Abhimanyu was unique among all the Pandava sons. He was passionate about learning to use new Shastras and Astras. He was also very humble. He was Srikrishna’s favourite bhacha. Abhimanyu also loved his mama equally deeply. He never disobeyed his mama’s word.
Since my first meeting with Srikrishna at Kurukshetra I had experienced a truth about him – his life was like a lotus flower with a thousand petals that blossomed gradually day by day and looked different every day.
I often wondered why he took so much interest in Subhadra’s marriage with me even in the face of Balaramadada’s wrath. The reason for that was not only his absolute love for me but also his boundless love for his sister. It was a big surprise for me as to how he had discovered the love between Subhadra and me, without asking me anything at all. I tried to dig it out of Subhadra later. The answers she gave were completely unexpected. She told me,”Before the abduction every time Krishnadada kept complaining about you. He used to say, “That Arjuna of the Pandavas is very reserved. Karna, the king of Anga who possesses the Kavacha-kundala, and Ekalavya, the son of Hiranyadhanu are better archers than him. That master archer is a womanizer more than the other brothers. Wherever he goes he gets married and brings a new wife!” While hearing Subhadra’s words I would keep smiling. Once she finished I would say, “Silly Subhadra, it was a unique trick of your Krishnadada to find out how strong and firm your love for me was. The world doesn’t consider each and every action and every word of your dada as Krishnalila for no reason.”
I could never forget the facet of his nature that I saw at the time of the abduction of Subhadra. He himself had planned all the minute details of how I should abduct Subhadra. Not a single part of his speculation had gone wrong. He was playing a specific role while meeting Subhadra and me, like a skilled actor. While meeting Balaramadada and Revativahini he was playing a different role. In short, he was a master in acting. The title of his drama was ‘Premayoga’. Whether it was for the gopa-gopis of Gokul, for Yadavas in Mathura, for the disciples in the aashrama of Aacharya Sandipani, or for Yadavas and Pandavas while creating Dwaraka and Indraprastha, or while travelling continuously throughout Aaryavarta to eliminate the unjust kings of various kingdoms – every time and in every event, he practised and worshiped only Premayoga.
Due to his prudent vision, he made me abduct Subhadra and strengthen the relations between the Pandavas and the Yadavas of Dwaraka. After getting married to Subhadra the frequency of my visits to Dwaraka increased.
Once a funny incident took place during one of my visits to Dwaraka. Our guru’s son Ashwatthama also came to Dwaraka from Hastinapura while I was in Dwaraka. He visited Krishna, dada, and vahini as soon as he came. In the evening Ashwatthama and Srikrishna went to the ocean shore in Srikrishna’s Garudadhwaja chariot, for offering the evening oblations to the Sun god. Daruka was obviously there with them. He was busy guarding the chariot and the horses. After offering oblations Srikrishna and Ashwatthama sat in the sand, chatting. The platter-sized disc of the sun was about to set. While looking at it intently god knows what came over Ashwatthama and suddenly he said to Srikrishna, “Oh Lord of Dwaraka, I always keep thinking about the Sudarshan that you have– the radiant chakra that looks like the sun disc. I have travelled so far to meet you just for that. Oh Yadava, right here sitting on this sand of the ocean, will you please appear in front of me in your form carrying that Sudarshan chakra? Is it possible for you to do it right at this moment?”
Krishna looked at him and smiled gently in spite of his strange request. While he continued sitting, he looked at the platter-sized sun disc for a few moments, closed his eyes and chanted the divine mantras of the chakra of brilliance. His face started looking much brighter. Within a moment or half both of them could hear a cacophony of various instruments blended with the sound of the ocean, as if coming from a faraway distance.
Ashwatthama kept staring with his eyes wide. He could see the radiant chakra revolving rapidly on Krishna’s right index finger that he had raised. It had twelve spokes and a centre of Vajra. Krishna’s face glowed with the same brilliance as that of the Sudarshan. Ashwatthama shut his eyes automatically as his eyes couldn’t bear that light. Now the cacophony of instruments reduced gradually and ceased. From his index finger Srikrishna put the chakra on his right in the sand. The Sudarshan chakra was lying in the sand. Now Ashwatthama had also gained his composure. He just kept staring at the Sudarshan chakra with astonishment. He himself was the master of powerful Astras such as Brahmastra and Narayanastra. Without moving his eyes away from the Sudarshan he asked Srikrishna, “Oh Lord of Dwaraka, if you find me worthy of it, then give your divine Sudarshan chakra along with its mantras to me! If you possess a heart as big as the western ocean spread in front of us, then give away this Sudarshan to this Ashwatthama today!”
The son of the guru had put Srikrishna in such a tight spot as nobody had ever done. Yet Srikrishna was calm. As he got up gently and walked towards the ocean, his rosy soles with many auspicious symbols produced footprints in a line on the wet sand of the western ocean. Not a single footprint was out of line or awkward.
Krishna bent forward and picked some ocean water in his palms. The Vaijayanti garland and pearl necklaces with the Kaustubh diamond around his neck dangled. The peacock feather in the golden crown on his head fluttered on the ocean wind. He walked back and offered the water in his palm on the Sudarshan yantra lying in the sand chanting the mantras with his eyes closed. He gave away his cherished Sudarshan chakra to Ashwatthama, in the presence of the Sun god and the Ocean god. Now his face came back to normal with much satisfaction. He smiled as usual and said to the guru’s son, “Oh Ashwatthama, son of the guru, you can take the Sudarshan with you if it’s possible for you to carry it and take care of it. From today it belongs to you!”
Ashwatthama who was already standing by this time, moved forward with a lot of enthusiasm and with his eyes still fixed on the Sudarshan chakra. He bent down and tried to pick up the Sudarshan chakra of Srikrishna. He could not even move it slightly in spite of applying all his might. His face twisted into weird expressions. He stopped for a moment, got up, moved back a bit in the sand and tucked his dhoti tightly. Thus, doing Kakshabandhan he got ready with determination. Again, he tried to move the Sudarshan, intently concentrating his mind and with all his might. But to no avail. That maharathi warrior made many efforts in different ways to pick up the Sudarshan and got all soaked in sweat in the process. Exhausted, he dropped on his knees in the sand itself. He was at his wit’s end and embarrassed. The sun had sunk in the west. Srikrishna came forward and affectionately placed his rosy palm on Ashwatthama’s moist back. He patted on his back gently for a few moments and said, “Come, let’s go!”
Without a word Ashwatthama got up obediently. He moved forward and fell at Srikrishna’s feet saying, “Oh Hrishikeshaa, you are the only one worthy of this Sudarshan. Nobody else can possess it but you. Be kind to me and take it back.”
Krishna pulled him up lovingly, patted his shoulders and smiled. He closed his eyes, chanted some mantras and said, “Done”. Both of them started walking towards Garudadhwaaj. Krishna stopped and turned back. He saw that the Sudarshan lying on the sand had disappeared in the dim light of dusk! Maybe it went to visit the sun that had set!
When Sikrishna himself told me this incident I got to see a petal of his incredible personality that was like a lotus flower with a thousand petals. He did not share this incident with anybody else. When I heard it from him, I discovered one hidden Arjuna within myself. Srikrishna was so close to me. I had actually seen him project the Sudarshan chakra in the Rajasuya yajna. I possessed the auspicious Gandiva bow along with the inexhaustible quiver. I was the master of Narayanastra and Pashupatastra. Yet I never felt greedy for Srikrishna’s Sudarshan. Such a thought never occurred to me and would never occur in future, even unknowingly. In fact, I would have happily surrendered my bow and the Astras at his feet if required. Whenever I saw Ashwatthama and talked to him I always remembe
red his father Guru Drona. Guru Drona was indeed Dhanurveda incarnate! His knowledge about weaponry was as vast as the ocean. His love for the Kauravas and Pandavas was befitting that of a guru. The only two weaknesses in him were the love for his son and the desire for revenge. Ashwatthama was his only son. Maybe because of that, he was as dear to him as his own life. Amongst all his pupils he taught the great Brahmastra only to the two of us. Ashwatthama and me. He deemed nobody else worthy.
Guru Drona’s urge for revenge was so strong that he had vowed to avenge the refusal by King Drupada to acknowledge him as a friend in spite of their former friendship, the reason being the poverty of Drona. We, the Kauravas and Pandavas completed our training in weaponry under his guidance. As his Gurudakshina he had asked us to capture King Drupada and present him as a prisoner in front of him. Drona had not forgotten the insult of being rejected as a friend. Now it was I who had to take the initiative to fulfil his demand. I captured Drupada and presented him in front of my guru as Gurudakshina. Later, the same Panchala King Drupada, Draupadi’s father, became my father-in-law. I had thought that he might be holding a grudge against me as I had taken him captive. But there was no trace of that at all. The exact reason for that was not known to me for quite a long time though. Sometime later I came to know it from Draupadi. Panchala King Drupada had an intense hatred for me due to some past events. How did his hatred transform into love, not only for me but for all of us brothers? It was all due to Krishna’s magic.
Draupadi becoming the wife of all five of us was also not agreeable to Drupada. Dhrishtadyumna had clearly stated his father’s disagreement. But subsequently the marriage of the five of us with Draupadi took place in Kampilyanagar, one a day, at the hands of Drupada himself. The credit for this also goes only to Krishna’s magic.
Both the times Krishna had used Dhrishtadyumna for making it happen. Srikrishna had visited the Panchala kingdom many times in person along with Uddhava and Balaramadada. He had invited Draupadi’s brother Dhrishtadyumna to Dwaraka for various reasons. He had felicitated Dhrishtadyumna many a times by offering him fine vestures and selective weapons in the Sudharma royal assembly of the Yadavas. More than that Srikrishna constantly kept iterating to him “Panchala Prince Dhrishtadyumna, your valour has not been acclaimed appropriately yet. In spite of being a young leader of lakhs of Panchalas you haven’t been bestowed with the honour that you deserve. I will give you that honour which will make you eternal and immortal!” He kept saying such things mysteriously. I came to know about all these things sometimes from Draupadi and at other times from Dhrishtadyumna. Thus, through each event I myself came to know the Krishna’s devotee Arjuna within me.
One such sentimental incident related to Draupadi took place in Indraprastha. Krishna himself told me about that too. That time he was visiting Indraprastha with Rukminivahini. He loved our Abhi very much. One day he took Abhi with him and toured the entire royal city of Indraprastha in his Garudadhwaja chariot. Our Indraprastha had just been inhabited then. Our Chief Minister would show each room in our royal palace to any visiting guests while explaining the architectural intricacies to them. He was doing the same for Krishna. Rukminivahini was also with them. Since she was there Draupadi and Subhadra were also present. He came into our Srikripa assembly along with them. The Chief Minister explained why we have named the assembly so. He heard that and smilingly said, “I can understand the Pandavas’ love for me. They are the descendants of the Kuru dynasty. The Kuru dynasty is Chandravanshi. It would have been better if this royal assembly would have been named Kurukripa. This assembly of yours is called Srikripa. Chandra, the Moon, is also one of the meanings of the word Sri. I consider your Srikripa royal assembly as Chandrakripa.
After the royal palace, our Chief Minister began showing them the costume store, granary, treasury and so on. Abhimanyu who was with Srikrishna was asking him a lot of questions and getting his curiosity satisfied by Krishna’s convincing answers. In the end, they all arrived in the armoury where many of Pandavas’ favourite weapons were lined up. In my section of the armoury many bows were placed in a line. A quiver filled with arrows was placed near each bow. Srikrishna was very enthusiastically giving information about various arrows to his bhacha, like Suchi is the arrow used to pierce a target as small as an eye. The Jidma arrow goes zigzag because of its zigzag shaft. The Gajasthi arrow is made from the bones of an elephant. The Chandramukha arrow looks like the crescent-shaped moon. Finally, he came near the quiver filled with Bastika arrows. The special feature of this arrow was that its sharp tip would stay embedded deep into the target. As its shaft was fitted by a screw to the end of its tail, it would come loose by unscrewing. During wartime, poisonous substances would be smeared on the tip of the arrowhead. The wooden tube in which these were stored would be kept next to the quiver in the chariot. After providing all this information to Abhimanyu, Krishna picked up a Bastika arrow from the quiver to demonstrate how the tip of the arrow gets embedded in its target.
The screw of that arrow was tight and was not turning easily as it had not been handled for a long time. He handed that arrow to Abhimanyu and told him to unscrew the nut. Abhi also tried his best, but to no avail. The screw was tight as it had rusted. The Chief Minister took it from Abhi to give it a try. He also did not succeed! Now Srikrishna took that arrow back in his hand while smiling. Biting his lower lip under his teeth Krishna tried to unscrew the rusted Bastika arrow.
The nut came loose but the tip of the sharp blade pierced Krishna’s rosy, lean index finger. Blood started trickling from his index finger. All three ladies – Draupadi, Rukminivahini and Subhadra ran forward at once while exclaiming ‘tch tch’. The Chief Minister also got flustered. Abhimanyu moaned looking at his mama. Everyone panicked. Subhadra said to Rukmini, “Hold the finger tight to stop the bleeding. I will be back with a bandage.” She ran towards her chamber. Rukminivahini stopped the trickle of blood with her thumb.
But Draupadi tore a strip of her rich saree without any hesitation at all. Coming forward she removed Rukminivahini’s thumb from her dear friend’s index finger. She immediately tied the strip of the rich cloth tightly over the wound and stopped the bleeding.
Srikrishna who used to hold the twelve-spoked Sudarshan chakra on the same index finger started looking at the bandage with a smile. Meanwhile Subhadra returned with a dressing. Srikrishna calmly looked at the three of them while smiling. Looking at Draupadi he said, “You realized that blood is more valuable than garments. At the right time, you will also realize that sometimes blood needs to flow for the sake of garments!”
The moment that I remember when Srikrishna occupied the whole of my mind was the moment when he executed Shishupala.
At that time, I saw him in his resplendent form holding the Sudarshan.
The condemnations Shishupala hurled at him, which I or no one else had ever heard before were just unpardonable. At that time, only I experienced a major rare quality in Srikrishna. It was his forbearance. He warned Shishupala from time to time and tolerated his ninety-nine offences. Throughout his life, he had been enduring the vilifying name-calling as ‘lowlife cowherd’ by his mama - Kansa, Jarasandha, Narakasura and many more kings. Still he tolerated it calmly and with a smile.
At the time of Shishupala’s execution I actually experienced that once he is determined about something, his face dazzles with the brightness of hundreds of suns. That was the moment when his intensely brilliant form holding the Sudarshan chakra and his fish-shaped eyes closed, was imprinted on my mind forever, never to be erased. At that very moment I earnestly and resolutely surrendered the Neelkamal of my life at his feet. I myself feel the difference between the Arjuna before the execution of Shishupala and after it.
The second incident that brought me even closer to Srikrishna was the abduction of Subhadra and my marriage to her. At that time, I was on a pilgrimage as I had violated a rule in the code of conduct decided by us brothers. During the journey of that pilgrimage I had got married to Uloopi and Chitranga
da. Before each marriage, I had not forgotten to seek his clear permission through his messengers who met me every now and then. It was probably due to this reason that he invited me to Dwaraka when he got wind of Subhadra’s proposed marriage with Duryodhana. It all happened according to his plan as to how I should disguise myself as an ascetic, camp in Aanarta and live an austere life in the Shiva temple of Somanath, on the ocean shore near the holy place of Bhalaka.
After Subhadra’s abduction, I returned to Indraprastha. I was most worried about proud and dignified Draupadi’s reaction, with respect to Subhadra. It was obvious that as per her outspoken nature she was going to rebuke me. She would have probably reprimanded Srikrishna too. I had prepared myself to face her wrath. I had planned in my heart what and how to answer her. But all those preparations were wasted. She welcomed Subhadra wholeheartedly as Srikrishna’s sister. At that time, I realized how difficult it is to predict what goes on in a woman’s mind. Subhadra became Draupadi’s sister as much as she became my wife.
After getting married to Subhadra I had come to Dwaraka along with her to celebrate the first Diwali festival as the son-in-law of Dwaraka. Oh, how the Yadava men and women showered me with affection! This visit to Dwaraka was as memorable as the execution of Shishupala.
It was the day of Kojagiri Paurnima. In the evening Srikrishna invited me to his chamber as the son-in-law through minister Vipruthu. After having milk and fruits he explained a special tradition of the Yadavas to me. He said, “Do not get carried away by the love that the Yadavas have showered on you. Just as one learns to swim when one is pushed into the water you should be able to play the Rasa as the son-in-law of the Yadavas. Tonight, you will have to play Rasa with me, Balaramadada and Udho near the lake in the great garden of Dwaraka. Get as much training of the Rasa dance as possible by the dance teacher of the Yadavas. Don’t forget that just as skill is required to use the Gandiva bow on the battlefield so it is required for this dance called Rasa.
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 70