The stories of Mahabharata

Sri Krishna and Arjuna once were guests of a widow. The widow had no children, nobody. She was all alone. But she had a cow. This cow was her only means of support. She used to sell milk, and by selling milk she used to maintain her life. In same time she was a great devotee of Sri Krishna. When Sri Krishna and Arjuna went to visit her in disguise, incognito, she was so happy to see these two divine guests. She fed them with whatever she had in her house. Sri Krishna was extremely pleased with her surrendering attitude and her devotion. On their way back, Arjuna said to Krishna, You were so pleased with her. Why didn’t you grant her a boon? Why didn’t you tell her that she would be prosperous soon, now that you are pleased with her? I have already granted her the boon that her cow must die tomorrow. – spoke Krishna. What? Her only means of support? She has only the cow, and nothing else. Without the cow how can she live on earth? Krishna answered, You don’t understand me Arjuna. She always thinks of the cow. The cow has to be fed, has to milked, has to be bathed and so forth. I want her only to think of me, and when the cow is gone, she will think of me all the time, twenty-four hours. Then soon the time will be right for me to take her away from this world, and after a few years I will give her a better and more fulfilling incarnation. When she has nobody on earth, not even the cow, she will try and spend all her time, day and night, in devoting herself to me. Otherwise, this way she will linger on earth and constantly think of the cow and not of me.

There are some devotees who want to show off. For hours they meditate, for hours they chant, for hours they repeat the name of Lord Krishna. They look down upon others who do not spend so much time meditating and chanting. Arjuna happened to be one of these. If you remember, one of Arjunas brothers, whose name was Bhima, was the in strongest in the family. Bhima never, never prayed to any god. He used to eat and he used to fight. He was a voracious eater and at the same time a great fighter. But Arjuna used to pray to this God and that God; he had to please all the Gods on earth. The Lord Shiva had to be worshiped every day. For two hours daily Arjuna used to collect hundreds of flowers and offer them to Lord Shiva one by one. Each time while offering the flowers he used to utter the name of Lord Shiva. Then pride entered. What Bhima did was very simple. He would put his fingers on his forehead and concentrate for a couple of minutes before each meal. Then he would eat voraciously. This was his meditation! Poor Arjuna would spend hours gathering flowers, but Arjunas pride could not escape Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna said to Arjuna, Come, let us go for a walk. As they were walking, they saw a man drawing a cart. The cart was loaded with flowers. All kinds of flowers. Arjuna said to the man, What are you doing with these flowers? And where are you going? The man had no time to respond to Arjuna. Sri Krishna said, Arjuna, let us follow him. When the man reached his destination, there were many more carts of flowers. What are you going to do with all these thousands and millions of flowers? Arjuna inquired. I have no time to speak to you. I am now in serious concentration spoke the man. I can speak only to one person on earth, and that is Bhima, the second Pandava. He is the greatest spiritual seeker. When he meditates before his meals just for a minute or two, saying O mighty Lord Shiva, thousands of flowers are offered by him to Lord Shiva. His concentration is most intense. His meditation is most sincere. Arjuna only throws flowers at Lord Shiva. He just shows off.

Once Sage Markandeya visited Yudhistira Maharaja and told the following story – “I am no crane”. Brahmana Kaushika was a strict brahmachari who was strong and steadfast in his austerities. He was well-versed in the study of vedic scriptures. Once he was sitting under a tree reciting vedas. A crane sitting on the tree perched and defiled his head with droppings. Kaushika became very angry and looked at the crane. Just by his angry look the bird was killed and fell down dead. Thereafter another time Kaushika went to beg alms. He stood in front of a house. The housewife was busy in cleaning the utensils. Then her husband arrived. She served him sincerely, washing and drying his feet and then feeding him. After that she came out with alms to the mendicant Kaushika and said, “Sorry, pardon me for waiting”. Kaushika sarcastically chastised her for keeping the brahmana in waiting. But she said, “Be not angry with me and remember that I kept you waiting only because I was dutifully serving my husband. I am no crane that perched on the tree, to be killed by a violent thought and your rage can do no harm to a woman who devotes herself to the service of her husband. O Great one! You do not know the secret of duty, and you are also not aware that anger is the great enemy that dwells in man. Forgive the delay in attending to you. Go to Mithila and be instructed in the secret of good life by Dharmavyadha living in that city.” The Brahmana was apologetic and he thanked the lady and went to Mithila to meet Dharmavyadha. He thought he is searching for some lonely hermitage. Instead he finally reached a butcher’s shop, in which was a man selling meat. He was astonished when he learnt that this man was Dharmavyadha. The Brahmana was shocked beyond measure and stood at a distance in disgust. The butcher suddenly rose from his seat, came to the Brahmana and inquired, “Revered sir! Are you well ? Did that chaste Brahmana lady send you to me ?” Kaushika Brahmana was stupefied. The Butcher said, “Let us go to my home”. The Brahmana saw there a happy family and greatly struck by the devotion with which he served his parents. He took his lessons from that butcher on dharma, man’s calling and duty. Afterwards Kaushika returned to his house and began to tend his parent’s duty which he had rather neglected before

“Once, after King Yudhishtra got back the Kingdom, after the great war, a man came to him, asking him for charity(alms). Yudhishtra Mahraj said that he was having some work to do and he told the man to come the next day and then, he would give what the man wanted. Bhima saw this incident and he cried loudly: “Attention to all the residents of the city! King Yudhishtra is sure that he is going to live up to tomorrow! He is quite sure about this!”. Yudhishtra Maharaj realized his folly, and he immediately called the man and gave him charity.” There is another story with the same point: Once, there lived two neighboring peasants – Gopal and Govinda. Govinda was a very lazy person. Once,there was no monsoon for two consecutive years. Gopal thought that he must construct a canal from the nearby river, so that his plants could get water. So, one morning he started constructing the canal. At mid day, he was still busy with his spade. The sun was scorching and he was sweating profusely, but Gopal didn’t mind. Even after repetitive calls from his wife for having lunch, he continued with his work and returned back home at 11pm after completing the canal construction work. The river now got connected to his field. Water started gurgling into the land and Gopal’s heart gurgled with joy. Govinda saw that the field of Gopal had enough water, but his field didn’t have water. So, one morning, he also started digging a canal to his field but failed to complete it. The canal work was getting postponed and in the critical days, the crops dried up completely due to lack of sufficient water. In the next few days Gopal’s field was laughing green. On the other hand, Govinda’s land was in a pitiable state. Moral of the story: We see in the story, how much Govinda suffered due to his procrastinating quality and how happy Gopal was, because he was strong in his determination. This reminds us of the following verse from Bhagavad Gita(18.28): ayuktah praakrthah sthabdah shatho naishkrtiko lasah vishaadi dhirga sutrica karthaa taamasa uchyate “The worker who is always engaged in work against the injunctions of the scripture, who is materialistic, obstinate, cheating and expert in insulting others, and who is lazy, always morose and procrastinating is said to be a worker in the mode of ignorance.” Govinda was always procrastinating and so, he suffered a loss. We should also never postpone our activities, as we dont know about our next moment . So we should not postpone our activities, especially our sadhana (Devotional Service).

Once Durvasa Muni   visited the house of  Duryodhana, the enemy cousin of Maharaja Yudishtra. Duryodhana was  intelligent enough to satisfy the brahmana by all means, and the  great rishi wanted to give some benediction to Duryodhana. Duryodhana  knew his mystic powers, and he knew also that the mystic brahmana, if  dissatisfied, could cause some havoc, and thus he designed to engage the brahmana to show his wrath upon his enemy cousins, the Pandavas. When the rishi wanted to award some benediction to Duryodhana, the  latter wished that he should visit the house of Maharaja Yudishtra , who was the eldest and chief among all his cousins. But by his request he would go to him after he had finished his meals with his Queen, Draupati. Duryodhana knew that after Draupati’s dinner it would be impossible for Maharaja Yudishtra to receive such a large number of brahmana guests, and thus the rishi would be annoyed and would create some trouble for his cousin Maharaja Yudishtra. That was the plan of Duryodhana. Durväsä Muni agreed to this proposal, and he approached the King in exile, according to the plan of Duryodhana, after the King and Draupadi had finished their meals. On his arrival at the door of Maharaja Yudishtra, he was at once well received, and the King requested him to finish his noontime religious rites in the river, for by that time the foodstuff would be prepared. Durväsä Muni, along with his large number of disciples, went to take a bath in the river, and Mahäräja Yudishtra was in great anxiety about the guests. As long as Draupadi had not taken her meals, food could be served to any number of guests, but the rishi, by the plan of Duryodhana, reached there after Draupadi had finished her meals. When the devotees are put into difficulty, they have an opportunity  to recollect the Lord with rapt attention. So Draupadi was thinking of Lord Krishna in that dangerous position and the all-pervading Lord could at once know the dangerous position of His devotees. He therefore came there on the scene and asked Draupadi to give whatever food she might have in her stock. On her being so requested by the Lord, Draupadi was sorrowful because the Supreme Lord asked her for some food and she was unable to supply it at that time. She said to the Lord that the mysterious dish which she had received from the sun-god could supply any amount of food if she herself had not eaten.But on that day she had already taken her meals, and thus they were in danger. By expressing her difficulties she began to cry before the Lord as only a woman would do in such a position. The Lord, however, asked Draupadi to bring up the cooking pots to see if there was any  particle of foodstuff left, and on Draupadi doing so, the Lord found some particle of vegetable sticking to the pot. The Lord at once picked it up and ate it. After doing so, the Lord asked Draupadi to call for her guests, the company of Durvasa. Bhima was sent to call them from the river. Bhima said, “Why are you delaying, sirs? Come on, the food is ready for you.” But the brahmanas, because of Lord Krisha’s accepting a little particle of food, felt sumptuously fed, even while they were in the water. They thought that since Mahäräja Yudishtra must have prepared many valuable dishes for them and since they were not hungry and could not eat, the King would feel very sorry, so it was better not to go there. Thus they decided to go away.