by Sudha Murty
‘Many people want this horse in their stables. Duryodhana, you mustn’t keep anything that doesn’t really belong to you. It will be the cause of a big war,’ said Krishna while gazing into the distance, almost as if he could see into the future.
The horse returned to the location of the duel between Balarama and Bhima. When Balarama saw Duryodhana approaching in the distance, he was glad. ‘My other student is here now, and he will fight on my behalf. I am sure that I will win in the end and get the horse,’ he said.
Soon, the group reached Balarama and Bhima.
‘Come, Duryodhana, fight in my stead,’ said Balarama.
But Duryodhana was not listening. He ran close to the horse and caught hold of one of its legs, so that the horse could not move.
Balarama dropped his mace at the audacity of his student and caught hold of another leg of the horse. Bhima assumed that Balarama or Duryodhana intended to make away with the horse, and he also sprinted towards it and caught hold of its third limb.
The poor horse stood there, stunned.
Krishna came and patted the horse gently. Almost as if by magic, the horse transformed and returned into the original form—that of Queen Satyavati.
Rukmini and Satyabhama giggled at the sight of Duryodhana, Bhima and Balarama still holding this beautiful woman.
‘That was a splendid drama, indeed,’ Krishna said to Narada.
‘It was all with your help, my lord,’ replied the sage.
Krishna explained further. ‘Revati wanted to see her husband fight, and Balarama was desperate for an equal opponent. On any normal day, Balarama and Bhima would not have fought like they did over the horse. The circumstances had to be created like today. So, Revati’s desire is now fulfilled. Duryodhana told his uncle that he would not touch a cowherd’s feet or hold his leg, but today he was doing what he would perceive to be much worse—holding the leg of an animal. Bhima had also become arrogant after the success of the Rajasuya yagna, and was proud that he was the one to slay Jarasandha. In his self-importance, he agreed to fight his teacher and forgot about the big role destiny plays in our lives.’
He turned to his wives and said, ‘You wanted to see a drama with a happy ending. This is the best I could arrange. The desire to own creates wars between cousins, teachers and students, family and friends. On the other hand, see how King Vardhana forgot about everything and focused only on his wife. He also had to be taught a lesson—that the responsibility of a king towards his subjects is of supreme importance and must not be compromised.’
Everybody bent their head in shame. Rukmini said, ‘O Krishna! Narada had said to Vardhana that only when three and a half diamonds touched Satyavati would she become human again. But I don’t understand. Tell me, where were the diamonds?’
Krishna smiled. ‘That is so simple, my dear wife. Balarama’s strength is as much as that of one diamond, Bhima’s is another, and Duryodhana’s upper body is half the strength of a diamond too.’
‘But that is two and a half, dear Krishna,’ said Satyabhama. ‘Aren’t you forgetting yourself ?’
Before Krishna could respond, Narada interrupted, ‘He is the real diamond. The lord was able to kill Kamsa and Chanura at the age of sixteen without any preparation.’
There was a peaceful silence as everybody got lost in their own thoughts.
Satyavati finally returned to her husband and her kingdom, and the king was ecstatic to be reunited with his beloved wife.
This is how the three and a half diamonds changed the life of Vardhana and Satyavati.
The Demon Who Spat
There once lived a powerful demon named Gaya.
One day, Gaya was riding his chariot in the skies. Suddenly, he felt an excess of saliva in his mouth and, impulsively, he spat it out. Unintentionally, the spit fell right into the holy water that Lord Krishna was holding in his palms while performing a salutation to the sun god.
Krishna looked around to see how the spit had fallen into his palms, as Gaya realized his folly and immediately hid from Krishna’s line of vision. Krishna was upset and made a loud vow. ‘I will kill whoever has dirtied the holy water in my palms.’
Gaya, who heard the vow loud and clear, became frightened. He prayed to the devas, but nobody came to his aid. Then he went to Arjuna. He knew that Arjuna would also not protect him if he knew the whole story, so Gaya hid half the truth and said, ‘Someone has decided to kill me, sir. I am begging you for protection. You are a king and the protector of whoever approaches you. Please, I will die without your help.’
Arjuna took pity on Gaya and forgot to ask him for more details. What a state for a powerful asura to be in! In a hurry, he assured Gaya, ‘Please don’t worry. I will protect you, no matter what.’
‘Sir, please promise me that in the name of Krishna. Only then will I believe your words.’
‘Of course. I always keep my word. But for your satisfaction, I take a true oath in the name of Krishna, and I promise you that nobody will lay a finger on you.’
Gaya breathed a deep sigh of relief.
‘Now tell me, who wants to slay you?’ asked Arjuna.
‘It is Krishna himself,’ came the timid reply.
Arjuna became livid. ‘Why didn’t you tell me that before, Gaya? I don’t want to fight Krishna. He is my dearest friend and my protector. Alas! How can I fight him?’ Arjuna regretted the promise he had given Gaya.
Arjuna’s family heard the news, and his brothers, mother, Kunti, and wives Draupadi and Subhadra began discussing the way forward. Dharmaraja said, ‘It is the duty of a king to fulfil his words.’
‘But at what cost?’ questioned Subhadra.
‘You should punish Gaya and kill him,’ advised Bhima. ‘He has hidden information from you.’
But there was no solution in sight and the family was worried.
Draupadi prayed, ‘Krishna will help find a solution for us.’
Just then, the wandering sage Narada came to the scene. He patiently heard their problem and said, ‘I think the best way to handle this is to mediate through Subhadra, who is also Krishna’s sister.’
That sounded like a good idea to everyone. Who better to mediate than Subhadra? Subhadra immediately set out to meet her brother in Dwarka.
Narada, however, also departed and quickly made his way to Dwarka too. Before Subhadra could reach and meet her brother, Narada met Krishna. He said to him, ‘Your brother-in-law Arjuna has promised his protection to Gaya, the same demon who spit in your palms. Subhadra is on her way here to speak to you in an effort to reach some sort of compromise. Please do as you think best.’
When Subhadra finally met her brother and apprised him of the situation, Krishna was firm and refused to compromise. His wives Rukmini and Satyabhama supported his decision. In the end, Krishna said, ‘Subhadra, you must choose to support one of us—either your husband or your brother. You cannot have it both ways.’
‘Brother, you put me in a very difficult position. I do not want to choose sides, but if I must, I choose to stand by my husband in this matter.’
The writing on the wall was clear. The danger of an impending war was all too real.
Soon, Krishna and Arjuna faced each other in the battlefield. Two men who were dear relatives and even better friends found themselves on opposite sides as enemies—all for the sake of the asura Gaya. It was then that the devas intervened and brought the war to a halt. Gaya apologized to Krishna profusely and became his ardent devotee.
Later, Gaya prayed to the lord in his form as Vishnu and became very powerful in time. As is the case with asuras, he also became arrogant. He abused the devas and the common folk, until the devas finally approached Vishnu to seek his help.
Vishnu heard their pleas and smiled. ‘I will take care of everything,’ he said and sent them on their way.
One day, Brahma came to meet Gaya and said, ‘You are such a healthy, tall and well-built man. Nobody has a body quite like yours. I intend to perform a great yagna, and for such a task
, one must choose an appropriate place. I strongly feel that the best place for my yagna is on your chest.’
Gaya stood in silence. He couldn’t believe his good luck—Lord Brahma himself was approaching him for permission! What an honour! Gaya immediately agreed.
Brahma and his team began construction of the yagnakund, the vessel in which the yagna would take place, on Gaya’s stationary chest. With the passage of time, Gaya became restless and wanted to move his body. He prayed to Vishnu for help. ‘I have given my word to Brahma that I will cooperate for his yagna. Please help me so that I do not move or spoil the preparations in progress.’
Vishnu, the eternal protector, stood firmly on Gaya’s chest to hold him down in such a way so as to disallow movement.
Then Gaya requested Vishnu for another favour. ‘O Lord, I think I realize now that I will not survive this yagna. I will be burnt to ashes. I beseech you to make this area a place of pilgrimage. The place where I lay my head should be the focus of the pilgrimage and named after me. Whoever performs the shraadha here will go to heaven after their death.’
‘Of course, my child. Your wish will be fulfilled,’ said Vishnu.
Today, this place is known as Gaya, Vishnu Gaya or Pitrugaya and is located in the state of Bihar. The river Phalgu flows here. The place where Gaya laid his head is known as Gaya Shirsha, and Vishnu’s footprints can be seen there. People pay homage to their ancestors here. Gaya, thus, has been immortalized, and the proof of his devotion to Vishnu continues to attract people from all over the country.
The Sage Who Wanted Water
Once upon a time, there lived a reclusive sage named Udanka.
After the Mahabharata war, Krishna was on his return to Dwarka when he ran into the sage.
Sage Udanka was happy to see Krishna. Since the sage was reclusive and unaware of current events, Udanka asked, ‘Lord, what is the latest news? How is everyone?’
‘Things are okay, but the great war of Mahabharata has just ended,’ said Krishna and explained in detail.
Udanka was curious. ‘How many people took part in the war?’
‘On the Pandavas’ side, there were seven akshauhinis (a unit indicating the size of a battle formation) and on the Kauravas’ side there were eleven. There were eighteen akshauhinis in all, and the war lasted for eighteen days.’
‘How many survived?’ questioned the sage.
‘Only twelve men. This includes the five Pandavas, Ashwatthama, Kripacharya, Vrishaketu and Yuyutsu from the Kauravas, and, from my side, Satyaki, Kritavarma and me.’
‘Only these twelve survived out of eighteen akshauhinis?’ asked the surprised sage.
‘It was a tough war,’ said Krishna.
Suddenly, the sage became upset. ‘Krishna, you are the supreme being. You knew about the destruction ahead of time. Had you really wanted to, you could have stopped the war. You didn’t do your duty, and I am inclined to curse you.’
‘Wait a minute, dear sage. Let me explain. When Draupadi came to me and said that she wanted a war because the Kauravas had insulted her, I had said, “Sister, the reason for a war must never be because of an insult to an individual. One must rise above such pettiness for the greater good.” I even reached out to Duryodhana and tried to talk to him about the importance of peace. I requested him to let go of only five villages and give them to the Pandavas. Still, he did not agree. Instead, he wanted to imprison me! Later, I requested his father, Dhritarashtra, and the great Bhishma to perform their duty of being advisers and provide guidance to him. But even that failed.’
Krishna paused, took a deep breath and continued, ‘I also spoke to Karna and tried to convince him to join the Pandavas to avoid the war, but he did not agree and decided to fight by the side of his friend Duryodhana. The truth is, dear sage, I exhausted all the options that lay in front of me. War was all that was left. Once the war began, I publicly announced and made it clear that people had the option to change sides or withdraw from the fight, but very few people took me up on that offer. That’s the moment I realized that almost all the parties desired a war for different reasons, and that’s the reason it was meant to be. Destiny was more powerful than all my efforts.’
Udanka sighed. He knew that Krishna was right. ‘Forgive me, Krishna, I judged your actions unfairly.’
Krishna smiled.
‘Lord, may I ask something of you?’ asked the sage.
‘What do you desire?’
‘My journey of life is such that I must wander everywhere. Sometimes through smooth and sometimes through rough terrain. Sometimes I yearn even for water. Please grant me such a blessing that will allow me to at least get water whenever I want.’
Krishna nodded, blessed the sage and went on his way to Dwarka.
A few days later, Sage Udanka found himself drifting through a forest. Suddenly, he grew thirsty and remembered Krishna’s words.
A few minutes later, a hunter approached the sage. He greeted the sage and offered him some water in a flask made of deerskin.
‘He is a dirty, uneducated hunter,’ thought Udanka. ‘How can I take water from him?’ So Udanka shook his head.
‘Please, dear sage, take some,’ insisted the hunter.
‘No,’ responded Udanka again.
‘Sir, I will be truly blessed if you take some water from me.’
Udanka flatly refused and walked a little distance away from the hunter. When he looked back, he couldn’t see any sign of the man.
Just as he was wondering about where the hunter had gone, Krishna appeared.
‘Lord Krishna! It is nice to see you. You have wonderful timing. You had promised that I would get water whenever I wished, but alas! It isn’t so!’
‘O my dear Udanka,’ replied Krishna, ‘I met Lord Indra and told him to give you nectar. Indra told me that humans cannot get nectar when they are alive, but I insisted that enlightened people such as you must be an exception. It was he who came in the form of a hunter to offer you some nectar so that you could become immortal. He offered it to you three times, but you have proven me wrong. You judged him for his appearance, community and profession. You did not consider him as being equal to you, though he offered you a hand in your time of need. I respected you as somebody who was enlightened, but the bare truth is that you are as ordinary as the common man.’
With these words, Krishna disappeared.
The End of Krishna
After the Mahabharata war, Gandhari learnt that her son Duryodhana had been killed in the fight of maces between him and Bhima, and she was overwhelmed with sadness.
Earlier, Gandhari had given a boon to Duryodhana to have a strong body that could withstand the hardest of hits, but his thighs were his Achilles’ heel because of Krishna’s clever strategy that restricted this part of Duryodhana’s body from absorbing the full force of Gandhari’s boon.
So when Gandhari found out that it was Krishna who had directed Bhima to hit Duryodhana on the thighs, she went to him and cursed him with all her power. ‘O Krishna, you could have stopped the war even before it began! Instead, you encouraged it, and all my children and grandchildren are now dead. Just like my clan is reaching its end, your clan too will wipe out right in front of you. May you suffer the way I have.’
Krishna, however, smiled gently. ‘Gandhari, you really don’t need to curse my clan. When money, arrogance and liquor are in excess in any community, that heralds the end of the tribe. The Yadavas do not require an external enemy. Their own vices will destroy them. The truth is, Gandhari, I made several attempts to dissuade the war, but your son wanted one with all his heart. You mustn’t blame me. I told your husband to be a wise king and father, but he was unable to do what needed to be done. Your son was headstrong and is responsible for the destruction of his own family.’
Days later, Yudhishthira was crowned the king of the land, and Krishna returned to Dwarka.
Time passed.
One day, the short-tempered sage Durvasa decided to visit Dwarka. He stopped for the n
ight in the outskirts of the city.
Krishna’s son Samba was married to Lakshmanaa, who was Duryodhana’s daughter. When Samba heard that Durvasa was in the capital, he decided to play a prank on the sage with a few of his drunken friends, who were in the mood for fun. Samba disguised himself as a pregnant woman by placing a piece of wood on his stomach and wrapping a sari around himself. Along with a few others, Samba went to meet Durvasa. There, his friends said to Durvasa, ‘Sir, you are aware of all the happenings in the three realms. Will you tell our friend, this dear pregnant young woman here, if she will have a girl or a boy?’
Durvasa closed his eyes and through his power, he learnt what was going on. He realized that these young boys were trying to trick him. His temper flared and he responded to the young men, ‘This boy will deliver neither a boy nor a girl. He will deliver a piece of wood that will kill the dynasty of the Yadavas.’
The words shocked the young men, and they became deathly afraid. Without much thought, they immediately took the piece of wood from Samba, powdered it and threw the powder deep into the ocean. That wood could never hurt anyone again! Together, they decided that they wouldn’t inform anyone of this incident.
Within a few days, the powder thrown into the ocean reached the seashore and began growing as weeds.
One full moon night, the entire fraternity of the Yadavas decided to meet on the seashore to have some fun. Krishna was not at the celebration. The Yadavas began drinking and making fun of each other. Soon, it turned into a fight, and a few of the men searched for some form of weapon. They came across the weeds growing on the seashore, pulled on them and began hitting each other with them. The weeds were of unusual strength—they had the toughness of an iron bar. Quickly, people began getting seriously injured and fatally wounded.
When Krishna was informed of the grave situation on the seashore, he rushed to the scene of the crime with his brother, Balarama. But by then, it was too late. Everyone except Uddhava was dead. Krishna’s children and grandchildren lay dead and bloody in front of him. Krishna realized that Gandhari’s curse was reaching its fruition and that his time on earth was reaching an end. He instructed Uddhava to protect the remaining Yadavas until Arjuna arrived.