Srimad Bhagavatam Skanda 1 - Mahabharata the Book of Seekers

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.

After remembering the glory and fame he accomplished with the blessings of Lord Sri Krishna, Arjuna started regretting some of his conduct. Arjuna says,

सौत्ये वृतः कुमतिनाऽऽत्मद ईश्वरो मे यत्पादपद्ममभवाय भजन्ति भव्याः ।

मां श्रान्तवाहमरयो रथिनो भुविष्ठं न प्राहरन् यदनुभावनिरस्तचित्ताः ॥ १७॥

King Yudhishthira! I am a mean-minded one. Those Sanyasis who have renounced the materialistic life including their blood relations and have submitted themselves to the Lord and the larger good of the society have taken refuge in the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna. That Lord Sri Krishna who surrenders himself to such devout Sanyasis by arranging all their day to day needs, by always being with them, and available at their beck and call have won the title as Bhaktavatsala. But I had वृतः or preferred him as सौत्य or the charioteer.

My Brother! While the whole world भजन्ति, propitiate him, including भव्याः, the best of beings like God Brahma and God Vayu. They take refuge in his lotus feet. However, with my mean mindedness, I had requested Lord Sri Krishna to drive my chariot in the war of Kurukshetra. I used him for trivial purposes.

Yet Lord Vasudeva never expressed any ill-feelings towards me, nor for carrying out any work. He would drive the chariot to the place I wanted. When the horses got tired in the middle of the battle, I would get down from the chariot. Lord Sri Krishna would dislodge the horses from the chariot, take them to the water, stroke them at the side of their body while they drank water, and recovered from the tiredness. After drinking water, he would rub their necks, shoulders, head, and ears to fill them with enthusiasm and energy. He would give them food.

Also, in the battlefield, as Sri Krishna, the Lord of time drove the chariot, he would beat down the will power of my enemies and took away their lifespan only through a glance. It was only his blessings that bestowed me the fame of killing the great warriors in the enemy line. While he treated me as a friend, I was mean-minded towards him and used him to drive my chariot.

नर्माण्युदाररुचिरस्मितशोभितानिहे पार्थ हेऽर्जुन सखे कुरुनन्दनेति ।

सञ्जल्पितानि नरदेव हृदिस्पृशानि स्मर्तुर्लुठन्ति हृदयं मम माधवस्य ॥ १८॥

My brother! Though being the Lord of the whole universe, he had extended us friendship and played with us during our childhood. Lord Sri Krishna would call me with an open heart, charming smile, and with a sweet voice as Partha! Arjuna! Friend! Kuru Nandana! His charming face and the sweet voice has been imprinted on my memory. His disappearance from this earth has pushed me into a deep depression causing low spirits in me.

My brother! You know the amount of dejection we feel when an ordinary being or a close relative passes away. Then what would be the dejection when Madhupati, who had appeared in the family of Madhu bringing fame to Yadhu clan; my Madhava who is propounded in the seven great scripture of the ancient Sanatana dharma that includes Rig-Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda, Atharvana Veda, Ramayana, Mahabarata, and the Purana disappear from this earth?

शय्यासनाटनविकत्थनभोजनादिष्वैक्याद्वयस्य ऋतवानिति विप्रलब्धः ।

सख्युः सखेव पितृवत्तनयस्य सर्वं सेहे महान् महितया कुमतेरघं मे ॥ १९॥

In our childhood, I remember when we went to sleep, or just sit & talk, or while we took a walk, or while bragging or boasting, or while having food together, I had talked to Lord Sri Krishna in disdain. For being friendly, I would forget about his lordship, call like another friend, and would also take a jibe against him calling “You are a big man”.

But, brother! He is महान् महितया, an extremely great one, worthy of being worshiped. Like a father pardons his son and a friend pardons, the compassionate Lord would never take my mistakes seriously and always pardoned me.

Such friendly Lord Sri Krishna has disappeared from this earth.

सोऽहं नृपेन्द्र रहितः पुरुषोत्तमेन सख्या प्रियेण सुहृदा हृदयेन शून्यः ।

अध्वन्युरुक्रमपरिग्रहमङ्ग रक्षन् गोपैरसद्भिरबलेव विनिर्जितोऽस्मि ॥ २०॥

Rajendra! After losing a dear, kind-hearted, and a great friend, I became void. As informed by Daruka, the charioteer of Lord Sri Krishna, I was bringing the wives of Lord Sri Krishna carefully. However, on the way, the uncultured and barbaric mlecchas attacked me and defeated me as an ordinary soldier. I failed in protecting the womenfolk. I could not respond with my Gandiva, nor the powerful arrows I had in my quiver or could remember the powerful Astras that were bestowed to me.

तद्वै धनुस्त इषवः स रथो हयास्ते सोऽहं रथी नृपतयो यत आनमन्ति ।

सर्वं क्षणेन तदभूदसदीशरिक्तं भस्मन् हुतं कुहकराद्धमिवोप्तमूष्याम् ॥ २१॥

I am the same Arjuna in front of whom even the great kings bowed their heads. I hold the same powerful Gandiva, the same arrows, the same chariot, and also horses. However, after the disappearance of Lord Sri Krishna, I have become like a substance of the fire sacrifice offered into ashes, or like a help offered to one satisfied, or like a seed sowed in the desert.

King Yudhishthira had enquired Arjuna about their relatives at Dwarka. He had asked,

कच्चिदानर्तपुर्यां नः स्वजनाः सुखमासते ।

मधुभोजदशार्हार्हसात्वतान्धकवृष्णयः ॥ २५॥

“Are all our relatives and friends fine at Dwarka? Are Madhus, Bojas, Dasarhas, and Satvatas – the grandsons of Yadhus, and their grandsons and sons - Andhakas, and Vrishnis fine?”

Recollecting these questions, Arjuna says,

राजंस्त्वयानुपृष्टानां सुहृदां नः सुहृत्पुरे ।

विप्रशापविमूढानां निघ्नतां मुष्टिभिर्मिथः ॥ २२॥

वारुणीं मदिरां पीत्वा मदोन्मथितचेतसाम् ।

अजानतामिवान्योन्यं चतुःपञ्चावशेषिताः ॥ २३॥

Maharaj! You had asked me about the well being of our relatives at Dwarka. With विप्रशाप, the curse of Brahmins, they have become विमूढ and have lost their senses. Being confused, they have resorted to मदिरां or liquor named वारुणीं or Vaarunim. Also, behaving as strangers with each other, they have taken-up enmity and have killed themselves. Hardly, four or five of them have survived.

प्रायेणैतद्भगवत ईश्वरस्य विचेष्टितम् ।

मिथो निघ्नन्ति भूतानि भावयन्ति च यन्मिथः ॥ २४॥

Various living beings in this universe cooperating and collaborating with each other. Only coming together of two beings give birth to the third one. However, we also see one overpowering the other and killing each other. These contrary behaviors of being on the opposite side of the spectrum seems strange to us, but are the true sport's charm of omnipotent Lord himself. He does this as an indweller of each living being.  

जलौकसां जले यद्वन्महान्तोऽदन्त्यणीयसः ।

दुर्बलान् बलिनो राजन् महान्तो बलिनो मिथः ॥ २५॥

एवं बलिष्ठैर्यदुभिर्महद्भिरितरान् विभुः ।

यदून् यदुभिरन्योन्यं भूभारान् सञ्जहार ह ॥ २६॥

Like the bigger fish eats the smaller ones in the water bodies, the same way the powerful ones overpowers the fragile and weaker ones in human beings too. In the case of two equally powerful humans, they fight with each other and die. By bestowing power to the Yadhu clan, Lord Sri Krishna ensured that all the wicked and scandalous Kings were killed.

Subsequently, by instilling hatred in the members of Yadhu clan, the Lord ensured the loathing Yadhus kill each other and die. Else, the entry of Kali in those strong Yadu clans would have increased the weight of sin on mother earth causing destruction. Thus, by bestowing strength sometimes, instilling hatred sometimes, the omnipotent Lord ensured that the weight of Sin on mother earth was brought under control and sustained its sinking into primordial water. This way the Lord upheld dharma. 

देशकालार्थयुक्तानि हृत्तापोपशमानि च ।

हरन्ति स्मरतश्चित्तं गोविन्दाभिहितानि मे ॥ २७॥

As Arjuna started remembering his interactions with the Lord Sri Krishna, the Tattva Jnana he had received through a narration of Bhagavad Gita at an appropriate circumstance including time, place, and purpose started appearing in his mind.

Arjuna says, King Yudhishthira! This made me pleasant. The agitation and distress in my heart have disappeared. I have regained my consciousness.

After narrating the conversations between King Yudhishthira and Arjuna, Sri Sutacharya says,

सूत उवाच

एवं चिन्तयतो जिष्णोः कृष्णपादसरोरुहम् ।

सौहार्देनातिगाढेन शान्ताऽऽसीद्विमला मतिः ॥ २८॥

Sri Shaunaka! The beaten down Arjuna was befuddled. However, as he recollected various incidents remembering Lord Sri Krishna including the Tattva Jnana of Bhagavad Gita he initiated, his various other encounters with Lord Sri Krishna, his mind started becoming clear, and coherent. His deep devotion in the Lotus feet of Lord sprang from his heart recollecting the imprinted memories on his mind that he cherished and his Lotus of heart blossomed gushing with serenity into him.

वासुदेवाङ्घ्र्यनुध्यानपरिबृंहितरंहसा ।

भक्त्या निर्मथिताशेषकषायधिषणोऽर्जुनः ॥ २९॥

Arjuna had developed a deep devotion in the Lotus feet of Lord by remembering, thinking, and meditating on it. He had toiled day & night causing churn in his heart with its centrifugal forces separating & draining malady, perversion & all behavioral disorders. This had allowed the devotion to occupy quite deep within him.

In the whole of Mahabharata, it is Bheemasena who never comes under the control of illusion or ignorance, nor he loses his stability and becomes worried. He represents the original attributes of a Sattvic Jiva Atma or the soul. He stands for the attributes of Bhakti or Devotion, Jnana or Knowledge, Vairagya or Dispassion, Pragna or Prudence, Medha or the Mental Power, Dhruti or being Resolute, Sthiti or Perseverance, Yoga or Synchronization with the Axiom, Prana or the Life Force and Bala or Strength.

His peer is Duryodhana. He is a thamasic Jiva, the Lord of evil, the counterpart of Bheemasena representing the ego, the I, wanting to have all the wealth, kingdom even if through gambling and being wicked. He represents our attachment and deep love towards the materialistic world.

In this journey of Srimad Bhagavata, we studied the story of Dharma Raja. We saw in  Dharmaraja’s Dilemma on Dharma  that Yama Dharmaraja did not accept the words of Lord in both his forms of Sri Krishna and Veda Vyasa. He continued to remain in an illusion that he was the cause for the killing of thousands of people in the war of Kurukshetra. No amount of persuasion by his brothers Bheemasena & Arjuna, the family priest Dhaumya rishi, the other brahmins could make him understand that the war of Kurukshetra was a war between right & wrong, he stood by the side of right and was the wish of Lord to establish righteousness on the earth. He could come out of his ignorance only when he was initiated into Tattva Jnana by his great grandfather and the legendary Sri Bheeshmacharya including the famous Bheeshma Stuti, & Vishnu Sahasranama.

So too, the Arjuna, the form of Indra, the Lord of Heaven. Except for Bheemasena & Draupadi, Balarama & his wife Varuni Devi, Ashwathama Acharya among various Gods who had come down to earth to serve Lord Sri Krishna, Arjuna was superior. Yet he too was deluded. He put down his bow Gandiva as if he would be the cause for killing his relatives, friends, near and dear. He came under the control of ego forgetting that the cause of everything is Lord.

In the Soul Searching by Ashwathaamacharya, we saw how Ashwathama acharya was punished by Lord Sri Krishna and banished from the place of human dwellings for thousand years for having supported Duryodhana, the lord of Kali. King Dhritarashtra was also not an ordinary human being. We saw his accomplishments in Bhakti, Blazed The Fire of Yoga. But, he too had fallen into illusion, he had loved his son Duryodhana beyond measure.

Mahabharata has been composed to understand from the metaphysical standpoint, the nature of mind, and its understanding of reality. It is a story of each individual, beginning from the time of his first birth. It includes the deep passions he has towards the materialistic world without propitiating the Lord through Jnana & Bhakti. The fun that distances him from the Lord he wishes to have without realizing its viciousness. The fight he puts up to accomplish the fun even if it takes to be wicked, only to realize its futility after several cycles of rebirths, and accomplish vairagya or dispassion towards materialism.

Also, it narrates the struggle he has to make to shear the cycle of death and birth. This fight and the struggle to make the individual swing between ignorance and knowledge to achieve the axiom is what has been captured in Mahabharata.

As Bheemasena represents the sattvic soul has no ambiguity. However, Dharma raja, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva flicker and even take long swings. Dharma raja represents our conduct towards righteousness. Arjuna represents our practice of indoctrination of Axiom. And they enact us when we are distant from Lord without sankeertana, singing his glory or propitiating the Lord without jnana or bhakti towards him and dispassion or vairagya towards the materialistic world. Also, it is not just enactment but actual history that happened.             

Hence, the debate between the people or religion of the book and those without is the fundamental approach between two philosophies to approach the Axiom. Mahabharata narrates the stories of seekers like Bheeshmaacharya, Kunti Devi, Dhritarashtra, Vidura, Dharma raja, Arjuna, and so on to help understand Axiom. However, those with a book seek faith or belief that has been written.

|| Hari Om || 

|| Sri Krishnarpanamastu ||