The Role of Lord Sri Krishna in the Mahabharatam -8 : Swami Krishnananda.

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Sunday,  04 June,  2023.  07 : 30.

The Role of Lord Sri Krishna in the Mahabharatam -8 :

(Spoken on Sri Krishna Janmasthami in 1972)

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When Damodava still insisted, Nara took up a small piece of a broomstick and let it off. This small piece of broomstick became a millionfold in number, and pierced the eyes of every soldier, including the king, and came out from the other side. They all cried at the top of their voices, “Oh, our eyes are gone! We can't see anything.” The king started shouting, screaming because his eyes were gone and he was in terrible pain. He wept and fell flat and prostrated. And all the soldiers started cursing the king for having brought them there.

Then Nara said, “I can withdraw these pieces of astra that I threw, but hereafter don't go and talk in this way to anybody.”

Parasurama concluded by saying, “This is the result of ahamkara, Duryodhana. Don't behave like this.”

Then Bhishma, Drona, Gandhari, Dhritarashtra, all said the same thing.

Duryodhana said, “Nothing doing! I will not give even that much of land as would be covered by the pinprick of a needle.” He struck his thigh with pride. Then it was that he got so wild with Sri Krishna that he wanted to bind him and throw him into prison so that he may not go back at all, and the question of his helping the Pandavas would not arise. He connived with Dushasana, Sakuni and Karna: “We shall bind him and put him behind bars.” He was blabbering this in the court before all people. This news was carried by Satyaki to Sri Krishna: “They want to bind you.”

Then Sri Krishna told Dhritarashtra, Bhishma and Vidura, “This kind of person you are keeping in your palace! It is a shame to you. He wants to bind me. And you want to listen to all this? If you give me permission, I myself shall bind him and take him just now to the feet of Yudhisthira.”

Gandhari got very wild and said, “What is happening to my son? Why does he talk like this?” She called Duryodhana to the court and went on reprimanding him. She said, “Have you gone crazy? Why do you talk of binding him? What harm has he done? He is an ambassador. He is not your enemy. Have you no shame?”

Then Sri Krishna said, “Duryodhana, don't be under any misapprehension. You may be thinking that I am alone here—that I have no friends, no assistance, no support of any kind—and that you can bind me and throw me into prison. Everybody is here; all help is here. You can see me, if you like.”

Immediately there was a miracle. The body of Sri Krishna began to grow into larger and larger proportions, and everybody—Brahma and Rudra, and Arjuna and the Pandavas, and all the warriors—started shining in his body. Lustrous he became, and blinded were all people who could not see him. Only four people could see him, they say—Vidura, Drona, Bhishma and Sanjaya, and the rishis, of course. They saw him and said, “Oh it is a wonder! A marvel! What is this mystery?”

Dhritarashtra, who was blind, wept, “What is this? Krishna, they say there is a wonder and miracle I cannot see. Will you not bless me?” Then for a few minutes he was blessed with vision. Then he again prayed, “Having seen this, I do not want to see anything else, so make me blind again.” So once again he was made blind.

Sri Krishna withdrew his form and said, “I have done my work. I am going back. Duryodhana, you wait for your destiny.”

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To be continued

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