Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - Protection of Uttara Devi’s Womb from Brahmashirshastra

Srimad Bhagavatam cleanses kalimala or the pollutant of Kali, destroys sins, shows the indweller, the Lord, in oneself by bringing Vairagya towards the materialistic world, and gives pure devotion, crystal clear, and clean knowledge. 

|| Hari Om ||

Om Krishnaya Namah

कृष्णाय वासुदेवाय देवकीनन्दनाय च ।

नन्दगोपकुमाराय गोविन्दाय नमो नमः ॥

Sri Krishna! Being a hope to the imprisoned Devaki & Vasudeva caused happiness by mesmerizing Nandagopa, Gopikas and even the Goddess of abundant beauty. Vasudeva! creation, sustenance, destruction and so on is a sports charm of you. Govinda! you are the cause & protector of Vedas.

Krishna, Vasudeva, Devaki Nandana, Nanda Gopa Kumara, Govinda, 
My repeated salutations to you.

नमः पङ्कजनाभाय नमः पङ्कजमालिने ।

नमः पङ्कजनेत्राय नमस्ते पङ्कजाङ्घ्रये ॥

My salutations to the Lotus of the navel. My salutations to the Lotus garlanded.

My salutations to Lotus petal eye. My salutations to the Lotus feet.

व्यासाय भव नाशाय श्रीशाय गुण राशऐ ।

हृद्याय शुद्ध विद्याय मध्वायछ नमो नमः ॥

Charming & the beloved Vyasa, the destroyer of emotional & behavioral disorders, the Lord of Goddess of abundance having heaps of attributes, bestower of clean knowledge, my repeated salutations to you and Acharya Madhwa.

यः स्वानुभावमखिलश्रुतिसारमेकमध्यात्मदीपमतितितीर्षतां तमोऽन्धम् ।

संसारिणां करुणयाह पुराणगुह्यं तं व्याससूनुमुपयामि गुरुं मुनीनाम् ॥

This Srimad Bhagavatam gives the experience of the Lord and has the essence of all Vedas and Vedanta. It sheds spiritual light on the transcendental philosophy required to surpass the intense cycle of death and birth which is wrapped in ignorance. However, it is very secretive in nature. Hence, I pray to you Sri Shukacharya for your continued blessings.

यद्भनौ यत्क्र्शानौ यदमृतकिरणे यद् ग्रहेषू दितेषु

ज्योतिर्यत्तारकासु प्रथितमणिषु यद्यच्च सौदामिनिषु ।

सम्भूयौतत् समस्तं त्वदमितह्रदयाकाशनिर्यत्प्रकाशे

धीर श्रीराघवेन्द्रव्रतिवरभजते हन्त खद्योतरीतिम् ॥

The brightness of the Sun, Fire, Moon, Planets, Stars, Gems, Precious stones and Lightening put together is just like a firefly near the astonishing brilliance emanating from your lotus of Heart wherein the five forms of Lord Sri Rama, Sri Narasimha, Sri Veda Vyasa, Sri Krishna and Sriman Narayana are present in a significant way bestowing you the Brahmavarchas or the Sacred Knowledge.

Gentle & Holy Sage, Sri Raghvendra, भजते, I worship you by surrendering myself.

In the fight for Justice, we saw the way Ashwathama threatened for his Life uses Brahmasirshastra having no other weapon to neutralize it except for another Brahmasirshastra. Hence Arjuna responded with another Brahmasirshastra. However, as the collision of these would destroy the whole universe, the Lord intervened in his form of Veda Vyasa. He held these two missiles in his two hands. Consoling Aswhatama and Arjuna asks them to call back those missiles. Arjuna does so. But Ashwathama fails only to call back through words against the five Pandavas. When Lord in his form of Sri Krishna asks Ashwathama to call back even against offsprings of Pandavas, he gets angry and accuses the Lord. To which Sri Krishna says,

“Mean minded Ashwathama! I know the word you have given to Duryodhana. You want to cease the Pandu dynasty and further that of Dhritarashtra. Do what you can! Use all the power at your hand. But I shall make sure that the Pandu dynasty will continue for another thousand years. You have sinned by killing helpless men without arms, women, and children including animals. You will fail in your attempt to kill Uttaradevi and also the baby growing in her womb.

No power on this earth can match that of mine. Nor anyone can stop the Pandava dynasty continuing for another thousand years on this earth. Your body will be full of soars, bleeding & stinking to irritate people. You are banished from the place of human dwellings. Go and live in the forest”.

Ashwathama having lost his divine bead and even the Sikha or tufted hair tied with a knot walks into the forest. Lord Sri Krishna leads the Pandavas to the capital city of Hastinapura where they meet the blind King Dhritarashtra and his wife Gandhari. King Dhritarashtra continues to carry enmity against Pandavas. Gandhari having lost her hundred sons questions Bheemasena of killing all her children. She asks him why he did not spare at least one of her hundred sons to take care during their last days and do the death ceremony. Bheemasena silences them by reasoning affirmative question as

“When Duryodhana along with his cronies carried out several evil deeds, you remained blind. You did not question even for his single wicked act. Now, after having killed the wicked to destroy Adharma or Injustice from the face of the earth and as we are in the process of instating Justice, you are questioning us”.

The entire Kuru family including Pandavas & Kauravas sinks into melancholy. A feeling of pensive sadness sets into them. A short description of the subsequent happenings is in Srimad Bhagavatam. Narrating this to Sri Shaunaka and his fellow Rishis, Sri Sutacharya says,

 सूत उवाच

पुत्रशोकातुराः सर्वे पाण्डवाः सह कृष्णया ।

स्वानां मृतानां यत्कृत्यं चक्रुर्निर्हरणादिकम् ॥ ५८॥

Every one of them had lost children including Draupadi & Gandhari. They were engulfed in sorrow. Sri Krishna along with Pandavas, Draupadi, Kunti Devi, Gandhari, Dhritarashtra visited the battleground of Kurukshetra. They saw a sea of corpses all around. Though Gandhari had blindfolded herself, Lord Veda Vyasa extends her with divine eyes through which she was able to see the dead through the blindfold. She gets shocked to see the dead bodies all around through her divine eye and curses Lord Sri Krishna saying “You have destroyed my lineage and so should your lineage get destroyed”! By cursing so, the large merit that she had accumulated being blindfolded to serve her blind husband gets quashed.

Lord Sri Krishna holds the hand of Draupadi and takes her into the sea of dead bodies. He recalls the incidence when Dushasana held Draupadi’s hair and pulled her into the assembly as she had refused to go for reasons of her menstrual cycle. She had told, "This is not the time I can enter the auspicious assembly wherein elders are present". However, Dushasana had continued with his evil act. Not just that, Duryodhana asked her to come and sit on his lap in the presence of her husband Bheemasena and other elders. When she does not do that, an attempt was made by Duryodhana and his cronies to strip Draupadi in front of their own mother and in the middle of the assembly. When she sought help to the elders present there, everyone in the assembly put their head down in negation. The only person to come to her rescue was Bhagavan Sri Krishna who made her robes endless.

Subsequently, the Pandavas along with Kunti Devi & Draupadi goes to the forest. One day, Lord Sri Krishna reaches there to enquire about their safety and well being. The moment Draupadi sees the Lord, she ran to grab his feet and held it tightly. She starts weeping and flooding his feet with tears. The tears flowed relentlessly, throwing out the emotional pent-up pain that she was suffering. She remembered the most embarrassing incidence of her life and it was only that lotus of feet of Lord Sri Krishna that had come to her rescue. During that incidence, Lord Sri Krishna had said that those who had caused her embarrassment and made them live in the forest, he would ensure that each one of them is beaten to death by Bheemasena. And Pandavas would be reinstated to the throne. Also, he would show her their wives crying with scattered hair and holding the dead bodies.

Now, the time had come. Lord Sri Krishna moving through the scattered limbs, trunk, heads, and other parts of dead bodies to show Draupadi how the wicked had died to the powerful strokes of Bheemasena. He points toward the body of Durmukha, an evil faced, then towards Dussalan, Jalagandha, Sama, Saha, Vindha, Anuvindha, Durmukha, Chitrasena, Durdarsha, Durmarsha, Dussaha, Durmada, Vikarna, Dushkarna, Vivinsati, Durvishaha, Durvimochana, Durpradharsha, Durjaya, Jaitra, Bhurivala, Ravi, Jayatsena Siyata, Shratavan, Shrutanta, Jayat, Chitra, Upachitra, Charuchithra, Chitraksha, Sarasana, Chitrayudha, Chotravarman, Suvarma, Sudarshan.

He reaches near the body of Dhushasana, a well known for his wicked governance. Lord Sri Krishna says “wasn’t this wicked who had pulled you by your hair to the assembly. See his chest! How Bheemasena has ripped the chest cage allowing the birds & animals to eat his flesh. Then He shows Duryodhana and says see his thighs that have been broken by Bheema. Showing the dead this way Lord Sri Krishna lists all the 100 children of blind Dhritarashtra and the blindfolded Gandhari. Draupadi sees their wives with scattered hairs, all the symbols of being married removed, chest-beating and crying.

Sri Krishna says, Draupadi! Bheemasena has not left a single soul that was involved in insulting you, to go free. Each one's chest has been broken or the head has been dismembered. He has done justice. See the status of their women and the way the Law has been implemented to those who took the path of Adharma.

No individual can escape the Law of Justice for each of their misdeed. And not just that, the entire tribe taking the side of injustice have to face the Law, says Lord Sri Krishna.

Hence, in the perfect governance of stainless Lord, for doing well, nothing untoward will happen. Also, each bad act of ours is an assurance for misery and sorrow happening with certainty.

In other words, behind all our misery and sorrow, there is an act of our misdeed. Srimad Bhagavatam wants us to look inwards. The most important lesson to us from Mahabarata is not to Sin. Mahabarata outlines each of our behavior with precision. The blindness of Dhritarashtra or Gandhari towards justice, the acts of sins by each of their children should not be limited to those roles in the story. But these behaviors are in us and should be won over with the behavior of Pandavas. It would be appropriate for us to take a look at the last verse of Sanjaya in Bhagavad Gits:

यत्र योगेश्वर: कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धर: ।

तत्र श्रीर्विजयो भूतिध्रुवा नीतिर्मतिर्मम ॥

When Yoga or synchronization with इश्वर: or The Lord is practised, like done by पार्थ, the prince, the son of Lord and accomplish the precision of an expert archer hitting the bull’s eye. Then, there would be unending abundance, victory, prosperity, and righteousness  

अथ ते सम्परेतानां स्वानामुदकमिच्छताम् ।

दातुं सकृष्णा गङ्गायां पुरस्कृत्य ययुः स्त्रियः ॥ १॥

ते निनीयोदकं सर्वे विलप्य च भृशं पुनः ।

आप्लुता हरिपादाब्जरजःपूतसरिज्जले ॥ २॥

The great war of Mahabharata in Kurukshetra took a heavy toll on several lives in the Kuru family. The Pandavas along with Lord Sri Krishna and family members including women & children reached the banks of Ganga to offer Tarpana to deceased relatives who were expecting Tilodaka,

Tilodaka or Tarpana or Dharmadaka

also called Dharmodaka or offering by sticking the black sesame seeds to the right-hand thumb in the specified posture and pouring a small quantity of water over the right hand to flow over thumb to take along with the stuck black seeds as an offering.

They mourned remembering all deceased relatives and offered them Tilodaka. Thereafter, they once again took bath in the holy river Ganga that had gained purity by flowing from the Lotus of Feet of Lord in Vaikunta.

तत्रासीनं कुरुपतिं धृतराष्ट्रं सहानुजम् ।

गान्धारीं पुत्रशोकार्तां पृथां कृष्णां च माधवः ॥ ३॥

सान्त्वयामास मुनिभिर्हतबन्धूञ्शुचार्पितान् ।

भूतेषु कालस्य गतिं दर्शयन्नप्रतिक्रियाम् ॥ ४॥

Lord Sri Krishna along with Dhaumya Rishi started consoling. They consoled Yudhishthira and his brothers Bheemasena, Arjuna, Nakula & Sahadeva. Consoled their wife Draupadi Devi & mother,Kunti Devi. Also, Dhritarashtra & Gandhari who had lost their own children.

Any life that has come to this earth has a lifespan that is under the control of Time. No one can save the other from death. Saying so, Lord Sri Krishna consoled them. Hence, one should not be suffering from the pain due to death of relatives.

 साधयित्वाजातशत्रोः स्वं राज्यं कितवैर्हृतम् ।

घातयित्वासतो राज्ञः कचस्पर्शक्षतायुषः ॥ ५॥

Lord Sri Krishna made sure that those who had taken away the kingdom through gambling, deceit, and insult were killed. अजातशत्रु or the one who did not have enemy i.e. Yudhishthira was reinstated to his own throne. 
The other way to look for Yudhishthira being अजातशत्रु is because of the birth of Duryodhana and his ninety-nine brothers happened in a unique way. They did not have a fetal birth. Their mother, Gandhari delivered an embryo. Lord Veda Vyasa collected that in a pot and divides it into hundred pieces to have a hundred children. Hence, having अजात or without a fetal birth in a mother’s womb as शत्रु or enemy is Yudhishthira. It was Yudhishthira who was reinstated to his own throne. The wicked following the path of Adharma, who had misbehaved with their wife Draupadi and the evil kings who had expended the lifespan was killed.

याजयित्वाश्वमेधैस्तं त्रिभिरुत्तमकल्पकैः ।

तद्यशः पावनं दिक्षु शतमन्योरिवातनोत् ॥ ६॥

Subsequently, Lord Sri Krishna got three Ashwamedha Yagna or the horse-sacrifice ritual done through each of the five brothers of King Yudhishthira using clean substances, expert priests of the highest order and to the precision as in the Shastras. With that, he bestowed the fame like that of the King of Heaven, God Indra who had carried out a hundred Ashwamedha Yagna and blessed by Lord Upendra. Yudhishthira’s fame spread far, wide and remains intact to date for us to hear.

Hearing the story of Pandavas destroys the sins in us. The reason being the Pandava fought against the sinners and won over them.  

आमन्त्र्य पाण्डुपुत्रांश्च शैनेयोद्धवसंयुतः ।

द्वैपायनादिभिर्विप्रैः पूजितैः प्रतिपूजितः ॥ ७॥

गन्तुं कृतमतिर्ब्रह्मन् द्वारकां रथमास्थितः ।

उपलेभेऽभिधावन्तीमुत्तरां भयविह्वलाम् ॥ ८॥

After all this, Lord Sri Krishna decided to return to his kingdom of Dwarka. He bid farewell to Pandavas. Subsequently, paid reverence to his form of Lord Veda Vyasa and admiration to other Brahmins. Along with Uddhava, Satyaki and others, Lord Sri Krishna boarded the Chariot. As he boarded, He saw the pregnant Uttara Devi frightened and running towards him seeking help. Immediately, Lord Sri Krishna jumps out of the chariot and rushes towards Uttara Devi.  

उत्तरोवाचपाहि

पाहि महायोगिन् देवदेव जगत्पते ।

नान्यं त्वदभयं पश्ये यत्र मृत्युः परस्परम् ॥ ९॥

अभिद्रवति मामीश शरस्तप्तायसो विभो ।

कामं दहतु मां नाथ मा मे गर्भो निपात्यताम् ॥ १०॥

The God of Gods! The Lord of Universe! The greatest Yogi! Save me! Save me!  None else than you could offer protection to me. Here, everyone is becoming a cause for one another’s death.

My Lord! You are Omnipotent. All-Powerful. An iron arrow burnt red hot is chasing me. If needed, let it kill me. However, please bless the safety of the baby growing in my womb, pleads Uttara Devi.

सूत उवाच

उपधार्य वचस्तस्या भगवान् भक्तवत्सलः ।

अपाण्डवमिदं कर्तुं द्रौणेरस्त्रमबुध्यत ॥ ११॥

तर्ह्येवाथ मुनिश्रेष्ठ पाण्डवाः पञ्च सायकान् ।

आत्मनोऽभिमुखान् दीप्तानालक्ष्यास्त्राण्युपाददुः ॥ १२॥

व्यसनं वीक्ष्य तत्तेषामनन्यविषयात्मनाम् ।

सुदर्शनेन स्वास्त्रेण स्वानां रक्षां व्यधाद्विभुः ॥ १३॥

Sri Krishna is Bhagavan Bhaktavatsala. To him, his devotees are most dear. He heared the cry of Uttara. He knew that Ashwathama wanted to have no seed of the Pandu family that could sprout. Hence, he had not called back the Brahmasirshastra.    

Incidentally, seeing those five arrow missiles approaching Uttara Devi, the Pandavas holding their bow, pulled their arrows out to shoot it down. However, as Utara Devi had sought the help of Lord Sri Krishna. Seeing the crises to his dear devotees who took refuge in him, Lord Sri Krishna having immeasurable power with his divine disk named Sudarshana destroyed the five arrow missiles and protected them. 

 अन्तःस्थः सर्वभूतानामात्मा योगेश्वरो हरिः ।

स्वमाययावृणोद्गर्भं वैराट्याः कुरुतन्तवे ॥ १४॥

यद्यप्यस्त्रं ब्रह्मशिरस्त्वमोघं चाप्रतिक्रियम् ।

वैष्णवं तेज आसाद्य समशाम्यद्भृगूद्वह ॥ १५॥

मा मंस्था ह्येतदाश्चर्यं सर्वाश्चर्यमयेऽच्युते ।

य इदं मायया देव्या सृजत्यवति हन्त्यजः ॥ १६॥

The Indweller in all the lives of this universe, the Lord of Yoga, Sri Hari entered the womb of Uttara Devi with one of his forms wearing a secretive armor to protect the offspring of the Pandu dynasty.    

With emphasis, Sri Sutacharya says, “Shaunaka and all the Rishis! It is true that Brahmashirsastras is only one of a kind. It will never go in vain. And there is no anti-missile to neutralize this. Even then, it became calm seeing वैष्णवं तेज or the brilliance of the Lord.

This is an amazing act of Lord that made Shaunaka & assembled Rishis hearing Srimad Bhagavatam bewildered. The Brahmashirsastras is rendered by Gayatri mantra. While the Brahma Astra has a counter and can be neutralized. There is no counter to Brahmashirsa Astras and cannot be neutralized. When Ashwathama executed this on all Pandavas including Bheemasena, Arjuna executed this Astra to counter it. Lord Veda Vyasa himself had to intervene and held these in his two arms not allowing collision. Since collision would destroy the entire Universe. In other words, Brahmashirsastra cannot attack the best of beings i.e. God Brahma or God Vayu. As Bheemasena is a form of God Vayu, Brahmashirsastra cannot attack him. However, when once Brahmashirsastra is executed, it does not attain futility. Hence, to uphold these two conditions set-up by Lord himself, he intervened in his form of Veda Vyasa to make both Ashwathama & Arjuna execute the callback. 
Even for the Astra that attacked the womb of Uttara Devi, Lord Sri Krishna did not destroy it. But he entered the Uttara Devi's womb in one of his forms and protected from destruction by being an Armour protecting the baby. While the Astra continued to attack. Therefore, the Brahmashirsastra rendered by Gayatri or energized by Lord himself for the attack and also himself opposing as Armor in Uttara Devi's womb is opposite acts that are astonishing.
One need not be astonished by this, says Sri Sutacharya. Our Lord is awesome. He is the most amazing one. He is Achyutha, having no decline. The unchanging Lord without birth nor death having immeasurable power using Prakriti creates, sustains, destroys, and regulates the whole universe. He is Paramatma or Supreme Atma to confine other Atmas' to death & birth. Subsequently, releasing them with Moksha. In other words, Lord is Satya Sankalpa or Truthfully Resolute to bind us with confinement only to release with Moksha. This is the Axiom and is being taught by Srimad Bhagavatam. 
However, we the common people are unable to unveil this secret of opposing acts of Lord. While He is the cause of binding us with death and birth bringing sorrow & misery. He is also the cause of releasing with Moksha bringing full knowledge & Bliss.
Without the realization of His acts, we think that I am the doer and I need to protect myself from an attack. Nor we understand his Lordship thinking this is mine and I need to protect it for my possession.  

 ब्रह्मतेजोविनिर्मुक्तैरात्मजैः सह कृष्णया ।

प्रयाणाभिमुखं कृष्णमिदमाह पृथा सती ॥ १७॥

Thus, being protected from Brahmashirsastras by Bhagavan Sri Krishna, Sadvi Kunti Devi along with her children, Draupadi, Uttara Devi sang the Glory of Lord worshipping him.

|| Hari Om ||

|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||