Essentials of Hinduism - The Mahabharata Story

Essentials of Hinduism

The Mahabharata Story

Selected Incidents

GREAT TRUSTED FRIEND:

Duryodhana’s Wife Bhanumathi and his close friend Karna were playing a game of dice. The stake between them was substantial. As the game progressed, it was evident that Karna was winning and Bhanumathi was losing. Karna could not suppress his delight. Just then Duryodhana entered his Queen’s Chamber. Karna had his back to the door while Bhanumathi was facing it. Seeing her Husband coming, she was about to stand up out of respect as was the custom in those good old days. As she was just rising, Karna, thinking that she was trying to get away from the embarrassment of certain defeat in the Game, snatched at her drape, studded with pearls.

Pulled by Karna’s powerful hands, the thread snapped and all the pearls rolled on the floor. Queen Bhanumathi was stunned and did not know what to say or do. She was afraid that, for no fault of hers, she would be misunderstood by her husband because of Karna’s offensive and insensitive behavior. Bhanumathi was immeasurably upset. Seeing her shocked state and sensing that something was wrong, Karna turned around and saw his friend Duryodhana. He was also deeply shocked and distressed beyond words. Here he was, in the Royal Chamber, playing a game of dice with his friend’s Wife and, as if this was not enough, he had the audacity to catch her at the drape, thus embarrassing and endangering her chaste reputation. He stood dumbfounded. Surely, Duryodhana would not tolerate such immodesty. He readied himself for the inevitable punishment.

As both She and Karna look down sheepishly, unable to meet Duryodhana’s eyes, the Kaurava only asks: “should I just collect the beads, or string them as well.” Both Bhanumathi and Karna had misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his Queen and greater was his faith on his friend Karna. He does not suspect, does not get angry on Karna but helps him in picking up the pearls.

GHANDHARI’S LAST EFFORT TO SAVE HER SON:

Although Gaandhari advised both her Husband and Sons throughout her life not to have fond with Crown, nobody listened to her. She knew about Bhima’s vows, two of them he had already fulfilled - taking Dushasana’s chest blood to Draupadi’s loose hair to tie them, and killing her 99 sons. Now for the remaining one - to break Duryodhana’s thigh, she knew that Bhima will fulfill that also, so she wanted to give her last try to save her dearest Son.

She asked Duryodhana - “Putra, I have not seen you since you have been born. I want to see you before you go tomorrow to the Battlefield. But I want to see you naked.” “What? Naked? What people will say?” Ghandhari said - “I am your mother. What shyness from your Mother? Go and take bath in the Ganga River and come back to Me.” Duryodhana didn’t understand anything, but he could not disobey Her, so he went to the Ganga River, took bath and was coming back to Ghandhari’s Palace and he met Krishna on the way.

Krishna asked - “Where are you coming from at such a late time?” Duryodhana said - “My Mother wants to see me before I go to the Battlefield tomorrow, so she asked me to take bath in the Ganga and come back. And She wants to see me Naked.” Krishna said - “What? Naked? She wants to see such a grownup Man Naked?” Duryodhana said - “She said “I am your Mother, what shyness from your Mother?” Krishna said - “Still She is a Woman, and you are not a Child. At least tie a loin Cloth. Going naked, whether she is Mother or whatever, is not good for a grownup Man to go Naked in front of a Woman”. And Krishna went away.

Duryodhana understood. So when he stood before her he had worn a loin cloth which covered him from navel to a bit below his thighs. Ghandhari asked - “Have you come? Are you in front of my eyes? Are you naked?” Duryodhana said “Yes”. Ghandhari removed the strip from her eyes for the first time since she ever tied it when she chose Dhirutarashtra as her Husband. As She saw her Son, a light came out from her eyes and made his whole body extremely strong. When She had seen him fully, she said - “I asked you to come to me naked, not even wearing this loin cloth. You did not listen to Me even at the time of your death. Now nobody can save you. Your whole body has become iron strong except this covered part. Tomorrow Bhima will surely kill you.” And she cried and cried. The same thing happened. When Duryodhana died next day, only his thigh was broken, no other wound from Bhima’s Ghada was seen on the other parts of his Body.

CRUSHING OF BHIMA’S METAL STATUE:

At the end of the great battle, Dhirutarashtra was overcome with grief and rage at the loss of his hundred Sons. When the blind King met the Pandavas who had come to seek his blessing prior to ascending the Throne, He embraced all of them. When it was Bhima’s turn, Krishna knew that the King was blind and possessed the strength of a hundred thousand elephants from the boon granted by Vyasa. He was quick to move Bhima aside and push an iron figure of Bhima into Dhritarashtra’s embrace. When the thought entered Dhirutarashtra’s mind that the Man in his embrace had killed every one of his hundred sons without mercy, his anger rose to such a pitch that the metal statue was crushed into powder. Thus, Bhima was saved and Dhirutarashtra composed himself and gave the Pandavas his Blessing.

YAKSHA AND YUDHISHTRA:

At the end of the exile of 12 years of vana-vasa (identity concealed), the Pandava Princes came across a Brahmin who complained that a deer has taken his Arani (The pair of wooden blocks to generate fire by friction) on its Antlers (horns) and therefore he was not able to light the fire for performance of Vedic Rituals. The valorous Pandava Princes set out to retrieve the Brahmin’s Arani and followed the marks of the deer.

In the quest of the mysterious deer, Yudhishtra, became exhausted and thirsty. Therefore, Sahadeva, the youngest, ventured to fetch water and found a beautiful lake. The lake was devoid of any living Creature except a crane. When Sahadeva attempted to take water from the Lake, the crane spoke, “O Sahadeva! The water of this Lake will turn into poison if you take it without satisfactorily answering my questions”. Sahadeva, in arrogance, did not pay heed and hurriedly took water from the Lake. Upon drinking the water which appeared crystal clear, Sahadeva died instantly of poisoning. The next Pandava, Nakula followed Sahadeva, found the same Lake, saw the dead Sahadeva, and was also warned by the Crane. But Nakula also ridiculed the Crane and died after drinking the water. In the same manner, both Valiant Arjuna, and Powerful Bhima, met the same fate.

Since none of the Brothers returned with water, Yudhishtra embarked in search of his younger Brothers and water. Upon following the same path, Yudhishthira came across the Lake and found all his Brothers lying dead. Before searching for the killer of his Brothers, Yudhishtra decided to drink some water from the Lake. But when the Crane warned him, Yudhishtra realised that the Crane holds the answer to the turn of events. In virtuosity that Yudhishtra represented, he proceeded to answer the questions put forth by the Crane.

Before putting the questions to Yudhishtra, the Crane revealed itself as a Yaksha. The Yaksha asked 18 questions with Philosophical Ramifications. The Yaksha-Yudhishtra dialogue is in the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata. It is also known as the Dharma- Baka Upakhyana (Legend of the Virtuous Crane).

This article is a snippet from the Book Essentials of Hinduism, Authored by G.S Nilakantan. Hinduism for All is available online at www.giri.in and across Giri Trading Agency Private Limited, A chain of Speciality Stores dealing in all kinds of products needed in Indian Culture and Tradition.