The Role of Lord Sri Krishna in the Mahabharatam -1.. Swami Krishnananda
Chinmaya Mission :
Friday, April 28, 2023. 07:45.
The Role of Lord Sri Krishna in the Mahabharatam -1.. Swami Krishnananda
(Spoken on Sri Krishna Janmasthami in 1972)
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Krishna Dvaipayana Vyasa is the biographer of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. But for these writings, we would have known nothing of the existence or the deeds of Sri Krishna. Among the many writings of Vyasa on this subject of the life of Sri Krishna, the prominent ones are the Srimad Bhagavata and the Mahabharata.
The life of Sri Krishna may be divided into three books, three sections or three parts: the early life, the family life, and the public life. In the Tenth Skanda, the Tenth Book of the Srimad Bhagavata, Vyasa describes to us in great detail the early life of Krishna and his home life—his family life, we may say. From the birth of Krishna until the death of Kamsa can be called the early life of Krishna. From his encounter with Virasunda until his marriage to Rukmini and others, and his encounter with certain local kings, may be called his home life or his family life. But the public life of Krishna, which is of a different character altogether, is found only in the Mahabharata. It is not in the Srimad Bhagavata or in any other Purana. Vyasa is silent about Krishna's public life when he writes the Bhagavata, and he is silent about Krishna's early life and family life when he writes the Mahabharata. We have to read the two together. In one sense, we may say the Mahabharata follows the Srimad Bhagavata.
There is a tradition called the Bhagavata Saptaha, and we know what Vyasa has written about Sri Krishna in the Tenth Skanda of the Srimad Bhagavata. I shall try to append these glorious descriptions of the Tenth Skanda with the other aspect of the life of Sri Krishna which Vyasa tells us in the Mahabharata—without which, a very important aspect of his life will be completely out of our mind's picture.
We may say that the intention of Vyasa in writing about the life of Sri Krishna in the Mahabharata is to demonstrate the character of a most unselfish life of perfection. It is action to the core, and action not bringing any good to oneself. That is the essence of unselfish, perfect action. This is very magnificently given to us in this sonorous, soul-lifting and powerful style of the Mahabharata.
The style of the Mahabharata is different from that of the Bhagavata. Only if you read it will you know what the difference is. The style of an epic is different from the style of a Purana. It is a lifted, elevated and stirring style that is called the epic style of writing. We are possessed by a power, rather than by a feeling, when we read an epic like the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, or any other epic of the world. A sense of unimaginable power creeps into our veins when we read an epic. That is the difference between an epic presentation and a mere narration.
As I said, the early life of Sri Krishna commences from the prayer of the gods for the descent of divine force to the Earth, passing through various lilas until the demolition of Kamsa, the tyrant. Then starts his more active life in the field of society wherein he has to set right various defects, errors, anomalies and disharmonies in the society of those days. Then Sri Krishna turned his attention to a new type of activity to rid the world of the embodiment of evil. That is how we see him making his presence in the court of Drupada at the swayamvar of Draupadi. This is the first time that mention of Krishna is made in the Mahabharata, in the Adi Parva, where he was silently seated in a corner in the court of Drupada, where hundreds of thousands of kings and princes had assembled to woo Draupadi's hand in marriage. Krishna had no part to play there; he was a witness, and we know what happened. Many kings attempted, but Arjuna succeeded.
The Pandava brothers, who were there in the court of Drupada, were disguised as Brahmins. They were away from their kingdom due to their problems with Duryodhana and the other Kaurava brothers, and they had moved away from the capital in the guise of Brahmins, not as Kshatriyas. Brahmins were not supposed to sit in the court of Drupada for the purpose of a swayamvar, but when all the princes failed in their attempt, one young Brahmin boy got up and hit the mark and won the hand of Draupadi to the consternation, fury, greed and anger of all seated there. “How could it be possible, a Brahmin boy defeating all the princes and kings?” They could not understand how this could be. “Is it magic, or are our eyes not all right? Are we not seeing things properly?”
Well, what has happened has happened. The celebration was over; the Pandavas, disguised as Brahmins, went to their cottage and narrated this happy incident to their mother Kunti, who was waiting for them at sunset. Then Krishna came there and offered rich, costly presents to Yudhisthira and his brothers.
Yudhisthira asked, “What is the matter? How is it that you have brought such valuable presents to us?”
Sri Krishna said, “Because the glory of the Pandavas has been seen today in the court of Drupada.”
Yudhisthira asked, “But how do you know that we are Pandavas?”
Sri Krishna smiled and said, “Fire cannot be hidden, wherever it is kept.” That is all he said; he gave his good wishes, and returned to Dwarka. He did nothing else.
Then we know what happened to the Pandava brothers—the great hardship that they had to pass through. Duryodhana and his brothers, with the help of Dhritarashtra, did not allow them peace. They knew that these Brahmin boys were Pandavas. Duryodhana said, “Oh, this is very bad. They are still alive. I thought they had burned in the wax house. They have escaped with the help of Vidura and they have come back victorious, putting all other princes to shame in the court of Drupada. Now what to do? Some lesson has to be taught to them.”
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To be continued
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