Mahabharatha Story

SOURCE :MAHABHARATHA Krishna’s concern for the Devotees – Bhisma, Draupadi and Krishna

On the ninth day of Mahabharata war, Duryodhana approached Bhishma in his camp. He was suspicious of the grandsire’s dedication to the fight. Duryodana felt that Bhishma was not doing his best , as he was carried away by his affection to the Pandavas. Duryodhana felt anxious of the result if Bhishma continued to fight half-heartedly. So Duryodhana wanted to rouse Bhishma to his full fury, even if it meant hurting the old man.

Approaching Bhishma, Duryodhana remarked that Bhishma was waging a half-hearted fight. Stung by these remarks, Bhishma gave word that he would rout the Pandava army and kill all the Pandavas.

When Draupadi heard this, she was afraid. She prayed to her Lord Krishna.

As soon as she thought of Krishna, he appeared before her. Krishna asked her to follow him. He took her through the battlefield. The battlefield was an awful sight with bodies scattered everywhere. They finally reached a tent.

Suddenly, Krishna told Draupadi, “Sister, please remove your sandals. They are making a lot of noise.”

Draupadi removed her sandals.

Just at the entrance to the camp, Krishna whispered to Draupadi, “Please go in and fall at the feet of the old man whom you can hear pacing up and down inside.”

She did so accordingly. Bhishma was surprised to see a lady fall at his feet and he blessed her, “May you live long with your husband. Who are you? What can I do for you? Why are you here at this hour?”

Druapadi got up asking Bhishma to promise protection to her husbands.

When she got up, Bhishma recognized her. He was stunned, “Draupadi, Is it you? How did you come here?”

Draupadi replied, “Krishna brought me here. I came here to seek your blessings.”

Bhishma recognized Krishna at the door. “Krishna, please come in. What is it that is hanging on your shoulders? It looks like sandals.”

Krishna replied quietly, “Oh yes, they are Panchali’s foot wear. They were making lot of noise. So I took them with me.”

Draupadi was mortified to see this. She said, “Oh Lord! Great calamity will fall on me by this act of yours.”

Krishna replied, “What is wrong with the brother carrying his sister’s sandals? By the way, did you take his blessings?”

Bhishma replied, “She did not ask for it. I gave it on my own. Krishna, what concern you have for your devotees, you did not mind even carrying their footwear. Who can equal you in protecting the devotees? When you are with the Pandavas, what do they have to fear?”

Draupadi replied, “Grandpa, we were terrified to hear your promise.”

Bhishma said, “What can the oath of this insignificant person do before Krishna, the God incarnate. He is on your side. No harm can befall you.”

Thus succeeding in their mission, Krishna and Draupadi took leave of Bhishma.

Moral:

As soon as devotee think of Krishna he appear on lotus of his hearth. When invited by devotee Krishna is always ready to help although apparently we do not see his help. By pleasing great personalities we get blessings even without asking for them as Draupadi get blessings of Pitamaha Bhishma.

Hare Krishna ,

Pandavas and Draupadi were the pure devotees of Lord Krishna.For your doubt I will post one story.

SOURCE:MARKANDEYA PURANA

DEATH OF DRAUPADI'S SONS (STORY OF UPA PANDAVAS)

First and Foremost every one should know that Pandavas has 5 sons with draupadi.
Names of Upa Pandavas:
They are Shrutavindhya, Sutasoma, Srutakirti, Satanika and Srutakarma

Story behind Birth Of Upa Pandavas

In Treta Yuga, there was a king named Harishchandra. Once he was hunting in the Mahabahu forest when suddenly, he heard loud cries of a woman- 'Save me! Save me!' It was followed by the cries of many women. Hearing those cries, King Harishchandra shouted loudly- 'Don't be afraid' and dashed in the direction of the cries. The cries however were an illusion created by Vighnaraj, the lord of the obstacles. At that time when King Harishchandra heard those cries, sage Vishwamitra was observing severe penance in the forest. In order to test Harishchandra's virtuosity, Vighnaraj entered his body. As soon as Vighnaraj entered Harishchandra's body, Harishchandra lost his temper and began to abuse Vishwamitra, which enraged him. His anger destroyed all the knowledge, he had acquired due to his severe penance. Seeing the angry Vishwamitra, King Harishchandra began to shiver. With folded hands, he begged Vishwamitra's pardon. He said- 'O great sage! It is my duty to protect the subjects. Kindly forgive me. Your wrath could greatly affect the performance of my duties as a king. Vishwamitra said- 'O king! If you are a true follower of religion, tell me, who should be given a donation? Who should be protected and who should be fought with?' Harishchandra answered- 'O great penancer! Donations should be made only to such a Brahmin who indulges in fast and religious actions. Protection should be extended to those who are afraid and battle should be fought with enemies.'
Vishwamitra said- 'If you are a religious king, give me Dakshaina (donation) as I am a Brahmin seeking salvation.' Harishchandra said- 'Tell me your desire. I am ready to grant it. Vishwamitra said- 'O king! Just presume that I have received whatever you would donate me. Now, give me Dakshaina for the Rajsuya Yagya.'
Harishchandra said- 'Ask me whatever you wish to have as the Dakshaina of Rajsuya Yagya.' Vishwamitra said- 'O king! Give me all you have except your own body, your wife and child.' Feeling pleased, King Harishchandra granted what Vishwamitra desired. Vishwamitra said- 'O king! Tell me, who is the lord of your kingdom?' Harishchandra said- 'Since the moment I have presented this kingdom to you, you are its master.' Vishwamitra said- 'If I am the master of this kingdom, what are you doing here? Leave at once! But before leaving, remove all your clothes, ornaments and other royal insignia and go out wearing tree's bark only.'
Thus after losing his kingdom, King Harishchandra got ready to leave with his wife Shaivya and son Rohit. Vishwamitra then intercepted him and said- 'Where are you going without paying a Dakshaina for Rajsuya Yagya. Harishchandra said- 'O lord! I have donated my whole kingdom. Now only our bodies remain with us. What can I give you now?' Vishwamitra said- 'You cannot leave without paying a Dakshaina because you have promised me.' Harishchandra said- 'Don't be angry, O Brahmin! I have nothing at present in my position but I will definitely pay you your Dakshaina in due time.' Vishwamitra said angrily- 'Specify the time period within which you will give me my Dakshaina or else be ready to get cursed by me.' Harishchandra said- 'I will pay the Dakshaina within a month.' Thereafter, Harishchandra started to live in seclusion with his wife and children. Seeing the king's pitiable condition, his entire subjects began to follow him. Seeing their condition, Harishchandra halted and took a look on his subjects. At the same time, sage Vishwamitra also arrived there and began to curse Harishchandra for having attachment towards his subjects. Hearing the harsh words of Vishwamitra, Harishchandra left the kingdom with his
wife Shaivya and son Rohit. To drive the king away as soon as possible, Vishwamitra began to beat the queen's back with a stick.

Vishwamitra's abhorrent action enraged the five guardian deities of the directions and they condemned him. Enraged Vishwamitra cursed them- 'O sinners! Go and take birth as human beings.' This curse of Vishwamitra frightened the deities. They begged his pardon. Pleased by their prayers, Vishwamitra said- 'My words cannot be undone. But despite having incarnation of human beings, you will remain bachelors throughout your life. You will never feel attachment and allurement for anybody.' Thus due to Vishwamitra's curse, those five guardian deities took birth as the five sons of Draupadi. Dronacharya's son, Ashwatthama, ultimately killed them.

Details of the Upa Pandavas

Prativindhya

Prativindhya or Shurtavindhya(lit. related to the Buddhi) was born to Yudhisthira and Draupadi and was the eldest of the Upapandavas. Presumably, he was the crown prince. He was left in Ekchakra Nagari when he was a baby and later token-battled his uncle Arjuna during Yudhishthira's Rajasuya Yajna campaign.

Some folklore holds him as the Avatar of Chitraratha the Gandharva.

During the infamous game of dice, his mother Draupadi asked that he and his brothers be never referred to as the children of slaves; his bloodright was hence restored.

In the Puranas, there is some mention of his son, Yaudheya. However, in the Mahabharatha, Yaudheya was referred to as a son of Yudhishthira through Devakidevi.

Some Indians believe that Yaudheya founded the Yaudheya dynasty. That tribe's coins from 1st century AD reveals they believed they were descended from Yudhishthira just as the Malavas were thought to be Bhima's desendants and Arjunayanas were thought to be Arjuna's descendants.

In the Indonesian Mahabharata, Prativindhya's son Kalimshada succeeds Dhritarashtra as King of Hastinapur and marries a princess from Kuntibhoja's family. His sister's son Vajra inherits Indraprastha; in this story, Parikshit's line is based at Kaushambi where we encounter them at dawn of Buddhist period. It is not clear whether Prativindhya or Kalimshada are the king in this version.

During the Kurukshetra war, he would be more than twenty-four years old (extrapolating from his age during the Rajasyua incident). Shrutavindhya killed Karna's son Chitrasena on the fifteenth day of the battle. In the Indonesian Mahabharata, there is reference to "the son of Yudhishthira and Draupadi" dying to save his father against Drona on 12th day of the battle.

Satanika

Satanika was born to Nakula and Draupadi. He was the second oldest of Upapandavas. He was named after a famous Rajarsi in the Kuru lineage who had that name and he was considered to be an avatar of Visvadevas. He being the oldest of the Upapandavas in the Kurukshetra War is also nominated as a deputy commander-in-chief of forces under Dhrishtadyumna, in charge of Vyuha planning. He killed the Kaurava king/ally Bhutakarma.

Sutasoma

Sutasoma (lit. manifestation of the mind, suta: manifestation; soma: mind), the son of Bhima and Draupadi was the third of the Upapandavas. He played a major role in the battle by nearly killing Shakuni. He played a major role along with Yudhisthira and other Upapandavas in holding off Ashwatthama and Drona on the 15th day.

He was favored by Arjuna, who gave him a bow, and horses for his chariot.

In some Jataka tales, a Sutasoma, "price of the Kurus" gets into a moral argument with the man Kalmashapada, and helps him change his ways and regain his unspecified kingdom. Although it does not make chronological sense, the implication is that Kalmashapada is the same ancestor of Rama, the ruler of Ayodhya and the King of Kosala.

Like Prativindhya, some consider him the ancestor of the Malavas whose samvagari coins mention the Upapandavas founding Yaudheyas, Malavas and Arjunayanas, the three samvagari tribes.

Srutakirti

Srutakirti was the son born to Arjuna and Draupadi, the youngest of the Upapandavas, he was born definitely after the Arjuna's return from adventures and would be very young at time of battle. His horses were supposed to bear the colour of kingfishers. He fought against Dushasana and Ashwatthama in the battle.

Srutakarma or Srutasana

Srutakarma was born to Sahadeva and Draupadi. He was defeated by Shakuni during the battle, but not killed. He was also called Srutasena. He kills Dushsana's son, taking revenge for Abhimanyu and also killing Shala, the younger brother of Bhurishravas.

Replies

E-Counselor

Radha Rasamayi DD May 7, 2015 at 10:31am

Hare Krsna Prabhu,

PAMHO.

When a great war happens, how is it that there will be no loss for any one party. Its not a hindi movie - where the hero and his family are safe - everyone else perishes.

The upapandavas and Abhimanyu perished in the war as per will of the lord. When Abhimanyu perished, his mother Subhadra was inconsolable and asked her brother, the supreme lord, to bring him back. Krsna replied that in a war, how is it that she will not have to sacrifice anything? Same for Draupadi - she also had to sacrifice. Then when she was faced with a situation where Kripi would have to face the same predicament, she stopped Arjuna from killing Ashwatthama, despite the lord telling Arjuna to kill him. Draupadi said that Kripi would become sonless like her, if Ashwatthama is killed, plus he is brahman, plus he is guru putra. So on all counts, forgive him. This is the greatness of devotee - under all circumstances, maintain compassion.

Regarding why the brothers were killed mercilessly and flouting rules of the war, it is to show that all rules were broken to win the war, still the righteous won over the wrong doers. How can anyone be mercifully killed in any war? There was so much at stake to win the war that one party was hell bent on winning, had the bigger army and resources, broke all the rules, but could not surpass the will of the lord. The other party also broke rules, each and every time, at the direction of the lord. This also signifies that lord is above all rules and regulations. It also signifies that a devotee does not mind breaking any rule or law to fulfill the desire of the lord.

Like everything else in spirituality, this is also layered, with so many meanings and insights. The more you meditate on these topics, the more insight you will get. That is why the stories are so intriguing and appeal to people of all ages and consciousness levels.

I hope now you are satisfied somewhat with the answer.

Haribol,

Your servant,

Rashmi
Aravind S May 6, 2015 at 11:46am

Hare Krishna ,

Pandavas and Draupadi were the pure devotees of Lord Krishna.For your doubt I will post one story.

SOURCE:MARKANDEYA PURANA

DEATH OF DRAUPADI'S SONS (STORY OF UPA PANDAVAS)

First and Foremost every one should know that Pandavas has 5 sons with draupadi.
Names of Upa Pandavas:
They are Shrutavindhya, Sutasoma, Srutakirti, Satanika and Srutakarma

Story behind Birth Of Upa Pandavas

In Treta Yuga, there was a king named Harishchandra. Once he was hunting in the Mahabahu forest when suddenly, he heard loud cries of a woman- 'Save me! Save me!' It was followed by the cries of many women. Hearing those cries, King Harishchandra shouted loudly- 'Don't be afraid' and dashed in the direction of the cries. The cries however were an illusion created by Vighnaraj, the lord of the obstacles. At that time when King Harishchandra heard those cries, sage Vishwamitra was observing severe penance in the forest. In order to test Harishchandra's virtuosity, Vighnaraj entered his body. As soon as Vighnaraj entered Harishchandra's body, Harishchandra lost his temper and began to abuse Vishwamitra, which enraged him. His anger destroyed all the knowledge, he had acquired due to his severe penance. Seeing the angry Vishwamitra, King Harishchandra began to shiver. With folded hands, he begged Vishwamitra's pardon. He said- 'O great sage! It is my duty to protect the subjects. Kindly forgive me. Your wrath could greatly affect the performance of my duties as a king. Vishwamitra said- 'O king! If you are a true follower of religion, tell me, who should be given a donation? Who should be protected and who should be fought with?' Harishchandra answered- 'O great penancer! Donations should be made only to such a Brahmin who indulges in fast and religious actions. Protection should be extended to those who are afraid and battle should be fought with enemies.'
Vishwamitra said- 'If you are a religious king, give me Dakshaina (donation) as I am a Brahmin seeking salvation.' Harishchandra said- 'Tell me your desire. I am ready to grant it. Vishwamitra said- 'O king! Just presume that I have received whatever you would donate me. Now, give me Dakshaina for the Rajsuya Yagya.'
Harishchandra said- 'Ask me whatever you wish to have as the Dakshaina of Rajsuya Yagya.' Vishwamitra said- 'O king! Give me all you have except your own body, your wife and child.' Feeling pleased, King Harishchandra granted what Vishwamitra desired. Vishwamitra said- 'O king! Tell me, who is the lord of your kingdom?' Harishchandra said- 'Since the moment I have presented this kingdom to you, you are its master.' Vishwamitra said- 'If I am the master of this kingdom, what are you doing here? Leave at once! But before leaving, remove all your clothes, ornaments and other royal insignia and go out wearing tree's bark only.'
Thus after losing his kingdom, King Harishchandra got ready to leave with his wife Shaivya and son Rohit. Vishwamitra then intercepted him and said- 'Where are you going without paying a Dakshaina for Rajsuya Yagya. Harishchandra said- 'O lord! I have donated my whole kingdom. Now only our bodies remain with us. What can I give you now?' Vishwamitra said- 'You cannot leave without paying a Dakshaina because you have promised me.' Harishchandra said- 'Don't be angry, O Brahmin! I have nothing at present in my position but I will definitely pay you your Dakshaina in due time.' Vishwamitra said angrily- 'Specify the time period within which you will give me my Dakshaina or else be ready to get cursed by me.' Harishchandra said- 'I will pay the Dakshaina within a month.' Thereafter, Harishchandra started to live in seclusion with his wife and children. Seeing the king's pitiable condition, his entire subjects began to follow him. Seeing their condition, Harishchandra halted and took a look on his subjects. At the same time, sage Vishwamitra also arrived there and began to curse Harishchandra for having attachment towards his subjects. Hearing the harsh words of Vishwamitra, Harishchandra left the kingdom with his
wife Shaivya and son Rohit. To drive the king away as soon as possible, Vishwamitra began to beat the queen's back with a stick.

Vishwamitra's abhorrent action enraged the five guardian deities of the directions and they condemned him. Enraged Vishwamitra cursed them- 'O sinners! Go and take birth as human beings.' This curse of Vishwamitra frightened the deities. They begged his pardon. Pleased by their prayers, Vishwamitra said- 'My words cannot be undone. But despite having incarnation of human beings, you will remain bachelors throughout your life. You will never feel attachment and allurement for anybody.' Thus due to Vishwamitra's curse, those five guardian deities took birth as the five sons of Draupadi. Dronacharya's son, Ashwatthama, ultimately killed them.

Details of the Upa Pandavas

Prativindhya

Prativindhya or Shurtavindhya(lit. related to the Buddhi) was born to Yudhisthira and Draupadi and was the eldest of the Upapandavas. Presumably, he was the crown prince. He was left in Ekchakra Nagari when he was a baby and later token-battled his uncle Arjuna during Yudhishthira's Rajasuya Yajna campaign.

Some folklore holds him as the Avatar of Chitraratha the Gandharva.

During the infamous game of dice, his mother Draupadi asked that he and his brothers be never referred to as the children of slaves; his bloodright was hence restored.

In the Puranas, there is some mention of his son, Yaudheya. However, in the Mahabharatha, Yaudheya was referred to as a son of Yudhishthira through Devakidevi.

Some Indians believe that Yaudheya founded the Yaudheya dynasty. That tribe's coins from 1st century AD reveals they believed they were descended from Yudhishthira just as the Malavas were thought to be Bhima's desendants and Arjunayanas were thought to be Arjuna's descendants.

In the Indonesian Mahabharata, Prativindhya's son Kalimshada succeeds Dhritarashtra as King of Hastinapur and marries a princess from Kuntibhoja's family. His sister's son Vajra inherits Indraprastha; in this story, Parikshit's line is based at Kaushambi where we encounter them at dawn of Buddhist period. It is not clear whether Prativindhya or Kalimshada are the king in this version.

During the Kurukshetra war, he would be more than twenty-four years old (extrapolating from his age during the Rajasyua incident). Shrutavindhya killed Karna's son Chitrasena on the fifteenth day of the battle. In the Indonesian Mahabharata, there is reference to "the son of Yudhishthira and Draupadi" dying to save his father against Drona on 12th day of the battle.

Satanika

Satanika was born to Nakula and Draupadi. He was the second oldest of Upapandavas. He was named after a famous Rajarsi in the Kuru lineage who had that name and he was considered to be an avatar of Visvadevas. He being the oldest of the Upapandavas in the Kurukshetra War is also nominated as a deputy commander-in-chief of forces under Dhrishtadyumna, in charge of Vyuha planning. He killed the Kaurava king/ally Bhutakarma.

Sutasoma

Sutasoma (lit. manifestation of the mind, suta: manifestation; soma: mind), the son of Bhima and Draupadi was the third of the Upapandavas. He played a major role in the battle by nearly killing Shakuni. He played a major role along with Yudhisthira and other Upapandavas in holding off Ashwatthama and Drona on the 15th day.

He was favored by Arjuna, who gave him a bow, and horses for his chariot.

In some Jataka tales, a Sutasoma, "price of the Kurus" gets into a moral argument with the man Kalmashapada, and helps him change his ways and regain his unspecified kingdom. Although it does not make chronological sense, the implication is that Kalmashapada is the same ancestor of Rama, the ruler of Ayodhya and the King of Kosala.

Like Prativindhya, some consider him the ancestor of the Malavas whose samvagari coins mention the Upapandavas founding Yaudheyas, Malavas and Arjunayanas, the three samvagari tribes.

Srutakirti

Srutakirti was the son born to Arjuna and Draupadi, the youngest of the Upapandavas, he was born definitely after the Arjuna's return from adventures and would be very young at time of battle. His horses were supposed to bear the colour of kingfishers. He fought against Dushasana and Ashwatthama in the battle.

Srutakarma or Srutasana

Srutakarma was born to Sahadeva and Draupadi. He was defeated by Shakuni during the battle, but not killed. He was also called Srutasena. He kills Dushsana's son, taking revenge for Abhimanyu and also killing Shala, the younger brother of Bhurishravas.

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