Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata

by Devdutt Pattanaik

  Arjuna, who did not recognize Hanuman, felt the monkey was mocking him. So he built a bridge of arrows over the river. Hanuman placed his paw on it and the bridge broke instantly. Hanuman laughed and mocked Arjuna, ‘Are you sure you built a bridge between paradise and earth for Indra’s elephants?’

  Arjuna felt so humiliated that he contemplated killing himself. A sage who was passing by said, ‘Build a bridge of arrows once again. Only this time chant “Ram-Krishna-Hari” each time you shoot an arrow, and see the difference.’

  Arjuna did as told. This time, the bridge held firm when the monkey stepped on it. Hanuman then revealed his true form and danced on the bridge—it stood firm! Hanuman then increased his size, growing as tall as a mountain, but the bridge did not break despite the gigantic pressure.

  The sage said, ‘It is the name of Ram that ensured the bridge of stones to Lanka did not crack under the weight of the monkeys. Likewise, it is the name of Krishna that ensures this bridge of arrows withstands Hanuman’s weight. Strength alone is not enough in this world; divine grace is needed. Krishna is Ram and both are Hari or Vishnu. Never forget that. Without Krishna you are nothing. You are Nara and he is Narayana.’

  Arjuna bowed to the sage and then fell at Hanuman’s feet, apologizing for his arrogance. He then asked Hanuman, ‘What does it mean—I am Nara and Krishna is Narayana?’

  Hanuman replied, ‘This secret will be revealed to you shortly.’

  A few days later, a Brahman appealed to Arjuna to save his children. ‘They disappear as soon as they are born. Now my wife is pregnant again and due for delivery. I fear I shall lose this child too.’

  Arjuna assured the priest that with his mighty bow, the Gandiva, he would save his children even if it meant fighting Yama, the god of death. Krishna joined him in this adventure. ‘If I don’t succeed,’ said Arjuna, ‘I will burn myself alive.’

  When the Brahman’s wife went into labour, Arjuna sealed the Brahman’s hut with a barricade of arrows and then stood guard at the door. ‘Now let me see who enters and takes the child away.’

  A few minutes later, the child was born. Arjuna and Krishna heard the child cry. Then the crying stopped. ‘The baby has disappeared,’ screamed the Brahman. ‘Oh Arjuna, you failed!’

  How could this happen? No one entered the hut? Neither god nor demon nor man? A distraught Arjuna decided to end his life then and there. But Krishna stopped him. ‘Before you take such a drastic step,’ he said, ‘there is something you must see.’

  Arjuna mounted a chariot and Krishna took hold of the reins. Together they set out towards the horizon. It was a long journey. Arjuna realized that the chariot no longer touched the earth. It flew in the sky and they had left the mountains and rivers far behind. Soon the chariot was crossing the sea. Everything was a blur. The sky whizzed past as the speed increased. Krishna looked straight ahead. The sky became so dark that even the stars could not be seen. Krishna released his Sudarshan Chakra and it whirred in front of the chariot illuminating its path. Arjuna realized they had crossed the ocean of salt water. They were over another ocean of fresh water full of serpents, gigantic fish and strange magical creatures. Then they passed an ocean of fire writhing with fiery reptiles, then an ocean of treacle and finally the sea of milk.

  There at the centre of the sea of milk, Arjuna saw a magnificent sight. He saw a majestic being reclining on the coils of a vast serpent with a thousand hoods. This being had a gentle smile and four arms in which he held a conch-shell, a discus, a mace and a lotus. It was Vishnu. The serpent was Adi-Ananta-Sesha, the serpent of time. At Vishnu’s feet sat Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune. On his tongue sat Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom. This was God. The God who sustains the rhythm of the cosmos. The God who can fold time and space and do the impossible—even make babies disappear without a trace after they leave their mother’s womb.

  Overwhelmed by the divine sight, Arjuna prostrated himself. When he arose, he found Vishnu holding many babies in his arms. ‘These are the Brahman’s children. I brought them here so that you follow them and learn the true purpose of your existence.’

  Arjuna did not understand. Krishna smiled and explained, ‘Once you were Nara and I was Narayana. Together we fought many demons and won many battles. Now we are Arjuna and Krishna. We have been created to restore dharma on earth.’

  Vishnu told Arjuna, ‘Krishna is wisdom. You are action. One without another is useless. All your battles you will win only when you are together.’

  These stories come from the Bhagavata and other Puranas that identify Krishna as God.

  The notion of an all-powerful God enters quite late in the history of Hinduism. Early Vedic scriptures are best described as agnostic. There are numerous references to natural spirits and cosmic forces that can be invoked through rituals but there is no clear mention of God. At best, the Upanishads associate God with the soul (atma). With the rise of atheistic monastic orders such as Buddhism, ideas such as samsara (cycle of rebirths), karma (influence of past actions) and moksha (liberation) gain popularity. As a counter to them, the idea of God, first propagated by the Bhagavata cult, becomes increasingly acceptable to the mainstream. The people find great solace in the idea of a personal God whose grace, obtained through devotion, can overpower the shackles of karma and samsara. The Mahabharata is among the earliest Hindu texts to endorse the idea of a very personal anthropomorphic God who is very responsive to the human condition. It is the presence of Krishna who is Vishnu on earth that transforms the Mahabharata into a sacred scripture.

  In popular belief, men have vestigial nipples as a mark of the feminine within them. Arjuna had only one nipple, not two, because he was more man than others. Krishna had no nipples because he was a purna-purusha, a full man.

  Nara and Narayana were two inseparable sages. They lived in the Himalayas under the Badari or berry tree. Their name repeatedly recurs in the epic as the former incarnations of Arjuna and Krishna. Visualized as warrior-ascetics, they are believed to be the earliest worshippers of Vishnu, who later came to be identified with Vishnu. Metaphysically speaking, Nara means human while Narayana is God. The relationship of Arjuna and Krishna is that of man and God, inseparable.

  By associating Arjuna and Krishna to Nara and Narayana, Vyasa makes them creatures of destiny. Their birth is not random; they are born for a reason.

  Book Nine

  Coronation

  ‘Janamejaya, kings were killed before and during the coronation of your forefather.’

  43

  Death of Jarasandha

  Shortly after Arjuna’s return from his pilgrimage, Yudhishtira expressed his desire to be king. ‘I want to perform the Rajasuya yagna,’ he said.

  But for that he needed other kings of the land to participate in the ceremony, a symbolic acknowledgement of his sovereignty.

  Krishna said, ‘You have to first prove you are worthy to wear the crown. And the best way to demonstrate your power, so that your claim to kingship is uncontested, is to overpower Jarasandha.’

  ‘The king of Magadha, destroyer of Mathura!’ exclaimed Yudhishtira, suddenly unsure, for Jarasandha was greatly feared in Bharata-varsha. It was said that he had imprisoned a hundred kings and planned to conduct a human sacrifice. ‘My army is no match for his.’

  Krishna smiled and said, ‘Mighty brawn is no match for a nimble brain. Let us go to his city disguised as priests. In keeping with the laws of hospitality, he will offer us anything we desire. We shall ask him for a duel. A hand-to-hand combat to the death.’

  The Pandavas were impressed with Krishna’s plan. They knew that Krishna and Jarasandha were old enemies. This plan would benefit both, the Yadavas and the Pandavas. The Yadavas would be rid of the man who destroyed Mathura and the Pandavas would be able to declare themselves kings and repay their debt to Krishna who had done so much for them.

  Predictably, Jarasandha welcomed the three Brahmans who had come down from Hastina-puri and in keeping with the code of hospitality, offered to
fulfil any of their wishes. ‘Ask and it shall be yours,’ he said.

  ‘We wish a hand-to-hand combat with you, to the death,’ said the three Brahmans.

  Jarasandha immediately realized these were no Brahmans but Kshatriyas in disguise. He had been duped but he was too proud to go back on his word. ‘I suspect one of you is Krishna, the coward who ran away to Dwaraka when I burnt down his city of Mathura. And the other two must be the Pandavas with whom he has forged a powerful alliance.’ Looking at Arjuna, he said, ‘You are lean and thin, unworthy in a hand-to-hand combat. Besides the marks on your arms indicate you are an archer. You must be Arjuna.’ He then turned to Bhima and said, ‘You are big and strong. A worthy opponent. I suspect you are Bhima.’ Then he turned to Krishna. ‘You are dark and your eyes radiate mischief. You must be the boy who killed my son-in-law. I will deal with you after I have dealt with Bhima here.’

  As Bhima was about to enter the wrestling arena, Krishna picked up a leaf, tore it into two along the spine, and said, ‘The only way to kill Jarasandha is to tear his body into two vertical halves as I do this leaf. His childless father divided the magic potion meant to give him a child equally between his two wives. As a result, each wife bore him half a child. These two halves were fused together by a demoness called Jara who protects Jarasandha and makes him invincible. He cannot be killed by any weapon. Only if he is split into two can he die.’

  Bhima realized soon enough that Jarasandha was indeed an invincible opponent. The powerful punches with which he had killed demons like Baka and Hidimba had no effect on the king of Magadha. They fought like wild elephants for hours. Finally, Bhima pinned Jarasandha to the ground, caught hold of his leg and with all his might tore his body into two. A cheer rose from the spectators.

  But then all fell silent. To everyone’s astonishment, the left half of the body magically moved towards and fused with the right half of the body and Jarasandha stood up unhurt. Bhima looked at Krishna quizzically. Krishna immediately picked up another leaf, split it into two along its spine, but this time threw the left half of the leaf on the right side and the right half of the leaf on the left side. Bhima understood the message.

  The fighting resumed. A terrible fight that caused the pillars of the wrestling arena to tremble and the Devas to gather along the horizon and cheer Bhima. After many hours, Bhima was finally able to pin Jarasandha to the ground. Holding one leg, he tore Jarasandha into two as he had done last time. He then threw the left side of the body to the right side of the arena and the right side of the body to the left side of the arena.

  Thus was Jarasandha killed. With this, Krishna was finally rid of the man who had destroyed the Yadava city of Mathura. No king now remained in Bharatavarsha who would challenge Yudhishtira’s bid to be king. Thus did Indra-prastha, a city established by the Pandavas, become a sovereign kingdom.

  A Rajasuya yagna granted kingdoms their sovereignty. To achieve this status, the ruler of the kingdom had to prove his military might so that other kings of the land accepted him as an equal. By performing a Rajasuya, Yudhishtira was formally breaking all ties with his uncle and telling the world that his kingdom was autonomous.

  While helping the Pandavas, Krishna also uses them to defeat his enemy, Jarasandha. Krishna’s running away when Jarasandha’s army destroyed Mathura, earned him the rather derogatory title of Ran-chor-rai, he who withdrew from battle.

  In Jain traditions, every world cycle witnesses sixty-three great heroes known as the Salaka-purushas. They include twenty-four hermits or Tirthankaras, twelve kings or Chakra-vartis and nine sets of three warriors comprising the righteous and peaceful Baladeva, the righteous but violent Vasudeva and the unrighteous Prativasudeva. Krishna and Jarasandha are considered to be Vasudeva and Prativasudeva, fated to fight. Krishna’s elder brother, Balarama, is the gentle Baladeva who prefers peace to war. In the next world cycle, say the Jain scriptures, Balarama will be reborn as a Tirthankara much earlier than Krishna because of his preference for the Jain principle of ahimsa or non-violence.

  44

  Duryodhana falls into a pond

  The coronation of Yudhishtira was a grand affair attended by kings from all over the land. Among the guests were Rakshasas, Devas, Asuras, Yakshas, Nagas and Gandharvas. There were also Duryodhana and Shishupala.

  Duryodhana went around the great city built by the demon Maya. He saw the grandeur of the palaces, the organization of the streets, the beauty of the gardens and the orchards. He realized the main palace was built such that a breeze moved gently through all its corridors and sunlight bounced off all its walls. Poets equated the great palace of the Pandavas to the sabha of Indra, the city to Amravati and the kingdom to Swarga. Duryodhana was filled with envy.

  As Duryodhana walked along the corridors staring at the painted roof, he slipped and fell into a pond.

  Draupadi who was walking past, rather thoughtlessly, let out a peal of laughter and said, ‘The blind son of blind parents.’

  Duryodhana was certainly not amused. He swore that day that one day he would take pleasure in Draupadi’s humiliation as she had taken in his.

  In many narrations, Draupadi’s insensitive comments about Duryodhana’s parents is presented as the reason why she was humiliated later in life. This event is narrated as a warning to people not to make fun of disabilities.

  Indra-prastha’s magical palace is the envy of all the kings who come there. Duryodhana is especially disturbed. He realizes that his cousins have created something magnificent out of nothing while he had never created anything in his life. His jealousy reaches its acme at Yudhishtira’s coronation.

  Vibhishana, king of Lanka and leader of the Rakshasas, refused to bow to Yudhishtira stating that he bowed to none but Ram, king of Ayodhya, who had defeated his brother, Ravana, and was Vishnu on earth. Krishna, who was also Vishnu on earth, fell at Yudhishtira’s feet stating that any king who upholds dharma on earth is like Ram of Ayodhya. Seeing this, Vibhishana changed his mind and fell at Yudhishtira’s feet.

  45

  Death of Shishupala

  The Brahmans poured water and milk and honey on Yudhishtira in the presence of all the kings of Bharata-varsha. He was thus declared king. Around him stood his four brothers and on his left lap sat their common wife, the queen of Indraprastha. Some guests like their father-in-law, Drupada, and their uncle, Shalya, and their cousins, Krishna and Balarama, were happy for the Pandavas. Others like Duryodhana and Karna, Shalva and Shishupala, were rather jealous.

  During the ceremony, the priests asked the Pandavas to select from all the assembled guests a guest of honour. The Pandavas selected Krishna for without him they would not have been able to achieve what they had achieved. Krishna was placed on the seat of honour and offered many gifts by the five brothers and their wife.

  Suddenly, Shishupala, king of Chedi, stood up and protested, ‘A hundred kings are gathered here and the Pandavas choose to honour Krishna, a Yadava, whose ancestor Yadu was rejected by his father, who can never be king, who was raised by common cowherds, who spent his entire childhood killing animals and dancing with milkmaids, who killed his own mother’s brother, who ran away like a coward and let his city be burned down by Jarasandha, who eloped and abducted princesses as a defence against further attacks…’

  Shishupala’s tirade so annoyed the Pandavas that they raised their weapons to stop Shishupala. The assembled kings also raised their weapons to protect Shishupala, for nothing Shishupala said was false. The royal hall of Yudhishtira was in real danger of turning into a battlefield. In this tense situation, Krishna said, ‘This is between Shishupala and me. Let him say what he wants to say. He is my cousin, son of my father’s sister, just like the Pandavas.’

  Krishna did not tell the assembled guests that at the time of Shishupala’s birth, oracles had foretold that Krishna would kill Shishupala. To save Shishupala, his mother had begged Krishna to forgive all her son’s misdemeanours. ‘I will forgive him a hundred times. No more,’ Krishna had promised.r />
  Shishupala’s tirade continued. He kept insulting Krishna. Krishna forgave each insult hurled at him.

  At the hundredth insult, Krishna stood up and raised his hand. ‘Enough, cousin. You have insulted me a hundred times. And as promised to your mother, I have forgiven you each time. But no more. If you insult me again, I will kill you.’

  Shishupala did not care. He hated Krishna. Krishna was a common cowherd and he was king of Chedi, yet Krishna was more respected and more popular in all of Bharata-varsha. It was Krishna who had abducted and married Rukmini, the woman he loved, right from under his nose. It was Krishna who had killed Jarasandha, who had been like a father to him. And it was Krishna who had been chosen by the Pandavas to be the guest of honour. Full of bitterness and jealousy, Shishupala insulted Krishna once again. The hundred and first insult.

  Before anyone in the great hall could even blink, Krishna hurled his discus, the Sudarshan Chakra, and severed Shishupala’s neck. As the head fell to the ground, there was an uproar among the kings. ‘Is this how the Pandavas treat their guests? Let a common cowherd kill a king. Let us leave. Yudhishtira may be king, but he does not deserve our respect.’ So saying, many kings of Bharata-varsha stormed out of the sabha. The great coronation ceremony of Yudhishtira thus ended on an extremely inauspicious note.

  Among the kings who stormed out were Shalva and Dantavakra, who were friends of Shishupala and allies of Jarasandha. They decided to teach Krishna a lesson. They raised armies and launched an attack on the island of Dwaraka, forcing Krishna to leave Indra-prastha and rush to the defence of his city.