Bhimsena let go of the Bahukantaka hold on the lifeless throat and stood up at once like a streak of lightning. Uncontrollable cheers erupted from all sides – ‘Hail Pandu’s son, invincible wrestler Bhimsena…victory…victory!! Hail Bhimsena, the son of Kunti!’
In the wrestling pit Bhimsena was roaring, dancing on one foot, – ‘Hail Gurudeva Balarama…victory…victory! Hail Kuntimata, Goddess Ida Bhavani!’ As if drawn, the three of us started running towards Bhimsena. The sun set on the mountain summits of Girivraja. It was the fourteenth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartika.
As soon as Jarasandha was defeated my Lord’s face radiated. Everybody was curious to see what steps he was going to take next. It was mandatory to follow a royal custom as Jarasandha being Kansa’s father-in-law, was a relative. His body could not be cremated unless his successor was formally announced. Therefore, the Lord invited Sahadeva, the terrified son of Jarasandha, by offering reassurance through his Chief Minister. He announced Sahadeva as the successor of Magadha in the wrestling pit itself. While advising him, the Lord said, “Sahadeva, we have no enmity against the kingdom of Magadha. We are against the unjust and vicious attitude in general.
“Soon my aate bandhus – the Pandavas of Indraprastha will perform the Rajasuya yajna. You are to dispatch a gift suitable to the status of the Magadha Empire, consisting of attendants, useful animals, and wealth and food grains along with us right away. You yourself should cordially attend the yajna. Who knows, maybe you will form a blood relation with the Pandavas. You may have to support them with your fourfold army in the future.”
Sahadeva was expecting a harsh punishment for himself like his father had got. Instead of that when he received complete impunity and invaluable advice beneficial for life he was overwhelmed with emotion, forgetting the grief of his father’s death. He grabbed my Lord’s feet and sobbed momentarily with mixed emotions. The kind-hearted Lord pulled him up and embraced him. He signalled to me and Arjuna to get going and holding Sahadeva’s hand in his he started walking. The ecstatic Magadha citizens were bathing Bhimsena in showers of vermillion and carrying him on their shoulders, they were dancing with joy. As the Lord gestured, he broke the loving circle of his fans and approached the Lord. An astounded Magadha commander put his huge mace on Bhimsena’s broad shoulders. Then brother Arjuna embraced the wrestler tightly. The Magadha Chief Minister carried Jarasandha’s corpse with the help of some attendants and moved aside. Bhimsena put his mace at the feet of the Lord. When he tried to bend down to prostrate in front of the Lord, in spite of being his senior in age the Lord prevented him from doing so and embraced him tightly with great pride. That made the vermillion on Bhima’s body spread on the bluish body of the Lord. His body looked like the crimson blue sky on an autumn evening. Looking at the rare spectacle the ecstatic Magadha citizens cheered – ‘Hail sons of Kunti – Bhima and Arjuna… victory… victory. Hail Devaki’s son Maharaja Srikrishna… victory… victory. Hail Nanda-Yashoda’s son, the Lord of Dwaraka… victory… victory. Hail Vasudeva’s son Bhagvan Vaasudeva… victory… victory.’
As he walked, the Lord was surrounded by both the Pandavas, Magadha commanders and ministers and many sentimental Magadha citizens who were drawn to him. I also walked alongside, my chest puffed up with pride. I had just witnessed an historic event happening for the first time in Aaryavarta.
Our clamorous group arrived in front of the tightly sealed prison of Magadha. Everyone stopped short, looking at the huge lock hanging on the prison door. The Lord deliberately glanced at Bhimsena. He understood the exact meaning of this glance. Moving forward he struck only one powerful blow of the mace on the lock. All the kings imprisoned for years were free.
All the prisoner kings wearing the uniform of a Magadha prisoner couldn’t believe that they were free to go and they kept staring at their emancipator walking briskly towards them. They all automatically gathered in the prison square. Many of them touched my Lord’s feet and touched their foreheads with the soil beneath his feet with gratitude with teary, grateful eyes. A couple of kings amongst them were very aged. They brought their palms together and implored the Lord saying, “Oh Lord of Dwaraka Vaasudeva, we had heard your acclaim disseminating through the universe. Today we got to see you in person. Our eyes feel blessed. Now do us a favour and make our ears feel blessed too.” As the Lord raised his hand, for the first time all the kings sat on the ground in front of a stone platform. My Lord walked slowly and climbed onto the stone platform. For a few moments, he moved his glance which was an ocean of love, over everyone. His face instantly started glowing. His melodious speech befitting only him began flowing, making even the stone walls of the Magadha prison feel thrilled –
“Dear kings of various kingdoms of Aaryavarta! You have experienced first-hand how horrible an innocent prisoner’s life can be. You have suffered the unbearable imprisonment of your valour. Power is like a double-edged weapon. It can be used for constructive as well as destructive purposes. The emperor of Magadha imprisoned you under the delusion of being an unbounded emperor. He was going to brutally sacrifice all of you on the altar of the Shatashirsha Yajna once your number reached hundred!” The mere utterance of these words from the Lord’s mouth aroused restless murmur among the kings. The Lord further said without letting the unrest intensify, “What kind of Yajna is this? What if it would have indeed become a reality? I know well that none of you are afraid of death. But what would have happened to your subjects after your death? It is my duty to go wherever life gets stuck in one place. It is my life’s mission to release life whenever it is obstructed. You are free from today. The credit of this valiant feat goes to our wrestler warrior Bhima.”
My Lord possessed an innate quality – that of solving any problem from all angles. He looked at Sahadeva standing next to him and said, “This is Maharaja Sahadeva – the emperor of Magadha. He will provide each one of you a chariot full of provisions, wealth and weapons and a charioteer along with it. Once you reach your kingdom you will surely send royal gifts to the Indraprastha kingdom of Bhimsena. I am sure that you will remember your emancipation and the bond of friendship which is formed with Indraprastha as a result of it. Keeping that gratitude in your heart you will offer your instant support to them whenever need be. On behalf of the Dwaraka kingdom I offer you my best wishes for your future life. May all be well!” He stopped talking while we all wished that his speech would continue.
The next day itself the Lord went to the outskirts of Magadha along with Maharaja Sahadeva and with due respect bade farewell to all the kings who were departing in different directions in their chariots.
My Lord’s campaign of Magadh had been successfully executed. We stayed in Girivraja for an entire week. When we left Girivraja, millions of Magadha men and women along with Maharaja Sahadeva bade us farewell on the outskirts of the city. A row of bullock carts full of various gifts from the people of Magadha followed our chariot. When we came the Lord and both Pandavas were dressed as Brahmins. Now they were wearing fine royal costumes. I was dressed in the uniform of a charioteer of Dwaraka.
The execution of Jarasandha spread the acclaim of our Dwaraka and the Pandavas’ Indraprastha kingdom throughout Aaryavarta. The major obstacle in the path of the Pandavas’ Rajasuya Yajna was removed. After enjoying the hospitality of the Pandavas in Indraprastha for a week I returned to Dwaraka with the Lord. On our way back, the Lord was welcomed with grand acclaim by the kings and subjects of all kingdoms who had breathed a sigh of relief due to Jarasandha’s execution. But this time the welcome that the Lord received in Dwaraka was ultimate. Jarasandha’s execution was an accomplishment even bigger and more significant than the killing of Kansa. That is why, to welcome the Lord, this time Maharaja Vasudeva had arrived in person at the Shuddhaksha gate along with both rajmatas. The Lord’s seven queens were also present along with Rukminidevi. Youthful and handsome Pradyumna stood at the gate with a fistful of Prajakta flowers along with my son Daruki, with both the commanders and min
isters standing behind them. The eighty sons of the Lord’s eight queens stood behind them in unison. Golden-bordered grand pennants with the Garuda emblem fluttered atop all four gates – the main gate Shuddhaksha, Pushpadanta, Aindra, and Bhallata. Arches thickly decorated with assorted flowers were raised everywhere. The men and women of Dwaraka donned dresses reserved for special occasions and chattered with unending exuberance. Prince Balaramadada approached the Lord holding a coconut that was covered in golden strings. As soon as he saw the royal circle standing in front of him the Lord walked briskly towards them and touched the feet of all the elderly people – first Maharaja Vasudeva, Devakimata, Rohinimata, Aacharya Sandipani and his wife. The Lord accepted the coconut offered by dada with shining eyes, and began to bend down to seek his blessings. Dada didn’t allow him to do so and while holding him in a deep embrace dada muttered, “You took me with you to Mathura at the time of the Dhanuryaga for the killing of Kansa. This time you avoided me! Yet, the victory is mine, Dhakatya. After all, it was only my disciple Bhimsena who killed Jarasandha!”
The Lord smiled playfully while releasing himself from the tight embrace of dada and said to him, “It is true that your disciple Bhimsena killed Jarasandha, but it is also equally true that he is the elder brother of Arjuna who is our Subhadra’s husband!” Both brothers laughed loudly at the perfect answer and embraced each other again. As I was standing closer to them I understood all the subtleties of this whispered dialogue between the Lord and dada. Nobody else understood it as they did not hear anything.
With a smiling face Revatidevi welcomed the Lord with bright lamps. With eyes much brighter than those lamps Rukminidevi welcomed him.
These celebrations of victory went on for an entire week. One day a disciple of Dhaumya rishi, arrived at Dwaraka along with the chief minister of the Pandavas to deliver the invitation for the Rajasuya yajna. The Yajna was going to take place in Indraprasth, near the confluence of river Ikshumati and river Yamuna, but the hustle and bustle began in Dwaraka, on the shores of the western ocean.
Select men and women were supposed to go with the Lord and Rukminidevi for the Rajasuya yajna. Obviously, Balaramadada was included in the list with Revatidevi. Uddhava Maharaja, Chief Minister Vipruthu, minister Akrura, and from the young generation Samba, Brahmagargya and my son Daruki were also included.
Thousands of people gathered at the Shuddhaksha gate to bid farewell to us. This time we travelled by the way of Madhyadesha. Our first sojourn was in Aanarta and the second was in Bhrigukachchha. After about a month we arrived at the Avanti kingdom. This was the kingdom of Mitravindadevi. Her brothers Vinda and Anuvinda’s attitude had simmered down a bit by now after hearing the acclaim of the Lord that had spread in all four directions. Their stubbornness had been alleviated considerably. They came to the borders of the Avanti kingdom to welcome the Lord. From Avanti, we crossed the river Charmanvati and descended into the Kuntibhoja kingdom. We arrived at the royal palace of the kingdom. This was where aatya Kuntidevi had lived in her childhood. We came to the royal edifice where she had served the short-tempered, whimsical sage Durvasa for a particular yajna. The Lord himself showed Rukminidevi the entire edifice and the thatched hut built for Durvasa’s yajna. After spending two days in this kingdom we arrived in the Ahichchhatra city of the Panchalas. After spending a few days there travelling along the banks of the Yamuna we arrived at the eastern border of Indraprastha. This time we did not come from the western side of Indraprastha as we used to do usually.
Maharaja Yudhishthira received the news of the arrival of the Lord of Dwaraka along with Rukminidevi at the eastern border. All five Pandava brothers came to the border to receive us. Rajmata Kuntidevi, Maharani Draupadidevi and our own Subhadradevi along with Naga daughter Uloopidevi and the daughter of Manipura – Chitrangadadevi also accompanied them.
The royal capital Indraprastha gave us an unprecedented grand welcome. The royal paths and squares in entire Indraprastha were fully occupied by the invitees from various places. The acclaim of the five Pandava brothers was booming throughout Aaryavarta due to their victorious conquests in all directions. Their royal priest, Dhaumya rishi had gone to Himavana and invited many sages and hermits from various aashramas to Indraprastha. A grand pandal was raised on the confluence of the river Ikshumati and Yamuna for the Rajasuya yajna. Architects Vishwakarma, Twashtta, and Mayasura, who had laboured in the creation of Dwaraka, and their assistants – Taraksha, Kamalaksha, and Vidyunmali strove to build it. Indraprastha, as the name denoted, had indeed surpassed the divine royal city of Indra. A grand wondrous spectacle of architecture was proudly on display here.
The capacious pandal, about one yojana in circumference was skilfully erected on many pillars. The grand Yajna pit was right in the centre. Around it skilled artisans had drawn the rangoli designs of the important kings and events in the Kuru dynasty. The insignia of the Kuru dynasty – a full-moon image was shining on the east. A square aperture about the same size of the Yajna pit was kept open in the roof to let the smoke from the Yajna fire reach the sky without any hindrance. On the four sides of the Yajna pit grass mats were arranged for the learned sages who had been invited for the Yajna to offer sacrificial sticks in the yajna. On the east, similar seating arrangements were made for all remaining sages. On the west, royal seats were arranged for the royal family of the Pandavas and their relatives. Two tall, spacious golden seats were placed in front of them. Those were for my Lord and Rukminidevi. On their left, that is on the northern side of the Yajna pit golden seats were organized for all invited kings. On the southern side of the Yajna pit seating arrangements were made for all honourable men and women citizens and scholarly women invitees. The holy confluence of the two rivers was on the eastern side of the pandal.
My Lord examined the entire Yajna pandal with his keen eyes. He said to Maharaja Yudhishthira, “Oh venerable Pandava, your Yajna is going to achieve such renown in Aaryavarta as never before. You haven’t left any flaws at all.”
“This has been made possible by the grace of Bhagvan – the Lord of Dwaraka. Oh Bhagvan, I pray to you that you always grace us five brothers with your blessings.” Since he had become the king of Indraprastha the way the eldest Pandava Yudhishthira talked to my Lord had considerably changed.
We came in front of the royal palace. The capacious square previously with only a dancing fountain in the centre was not to be seen anywhere now. In that place stood the grand, dazzling Mayasabha, full of various miracles! Ingenious Mayasura who stood at the entrance with humility showed the Mayasabha to the Lord, Rukminidevi, all the Pandavas, their royal ladies and me while providing information about the marvels.
In the Lord’s heart River Yamuna was associated with precious memories that he always cherished. In the evening, he climbed down the neat ghat on Yamuna to offer the daily oblations. I was of course with him. A select few people like Uddhava Maharaja, Dhaumya rishi and Gargamuni also accompanied us. The Lord entered the Yamuna. He was wearing only the yellow vesture around his waist. Uddhava Maharaja also followed him in.
Both of them offered oblations to the evening sun while reciting the Savitru mantra. The sages who had entered the waters also offered oblations. While everyone was coming out of the waters with a contented mind, suddenly a long-feathered peacock alighted on a Kadamba tree on the side, fluttering his wings. It gave out a cry that attracted everyone’s attention. At that moment, the Lord and Uddhava Maharaja glanced at each other and smiled very sweetly. I surmised that the Lord must have smiled thinking of the peacock feather that he always wore in his crown. Only both of them knew what the truth was.
Both the brothers came near the platters holding the royal attires. The footprints of their wet feet could be seen on the stone steps of the ghat. I scurried down the steps in order to offer my services to my Lord to get dressed. At that moment, he smiled sweetly as usual and said, “Daruka, this is Kalindidevi’s parental home. I will visit them once. Just remind me about that.”
The Lord left for
an important meeting after finishing the evening worship rituals. Only Uddhava Maharaja was with him. Balaramadada was still occupied in the pandal with his disciple Bhimsena in making arrangements for the invited kings. Word was Maharishi Vyasa had arrived with his disciples in the special thatched huts settlement that was erected far away on the banks of river Yamuna. He was visiting Indraprastha many years after the coronation of Maharaja Yudhishthira. The notable thing was that the royal priest of the Pandavas, Dhaumya rishi, had invited him along with his wife, recognizing the significance of the Rajasuya yajna. Maharishi’s wife, mata Ghrutachidevi, had also come with him.
I pulled our Garudadhwaja chariot in front of the thatched hut settlement of Maharishi. He and his wife were standing in front of the tallest, main hut to welcome the Lord.
With affection, the Maharishi took both the brothers by their hands and guided them inside the thatched hut. He sat on a raised seat covered with a grass mat. His wife sat on his left, but on the ground on another mat. Clad in fine royal attire both the exceptionally handsome Yadava brothers stood in front of them with their palms joined. As the Maharishi signalled they sat on the grass mats. The disciples of Maharishi stood wherever they could find a place. I also stood among them.
Srikrishna- the Lord of the Universe Page 45
