I couldn’t wait even for a moment now. Kansa’s Dhanuryaga was over. My life’s Yajna was commencing from this moment. It should not fall short of anything at all.
I held Balaramadada’s hand and affectionately said to him, “Come on, we have to release our parents and obtain their blessings!”
After getting rid of Kansa we left from the grand hall of Dhanuryaga for our parent’s residence, to our birthplace! Vipruthu, Anadhrishti, Satyaki, Akrura, Kritavarma, Devabhaga, Vikadru, Aahuka, Prabhanjana and many more Yadava leaders followed us even though we had not asked them to do so.
The place where I was born came into view. All the guards and servants who had kept an eagle-eyed watch on my parents, Vasudeva and Devaki, to keep them imprisoned for years, had deserted the place as soon as they had heard the news of Kansa’s execution. The vast place was completely empty now, not a single person was in sight. We reached the room where our father and mother were placed under arrest. A big iron lock was hanging on the iron gate. Our aged, feeble, agonized parents who were eager to meet us were imprisoned behind the iron bars!
One of the Yadavas came forward and with a single strike of his mace broke the lock open which had stifled our tender relations so far. With a creaking sound the huge iron gate opened up – after so many years, actually ages! Balaramadada and I met our mother with tears in our eyes! Embracing both of us at the same time, for a long time, she stood trembling and sobbing, our mother, Devakimata! Bearded Vasudevababa also sobbed when he embraced us. For the first time the veranda of the prison saw so many people together – as if the prison also felt free for the first time.
Along with Vasudevababa, Devakimata and a few chosen Yadavas we left for the main prison to rescue Maharaja Ugrasena.
When we went to the main prison of Mathura and commanded the attendants to break the iron handcuffs to free the aged Maharaja Ugrasena and Queen Padmawatidevi, the old couple wept openly. In the darkness of the prison cell and the dim light of the torches burning in the corners, we and the Yadavas accompanying us couldn’t even see their tears.
The citizens of Mathura had not seen Maharaja Ugrasena and Maharani Padmawatidevi for years due to their imprisonment. The sight of their Maharaja and Maharani made them feel happier than the feeling of relief when they were liberated from the vicious clutches of insolent Kansa. The chapter of Kansa, the first chapter of my life story, was over!
Minister Vipruthu consulted Gargamuni, the royal priest of the Yadavas to choose an auspicious day for the coronation of Maharaja Ugrasena. The coronation ceremony took place in the grand royal palace of the Yadavas in Mathura. As per the persistent appeal of the convened Yadavas I placed the sacred golden coronet made holy with ablutions, on Maharaja Ugrasena’s head.
As Maharaja Ugrasena ascended the throne, he glanced at the council with gratitude and said, “Actually the right to ascend this throne goes to Krishna, Vasudeva’s son! If for whatever reason he renounces it, it should be automatically transferred to his elder brother Balarama! I cannot comprehend why in this old age he has handed me the responsibility to look after the Shursena kingdom. I bless him from the bottom of my heart and request him to confer his invaluable guidance on the Yadavas who have come together in this royal council of the Shursena kingdom, in such large numbers after so many years.”
I stood up and took in all the present young and old Yadavas. I struck a cord, connecting my heart with theirs and said, “My dear Yadava brothers! The tyrant Kansa who was way out of control, was also a Yadava! I had to execute him even though he was my mama. The biggest calamity that is going to be fall Mathura now is the onslaught of Kansa’s father-in-law Jarasandha, the emperor of Magadha who will not sit quiet once he comes to know about the execution of Kansa. In fact, by now he must be burning with the fire of vengeance. He has imprisoned more than eighty kings in Girivraja to carry out his resolution of sacrificing one hundred kings for ‘Shataraj sheersha yajna’. He has taken many feeble kings around his kingdom under the guise of friendship. Rather than remembering that Kansa is gone now, in my opinion, you should never forget that Jarasandha is going to attack for sure. Therefore, you should always stay united and be prepared and take the advantage of the experience of Maharaja Ugrasena. Always obey him.
“I can see Maharaja Ugrasena as the only reverent senior whose word will be honoured equally by the young and old Yadavas. That is why, I have requested him to take up this responsibility. It is very difficult for the Yadavas to unite as they are hot-blooded, short-tempered and pugnacious by nature. To stay united is even harder. Therefore, on your behalf I request experienced Maharaja Ugrasena to assume your leadership. The royal priest Gargamuni should bless him.
I leaned forward and smiled at Gargamuni. The royal priest stood up. Gathering his soft, silky upper garment he said, “All Yadavas of the Shursena kingdom, as the royal priest I give my blessings to Maharaja Ugrasena and the Maharani from the bottom of my heart and more than that I tell you this with utmost sincerity –
“I had read the horoscope and predicted the future of Vasudeva’s son Krishna, in Gokul at the time of his birth. I see that it is coming true. My dear Yadavas, based on the essence of my studies of the Shastras so far, the penance, meditation and contemplation that I have been engaged in, with utmost humility I am going to pronounce a meaningful title for the first time. I believe you will also find it most appropriate. A single syllable ‘Sri’, like the sacred syllable ‘AUM’ has been regarded the most prestigious of all the titles, from the Vedas to the Upanishadas. It is most appropriate to confer it only on a supreme personality and only at the right time.
‘Sri’ is power, Sri is beauty, Sri means vast reserves of wealth, and Sri is pure intellect. ‘Sri’ has many more meanings; incredible success is also one of them. Is it not evident that this Krishna, the youthful son of Vasudeva, is the bearer of the wealth of all such supreme qualities? I can see it very clearly.
At this time of the most significant religious and political ceremony of the Yadava clan, after the execution of Kansa, wouldn’t it be appropriate that you honour him with the title of ‘Srikrishna’ in the presence of all Yadavas?
Tomorrow, in this royal palace itself I am going to perform the ‘Upanayana’ ceremony of Krishna with the sacred rituals. I will perform the necessary rituals to remove the so-called curse on the Yadavas of having lost the Kshatriya Dharma since your forefather Maharaja Yadu.
Krishna will become a legitimate Kshatriya after the Upanayana ceremony. He will become ‘Srikrishna’. Do you all agree with me? Do you give your consent happily?” Gargamuni’s sharp glance moved around the hall briskly. Instead of answering his question, the Yadavas full of youth and vigour cheered in unison, “Hail Yadava king Srikrishna...victory to him!” The very next day, under the guidance of Gargamuni my Upanayana ceremony was performed at an auspicious time. On this occasion of celebrations, the city of Mathura was drenched in the fountain of joy for eight days. From ‘Krishna’ I became the unanimously acclaimed ‘Srikrishna’! At last a legitimate Kshatriya! As my Upanayana ceremony took place, it was considered my second birth, a ‘Dwija’. But was I merely a ‘Dwija’ or a Kshatriya?
There in Girivraja, the royal capital of Magadha, Emperor Jarasandha’s royal council had reached a final decision after a long hour of deliberation – that of an armed attack on Mathura with full force! To accomplish this task, Dantavakra, the king of Karusha, Shaibya, the king of Sauvira, Shishupala, the son of the Chedi king Damaghosha, Bhishmaka, the king of Vidarbha and his son Rukmi pledged collective alliance with Jarasandha in front of their family deities.
Two professional wrestlers, Hansa and Dimbhaka, warfare experts, were the commanders of Jarasandha’s army. The Magadha Empire was mighty, opulent, and ready with well-equipped military forces. It had a strong hold on the entire Aaryavarta.
As our informants had informed us, soon the enormous army of Jarasandha led by Hansa and Dimbhaka fell upon Mathura with full force.
Hundreds of ships carried
their armed soldiers across Yamuna. Our naval ships showered arrows on them to prevent them from crossing over. Yet the enemy found ways to cross the vast Yamuna. Numbered in thousands and lakhs the rival army eventually surrounded Mathura.
Fortunately, Mathura was surrounded by a wide trench, flooded with water and full of obstacles. All borders of Mathura had robust gates, which were secured with sharp, upended nails installed on them. Our Yadava army had extraordinary warriors like Anadhrishti, Satyaki, Avagaha, Kritavarma, Prithu, Shatadyumna, Kanka, Shini, and Babhru. Jarasandha spared no efforts to cross the trenches, and burst open the eastern and western gates by dispatching huge elephants to break them open.
Not just a day or two, it was for a good twenty-seven days that this cut-throat war lasted. The Magadha army fought to no avail. They bombarded fireballs beyond the fortification of Mathura and launched a deluge of rocky stones through Shataghni rockets. Eventually they got exhausted. The Yadava soldiers also got fatigued, seizing every opportunity to attack the enemy through the wicket gates.
On the twenty-seventh day Jarasandha sent his royal envoy holding a white flag in front of the eastern gate of Mathura. As per my orders he was taken in. He carried a very deceptive and astute message, “Let one of the Yadava wrestlers, equivalent to Magadha commanders Hansa and Dimbhaka play a conclusive wrestling bout with either one of them, and the winner’s side will be declared victorious in the war!” The war was going to be concluded based on the result of the wrestling bout.
I recognized Jarasandha’s cunning strategy. He wanted to see a Yadava warrior defeated in the wrestling bout. Taking advantage of the commotion after the bout he wanted to infiltrate a few of his diehard soldiers through the wicket gate of the main gates of Mathura to break them open from inside. He wanted to force Mathura into a bloody war within the impenetrable fortification walls. Once the gates were opened the Yadavas wouldn’t stand a chance against the colossal army of Magadha.
I glanced at Dada after listening to the message of the royal envoy. He got up and declared directly that he accepted the challenge. I looked at him and simply smiled. The royal envoy returned with our message.
We selected expert professional wrestlers to accompany Dada. The wrestling bout was going to take place in a big wrestling pit on the open grounds in front of the main gates of Mathura. Dada chose to wrestle with Dimbhaka.
Balaramadada and Dimbhak a began the fight at the fixed time, surrounded by the tumultuous Magadha and Yadava crowd. Vipruthu himself was conveying all the minute details of the fight outside, to me. I didn’t want to be seen by the Magadha soldiers yet, at least not till the right time.
I spread the rumours through my informers beyond the fortification wall of Mathura, “There will be no war now. The wrestling bout will settle the conflict between the Magadhas and the Yadavas for good. Hansa believed the rumours. As he was fully confident of Dimbhaka’s victory he boarded the ships with a few chosen soldiers to return to Girivraja. He started sailing on Yamuna’s waters, alone.
Here in the wrestling pit dada and Dimbhaka were fighting vehemently, using various strategies to take each other down. In the process both perspired heavily. For the first time, today the Yadavas got an opportunity to watch dada, who had turned red, with his muscles protruded, and engaged in the wrestling match. He looked exceptionally handsome today. Encircling the wrestling pit Magadha and Yadava soldiers made a ruckus to watch the intense fight. Not just Dimbhaka, even if Jarasandha himself would have faced dada today, he would have definitely been defeated. Within half an hour he lifted Dimbhaka high up and then threw him down on the floor, and immediately clasped his throat in the invincible Bahukantaka hold. All the spectators held their breath with eyes dilated with fear, thinking ‘Dimbhaka is going to die now’.
As instructed, Vipruthu immediately conveyed the situation to me. I sent him back with instructions to spread the rumour amongst both armies that Dimbhaka was killed by Balarama during the bout. I also instructed him to follow Hansa in a boat and to make sure that Hansa received the same news promptly.
He left to implement my instructions. Within a short time, accompanied by Satyaki on my left and Anadhrishti on my right, I stepped outside. As soon as they saw me, a buzz of whispers spread among the Yadavas and the Magadhas, “He is here! He has come! Make way for him. Move back!” The wrestling bout had reached its climax now. Balaramadada was not going to let Dimbhaka slip out of his grip. He would have kept tightening his hold on Dimbhaka’s throat until he died. It was imperative to stop him.
I rushed to the wrestling pit. I leaned down and patted on dada’s wet back. Droplets of sweat flew from his flushed wet back. I said to him, “Let him go. Even though the wrestling rules say that a bout should end in the death of the defeated, don’t forget that a victor also has the right to spare the life of the loser!”
Dimbhaka was on the verge of dying. His tongue was hanging loose from his mouth and eyes had turned upward. I signalled to him to raise his fist with his thumb up to indicate his surrender. He instantly did so out of fear for his life.
A very upset dada, who was ember-red by now finally loosened his grip of Bahukantaka, looking at me helplessly. Dimbhaka’s life was spared. He instantly struggled to stand up. As they saw Dimbhaka standing up the Magadha soldiers started shouting delightedly, “Hail the Magadha emperor Maharaja Jarasandha, victory to him!” Their words made me laugh.
On Yamuna’s waters, when Hansa heard the unbearably dire news that his dear friend Dimbhaka had been killed, he just sat down in shock. Then with an immense cry of despair, beating his chest, in an insane fit of sadness he plunged into the Yamuna to meet his dear friend Dimbhaka!
The soldiers accompanying him searched for him to the best of their ability. Later they returned to Mathura announcing the bleak news, ‘Commander Hansa drowned in the river Yamuna!’ Though Dimbhaka’s life had been spared in the wrestling match, when he heard the news of his dear friend’s death he flew into a rage. He immediately boarded a boat and set sail on the Yamuna in search of his dear friend. With a wail, he too plunged into Yamuna, at the same spot where Hansa had jumped in. Yamuna was indeed a bysmal!
While I was thinking about Yamuna, the Magadha army was returning to Magadha sailing on her waters, after losing both their invaluable war-expert commanders, and completely losing the battle after full twenty-seven days!
In this very first fierce attack of the Magadhas which lasted for twenty-seven days, our farmlands suffered the most. During the war lakhs of cavalrymen, thousands of elephant troops and innumerable soldiers ran over our farms, completely destroying our fully cultivated crops. Now our granary had barely enough food to last for about a year. The critical issue was how to make the Yadavas who were exhausted after war, survive without enough food? How to revive our farms?
I gave prompt instructions. Hailing goddess Ida, all the hands which had carried heavy weapons during the war came forward to pick up farming tools like the plough, spade, and hoe. Squads of vigorous youth, descendants of the eighteen families of Yadavas started working with the waters of Yamuna. Leading their laborious army were both of us – Balaramadada carrying the massive, graceful plough named ‘Samvartaka’ made of Kikar wood on his shoulders and I, holding the whip for the bullocks in my hands!
While the victorious cries hailing Maharaja Yadu and Kroshtu reverberated in the sky, I set the whip down and tucked the yellow dhoti up at my waist tightly. Dada did the same. Hailing goddess Ida, I struck the first blow of the spade on the damp shores of the Yamuna. Following me, dada also put his plough down and struck a blow of the spade. Hundreds of young Yadavas followed us and hundreds of spades collided with the shores of Yamuna. Our endeavour was to dig an extended channel to lead Yamuna’s waters to our farmland. Something like this had never been tried before. By noon we had dug a considerable distance directing Yamuna to our farmland. A colossal, project was under way.
By evening we had successfully channelled the life-sustaining waters of Yamuna towards our
farmland. Yamuna had taken a turn for the sake of the Yadavas and to affirm that ‘ Sri’ meant immeasurable wealth. We contained the boundless Yamuna in the confines of the channel for the sake of our future.
Dada carried his huge plough on his shoulders and placed it in a large farm. Then he harnessed it to the muscular shoulders of two big bulls with elegant horns. I nudged one of the bulls by poking him with the whip in my hand. The chapter of animals and the whip had begun in my life. Following us, many pairs of bulls, responding to the calls of Yadava farmers, began ploughing the fields of the Shursena kingdom to create life and cultivate it.
That evening dada and I returned to the western gates of Mathura, followed by groups of young Yadavas. Dada carried his huge plough on his shoulders, and I held the whip in my hands. Just like we used to do in Gokul, bearing the dusty clouds of the evening on our backs, we returned to Mathura; not as the cowherds of Gokul, but as the Yadava farmers. I said to dada cheerfully, “From now on I am going to call you ‘Haladhara’ as you are carrying the plough or ‘Hala’ on your shoulders. I hope you won’t mind. Dada answered, “Oh, not at all! Don’t worry, go ahead. I will always agree with everything that you do and say!
The Yadavas of the Shursena kingdom had just barely settled. Yet they had to face Magadha’s attacks four times in four years. We fought them off with determination. During this time dada was blessed with two brothers. Dhakali gave birth to two sons. In a ceremonial function, they were named Gada and Sarana. Gada was two years older than Sarana. Dada himself had named him Gada after his favourite weapon Gadaa, the mace.
Gargamuni had sent his men to various kingdoms. They returned to Mathura after collecting necessary information from all the kingdoms. The information sent by King Drupada of Panchala was of utmost significance. Drupada was a close friend of Vasudevababa. He had highly commended Aacharya Sandipani from Avanti, who used to visit his kingdom from time to time.
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 9
