The battle of Mahabharata was over. Sri Krishna , who was inclined to give joy and bliss to all, who habitually delighted and attracted others to him, approached t6he blind king Dhritarashtra and the queen Gandhari whose eyes were bound in a napkin in loyal lifelong penance for her husband’s blindness, to console them. Sri Krishna was accompanied by Yudhishthira. As soon as they came near Gandhari, her eyes fell on the toe of Yudhishthira through a little space in the napkin, and at once the toe was charred black. Such was the fire of rage burning within her and such was the power of her penance.
Afterwards, all the Pandavas, Sri Krishna, Dhritarashtra and the women of the Kuru clan went to the battle field of Kurukshethra. There they found the widows of the Kuru clan in deep lamentations. Hearing the wailing, the annoyed Gandhari pronounced- “O Krishna! Listen clearly. Now the anguish in my heart is going to hit you in the form of curse. If you had liked, this battle could have been avoided.
“Now, here comes my curse. I, gandhari, with the might of my penance, curse you, that just as I have to witness the death of all my children, you too Krishna, will witness the destruction of your entire Yadu clan. Just as my sons lost their lives fighting their cousins, so also will your sons die fighting each other. And more, you too shall leave this world due to an ordinary cause. Just as today these women of the Bharata clan are wailing, so also will women of your family cry at the loss of their near and dear ones,”
now just see now astonishing is the equanimity and wisdom of Sri Krishna! With a beautiful smile playing on His luminous face, Sri Krishna said to Gandhari, “O gandhari! May your utterances come true and may it not happen any differently. The people of the Yadu clan so powerful that no human can bring their end. The Devas, asuras, Yakshas, Gandharvas and Kinnaras cannot destroy them either. But death is inevitable for one who is born. The only manner then, in which they can meet their end, is that they fight each other. The inevitable law of nature will be fulfilled only in this manner. You have just declared what was impending. May your words come true? But take this advice Gandhari. You may curse me and my progeny, but pray, be not disturbed. Let your heart no burn in anguish! Calm down and protect your heart. Pray, do not misuse your powers to inflict pain on yourself. It is the divine law that one who is born must die, and it may be due to any cause. I such be the cause for destruction of the Yadu clan, so will it happen. What is overwhelming about this? However, whether one becomes affected by it by being remorseful or not, is in one’s own hands. O Gandhari! Respect your discrimination.”
O how great is Sri Krishna and His respect for discrimination! Pray tell, why will it not make Sri Krishna endearing to me? How wonderful is the beloved Sri Krishna! How even-minded He is! What befitting use of discrimination and strength!
Sri Krishna conquers the Kaliya snake in the river bed of the Yamuna and dances on its hoods. When the heels of Sri Krishna strike the hoods. Some break off and then get replaced by new hoods. All the while Sri Krishna keeps playing his sweets flute. You may think if Sri Krishna has dived into the depths of the Yamuna and is dancing on the hoods of KIaliya – will not water enter into the flute? How will the flute play when Sri Krishna is submerged in deep water?
Let us make use of our discernment here and understand the underlying meaning. The snake Kaliya with its numerous when one desire get fulfilled, another arises, like the hoods symbolizes filled, another arise, like the hoods of Kaliya. The hoods keep breaking and rising, but Sri Krishna is unperturbed. He keeps playing His flute, denoting Wisdom, and arousing the bliss of he self. The wife of Kaliya prays to Sri Krishna, i.e., the desire come back.
Kaliya questions Sri Krishna – “O Lord! You are the creator. You have created venomous snakes like me and also the gods who drink nectar. What is my fault in this? I am poisonous because nature has made me so.” The Srimad Bhagvatam says that Sri Krishna was silent on hearing this. He accepted Kaliya,’ words of discrimination. Sri Krishna is the true embodiment of wisdom. Sri Krishna replied – “Alright, I shall not kill you, but leave this place. You are causing distress to many. My nature is to shower bliss and your acts are an obstruction to that.”
Sri Krishna spares Kaliya’s life. He does not kill him or snatch his venom from him, but asks him to go to another place. In the same way, I do not ask you to eliminate desire, anger, greed and delusion that trouble you, but to change their course. You desire to obtain something or the other. Let this yearning be turned to attain God, to obtain inner peace, to yearn for silence and solitude or if your wish to enter public life, yearn for the welfare of the people. The orientation of your yearning, when changed, can lead you to god. The yearning for Kama will get sublimated into attainment of Rama. In this manner, your wisdom will be put to good use. The same applies for anger. For how long will our try to suppress it? Just re-channelize it in a different direction. If greed overpowers you, then channelize it towards greed for doing more Japa, more meditation, more acts of benevolence and acquiring more divine knowledge. The same goes for other attachments and passions.
Sant Tulsidasji has said – “Develop attachment towards the Lord, and equanimity towards the world so says Tulsi”.
“O Lord, I have experienced these worldly pleasures, now have mercy…” – such a prayer shows your discrimination. However great may be the amount of praise, pleasures and comforts you attain-how long will they last and what will remain in the end? Therefore, yearn for the real joy, the bliss of the Self, the Atman.
Your real self, the Atman, is bliss personified. If there is sorrow, worry or rear, it is due to the lack of discrimination. Keep awakening your discrimination. As you grow in discrimination, you will also grow in dispassion and gain the shat-sampatti, the six spiritual wealths of Shama (control of the senses), Titiksha (forbearance), Shraddha (faith) and Ishwar Pranidhan (concentration of mind on God). Then the yearning for Moksha means liberation from all sorrows forever and attainment of the Supreme Bliss.
To have many gurus is bad.
To deceive and disobey Guru is very, very bad.
To have a Guru is good but to divorce him is very bad.
Swami Sivanada Saraswati
Afterwards, all the Pandavas, Sri Krishna, Dhritarashtra and the women of the Kuru clan went to the battle field of Kurukshethra. There they found the widows of the Kuru clan in deep lamentations. Hearing the wailing, the annoyed Gandhari pronounced- “O Krishna! Listen clearly. Now the anguish in my heart is going to hit you in the form of curse. If you had liked, this battle could have been avoided.
“Now, here comes my curse. I, gandhari, with the might of my penance, curse you, that just as I have to witness the death of all my children, you too Krishna, will witness the destruction of your entire Yadu clan. Just as my sons lost their lives fighting their cousins, so also will your sons die fighting each other. And more, you too shall leave this world due to an ordinary cause. Just as today these women of the Bharata clan are wailing, so also will women of your family cry at the loss of their near and dear ones,”
now just see now astonishing is the equanimity and wisdom of Sri Krishna! With a beautiful smile playing on His luminous face, Sri Krishna said to Gandhari, “O gandhari! May your utterances come true and may it not happen any differently. The people of the Yadu clan so powerful that no human can bring their end. The Devas, asuras, Yakshas, Gandharvas and Kinnaras cannot destroy them either. But death is inevitable for one who is born. The only manner then, in which they can meet their end, is that they fight each other. The inevitable law of nature will be fulfilled only in this manner. You have just declared what was impending. May your words come true? But take this advice Gandhari. You may curse me and my progeny, but pray, be not disturbed. Let your heart no burn in anguish! Calm down and protect your heart. Pray, do not misuse your powers to inflict pain on yourself. It is the divine law that one who is born must die, and it may be due to any cause. I such be the cause for destruction of the Yadu clan, so will it happen. What is overwhelming about this? However, whether one becomes affected by it by being remorseful or not, is in one’s own hands. O Gandhari! Respect your discrimination.”
O how great is Sri Krishna and His respect for discrimination! Pray tell, why will it not make Sri Krishna endearing to me? How wonderful is the beloved Sri Krishna! How even-minded He is! What befitting use of discrimination and strength!
Sri Krishna conquers the Kaliya snake in the river bed of the Yamuna and dances on its hoods. When the heels of Sri Krishna strike the hoods. Some break off and then get replaced by new hoods. All the while Sri Krishna keeps playing his sweets flute. You may think if Sri Krishna has dived into the depths of the Yamuna and is dancing on the hoods of KIaliya – will not water enter into the flute? How will the flute play when Sri Krishna is submerged in deep water?
Let us make use of our discernment here and understand the underlying meaning. The snake Kaliya with its numerous when one desire get fulfilled, another arises, like the hoods symbolizes filled, another arise, like the hoods of Kaliya. The hoods keep breaking and rising, but Sri Krishna is unperturbed. He keeps playing His flute, denoting Wisdom, and arousing the bliss of he self. The wife of Kaliya prays to Sri Krishna, i.e., the desire come back.
Kaliya questions Sri Krishna – “O Lord! You are the creator. You have created venomous snakes like me and also the gods who drink nectar. What is my fault in this? I am poisonous because nature has made me so.” The Srimad Bhagvatam says that Sri Krishna was silent on hearing this. He accepted Kaliya,’ words of discrimination. Sri Krishna is the true embodiment of wisdom. Sri Krishna replied – “Alright, I shall not kill you, but leave this place. You are causing distress to many. My nature is to shower bliss and your acts are an obstruction to that.”
Sri Krishna spares Kaliya’s life. He does not kill him or snatch his venom from him, but asks him to go to another place. In the same way, I do not ask you to eliminate desire, anger, greed and delusion that trouble you, but to change their course. You desire to obtain something or the other. Let this yearning be turned to attain God, to obtain inner peace, to yearn for silence and solitude or if your wish to enter public life, yearn for the welfare of the people. The orientation of your yearning, when changed, can lead you to god. The yearning for Kama will get sublimated into attainment of Rama. In this manner, your wisdom will be put to good use. The same applies for anger. For how long will our try to suppress it? Just re-channelize it in a different direction. If greed overpowers you, then channelize it towards greed for doing more Japa, more meditation, more acts of benevolence and acquiring more divine knowledge. The same goes for other attachments and passions.
Sant Tulsidasji has said – “Develop attachment towards the Lord, and equanimity towards the world so says Tulsi”.
“O Lord, I have experienced these worldly pleasures, now have mercy…” – such a prayer shows your discrimination. However great may be the amount of praise, pleasures and comforts you attain-how long will they last and what will remain in the end? Therefore, yearn for the real joy, the bliss of the Self, the Atman.
Your real self, the Atman, is bliss personified. If there is sorrow, worry or rear, it is due to the lack of discrimination. Keep awakening your discrimination. As you grow in discrimination, you will also grow in dispassion and gain the shat-sampatti, the six spiritual wealths of Shama (control of the senses), Titiksha (forbearance), Shraddha (faith) and Ishwar Pranidhan (concentration of mind on God). Then the yearning for Moksha means liberation from all sorrows forever and attainment of the Supreme Bliss.
To have many gurus is bad.
To deceive and disobey Guru is very, very bad.
To have a Guru is good but to divorce him is very bad.
Swami Sivanada Saraswati
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