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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!

Yudhisthira, who was devoid of ahamkara (sense of I-ness) and who had developed total disinterest towards this world, let go of all his royal garments and ornaments. Restraining his senses (indriyas) together with their activities, he withdrew them into the mind. He then merged his mind into breath. He merged the breath into life-force (prana), merged apāna into apāna (downward moving air in the body) and death into death. Thus mentally he merged all these into the gross body which is composed of the five elements of earth, water, air, fire and space. He offered all of them into this mental homa.

Thereafter Yudhisthira, who was habituated to meditation, mentally merged this gross body into Nature (Prakriti) which is composed of the trigunas (sattva, rajas and tamas). He then mentally merged Prakriti into spiritual ignorance (avidya); spiritual ignorance into the Self (ātma) and the Self into the ever-lasting, inexhaustible Parabrahma.

Yudhisthira then changed into rags, totally gave up food, took up mouna (total silence) and let his hair loose. He appeared to others like an inert insane being or a ghost. Without even looking back he left home. Like a deaf person, he heard nothing.

Do you notice how fortunate Yudhisthira was? Had he waited to observe the influence of Kali upon people, the story would have taken a different twist. Focusing his mind exclusively upon Paramātma, he began to walk in the Northern direction following the path that Mahatmas had taken for similar purposes. Our Shastras dictate that those who give up their life in this manner are totally free from bondages of re-birth!

Noticing that Kali was rapidly increasing its influence upon the people on earth, the other four Pandavas, with firm decisive intellect, followed the footsteps of their elder brother.

During their lifetime, these Pandavas had diligently abided by the 4 Purusharthas (adherence to dharma (righteousness), artha (materialistic earnings), kāma (fulfillment of desires) and moksha (attaining liberation). They realized that the lotus feet of Lord Narayana itself was the Purushartha.

They exclusively meditated upon the lotus of feet of the Supreme Lord. Due to this exclusive meditation, their devotion towards the Lord surged significantly and drenched them. Their mind was totally cleansed.

As their minds were totally fixed upon the lotus feet of that Supreme Lord, they became absolutely disinterested towards this material world and all its luxuries. Freed from all impurities, they attained that supreme liberation, which is beyond the reach of the wicked and which is otherwise unattainable.

Vidura, who had conquered the senses completely, also fixed his mind totally upon Lord Srikrishna. He renounced his body in the sacred place of Prabhāsa. Together with the forefathers, he went to his abode.

Upon hearing that her husbands, having attained dispassion, had left home, Draupadi fixed her mind exclusively upon Srikrishna and merged into Him.

Yaḥ śraddhayaitad bhagavat-priyāṇāṁ

Pāṇḍoḥ sutānām iti samprayāṇam

Śṛṇoty alaṁ svastyayanaṁ pavitraṁ

Labdhvā harau bhaktim upaiti siddhim

Pandavas were extremely dear to the Supreme Lord. They had obtained his complete grace. This story is the most supreme and auspicious one. He who listens to this story of the Pandavas accession to Heaven, with total dedication will develop absolute love towards Srihari. In the end they will be blessed with that liberation which frees them from re-birth.

With this the fifteenth chapter of the First canto comes to an end.

First Canto Chapter Sixteen

In this chapter Parikshit becoming the king of the land, tours undertaken by him to conquer the world and his listening to the dialogue between the presiding deity of earth (bhu devi) and presiding deity of righteousness (Dharma-devata) are covered.

Maharishi Suta continued, “O Maharishi Śounaka! After the Pandavas ascended heaven, Parikshit became the king. Just as eminent astrologers had predicted at the time of his birth, he turned out to be an illustrious king with many noble traits. Under the guidance of wise, learned beings, he ruled very effectively and wisely. He married Iravati, the daughter of King Uttara. Janmejaya and three other sons were born to them.

Under the guidance of Guru Kripacharya he completed three Ashwamedha yāgas on the banks of Ganga. He honoured the priests with plentiful gifts. Astonishingly, in these Yāgas, the deities (Devatas) who came to accept the offerings made into the homa fire were visible to people’s eyes!

Once when valourous Parikshit was proceeding to conquer the world (digvijay yatra), he came across Kali Puruṣa, the presiding deity of this Kali Yuga. He was dark in complexion, had dressed up like a king and was riding a vehicle that was being driven by a cow and a bull. This Kali Puruṣa was kicking the legs of these animals and hurting them.  Parikshit caught hold of Kali Puruṣa.

Upon hearing this Maharishi Śounaka enquired, “O Mahatma Suta! Why did Parikshit, who was on this digvijay yātra, seize this Kali Puruṣa? What was the reason? Who is this Kali Puruṣa, who having dressed up like a king was kicking the holy cow?

O Mahatma! Please answer this question of mine only if this incident bears connection to the story of Lord Krishna or pertains to those holy beings who, being engrossed in supreme devotion towards His holy lotus feet, lick the nectar from those holy feet.

For, ordinary human beings like us who have a fleeting lifespan within which we seek to realize the Supreme Truth have no need for wasteful and inauspicious subjects that bear no connection to Krishna. What benefit will be obtained by spending time discussing wasteful topics? Apart from exhausting our longevity we see no other result”.

Often people waste their time discussing wasteful topics. Every second in this life is extremely precious! Use every second and every minute effectively without wasting it. Time once gone can never be retrieved! There are many who listen to stories of the Lord as it is a good pastime. This belief is wrong. Instead the person should be thrilled that he is using time effectively for listening to the stories of the Lord. He should not consider it a pastime. He should thank his lucky stars!

Hari! Srihari! Narayana!