Our Lord Krishnadeva launched an armed attack on the insolent and arrogant Narakasura of the Kamarupa kingdom. I was with him too. It was a very ambitious mission – directly charging on Pragjyotishapura in the eastern region from the Dwaraka kingdom located on the shore of the western ocean. During this prolonged mission, many of his qualities dazzled me. He killed the unjust and autocratic Narakasura of Kamarupa and offered the kingdom to his son Bhagdutta. At that time, all of us Yadava warriors were astonished to see the pure respect he had for women. He offered Mangalsutras in his name to the sixteen thousand Kamarupa women victims at the hands of Uddhavadeva. He rehabilitated all those helpless women in Dwaraka with honour. He became the very first supreme man in the ancient Aaryavarta to do something like this.
I got to observe Krishnadeva’s family life in Dwaraka with all its subtleties from up close. I welcomed him at the entrance of the royal assembly when he arrived from the island of Queens’ mansions in his embellished Garudadhwaja chariot along with Uddhavadeva and Balaramadada. Whenever I welcomed him like this he would hold both my hands in his with affection. Sometimes he would hold my hand and start walking towards the royal altar. While walking this way, he would very lovingly say, “Come, brother Satyaki”. Those loving words would touch my heart.
I clearly remember that one such day he entered the Sudharma royal assembly without speaking a word to me. On the same day Satrajita, who later became his father-in-law, had accused him of stealing the Syamantaka jewel. That day Krishnadeva gave his word and after trying everything possible he had brought the Syamantaka jewel back and handed it to Satrajita in the assembly full of people.
All the Yadavas marvelled at the Syamantaka jewel! But I admired the lady jewel that came to Dwaraka because of the Syamantaka jewel. She was our queen Jambavatidevi! Krishnadeva had married a tribal woman in the forests of Mount Hrikshawana and brought her to Dwaraka as a queen of the Yadavas. That day I had realized that this supreme personality was indeed unique in the entire Aaryavarta. Later with the marriage of Krishnadeva and Jambavatidevi as an exemplar, Bhimsena got married to Hidimba and Arjuna wedded a child widow named Uloopi.
All the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana were eager to ruin the virtuous Pandavas on the strength of their number and power. In the renowned royal assembly of Hastinapura they had saddled the Pandavas with the rugged area of Khandavavana as their share of the kingdom. That too in the presence of Krishnadeva! The Pandavas had accepted it relying on the brilliant, prudent genius of Krishnadeva. I travelled throughout Aaryavarta as the Yadava commander. During those travels, I came to see many gallant warriors who obtained various astras by serving at the feet of their expert gurus. Not a single one of them had the astra of a matchless genius that our Lord of Dwaraka possessed. I had experienced his invincible genius many a times. Even after a lot of thinking I couldn’t find the slightest fault in any of his actions. During the mission of annihilating Jarasandha he had aptly chosen Bhima and Arjuna to go to Girivraja. After he left for the mission I constantly kept wondering why the Lord of Dwaraka didn’t take me with him. Finally, I gathered my courage and asked Krishnadeva himself, “Why didn’t you take me with you during the mission of Girivraja?” He gave me a charming smile and kept staring into my eyes for a moment. Then instead of answering my question he enigmatically said to me, “Satyaki, brother, do you understand now why I didn’t take you with me at that time?”
I was utterly confused. Indeed, I had not understood anything. What was I supposed to understand only through his silent glance? “I don’t understand anything. Oh great Yadava, please do me a favour and explain it to me clearly!” I said.
He patted my shoulders very affectionately and said, “Oh Yadava commander, I had gone to Girivraja as the third Pandava! On behalf of the Pandavas! Is it even possible for you to assume the role of a Pandava like this? Not only me but anyone can easily see the proud Yadava in your eyes. You can never become the first or the third Pandava. You are and till the end will always remain a thorough Yadava!”
I came to witness a very unique quality of his at the time of Shishupala’s execution during the Rajasuya yajna of the Pandavas. Patience was an innate quality he possessed. He had tolerated ninety-nine of Shishupala’s offences with tremendous patience. But he couldn’t forgive his hundredth offence. He launched the Sudarshan and cut off his head along with his foul-speaking tongue. In front of all, in the overcrowded yajna pandal! All the invitees in the yajna pandal were too dazed to bear his divine form and were stunned and perplexed.
But I was greatly astonished to see him after the yajna. On that day in Indraprastha, on the banks of Yamuna, multitudes of people feasted on the delicious food offered by the Pandavas. The Lord of Dwaraka – great Yadava Srikrishna – master of the Sudarshan who was just moments ago, honoured with the Agrapooja in the Rajasuya yajna, picked up the dirty plates of the invited guests afterwards. Many a times we had seen him holding a wooden tube of lubricant and bending down to grease Arjuna’s Nandighosha chariot and his own Garudadhwaja chariot. I was completely astonished to see him, in a golden silk dhoti, wearing pearl strings with a Kaustubh jewel, in the pandal of the Rajasuya yajna picking up the soiled plates of the invitees. The Pandavas were indeed fortunate. The citizens of Dwaraka had never got a chance to see Krishnadeva like this.
Each of his manifestations was like the sun in the month of Shravana, sometimes hiding behind the clouds and sometimes making the whole world shine with its dazzling brightness. Everyone saw him differently according to their ability. It is indeed difficult for me to tell about so many shades of his manifestations!
A gallant man may not necessarily be merciful. Today when I assess myself strictly I realize that even I wasn’t so merciful. But Yadavaraja Srikrishna was. He reinstated minister Akrura who had deserted Dwaraka, in the ministry of the Sudharma royal assembly. He kind-heartedly forgave the inexcusable offence by minister Akrura with regards to the Syamantaka jewel. At that time, I had realized that he would never let the merits of a person go waste in his new kingdom. He was a true diplomat in every sense who thoroughly practised diplomacy.
He knew very well that there was nothing inaner than to let an outsider meddle in a domestic dispute. He taught a lesson to Shalva along with Kalayavana who was invited by him to Aaryavarta.
He had a specific political objective in mind and the Kuru kingdom of Hastinapura was a significant part of it. Hastinapura was the second most powerful kingdom after Jarasandha’s Magadha. Its foundation was the Himalayan valour and sacrifice of Bhishma.
Krishnadeva had not been to Hastinapura often. He may have visited at the most three-four times. He had picked up detailed information about the Kurus of Hastinapura from Dwaraka itself. The leaders of any of the surveillance teams could directly meet him anywhere, any time without any restriction. Even the private chambers of his eight queens on the island of Queens’ mansions were no exception to this. Sometimes an informer would flinch, seeing him and Balaramadada together. The Lord of Dwaraka would ease his predicament saying, “This is our own dada. Feel free to speak.” There used to be two intentions in doing so. First, the hesitant informer would be free from the dilemma and second, Balaramadada would automatically come to know how much his brother loved him, beyond diplomatic strategy.
He would astonish me by giving me the news in Kurus’ Hastinapura that even I wouldn’t know in spite of being the Yadava commander. He had precise evaluation of all men and women of political significance in Hastinapura at his fingertips. In his opinion the most significant person in the Hastinapura kingdom was grandsire Bhishma. After Bhishma he gave importance to Karna, the king of Anga!
He would describe each one of the great men in Hastinapura in very few but precise words.
“Grandsire Bhishma is the only person in Hastinapura who knows and cares about the Truth! But he is helpless due to old age. No one in Hastinapura understands that even if an ember is covered with ashes it is not extinguished! Even today grandsire Bhishma is incredibl
y valiant.
“The most difficult and complicated mindset is that of Maharaja Dhritarashtra. Two different Dhritarashtras are hiding in his mind. One is a greedy father who in spite of being blind is shrewdly dreaming of Duryodhana’s coronation due to the fatherly love for his son. The second is a hypocritical king who pretends to follow the royal protocol. There are two personalities of Dhritarashtra – the one in the assembly hall of the Kurus and a completely different one in the inner chambers of the palace. Between those two his behaviour in the assembly hall of the Kurus is completely influenced by Gandhara king Shakuni, and ambitious Duryodhana has taken over his life in the inner chambers. Maharaja Dhritarashtra, the possessor of the puissant royal throne of the Kurus is clearly divided into two puppets. One is controlled by Shakuni and the other by Duryodhana. Duryodhana and Shakuni’s crafty diplomatic machinations
are honed by the brain of Kanaka, the astute minister of the Kurus.
“All of them are trying their best to involve mighty Karna, the king of Anga in every plot of theirs. He has full confidence in his own valour. The minds of all these have been revealed with all their shades at the time of the incident that Draupadi had to face in the gambling hall.
“Rajmata Gandharidevi is the most virtuous lady among the Kaurava women. She is the one who has somehow controlled ambitious Duryodhana with her harsh reprimand.
“Mahatma Vidura and Sanjaya are my devotees. Both of them are in Hastinapura, holding high positions. If at all, this is the only hope to obtain some kind of justice for the Pandavas.”
Just as the great Yadava knew everything about the Kauravas so also, he had all the information about the Pandavas. He regarded Rajmata Kuntidevi with utmost respect. He would regard Kuntidevi in the place of Yashodamata who had been left behind in distant Gokul. He spoke a lot about the courageous woman within Kuntidevi. He would say, “This aatya of mine has proved herself by making her five sons’ lives blossom, in all adversities. Each one of the Pandavas is blessed with different qualities. Draupadi has the knack to unite their power in one strong fist. The Pandavas are the ideal not
only today but will also remain so in future. We should
actively support them with all our might whenever necessary.” Whenever I heard him speak like this I would feel something more in him beyond the skilled diplomat and the Chakravarti warrior.
There was not a single soul among the Yadavas of Dwaraka whom Krishnadeva didn’t know by name. That is why nobody could ever argue with him intellectually. Akrura who had fled to the Kashi kingdom a while ago fearing his wrath, was back and settled in Dwaraka again.
Krishnadeva knew Dwaraka very well, like the palm of his hand. Vasudevababa and Devakimata had now somewhat overcome the grief of the killing of their six new-born sons by Kansa back in Mathura by smashing them on a boulder. Krishnadeva alone had brought such happiness to them, as big as the Himalayas, way more than what their six dead sons would have offered together had they been alive.
Vasudevababa and both rajmatas were now old. They spent most of their time in religious activities and in the company of Aacharya Sandipani and royal priest Gargamuni along with the sages and hermits who came to Dwaraka. They were contented to witness Krishnadeva’s untainted acclaim. Their lives were fulfilled.
The true treasure of opulent Dwaraka, which had reached the zenith of acclaim, was one royal lady. Rukminidevi now graced opulent Dwaraka like Mahalakshmi, the goddess of wealth. She never returned to Kundinpura even after being repeatedly invited by her Rukmidada who had now developed cordial relations, and by her other brothers. From time to time she sent letters of her wellbeing to her mother Shuddhamatidevi. Gift salvers were also exchanged. She had invited her Aakrutikaka to Dwaraka many times – he was skilled in the art of mesmerizing and curing the snake bite. She had made him spend many hours in the company of Krishnadeva. Krishnadeva, who had the knack of picking up any qualities of the persons coming in his contact, be it children or adults, also learned this art of mesmerizing from Aakrutikaka.
Rukminidevi considered all the children of her seven co-wives as her own. Under her watchful eye the Queens’ mansions of Krishnadeva had blossomed well with virtuous sons and daughters. Pradyumna, Samba, Bhanu, Vira, Shruta, Sangramjita, Vrika, Praghosha, Charudeshna, Subhanu had now grown hefty and become mighty warriors. Due to the way Rukminidevi had handled Bhamadevi and her children, Bhamadevi’s attitude had also become considerably calm. She had also become dear to the citizens of Dwaraka like Rukminidevi. The citizens of Dwaraka also loved the other
devis – Jambavati, Bhadra, Lakshmanaa, Kalindi, Satya
and Mitravinda. All of them had consciously made efforts to ensure that their sons and daughters became virtuous and were blessed with good sanskaras, by keeping them in the good company of various kings who visited Dwaraka, princes, sages, hermits, and artists. Krishnadeva’s family tree had blossomed in all respects.
Balarambdada’s brothers Gada, Sarana, and Rohitashwa had also got married and become family men. They were also blessed with sons and daughters. Dada’s sons Nishatha and Ulmuka blended so well with the sons of Krishnadeva that no one could believe they were cousins. They all seemed like blood brothers. Revatidevi had maintained close contact with her family on Mount Raivataka. As her family was close she frequently visited Mount Raivataka for many religious rituals. Recently, she had also started working on an aashrama as per the instruction of her father Maharaja Kakudmin. According to the Raivatakas, Ghor Angirasa rishi of Prayaga was going to live in that aashrama. The most special thing I felt about Balaramadada was that he had only one wife. Therefore, all the Yadavas except Uddhavadeva were in his awe. Occasionally, even Krishnadeva!
After Krishnadeva, Uddhavadeva was the one whom the citizens of Dwaraka held in high regard. He had gained that place due to the virtuous qualities he possessed. Right since birth he was different from all the other Yadavas. He looked different, behaved differently and spoke differently. Dwaraka was an island in the ocean where the royal city of the Yadavas was located, far away from the land of Aaryavarta. Uddhavadeva was a unique human island of his own that was very far away from the lakhs of Yadavas on the island of Dwaraka. He was a Sanyasi by disposition, unmarried and a celibate. That is why his father Devabhaga had got both his brothers, Chitraketu and Brihadbala married to expand the family. Their families had also blossomed with children. Uddhavadeva was the only Yadava in Dwaraka who everybody, including Krishnadeva, felt close to.
His great rapport with Rukminidevi was very charming. Uddhavadeva was well aware of the fact that Rukminidevi had cut off all ties with her brothers and parental home to come to Dwaraka. He knew very well that she would never return to Kundinpura. Uddhavadeva had given her tremendous respect and plenty of brotherly love without making any pretentious statements like – ‘I am like your brother. Living in Dwaraka is like living in Kundinpura.’ I was greatly influenced by these rare qualities of Uddhavadeva. That influence would deepen on hearing his casual utterances like – ‘Wherever there is Yogeshwar Srikrishna and master archer Partha, Dharma and Victory will always be there.’ Rukminidevi also respected him a lot.
Balaramadada was quite a different character. His valour was awe-inspiring, but that was not the case with his disposition. The funny part was that he was very unpredictable as it was very difficult to say when he would start scolding someone due to his open-minded, outspoken, and simple nature. Krishnadeva had purposely and skilfully planted this awe of his among the citizens of Dwaraka. When the Lord of Dwaraka accepted the seniority and awe of his elder brother, there was no question of anybody else not accepting it. Sometimes there were occasions of a basic difference of opinion between these two brothers. One major example of this was Subhadradevi’s wedding to Arjuna. During the period of her wedding both these brothers would sometimes avoid looking at each other. Vasudevababa and both rajmatas would try to bridge the gap between the two brothers. They did not always succeed. The reason behind that was Balaramadada’s short-tempered a
ttitude which did not allow any compromise at all!
On every such occasion Uddhavadeva became the bridge connecting the two brothers. Rukminidevi also assisted him skilfully. I had noticed a peculiar thing about that. Balaramadada wouldn’t listen calmly to anybody except Rukminidevi.
I frequently visited Indraprastha along with Krishnadeva. Sometimes I was with him, sometimes Uddhavadeva accompanied him and sometimes both of us would be there. During each visit to Indraprastha I gradually came to know the five Pandava brothers one by one. The five brothers had basically very different temperaments since birth. But one thing was common among all of them. All of them had utmost devotion to Krishnadeva.
Yudhishthira – the eldest among the Pandavas was a complex mixture of good and bad qualities. He was valiant but did not have any eye-catching feats of gallantry to his credit. He was sacrificing but also covetous. He was senior by birth but not necessarily so in his actions. From Yudhishthira, he became Dharmaraja due to the knowledge he obtained. But he did not necessarily implement Dharma with full understanding. Does that mean he did any Adharma? It was not that either! He was responsible for the unforgivable blunder of playing the game of dice. Sometimes an amusing thought would cross my mind. What if my Krishnadeva had faced the situation of playing a game of dice with Kauravas as a Kshatriya? He would have avoided it using many excuses. And what if he still had to play the game of dice? I am confident that he would have never lost it!
In Indraprastha, sometimes I strongly wondered, what if Bhimsena had been crowned king instead of Yudhishthira? What if Arjuna was? How would be the Indraprastha kingdom and the life of its citizens then? How would be the life of all Pandavas?
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 79