In2-MeC

Auckland, New Zealand
11 November 2003

Some of My Very Favorite Pastimes from Mahabharata Adi-Parva!

Thereafter, the five brothers consulted one another. Then, after coming up with a plan for avoiding any misunderstanding among themselves, Yudhisthira went and informed Narada, "O best of the devarshis, we have made the following rule. As long as any one of us is sitting with Draupadi, the others must not see him in that situation. If any of us happens to see one of his brothers sitting with Draupadi, then he must retire to the forest for twelve years, living a life of brahmacharya. "

Narada approved of this arrangement, and thereafter, he departed so that he could continue wandering at will. From Indraprastha, the Pandavas gradually brought many kings under their sovereignty, and because of their pious rule, the entire Kuru dynasty became very prosperous and happy.

One day, a band of thieves stole some cows from a brahmana. Giving vent to his uncontrolled rage, the brahmana came to the royal palace at Indraprastha and began to reproach the Pandavas as follows: "The so-called kings extract one-sixth of the citizens' production as taxes, and yet do not even make a show of protection! My cows have been stolen, and so it is the duty of the rulers to pursue the thieves and recover my property!"

Upon hearing this, Arjuna replied, "O brahmana, please restrain your grief. Rest assured that I will punish the thieves without delay and then return your cows. I can promise you this because when I am mounted upon my chariot, with my bow in my hand, there is no one who can escape my wrath!"

When Arjuna went to get his bow, however, he realized that Yudhisthira was sitting with Draupadi in the room where the weapons were being stored. Thus, Arjuna was put into a dilemma, and so he considered the situation as follows: "If I enter the room it will be an offense against my elder brother. As a result, I will have to go into exile for twelve years. On the other hand, if I do not fulfill my vow of protection to the brahmana, this will cause both Yudhisthira and I to incur sin for our negligence, and this irreligiosity will be broadcast throughout the entire kingdom. "

Finally, Arjuna concluded that service to the brahmanas is much more important than bodily comfort, and thus he entered the room. Then, after briefly explaining the situation to Maharaja Yudhisthira, he came out with his bow and mounted upon his chariot. Arjuna soon intercepted the thieves, and after piercing them with his arrows, he returned the cows to the brahmanas. Thereafter, when Arjuna returned to Indraprastha, the citizens praised him highly for his unflinching execution of the royal duties. However, coming before Maharaja Yudhisthira, Arjuna said, "My dear brother, please give me your permission, so that I may depart for the forest at once, to fulfill my vow. "

Maharaja Yudhisthira felt very pained at heart upon hearing these unpalatable words. To try and convince Arjuna to give up the idea of going to the forest, the King said, "My dear brother, you had entered my room for the purpose of executing your religious duty. Therefore, I am not at all displeased with you for having done so. Besides, there is no fault when a younger brother enters a room where his elder brother is sitting with his wife, although it is certainly faulty for an elder brother to enter a room where his younger brother is similarly engaged. "

Arjuna replied, "O Yudhisthira, you always say that in regard to truth and duty, there can be no compromise. Therefore, please grant me the permission that I request. "

Maharaja Yudhisthira could not argue with this, and so, soon thereafter, Arjuna set out for the forest, accompanied by a large number of brahmanas. After passing through many territories, he arrived at the Ganga and decided to reside there for some time. Thereafter, Arjuna began to pass his time happily, while the brahmanas there engaged themselves in sacrificial performances.

Then, one day, after bathing and offering water to his departed ancestors, as Arjuna was about to come out of the water, he was forcibly dragged to the bottom of the river. What had happened was that Ulupi, the daughter of the Naga King, Kauravya, had become lusty after seeing Arjuna, and so she forcibly carried him to her father's palace. There, Arjuna saw that a sacrificial fire had been ignited for his use, and so he sat down to complete his morning religious duties. Arjuna then inquired from his captor, "Who are you? Why did you perform such a rash act? Where have you brought me?"

In response, Ulupi introduced herself and then said, "O hero, as I watched you bathe in the Ganga, I immediately fell in love with you. I beg you to fulfill my desire by marrying me. "

Arjuna replied, "I have taken a vow of brahmacharya for twelve years. O lovely girl, if there is some way whereby I can satisfy your desire and at the same time keep my vow, then I will be most happy to do so. "

Ulupi then said, "Arjuna, I know all about your forest exile. As you very well understand, it is the duty of a kshatriya to accept a woman who approaches him out of lust. Therefore, I am sure that the slight diminution of your virtue that will be brought about by breaking your vow will be amply offset by the great piety you will achieve by accepting me. O best of all males, please do not refuse me, for I shall not be able to go on living if I am rejected by you. "

Arjuna became won over by Ulupi's ardent appeal, and so he fulfilled her desire by spending the night with her. The next morning, Arjuna arose at sunrise and then returned with Ulupi to the place where the Ganga flows onto the plains. Before taking her leave, Ulupi granted Arjuna the benediction of being able to defeat all creatures that live within the water. Thereafter, Arjuna described to the brahmanas all that had happened to him, and then started out for the Himalayas.

On the way, Arjuna came to many sacred places, and he bathed in many holy rivers. In these places, he gave many thousands of cows in charity to the brahmanas.

Then, after descending from the Himalayas, Arjuna toured other regions, and when he reached the kingdom of Kalinga, all of the brahmanas that had accompanied him departed. Thus, with only a few attendants, Arjuna continued his travels to numerous holy places. Then, after some days, he reached the state of Manipura.

Arjuna entered Maharaja Chitravahana's palace, and there, he happened to see the King's beautiful daughter, Chitrangada, who was roaming about at her pleasure. As soon as he saw Chitrangada, Arjuna desired to have her as his wife, and so he went to the King and submitted his request. Maharaja Chitravahana then inquired about his guest's lineage, and so, Arjuna explained that he was the son of Kunti.

In response, the King described his own dynasty as follows: "My ancestor, Prabhanjana, happened to be childless, and so he worshiped Lord Shiva in the hopes of receiving a son. After some time, Lord Shiva became pleased and granted the King his wish, but at the same time informed him that all of his descendents would also be destined to have only one child. Since that time, everyone in Prabhanjana's line had a son to perpetuate the dynasty, but unfortunately, I have received a daughter. Because of this, O prince, I will agree to give Chitrangada to you only on the condition that her son will become the inheritor of my kingdom, and not your other sons. "

Arjuna gave his consent and then continued to reside at the capital of Manipura for three years, along with Chitrangada.

Finally, when she gave birth to a son, Arjuna embraced his wife fondly and then went to Maharaja Chitravahana to take leave of him. Thereafter, as Arjuna continued his wanderings, he arrived at the Southern Ocean, where there were five sacred lakes bearing the names of great rishis. Much to his surprise, Arjuna saw that even though there were many ascetics living in the area, all of them avoided the immediate vicinity of these lakes. Arjuna curiously inquired from the rishis about this, and in response, they explained that within the water there lived five large crocodiles that would seize anyone who dared to bather there.

Although the rishis tried to dissuade him, Arjuna went to the first lake and boldly plunged into the water, to bathe. As soon as Arjuna entered the water, one of the crocodiles seized him by the leg. The powerful crocodile tried to pull Arjuna further into the water, but instead the son of Kunti pulled the powerful beast onto the shore. As soon as the crocodile came out of the water, it miraculously transformed into a beautiful girl, who was decorated with costly ornaments. Being very surprised, Arjuna inquired, "Who are you? What sin did you commit so that you were forced to fall down into this most abominable condition of life?"

The girl replied, "O magnanimous hero, I am the Apsara, Varga. One day, as I was going to visit Kuvera, along with four of my friends, we happened to see a very handsome brahmana studying the Vedas in a secluded place. He seemed to illuminate the entire region with his splendor, and because we were very attracted to him, we tried to catch his attention by singing and playing nearby. However, in stead of being attracted, the brahmana glanced at us with great anger and then cursed us to become crocodiles for one hundred years. "

"We humbly tried to beg for the rishi's forgiveness by admitting our false pride caused by our youthful beauty. The brahmana refused to withdraw his curse, however, although at last he did inform us, 'You will be delivered when an exalted person comes and drags you out of the water. Thereafter, the lakes in which you had resided will be considered sacred places, and they will be called by your names. ' After hearing this, we offered our obeisances and circumambulated the rishi before departing. "

"Thereafter, all we could think about was the brahmana's curse, and while going, we happened to meet the great saint, Narada Muni. He inquired about the cause of our sorrow, and so we told him all that had happened. Narada then assured us that a person named Arjuna would soon deliver us from our curse. O hero, the person Narada referred to must be you. Now, kindly deliver my four friends as well. "

Arjuna cheerfully consented, and when he dragged the other four crocodiles out of the water, they also regained their original forms as Apsaras. Finally, after taking permission from Arjuna, the five Apsaras left that place in order to return to their heavenly abode.

After some time, Arjuna became eager to see Chitrangada once again, and so he quickly returned to Manipura. Upon entering the royal palace, Arjuna saw that his son, Vabhruvahana, was now sitting upon the throne. After a brief stay with his wife, Arjuna left Manipura to travel to the holy places on the shore of the Western Ocean. In this way, he finally came to Prabhasa.

When Lord Krishna heard that His dear friend was at Prabhasa, He immediately went there to meet him. When they met, Lord Krishna and Arjuna embrace one another with great fraternal love. They, they sat down so that Arjuna could describe to Him all about his travels. Krishna and Arjuna remained together at Prabhasa for some days. Then, they travelled to the Raivataka Mountain, which had been gorgeously decorated and stocked with all kinds of enjoyable articles, under the instruction of Lord Krishna.

Krishna and Arjuna sat down together to watch the actors and dancers that had been brought there to perform. That night, the two dear friends lay down on the same bed together, and as Arjuna described the sacred places that he had visited, they drifted off to sleep. The next morning, Krishna and Arjuna were awakened by professional singers. Then, later in the day, Krishna took Arjuna on His golden chariot and set out for Dvaraka.

The city had been especially decorated in Arjuna's honor, and upon his arrival, hundreds of thousands of citizens thronged the streets, being very eager to see him. In this way, Arjuna felt great transcendental ecstasy while witnessing the incomparable mercy of his friend, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna. Arjuna offered his respects to all of the elder members of the Vrishni, Bhoja and Andhaka dynasties, and then he took up residence in Lord Krishna's palace.

Arjuna passed many days in great happiness in the association of Lord Krishna. Then, the members of the Vrishni dynasty organized a grand festival was organized at the Raivataka Hill, and so thousands of people went there, along with their wives. The whole area had been provided with palaces and gardens, and amidst the music and other festivities, profuse charity was distributed to the brahmanas.

Baladeva came with His consort, Revati, and Ugrasena next arrived, along with his 1000 wives. All the other leading Yadavas, such as Uddhava and Satyaki, also attended, and Krishna and Arjuna spent their time wandering here and there, never leaving one another's company for a moment. In this way, they happened to come to where Subhadra was seated, surrounded by her maidservants, and as soon as Arjuna saw her, he became completely enamored.

Lord Krishna could see how Arjuna's gaze was longingly fixed upon His sister, and so He smilingly addressed His friend as follows: "O son of Kunti, how is this? Can the heart of such a great warrior become pierced by the arrows of Cupid? My dear Arjuna, if you so desire, then I will ask My father for Subhadra's hand in marriage, on your behalf. "

Arjuna replied, "O Krishna, being endowed with such beauty, whom could this girl not captivate? Now, please tell me, by what means will I be able to achieve Subhadra's hand, without fail? I am ready to accomplish anything humanly possible, to obtain her as my wife. "

Lord Krishna then said, "Arjuna, the holding of a svayamvara is customary for kshatriyas like us. However, in this case, the outcome would be uncertain, for the girl's inclination is not yet known. On the other hand, it is also customary for very heroic kshatriyas to kidnap a girl he desires, and this is also considered to be virtuous. Therefore, I advise you to abduct Subhadra, since it is uncertain whether she would select you if the choice were left up to her. "

A speedy messenger was then sent to Maharaja Yudhisthira, to inform him of Arjuna's intention. After receiving the message that his brother was going to kidnap Subhadra, Maharaja Yudhisthira unhesitatingly gave his approval, because the suggestion had come from Lord Krishna Himself. Subhadra's father, Vasudeva, also gave his consent, and so, with Lord Krishna's blessings, Arjuna put on his armor and mounted upon a chariot that was fully equipped with weapons. He then set out, and whoever happened to see him thought that he was on his way to the forest to hunt, as usual.

Meanwhile, after having worshiped various deities at Raivataka Hill, Subhadra was on her return journey to Dvaraka. Then, all of a sudden, Arjuna appeared on the scene, and after forcibly taking Subhadra on his chariot, he sped off toward Indraprastha. The armed guards had been helpless in this situation, and so they returned to Dvaraka and reported everything to the chief officer at the Sudharma royal assembly house.

Upon hearing this alarming news, the officer loudly blew his trumpet, which was the signal to call everyone to arms. Thus, all of the Yadava heroes immediately left their duties and began pouring into the assembly hall. After everyone was seated, the chief officer described with great agitation the nefarious deed performed by Arjuna. As a result, there was an uproar in the assembly, and without even bothering to discuss the matter, the highly enraged Yadavas called for their chariots and weapons. However, Balarama quickly stood up and restrained the assembly by shouting, "Why are all of you acting so rashly when Lord Krishna is sitting here silently?"

Baladeva then said, "My dear Krishna, why do you remain silent? This rogue Arjuna was lavishly entertained at Dvaraka, and now, in order to return our hospitality, he has greatly insulted the Yadu dynasty by kidnapping our sister. This cannot be tolerated, and so, in revenge, I hereby vow to single-handedly rid the world of the entire Kaurava dynasty once and for all!"

After hearing this impassioned speech, all of the Vrishnis, Bhojas and Andhakas let out a roar of approval. Then, when things had quieted down a bit, Lord Krishna began to speak as follows: "My dear assembled heroes, in reality, Arjuna has not insulted our family. Instead, he has actually enhanced our reputation. Arjuna considered that to give away a daughter in charity is actually a demeaning act, like the gift of a useless animal. Therefore, because of the fault in this type of marriage, Arjuna decided to take Subhadra away by force instead, since that is always considered to be an honorable display of valor for great heroes. "

"Arjuna has taken birth in a dynasty of very exalted saintly kings, and indeed, he is said to be the direct son of the heavenly king, Indra. Besides, his prowess is absolutely unparalleled, and thus, only Lord Shiva and no one else can vanquish him in battle. I therefore consider the Pandava hero to be a most worthy friend and ally. Now, let us go and make peace with Arjuna and bring him back to Dvaraka so that the marriage can be celebrated with great festivity. "

The Yadavas became pacified by Lord Krishna's speech, and so they peacefully brought Arjuna back to Dvaraka and then arranged for him to be united with Subhadra in marriage. Thereafter, Arjuna resided with Lord Krishna for one full year, and he came to be greatly respected by all the members of the Yadu dynasty.

Arjuna then went to Pushkara to pass the final year of his exile, and from there, he returned to Khandavaprastha. Arjuna first of all went and offered his respects to Maharaja Yudhisthira, and then to all of the brahmanas. At last, when Arjuna came before Draupadi, she began to reproach him, due to jealous anger: "Why have you come here? Why are you not with Vasudeva's daughter? Because I am not qualified enough, you will surely spend all your time with Subhadra, absorbed in loving affairs. What need will there be to even give me a second thought?"

Arjuna was able to pacify Draupadi, however, by assuring her of his love and by very humbly begging for her forgiveness. Arjuna then made Subhadra approach Draupadi, after taking off her royal dress and ornaments and putting on the clothing of a cowherd girl. Subhadra first of all worshiped Kuntidevi, and in return, her mother-in-law affectionately embraced her and smelled her head. Subhadra then approached her co-wife, Draupadi, and introduced herself by saying, "Please consider me to be your insignificant maidservant. "

Draupadi was very touched at heart by these sincere and humble words, and thus she immediately got up and embraced Subhadra with great affection. Thus, it turned out that the five Pandavas were able to resume living together very happily and peacefully as before.

When Lord Krishna learned that Arjuna had returned to Indraprastha, He went there, along with many of His sons, as well as Balarama, Akrura, Uddhava and numerous other Yadava heroes. When Maharaja Yudhisthira was informed that the Yadus were approaching, he sent out Nakula and Sahadeva to greet them. Then, when Krishna and Balarama entered the city, all the citizens came out of their houses to worship the two Lords.

When Krishna and Balarama entered the royal palace, Maharaja Yudhisthira hurriedly came forward and embraced Them with great ecstasy. In return, Lord Krishna respectfully worshiped Yudhisthira and Bhima, because they were His elders, and He presented innumerable gifts to Arjuna, Subhadra and the other Pandavas.

Lord Krishna, Balarama and the other Yadava heroes continued to reside in Indraprastha for some time. They passed their days enjoying life along with the Kurus with great merriment, and thus it appeared as if they were residents of the heavenly planets. Then, after some time, Balarama and the others returned to Dvaraka, taking with them the innumerable gifts presented to them by the Panda-vas. Only Lord Krishna remained at Indraprastha, because He wanted to stay with His dearmost friend, Arjuna. Lord Krishna and Arjuna spent most of their time together, roaming in the forest while practicing the kshatriya sport of hunting.

In due course of time, Subhadra gave hirth to a son who was given the name Ahhimanyu. Lord Krishna personally performed the birth ceremonies, and as Ahhimanyu grew up, he became the dear-most favorite of both the Lord and the Pandavas. As a youth, Abhimanyu became highly accomplished in the use of weapons, and fully conversant with all branches of Vedic knowledge.

Thereafter, Draupadi gave birth to five sons, one year after another, begotten by each of her five husbands. Because Yudhisthira's son would be able to bear like the Vindhya Mountains the weapons showered upon him by his enemies, the brahmanas gave him the name Prativindhya. Since Bhima's son was born after his father had performed 1000 Some-yagyas, he was given the name Sutasoma. Arjuna's son was conceived after the Pandava hero had performed many wonderful feats while in exile, and thus he was given the name Shrutakarman. Nakula named his son Shatanika, after one of his Kuru ancestors, and because Sahadeva's son was born under the constellation Krittika, he was called Shrutasena, one of Kartikeya's names.

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