THE MAHABHARATAM : 4.

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Monday, March 07, 2022. 20:00.

Prelude to the Bhagavad Geeta :

Meditation on the Bhagavad Geeta.

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In 18 Episodes : 

Episode 1: How the Writing Began

Episode 2: The Story of Bhishma

Episode 3: Amba Seeks Revenge on Bhishma

Episode 4: The Story of Vidhura

Episode 5: The Story of Queen Kunti

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Reflections by Swami Gurubhaktananda on the Series of 13 Lectures by Swami Advayananda Acharyaji, 15th Batch Vedanta Course at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya, Powai, Mumbai Mahabharata: October 8th – October 18th , 2012 (10 Lectures) Geeta Dhyanam: October 25th– October 27th, 2012 (3 Lectures).

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Adi Shankaracharya Swami Sivananda Swami Tapovanji Swami Chinmayananda

SERVE  LOVE  GIVE  PURIFY  MEDITATE  REALISE

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Post-4.

Episode 5: The Story of Queen Kunti :

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Sura was Sri Krishna’s grandfather. His daughter, Pritha, was given for adoption to King Kuntibhoja. Hence Pritha became known as Kunti, and was Krishna’s aunt.

One day, Durvasa came to Kuntibhoja’s palace. The King asked Kunti to take care of the sage. Kunti served him so well that Durvasa gave her a boon before leaving. She got the boon of being able to get a child from any Deity just by praying to that Deity.

Kunti was still quite young when one day she playfully thought she would try out her boon. She prayed to the Sun-god. At once she had to bear His child. A rather frightened Kunti placed this child in a basket and released it into the Ganges River. A peculiar characteristic in the child was that it was born with a golden earring and Kavacha (shield). One Radha picked up the basket from the river and named the child Radheya (raadheya). He was also called Karna, meaning “one with an earring”.

Kunti later got married to King Pandu who was one of the sons of Vichitraveerya. King Pandu also married Madri. Pandu became King eventually as his brother Dhritarashtra was blind and could not take the throne. Kunti bore three sons to Pandu using her boon. Praying to Dharmaraja, she begot Yudhishthira; from Vayu Devata she gave birth to Bhima; and from Indra she bore Arjuna. Madri gave birth to Nakula and Sahadev, who were the Ashwini Kumars. These were the five PANDAVAS.

Duryodhana was born a year after Yudhishthira, to the blind Dhritarashtra. Dhritarashtra eventually had a hundred sons who were the KAURAVAS.

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NEXT - Episode 6: The Young Princes Grow Up Together :

To be continued ...

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