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MAHAVISHNU
IN ANATASAYANA |
"Yada
yada hi dharmasya
Glanirbhavati bharata
Abhyutthanam adharmasya
Tadatmaanam srijami Aham
Paritranaya sadhunaam
Vinashaya cha dushkrutam
Dharma samsthapanarthaya
Sambhavami yugey yugey!"
Whenever and wherever
there is a decline in righteousness (adharma)
and a rise in irreligion, O Bhaarata (descendant
of Bharata)
I shall present Myself at that time
In order to protect the pious
and destroy foolish wrongdoers,
also to reestablish religion and probity
(dharma),
I shall incarnate, age after age
Thus spake Lord Krishna,
avatar of Lord Mahavishnu, in the Bhagavad
Gita. Mahavishnu took ten avatars or incarnations
in order to protect the world through the
different yugas or eons. Out of these ten
avatars, the Shri Rama avatar and Shri Krishna
avatar have gained the most importance,
thanks to the emergence of the huge epics,
the Ramayana and the Mahabharata respectively.
The Dashavatars
The Dashavatars (ten
avatars) of Vishnu are:
Matsya (The Fish), Kurma
(The Tortoise), Varaha (The Boar), Narasimha
(Half-man and Half-lion), Vamana (Dwarf
Brahmin), Parasurama (The One wielding the
Axe), Rama (the Purushottama - The perfect
human being), Balarama (Krishna's brother),
Krishna (The perfect Statesman) and Kalki
(The Warrior riding a White Steed). Each
and every avatar descended on Earth with
a specific purpose, to protect creation
through a multitude of ages.
Shri Rama and Shri Krishna
Though Shri Rama and
Shri Krishna were essentially the same,
since they came from Mahavishnu Himself,
we can still see a lot of difference in
their personality and characters. Both the
avatars manifested as human beings on Earth
and came with a certain purpose. Once that
purpose was served, They left the mundane
world as we know it.
The main purpose of the
Rama avatar was to destroy Ravana, the Asura
(Demon) King, while the principal aim of
Krishna's avatar was to convey the supreme
message of the Bhagavad Gita, to vanquish
evil and bring back justice and righteousness
to humankind. Here's a sketch of both avatars,
Rama and Krishna, and a comparative study
between these two avatars.
THE RAMA AVATAR
Lord Rama, the seventh
avatar of Vishnu, is regarded as the Marayada
Purushottam, or the most ideal human being.
Also referred to as Ramachandra and honorifically
as Sri Rama, this son of King Dasharatha
and Ruler of Ayodhya, is one of the main
anchors of the Hindu religion. Rama is a
very popular figure in Southeast Asia as
well. Rama is revered as a King who really
lived on Earth and annihilated evil powers
from the earth during His age. This avatar
has been glorified and deified for many
centuries now, what with the giant epic,
the Ramayana, written by sage Valmiki. Further,
Saint Tulsidas' excellent translation of
Valmiki's works, called Ramcharitmanas,
helped the epic reach the ordinary masses
and aided them to develop a better understanding
of the finer aspects and the ultimate message
of the Ramayana.
The Hindu Cosmic Time Cycle
The whole concept of
time in Hinduism is very different from
the 'linear' aspect of time as we know it
today. The Hindu aspect of Time, like every
other Indian concept, has a cosmic angle
to it. Hinduism believes that each complete
cosmic cycle of creation and destruction
goes through four stages or epochs, namely,
Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapar Yuga and
finally, Kali Yuga. Since the cosmic process
is believed to be continuous, the movement
of this cycle of time too has no beginning
and no end. It is therefore, ananta (infinite).
Lord Rama is said to
have descended Himself during the Treta
Yuga. The eldest son of King Dasharatha
and Kausalya, Rama is deemed the very embodiment
of Dharma and the Parabrahman or the Supreme
Being. Rama is the husband of Sita, who
is Herself considered an aspect of Goddess
Mahalakshmi, the Divine Consort of Vishnu.
Sita is also considered by the Hindus as
the ideal embodiment of a perfect woman.
Rama's appearance in relation to Vishnu
and Krishna
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RAMA, SITA,
LAKSHMANA
AND HANUMAN |
Rama is not very different
in appearance from Krishna. He has a bluish
skin tone, similar to that of Vishnu and
Krishna. He is usually shown in a standing
posture, with a smiling countenance, holding
a huge bow in His left hand and a quiver
of arrows tied to His back. The most popular
portrait of Rama is that with his Consort,
Sita, standing on His left; blessing His
faithful monkey attendant, Hanuman, sitting
at His feet on the right; His brother, Lakshmana,
standing just a little behind Him, to His
right.
Being the Prince of Ayodhya,
he is the shown adorned in all royal finery,
with the usual 'tilak' on His forehead.
Rama's life and times
The whole story of Rama's
life revolves around showing respect to
elders and strict adherence towards duty,
no matter how harsh the circumstances. Rama,
the descendant of the brilliant Raghuvamsa
dynasty, has two step mothers, Kaikeyi and
Sumitra, who have a son each, namely, Bharata
and Shatrughna. All his three younger brothers
are also known for their piety, purity and
strength of character.
Rama's youth
Even in his youth, Rama
constantly engages himself in destroying
several evil forces and demons so as to
bring back order and harmony to society.
Along with Sage Vishwamitra and Lakshmana,
He travels many places and restores peace
to many a yagna (holy sacrificial rite).
Ahalya Mukti
During one of His many
sojourns, He frees a lady from her own husband's
curse. Ahalya, wife of sage Gautama, is
famed for her beauty and piety. Indra, the
King of the Devas, is filled with unholy
desires for this lady. So when she is alone
at home one day, Indra comes to her in Gautama's
guise. When Gautama realizes what had transpired
during his absence, he curses Ahalya and
turns her into a stone. She remains there
for years together, till Rama steps into
the ashram along with Vishwamitra and Lakshmana.
She is free of her curse and comes back
in all her beauty, the minute Rama places
His foot on the stone
Sita Swayamvara
Janaka, King of Mithila,
is intent on conducting a swayamvara (marriage
ceremony) for his adopted daughter, Sita.
The challenge for the prospective grooms
is to string Shiva's bow, kept at the sabha
(congregation). Many kings, including the
ten-headed Demon King, Ravana, fail at repeated
attempts. Rama lifts the bow in one go and
strings it effortlessly, thus winning Sita's
hand in marriage.
Vanavas - The Dharma of Exile
Kaikeyi wants Bharata
to ascend the throne and rule the kingdom,
so at His father's behest, Rama, the rightful
Yuvaraja, abandons his claim to the throne
and leaves to the forest for fourteen years,
accompanied by his wife, Sita and brother,
Lakshmana. The whole of Ayodhya is in darkness
and Dasharatha dies of a broken heart, but
Rama being duty-bound, refuses to return
to the kingdom before the stipulated time
period. Bharata refuses to rule Ayodhya,
visits Rama in the forest, carries Rama's
padukas (footwear) on his head and places
them on the throne instead.
Sita Apaharan
Rama, Sita and Lakshmana
spend many happy years in the forest. One
day, Ravana sends Maricha, to go to Sita
in the guise of a golden deer. Sita, enchanted
by the deer, asks Lakshmana to pursue the
deer. At that time, Ravana comes in the
guise of a bhikshuk (beggar) and demand
alms from Sita. Carelessly, she crosses
the Lakshman Rekha (the line drawn by Lakshmana
for her safety) and ends up being abducted
by the terrible Ravana.
Rama's mission
Rama's whole mission
starts with protecting Sita and destroying
Ravana's kingdom, Lanka. He gets together
with the Vanarasena (army of monkeys) of
Kishkindha, headed by Sugreeva. This is
where He meets his legendary, powerful devotee,
Hanuman. Ravana tries to tie up Hanuman
and lights fire to his tail, but the latter
is too quick for him. He takes a vishwaroopa
(massive form), jumps around Lanka and sets
the whole kingdom on fire. When Lakshmana
falls to one of Ravana's arrows, Hanuman
retrieves the medicinal Sanjeevani from
the Aravali mountain and saves his life.
Hanuman acts as Rama's
messenger, steals into Ashokvan (where Sita
is held captive) and assures Her of freedom
from this bondage. With a lot of help from
Hanuman, they win a terrible battle against
Ravana and rescue Sita from his clutches.
Ravana is vanquished
and killed and the joyous troupe returns
to Ayodhya to celebrate the Pattabhishekha,
or the Coronation, of Lord Rama as the King
of Ayodhya. Rama is worshipped for his unending
compassion, his Eka Patni (wedding only
one wife) stand and his courage in pursuing
the right path.
The story of Rama inspires
awe and devotion in the Indian subcontinent.
The word 'Ram' or 'Rama' is very commonly
used among Indians. 'Ram Ram' is a greeting
used mostly in North India. The phrase,
"Ram Nam Satya Hai" (Ram is the
ultimate truth) is chanted by a procession
carrying a dead man on his last journey.
'Hey Ram' was the famous expression uttered
by Mahatma Gandhi before he was assassinated
by Nathuram Godse. Such is the respect and
devotion shown towards this Hindu deity.
THE KRISHNA AVATAR
Shri Krishna, the ninth
avatara of Vishnu, is as popular, if not
more, than Rama. While the word 'Rama' is
used more than Krishna, there are many more
Krishna temples and religious sects in India.
Shri Krishna is worshipped as a major deity
among the Vaishnavaites (followers of Vishnu).
He is regarded as the Supreme One by the
Gaudiya Vaishnava sect. Krishna's stories
are entertaining and span His whole life,
right from infancy to adulthood. All these
stories, however, contain a deep, spiritual
inner meaning. Lord Krishna's mission was
to deliver the Bhagavad Gita and thereby
emerge as a Supreme philosophical teacher.
The Krishna Avatar is
regarded as the Sampoorna (complete) avatar,
as he has the sixteen necessary kalas or
distinctive traits. Rama is not regarded
as such, as he shared these qualities with
his brothers. Krishna is never shown praying
to any God - He is deemed to be beyond all
Gods and gunas (qualities). Rama prayed
to the Surya Devata (Sun God), as He is
the descendant of the Raghuvamsa.
Krishna's life is filled
with stories of dalliances with the Gopis
(cowherd women), but the love they had for
each other had been absolutely pure and
transcended all barriers and human limitations.
Krishna's appearance
Krishna is depicted in
various ways, during many stages of his
life. But one of the most common images
of Krishna is that of a cowherd boy leaning
against a cow, playing His instrument, the
flute. The word 'Krishna' itself means 'dark'
or 'black' in Sanskrit. It also means 'all-attractive'.
Many works of poetry describe Krishna as
the 'one whose complexion is tinged with
the shade of dark clouds'.
While Rama is depicted
as a very serious avatar, Krishna is seen
as a playful figure, performing many miracles,
stealing the hearts of young Gopis with
his enchanting music, romping around with
His Eternal Lover, Radha and so on. It is
only the Bhagavad Gita that portrays Krishna
in a somber light, that of a Divine Teacher.
Krishna's birth
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VASUDEVA CARRYING
BABY KRISHNA |
Krishna was born in the
Dwapara Yuga, in a royal family of Mathura,
to Devaki and Vasudeva. Devaki's brother,
Kansa, receives a divine intimation that
his sister's eighth child would be the cause
of his death. Fearing this, he puts the
couple in prison and kills all their children
one by one. When the eighth child is born,
Vasudeva is miraculously let out of the
prison. It is a stormy night and the doors
open by themselves, letting him out. He
is mysteriously guided to leave baby Krishna
with Yashoda and Nanda of the Yadava (cowherd)
clan or the Yadukula.
Krishna's childhood
During childhood, Krishna
performed many leelas or miracles to save
the residents of the town. There are many
stories of the pranks little Krishna often
played on the Gopis. He would break into
a Brajanari's house in her absence to steal
the butter and curd kept there. There is
a famous story of Krishna asking his friends
to make a human pyramid, so that He could
climb on top of them and steal the butter
pot kept hanging from the ceiling. Once
he climbs on top, He breaks the pot and
all the youngsters have a good time enjoying
the butter and the curd flowing from the
pot! This tradition is followed even today
during the festival of Gokulashtami. Many
boys get together to form a huge human pyramid
and break the 'dahi handi' (curd pot) hung
at a height, several meters above the ground
and share the goodies placed in the pot!
Then there is another
anecdote where Yashoda, in sheer frustration,
beats Him up for stealing butter and asks
Him to open His mouth to see traces of the
butter. But when He does open His mouth,
Yashoda is stunned to see the three worlds
residing within Him! This is when she realizes
His divinity.
Krishna often broke earthen
pots of water that Gopis carried on their
heads, on their way home from the river.
He once stole clothes their clothes while
they bathed in the river, climbed onto a
high branch, secured the clothes there and
refused to hand them over to the Gopis unless
they came out and begged for it.
Prince Krishna
Kansa hears of Krishna
and keeps trying to kill him with demons
and evil powers. Once Krishna is old enough,
He confronts Kansa and kills him, thereby
granting moksha (liberation) to him.
There are two famous
stories of how Krishna saves the local people
while in trouble. Lord Indra, being angry
that the villagers refuse to pray to Him,
unleashes a huge storm on the town. When
the whole town is on the verge of getting
destroyed, Krishna lifts the Govardhana
mountain with the little finger of His left
hand and asks all residents and animals
to take shelter under it. Indra realizes
His mistake and immediately, the storm relents.
This is why Krishna is also known as the
Govardhana Giridhara.
The other story is that
of the Kaliya Nartana. A huge serpent, Kaliya,
stays in the local river and pollutes the
whole river with his poison. Many residents
who drink the water meet with death. This
is when young Krishna dives into the river,
challenges Kaliya and finally subdues him.
To signal his victory to the residents,
He climbs on top of Kaliya and dances on
his hood.
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KRISHNA LIFTS
THE GOVARDHAN MOUNTAIN |
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KALIYA DAMAN
KRISHNA TAMES KALIYA THE SERPENT |
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Krishna - the Romantic Youth
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SECRET LOVE
MEETINGS OF
RADHA AND KRISHNA |
Most stories of Krishna
revolve around His dalliances with the Gopis
of the village and His enduring divine love
for His childhood sweetheart, Radha. Krishna
immensely enjoyed playing the Rasa Lila,
a joyous dance, with the Gopis, who were
actually considered to be highly evolved
saints and sages in their previous births.
Krishna would play the
flute, enchanting the Gopis. The Gopis'
love for Krishna went far beyond human love
- their entire self would mingle with Him
during the Divine Communion. While Radha
and Krishna danced in the center, the Gopis
surrounded them in a big circle, each Gopi
having her own Krishna dancing with her.
Each Gopi related to 'her Krishna' in various
ways - as her father, son, friend or even
lover. This actually signifies the joining
of the Jivatma (individual soul) with the
Paramatma (the Supreme Divine).
The Rasa Lila is still
played all over India during the Navratri
festival. Both men and women adorn themselves
in all finery and dance the night away,
thus symbolizing the divine dance of Krishna,
Radha and the Gopis.
Krishna later married
Rukmini and Satyabhama. He is said to have
had 16,108 wives. But Krishna's supreme
love for Radha transcends all else and has
endured the test of time. Radha and Krishna's
love story has been glorified to such an
extent, that there are several hundreds
of Radha Krishna temples and religious sects
in India today.
The Pandavas
The Pandavas were the
five sons of King Pandu and his two Queens,
Kunti and Madri. Pandu dies of a curse,
leaving behind Kunti. She receives a boon
from sage Durvasa, whereby she just has
to call on a Deva (God) to be blessed with
a son from Him. To test this, Kunti calls
on Surya (the Sun God) before her marriage
and immediately gets a son, Karna. But fearful
of being tagged as an unwed mother, she
quietly abandons the child. She later has
three children, Yudhishtira, Bheema and
Arjuna, while being married to Pandu. She
also transfers the boon to Madri, who gives
birth to twins, Nakula and Sahadeva.
The Pandavas' cousins,
the Kauravas, are children of the blind
King Dhritarashtra and Gandhari. Gandhari
is blessed by sage Vyasa and is given a
boon so as to be able to produce 100 children.
Even two years into the pregnancy, though,
she only has a mass of flesh in her womb.
With his divine powers, sage Vyasa cuts
this mass of flesh into a hundred and one
pieces, thereby giving Gandhari a hundred
sons and one daughter, Dushala.
The Palace of Wax
The Kauravas' eldest
son, Duryodhana, was very against Yudhishtira
ascending the throne, so he always tried
to taunt the Pandavas, much to their chagrin.
Planning to kill them,
he appears to behave very sweetly with them
and gets a Palace of Wax built for them.
His plan is to set fire to it once they
settle down in there. But the builders warn
the Pandavas of Duryodhana's ploy and also
build tunnels and escape routes for them.
While Duryodhana exults
thinking he succeeded in killing them, Kunti
and the Pandavas flee the kingdom through
these tunnels and live incognito in the
forest. After a few days, they shift to
the nearby Panchal city, ruled by King Drupad.
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ARJUNA AT
DRAUPADI'S SWAYAMVARA |
Draupadi Swayamvara
King Drupad had once
conducted a yagna in order to wreak revenge
on Drona, who had gained control over half
his kingdom. Out of the sacrificial fire
emerged two figures, that of Draupadi and
Dhrishtadyumna. Draupadi was blessed with
eternal youth and beauty. As she emerged
out of the fire, a divine voice proclaimed
that she would destroy the Kauravas. She
was a graceful, beautiful woman with a dark
complexion. This was the reason she was
also called 'Krishnaa' - Lord Krishna Himself
addresses her as 'Krishnaa' several times
in the Mahabharata. Being the foster daughter
of the Panchal Naresh (king of Panchal),
Draupadi is also called Panchali. Draupadi
is not only a friend of Krishna's, she is
also extremely devoted to him.
Drupad announces his
daughter, Draupadi's swayamvara. Arjuna
is desirous of marrying the beautiful and
brave Draupadi, so the five brothers proceed
to the swayamvara, disguised as Brahmins.
The challenge is to look
into a bowl of water, showing the reflection
of a moving fish kept hanging directly above
and hit its eye with an arrow. Arjuna, renowned
for his archery, hits the target and wins
Draupadi's hand in marriage and the five
brothers return home with Arjuna's new wife
in tow.
Draupadi - the Pandavas' wife
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DRAUPADI IN
KATHAKALI DANCE STYLE |
While the Pandavas reach
home with Draupadi and requests their mother
to see what they had brought home, Kunti
absently asks them to share among themselves,
whatever it is that they have brought home.
She notices Draupadi only after she speaks
these words, by which time, it is too late
to retract them. So Draupadi ends up marrying
all the brothers.
There is a karmic reasoning
for Draupadi marrying all the Pandavas.
In one of her previous births, she propitiates
Lord Shiva and when He appears in front
of her, she asks Him for a boon to have
a husband with the five qualities of being
strong, handsome, a great archer, sharp-witted
and intelligent. Since Shiva couldn't create
a single man with all these qualities, He
blessed her saying she would have five husbands
in her next birth, each one having one of
these qualities. Thus, Panchali becomes
the wife of the five Pandavas.
Krishna and the Pandavas
This is about the time
when the Pandavas meet Shri Krishna. The
Pandavas grow very close to Krishna, realize
His divinity and utterly surrender to Him.
Draupadi and Krishna become very close and
attached to each other. She is very often
referred to by him as his 'Sakhi' (friend)
in the Mahabharata.
The Pandavas come out
of exile and set up Indraprastha, under
the sovereignty of Dhritarashtra. Their
palace is very beautiful and also very treacherous.
What seems to be is actually not what it
is. The Pandavas invite Duryodhana over
to the palace. He steps on the ground thinking
it is dry, only to fall into a pool of water.
Seeing his condition, Draupadi bursts into
peals of laughter, thus earning his ire.
Duryodhana vows to make her pay for humiliating
him in such a fashion.
Kunti's abandoned son,
Karna, joins the Kaurava fold and connives
with them to destroy the Pandavas. They
approach Duryodhana's uncle, Shakuni, to
suggest a good method to vanquish the Pandavas.
The Game of Dice
Well aware of Yudhisthira's
fondness for gambling, Shakuni asks them
to arrange an elaborate game of dice and
invite the Pandavas to Hastinapura to play
the game with them. Shakuni, being a spineless
cheat, famous for employing unfair means
to win the game, keeps tempting Yudhishtira
to play more hands. Shakuni casts the dice
for Duryodhana. He lets Yudhisthira win
the first few rounds and then employs his
sly strategies, making Yudhishtira lose
heavy stakes. First, he pledges his necklace,
then crown, horses, sentries, army and finally,
his kingdom, Indraprastha and loses that
too.
Then Yudhishtira is asked
by Duryodhana to pledge his own brothers
and loses that stake too. He puts himself
at stake and faces defeat there as well.
Finally, when there is nothing else left
to lose, Duryodhana asks him to pledge his
own wife, Draupadi. Vidura, Dritarashtra's
step brother and also his wise minister,
advises Duryodhana against committing such
a grave sin. But the latter does not relent
and continues with his tirade. Finally,
Yudhishtira stakes his wife and loses her
too.
Draupadi Vastraharan
'Vastraharan' literally
means disrobing. This incident marks the
turning point, which actually sparked off
the great Kurukshetra war. Duryodhana orders
a female attendant to present Draupadi to
the sabha. But when she refuses to come
in front of the royal sabha, Duryodhana
commands his younger brother, Dushasana,
to forcefully drag her into the forum. Dushasana
grips Draupadi by her hair and pulls her
into the hall.
The Kauravas and Karna
proceed to insult her as the Pandavas' whore.
This incenses Arjuna, who swears to kill
Karna sometime. Dushasana proceeds to disrobe
Draupadi in front of the shocked, helpless
audience. Draupadi appeals to her husbands
to protect her, but they can do nothing
in the face of events. She then begs of
Dhritarashtra and all the other dignitaries
present to help her out, but they too are
forced to keep silent.
Draupadi, shedding tears,
shamed and in a great rage, prays to Krishna
to protect her. Dushasana tugs at her sari
in an attempt to disrobe her. But he fails
in that attempt. As soon as one layer of
cloth falls away from her, there's yet another
inner layer covering her, protecting her
modesty.
Draupadi surrenders her
whole self to Krishna's grace, closes her
eyes, lifts her folded hands above her head
and loses herself in Krishna contemplation.
Dushasana pulls out yards and yards of
the material off her, but there is still
more cloth covering her each time. After
a point of time, Dushasana falls to the
ground out of sheer tiredness. Unable to
bear Draupadi being violated thus, Bhima
swears to rip open Dushasana's chest and
drink his blood.
Krishna, the very one
who stole the Gopi's clothes, actually bequeaths
Draupadi with more and more layers of clothing
to prevent his dear friend and foremost
devotee's modesty from being outraged.
Panchali's Terrible Vow
The whole assembly, that
is witness to this great miracle, is filled
with silence. Panchali again appeals to
Dhritarashtra to protect her, but Duryodhana
stops her in her tracks and gestures lewdly,
asking her to come and sit on his thigh.
Bhima roars in anger and swears to crush
that thigh before he kills him.
This is when Panchali
takes her terrible vow. She vows to keep
her long, flowing hair untied till Bhima
is able to soak her hair in Duryodhana's
blood.
Dhritarashtra grants
her three boons, using which Panchali also
frees her husbands from bondage and returns
their royal status to them.
The Battle of Kurukshetra
Krishna tries to alleviate
the tension between the Pandavas and Kauravas
by engaging in diplomatic talks with the
latter party. But the Kauravas are disinterested
in any kind of compromise, so the epic battle
of Kurukshetra is fought for 18 long days.
The battle starts at sunrise each morning
and ends at sunset. Krishna decides to be
unarmed and become the Parthasarathi, the
charioteer of Arjuna, also addressed as
Partha. The Pandavas' army is much smaller
than the Kauravas. So they develop clever
strategies to win the war.
On the first day of battle,
however, Arjuna is overwhelmed by emotion
when he realizes he has to fight and kill
his own grandfather, the colossal legend
Bhishma, his respected teacher, Drona and
the others on the battlefield. He drops
his weapons to the ground and slumps in
defeat, his hands quivering in sorrow and
fright. Struck with extreme grief, not knowing
right from wrong, Arjuna goes to Krishna
for help and advice.
Shri Krishna's Divine Message - The Bhagavad
Gita
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KRISHNA SERMONIZES
THE GITA |
When Krishna sees Arjuna
falling apart on the battlefield, He steps
forward to give him advice on life and on
the higher purpose of living. This conversation
is the Bhagavad Gita, which is the actual
mission of the Krishna avatar. The Bhagavad
Gita is one of the most sacred Hindu spiritual
texts. This is when Krishna takes a massive
Vishwaroopa and shows Himself as Lord Mahavishnu,
the Ultimate Source of life and death. Krishna
educates Arjuna on the purpose of life and
the importance of leading a righteous life.
He reminds Arjuna that this is a battle
between dharma and adharma, so it would
not be a crime to slay anyone who was adharmic.
Shri Krishna's message
gives Arjuna renewed spiritual strength
to fight the battle. At the end of 18 days,
all the biggest warriors of the Kaurava
side die, leaving the Pandava side victorious.
The Pandavas return joyously
to Hastinapura, where Yudhishtira is duly
crowned as King.
The End of the Krishna Avatar
The Krishna avatar came
to an end when a hunter accidentally struck
Krishna on his foot with his poisonous arrow.
Realizing what he had done, he weeps uncontrollably
and begs forgiveness of Krishna. The Lord
smiles it off and forgives him, assuring
him that this was all only a Divine Drama
which has already been pre-destined.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAMAYANA AND MAHABHARATA
The Ramayana and the
Mahabharata are undoubtedly the greatest
epics of all time. But there are also some
controversies and questions arising out
of the stories herein, which sometimes makes
one wonder why Rama and Krishna were so
glorified. An in-depth analysis of both
the heroes, in reality, presents a slightly
different picture.
The Ramayana
The Vali-Sugreeva Battle
When Rama first meets
Sugreeva, the latter tells Him of the atrocities
he has to suffer at the hands of his brother
and the leader of the Vanarasena, Vali.
Rama then decides to kill Vali and make
Sugreeva the leader instead. Since both
the monkey brothers look alike, Rama asks
Sugreeva to wear a garland round his neck,
so that He would be able to identify him.
While the brothers engage in a fierce battle,
Rama hides behind a tree and shoots a fatal
arrow at Vali, thus ending his life.
Rama comes from the Kshatriya
(warrior) sect, which does not excuse any
act of cowardice. So how can one condone
this act of hiding behind a tree and attacking
his friend's brother, with whom he never
had any enmity in the first place? Besides,
Rama is known to be an epitome of non-violence.
How does such an act qualify as non-violent?
The Agni Pareeksha
The Valmiki Ramayana
ended with the Coronation of Rama. But the
story continues in the Uttar Ramayana. After
a long captivity of a year in Ashokvan,
Sita is delighted to hear that Rama won
the battle against Ravana and will soon
come to take her back to Ayodhya. She dresses
up in all finery and readies to meet Him.
But to her extreme shock and grief, He refuses
to look at Her and tells Her that He killed
Ravana only to punish him for his wrongdoings.
Rama further tells Sita that She is free
to go wherever She pleases.
Enraged at this, She
orders Lakshmana to light a pyre for her
and jumps into the fire. But to everyone's
amazement, She emerges unharmed from the
fire. Rama immediately embraces Her and
announces that this was only a leela which
They created to let the people know how
pure and pious Sita actually was. The Agni
Pareeksha (test of fire) would never harm
anyone pure and innocent as Sita.
The Banishment of Sita
In spite of taking the
Agni Pareeksha, however, Sita is humiliated
by Rama yet again. When Rama overhears some
subjects talking among themselves, doubting
Sita's chastity, He decides to banish Sita
from the kingdom. But He does not do so
Himself. Instead, He asks Lakshmana to leave
Her safely in Valmiki's ashram (spiritual
abode). Sita is pregnant with Rama's twins
at the time, yet she is sent away from the
kingdom, as Rama claims that it is His duty
as a King to cater to the needs of his subjects.
His other reasoning is that anyone whose
piety is blighted is not fit to be Queen,
so She has to relinquish Her position and
leave the palace.
Luv and Kush
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THE SONS OF RAMA
BY ANANT PAI |
The story doesn't end
here. In the ashram, Sita gives birth to
twins, Luv and Kush, who grow to be bright
young men. When Rama happens to meets them
many years later, is impressed by their
brilliance and enquires about their lineage,
they narrate the whole Ramayana to Him.
He then realizes they are His own sons,
relents and invites Sita back into Ayodhya,
saying it was only She who was in His heart
all these years.
But Sita still boils
with rage at Her past humiliation and refuses
to return to Him. She pleads with Her Mother,
Bhumi Devi (Mother Earth) to open up the
ground and accept Her. The very next instant,
the ground breaks open, revealing a huge
chasm under it. Sita jumps into that chasm
and is swallowed up by it.
A crestfallen Rama returns
to Ayodhya with His sons, leaves them there
and then ends His avatar by taking a Jala
Samadhi (taking Samadhi in water).
The question here is,
was Sita too, not a subject of Rama? The
Queen is also the praja (subject) of the
King, and hence it becomes the duty of the
King to protect her as well. Besides, asking
one's brother to leave one's pregnant wife
to the forest for no fault of her own, comes
across as an act of cowardice.
There are related stories
which talk about how Vishnu had been cursed
by a rishi (sage) that He would have to
stay separated from His Companion in His
next coming. While these offer a karmic
connection, can one really condone such
acts in today's modern times? Further, if
everything - right or wrong - were to be
explained away as mere karma, there would
be little place left in society for courts
of justice.
The Mahabharata
The Mahabharata, though
also filled with injustices galore, seems
to be more relevant to the Kalyug. Though
many wrongs have been committed here too,
this epic also teaches one the art of statesmanship
and how to deal with and win against a wrongdoer.
Pledging Draupadi
Probably the biggest
injustice in the whole of the Mahabharata
was Yudhisthira's act of pledging Draupadi
in the game of dice. When he had put himself
at stake and had lost that bet, thus becoming
a slave himself, what right did he have
to put his wife at stake?
Krishna's Attack on Bhishma
The mighty Bhishma Pitamah
was the commander-in-chief of the Kaurava
side. He was all too powerful for the Pandavas.
He wreaked much havoc on the Pandava army.
In a fit of rage and frustration on the
third day of war, Krishna pulled out His
Chakra (discus) to kill Bhishma. The Pitamah
only looked at him and smiled calmly, reminding
Him that He was not supposed to use his
weapons in the battle. Krishna realized
His own mistake and withdrew from there.
|
THE BED OF
HONOUR
(THE END OF BHISHMA) |
The Fall of Bhishma Pitamah
On the tenth day of the
Kurukshetra battle, though, Krishna asked
Arjuna to stand behind Shikhandi and attack
him. Bhishma had resolved never to fight
against a woman, so he was helpless as Arjuna
attacked him with arrows from behind Shikhandi.
Arjuna took aim at all vulnerable points
in his armor and kept shooting arrows through
his body, till Bhishma fell on his shara-shayya
(bed of arrows). This violates the Kshatriya
dharma, as no warrior is supposed to attack
another in such a cowardly fashion.
Killing Drona Acharya
With the fall of Bhishma,
Drona Acharya took his post. Krishna was
well aware that Drona too was extremely
powerful and was too mighty for the Pandavas.
Hence he employed a crooked way to defeat
Drona. The Acharya was very fond of his
son, Ashwatthama, and wouldn't be able to
stand it if something were to happen to
him.
If Drona was to be defeated,
they would need to give him the news of
Ashwatthama's death. Yudhisthira, the ever-truthful
one, though, refused to lie to Drona saying
that his son was dead. So he killed the
elephant Ashwatthama instead, and announces
to Drona, "Ashwatthama hatah iti kunjaraha",
meaning, "Ashwatthama, the elephant
is dead". But he says the word, "kunjara"
(elephant) very softly, so that the Acharya
would not be able to hear it. Drona thinks
it is his son who died in the battle and
is grief-stricken. He, too, is killed in
battle.
How fair was it to defeat
and kill Drona through such unfair means?
Both Bhishma and Drona were good, wise people,
who never indulged in adharma. They fought
the battle only because it was their duty
to fight for the kingdom.
Killing Karna by Unfair Means
Karna too was a good
person who respected Krishna. But he owed
a lot to Duryodhana and so, fought for him.
When Karna's chariot wheel got stuck in
the mud, he put down his arms and got down
to set it right. This is when Krishna asked
Arjuna to shoot and kill Karna.
Kshatriya dharma goes
against killing an unarmed warrior. But
this rule was completely ignored in the
killing of Karna. How just was this act?
Jayadratha's Death
Jayadratha killed Abhimanyu,
son of Arjuna and nephew of Krishna, by
luring him into the Chakravyuha battle formation.
Struck with grief, Arjuna vowed that if
he couldn't kill him before sunset, he would
kill himself. Duryodhana kept Jayadratha
hidden and so Arjuna couldn't kill him.
When Krishna saw what was happening, He
threw His chakra at the sun, making it look
like the sun had set. When Jayadratha came
out to watch Arjuna's death, Krishna withdrew
the chakra, so Arjuna could kill him.
Killing of Duryodhana
Duryodhana was a brave
warrior and gave Bheema a good fight. When
Krishna saw Bheema tiring, he indicated
the thigh region, thereby asking him to
hit Duryodhana there. He knew that was Duryodhana's
weakest spot. Bheema understood what He
meant and hit him on the thigh with his
mace, resulting in Duryodhana's defeat and
death.
Kshatriya warfare does
not allow hitting a warrior below waist
level. So how can this act be condoned?
CONCLUSION
These and other questions
are bound to come up in people's minds from
time to time. The general explanation is
that these are Godly deeds and dramas and
hence, shouldn't be questioned.
Of course, Rama
and Krishna are unquestionably divine and
Their stories teach us a lot about rights
and duties, dharma and adharma and many
other things about life itself. But yet,
should we choose to overlook Their 'small
flaws' and accept only their good teachings?
Or should we adopt a more scientific attitude
and question some of Their actions?
This article was written by:
Saipriya Viswanathan, who is a teacher/performer of Bharata Natyam, Carnatic vocal music and Carnatic Veena. She is a recipient of several awards for both dance and music, including the Sur Mani and Singar Mani titles. She is a recipient Govt. of India Merit Scholarship for dance and is a diploma holder in Carnatic vocal music. Our efforts have been directed at making this article informative and refreshing for you. We will truly appreciate all forms of feedback. Please send your feedback to newsletter@dollsofindia.com.
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