Puttugam2

Parikshit thus allotted to Kali places of gambling, drinking, prostitution and animals slaughtering houses as places to reside.

In which form does the Lord of Kali reside during gambling? In the form of untruthfulness he resides. Gambling is nothing but another form of cheating. To cheat means to be untruthful. There are many who due to intoxication sleep for hours at stretch. In addition intoxication increases lust in the person.  In the form of lust and in the form of cruelty towards animals, he resides.

Kali who heard all this requested for yet another place to reside. Then Parikshit allotted gold to him. In addition to the four places mentioned above, Kali could also reside in gold. Gold increases enmity between people.

Kali, who is the primary cause for unrighteousness, in accordance with the orders of the King, began to reside only in these 5 places. For this reason, wise righteous persons never accept gold in charity. They distance themselves from gold. They are scared of gold as Kali resides in it. It is said that just the golden colour is enough to attract problems.

Hence the truly wise person should never enjoy any of these 5 sinful activities. More importantly, kings, leaders and rulers who govern and seek the prosperity of their citizens as well as Gurus who guide them, should under no circumstances associate with these 5 activities in any way.

In this fashion, Parikshit restored Dharma’s other 3 legs viz., penance, compassion and cleanliness. In addition he nourished and strengthened them. Further he consoled Mother Earth and enhanced her glory. He could achieve this success as he had driven Kali out from there.

When Yudhisthira was leaving for the forests, he had coroneted his grandson Parikshit as the King and had entrusted his entire empire to him. Now Parikshit, who was ruling from Hastinapura, became the crown jewel of the entire Kuru race and was illumining thus. There is no limit to the glory of Parikshit, the son of Abhimanyu. It is only during his rule, you had taken on this holy vow and begun this holy Yagna” said Maharishi Suta addressing the saints who had assembled there.

With this the seventeenth chapter of the first canto comes to an end.

First Canto Eighteenth Chapter

In this chapter the story of how King Parikshit was cursed by the son of a saint is covered. This is the turning point to the story.

Maharishi Suta who had so far described the manner in which Parikshit had restrained Kali, now continued, “O Śounaka! Parikshit who was in his mother’s womb was to be destroyed due to the fiery Brahmāstra. Due to the supreme grace of Srikrishna, whose miraculous plays are limitless, he survived.

To this Parikshit, death appeared in the form of a snake, through the medium of a curse pronounced by the son of a saint. But as his heart was eternally placed at the lotus feet of that Supreme Lord, even death could not cause fear in him!

This was because he had seen the Lord even when he was in his mother’s womb. Right from the time he was born, he was always scrutinizing, with his deep gaze, everyone whom he met. In everyone and everything he was searching for that divine form whom he had seen while he was in his mother’s womb. As he was eternally examining (pariksha) everyone, he was known as Parikshit.

This supreme king did not fear when death approached him. He became a disciple of Maharishi Śuka, the son of Maharishi Vyasa. Attaining total dispassion, he understood the essence of the Supreme Lord Srihari and then gave up his body on the banks of River Ganga.

Nottamaśloka-vārtānāṁ juṣatāṁ tat-kathāmṛtam

Syāt sambhramo ‘nta-kāle ‘pi smaratāṁ tat-padāmbujam

Those aspirants (sadhakas) who spend their time eternally describing the pure glories of that Supreme Lord, who eternally drink the nectar called His divine stories and who place their mind fixedly at His lotus feet do not get even slightly disturbed by fear and confusions at the time of their death!

   This above verse is actually a great mantra! We should learn from it!

As long as Parikshit, the son of Abhimanyu, ruled over this entire earth as its unsurpassed ruler, Kali could not spread its influence on earth. The day and moment, Srikrishna, the Supreme Lord left earth to return to His abode, Kali, the Lord of unrighteousness (adharma) stepped into earth.

In this Kali Yuga merely by wishing to participate in meritorious deeds, the person is blessed with punya (merit). On the other hand, only when a person actually indulges in sinful deeds he is tainted with sin. Merely planning sinful deeds does not taint him with sin.

The Lord has made it so easy for us. Just by saying, “I want to go on a pilgrimage or I want to do this good deed” he is rewarded with merit (punya). But by merely saying “I want to cheat” he will not incur any sin. Only when the person actually cheats, he incurs sin. This is the rule for Kali Yuga. By merely wishing to go to Kashi, his good luck will start multiplying.

Parikshit understood this essence thoroughly. Like a honey bee he drank in this nectar completely. Therefore he never developed any aversion towards Kali.

Sri Narayana! Datta Narayana!

Addressing King Parikshit, who had offered it protection, Dharma, the Lord of righteousness said:

“Pandavas due to their devotion and supremely noble qualities became very dear to Lord Srikrishna so much so that they became capable of entrusting to Him tasks such as becoming their envoy and so on. Offering protection to a living being who is in dire need indeed truly befits you, who are born in the lineage of the Pandavas!

We, who are deluded on account of the philosophers who argue giving varied opinions on philosophical matters, are unable to trace the root for all our troubles and difficulties. This is due to our lack of complete knowledge about Paramatma.

Great saints opine that we are responsible for all the pleasure and pain that we experience. Some others declare that joys and sorrows experienced by us are the outcome of our past actions. There are others who believe that happiness and sorrows come on their own accord.  Some philosophers state that Paramātma, who is beyond the grasp of the mind and intellect, is responsible for all the pleasure and pain suffered by the beings. O Saintly King! Now you contemplate on this matter and using your intelligence, decide for yourself what is right.”

Hearing these words spoken by Dharma, Parikshit was totally absolved of all his grief. He was calm. With total concentration he looked at Dharma and said, “O master of dharma (dharmajna)! In accordance with the rule of righteousness the punishment in hell that awaits a criminal who has indulged in an unrighteous deed, also awaits the person who gossips about this criminal. As you are aware of these minute rules, you have spoken aptly. From this I conclude that You are the Lord of righteousness appearing here in the form of a bull!

Your statement that the primary root for happiness and sufferings experienced cannot be traced does not surprise me in the least. This is because, it is impossible to know when the Supreme Lord’s grace would fall on a being and when it would trap him in illusion. The influence of His illusory power (maya shakti) cannot even be grasped using the mind. Neither can it be experienced in words.

Maharishis have declared that penance (tapas), cleanliness, compassion (daya) and truthfulness are the four legs of Dharma. The aspects of unrighteousness (adharma) such as infatuation, association with the wicked and arrogance have destroyed its first 3 legs i.e. penance, cleanliness and compassion. Hence you are standing only on one leg i.e. truthfulness (satya). It alone remains. Only through this fourth leg called truthfulness, a human being is able to obtain you.

But this Kali Puruṣa, who is a personification of unrighteousness, is trying his best to break even this leg called truthfulness. Lord Srikrishna reduced the burden of this Mother Earth, who is here in the form of a cow. She now shines resplendently as a form of auspiciousness, due to the imprints of the Lord’s feet upon her body.

Now that the Lord has left her and gone, this Mother Earth laments that in future she will be ruled by kings who despise Brahmins and sacred texts and who will discard the rules of dharma that applies to them (swadharma). She grieves that they will enjoy her. For this reason she is weeping”.

In this manner, Parikshit consoled Dharma and Mother Earth. With the intent of destroying unrighteousness, he raised his sword so as to kill Kali Puruṣa.

Kali who realized that Parikshit was about to kill him began to tremble in fear. Instantly he threw away the dress of a king that he was wearing and falling at the King’s feet, bowed down and offered obeisance to him.

Parikshit had the reputation for showing mercy and offering protection to those who had sought shelter in him. True to these qualities, Parikshit, out of compassion, did not kill Kali. Instead addressing him with a smile, he said, “As you have sought shelter from us, who has obtained the same renown as that of Arjuna, you definitely have no fear henceforth. Nevertheless, you, who are closely related to unrighteousness, should not reside in my kingdom under any circumstances.

When you enter the body of a king, traits of unrighteousness (adharma) such as miserliness, untruthfulness, stealing wealth belonging to others, wicked behavior, discarding the rules of dharma that apply to them, cheating, avarice, quarrel, pretending to adhere to dharma and other such traits take control over him. They make him tread the path of adharma.

O friend of unrighteousness! You have no permission to reside in this holy place of Brahmavarta, where righteousness and truthfulness prevail. In this place, exponents in the field of Yagnas, who possess in-depth knowledge about the science of yagnas (sacrificial rituals) reside. They worship the Supreme Lord Yagneshwara through the medium of yagnas.

The Supreme Lord, who is worshipped in this manner through the medium of Yagnas, fulfills their desires and ensures their well-being. Like the air, He who is the Self (atma) within every being, pervades inside and outside this entire creation consisting of living and non-living objects”.

Parikshit, who was speaking authoritatively in this manner, appeared like Lord Yama, the Lord of death! Seeing him in this manner, Kali began to tremble profusely.

Addressing Parikshit, Kali said, “O great emperor! Based on your command, no matter where I reside, I shall only always see you, equipped with your bows and arrows ready to fight me. Therefore please be compassionate to me and reveal to me the places where I should live henceforth.

I carry the load of untruthfulness. I am closely associated with all bad habits. Where then should I live? You are driving me out of this place. Wherever I go and try to increase my influence, I will find that you are already there, ready to tackle me. Equipped with your bow and arrows you will appear in front of my eyes, ready to kill me. It is better that you tell me where I should live henceforth. Abiding by your command, I will live permanently only in those places”.

Upon hearing this request put forth by Kali, Parikshit permitted him to reside in places where gambling, drinking, prostitution, animal slaughtering activities are conducted. These were the four places allotted to him.

Dharma, the Lord of righteousness, continued, “O Mother Earth, are you lamenting seeing the general population, who giving up every form of rules and disciplines, are interested purely in eating, sleeping, bathing and co-habiting women and who behave as they please?

Lord Srikrishna who had incarnated solely to reduce your burden has now left you and returned back to His abode. Are you thinking of Him and grieving? Or are you recollecting His glories and missing Him?

O Mother Cow! Due to this mental agony you have become weak and emaciated. Please tell me the cause of your sorrows. Has anyone stolen your auspiciousness and fortune, which is held in high esteem even by the Devatas? Please explain, O Mother.”

Mother Earth, who was in the form of a cow replied, “O Dharma! You already know the answers to all the questions that you have asked so far. Due to Srihari’s grace, when you stand on your 4 legs, you grant happiness and comforts to people.

1. Truthfulness, b) mental purity, c) bodily cleanliness, d) compassion, e) forbearance, f) charity (tyāga), g) contentment, f) being straightforward, g) control over the mind, h) control over senses (indriya nigraha), i) penance (tapas), j) equanimity, k) tolerance to difficulties, l) dispassion towards enjoyments m) understanding the scriptures and abiding by them, n) acquiring Self-knowledge, o) attaining dispassion, p) feelings of prosperity, q) bravery, r) radiance, s) strength, t) meditation u) non-dependency, v) proficiency in all actions, w) loveliness, x) fortitude, y) gentleness in behavior, z) supreme intelligence, aa) humility, ab) saintly behavior, ac) faith in God and in Vedas, ad) laughter, ae) great renown, af) self-respect, ag) being devoid of ego and arrogance, are the good qualities that naturally and eternally exist in the Supreme Lord. They can never deplete in Him. Those who ardently seek His presence pray to be blessed with these qualities.

Such Srinivasa, the Supreme Lord, is no longer on earth. He has left earth and gone away. In His absence, the gaze of Kali Puruṣa (the presiding Lord of Kali Yuga), who is the cause of all sins, has fallen upon earth. I am lamenting this.

I do not lament only about my fate. I also grieve for You who are the supreme amongst the Devatas. In addition, I also feel sorry for the Devatas, for the forefathers, saints, noble persons, persons belonging to all castes and all stages of life (ashramas). I feel sorry for all beings.

Brahma and other Gods seeking the blessings and the compassionate glance of Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, worship Her and seek refuge under Her. Such Lakshmi, giving up her residence located in the garden of lotuses, has sought shelter at the lotus feet of Lord Srinivasa. With great love and affection she offers services to Him.

Being decorated with the symbol of His flag, thunderbolt, lotus and goad, which are the impressions on the splendorous lotus feet of Lord Krishna, I obtained limitless fortune and was shining in all glory, reigning in the three lokas (planes of existence). However now I am bereft of this great fortune. As I had become arrogant, the Lord has left me and gone away.

The Lord, who enjoys absolute freedom, destroyed the leaders of all those clans of demons, who had become an unbearable burden to earth. O Dharma! When you had lost three of your legs, He took on a wondrous form and incarnated in the lineage of Yadus. He restored you back into your complete form and then merged you into himself.

Is there any woman who can bear these pangs of separation from the Supreme Lord, Purushottama? With his loving affectionate gazes, charming tender smiles and melodious words, He destroyed the arrogance in Satyabhama and others in Madhuvana. When the impressions of His tender feet fall upon me, I experience great horripilation”.

Here it means that the earth being overjoyed, it will be replete with crops and will be peaceful.

Thus when the Lord of Dharma and Mother Earth were conversing, the exalted saintly King, Rājarishi Parikshit, arrived at Kurukshetra, which was located on the banks of River Saraswati, and from where Saraswati flowed towards the east.

With this the sixteenth chapter of the first canto comes to an end.

First Canto Seventeenth Chapter

In this chapter the conversation between Parikshit and the Lord of Dharma, the arrest of Kali Puruṣa by Parikshit are covered.

Parikshit came across an unrighteous low caste person, dressed like a king, beating a cow and a bull with a stick. He was horrified. It appeared as if there was none to protect these animals. When this person was thus mercilessly beating the weak, emaciated bull which was standing on one leg, it was urinating while trembling in fear. That cow, which provides milk and other auspicious ingredients that are particularly used in all sacrificial rituals such a Yagnas, was now shrunken and devoid of any calf. This low caste person was kicking its legs mercilessly while her eyes were filled with tears.

Seeing this, King Parikshit, who was seated in a golden chariot, readied the bow and arrows and in a thundering voice said, “Oh, who are you? You, who appear strong and powerful are torturing helpless weak beings. How dare you do this in my kingdom? It appears to me that you have donned the disguise of an emperor. Your external appearance is like a king, but your deeds are like that of a rogue.

How dare you torture helpless innocent beings in this isolated place, just because Krishna and Arjuna are not to be seen now? You deserve to be killed for this degraded offence. This is the rightful punishment for your sins”.

Thereafter addressing the bull, Parikshit said, “O bull, you appear white like a lotus. Although you are deprived of 3 legs, you move about with the help of that single leg. Who are you? Seeing you makes me writhe in pain. Are you some Devata moving about in the form of a bull?

This king belonging to the Kuru lineage is ruling effectively in this kingdom. During my rule, apart from you I have never ever come across any other being shedding tears. O bull, do not grieve. Do not fear this wicked sinner. I am here to protect you. Be brave.”

Then addressing the cow, he said, “O Gomata! May you be blessed with auspiciousness! The king, who although having the capacity, fails to protect the innocent living beings, loses all his wealth, longevity, renown, auspiciousness as well as the ability to travel to higher planes (punya loka) that he had earned thus far. It is the duty of a king to alleviate the sufferings of the needy. Therefore this very instant I will kill this wicked person who is torturing living beings within my kingdom.

O bull, who was the person who had the audacity to cut off your other 3 legs? I pray that in this lineage, that has been obedient to the laws laid down by Srikrishna, there should never be another being who suffers piteously in this manner. May you be blessed with auspiciousness! Who is the person who has brought about this deformity in you? Who is the person who has dared to put a black mark on the reputation to the lineage of the Pandavas?

Any person who harms the innocent cannot escape my wrath! I will destroy him. Punishing wicked criminals leads to the well-being of the saintly persons! I will mutilate the arms together with the armlets and armour of the person who fearlessly, shamelessly and without any inhibition, harms innocent beings. I will chop him completely even if he were to be a Devata!” roared Parikshit.

Krishna! Hare Krishna!

If out of 100 years, 50 years is spent in sleeping and the remaining time allocated only for fulfilling personal needs, what is to be our fate?

At least do this exercise. From the time of your birth, just calculate how many days you have spent on earth so far. Now select all those days on which you have performed any form of good deeds. Then calculate how many days/ hours roughly have you spent worrying for your life when you were travelling? For instance, a person travelling in a plane is more worried about landing safely than about performing charitable or meritorious deeds.

A person cannot perform any good deeds when he is fast asleep. He cannot perform any good deeds when he is travelling and is tensed about his own life. Does he spend any of his remaining time for his true benefit? Analyze.

Hearing the question of Maharishi Shounaka, Maharishi Suta replied as follows:

“The valorous Parikshit, who resided in the capital city Kuru-jangāla, realized that Kali (the presiding lord of this eon) had entered his kingdom, which was being protected by his mighty army. Upon hearing this he was mentally agitated. He was worried as this was the beginning of many difficulties and problems. He wanted to confront Kali.

Immediately he took up his bows and arrows, mounted a magnificent chariot that was beautifully decorated. The chariot was driven by beautiful sturdy black horses. On his chariot was a flag with the emblem of a lion upon it. He was surrounded by a gigantic army consisting of warriors mounted on chariots and on elephants, a huge cavalry and many foot soldiers. He set out to conquer the world (digvijaya yatra).

He conquered Bhadrāśva, Ketumāla, Bhārata, Uttara-Kuru and Kimpuruṣa parts of the world and accepted gifts and tributes from all these kingdoms.

Everywhere he went, King Parikshit, who was large-hearted, was greeted with stories pertaining to glories of Srikrishna. He also heard the glories of his forefathers as narrated by the people. He heard how Srikrishna had saved him from the powerful Brahmastra weapon that had been hurled by Ashwatthama. Along with the stories of Srikrishna, people also told him the story of his birth. They also extolled his greatness. He heard the stories of how his grandfathers and other forefathers had successfully conquered the world in the past. He heard about the close friendship that existed between Pandavas and Yadavas. When they narrated stories about the devotion of his grandfathers towards Srikrishna, Parikshit would be overjoyed. He would sit beside them and hear those stories in rapt attention.

At times dressed like a king he would listen. At other times he would disguise himself and enjoy these stories being sung by story-tellers. Ecstatic after these renditions, he would gift them with exquisite garments and precious pearls necklaces. At times overjoyed, he would give away his horses as gifts. He implored people to narrate to him the glories of Srikrishna and the Pandavas. He would be immersed in these stories as they were being narrated.

The Supreme Lord Srikrishna, who is worshipped in all planes of existence (lokas), tied down by the love showered upon Him by the Pandavas, offered to them all forms of services. He took upon the role of a charioteer. At other times He offered them services as if He was their servant. He maintained an amicable relationship with them. As a true friend He graced them not only with joy and bliss but also offered to become their messenger. There are many instances when Srikrishna would take up arms, in the dead of the night, to guard the sleeping Pandavas. In one occasion He even fed them. There were occasions where He would praise and offer obeisance to the Pandavas.

Thus Krishna, the Supreme Lord of all universes who is supremely worshipped everywhere, became the messenger, guard, charioteer and servant of the Pandavas. He offered them supreme protection at all times.

Through listening to these stories, Parikshit’s devotion towards Srikrishna multiplied significantly. “Aha, how large hearted is that Lord; He, who is the protector of all universes, has offered services to these forefathers. How great He would be”, he thought.

When Parikshit who had inculcated the good qualities of his ancestors, was thus ruling effectively, a wonderous incident took place. I will narrate this. Listen”, said Maharishi Suta.

He continued, “The Lord of Righteousness (dharma) assumed the form of a bull and was limping about on one leg. He saw Mother Earth, who, in the form of a cow was weeping inconsolably as if it had lost its child.

Seeing the cow, dharma said, “O Mother! O form of auspiciousness! Are you healthy? Why is your face lusterless? I suspect that some worry is tormenting you. Are you grieving for some relative whom you have not recently seen? Are you grieving for me, as I have lost three legs and am surviving on only one leg? Or are you worried that you will have to bear the burden of unrighteous rulers who will rule you in future? Are you worrying that unrighteous persons will stamp and walk on you?

Are you grieving for the Devatas, who are deprived of their share of offerings as human beings have stopped conducting homas and yagnas? Are you lamenting that Lord Indra has stopped showering rain? Or are you grieving that he will shower far more rain than needed in future?

Are you unhappy seeing men who no longer offer protection to their wives? Or are you upset seeing people who, like demons, subject their children to torture? Or are you sorry that Brahmins who are unrighteous and of ill conduct handle the Vedas? Or are you sad that eminent Vedic scholars have to serve those who despise God and religion?

Are you unhappy seeing the wicked Kshatriyas (warrior class), who are unrighteous and unjust? Are you grieving seeing the kingdoms they have destroyed? Or are you lamenting seeing the general population, who giving up every form of rules and disciplines, are interested purely in eating, sleeping, bathing and co-habiting women and who behave as they please?

Krishna! Srikrishna!