A public announcement was made in Dwaraka that ‘Yadava king Maharaja Srikrishna is planning a military attack on Narakasura, the brutal, arrogant king of Kamarupa. Fearless young men from the regions of Saurashtra, Bhrigukachchha and Aanarta were recruited to the Yadava army. Training camps guided by expert commanders and troop leaders were organized throughout the kingdom to get them trained in weaponry and ammunition. The size of the combative Yadava army already numbered in millions, kept burgeoning. The proficient spies of Dwaraka had spread out in kingdoms such as Avanti, Chedi, Dakshina, Kosala, Magadha, and Videha, that were located on the way from Dwaraka to Pragjyotishapura. Secretly keeping in constant touch with each other they started collecting information about the enemy’s capacity, and conveyed it to Dwaraka promptly.
The Yadava craftsmen got just as busy day and night as they were at the time of the construction of Dwaraka. This was a vast undertaking, quite challenging and was going to test the limits of the Yadavas adept in war. Dwaraka had no association whatsoever with the Kamarupa kingdom. This was the preparation for a war to protect an eternal truth, to fight for the protection of womanhood that was oppressed anywhere. No shortcoming could be left in such a matter. Sri constantly travelled throughout the kingdom, along with both commanders and other companions such as Uddhavabhauji, Shini, Kritavarma, Avagaha, Aahuka, Satyaka, Chitraka, Devabhaga and Devashravasa. He got absorbed in getting the four-fold army thoroughly equipped and ready for the war.
Aacharya Sandipani and Gargamuni found out the auspicious time to begin the Narakasura venture. Everywhere only one thing was being discussed, that Prince Balarama should have been present in this huge army. I had the same feeling initially. But Sri met me privately and all my doubts vanished. I had full faith that Sri would win this war and return successful. Two more individuals who loved him as dearly as me had very different reactions though. It was as unexpected as it was shocking. Both of them insisted on going along with Sri – Uddhavabhauji and Satyabhama!
Though he was brave and a Yadava, Uddhavabhauji was not a warrior by nature. In fact, he always fearlessly propounded that conciliation was better than war. Had those words come from somebody else’s mouth, even Sri along with other Yadava leaders would have dismissed them. But everybody used to listen to Uddhavabhauji quietly, including Sri. His personality was very unique and different from other Yadavas. His character was more like that of Ghor Angirasa who, in spite of being a Yadava had renounced the worldly pleasures and had become a Sanyasi. That is why he was as respected in Dwaraka as Aacharya Sandipani.
Such an Uddhavabhauji had insisted on going along with Sri on this particular mission. Everybody was surprised. I wasn’t. I knew that he was going only to fill dada’s absence. I was surprised about Bhama’s decision. I felt a bit of envy too! The news that Bhama was going with Sri obviously caused me to react. I also intensely felt like joining him. It was indeed my right as the Maharani of Dwaraka. I expressed that wish of mine to Sri in privacy. He was more adept than me at consoling others and at convincing things that were not easily agreeable. As usual he gave me a lovely smile and said, “Maharani, Satyabhama is coming with me, not because she has come closer to me than you are. She is skilled in charioting. She thinks that I have done her a ‘favour’ by punishing Shatadhanwa. She is going to repay that debt as a Kshatriya lady by serving me in the war! Do you know how to drive a chariot? If so, you can come with me too. Do you consider any of my actions as a ‘favour’ done to you? If so, you can come too. Do you consider yourself an ‘indebted Kshatriya lady’ ‘like her’?”
Realizing that now he was going to whip me with such questions and drag me along, I stopped him and said, “Okay, okay, that’s enough! I am not interested in being a Kshatriya lady like her! Both of you go happily and come back safely. That will be more than enough for me!”
Sri came to meet me after obtaining the blessings of the senior Maharaja, both the matas, aacharya and other elders. Along with Jambavati I performed the ritual of ‘Aukshan’ for Sri, Uddhavabhauji and Bhama. With smiles on our faces we bade farewell to them. War drums and trumpets blew. With Sri, Uddhavabhauji and Bhama at the forefront, the mammoth fourfold army of the Yadavas along with Satyaki got ready to march. It left from the Shuddhaksha gate. It crossed the island creek in huge ships and united with the neighbouring army that was already camping on the ocean shore. The platoons of elephantry, cavalry and infantry marched in order, fluttering the grand, golden-bordered saffron coloured Garudadhwaja pennant, from Dwaraka in Aanarta to Pragjyotishapura in Kamarupa.
Now my only task was to listen to the incoming news for at least the next four months. As both the commanders were not present, Balaramadada was also not there and major charioteers and warriors had left with Sri, automatically, my responsibility as a Maharani had indeed increased considerably. It was necessary to assist the aged Maharaja and Devakimata, in looking after the kingdom. Therefore, I appointed Jambavati as the caretaker of the island of Queens’ mansions and came to original Dwaraka. Here too I had a palace for me as the Maharani. I started living in that palace. I began keeping a keen eye on the execution of the Sudharma royal assembly operations along with Revatitai and Rohini mata. Within fifteen days of Sri’s departure a warrior sent by Satyaki arrived at the Shuddhaksha gate along with a royal lady guest. She was Mitravinda, the princess of Avanti, the daughter of Avanti king Maharaja Jayasena and Sri’s aatya Rajadhidevi and a sister of princes Vinda and Anuvinda.
Sri’s army had entered the Avanti kingdom during their journey. At the same time the Avanti king had organized the Swayamwar ceremony of his beautiful daughter. They assumed that the Lord of Dwaraka had arrived for the Swayamwar! Prince Vinda and Anuvinda sent a humiliating message to Sri through their emissary, ‘You cannot participate in this Swayamwar. You have lost your Kshatriya status! That is exactly why you have not been invited for this Swayamwar.’ Avanti’s Maharani Rajadhidevi was Sri’s aatya. This was a family dispute. God only knew if the Yadavas were ever going to clear such familial complications!
Sri possessed an innate diplomatic skill of turning a messy situation to his advantage. He sent a return message to Vinda-Anuvinda. ‘We haven’t come here for the Swayamwar at all. We are going to Kamarupa to attack Narakasura. It is essential to obtain the blessing of our elderly aatya and her husband. It is our duty. Therefore, Sri will arrive in the royal capital of Avanti.’
This was a solid slap that left Vinda-Anuvinda nonplussed, and they had to welcome Sri in the royal capital with festivity. They could deny admission to a cowherd in the Swayamwar ceremony. How were they going to deny him the blessings!
Sri ushered his team prepared for the grand mission towards the royal capital of Avanti. At the last moment, he took a planned entry into the Swayamwar pandal along with chosen warriors. While all the invited guests of Jayasena kept gawking at him he forcefully abducted Mitravinda and brought her to the chariot. Powerful Satyaki and Anadhrishti took on infuriated Vinda-Anuvinda, and kept them engaged in battle. Sri immediately dispatched the Avanti princess Mitravinda to Dwaraka along with a troop of armed warriors and faithful charioteers. This was done without giving any inkling to Bhama! The expert charioteer himself told me about the entire episode. I welcomed my third co-wife, Mitravinda too with a smile.
I myself brought Mitravinda to the twin island, and got her settled in one of the eight palaces. I let her choose her own attendants. Mitravinda had a temperament that was a combination of Jambavati and Bhama’s temperament. As she had Yadava blood in her, she was also proud like Bhama, but her pride was not as blatant as Bhama’s. She was perceptive and curious like Jambavati, but her inquisitiveness was not as innocent as Jambavati’s. Now she too began awaiting Sri’s arrival just like Jambavati and me. And so, I came to realize that she had accepted Sri as her groom in her heart. Now very soon her attachment to her parental home, the Avanti kingdom, was going to wane automatically.
At last, after two months the news that we had been desperately waiting for arri
ved at the victorious Shuddhaksha gate of the Dwaraka kingdom. The entire Aaryavarta was thrilled with this news, even more thrilled than the Shursena kingdom after Kansa’s execution.
‘Maharaja Srikrishna, the Lord of Dwaraka executed Narakasura, the king of Kamarupa on the battlefield of Pragjyotishapura!’ For that, the great Yadava Srikrishna had to fight a thrilling battle with four governors of Narakasura and his commander, Mura. This victory was the culmination of Sri’s warfare skills. Under the leadership of commander Mura, the Asuras had laid a sturdy safety net in the thick meadows of Pragjyotishapura, the royal capital, with six thousand hidden snares with weapons. Mura himself stood guard, all armed with weapons and ‘Astras’, to protect this net along with his sons Tamra, Antariksha, Shravana, Vibhavasu, Vasu and Aruna. This very first wall of defence of his adroit war strategy was difficult to break. As gallant Yadava warriors stepped forward, the invisible contrivances under their feet automatically released javelins hidden in the net that was spread in the meadows. Those javelins would rapidly strike the warriors. They didn’t even realize from where the javelins were coming. Pierced by the javelins, crying out the name of Goddess Ida, the Yadava warriors were quickly falling down in the meadows, without any resistence. Tall, towering mountains stood behind these nets. Hiding in the mountains were Narakasura’s armed governors Hayagriva and Nishumbha along with the army. That was the second wall of defence. Beyond it two more governors, Virupaksha and Panchjana, were hiding on the Maniparvat, all set to give a tough fight along with their armies. This was the third wall.
In this situation, first it was required to fight with the Asura commander Mura standing at the first wall of defence. It was hard to defeat him owing to the cunning formation of his army and the deceitful war strategy.
For the entire first week, gallant Yadava warriors fought desperately to break the deceptive first wall of security. Many sacrificed their lives in that hilly region. Courageous Satyaki, Anadhrishti, Shini and Avagaha also became disheartened. They didn’t know what to do. In the encampment of the army everybody sat in front of Sri, hanging their heads in worry. For quite a long time, many strategies of counterattacks were discussed. Bhama was also involved in the discussion. Even here, at first Uddhavabhauji did not say anything as per his nature. Ultimately with determination he said, “Dada, I don’t need to say this. You understand everything. I don’t understand why you aren’t taking the decision. Mura Asura is using deceptive strategy to fight this war with you. Every day Yadava warriors are losing their lives in vain due to the hidden javelins. Why don’t you project your divine Sudarshan at this time?”
Everybody in the camp started looking at Sri with hopeful eyes. Sri eyed Uddhavabhauji with a smile and closed his eyes. His face blossomed like a sunflower, with splendour. He had recited the unique, divine mantras of Sudarshan. Instantly a divine instrumental melody began echoing in the encampment leaving everybody present entranced. Sri automatically got up and stood erect with his eyes still closed. His right hand got raised gradually. In a trice, a rapidly revolving, dazzling radiant chakra with twelve spokes appeared on his index finger. Its extraordinary brilliant light blinded everyone. In the rising incantation of mantras Sri projected the divine chakra. It left, buzzing with the thrilling rhythm of music to destroy the magical net of weapons. Everybody simply kept staring. The dazzling chakra dashed forward while destroying the hidden weapons in the thick, grassy meadows. It beheaded commander Mura who had paced forward gritting his teeth, brandishing his mace, as well as his six sons, and returned. It came back on Sri’s index finger and steadied itself. It revolved around itself and just as it had appeared, it disappeared. Everybody who was present there was never going to forget this appearance of Sri. Especially Uddhavabhauji and Bhama.
Hearing this news, first and foremost I realized the importance and value of Bhama. She was indeed fortunate and a blessed consort of Sri, who was the first of his wives to see his divine form holding the Sudarshan chakra. I had seen him only while fighting a duel.
I was excited to hear the detailed report from the emissary who had arrived from Pragjyotishapura. I felt extremely proud of Sri as the Yadava Maharani and as his wife. My heart brimmed with pride, especially as a woman.
The obstacle of Mura was overcome. Sri encouraged the Yadava army along with Satyaki and Anadhrishti. They broke down the next two walls of defence of Narakasura’s army. They beheaded the governors Hayagriva and Nishumbha from the second wall of defence. At Odaka on the Maniparvat the governors Panchjana and Virupaksha from the third wall of defence confronted them fiercely. Sri beheaded them too and ended their opposition. These four governors and commander Mura were Narakasura’s major defenders. They had forcibly abducted thousands of Kshatriya women from the Kamarupa kingdom on the east of Aaryavarta and the neighbouring kingdoms of Manipura, Tripura, Vanga, and Anga, and imprisoned them in Pragjyotishapura. The number of these imprisoned women had reached sixteen thousand. The original prison of his kingdom had the capacity to hold five thousand prisoners. As soon as it was fully occupied the evil commander Mura put huge, sturdy wooden fences like the ones around the aashramas or the Gokuls, around the open grounds outside the prison. Those were made impregnable by troops of armed soldiers guarding them. Almost ten thousand Kshatriya women were confined in the open on that fenced ground like helpless cows. Five to six thousand were confined in the prison. This was not a prison at all. It was like a colossal byre of imprisoned women behind the fence. Even the cows need to be tended to get milk from them. But that was not in the destiny of these unfortunate women in spite of being born as human beings. Even none of the Gokuls in Aaryavarta had such colossal cattle pen that could hold sixteen thousand cows together.This colossal prison in Pragjyotishapura was a huge stigma on Aaryavarta.
Once the Yadava army broke through the three defence walls, there was uncontrollable war fever. Thousands and millions of combative Yadavas penetrated the borders of Pragjyotishapura, shouting continuous slogans reaching the sky in the name of Goddess Ida. Bhama herself steered Sri’s Garudadhwaja chariot with the saffron coloured pennant fluttering atop, and brought it right in front of Narakasura’s chariot. Daruka stood next to her. Bhama wore iron armour and war attire today. She did not look like a woman, but like one of the Yadava warriors! A fierce battle took place between Sri and Narakasura. On the battlefield, the Yadava warriors and the Asura warriors fought fiercely against each other.
This was the ultimate battle of Justice with Injustice. It was not going to conclude very soon. First there was a deluge of rocks through the Bhrushundi rockets. Then there was a fierce battle of bow and arrow between Sri and Narakasura. The day kept progressing hour by hour but as both the warriors were powerful, neither of them was retreating. Finally, both of them descended from their chariots for the final decisive duel. Their clangourous, hair-raising mace duel began. Sri had tucked his yellow silk dhoti tightly and balanced his ‘Kaumodaki’ mace easily; he roared ‘Hail Goddess Ida’, and circling gracefully he attacked Narakasura. Both of them forgot about the surrounding battlefield and the warriors. They looked fearless like a soaring falcon while striking hard to kill. The thick-bladed grass of Kamarupa was getting trampled under their feet. Some of these blades got doused in the blood that was trickling from the wounds of both the warriors. Spellbound and transfixed, Bhama and Daruka in the chariot kept staring at the thrilling battle in front of them.
It was almost evening. The white, long-winged birds – Himapakshi on Mount Mainaka were returning to their nests. The sun touching the distant mountains was about to set. This was the time for Sri’s daily prayer of the sun. For a few moments, under the pretext of taking rotations while balancing the huge mace, Sri had a good look at the sun. The next moment he planted his feet firmly on ground and took a stance and feinted at Narakasura, who had been feinting at the world so far, in such a way that he was not able to see the cowherd in front of him. He didn’t realize when the cowherd went behind him. As the mace struck hard on his stout, demo
nic back that had backed innumerable evil deeds, he fell down face forward. For an instant the brightness of many suns flashed in front of his closed eyes. He turned on his back while moaning. That day, with the setting sun of Kamarupa as his witness Sri’s first decisive strike pounded on his unjust chest shattering it. Then the strikes followed one after the other on the arrogant, unjust, callous chest of Narakasura!
Fountains of demonic blood spurted out. The thick grass of Kamarupa got doused in it. That was the fourteenth day of the dark fortnight of the month of Ashwin!
Triumphant Sri left with Satyaki and Anadhrishti on both sides, followed by Uddhavabhauji and Bhama. Troops of ebullient and victorious Yadavas accompanied him shouting war-slogans. All of them arrived at the prison – the pivot of Narakasura’s base of abuse. The armed soldiers here had already vanished. Only the clamour of the women confined behind the sturdy fence was dimly audible. As Sri gave him a smile Satyaki moved forward and hit the first strike of his mace on the wooden gate of the strong fence. Following his actions, the victorious warriors broke it down with whatever weapon they could get hold of. That sound caused the clamour of the women inside to stop completely, as if someone had pressed a thumb on their throats. The terrified women inside thought, that as usual, this was an onslaught of Mura and his governor friends led by the shaggy Narakasura.
They were completely baffled when they saw the remarkably radiant Sri in the circle of Yadavas, standing in front of them. Understanding their bafflement Sri raised his blue, muscular arm in assurance without saying a word. He just glanced at Uddhavabhauji. He promptly came forward. Raising both his arms he said, “My dear sisters of Kamarupa! Don’t look at us with fearful eyes. The despotic Narakasura who had been oppressing you for years has been killed today! This dear dada of mine has killed him. This is the Lord of Dwaraka, the leader of the Yadavas, Maharaja Srikrishna! With his consent, I assure you and declare that from today onwards you are free to go anywhere you want!”
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 29
