk nectar nothing else remains . With folded hands and tearful eyes unable to speak Udhava was speechless for a t ime . And then he spoke. "O Lord ! O Krishna ! All my doubts and fears are gone. The darkness- illusion has lifted Your glorious presence brightens all The strin gs of attachment to clan and friends It is all your Maya for the creation of the world And now your own words have removed it I bow to you again great Lord grea t Yogin May I have in.nite love for your lotus feet For all time ! O ! for all t ime ! Krishna Bids Farewell "Now Udhava! depart in peace. Go to Badaryasharam and there on the banks of the river Alakananda build an ashram. Clad in the bark of a tree and eating sparely w ild fruits, lead a hermit's life. Bearing with fortitude the extremes of climate and free from all karma, you will come to me." SreeKrishna concluded his advice to Udhava. Though now beyond duality, he could not help shedding tears. Bearing the lords s andals on his head, suffused with tears, he circumambulated the Lord and ever be aring his immortal words in his heart .nally attained Him. He who reads this holy account will be immersed in the ocean of bliss and will c ertainly reach theLord. For warding off the fears of the world. The Lord has gat hered like the bee The essence of the ocean of Vedas And for letting us drink th is elixir We bow to the Almighty bearing the name Krishna ! CHAPTER 25 Sk 12. Ch 6 . Slokam 8 The End Of The Yadavas

Raja Parikshit then enquired "What did the Lord do after that O! Maharshe! And S ri Suka continued"Knowing well that the sages' curse would soon overtake them Kr ishna advised the yadavas to go to Prabhasa by the sea-shore and there engage in worship and perform yagna while the women weresent else where inland. The signs were ominous. Death was approaching. They bathed in the sea, performed yagnas, gave gifts of cows and valuables to the brahmins. Then there was feasting and dr inking. They drank without restraint an intoxicating drink and began to hurl abu ses at one another.Some drew weapons, others pulled by the roots a particularly hard grass which grew in profusion onthe sea shore. The hard grass had come out of the iron .lings they had earlier thrown into the sea. Friends fought with fri ends, brothers with brothers, and soon the sea shore was strewn with the bodies o f the yadavas. Krishna was aware of all this but did not interfere. All things m ust end. Bhagvan Balrama knew that all this was Krishna's Maya. He entered a cave near the sea shore, enteredSamadhi and merged in the in.nite. Not far from that place, there was a banyan tree and Krishna sat under it cross legged in the lotusposture, with smiling, shining face and four arms. A hunter o n his usual round mistook the lords feetas the head of a deer and aimed an arrow .tted with the piece of iron obtained from the .sh. It hitthe mark The hunter a pproached. He started back in horror .nding that he had hit the Lord and fell do wn prostrate " I did it unknowingly. Lord .I accept any punishment you give". "N ay! Nay! O! Mura! You did me a service and for this I shall send you to heaven . " A vimana (aerial car) appearedand taking Mura in it .ew to heaven. Krishna's' charioteer following the fragrance of the thulasi garland worn by Kri shna at last found hismaster lying mortally wounded. Comforting him the Lord sai d "O! Daruka! Go to Dwaraka withoutdelay and apprise the elders about the situat ion. Let them leave Dwaraka without delay. On the seventh day from now Dwaraka wi ll be submerged in the sea". With tearful eyes Daruka obeyed. King Ugrasena Vasu deva and Devaki and the ladies left for the mainland. Arjuna accompanied and led them to Indraprastha. Krishna's Ascension Now, there gathered all the devas and the guardian deities with Brahma and Sri R udra at their head to witness Krishna's glorious ascension. They showered heaven ly .owers singing hymns of praise. The drums of heaven sounded. Deities of diffe rent orders were anxiously waiting to escort the Lord to their own worlds and ev en as they gazed, the lotus eyes of the Lord closed; the glorious enchanting form vanished like a streak of lightning leaving the clouds. Sri Suka observed. "O! Rajan! As the Lords advent and exploits were only a make believe, so too, his ex it is only a make believe. He,who, brought his guru's son from yama's realm and saved you in your mother's womb from thescorching .re of brahmastra, did not wis h to leave his body here. All those, who sing with devotion this glorious episod e will attain the same end." Advent Of Kaliyuga Arjuna who had returned to Indraprastha crowned Vajra, Anirudha's son, as king w hile Yudhishtira crowned Abhimanyu's son Parikshit as king of Hastinapura. Kings of various dynasties big and small asserted themselves all over the land. Kaliy uga was slowly covering the earth. The pillars of society dharma (duty), sathya (truth), soucha (cleanliness, purity), kshama (tolerance, forgiveness), daya (ki ndness) were weakening. Wealth was becoming paramount. Might was becoming right. Time honoured conventions for marriage were giving place to just mutual attract ion and in ordinarybusiness transactions deceit was tolerated. Manliness and wom anliness were equated with just sex.The sacred thread became the only sign of Br ahmin hood. Justice was not available to those whocould not make the proper appr oach. Mere volubility passed off as learning. Tanks and rivers were considered h oly only if they were fairly distant . Earning a livelihood became the aim of li fe andability to impose on others was considered as Truth. Ability became synony mous with management. Cunningness replaced intelligence. Charity was done for fame. In a society, thus vitiated, those whowere physically strong became the rulers who plundered the w eak. Driven from their homes, theytook refuge in forests living on roots and fru

its. They became stunted and life span was only twenty or thirty years. The clouds dry up, giving out only lightning. Trees become dwar.sh and plants pr oducing cereals become small and only the fourth varna remains. All are like Sud ras. At this stage the Lord again reincarnates as Kalki, the son of a pious Brahm in named Vishnu yesas living in Sambalagramam. Fully armed and riding a horse wit h lightning speed he would .ash through the land killing the unrighteous rulers i n millions and crores. And the fragrance of the .owers in his garland would revi ve the drooping spirits of all good people still left alive. Krita yuga would be gin again. When the sun, moon and the planet neptune appear in the same region, know that Krita yuga has begun. Sri Suka Maharshi continued. "I have now told you about the kings past, present and future up tothe dynasty of the Nandas. After thousands of years when Kritayu ga again returns, the minds of men become serene." In retrospect, O! Rajan! The mighty Kings who ruled this land have become just n ames. Seeing the kings bent on conquest, mother earth laughs and thinks. These f ools, playthings of death! They would conquer me! Alas! They do not see death, s tanding by all the while! O! Thou! Gem of the Kuru's! All those kings; they went as they came." "Now hear how the yugas manifest in an individual. sathva, rajas and tamas are g unas that manifestin individuals. When a person's intellect mind and body are sa thvic then that person is in the krita yuga and such a person will have a taste for knowledge and tapas (penance) . When the person is interested in dharma (dut y) artha (wealth) and kama (desire) he or she is in the threta yuga. When greed, discontent and motivated action predominate then that person is in the dwaapara yuga. Whendeceit falsehood, violence fear and anxiety prevail, then that person is in kali yuga. In kali yuga people are short sighted unlucky, gluttonous, sens ual, poor and the women do as they like being unchaste. When kali is in the ascen t, citizens will be robbers the Vedas will be polluted by the godless;the rulers will be parasites living on the people and brahmins will be sensual slaves. Stu dents willhave no discipline and beggars will have large families. Then hermits will live in villages and sanyasins will be greedy for money. Women will be short limbed, gluttonous, with many children and lacking shame. Bickering always, thi eving and .ying into tempers at the least provocation merchants will be dishonest and resort to devious deceitful means. Wives desert poor husbands servantstheir masters and the other way too. Abandoning, parents, friends and relatives peopl e prefer their wives relatives the mean effeminate creatures! Sudras in the guis e of sanyasins accept dakshinas (fees). They ascend seats of learning and preach about dharma without knowing or practicing it. In kali yuga, people quarrel eve n for a small amount giving up long standing friendship and even thosenear and d ear sometimes end in fratricide. They do not protect their own old and disabled parents oreven their clever talented children, engrossed in their own sensual pu rsuits. And .nally O! Rajan! InKali yuga people confused by perverted philosophi es do not worship the lord of all the worlds, SriHari. He, whose name uttered even at the last moment by a dying man gives moksha (rele ase) Him, theydo not worship! The evils of kali yuga may be numerous. But O! Raj an! All these are easily crossedif you give the Lord a place in your heart. Hear ing about Him in the company of the devout or singing or contemplating or adoring or showing your regard in any other way, He gets a place in your heart . He was hes away the accumulated sins of even a hundred previous births. As .re burns of f all impurities from gold so, the Lord removes all impurities from the yogis he art. All others, such as, knowledge, austerity, control of breath, observance of fasts do not purify so well as the Lord seated in the heart. Therefore, Rajan, with all your heart, give the Lord a place in yourself and then you attain the . nal grace. Though kaliyuga abounds in evils, there is one great bene.t O! Rajan! By singing the songs about him alone, one is freed from all bonds. In krita yuga one reaches the Lord bycontemplation in. threta yuga through yagnas, in dwapara yuga through service and in kali yuga bysinging kirtans." Time Another Aspect Of God The period of seven days allotted to Parikshit Maharaj was coming to an end and Sri Suka Maharshiwanted to impress that the soul is immortal. He took up the con

cept of time. In the Gita Krishna hassaid. "I am Time". It can be as small as yo u please or in.nite both beyond imagination like the concept of God. There are cr eatures that live for a very small period like the .re .y and then die and their life is complete. Man lives for a hundred years and then goes out. Gods might l ive a thousandyears and go out. Even Brahma has to go after a life span that sta ggers imagination. It is said that athousand chatur yugas constitute a day for h im and an equally long period is his night and he lives ahundred years like this and then disappears; but where do they all go, from the .y to Brahma? They merg e in Sri Hari , Vishnu or Narayana or Rama or Krishna, there are a thousand name s and reemerge or not as he wills. So Rajan! Be like a god; be God, you are immor tal!. "Leave off this idea of death once for all O! Rajan. It is only the body that fa lls. You are the soul and the soul is immortal, expansive like the sky. The indi visible immortal is in you. So, you are that.Compelled by the Brahmin's curse, T hakshaka may touch your body but not your immortal soul." Convinced fully Parikshit said "Blessed am I by you kind Lord! It is not strange for blessed soulslike you to go about. relieving tortured souls, leading them t o light. Lord! I do not now fear Takshaka or death. I am entering God's realm of freedom shown to me by you. I am free from all shackleslord! Allow me to go". An d then that great yogi departed, accompanied by sanyasins and honoured by the ki ng. Parikshit Attains Moksham As for Parikshit, he seated himself facing south on the darba grass pointing eas t spread on the banksof Ganges. He sat there meditating on the lotus feet of Sri Hari. Takshaka the serpent compelled by the curse of the sage was now approachi ng He was stopped on the way by a great healer the renowned Brahmin Kashyapa. Tak shaka gave him priceless presents and made him return. Takshaka now assumed a di sguise and struck the King. But Parikshit had already merged with God and his bo dy went up in. .ames. The on lookers cried in terri.ed wonder and shouted "Hari Hari" The celestials sounded drums and cymbals- gandharvas, showered .owers and good men shouted "Hari! OM! Hari OM! Janamejaya's Sacri.ce Parikshit's son Janamejaya now wanted to avenge his father's death. He ordered t he priests to conduct a great serpent sacri.ce. A great Homakundam was built and with vedic mantras they invoked the serpents. Such was the power of the mantras, the serpents came one after the other and castthemselves in to the blazing kund am. Many serpents perished but Takshaka did not come. The priests came to know t hat Takshaka had taken refuge under Indra, Lord of the devas. He had coiled hims elf round Indras bedstead. When Janamejaya came to know of this he ordered, "O! Priests! Then invoke Takshaka and Indra together". The priests intoned "Let Taks haka and Indra come together". Indras grand bedstead began to move and was now ho vering above the blazing Agni kundam. Now Brihaspati ,preceptor of devas, interv ened. "This must not be. Indra is our Lord and Takshaka has swallowed amritam an d cannot die". Janamejaya heeded the great acharya's words and stopped the sacri .ce. Blessing him for this prompt obedience the acharya said "O! King! Every man reapsthe fruits of his own actions. Nobody is the cause of another's fortunes. Parikshit committed a mistake, and so he suffered. Why punish the poor serpents." Thus ended the great sarpa yagna. CHAPTER 26 Sk 12. Ch 8 . Slokam 11 It is time for us now to take a long look backwards. The story began with that m aster story teller Sutha. reciting Bhagavatham to his brother sanyasins at Naimi saranyam, how Parikshit in a momentof anger placed a dead snake on the shoulders of the great Angiras Maharshi who was in deep Tapasand the unfortunate events t hat followed. One of the audience here interposed "O! Sutha Maharishi!Why do eve n wise people commit such errors?" And Sutha replied, "O! Sages! It is all the w ork Vishnumaya. The great Devi is ever on the prowl especially in this Kaliyuga. None can escape except by the grace of Hari, her master. When she approaches a d

evotee completely immersed in Hari without any reservation, she bows and gracefu lly withdraws. If she thinks "This person takes pridein things unconnected with the soul, such as wealth position, fame etc" then maya knows there is notruth in him. and casts her net. Saunaka now asked Sutha about the origin of the Vedas and Sutha replied thus "Fr om the supreme the sound OM originates and .nds it's echo in Brahma's heart as t he three gunas Sathwa, Rajas,Thamas and from the same OM rise the three Vedas. O M again materialises as the three worlds Bhu, Bhuva and Suva and the three state s of waking, dreaming and deep sleep. From OM againBrahma crystallizes vowels an d consonants and the seers or sages arrange them as Vedas, Rik, Ya-jus, Sama for speci.c purposes and the rishis impart them to their sons and disciples. By the end ofDwapara yuga the division was complete and thereafter it was an age of sp ecialization. Noticing theweakening of memory and intelligence the rishis summar ised them as samhitas, Paila specialized inRig veda, Vaisampayana in Yajur veda and Jaimini in Sama veda and Sumanthu in Atharva veda. Yajnavalkya, Mandukya and Jathukama were some of the most illustrious among the disciples. The Story Of Markandeya Sakunaka now observed "O! thou, all knowing Sutha, you have .rst-hand experience of all thesehappenings. We have heard of Mrinkandu maharshi's son, Markendeya, who is reputed to be immortal and immersed in tapas somewhere in the northern slo pes of the Himalayas. Pray! Kindly tellus about him. " Sutha said "O! Saunaka, y our question is opportune and well timed. Now listen, having gone through all the samskara's (disciplines) performed by his dear father Mrikandu maharshi,the dev oted disciple Markandeya entered the world as a Naishtika Brahmachari (bachelor sanyasinthrough out life). Calm, self controlled with the sacred thread and wear ing only the bark of trees,carrying a kamandalu in one hand and a stout staff in the other he worshipped his guru , sun , the sacri.cial .re and God, every morn ing, noon and evening. Glowing like the sun this bachelor sanyasin crossed many y ugas. Indra, Lord of heaven now became alarmed and sent his apsaras (divinemaide ns) and gandharvas (maestros of music). A heady breeze with cooing larks and nig htingales completed the picture and the god of love himself came with his .owery bow and arrows. The bewitching damsels danced and came nearer and nearer but not too near or they would be scorched. The Maharshi was a burning .ame. The god's arrows were burnt like match stick. T he god of love was humbled and retreated Maya Darsanam - Sutha Continued Those twin avatars of Sri Hari known as Nara and Narayana undergoing penance for the bene.t of the world were aware of Markandeyas extraordinary tapas and they now decided to give him darsanand appeared before him. One was blue and the othe r fair. Both were luminous with eyes like lotus petals. Both had four arms carry ing the conch, discus, mace and lotus. Markandeya overcome withemotion stood up saying "Salutations, again and again" and fell prostrate. Recovering quickly hes aid. "What can I say my Lords. By your grace every creature lives. Even Brahma a cts inspired byyou." But Nara and Narayana insisted "We are givers of boons and we have come to bless you. Hence, ask a boon". And Markandeya then said "Great L ords, if ask I must I submit. I wish to see Maha maya. This is the boon I seek". The Gods smiled and said "Let it be so!" And vanished. Markandeya returned to his Ashram by the Pushpa bhadra river and was engaged in his usual evening prayers when the sky suddenly darkened. A strong wind blew and clouds gathered overhead. Soon, it became dark and began to rain. It fell in she ets. The wind began to roar and lightning .ashed in every direction. The streams swelled and .ooded the countryside. There was water, water all around. Markandey a buffeted by wind and waves found himself struggling for dear life. And now to his immense relief he saw land! It was a small island well wooded wit h a great banyantree with branches and broad green leaves . And on a broad leaf he saw a baby. It was no ordinary baby. It was smiling like a god. It was God Sr i Hari himself. With two chubby hands it was holding its foot and sucking its to es. Markandeya fell prostrate in adoration and made an attempt to touchhis feet. Markandeya was sucked in by the baby's in going breath. There inside he saw ear

th, heaven, stars, devas and demons. He saw his own ashram and familiar forests a nd rivers. Again he experienced Time as if he was again crossing the yugas and th en as suddenly saw his own ashram and the Pushpa bhadra river quietly .owing by. With a mind over.owing with gratitude, Markandeya said with great humility "I do not know how to thank you Lord! You granted me this vision of maya whose power even sages .nd so hard to overcome. " Markandeya Has Vision Of Sri Rudra It was evening time and Lord Siva and Sri Parvathy accompanied by their strange attendants werepassing overhead when Sri Parvathy seeing Markandeya Maharshi in deep meditation, observed"Look at this knower of Brahmam, Lord!. As the sea, whe n the storm has subsided ,is calm, so, is this Gnani's mind. You, my Lord! are t he giver of boons to such. Come! Let us grant him too some boon!" But the yogi, with mind .xed on Brahman was not aware of their presence. Knowing thisLord Siva by his yogic powers, entered Markandeya s mind and he suddenly saw: Lord Siva with ten arms And matted hair the colour of lightning. Like the sun rising high in heaven Wearing the tiger skin and a gleaming Sword and trident and a garland of rudraksha beads. And The Damaru sounding vedic sounds And giving birth to countless worlds. And gracious Bhavani smiling near Waking up, as from a dream Markandeya said "What can we do for you Lord! Except bowing down and touching your feet As Brahma, you create. As Vishnu you protect. And as Rudra you withdraw to yourself all. Allow us to prostrate before you Lord!. Sri Rudra said "Ask me any boon; we three are givers of boons. Whatever we give will be perma nent, and transcend even death. Brahmanas of good conduct who have overcome all attachment,who are serene and love all creatures, are worshipped by us. The worl d, its guardians, Brahma and Sri Hari himself salute and follow them. These Brah manas do not see any difference among us three. And they do not see any differen ce between themselves and others too. Holy rivers and idols purify men only in t he long run but the very sight of holy saints like you purify them instantaneousl y. By hearing about you or by seeing you even outcastes are puri.ed Then how gre at will be theresult of conversing with you!" Hearing these nectar like words from the Lord wearing the crescent moon in his l ocks the Rishi wasnot quite content. "Strange are the Lord's words. How strange that they bow before us mere mortals!They act like this just to uphold dharma an d congratulate those who practice it. Therefore I bow to you Lord; the one witho ut a second; the Lord of the three Gunas; the great teacher Having seen you, I require no other boon Still I crave one boon Lord! May I have devotion always in Krishna And like wise in all those who love him And above al l, in you too Lord! Thus addressed Lord Siva said with Bhavani approving. "You will have eternal devotion in Sri Hari And all you desire and eternal fame And youth without aging or weakening. And the status of great Acharya of all Vedas and Puranas" After blessing Markandeya Maharshi and granting him, these incomparable boons Lo rd Siva andSri Parvathi devi vanished with their legions and Markandeya Maharish i free from death and disease is now immersed in Tapasamadhi for the welfare of t he world, somewhere in the Himalayan slopes. And now we have come to the end of Bhagavatham. The Great lord loves charity and devotion.

He who has them has all. Call him by what name you like He has a thousand names to suit a thousand tastes. But he is one OM! OM! Hari, Hari OM When the great lord is praised in hymns He hears in sympathy; enters the minds of men And cleanses it as the sun dispels all darkness Or as the hurricane scatters the clouds Vain are the words that picture banal tales But hymns that glorify Gods immortal sports Those alone are the Truth, They alone bring peace They alone are meritorious proclaiming goodness They alone please and are ever new They alone dry up the ocean of sorrow Those beautiful words that describe The deeds of the Lord again and again But words that do not mention the Lord Though they be dressed in enchanting garb Are like stagnant water in .lthy ponds Frequented by raucous crows; not by swans Words may proclaim high morals But if devoid of Krishna and his pranks Do not shine even as actions not devoted to hi m Will be fruitless, however cleverly done. Study of Vedas and Shastras Observan ce of Acharas and Tapas May give prosperity; no doubt But Hari gives himself to those who sing his songs. Remembrance of Krishna weakens one's sin Makes one pur e and grants him devotion Knowledge and wisdom and detachment complete He reache s Sree Hari's lotus feet with ease You have made me recall O! Rishis All these s ecrets of the soul As I have heard from the blessed Sri Suka At the great Yagna held by king Parikshit Graced by all those great saints of old And .nally dear L ord! One last boon I crave Wherever I be born in times to come May I have un.agg ing devotion to your lotus feet Grant me that my Lord! Am I not thine? HARI OM CONCLUSION Some important strands in this mighty epic have been left unaccounted. We shall now take up the trend. It will be remembered that before leaving Dwaraka, Krishn a had entrusted it's protection. toArjuna. After Krishna's ascension a dejected Arjuna left Dwaraka with all the elders and ladies in carriages of various sorts . His idea was to escort them safely to Indraprastha .On the way, the caravan was waylaid and looted by robbers. The great hero of Mahabharata, the conqueror of countless battles was beaten ingloriously by a handful of rogues. Krishna's quee ns with Rukmini at the headof them committed sathee and Arjuna with tears in his eyes reached Indraprastha. Falling down at Yudhishtira's feet, he wailed "Great king, O! Brother I have been deceived by Krishna masquerading as our cousin and friend. He has left us. I have lost all my strength. The Gandiva responds no mor e!!" Yudhishtira realized that everything was over. He relinquished kingdom and kingship; installed Parikshit at Hastinapur and Vajra at Indraprastha and with br others and Draupadi, started on the .nal trek to the Himalayas. Kunthi devi, Gan dhari and Dhritharashtra had already left. The partywent higher and higher up th rough thickly wooded regions and strange vegetation and stranger people; yakshas and gandharvas. A solitary dog was closely following them all the time. After so me time, Nakula fell and then Sahadeva and then Arjuna and the redoubtable Bhima also fell and last, even faithful Draupadi dropped. But the dog still followed and at last Yudhishtra with the dog close at his heels reached the gates of heav en. There, of course, Indra, Lord of heaven, with his attendantswas waiting to r eceive him with .owers and garlands. They were ready to receive Yudhishtira but not the dog. And then said Yudhishtira "I do not want to enter heaven if this dog which has b een following me so faithfully is not also allowed" And then a miracle happened. In the place of the dog, there stood Dharma the great lord of justice, Yudhisti

ra's own father. And Yama dharma one of the great guardian deities now said "I wanted to give you a .nal test, my son, to see if you would be true and just even to helpless crea tures. I am happy to see you, my son,so steadfast in truth. You have brilliantly passed all the tests, and now enter heaven!" But Yudhishtira still hesitated, th inking of his poor brothers. Now Indra asked him to look ahead and there wonder o f wonders he saw sitting on golden thrones not only his brothers Draupdi and Kun thi Devi butall the heroes who had died in Kurukshetra like true kshatriyas. And now dear readers, I have to conclude. It is with the greatest regret that I conclude. For, some of the .nest moments of happiness I had recently, were those moments I passed writing this story. Maharshi Vedavyasa had written many wonderf ul puranas. But he was still not satis.ed. After writing Bhagavatham, the story of Lord Krishna he was content and did not write any more. Whatever philosophy or lesson is found elsewhere is found in Bhagavatham also. T he word Krishnameans " He who attracts". As a child, youth. , statesman, warrior , as the great teacher who gave us the "Gita" he is inimitable. It is easy to .n d defects and scoff but those who came to scoff remained to pray as at that grea t drama the "Rasa lila". Here I could give you only a very super.cial account of Bhagavatham. May your in terest grow more and more and read the magni.cent sonorous verses in the original . They are as deep as the ocean and as rich. OM ! NAMO BHAGAVATHE VASUDEVAYA