Finally, as his eyes caught sight of my sandalwood slippers, instantly they lit up with sheer joy. Immediately bending down with some determination, he held my wooden slippers tightly in his hands, and said with ardent intensity, “This, this is what I would like to have as the token of our friendship! This is perfect.” He put his head directly on my wooden slippers. This made me feel really solemn. My smile disappeared and unknowingly I pulled my feet out of the slippers. My dear Sudama immediately put them in his bag. He looked so happy as if he had been given the realm of the three worlds.
Pulling him up immediately I held him in a deep embrace. Gently patting his hands, I bade farewell to him. I waited there for a long time in a bond of affection, capturing him in my eyes till I could no longer see the contour of his figure that kept turning back to look at me while moving forward.
Mathura welcomed us with great pomp and vigour. The entire city was decorated with garlands and festoons. Colourful Rangoli designs had been drawn in the courtyards.
The citizens of Mathura welcomed us with lighted oil lamps and showered us with flowers. Kettle-drums were being played at every intersection of the city. Horse riders moving zealously around the city were distributing sugar among the citizens. One of them was so overzealous that he climbed on the Garudadhwaja and handed me a fistful of sugar and muttering something vaguely like “…the naming ceremony will be tomorrow...”, he left immediately.
We arrived at the square in front of the royal palace of Mathura. As soon as we saw Maharaja Ugrasena, Vasudevababa and Thorali at the landing, the three of us briskly climbed the steps towards them. Dada, Uddhava and I, the three of us bowed down to pay obeisance to Vasudevababa first, then to Maharaja Ugrasena. Maharaja looked tired. He said, “Gadadhara, in your absence we resolutely fought with Jarasandha’s army seven-eight times, forcing him to retreat. Now that you have returned my worries are over. While bowing down to pay obeisance to Thorali I strongly felt the absence of Dhakali, Rohinimata. She was nowhere to be seen. Since coming to Mathura it had become customary to call Devakimata ‘Thorali’ without anybody instructing us. I asked her, “Dhakali is not to be seen anywhere. Where is she?” Smiling broadly with pure affection she said,” How can she be here? She has just delivered a baby! You are blessed with a sister! She resembles Balarama – rosy-fair, plump and chubby!”
“Therefore, today itself the city has been decorated for your welcome, which was planned for tomorrow” Vasudevababa exclaimed.
“Tomorrow is the naming ceremony of your sister, Srikrishna.” said Maharaja Ugrasena. So now we understood the real reason why the city was decorated! The next day groups of Mathura’s populace and the Yadava men and women visited the royal palace for our new-born sister’s naming ceremony. Their evident love was the acknowledgment of the suffering my father had undergone throughout his life. After so many years today this royal palace of Yadu echoed with sounds of the joyous commotion of men, women and children.
It was due to this ceremony that I found out how big and widespread my extended family was in Mathura and the Shursena kingdom. Dhakali’s Gada and Sarana, my brothers born after dada had grown up now. All my kakas – Devabhaga, Devashravasa, Aanaka, Srunjaya, Shyamaka, Kanka, Shamika, Anadhrishti, Gandasha, Vatsaka and Vrika had especially gathered here for the naming ceremony of the first girl child born to Rohinimata. Amongst those kakas, Uddhava’s father, Devabhagakaka had already come into closer contact with us and formed a special bond. The rest of them were going to interact with us in future, circumstantially. I had freed some of them from Kansa’s imprisonment in the first week after the execution of Kansa and had offered them suitable positions according to their capabilities.
Devashravasakaka’s wife was Kansawati. She was Kansa’s sister. They were a very loving couple. They had three sons, Shatrughna, Suvira, and Eeshumana. Shatrughna was lost in a forest in his childhood. Losing him was their biggest pain. Aanakakaka had two sons, Purujita and Satyajita. His wife Kanka was also Kansa’s sister. Srunjaykaka’s wife Rashtrapalika was also Kansa’s sister. They had two sons, Dhanu and Vajra. Shyamaka-kaka also had two sons, Hiranyaksh and Harikesh. His wife was Shurabhu; she too was Kansa’s sister. So, amongst all my kakus, four were Kansa’s sisters.
Shamika-kaka had just one son named Pratikshatra. His wife’s name was Saudamini. Then there were Kanka-kaka, Vatsaka-kaka and Vruka-kaka. Their wives were Karnika, Mitrakeshi and Durvakshi, respectively. Their sons were Kritadhaman and Jaya, Vruka, Taksha and Pushkara. Kanka-kaka was very experienced as he was a part of Kansa’s ministry and had actively participated in the administrative matters.
Anadhrishtikaka’s wife was Ashmaki. They had one son named Yashaswi. This kaka was renowned for many years as a valiant commander of the Yadavas. Gandashakaka was the only one without a child. I had six mavashis named Sahadeva, Shantideva, Srideva, Devarakshita, Vrikadeva and Upadeva. Shantidevamavashi was childless. I had many maternal cousins as well as step-brothers. This new-born daughter of Dhakali was the only girl child in the family. Hence there was no doubt that she was going to be the apple of our eyes.
In short, I had a very big family here including my kakas, kakus and cousins just like my family in Gokul.
This would obviously raise a question in anybody’s mind that what were all these people doing while their brother Vasudeva was put in prison?
Quite a few times the same question had bothered me before. Devabhagakaka had a very exceptional personality amongst all the kakas. He was a holy person with a very loving countenance. He was the well-wisher of the Yadavas. Uddhava, his son was the exact reflection of his father’s personality.
Amongst all the kakas, Kanka-kaka and Aanaka-kaka had served in the royal ministry of Kansa. Except Devabhagakaka all other kakas had been overpowered by Kansa’s tyranny. All of them were coming together for the first time today.
From Thorali, Devakimata’s side I had four mamas named Devavana, Upadeva, Sudeva and Devarakshita. Thorali also had many sisters. Amongst them my Upadevamavashi and Devarakshitamavashi were also Vasudevababa’s wives, my step-mothers. I also had ten more step-mothers!
On this day of the naming ceremony of Dhakali’s blessed daughter, four significant royal envoys had arrived in Mathura from different countries with their respective royal gifts. Vasudevababa provided us with minute details while introducing them to us, because these royal envoys had come from the capital cities of his own sisters, our aatyas. One of them was from the country of Chedi on behalf of Shrutashrava aatya and her husband Damaghosha. This couple had just one son, about the same age as me, named Shishupala. As per the information that my spies had gathered he was totally under the control of Jarasandha. Keeping in mind his rivalry against the Yadavas, Jarasandha had appointed Shishupala as the commander of his army. In general, this one was going to be a big nuisance in my life. The second royal gift was from the kingdom of Avanti, on behalf of Rajadhidevi aatya and her husband Jayasena. This couple had two sons, Vinda and Anuvinda, my paternal cousins, who were my fellow disciples in the aashrama of Aacharya Sandipani. During that time, we had hardly got acquainted with each other.
The third royal envoy had come from the country of Karusha, on behalf of Shrutadeva aatya and her husband Vriddhasharmana. They had a son named Dantavakra.
The fourth gift had not been brought by a royal envoy, but dispatched at the hands of a sage from a forest. Therefore, I carefully heard all the minute details given by the sage and stored the information in my mind forever. He had arrived on behalf of aatya Kuntidevi. Though she was the queen of Hastinapura, unfortunately she had been living in the Gandhamadana forest along with her husband Maharaja Pandu as a result of a curse by Kindama rishi and was putting up a brave fight with her fate.
Vasudevababa’s eyes were teary as he related her story since her birth, “Sister Kunti has three sons of her own, Yudhishthira, Bhima and Arjuna. She also treats Nakula and Sahadeva, the twins of Maharaja Pandu’s second wife Madri, as her own. Kunti’s and Madri’s five sons are k
nown as the ‘Pandavas’ by the name of their father. Srikrishna, whatever misfortune your mother and I suffered in our imprisonment by Kansa, is nothing compared to what Kunti has endured throughout her life since her birth. If ever you happen to meet her in your life, respect her appropriately, and support her as much as you can.”
Baba was overwhelmed with emotions as he remembered her in the presence of the sage who had come as a messenger.
During the naming ceremony of Dhakali’s daughter, the priest asked her, “What should we name the baby?” She looked straight in my direction in the room full of people and simply ordered me, “Srikrishna, you suggest a suitable name for your sister!”
With due respect to Dhakali’s insistence, I immediately said, “I brought back a lot of ‘Bhadra’ or fortune, from Aacharya’s aashrama. As soon as I arrived in Mathura I came to know how beautiful that ‘Bhadra’ is! I am going to call her ‘Subhadra’!” Citizens of Mathura shared with each other the name of Vasudevababa’s first daughter and our sister – ‘Subhadra’ while enjoying the sweets and dancing to the beats of drums and sticks.
That night when I went to bed after the prayer, my mind was preoccupied only with the thoughts of Kunti aatya and her sons, the ‘Pandavas’.
Now Dada’s and my foremost duty was the liberation of Dutta, our Guru’s son. That was constantly on my mind since returning from Avanti.
All the informers that minister Vipruthu had sent to various countries had returned by now. The informer returning from the west had arrived with good news. Dutta had been kidnapped and was being secretly held captive on a faraway island in the Shwetasagara ocean, along the western coast near Mount Raivataka also known as Mount Ujjayanta. A mammoth Asura called Shankhasura was responsible for the evil act. The people on the west coast called the western ocean ‘Shwetasagara’ due to its waves with surf. The locals in the region also knew Shankhasura as ‘Panchjana’.
I brought Balaramadada and Uddhava on the banks of Yamuna and discussed the delicate matter of Dutta’s liberation with them. Shankhasura was not going to surrender easily. He had hired a small army of select asuras and lived fearlessly inside a sheltered cavern on an island. After deliberations dada and I decided to launch an armed attack on Shankhasura. We decided to carry small boats on the backs of elephants, in case we had to encroach islands.
I declared our decision in front of the Yadava royal council with Maharaja Ugrasena’s consent. For this mission, brave and sinewy Yadava warriors were selected including Satyaki, Uddhava, Kritavarma, Shaineya, and Avagaha.
Our fourfold army consisting of elephants, cavalry, chariots and infantry marched out of the western gates of Mathura with grandeur. This was our first extended journey after finishing our education. After a travel of two whole months our army reached the western coast. This was the first time in my life that I was viewing an ocean.
Ocean! That confines the infallible strength of flowing water in the form of waves. I bowed down along with dada and Uddhava to the constantly roaring element of Jala. Our huge army camped near the ocean shore. The towering Mount Raivataka stood close by.
Our skilled informers in small boats dispersed in all directions in the ocean. By evening they reached the island and located Shankhasura’s cave. We could not have used any war tactics at night on our enemy who was hiding in the cave. Therefore, we erected small tents on the ocean shores and camped throughout the night, listening to the sounds of the ocean.
Ocean! It creates a continuous roar with the sounds of its waves during the day. And at night the same waves whisper in rhythmic, mystifying, melodious murmurs. That rhythm sounds like its breathing itself, making it seem more solemn. During the stay at the aashrama in Avanti I had experienced how the forest speaks with its silence at night. Today I was experiencing, in how many different ways the ocean speaks in its own language at night.
In this first experience with the ocean I fell in love with it. This western ocean was very alluring, challenging and therefore, unknowingly it became dear to me.
The very next day our pugnacious Yadava warriors crossed over to Shankhasura’s island, sailing on the blue ocean waves in hundreds of boats. We couldn’t estimate the size of the Asura army inside the cave. We started dispatching waves after waves of armed troops to attack the cave.
Our soldiers kept coming back in despair after fighting and getting exhausted. Some of them lost their lives while slaughtering the enemy. Not just for a day or two, the battle continued for an entire week, with no result in sight and with no effect.
How long will this go on? This riddle of Shankhasura was not going to unravel itself without using some deceptive technique of ‘Indrajaala’. I recalled all counsel given by Aacharya, but couldn’t find a satisfactory solution. How many more of our warriors were going to die in vain, I had no clue.
On the ninth day while I was offering oblations to the Sun-god rising from the western ocean, a huge fish sprang out of the water and disappeared like silver lightning flashing momentarily. Shankhasura should be forced to come out of his cave, I thought. Sending our troops in there won’t work. But if the cave is filled with torrents of smoke, he will come out like a snake slithering out of its hole. That was it! The first thing we did was to withdraw our troops.
We collected wooden logs and dry leaves in a heap and ignited a huge fire right in front of the cave’s entrance. This strategy worked perfectly. At first the troops of sweaty and wounded Asura warriors rushed out of the cave screaming, wheezing and coughing due to the smoke. Following them the mammoth Shankhasura came out roaring, with his big red eyes wide open. He was holding a sparkling, wide-bladed sword in his hand. In his hairy left hand, he held a very big, pure white shining conch. As per our plan dada challenged him to a wrestling bout. Both of them put their weapons down.
On the sandy beach of the island, thumping their thighs loudly they confronted each other. Before that Shankhasura blew the conch in his hand very loudly and sent tremors through the surroundings.
There is a proper technique to blow a conch, he didn’t even know the basics. He simply threw it aside. Meanwhile the sandy beach had turned into a battlefield, and the Yadava warriors had already killed many of the Asura warriors. Wrestling was not merely an art or a skill for dada now; it had become his breath itself. Very soon, surrounded by the Yadavas and Asura warriors who had surrendered, dada put Shankhasura to death by means of the Bahukantaka maneuver. The waves of slogans shouted by our army collided with the ocean waves. “Hail Yadava warriors, Ssikrishna, Balarama. Victory to them.”
I moved forward and bending down, gently picked up Shankhasura’s pure white, beautiful, auspicious conch which he had treasured in his life but had thrown absurdly in the sand some time back.
It possessed precisely every quality of an auspicious conch. Not merely a conch, it was an invaluable jewel! An unparalleled truth. Dada, Uddhava, Daruka, and Satyaki had already gathered around me out of curiosity. The sun was setting on the western ocean.
Along with the others I entered the foamy waters of the roaring western ocean till they reached my knees. My heart was filled with an indomitable, unnamed self-confidence. Dada, Uddhava, Satyaki, Vipruthu, and Daruka – everybody was offering oblations to the setting sun with the water of the ocean itself. Reading my mind dear Uddhava poured a trickle of ocean water on the conch. I blew that divine conch getting fully engrossed in the act with my head raised high, my eyes closed and my veins protruding as I was blowing it at the top of my lungs. Instantly each and every pore on my skin experienced goose bumps. Various fish sprang out of the water to hear the sound of the conch; they momentarily sparkled in the moonlight and disappeared in the water again.
Yadava warriors, excited by the inspiring and truth-nourishing sound waves of the conch, started dancing with joy while shouting loudly, “Hail Srikrishna, King of the Yadavas, Victory to him!” It was a divine conch that chased Untruth and annihilated it. The piercing, rhythmic sound of that conch was unbearable for the imprisoned Asura wa
rriors. They tore the ropes tied around them and started running away, fearing for their lives. The squelchy sand on the ocean shore crushed under their feet kept proclaiming, “He has come – He has come! He has won! Run, run for your lives you wicked, sinful souls... run, run!”
I ordered Satyaki, “Commander, enter the cave right away, rescue our Guru’s son Dutta and bring him out with honour.”
“‘Yes Sire”, said Satyaki and entered the cave with a few chosen armed warriors.
I gave instructions for the formal cremation of Shankhasura. Our warriors named the place ‘Shankhoddhara’ meaning deliverance of the conch and we sailed out. We saw a strip of land connecting this island to another island in the ocean. We crossed the blue western ocean through the creek. That airy island had fully captured my attention.
Moving along with Dutta, our army’s first sojourn was at the feet of Mount Raivataka, also known as Ujjayanta. It was under the rule of King Kakudmin of the Raivata dynasty. The royal capital Raivatanagara was located on the summit of the mountain. Our plan was to rest here for a while. Nobody had imagined that our stay here was going to be extended. We were eager to move towards Aacharya’s aashrama in Avanti. As per our promise we were supposed to deliver Dutta safely to his mother and obtain her heartfelt blessings. The next day while our army was performing the morning rituals a royal envoy of king Kakudmin descended from the mountain and visited me with the king’s message. The king had invited all of us with honour and delight to visit his royal capital.
I instructed our commander Satyaki to continue his journey with Dutta and wait for us near the banks of the Kshipra. He obliged. Along with the royal envoy of the Raivatakas Balaramadada, Uddhava, Vipruthu, a few chosen warriors and I started climbing the tall mountain full of thick forests.
Kakudmin, the king of Raivatakas welcomed us with open arms. After the royal meal, he offered us gifts of jewellery, cows and horses. As Vipruthu was the eldest among us, the king put an unexpected proposition to the minister– “My beautiful, humble daughter Revati is of marriageable age. I request Balarama, the elder prince of the Yadavas to accept her hand in marriage!”
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 14
