Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - The Immortal Characters of Hindu Mythology

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 ||

Hare Srinivasa

कल्यण अद्भुत गात्राय कामितार्थ प्रदयिने ।

श्रीमद् वेन्कटनाथाय श्रीनिवासय ते नम: ॥

Your benevolence for granting wishes is incredibly vast and unsurpassed.

Divine Lord Venkateshwara! Destroyer of Sins! An abode of Mahalakshmi! Srinivasa!

My salutations to you.

भवाय नस्त्वं भव विश्वभावन त्वमेव माताथ सुहृत्पतिः पिता ।

त्वं सद्गुरुर्नः परमं च दैवतं यस्यानुवृत्त्या कृतिनो बभूविम ॥ ७॥

Vishwabhavana! From you, the whole universe has arisen. Suhrtpati! You are the mother, the father, you are the friend, as well as our teacher. Sadguru! It is you, who makes us walk on the right path. You are our lord, as well as being worshipped. We are safe and successful by taking refuge in your lotus feet which are auspicious. 

Lord! You are the only cause of our success.

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.

दयादाक्षिण्यवैराग्यवाक्पाटवमुखाङिकतः ।

शापानुृग्रहशक्तोऽन्यो राघवेन्द्रन्नविध्यते ॥

The face symbolizing Compassion; Modesty; Dispassion towards sensual pleasure; Eloquence; Power to remove curses is none else than you, Guru Raghavendra. My salutations to you.

स एष लोके विख्यातः परीक्षिदिति यत्प्रभुः ।

गर्भे दृष्टमनुध्यायन् परीक्षेत नरेष्विह ॥ ३०॥

Immediately after the birth, as proclaimed by priests, King Yudhisthira named his grandson as Vishnuratha. The one protected by Maha Vishnu.

We had seen पर्ये or परितः is surrounding and अक्षत is Uninjured. However, परीक्षा also means to examine or look for. Hence, Parakshid is one who looks for or a seeker.

Hence, being uninjured from any surrounding directions, always wondering even starting before birth that who is protecting him  led a life to always please the Lord and as a seeker of the indweller, the Lord. Eager to know the Lord, see him, time and again, seeking the Lord to reveal himself. Hence, became famous as a seeker of the Lord or Parakshid.

स राजपुत्रो ववृधे आशु शुक्ल इवोडुपः ।

आपूर्यमाणः पितृभिः काष्ठाभिरिव सोऽन्वहम् ॥ ३१॥

This way being protected by the Lord, blessed by Lord, loved by King Yudhishthira & other Pandavas, blessed by the priests, the baby Parakshid grew, like the waxing moon. As the goddesses of directions bring light to the waxing moon making it grow by every night, Parakshid grew as a young man under the auspices of Pandavas.

यक्ष्यमाणोऽश्वमेधेन ज्ञातिद्रोहजिहासया ।

राजालब्धधनो दध्यावन्यत्र करदण्डयोः ॥ ३२॥

Though the war of Kurukshetra, was a war of Justice, and the righteous had prevailed over the injustice as wished by the Lord, yet King Yudhisthara had felt dejected and sympathized for the losers and injustice. Hence, he was a sinner. Therefore, King Yudhisthara thought of taking up sacrifices or Yagna to redeem his sins. For which he wanted money.

King Yudhishthira started worrying about how he could meet the expenses for carrying out sacrifices. He did not want to spend the treasure of the kingdom, nor increase the tax, nor increase the penalty of the misdeeds of his subjects.

तदभिप्रेतमालक्ष्य भ्रातरोऽच्युतचोदिताः

धनं प्रहीणमाजह्रुरुदीच्यां दिशि भूरिशः ॥ ३३॥

Knowing the worry of King Yudhishthira, the omniscient Lord directed him to bring the wealth from Himalaya. He reminded the incidence of King Maruta who ruled the entire earth in the medieval age. He had carried out more than 1000 Yagna surpassing even King Indra, the Lord of heaven. After the sacrifice or Yagnas, King Maruta had disposed of huge golden vessels towards the north in the Himalaya. Also, the priests assembled to carry out Yagna had received enormous wealth from King Marutaas as gifts and had left behind in Himalayan Mountains were unable to carry back.

The Pandavas went to the Himalayan Mountains and carried back the huge wealth that was leftover.

तेन सम्भृतसम्भारो धर्मपुत्रो युधिष्ठिरः ।

वाजिमेधैस्त्रिभिर्भीतो यज्ञैः समयजद्धरिम् ॥ ३४॥

King Yudhishthira arranged to buy all substances to carry out the Yagna from the wealth they brought from Himalaya. He carried out three big Ashwamedha Yagnas in an excellent way. He did so following the same procedure as followed by God Brahma, Lord in his form of Parshurama and his form as Sri Rama followed earlier. This way King Yudhisthara propitiates the Lord.

आहूतो भगवान् राज्ञा याजयित्वा द्विजैर्नृपम् ।

उवास कतिचिन्मासान् सुहृदां प्रियकाम्यया ॥ ३५॥

King Yudhishthira carried out the three sacrifices uninterruptedly over a period of fifteen years. During that divine period, Lord Sri Krishna remained in the capital city of Hastinapur and later for a few months.

ततो राज्ञाभ्यनुज्ञातः कृष्णया सहबन्धुभिः ।

ययौ द्वारवतीं ब्रह्मन् सार्जुनो यदुभिर्वृतः ॥ ३६॥

Shaunaka! Later Lord Sri Krishna left to his capital city of Dwarka along with his family, the members of his clan, Yadhus, and Arjuna, says Sri Sutacharya narrating the exceptional birth story of Parikshit raja during the beginning of this Kali Yuga.

इति श्रीमद्भागवते महापुराणे पारमहंस्यां संहितायां प्रथमस्कन्धे

परीक्षिज्जन्माद्युत्कर्षो नाम द्वादशोऽध्यायः ॥ १२॥

With this, we complete "The Exceptional Birth Story of Parikshit Raja” the twelfth Adhyaya, of Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1. We could do so only because of the continued blessings of Hari, Vayu, and Gurus.

In this Srimad Bhagavata, composed by Lord himself in his form of Veda Vyasa, after the Mangalacharna or the verses of prayers, we saw Lord endorsing the holiness of Naimisharanya, saying,

नैमिषेनिमिषक्षेत्रे ऋषयः शौनकादयः ।

सत्रं स्वर्गाय लोकाय सहस्रसममासत ||

Naimishye Nimisha Kshetra. The Naimisharanya is very dear to Gods and are present there in a significant way. A spiritual gathering was conducted that lasted for over a Thousand-Year. Akhyana or stories of long Penance was narrated. The objective was to accomplish Swarga, the place where the Lord is absorbed in his bliss or Vaikunta.

त एकदा तु मुनयः प्रातर्हुतहुताशनाः।

सत्कृतं सूतमासीनं पप्रच्छुरिदमादृताः॥

One day having completed all the daily Yagna of fire with substance early in the morning, all the Rishis arrived for Jnana Yagna. They welcomed Sri Sutacharya, offered him arghya and padya paid respects, honor & gratitude. Sri Shaunaka Rishi, who on behalf of all rishis praised him for having arrived as bright Sun and says this:

Oh! Stainless Sutacharya, you are well versed in all eighteen Puranas; Ithihasa or History including Mahabharata & Ramayana; Pancharatra. You have done an in-depth study of the Dharma Shastras. Also, you keep narrating these to the learned and wise.

As the long stories of penance continued, we heard Sri Saunaka Rishi saying,

अभिमन्युसुतं सूत प्राहुर्भागवतोत्तमम् ।

तस्य जन्म महाश्चर्यं कर्माणि च गृणीहि नः ॥ ९॥

Sri Sutha Puranika, we have heard that the son of Abhimanyu, Parikshit Raja was the best of Bhagavata following Bhagavata dharma to letter and spirit. His birth itself was a wonder. Please tell us the extraordinary story of his birth and all his outstanding activities.

स सम्राट् कस्य वा हेतोः पाण्डूनां मानवर्धनः ।

प्रायोपविष्टो गङ्गायामनादृत्याधिराट् श्रियम् ॥ १०॥

Also, he brought fame to the family of Pandu and was an able Emperor. The Emperor of all the seven islands of this earth. Though had the responsibility of administering as per the dharma set-up by his grandfather Yudhishthira, for what reason did he abandoned the Empire and its wealth? What made him reach the bank of Ganges and take the vow of Prayopavistam by fasting until death?  

नमन्ति यत्पादनिकेतमात्मनः शिवाय हानीय धनानि शत्रवः ।

कथं स वीरः श्रियमङ्ग दुस्त्यजां युवैषतोत्स्रष्टुमहो सहासुभिः ॥ ११॥            

The enemy Kings would bring their tax money of their kingdom to the Emperor and place it at the footrest of Parikshit Raja without failure. Yet, why the young Parikshit Raja did abandon the Empire and its complete wealth? What made him decide so?

शिवाय लोकस्य भवाय भूतये य उत्तमश्लोकपरायणा जनाः ।

जीवन्ति नात्मार्थमसौ पराश्रयं मुमोच निर्विद्य कुतः कलेवरम् ॥ १२॥

One who has complete trust & belief in the Lord and work for the auspiciousness, welfare, prosperity, happiness of virtuous? They are not selfish. This way, having benevolence and doing selfless charity, how did Parikshit raja bring in dispassion towards his clean body and decided to give up?

To these questions, we heard the birth story of Parikshit raja. Sri Sutacharya had to answer about Vairagya or dispassion of Parikshit raja towards the materialistic world, including foregoing his body. Hence, as an introduction to Vairagya, Lord Veda Vyasa introduces the relevant part of Mahabharata. He introduces Vidura, one of the central characters of Mahabharata. And an uncle of Pandavas and Kauravas. Unlike Bheeshmacharya, Vidura had no obligation to participate in the war of Kurukshetra and had taken up pilgrimage visiting various holy places of this Spiritual Land, Jambudweep.

It is worthy of noting that Sri Shaunaka and his fellow rishis are of a very high order. They are very dear to the Lord. They carried out the Spiritual gathering for over a thousand years to ensure that the seventeen Puranas, Srimad Bhagavatam, Mahabharata, Ramayana, and its essence is percolated to every nook and corner of this Spiritual Land of Jambudweep. Hence, in any corner of this country, one would have some sense of these scriptures including the characters or their moral value. Therefore, the various characters of Hindu Mythology is immortal and never dies.

Reimagining or retelling with the same names, some times consistent with characters, places, incidents, or the time of occurrences and sometimes otherwise with the compositions of Lord Veda Vyasa or camouflaging to distort the objectives of the Lord’s message as Hindu Mythology are a disservice.

Let’s seek the continued blessings of Hari, Vayu, and Gurus to take a look at the thirteenth adhyaya of Srimad Bhagavata, Skanda one.

 || Hari Om ||

|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||