Pandavas lament the loss of their mother
Kunthi Devi took the road that Krishna had taken. The lifeless body was left. Arjuna wept aloud, “Brother!
What shall I say? We have lost our mother.” Dharmaraja was shaken hard by the shock; he stepped toward the body and, finding the face blanched, stood petrified.
The maids outside the door heard Arjuna’s words and peeped into the room. Kunthi Devi’s body was lying on the floor; Arjuna had the head on his lap and was intently looking at the face with tearful eyes. The maids of the palace transmitted the news from one to another; they entered and realised that the dowager Queen had left them, without possibility of return. They wept aloud at the heart-breaking calamity.
Meanwhile, news reached the queens in the inner apartments. Within seconds, the sad tidings spread all over Hasthinapura. The queens were overcome with grief; they tottered in, beating their breasts in anguish. In an endless stream of sorrow, the denizens of the palace ...
A short story will illustrate these points. A king had transferred all responsibility of ruling to his minister and was spending his time in ease. He never worried about anything, be it big or small. He had a personal companion, who was always by his side, more or less as a bodyguard. This fellow was very wise, for he never did anything without deep deliberation about the how, the why, and the wherefore. The king took all this deliberation to be just foolishness and nicknamed him “Crest-Jewel of Fools” (Avivekasikhamani). He actually engraved the title on a plate of gold and compelled the fellow to wear it on his forehead for all to see! Many people at court were misled by this and took the fellow to be an ignoramus; they did not heed his words.
The king fell ill and took to bed. The kingdom was combed for physicians who could heal the king. Messengers went to the eight corners of the country, seeking drugs and doctors. Hundreds were busy around the royal patient, but, all efforts ...
While Bharatha was spending his days at Nandigrama in constant contemplation of Rama, far away in the forest, on Chitrakuta Peak, Sita, Rama, and Lakshmana were praising his devotion and sense of dedication.
They were happy in the peaceful, quiet forest home.
The fool Jayanta
One day, a fool named Jayanta sought to measure Rama’s valour, an adventure as foolish and suicidal as the attempt of an ant to discover the depth of the ocean! Prompted by sheer mischief, he transformed himself into a crow and, approaching Sita, who was seated by Rama’s side, lost in the contemplation of the scenery spread out before them, pecked at the sole of her tender foot with his sharp beak, causing blood to trickle from the wound.
Seeing the blood, Rama plucked a blade of dry grass from the ground and threw it at the crow.
Rama would never hurt anyone who had not done any injury. But when it is necessary, and when it has to be done, even Rahu will swallow the Moon, right? So too, Rama. He would never h...
Dharma has no prejudice or partiality; it is imbued with truth and justice. So, people have to adhere to dharma; they have to see that they never go against it. It is wrong to deviate from it. The path of dharma requires people to give up hatred against others and cultivate mutual concord and amity. Through concord and amity, the world will grow, day by day, into a place of happiness. If these are well established, the world will be free from disquiet, indiscipline, disorder, and injustice.
Whatever you are dealing with, you must first grasp its real meaning. Then, you have to cultivate it daily, for your benefit. By this means, wisdom grows and lasting joy is earned. The two basic things are dharma and action (karma). The wise, who are impartial and unprejudiced, who are confirmed in dharma, walk on the path of truth (sathya), as instructed in the Vedas. That is the path for all people today.
Three stages to knowledge of dharma
The knowledge of dharma is reached in three stages:
Yo...
Describing the stages of creation, sage Suka said, “Satha-rupa and Manu together approached the Lord of creation and asked what they had to fulfil. Brahma replied with a smile, ‘Be mates of each other; beget and people the Earth.’ Equipped with the authority derived from this command, they filled the earth with people.” Origin of grief is infatuation At this the king interceded: “Master! I learned from my own experience that the origin of all grief in this world is infatuation (moha). I have no desire to hear about these matters; please tell me how to overcome infatuation, delusion. and attachment. In these last days, what exactly does man have to do? Which name does he have to keep constantly in mind in order to avoid this round of birth and death forever? Tell me these things.” Suka was very much delighted at this query.“O King! You are a spiritual soul. You serve sages with devotion.
This large gathering of monks, ascetics, and sages is proof of your meritorious acts. ...
Fourfold division of mankind
The sociological basis of Indian (Bharathiya) culture has to be clearly understood. Mankind falls into four groups, when innate nature and inclinations are considered. They are named brahmin, warrior (kshatriya), trader (vaisya), and labourer (sudra). This demarcation is not a selfish, crooked conspiracy designed to make the “superior” trample upon the “inferior”. Nor is it the consequence of an envious plot to obstruct human progress.
It is best to judge it as a plan to promote the expansion of human achievement by fostering the trends and traits of each person. It is the royal road for the attainment of human progress. It works only for the promotion and regulation of human activity in such a manner that harmony and social well-being are ensured.
As readers already know, the teacher of the Gita, Lord Krishna, declared,
Chathurvarnyam maya srishtam, guna karma Vibhagasah,tasya kartharamapi mam Viddhi akartharam avyayam.
I created the four castes (...
The never-ending food vessel
Vyasa hastened to explain Durvasa’s queer laughter. “Durvasa, however, accepted Duryodhana’s prayer! He started toward the forest, saying ‘Right! I’ll do it’ In this prayer, there was a deep sinister purpose. It was this: One morning at sunrise, when the Pandavas were worshipping the Sun, the Sun took pity on their condition and, out of His immeasurable grace, gave them a vessel, whose contents would remain undiminished no matter much they were used up. It was called the never-ending plate (akshaya-pathra). As the dutiful wife, Droupadi used to take her food only after the five brothers had taken theirs. Before she finished eating, the vessel would be full of food no matter how many ate from it. But when she had finished and cleaned the vessel, it would give no more. Thus, once every day, the vessel was pouring plenty - until she had eaten. Prior to that, she could feed thousands, even millions, from that vessel. But once she had taken her food ...
Yoga (devotional practice) is also of two varieties: royal yoga (raja-yoga) and the yoga of inner contemplation (jnana-yoga). The royal yoga has eight stages, which have to be well cultivated and realized. Of these, some are external and some internal. This is the Aryan path. In the yoga of contemplation, there is no “external” at all.
Both these yogas have as their goal the stilling of the agitations of all levels of consciousness. For those who have calmed all these agitations, everything is Brahman. Primary for this purpose is the yoga of contemplation more than the yoga of activity - at least that is the opinion of the knowers of Brahman. They say “that is the thing to be known, to be reached.” But, according to the wisdom of the Upanishads, direct knowledge of the Brahman can be obtained by the eightfold yoga of Control of the inner senses (yama) Control of the outer senses (niyama) Regulation of the sitting posture (asana) Regulation of the breath (pranayama) Control of ...
Sage Suka began his momentous message to the King.
“Maharaja, the great tree that the Bhagavatha is truly inspires reverential awe. Incorporated in it is every conceivable source of auspiciousness and joy. The Lord, Sri Narayana, is the seed from which it has sprouted. The sprout is Brahman. The trunk of the tree is Narada. Vyasa constitutes the branches. Its sweet fruit is the nectarine story of Krishna. The earnest souls that yearn for that nectar and pine plaintively until they secure the fruit and imbibe its essence, regardless of bodily comfort or the passage of the years - such are real saints and yogis.
“O, ye ascetics and sages! This day, I am relating to you that Bhagavatha scripture (sastra), that enchanting story of Krishna. Treasure it in your memory and save yourself from delusion and grief. You have already listened to recitals of all scriptures. You have also mastered all spiritual practices. But you haven’t known the greatest of them all. I shall now give you the ...
When Vyasa yielded to his importunity, Parikshith who was all attention, replied in a voice that stuttered with emotion. “Master, I don’t see clearly why my grandfather destroyed the Khandava Forest with a fire. Tell me how Lord Krishna helped him in the exploit. Make me happy by telling me the story.” Parikshith fell at the sage’s feet and prayed that this may be described to him.
Krishna and Arjuna meet hungry Fire God
Vyasa complimented him and said, “Right, you have made a request that does you credit. I’ll comply.” “Once, when Krishna and Arjuna were resting happily on the sands of the Yamuna, oblivious of the world and its tangles, an aged brahmin approached them and said, ‘Son, I am very hungry. Give me a little food to appease me. I can’t keep alive unless you do.’ “At these words, they were suddenly made aware of a strange presence. Though outwardly he appeared natural, there was a divine effulgence around him, which marked him out as someone apart.
“...
