Hindoeisme

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Since ancient times, worship of Indra, god o~ rain, had been performed on the day next to Diwali for timely rains. When the people of Vrindavan started preparations for the worship, Krishna called all o~ them and said, "Why do you worship Indra z Worship your cows that give you milk and calves. Worship the Yamuna where our cattle have their drinks and whose water irrigates our crops. Worship the Govardhan Hill on whose sides our cattle graze. So, the people o~ Vrindavan gave up the worship of Indra and began to worship cows, the Yamuna and the Govardhan Hill. Indra, the rain-god, felt highly offended and decided to teach the people of Vrindavan a bitter lesson. Indra let loose torrential rains on Vrindavan and lightning flashed terribly accompanied with deafening thunder. A rainstorm broke out and it began to hail heavily. The people of Vrindavan were frightened and ran to Krishna for safety. Krishna took all o~ them to the Govardhan Hill. He raised the hill on a finger of his left hand. It served as a big umbrella under which the people and the cattle of Vrindavan took shelter for seven days after which Indra accepted his defeat. Since this incident, the worship of the Govardhan started as a festival on the day following the Diwali. And this festival is celebrated as such even today.

The pride of Indra, the rain-god, came to be decimated. He could do no harm to the people of Vrindavan despite his best efforts. Krishna had kept them safe under the umbrella of the Govardhan Hill during the weeklong torrential rain and violent storm. Indra had realized his blunder and he had come to know that Krishna was not an ordinary boy but Lord Vishnu Himself. So, riding his heavenly elephant, called Airavat, he came to Vrindavan accompanied by the Kamdhenu, the cow known for her capacity to fulfil each and every desire of man. Indra begged for Krishna's pardon with folded hands and praised him a lot. Kamdhenu was beside herself with joy because Krishna had saved all the cows and calves of Vraj giving them shelter under the Govardhan Hill when Indra was up to destroy them. So, she requested Krishna to be the Indra of Cows. She rained her milk on Krishna to give her a bath while Airavat showered the water of the heavenly Ganga on him. Then the title-- Indra of Cows-- was conferred on Krishna. It was then that Krishna came to be called Govind also. This word means the protector of cows.

Ekadashi (eleventh day of the moon) has great religious importance. Usually a fast is observed on this day. Nand Baba was to observe a fast on Ekadashi day during the month of Kartika (November). So, he was to get up early on the night of Dashmi (tenth day of the moon) to have a bath in the Yamuna. The night being cloudy, Nand Baba could not jmisgunnene the time correctly and reached the bank of the Yamuna in the small hours for a bath. An envoy of Varuna, the water-god, was guarding the river at that time. He caught Nand Baba and presented him before his master, the water-god. When Nand Baba did not return till sunrise, the people of Vrindavan felt worried. They thought that their chief must have been drowned while having a bath. So, his near-and-dear ones started bewailing and a large crowd assembled on the bank of the Yamuna. Krishna at once plunged into the river and got to Varuna Loka (abode of the water-god). Seeing him there, the god felt afraid and came to realize the mistake committed by his envoy. So, he folded his hands and begged to be pardoned. Krishna came back to Vrindavan along with Nand Baba. The people of Vrindavan were overjoyed to see their chief alive. They raised slogans in Krishna's admiration.

Krishna had stepped into mid-teens (adolescence). His handsome looks and proportionate muscular body was a source of attraction . Not only the damsels, but dames also felt captivated by his personality. But their love for him was absolutely pure and not sensual at all. Sharad Poornima (full-moon night in November) is a festive night in Vraj. Just at moonrise, Krishna took his flute and began to play on it roaming through the streets of Vrindavan. The melodious tunes of the flute cast a spell on the lasses and brides and they felt lost to themselves. Having failed to control themselves, they came out o~ their homes leaving their household jobs and caring little for the social norms even. They surrounded Krishna and began to dance to the tunes of the flute. Lord Krishna asked ail the ladies to return to their homes but they flatly refused and so RAS Lila began to be enacted. Each gopi cherished a desire to be the closest to Krishna who multiplied his forms. Now each of them felt as if Krishna was dancing in her company only. They formed a circle catching one another's hands and the dance went on all through the night. At daybreak, all the goops returned to their homes. This dance-drama revealed the divine glory of Krishna to all of them.

On Shivaratri, worship of Lord Shiva is performed five times. Nand Baba sarted this worship in the temple located in Ambika Forest along with all the milkmen and cowboys of his village. After the fifth worship, prasad was distributed and the worship came to be completed. Due to the nightlong wake, everybody felt sleepy. So, they lay down outside the temple and soon fell fast asleep. After some time, a python came crawling out of the nearby bushes. Getting close to the sleeping men, it began to swallow Nand Baba from the side of his feet. Nand Baba woke up and finding his feet in a python's mouth, and began to shout for help. The noise waked up all the milkmen who began attacking the python with burning torchlights. Though the python's body got inflicted with severe burns all over, yet it did not leave Nand Baba. Krishna came running there and struck his foot at the python. As soon as Krishna's foot touched the reptile, it changed into a Vidyadhar and began to admire the glory of Krishna. This Vidyadhar had changed into a python because of a curse uttered on him. The touch of Krishna's feet rid him of the curse and he returned to his abode.

The Holly is among the most important festivals of Vraj even today. On Holi night, Krishna, accompanied by h is brother Balram, went to the nearby forest and began to play his flute. The magical tunes of the flute cast a spell on the animals and birds of the forest and they were lost to themselves. Not only this, the dames and damsels of Vrindavan also ran to where Krishna was playing melodious tunes. A sub-ordinate of Kubera, the god of wealth, was roaming in the forest at that time. His name was Shankhchoor. Seeing the young beauties, he could not control himself and abducted all of them. The milkmaids, realizing the danger, shouted for help calling out the names of Krishna and Balram. Some of them began to weep aloud as well. Hearing the cries, both the brothers ran to where the shouts were coming from. They had uprooted some plants to use against the aggressor. Seeing them giving a hot chase, Shankhchoor took to his heels. Leaving Balram to take care of the ladies, Krishna followed him and overtook him after a short chase. Krishna gave such a fierce blow on Shankhchoor's head that his forehead broke into two and he fell down dead. A jewel came out of his forehead, which Krishna presented to his brother.

The news o~ Krishna's exploits were constantly pouring in Kansa's court and he looked his death getting more and more imminent. So, he chalked out another plan to put an end to Krishna's life. Kansa had a demon, named Arishta, in his service. He was now entrusted with the job of eliminating Krishna. So, Arishta got to Vrindavan and began to create trouble there. He wanted that his activities should force Krishna for an encounter so that he might get a chance to kill him. Arishta transformed himself into a violent bull and damaged many a house with his horns. He uprooted several trees and killed a number of cows and calves too. Getting the news of Arishtasur's intolerable activities, Krishna decided to punish him. Krishna, accompanied by his brother, went to where the demon was creating trouble. He challenged him with a clap of hands. Balram, when he saw the furious bull, asked Krishna not to face him but Krishna paid no heed to his advice. Arishtasur, mad in rage to hear the challenge, rushed at Krishna who caught hold of his horns and pushed him back to a distance and then threw him on the ground with a violent jerk. Giving him no chance to rise again, Krishna twisted his neck with such a force that he fell down dead with a thud.

Now Kansa was trembling with fear at the very thought of Krishna. Every demon sent by him had been killed at Krishna's hands and he was now convinced that his end was quite near too. So, Kansa now deputed Keshi, his strongest demon, to put an end to Krishna's life. This demon used to roam in the form of a dark black horse, very dreadful to look at, so much so that even gods feared to see eye to eye with him. Keshi came to Vrindavan at Kansa s bidding in the form stated above. He started running through the streets of the village neighing furiously. People were so afraid that they shut their doors and the scared cattle broke loose to run for safety. As soon as Krishna heard of this horse, he lost no time to follow that he was a demon sent by his maternal uncle, Kansa. So, with a view to chastising him, he challenged Keshi who was in the lookout for an opportunity for an encounter with Krishna. Seeing Krishna in front, Keshi fell upon him in full fury. Opening his mouth wide, he tried to bite Krishna who pushed his arm into his mouth and broke all his teeth. Then he enlarged the length and girth of his arm to such an extent that Keshi's throat got choked and his belly got inflated. Finally it burst causing the demon to fall down dead on the ground.

Keshi's death broke the back of Kansa. He could not think of any warrior who could undertake the task of putting Krishna to death. So, he decided to take recourse to treachery in order to achieve his objective of killing his nephew Krishna. Akrur, chief of the charity department of Kansa, was a very saintly person. Kansa asked him to go to Vrindavan and bring Nand Baba's family and other respectable milkmen to participate in the Bow-yajna. A godly person as he was, Akrur gladly agreed to go to Vrindavan. He had a keen desire to see Krishna, the incarnate of Lord Vishnu Himself. So, riding a chariot, he proceeded to Vrindavan. Reaching the outskirts of Vrindavan, Akrur caught sight of Krishna's footprints and his heart began to overbubble with devotion for Krishna. Stopping the chariot there, he got down and seeing Krishna's footprints with tearful eyes, paid obeisance to them. He felt proud of being lucky enough to have a chance to do this religious act. Akrur, then, reached Nand Baba's house and delivered Kansa's message to him. Nand Baba entertained him duly. Akrur disclosed everything about Kansa's treacherous plot to kill Krishna .

As mentioned on the foregoing page, Nand Baba and Krishna had become aware of Kansa's plot. So, Nand Baba did not want to take Krishna and Balram to Mathura with him. But Krishna did not want to lose this opportunity of killing sinful Kansa to rid the Mother Earth of his burden. Krishna himself proclaimed the invitation of king Kansa throughout the village. So, all the milkmen got ready with their carts to visit Mathura. On the day fixed for the Bow-yajna, the milkmen loaded their carts with butter, curd and milk to be presented to the king and departed to Mathura. Krishna and Balram were sitting on Akrur's chariot and the procession of carts, led by Nand Baba, got on its way to Mathura. Just at that time, the gopis came running and surrounded Akrur's chariot. They would not allow him to take Krishna into the fold of such a great danger wherein his very life was at stake. Moreover, they feared that Krishna might not come back to Vrindavan. Akrur tried his level best to advise the gopis but they were not ready to hear anything. They were struck with separation from their darling-Krishna-and caught the wheels of the chariot. At last, Krishna himself sermonised and consoled them. They returned to Vrindavan with heavy hearts and the procession advanced on its way to Mathura.



END OF BOOK 2

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Book 3 : Adulthood -- Revenge


We have read in the previous book that Kansa invited Krishna and Balram through Akrur to participate in the Bow-yajna after he had lost all the demons in his service and other warriors one by one at Krishna's hands. He wanted to kill Krishna through a trick. Akrur proceeded to Mathura after seating Krishna and Balram in his chariot. Reaching the bank of the Yamuna Akrur stopped the chariot. Seeking the consent of both the brothers, he went to have his bath in the river. When Akrur dipped in the river-water, he saw Krishna and Balram inside the water. But when he drew his head out of the water, he found both the brothers sitting in the chariot. He felt highly amazed indeed. Now Akrur had a second dip and saw Lord Vishnu relaxing on the body of Sheshnaga. He found a close semblance in the faces of Krishna and Vishnu. Akrur felt flattered to have a glimpse of Lord Vishnu in the river-water. Having had his bath, he said his prayers and returned to the chariot. Time and again, he was looking at Krishna with eyes full of devotion. He was thanking his stars to be lucky enough to act as the charioteer of Krishna (Lord Vishnu Himself).

Nand Baba and the other milkmen had reached Mathura much earlier than Akrur and both the brothers because Akrur had stopped with his chariot for a bath in the Yamuna. Nand Baba had set up his camp in a garden outside the town. When Akrur reached there, Krishna and Balram got down while Akrur advanced further. He informed the king of the arrival of Nand Baba's group and then made for his home. Krishna and B8lrama had their meals and rested for some time in the garden. Then they sought Nand Baba's permission and went sight-seeing round the town of Mathura along with their team of cowboys. Roaming about, they came across the royal washer man who was going to deliver the wash in the palace. Krishna said to the washer man by way of joke, "Wassermann! Give us some of these clothes to wear." The Wassermann was very proud of his being in the royal service. So, he snubbed Krishna and Balrama using disgraceful and abusive words for them. Krishna could not tolerate the insult and decided to teach him a lesson. Krishna advanced towards the Wassermann and gave such a hard blow with the side of his palm on his neck that he fell down dead on the spot. Seeing this, the other washerwomen took to their heels

All the clothes of the royal Wassermann and those of others who had run away, were lying near the dead body of the washerman. So, Krishna and Balram opened the bundles of clothes and all of them put on multi-colored beautiful dresses. Having done this and leaving the rest of the clothes as they were, the team of cowboys advanced further. Evidently, the clothes did not fit on them properly. They had been attracted by their colors only. The cowboys were pointing out to each other about the clothes, they had worn. One said to the other: "Your clothes are very loose!" While the other said, "This shirt is very tight for you." So, they decided to put off the clothes and throw them away. A tailor, sitting near by, was seeing all this. The tailor, when he saw Krishna and Balram, was struck with their handsome personalities. Going up to them, he said, "Pray I mend these clothes for you z" Then without waiting for the answer, he set about mending the clothes and in a short time he did the job. Now the clothes looked very nice on each cowboy. Krishna was very pleased with the tailor and conferred on him the boon of becoming a noble godly person. So, he felt very pleased and praised Krishna a lot.

You must have heard of Sudama, a cast friend and class-mate of Krishna at guru Sandeepan's gurukula. But there was a gardener also with this very name in Mathura. Though he was the royal gardener, he was very noble humble and polite. After conferring a boon on the tailor, Krishna along with Balram and other cowboys went to the house of the royal gardener named Sudama. This gardener had heard of the exploits of Krishna. Seeing Krishna present there, the gardener was beside himself: with joy. Leaving his seat, he greeted Krishna and his mates and duly entertained them. 7 hen the gardener prepared beautiful garlands and presented them to all the cowboys. As for Krishna and Balram, he put garlands round their necks with his own hands. Krishna was extremely happy at the gardener's devotion and so he conferred the same boon on him as he had done on the tailor. The gardener felt flattered at the boon and said, "I am so lucky to have this opportunity indeed." These words pleased Krishna all the more and so he retorted, "Be prosperous day by day that is another boon for you."

Moving conferred boons on the gardener, Krishna made up his mind to go to the site of the Bow-yajna. So, they Enquirer about this site from the people and soon advanced in that direction. Reaching the site of the yajna, Krishna and Balram looked at the bow that was very heavy--so much so that even Kansa could lift it with difficulty after worshipping it daily. He had put brave soldiers to guard the bow. Krishna and Balram, despite the presence of the soldiers, went near the bow. Krishna at once lifted it and pulled its string with such a force that it broke into two with a loud twang. Seeing this, the soldiers fell upon both the brothers who beat them with the pieces of the bow. So they went running to their master Kansa and told him about what had happened. Kansa got furious and he dispatched a regiment of armed soldiers to deal with Krishna and Balram who eliminated the entire regiment in no time. Now Krishna and Balram returned to Nand Baba's camp and related to him the entire incident. Then having had their bath, they took their meals and went t~ sleep. Kansa was cut to the quick over the lot of his regiment.

Next day, Kansa invited Krishna and Balram to see the bouts among his wrestlers. Before their arrival, Kansa got his most dangerous tusker-Kublayapeed intoxicated with wine and ported it on the gate of the wrestling arena along with its mahout. This was done with a plan to incite the intoxicated elephant to attack Krishna and Balram as soon as they reached the gate of the arena. Evidently, the beast was supposed to trample both the brothers to death under its feet. So, as soon as both the brothers turned up before the arena gate, the mahout incited the mad elephant and it fell upon them in fury. It curled its trunk round Krishna's body and tried to lift him up but all in vein. Krishna and Balram broke both its tusks and the beast screamed in pain and feeling very weak trumpeted aloud. Taking full advantage of this opportunity, Krishna caught hold of its trunk and flung it on the ground. Then both the brothers beat it to depth with its own tusks. Now it was the turn of the mahout. He too was given a sound beating so much so that he succumbed to the thrashing. The people standing around took to their heels out of immense fear.

Sinful Kansa had pinned great hopes on his tusker- Kublayapeed, but they had been dashed to the ground by Krishna and Balram. So, he asked his famous wrestlers to challenge both the brothers for bouts. These wrestlers were named Mushtik and Chanur. Having done away with Kublayapeed and its mahout, Krishna and Balrama went inside to see the wrestling bouts. Chanur and Mushtik challenged them for bouts. How could they afford not to accept the challenge after all? So, they took off their clothes, entered the arena and the bouts began. Both the wrestlers were using deceptive moves to checkmate the brothers but all to no purpose. Kansa's wrestlers did not aim at free and fair wrestling, but their objective was to kill both the brothers who were well on their guard. They rendered each unfair move on the part of the wrestlers useless. When Chanur got awfully tired, Krishna lifted him on his hands well above his head and flung him onto the ground with such a force that he was killed instantly. Chanur's death did away with Mushtik's courage and Balram soon killed him. Some other wrestlers- Kout, Shala, Toshal etc.--also met with the same fate.

Having seen his strongest wrestlers being killed before his very eyes, Kansa began to tremble out of Krishna's fear. At the same time, he flew into a rage and ordered all the playing drums and bugles to be silent. Then he bucked up his soldiers saying, "What are you seeing now? Catch hold of these two rascals and do away with them!" Not only this, Kansa asked his soldiers to put Vasudeva and Ugrasena to death as well and to seize all the carts of the milkmen that had come with Nand Baba and then put them to the sword too. How could Krishna brook such words for Nand Baba and his dear mates? He flew into a violent rage and challenged Kansa and jumped on to the dais where he was sitting. Kansa trembled all over in fright and tried to run away. But Krishna at once held him by the hair and flung him on the ground with a jerk. Then Krishna sat on his chest and began to rain blows on his sides. Kansa cried for-help saying, "Save me! Save me!" When nobody came for his help, he implored Krishna to be spared. He looked his death dancing before him. Krishna then strangled him to death. Seeing their brother being killed, all the eight brothers of Kansa fell upon Krishna and Balram who did away with all of them too one by one.

Having killed sinful Kansa, Krishna and Balram made for the prison-room where Devaki and Vasudeva were imprisoned. The guards were struck with fear to see them and opened the gates of the prison-room at once. Both the brothers went inside and untied the fetters of Vasudeva and Devaki. The parents kept gazing at their sons with tearful eyes out of filial affection. How handsome, captivating and well -built they indeed were! Devaki and Vasudeva hugged them closely out of love. Then Krishna and Balram escorted them to the site o~ yajna where a large crowd of people had assembled to raise slogans in Krishna's admiration, "Glory be to Krishna! Glory be to Balram!" Praising the courage and bravery o both the brothers, the crowd greeted them and their parents with profound respect and devotion. Not only this, they raised slogans condemning sinful Kansa as well. Krishna pacified the crowd raising his hands and asked for their opinion regarding the enthronement of some one on Kansa's throne. It was decided that the old king Ugrasena-(Kansa's father) should be enthrone as the rightful King of Mathura.

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Respecting the opinion of the people, Krishna decided to set Ugrasena free. So, he and his brother Balram went to the prison-room where the old king was behind the bars and untied his chains. Ugrasena was given a bath and dressed in a stately robe. Then escorting him to the court, Krishna and Balram seated him on the throne and placed his usurped crown on his head. At once people started raising slogans of glory to Ugrasena and Krishna and of condemnation to Kansa. King Ugrasena embraced Krishna and Balram and showered blessings on them. Seeing this, all the courtiers too began to admire both the brothers for what they had done. A large number of noble persons had fled Mathura because of Kansa's excesses. They had settled at other places. Now that Kansa had disappeared from the scene, these people returned to their respective homes in Mathura. King Ugrasena began to rule as before taking due care of his people and observing all religious norms essential for an ideal king. As a result, people became fearless, prosperous and happy again. So, they began to fulfill their duties towards the state gladly.

Krishna had displayed his childhood-miracles at Gokul and Vrindavan. There he hzd eliminated a number of demons, unjust persons and sinners. Then, invited by Kansa, Krishna came to Mathura and did away with him along with his treacherous supporters. Next, he freed his parents and his grandfather, King Ugrasen and also enthroned him to wear his lost crown. Now Krishna bade farewell to Nand Baba and other milkmen of Vrindavan after giving them valuable gifts and showering due honors on them. Vasudeva, now, chalked out a program to make his sons step into Brahmacharya ashram duly according to the religious rites. A yajna was held and sacred thread ceremony of both the brothers was observed. Rohini had been called to Mathura to participate in all these religious rites. With clean-shaven heads, vermilion marks on their foreheads, mekhalas and lion-cloths on their waists and plasha rods in their hands, both the brothers looked very impressive indeed. Vasudeva, Devaki and Rohini were beside themselves with joy to see their sons through the ceremonies. They were overbubbling with filial affection indeed, through the ceremonies.

The sacred-thread ceremony having been over, Vasudeva decided to send his sons to some gurukula for education. After a thorough thinking, they were sent to Saint Sandipani's ashram located at Ujjain. Both the brothers threw themselves heart and soul into studies. They served their teacher with implicit devotion and he, in turn, was very happy with them. There were a number of other students too at the gurukula. One of them was Sudama, son of a poor Brahman. Krishna was very close to him. In course of time, they became bosom friends. One day the wife of Saint Sandipani asked Krishna to go to the forest and fetch dry wood for the havana. Krishna, accompanied by his close friend Sudama, went to the forest to collect and bring dry wood. As soon as they were ready to leave the forest with wood, a violent hazy storm, blew. It went on for a long time and both the friends lost their way. They roamed hither and thither along with the faggot of wood. The sun set and darkness ~ prevailed all around. So, they were forced to pass the night under a tree. Next morning, the saint came to look for them. Seeing them with the wood, he felt very pleased at their obedience and showered blessings on them.

Krishna and Balram, being divine beings, were themselves a stare-house of knowledge. Their going to the gurukula aimed at establishing ideals for others and at highlighting the honour of the teacher in the society. In a short period of sixty-four days, they mastered the Vedas, Upvedas, other religious books and all the sorts. Saint Sandipani was amazed at the grasping power of both the brothers. But, his inner vision guided him on to understand that Krishna was an incarnate of Lord Vishnu. So, he viewed Krishna with great devotion in his heart of hearts. Having finished their schooling, Krishna and Balram took leave of Saint Sandipani and offered to pay guru-dakshina. After consultations with his wife, the saint said, "I want my son, who was drowned in the river while bathing some time back, to be alive." So, Krishna went to the Death-god and asked him to bring the saint's son to life and send him back to the earth to live with his parents. The saint was so pleased to have his son back. Then Krishna and Balram took leave of their schoolmates and returned to Mathura.

The miracles performed by Krishna were very strange indeed. Each of these miracles had a big secret behind it. Kalyavana was a tyrant lowly person who was a terror for the people. Let us read how Sri Krishna eliminated him in a dramatic way Kansa's father-in-law was a very powerful king named Jarasandh. He was enraged at the murder of his son-in-law and so he attacked Mathura seventeen times. But every time, Krishna and Balram routed his army. Now Kalyavana raised a large army and incited by Jarasandh planned to attack Mathura. Krishna had got a new city of Dwarika built on a peninsula on the western coast of India. So, he sent the people of Mathura to live there in safety. Kalyavana followed Krishna~like a shadow. - Krishna left Dwarika unarmed and bare-footed. Kalyavana too left his chariot and ran after Krishna to catch him and kill him , Krishna ran on and on with Kalyavana following him at his heels. Now see how Krishna pushed him into the laws of death in a dramatic way.

Running on and on, Krishna led Kalyavana into a cave where a king named Muchukund was sleeping soundly because of a boon conferred on him by gods. A soon as Krishna went near him, he lay his yellow blanket on the sleeping king and hid himself aside. Kalyavana too came inside the cave. In the heat of his rage he took the sleeping king for Krishna and struck him hard with his foot. Muchukund was disturbed and he got up. . As soon as he cast an angry look at Kolyavna, he was burnt alive to death. The story goes that Muchukund had fought against the demons to save the gods from them. He was able to defeat the demons decisively. The gods were very pleased and they asked him to ask for a boon. Muchukund, weary of a long war against the demons asked for a long sleep. So, the gods said, " Go and sleep at any place on the earth Whoever disturbs you during your sleep, will be burnt alive as soon as you look at him." Krishna had led Kalyavana into the cave to have him burnt alive and to prove the veracity of the boon that the gods had conferred on king Muchukund. How difficult to perceive the miracles performed by Krishna were indeed!

Kalyavana, according to the boon o~ the gods conferred on Muchukund, had been burnt alive. So, Krishna came out of his hiding place. King Muchukunda saluted Krishna with profound devotion and praised him a lot. Then seeking his permission, the king proceeded to the forest for meditatibn. As soon as Krishna got out of the cave, Kalyavana's army barred his way. But Balram had also reached there by now. So, both the brothers put Kalyavana's army to rout and proceeded to Dwarika. Jarasandha, who had already suffered defeat seventeen times at Krishna's hands, attacked Mathura once more. But knowing that the people of Mathura had shifted to Dwarika, he directed his army to march on Dwarika. So, Jarasandha overtook Krishna and Balram, who were coming to Dwarika after routing Kalyavana's army. Seeing the large- army, Krishna, under a dramatic move, fled away along with his brother Balram: Because of this miraculous move, Krishna came to be known as Ranchhod also. The word means--runner from the battlefield.

Rukmini, daughter of king Bhishmak of Kundinpur, had fallen in love with Krishna. So, her father decided to, marry her off to Krishna. But Rukmi , her brother, was dead against this marriage. He wanted her to marry another prince named Shishupal. The old king Bhishmak had to agree to what his son Rukmi wanted. So, he sent a message to Shishupal to come with a marriage party. Rukmini, too, sent a secret letter to Krishna to come and save her. So, Krishna had reached Kundinpur earlier than Shishupal came with the marriage-party. Balram too followed Krishna with a large army. A few hours before the marriage ceremony, Rukmini came out of the palace for worship of Mother Goddess in a temple. Krishna seated her in his chariot and made for Dwarika. Shishupal and Rukmi followed Krishna with their armies but Balram barred them on the way and defeated their armies. So, they had to return disappointed and ashamed. Krishna, on reaching Dwarika, duly married Rukmini according to religious rites. Victorious Balram too returned to Dwarika soon.

A powerful noble named Satrajit lived in Dwarika. He had worshipped Sun god and the god was pleased with him. So, he gave a divine jewel to Sarajit which the noble was very proud of. Krishna had once or twice asked the noble for the jewel but to be refused only. One day Prasenjit, Satrajit's brother, went for a game in a nearby forest. He had taken the jewel with him too. There he had to confront a (ion and was killed along with his horse. As Prasenjit did not return, Satrajit blamed Krishna of his murder for the sake of the jewel. So, Krishna proceeded to the forest to bring the reality to tight. Reaching the forest he found the dead bodies of Prasenjit and his horse. But close by, he saw a lion lying dead as well. Not only this, he sported some footprints leading into a nearby cave. Jambvant, who had killed the lion and taken away the jewel, lived in that cave. Krishna went into the cave and asked Jambvant to hand over the jewel to him. On his refusal, a combat ensued that went on for 28 days and finally Jambvant accepted Krishna's superiority. So, Jambvant returned the jewel to Krishna and also gave his daughter Jambvati to Krishna in marriage. Krishna handed over the jewel to Satrajit who felt so ashamed that he, too, gave his daughter, Satyabhama, to Krishna.

Nagnajit, the ruler of South Kaushala had reared seven huge bulls. When his daughter, Satya by name, grew up and became marriageable, he declared, "Whoever puts a common string into the noses of his ferocious bulls, will be my son-in-law." A number of princes came to try their luck but none could do the feat. Each of them went back having been wounded and defeated. Now the king felt very sad as the feat seemed quite impossible to perform, At last Krishna reached Kaushala and offered to do the feat. The king permitted him to try his luck too. Krishna did not take long to string the noses of all the seven Bulls together. The king was beside himself with joy: So, he gave his daughter to Krishna in marriage after a stately religious ceremony. Now Krishna had come to have eight queens. Four of them were Rukmini Satyqbhama, Jambvati and Satya about whom we have already read. Before them, Kalindi had herself chosen Krishna as her husband while Mitravinda was won in a swayamvar. Bhadra's father had offered his daughter to Krishna and Lakshmana was also won in a swayamvar.

Narkasur was a fierce demon who was called Bhaumasur also. He was a tyrant who'd abducted and imprisoned sixteen thousand princesses. Not only this, he had snatched the ear-rings of goddess Aditi, the canopy of Varuna, the water-god, and the Jewel Hill (Mani Parvat) from the gods. The gods were very frightened of this fierce demon. So, they went to Lord Indra and requested him to do something to do away with the fearful demon. Indra further implored Krishna for help. Krishna, mounting Garuda along with his queen Satyabhama, went to Bhaumasur's capital. The demon had raised a wall of high hills around the city. Apart from the hill wall, Bhaumasura had fortified his capital with fire-flames, a deep moat full of water and a coat of poisoned air at strategic points. Also, he had fixed automatic missiles and laid magical traps at every step. Krishna pierced through all these impediments and challenged the demon for a battle wherein he was killed. Krishna now enthroned his son and rescued all the sixteen thousand princesses from the prison.

Along with rescue of sixteen thousand princesses, Krishna had got back the earrings of goddess Aditi, canopy of the water-god and the Jewel Hill of the gods' also. Krishna went to Indra and returned these things--each to its master. When Krishna was about to leave for Dwarika, Satyabhama insisted on having the Kalpataru for herself. This tree is known for its capacity to fulfil every desire of man. So, Krishna uprooted the tree and handed it over to his queen. Indra could not tolerate it. He at once called all the gods and held a meeting. They all branded Krishna's action as improper and attacked him. A fierce battle followed which resulted in a defeat for the gods who ran pell-mell to save their lives. So, Indra was at his wit's end. Feeling ashamed, Indra fell on Krishna's feet and begged to be pardoned. Indra implored, "This tree is a heavenly tree. Be kind enough to keep it at Dwarika only till you yourself are there and then return it to us. Krishna agreed to what Indra had said. Coming to Dwarika, he planted the tree in the compound of Satyabhama's palace.

Banasur was a ferocious demon who had one thousand arms. His daughter was extremely charming. She chanced to see Anirudh, the grandson of Krishna, and fell in love with him. So, she sent Chitralekha, one of her close friends to bring Anirudh to her by dint of her miraculous power. Chitralekha did the job for her friend. When Banasur came to know of it, he entrapped Anirudh in a snake-trap as he was against his marriage with her daughter. Saint Narada informed Krishna of the mishap. Krishna marched on Banasur with a huge army. Banasur was a devotee of Lord Shiva and so the Lord came to help the demon along with his pupils. Banasur felt quite fearless now. Krishna killed all the soldiers of the demon and also the pupils of Lord Shiva. As for Shiva, he used Jarimbhal--a sleep-prevailing weapon, on him and he was lost in deep slumber. Now Krishna began to cut off the arms of Banasur and he raised a hue and cry, which aroused Lord Shiva from slumber. On Shiva's request, Krishna spared the last four arms of the demon who now gladly gave his daughter to Anirudh in marriage. Also, he became a devotee of Lord Krishna.

'Much earlier than Krishna's time, there had been a highly charitable king named Nriga. He gave innumerable cows in charity to Brahmans and came to be known as Charity King. Once he committed a blunder, though quite unknowingly. He gave in charity a cow, which he had already given in alms to a Brahman. The Brahman got very angry and uttered a curse on Nriga, "Be a chameleon and keep lying in a dry well for ever." Now, this well happened to be near Dwarika. One day some boys of Krishna's family, while playing came near this well. One of them chanced to peep into the well. Seeing the huge chameleon, he told his companions about it. The boys felt amazed to see the huge chameleon and began trying to get it out of the well. Having failed to do so, they went to Krishna and asked for his help. Krishna came to the well and drew out the reptile with his hand. As soon as Krishna's hand touched the chameleon, it got transformed into Nriga and the divine hands had ended the effect of the curse. Nriga praised Krishna and seeking his permission proceeded to Heaven.

End of Book III

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Boek 4 is mahabharat, die kennen jullie vast wel !

Boek 4 : Mahabharata

We have read in the previous book that Krishna, having been invited by Kansa to Mathura; came there to take part in the Bow-yajna along with Nand Baba and other respectable milkmen of Vrindavan. After killing his maternal uncle, Kansa, and his wrestlers, Chanur and Mushtik, he set Vasudeva and Devaki free and enthroned his grandfather, Ugrasena, restoring his lost crown to him. Then Krishna and Balram went to the Gurukula of Saint Sondipani at Ujjain and completed their schooling within a short period of 64 days only. Also, he constructed the town of Dwarika at a peninsula bordering the West Coast of India. Soon after this, he did away with Kalayavana, Bhaumasur, Banasur and several other evil persons. Not only this, he salvaged King Muchukund and king Nriga also. Now Paundrik, the ruler of Chunar, raised his head as he was very jealous of Krishna's rise. Incited by his flatterers, he declared himself to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. As people considered Krishna also to be the human form of Lord Vishnu, Paundrik challenged Krishna for a combat. When Krishna went to him, he was astonished to find him wearing two artificial arms and other accessories often seen in the hands of Lord Vishnu. Krishna defeated him and put him to death along with his supporter, the ruler of Kasha.

The murder of the ruler of Kashi enraged his son Sudakshana by name. Ha made up his mind to avenge his father's death. So, he invoked Lord Shiva and asked him for a boon that could enable him to kilt Krishna. The Lord suggested to him to perform a yajna known as the killer-yajna. The Lord further said that the killing-power produced out of the yajna could kill anybody who was not devoted to the Brahmans. Sudakshana performed the above-named yajna and created the killing power known as Kritya. Then he sent it to Dwarika aiming at the murder of Krishna and Balram. Little did the foolish fellow know that Krishna was an embodiment of Brahmanhood and so Kritya could not harm him in any manner. As soon as Kritya reached Dwarika, Krishna perceived it through his divine insight and shot his Chakra at it. Unable to face the chakra, Kritya turned about and ran back to where it had come from. Reaching Kashi, it made short work of Sudakshana and also the Brahmans who had performed the yajna. Shortly after wards, Krishna's chakra reached the town at Kashi and reduced the whole of it to ruins.

Jarasandh, the ruler of Magadha, was Kansa's father-in-law. Enraged at the murder of his son-in-law, he had already attacked Mathura seventeen times but every time he had suffered a crushing defeat. Even then, his power had not been broken and he was ready for a trial of strength once again. Yudhishthir the Pandava king, was planning to perform a Rajsuya Yajna with a view to celebrating his victories over most of the kings of North India. Krishna apprehended trouble at the hands of Jarasandh during the performance of the Yajna. So, he advised Yudhishthir to do away with him before the Yajna. Krishna's advice appealed to Yudhishthir's mind and he sent his brothers, Arjuna and Bhima, with Krishna to the capital of Magadha. Reaching there, Bhima challenged Jarasandh for a wrestling bout. How could he help accepting it. The wrestling bout went on for thirteen days but without a win for either of the contestants. On the fourteenth day, Krishna signaled Bhima to tear his opponent into two halves demonstrating the action by tearing a leaf and throwing its two parts into opposite directions. Bhima followed the signal and acted upto it literally. As a result, Jarasandh was no more.

The Rajsuya Yajna was nearing its completion. The last rite was to confer honors upon the kings who had participated in the ritual. Before starting this rite, it was customary to worship the best participant according to the manner prescribed in the religious scriptures. Yudhisthir did not want to choose the best candidate for worship after his own will. So, he decided to consult all the participants present there. Sahadeva, ruler of Magdha, proposed the name of Krishna as he was obliged to him for his coronation. Most of the kings and the Brahmans seconded the proposal though a number of kings opposed it also. The opposing faction consisted of the supporters of Shishupal, who had an old grmisgunnene against Krishna because of Rukmini. Shishupal opposed the worship of Krishna as the best participant using objectionable and disgraceful words for him. He suggested that either Bhishma or Drona should be the candidates for worship. But these two elderly participants had already supported Krishna's candidature. So, a wrangle cropped up over the point and Yudhishthir was at a loss to understand what to do.

The brawl over the choice of the rightful candidate for worship was not coming to an end as Shishupal and his supporters were dead against the worship of Krishna. At last Krishna stood up and addressed the gathering saying~" I beg the attention of all of you to what I am going to say. Shishupal is my cousin--sonof my father's sister. He has been opposing me at every step for a long time. I would have done away with him far earlier but for his mother's request to pardon him. Now I warn him to come to the right path. I won't say or do anything till he has used at least one hundred disgraceful terms for me. But after it, won't spore him at all." Unluckily better sense did not prevail on Shishupal and he went on with his abusive terms against Krishna. So, Krishna flew into a violent rage and declared, "The fellow is bent upon meeting with his end and I am helpless." Saying so, Krishna wielded his chakra and directed it at Shishupal. It went revolving to Shishupal and severed his neck from the rest of his body. Then it returned to Krishna's hand. Everybody Present was frightened to look at Krishna who had assumed his divine colossal form (Virat Roop)· Everybody stood up and prayed Krishna to be cool. So, he came to his normal form and put on a loveable look as before.

Shalva was a close friend of Shishupal Having got the news of Shishupal's murder, he was mad in rage and made up his mind to avenge his friend's death. He invoked Lord Shiva and asked for a boon. When the Lord gave his assent, Shalva asked for a unique vehicle that could move on land, in air and on water with equal agility and at the same time could be invisible when required. Lord Shiva ordered Maidanava, chief of the demons, to build the vehicle for Shalva. Obtaining the vehicle and having his army bearded on it, Shalva marched on Dwarika. Krishna was not there as he was stilt at Indraprastha, Yudhishthir's capital. So Pradyumna, Krishna's son, faced Shalva with his army and routed a major part of it. The news soon reached Krishna who hastened to Dwarika to deal with Shalva. Using his famous bow-Shorong Bow-- he did away with the remaining soldiers of the invader. Then Krishna struck the vehicle with his mace and it was broken to pieces. Enraged at it, Shalva sprang at Krishna with a mace in his hands. But Krishna was more than a match for him. He directed his chakra at him and it cut off both the arms and the neck of the opponent instantly.

King Dantvakra was the ruler of Karusha kingdom. He was a bosom friend of Shalva who had been slain by Krishna even after obtaining a unique vehicle from Shiva through a boon after long meditation. When Dantvakra heard that his friend had marched on Dwarika with a view to punishing Krishna for the murder of Shishupal, he lifted his mace and made for the battle-field with a view to helping his friend Shalva. Dantvakra was so confident and proud of his prowess that he did not take any army with him. Not only this, he forgot to take his chariot even in the heat of his enthusiasm to help his friend to chastise Krishna. Before long, he reached the field where the battle was going on. As soon as Dantvakra saw the dead body of his friend Shalva, he became mad in rage and his eyes began to emit fire. Seeing Krishna standing near by, he lifted his mace and struck Krishna at his chest. Krishna was, however, able to bear the brunt of the blow and he challenged Dantvakra to be on his alert. Krishna lifted his mace

Duryodhana was very jealous of the rise of the Pandavas. The constant help that they were getting from Krishna, was an eye-sore to him as well. But he was helpless and so he chose to checkmate them through some trick. He knew the weakness of Yudhishthir for playing dice. So, he conferred with his maternal uncle, Shakuni, who was a past-master in dice-games. When Duryodhana invited Yudhishthir tothe game, he could not refuse and soon reached Hastinapur. Duryodhana deputed Shakuni to play on his behalf and he, through his unfair moves, kept heaping defeat after defeat on Yudhishthir. Having lost h is kingdom and every other belonging, Yudhishthir staked his four brothers. When he had lost them too, he staked himself and thereafter his wife Draupadi as well. Duryodhana's joy knew no bounds and he asked his brother Dushasana to bring Draupadi to his court and to strip her there itself. So, Draupadi was dragged to the court and Dushasana set about stripping her. The helpless queen prayed to God for help. How could Krishna sit silent? He responded through his miraculous power and the saree of Draupadi got increased to such a length that Dushasona grew tired of drawing it off her body.

Krishna had saved Draupadi and Duryodhana had not been able to disgrace her in the open court. But enraged at his vicious attempt, Bhima had pledged to kill Duryodhana and his brother Dushasana. This pledge frightened Duryodhana's father, Dhritrashtra, who returned to Yudhishthir everything he had lost in the game. This embittered Duryodhana and he decided to humble the Pandavas in other way. He asked Yudhishthir to have his lost things on the condition that the Pandavas would go into exile for thirteen years, the last year of which they would remain misgunnen and untraced. Duryodhana was not satisfied even now. He pleased saint Durvasa through hospitality and then persuaded him to go to the Pandavas along with his ten thousand pupils and ask for meals. Durvasa complied with Duryodhana's request and went to the Pandavas along with his pupils. Out at elbows, Draupadi found it impossible to entertain the saint and apprehended a curse from him. She preyed to God and Krishna at once responded. He asked for the utensil which had been given to her by the Sun-god. He touched it and asked Draupadi to go on serving food to the saint and his pupils. The utensil I did not run short of food till all of them were satisfied fully. So, Durvasa returned happy and satisfied. So, Durvasa returned happy and satisfied.

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We have already read about Krishna's class-mate and close friend Sudama. Having finsihed his schooling, he returned to his village and married Sushila. Sudama was very poor though he was very content. But his wife often goaded him to go to Krishna and ask for financial help. At last Sudama agreed to visit Dwarika. Sushila gave a small packet of parched rice to Sudama to offer as a humble present to Krishna. Sudama traversed the distance slowly and steadily and at last reached Dwarika. Reaching the palace gate, he sent word to Krishna about his arrival. Hearing the very name o~ Sudama, Krishna rushed bare3ooted to the gate to receive his friend and escorted him inside. Seating him on a cushion, Krishna washed his feet and entertained him duly. Rukmini, Krishna's wife, kept fanning Sudama all this while. Seeing Krishna's grandeur, Sudama felt very small and could not dare to offer the humble present that he had brought. But Krishna knew everything and so he signalled to Rukmini to snatch the packet that Sudama had hidden under his arms. The royal couple enjoyed the parched rice as if it were a sumptuous dish. Sudama stayed with his friend for a few days and then returned home. He was highly ashtonished to see his hut replaced by a magnificent house full of each and every comfort and his family dressed in valuable garments. How happy must he have felt indeed !

Soon after Sudama's return to his village, there occured a solar eclipse. As we know that a fair is held at Kurukshetra on this occasion, Krishna proceeded to Kurukshetra with his parents, Balrama and other Yadava nobles. He hoped to see Nand Baba, Yashoda and other milkmen and milkmaids o~ Vrindavan. Luckily Nand Baba had come to Kurukshetra and there was a happy meeting among Krishna, his foster-parents and childhood chums. During the talks that took place between the near-and-dear ones, Krishna's various exploits and miracles came to be mentioned. Devaki came to know that Krishna had revived the son of his guru after he had been drowned while bathing at a river near the gurukula. So, she insisted on seeing all her six sons killed by Kansa at Mathura. Krishna could not afford to disappoint his mother and soon proceeded to the abode of Death- god. The six killed sons of Devaki were in fact sons of saint Marichi. They had been cursed by Brahma for laughing at him. So, they had been turned to demons as a result of the curse. Krishna went to Bali, chief of demons, and brought all the six of them to his parents. They were very pleased to see their sons. At the same time the effect of the curse also disappeared. So, they paid obeisance to Devaki, Vasudeva, Balrama and Krishna and went back to their abode.

The Pandavas, having passed thirteen years in exile had returned to Indraprastha. They asked Dhritrashtra to return their kingdom as the condition of the game had been duly fulfilled. But Duryodhana was not ready to part with what he had been possessing for over thirteen years. So, a war between the two became inevitable. Preparations started to be made for a big trial of strength between the Kauravas and the Pandavas. Alliances started to be made on both sides. In the course of these moves, both Arjuna and Duryodhana approached Krishna far help. Incidently Krishna was enjoying a sound sleep at that time. Duryodhana was lucky to reach earlier than Arjuna. So, he sat towards Krishna's head. Ariuna, when he reached, sat near Krishna's feet. So, when Krishna got up and sat down, his eyes first fell on Arjuna because he was just in front of his face. He asked him to narrate the purpose of his visit. Duryodhana interrupted saying that he had come earlier and the first choice of demanding anything should be given to him. Krishna shook his head and allowed Arjuna to have his say asking him, "Arjun! I will help both of you. Choose one thing out of myself and my large army." Arjuna chose Shri Krishna and Duryodhana laughed at his folly. He was damn happy to have Krishna's powerful army. He was damn happy to have Krishna's powerful army.

Yudhishthir, we know, was a sagacious person who hated war though he was a great worrier. His very name means--unshakable in war. He tried his level best to put off the war against Duryodhana but all in vein. As his last effort, he sent Krishna as his envoy to advise Duryodhana to give up the war-path and settle the matter through negotiations. Just on the eve of Krishna's departure, Draupadi came to him and showing her ruffled locks of hair said, "O Krishna! you are going with a message of peace to Duryodhana. I request you not to forget about my hair that was drawn and dragged in the open court by Dushasana. I have not dressed them for the last thirteen years." Krishna retorted, "Be consoled ; my peace-mission is not going to put the war off because it is inevitable. Rest assured that you will be duly avenged. Nevertheless my visit to Hastinapur will certainly prove that the Pandavas, on their part, did their best to avert the war and thus the entire blame will rest on the shoulders of the Kaurvas for which the posterity will never pardon them."

When Krishna got to the Kaurava court, he was accorded a warm welcome. Dhritrashtra entertained Krishna duly and asked him about the purpose of his visit. Krishna talked of avoiding the war by giving a small territory--five villages-to the Pandavas and thus restoring peace to the entire family. He argued with Duryodhana from every angle on this point in order to convince him that the impending war would be highly disastrous. Unluckily Duryodhana was in no mood to reconcile. He announced most indignantly." No, not at all no territory, not equal to a needle-point even. I have won their kingdom. It can't be returned until and unless they win it back with the force of their arms. Why shouId they beg for it like urchins?" When Krishna asked Duryodhana to restrain himself from using disgraceful words for the Pandavas, he flew into a rage and ordered his men to capture Krishna and imprison him. Hearing Duryodhana's words, Krishna felt upset not out of fear but due to disappointment over the failure of his mission. But he was not ready to take chances because Duryodhana could be wicked to any extent. So, he decided to exhibit to Duryodhana a glimpse of his divine power. He assumed his fearful colossal form and everybody present there was amazed as well as afraid to see it.

In spite of being offended with Krishna, Duryodhana could do no harm to him because according to the prescribed norm, an envoy could not be harmed or punished even if he used harsh words against the king to whose court he had been sent. As for Krishna, he was so displeased with Duryodhana that he rejected his stately hospitality and left the court at once. Vidur, a cousin of Dhritrashtra, was a godly person who knew that Krishna was an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Having left the court, Krishna went to Vidur's house where he was received warmly. Vidur's wife was equally God-fearing and pious. She was beside herself with joy to see Krishna in her house. Lost in deep emotion and profound devotion, she decided to entertain Krishna with bananas. How strange ! Vidur's wife was offering banana-peels to Krishna for eating while the inner fruit was being thrown away into the dust-bin. She was, in fact, lost to herself in emotion and could not pay attention to what she was doing. As for Krishna, he enioyed the peels as if they were more delicious than the bananas. He did not even point out to her about what she was doing.

Krishna's peace-mission had miserably failed and he had returned to Indraprastha to give a green signal for the preparations for the impending war. The war having been declared, both the armies marched to the field of Kurukshetrato face each other. Krishna had taken a vow not to fight as a warrior in this war. He had accepted to act as Arjuna's charioteer only. Directed by Arjuna, Krishna drove his chariot to the no-man's land so that he could view the warriors who had come to face him. When Arjuna saw his blood relations, revered guru Drona and respectable Bhishma standing in the opposite camp his mind shook and he was filled with doubts. He said to Krishna, "I won't fight at all. Is it proper and worthy of me to kill all my near-ond-deor ones only to get a throne ? No, not I won't do it at all." Krishna felt upset when he saw that Arjuna was quite averse to war and had placed his bow down. It was at this time that Krishna delivered his sermon of the Gita to Arjuna. He said, "O Arjuna ! you have got the right to act only without bothering about the result. Man's soul is immortal and it is the body only that perishes. This is a holy war and a true warrior (Kshatri) cannot afford to prove a coward." Hearing these words, Arjuna realised his mistake and got ready to fight.

Bhishma loved the Kaurvas and the Pandavas alike. Though he was fighting on behalf of Duryodhana, yet he had never tried to kill any of the five Pandavas. He had been killing only their soldiers. Duryodhana did not like it and he said to Bhishma, "Grand-father ! you are avoiding the murder of the Pandavas while fighting. Do you want them to be victorious? I do not expect such a thing from you as you have always been faithful to the Kaurava throne." Bhishma had nothing to reply back and so he said, "I shall direct my arrows at the Pandavas if Krishna does keep his vow of not fighting as a warrior." Duryodhana was very pleased to hear these words. The next day, Bhishma fought like a lion so much so that he caused Arjuna to swoon when struck by his arrows. The horses of Arjuna's chariot were also killed. How could Krishna tolerate all this 2 His anger knew no bounds and he decided to break his pledge. Raising the wheel of a broken chariot, he ran towards Bhishma. Bhishma felt frightened and folded his hands in order to beg his pardon. Seeing this, Arjuna came running, pacified Krishna and taking him by the arm, he took him back to his chariot.

Incited by Duryodhana, Bhishma once again took a pledge to kill the Pandavas. The news of this pledge reached the Pandava camp and they were extremely worried. They knew that Bhishma had the boon to die only when he wanted to do so and so it was impossible to kill him. Once again Krishna came to their help and asked them not to fee) anxious at all. Escorting Draupadi to Bhishma's place at night, Krishna advised her to go inside and make obeisance to the old worrier who was sitting for meditation with his eyes closed. Draupadi went in and said, "Glory be to you, grandfather!" Without opening his eyes, Bhishma uttered a blessing, "May you never be a widow and enjoy the company of your husband till your death!": When Bhishma opened his eyes, he was surprised to see Draupadi sitting in front. He at once followed that she had come to him on the advice of Krishna who must be there somewhere around. Just then, Krishna stepped in and Bhishma stood up to greet him with profound devotion and piety. In this way, Krishna had saved the Pandavas from the fatal wrath of Bhishma.

After the fall of Bhishma, Drona assumed the command of the Kaurva army but he was killed. His son Ashwathama got very offended with the Pandavas. So, he directed the Narayanastra at them. It was a quality of this weapon that it never hit a soldier who was on foot or armless or who had turned his back towards it. Seeing the dangerous Narayanastra, all the warriors threw their arms and got down their chariots turning their backs towards it. But Bhima considered it an insult to do all these things. On the other hand, he kept roaring aloud brandishing his mace in the air. The result was that innumerable fire-arrows came out of the above-named Narayanastra and shot towards Bhima. When Krishna saw this, he rushed towards Bhima and stood in front of him turning his back towards the Narayanastra. Not only this, he bent Brim's head down with his hands and hid it in his arms. Also, he snatched his mace and threw it on the ground. As a result, the Narayanstra went back without doing any harm to any of the Pandavas.

The battle of Mahabharata ended with a defeat for the Kaurvas and a glorious victory for the Pandavas. So, Krishna drove Arjuna's chariot back to the Pandava camp and asked him to get down at once. But Arjuna refused saying that conventionally it was the charioteer who got down first followed by the warrior. But Krishna insisted on Arjuna's getting down from the chariot first. Arjuna could not afford to disobey Krishna and got down along with his bow and quiver of arrows. It was after this that Krishna came down from the chariot. Arjuna was surprised to see that the chariot along with the horses, was burnt to ashes as soon as Krishna got down from it. He was at a loss to understand how and why it had happened. He asked Krishna to explain the puzzle in detail. Krishna said, "The chariot was already going to be burnt but had checked this phenomenon deputing Hanumana on guard. If conventionally I had got down earlier than you did, you would also have been burnt along with the chariot and the horses. That was why I insisted on your getting down first. As soon as I got down, Hanumana flew away leaving the chariot unguarded and it was burnt to ashes.

Bhishma was lying on a bed of arrows. He wanted to die only when the sun had moved into the northern horizon. When it happened, Bhishma delivered his sermon and breathed his last. Having observed his last rites, Krishna left the place accompanied by the Pandavas. As mentioned earlier, Ashwathma was highly enraged with the Pandavas. He set the Pandava camp on fire and, as a result most of the Pandava soldiers and five sons of Draupadi were burnt alive. When the Pandavas returned the next day, Draupadi told them about the woeful happening. The Pandavas were struck with grief and enraged Arjuna chased and captured Ashwathama. He was going to kill him but Draupadi asked him to spare his life because he was the son of his guru. So, Arjuna got his head shaven clean and dug the jewel out of his forehead and then set him free. Ashwathma felt highly insulted and he shot his divine weapon (Brahmastra) at the Pandavas with a view to extinguishing their generation. But Krishna saved all of them and then ran to Uttra, wife at Arjuna's son Abhimanyu, who was in the family way. As soon as she delivered a son, Brahmastra attacked the infant but Krishna made it ineffective using his chakra. It was this infant, named Parikshat, who became the next Pandava king.

There lived a Brahman at Dwarika. Whenever a child was born to him, it died. So, the Brahman was very grieved. He used to place the dead infant at the royal gate and go away. This happened many a time and once in the presence of Arjun too who had come to see Krishna. Seeing the Brahman in grief, Arjuna gave him a pledge to save his next child. But this time, the infant dramatically disappeared soon after its birth. Arjuna was highly perturbed to see his pledge broken and so he got ready for self-immolation. How could Krishna brook it? Krishna took Arjuna to Lord Narayana who said, "Arjuna ! I wanted to see you along with Krishna. So, this drama of the disappearance of the Brahman's son was enacted." Saying so, the Lord returned all the children of the Brahman to Arjuna who duly handed them over to their father. Having been offended with the Krishna's family, the local Brahmans uttered a curse on them, "All of you will die fighting among yourselves." Balram had already passed away and most of the other members of Krishna's family also died fighting. One day Krishna was sitting under a peepal tree. Taking his brilliant heel to be the eye of a deer, a hunter shot an arrow at it. Then Krishna delivered a sermon to Maitreya and asked Uddhav to meditate at Badrinath. Thus relieving the Earth of all the sinners of the time, Krishna returned to his heavenly abode.

End of story !

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Zo dan, dat was mijn ishta devta's story

Princess, als je nog wat info hebt of toevoegingen, please do

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Maa Santoshi is an emblem of love, contentment, forgiveness, happiness and hope. It is so believed that fasting and praying for her for 16 consecutive Fridays brings peace and prosperity in ones family.

Santoshi Maa inspires an individual to cherish family values and to come out of the crisis with one's determination. Santoshi Maa is also considered to be an incarnation of Mother Durga and is widely worshipped through out India and by Indians residing outside India.

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srimad bhagavatam

Srimad Bhagavatam

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Shri Ganesha


Ganesh is the Hindu elephant-headed god, Ganesha (or Ganesh) is known (by various names in different parts of India and on different occasions) as the Remover of Obstacles, the god of domestic harmony and of success. He is the most beloved and revered of all the Hindu gods, and is always invoked first in any Hindu ceremony or festival. He is the son of Parvati (the wife of Shiva, the Destroyer, the most powerful of the Hindu trinity of principal gods). There are many stories about how Ganesha got his elephant head, and about his exploits and antics. He was created as an ordinary boy, but was decapitated in battle. Shiva's emissaries were sent into the forest and told to get the head of the first animal they found and to fit that head onto the boy's neck. They found a little elephant, and it worked!

Heroes of epics like the Mahabharata and the Ramayana are immortalized and are still alive in the day-to-day existence of the common people. The gods of Hinduism are at once super-human and human and there is distinct feeling of warmth and familiarity towards them. Rama, the hero of the Ramayana, represents qualities such as honor, courage and valor and is held up as a model of manliness. His wife Sita is the prototypal Indian wife who is carried off by Ravana, the king of Lanka, while Rama and Sita are on exile. Sita's eventual rescue by Rama, his brother Lakshmana, and Rama's faithful monkey-general Hanuman are all woven into this engrossing tale. Stories from this epic have been passed down orally from one generation to the next. Religious fairs, festivals and rituals have kept these legends alive, and there is never an occasion that does not offer an opportunity to retell the old stories.

The stirring verses of the Mahabharata tell the story of the dynastic struggle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas, who were close cousins. Lord Krishna plays a very important role in this Great Epic. He is a friend, philosopher and guide to Arjuna, one of the Pandavas, and he helps Arjuna overcome his hesitation to kill his close relatives in the battlefield. The wise philosophy of Krishna and his teachings have been embodied in the Bhagwad Gita. Although the popular image of Krishna is that of a god who steals butter as a child, and who, as a youth, plays the flute and entices cows and cowherd girls alike; in his mature years he is depicted as the wise philosopher with a more serious side to his nature.

There are numerous gods and goddesses worshipped by Hindus all over India. Among these, the most fundamental to Hinduism, is the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - creator, preserver and destroyer respectively. Brahma has four heads corresponding to the four directions of the compass. He is the creator of life and the entire universe. Vishnu is the preserver who guides the cycle of birth and rebirth. He is also supposed to have taken many incarnations to save the world from evil forces. Both Rama and Krishna are believed to have been incarnations of Vishnu. Shiva, usually seen with a coiled cobra around his neck, destroys all evil and also has many incarnations, not all of which are terrifying.

The invisible deities are represented by a complexity of images and idols symbolizing divine powers. Many of these idols are housed within ornate temples of unparalleled beauty and grandeur. The Hindu gods are very much alive and live in temples, snow-capped peaks, in rivers and oceans and in the very hearts and minds of the Hindus.



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The elephant God of India who removes obstacles.


Legend1:

Lord Ganesh is the virtual son of Lord Shiva and goddess Parvathi.

When Lord Shiva, was away fighting for the gods, the lady of the house, goddess Parvathi was alone at home.

On one occasion, she needed someone to guard the house when she was going for a bath. Unable to think of an alternative, she used her powers to create a son, Ganesh. She instructed Ganesh to keep strict vigil on the entrance to the house and not to allow anyone into the house. Ganesh agreed and stayed on the strictest of strict vigils.

In the meantime Lord Shiva returned happy after a glorious victory for the gods, only to be stopped at the entrance by Ganesh. Ganesh, acting on Parvathi's orders verbatim, did not allow Shiva to enter the house.

Lord Shiva became enraged beyond control and in a fit of rage slashed the head of Ganesh.

Paravti came out from her bath and was aghast at the scene. She was very very angry at her lordship for what had happened and explained him the situation.

Lord Shiva wanted to make it up to Parvathi and agreed to put life back into Ganesha by putting the head of the first sleeping living creature that came in sight which was sleeping with its head to the north. He sent his soldiers to go in search of the creature. The first creature which came in sight was an elephant.

So Lord Shiva re-created his son with the head of the elephant. Hence the trunk of Lord Ganesha.

Parvathi was still not totally happy so Shiva granted Ganesha a boon that before beginning of any undertaking or task people would worship Lord Ganesh. Thus the reason for worship of Ganesha before start of any work.

Legend 2:

There was a monster called Gajasura. He was all powerful and an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva. He underwent penance for many years to receive special boons from Shiva. Lord Shiva, the god, who is easily pleased by prayers, was deeply moved by Gajasura's devotion. He blessed the monster and offered him a boon (reward). But the devotee is not as innocent as Shiva. He pleaded with Shiva to reside in his belly. Left with no option but to grant the boon, Shiva gets into Gajasura's stomach.

Meanwhile on Mount Kailash, Parvati - Shiva's wife, becomes anxious not knowing the whereabouts of her husband after a long period of time. She searches through the whole universe but to no avail.

Finally she approaches Lord Vishnu - the preserver of the world. Vishnu disguises himself in the form of a street player along with Nandi - the sacred bull of Shiva and sets out in search Shiva.

They go to Gajasura's kingdom and Nandi performs a dance to please the monster. The monster is delighted to see the bull dancing in his honor and wishes to reward the bull. The bull asks for Shiva as a reward. Hearing this, the monster realizes that the entertainer is none but Lord Vishnu himself. He also realizes that Shiva cannot be made to live in his stomach forever because he has his role to play in the world. He lets Shiva out of his stomach.

He prays to him, that he be made immortal in the memories of people. To fulfill this wish, Shiva severs Gajasura's head and frees him from the cycle of birth and death. He carries the head along with him. On Mount Kailash, in the Himalayas, Parvati comes to know of Vishnu's victory and is very happy. She makes arrangements to receive her Lord and goes to bedeck herself. She wants somebody to stand guard.

She creates a doll out of the dough that she uses in her bath. She calls him Vinayak - the one who puts off all obstacles.

This boy having never seen Shiva, prevents his entry into the palace. In a fit of fury Shiva beheads the boy and enters the palace. Parvati is unaware of the happenings and receives Shiva with warmth, for he had returned after a long period. During the course of their conversation, Shiva mentions the incident at the palace gates and tells her about severing the child's head.

Parvati is shocked to hear the news and pleads with Shiva to bring the child back to life for he is like a son to her.

Shiva who has with him the head of Gajasura, immediately puts it on the torso of the dead child. Thus the child comes back to life.

That day is Bhadrapad Chaturthi. Shiva blesses him with a boon that the entire world would worship him on that day and also would propitiate him before any auspicious event.

At the same time, all the Gods approach Shiva and request for a leader.

Shiva and Parvati have a son called Kumarswami or Kartik. To select the best one of them as a leader of all the Gods, Shiva conducts a test between the two. He says that whoever makes three rounds of the earth sooner than the other, will be made the Ganaadhipati. Kumarswami seated on a peacock, his vahanam (vehicle), starts off for the test.

Vinayak is given a rat which moves swiftly. Vinayak realizes that the test is not so easy but he cannot disobey his father. He reverently pays obeisance to his parents and goes around them three times and completes the test before Kumarswami. He says, " my parents pervade the whole universe and going around them, is more than going round the earth." Everybody is pleasantly surprised to hear Vinayak's logic and intelligence. Meanwhile, Kartik is amazed to see Ganesh completing the holy bath at each river that he reached at and ready for another round of the universe.

When he comes back to Kailas, Shiva had already declared Vinayak as the winner. He is blessed as the Supreme God of the universe. After this, Vinayak is called as Ganaadhish, Ganapati and Ganesh.

All the gods worship him.

The festival of Ganesh or Vinayak Chaturthi, the day on which Ganesh was born is the most joyous event of the year . Throughout India the festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm and devotion. In Andhra Pradesh, like Maharashtra, the festival is celebrated for ten days.

Zo dankje allemaal, dit is wel erg interessant!