HARISCHANDRA

In ancient India, a king named Harischandra ruled over Kosala kingdom. This kingdom exemplified the adage: yathaa raajaa tathaa prajaah, which means: as the king, so are the subjects. The people of the kingdom were virtuous: they avoided anything evil; they did not drink nor did they gamble; they were not arrogant of their wealth; they were truthful and just in their dealings. As as result of these virtues, there was no famine, sickness or untimely death in the kingdom. People were healthy and strong; women were beautiful, cultured and all the people looked upon their king as their father and the queen as their mother. In an extraordinary quirk of fate, the very virtues brought trouble to the king and the kingdom.

Vasishta was the family priest of the king. He got into a dispute with sage Visvamitra on the possibility of finding a man of incorruptible virtue. Viswamitra contended that this was impossible; even a virtuous person can fail if put to rigorous tests. Vasishta's argument was that while Viswamitra had a point in general terms, there were indeed exceptional men in the world who cannot be tempted to give up their virtue. He cited Harischandra as one such man. Viswamitra laughed and said that Vasishta seemed to be carried away because Harischandra was the latter's patron. Viswamitra challenged that he will put Harischandra to such a rigorous testing that Vasishta would be proved wrong. Both the sages agreed to conduct the experiment with gods as witnesses.

Viswamitra forthwith proceeded to the capital of Harischandra's kingdom, Ayodhya and learnt that the king was proceeding on a hunting expedition. Viswamitra went ahead of the king and sat down in tapas in a wayside ashram. As the king's hunting party passed by, the sage created an illusion of female voices crying, 'O save us, save us from this man." The king replied, "I am coming to help. I will pierce with my arrows, the wretch molesting women" and ran towards the direction from which the cries were heard. The sage's tapas was disturbed with all the commotion. The king prostrated before the sage and apologized to him for the disturbance caused offering his kingdom and his wealth in reparation.

"What? Are these meaningless words?" Viswamitra questioned angrily.

"O Sage, I speak with all sincerity. I will keep my word."

"I take you at your word, then," responded the sage, "You are already indebted to me; you owe me the fees for the Rajasuya sacrifice which I had asked you to hold in trust for me."

"I will pay the fees whenever you demand, O Viswamitra."

"Okay; get back to your capital and arrange to hand over your kingdom and all your wealth."

Viswamitra held Harischandra to his words and went the next day to gain control of the kingdom and all the palace wealth. Harischandra gave up all that and also the ornaments of his queen.

"O sage, what more should I give you/"

"Who is the king of Kosala now," roared Viswamitra.

"Viswamitra," echoed Harischandra.

"Listen to my royal command, " repled Viswamitra, "You should leave my kingdom immediately with your wife only with the clothes you are wearing."

Harischandra observed with utmost devotion, "Your command will be obeyed." Accompanied by his wife, Chandramati and their boy Rohita, Harischandra started leaving the capital.

"Before you go, Harischandra, you have to pay me the fees for the Rajasuya which you owe me and which I had entrusted to you."

"I have now nothing which I call my own, except the clothing you have permitted me to retain. Please give me time to discharge the debt I owe you. In a month, I will pay back the sum."

"I agree; a month from now, I will come to collect the fees."

Harischandra took leave of his creditor amidst the cries of his subjects who got wind of the actions of the truthful king, "O king, how can a casually uttered word bind you? Your virtue is ruining us all. You cannot desert us. We will come with you."

Harischandra exhorted his subjects that their duty was to serve the new king. The troubles he had to face were of his own making and the subjects should not suffer on this account. Their new king was a royal sage, famous and possessed of marvellous powers. The new king's actions were prompted by some divine providence, which was inscrutable. It was the duty of the subjects never to swerve from virtue and the path of righteousness.

Viswamitra commanded his troops to tell Harischandra to stop this wasteful exhortation and to proceed forthwith out of the kingdom. Harischandra at once stopped talking and left the capital with his wife and son.

The threesome had to beg for their foot at the Dharmasalas on the way and to do manual work to earn their livelihood. They proceeded towards Kashi to wash away their sons in the sacred waters of the Ganga. As they entered the gates of the holy city of Kashi, Viswamitra was there to encounter them, "This is just to remind you: today is the day when you should repay the debt you owed me." Harischandra counted the days and realized that Viswamitra spoke the truth. Though dismayed, he immediately gained his courage and said to himself that he still had half-a-day before him during which time he should try to earn to repay the debt. Viswamitra said, "If you tell me that you would not pay me or even say that you do not owe me anything, I will not bother you any more. I can write off the debt." Harischandra replied vehemently, "O Sage, it is a fact that I owe you Rajasuya sacrifice fees. I will try to pay you before the end of the day."

The sage departed leaving Harischandra to work out a strategy. He set to thinking of ways he can raise money: What if I sell myself as a slave to some rich merchant and discharge the sage's debt? Oh no, what will happen to his wife and his son if he parted from them? Chandramati suggested that she and her son could be sold instead so that Harischandra could repay the debt, earn some livelihood later and buy them back.

Harischandra saw the strength of Chandramati's arguments. He took the wife and son to the market-place of the city and loudly announced, choking with tears, that his son and wife were for sale. A brahman came to him and said that his young wife needed the services of a servant-maid and offered to by only Chandramati and said that he had no use for the boy. Chandramati pleaded with the brahman that she would teach her son to do menial work and make him useful in the master's household. Finally the deal was struck, the brahman bought both of them paying a small additional sum and took them to his house.

Instantly, Viswamitra appeared. Harischandra paid him the the entire amount which he had received from the brahman.

"This is not even half of what you owe me," noted Viswamitra, in anger.

"True, Sage. I will give you the balance in a short time," implored Harischandra.

"The day is coming to a close; you have not kept your promise. I see you are a promise-breaker. Just tell me you owe me nothing, I will set you free of your debt."

"I deserve your anger, Sage. I do owe you money and I have to discharge your debt. I have just sold my wife and my son and repayed your debt in part. Please give me one more hour, just before sunset; I will try to sell myself and repay your debt in full."

"How many times should I be coming to you? Anyway, it is only one hour before sunset. Let me see." So saying, the angry creditor sage went away.

Harischandra returned to the market and starting crying aloud to everyone's hearing: "I am available as a slave to be bought with money, while the sun is still shining in the west."

Nobody was prepared to pay the price he was quoting. An executioner, the head of the local cemetery stepped up to take a deep look at Harischandra. He was fould-smelling, disfigured, uncouth, with a long, repulsive face, projecting teeth and a beard, dark-complexioned, pendulous belly, tawny eyes. He carried some birds, he had a skull in his hand and adorned himself with the garlands taken from the corpses. He was surrounded by a pack of dogs and was heard cursing in harsh tones. He also a carried a long staff. In sum, his appearance created fear and was repulsive.

"Who are you?" asked Harischandra when the cemetery-keeper offered to buy him.

"My name is Pravira, an expert executioner of the city. I am the guard of the cemetery at the south-western end of the city. My job is to despatch those who are condemned to death, to gather clothes of the dead brought to my cemetery."

Harischandra was wondering if he should accept to be the slave of Pravira. Viswamitra appeared on the scene and prodded, "Why are you hesitant to be his slave when he is offering you money enough to repay my debt?"

Harischandra pleaded, "O Sage, make me your slave for the balance of the money I owe you. I will obey your commands. I belong to the race of solar ancestry among kings. Please save me from becoming a slave to a cemetery-keeper."

"Just tell me that you do not owwe me anything more and I will let you free as a free man."

"How can I say that? I still owe you money," Harischandra pointed out.

"So you want to be my slave?" asked the creditor.

"Yes, sir. I beg of you. Please take me as your slave," said the debtor Harischandra.

"I agree. Now that you are my slave, I discharge you from the debt. But I am selling you right now to this cemetery-keeper for the sum he has offered."

The executioner was happy that he got the slave he had bargained for. He paid the money to Viswamitra and led Harischandra away to his house near the cemetery.

Harischandra's job at the cemetery was to collect for his master the cemetery fees from those coming to bury or burn the dead and to gather the discarded clothes of the corpses.

"Stay on this burial ground night and day and watch out for the corpses to arrive. Collect the fees strictly from everyone. Divide the collection into six parts; one part is for the king, three parts are for me; two parts will be your wages. You are also to execute the criminals condemned to death."

Harischandra worked for 12 months in this job. He was loyal to his master. His appearance was slowly changing like his master; with dishevelled hair, shoddy beard, emaciated and with protruding bones from his chest. He heard the crackling sounds of the burning faggots on the funeral pyres and howling of the jackals. He was frequently reminding himself of his wife and son and would often join the lamenting funeral parties and join in the loud lamentations remembering the dead. He reassured himself that he had done the right thing to avoid being untruthful and to avoid being unfaithful. He reminded himself of his priest Vasishta's saying that Dharma was the only light that mortals had on earth and everything else was illusion caused by ajnaana (ignorance). He had to walk by this light wherever it led him. He had to do his duty by the light whether he was the king of solar ancestry or as the assistant keeper of the Varanasi cemetery. It was not for him to choose.

A year passed by. One night, a ragged and destitute woman brought to the burning ground her own arms the body of her son. He was a small boy. He had died of snake-bite. She had also brought with her a bundle of sticks for the funeral pyre. Harischandra demanded of her the prescribed fees for the cremation. She pleaded with him that she was a destitute and could not pay. Harischandra refused to prepare for the cremation. He said that he could exempt his own share but he had to collect at least the king's share and his master's share of the fees. He saw a little jewel of gold hanging from her neck, mostly hidden by her ragged clothes and suggested that this be sold to pay the reduced fees he was demanding. On hearing this, the woman started crying, "O gods, what sins have I committed that the sacred symbol of my marriage which till now was visible only to my husband should be seen my the cemetery assistant/"

Harischandra was startled. He peered into the face through the enveloping darkness and asked, "Who was your husband?" She replied, sobbing, "My husband was once a king, a cruel creditor had forced him to sell her and her their son in the market of Varanasi." Harischandra saw what he was upto and fell on the dead body, crying, "O Rohita, Rohita darling son, my son! I am your father here, come to me dear child. O my god what snake was it, what were you doing, how did it happen? O god, I can't bear this anymore."

It was indeed Chandramati, Harischandra's wife who had brought her son to the burning ground at the dead of night. They recognized each other and wept together, caressing the lifeless corpse of their son lying on their laps. They resolved not to outlive their child. They wanted to get into the pyre and put an end to their lives also. But then, the problem of the cremation of the boy had to be resolved. Harischandra had to collect his fees. He told Chandramati to get back to her master and beg of him the money needed for the cremation of the boy. Chandramati had no options, she had to leave the cemetery.

As she was returning home, groping through the darkness, a man with a small bundle in his hand accosted her, "Who are you? Why are you weeping? Why are you here in this dark hour of the night?" Chandramati related the story and asked the man to show her the way to the master's house. The man, hearing the heartrending story said, "You do not have to go all the way to your master's house. Take this bundle. It has some jewelw. You can use the jewels to pay the cremation fee." He thrust the bundle into her hands and ran away into the woods, in the darkness of the night. Chandramati was left alone in utter fright. She heard the oncoming sounds of horses' hoofs. Beams of penetrating light were also seen. They were the police of the city on horseback in pursuit of the thief who had burgled into a house, strangled a sleeping child and had stolen the jewels on the child's body. The police saw the woman with the bundle in her hands and thought that she was the thief. Her extreme poverty and ragged clothes made her look like a criminal in the eyes of the police.

She was taken prisoner and taken to the magistrate's court and a complaint was lodged against her. "Ogre, don't you have any children? How heartless can you be that you stole a child's jewels?" shouted the magistrate. Chandramati narrated her story and explained how the bundle had come to be in her hands. The magristrate did not believe her, "You are a murderer and a thief. Don't add another attribute of being a liar."

The magistrate condemned her to death before sunrise the next morning and she was led away to the chief executioner of the city. Harischandra was on vigil near the body of his son awaiting the arrival of his wife with the cremation fee. She was being led in chains to the block for being executed as a criminal. Harischandra saw this and could scarcely believe his eyes. He ran toward the place of execution. He was stopped on the way by a boy who brought the master's message: Pravira wanted Harischandra to at once fetch the axe and execute the criminal who was being led to the block. Harischandra was reeling under the impact of horror upon horror being heaped on him. He was rendered speechless, momentarily.

The execution had to go on. The orders of the master keeper of the cemetery were unequivocal and very clear. Harischandra brought the axe and proceeded to the place of execution. The guards read out the orders of the magistrate. It was not for Harischandra to question the orders nor to produce counter-evidence to prove the victim's innocence. He was only the slave of his master whose orders had to be carried out. Chandramati looked at Harischandra with a stony, cold stare. Her agony was too deep for tears. As though by mutual consent, the husband and wife refused to recognize each other, they didn'' say a word in the presence of the guards. They had to go through the final stages of their tragic lives and get on with it and meet on the other side of death.

Harischandra took the axe in both his hands, closed his eyes in speechless torment of prayer and started lifting the axe up over his head and as he was bringing down the axe, his hands were seized from behind by Viswamitra who had now appeared on the scene. Gods gathered aaround in heaven watching the ordeals of the king.

Viswamitra acknowledged his defeat to Vasishta and announced, "O Harischandra, your is now alive. You and your wife have a merited place in heaven by your adherence unswervingly to virtue in the most trying circumstances. All your troubles so far are merely illusion created by me."

Indra the king of the gods explained to Harischandra how his virtue was being put to test. He welcomed the couple to heaven and asked him to install the son on the throne of Kosala.

Bond of Unity

Once upon a time there lived a merchant
He had five sons who were his descendants. They asked their father for their own share Co's congestion of space they couldn't bare. The wise father laid a bet So that in future they don't regret
He asked his sons each stick to get.Which he would use for his bet. The father told his son, "Break these."
And they broke each one with perfect ease.The father gathered the sticks from each And tied a bundle to make them teach

The bundle of five was so strong. No one was able to break that bond
They tried and tried and tried again.It wasn't possible, it was a pain.This is a moral we must recall. United we stand divided we fall.

The Foolish Scholars

Hinduism is the main religion of India, although many Indians belong to other faiths, such as Buddhism. Hindus believe in the caste system and are divided into four main groups. The caste system began as a division of labor, so that everyone did the work assigned to them. But soon people began marrying and living within their own castes and the system became a rigid way of life in India. Hindus belong to the caste in which they are born. Brahmins are the highest caste; they are entrusted with reading the holy books, performing religious rites, praying and teaching. The Brahmins are considered intelligent and full of wisdom and are respected next to gods. Hindus all over the world consider it their duty to support them financially by making donations. They strongly believe that the donations please the gods and that this ensures a better place in their next life.

Once there were four Brahmin friends. Three of them were scholars of scripture, while the fourth was illiterate. He was considered wise since he was the son of a Brahmin. One day the four decided to travel around the world to become rich.

They set out on their journey. They managed to earn a lot of money. One day, not long after they had set out, one of them was absent. The eldest scholar said to the other two, "Thank God he is not with us today. Now I have the opportunity to speak. We three are the great scholars, while he is illiterate. We have knowledge through education, while he does not. We can read the holy books and perform religious ceremonies, and he can only help since he can not read. Why, then, should we share our earnings with him?"

"I agree," said the second scholar. "Let us send him away."

But the third scholar was not happy with the suggestion. "No we can't do that. We have grown up together. It is not fair to abandon him now.

Eventually the three forgot their differences and remained friends with the fourth Brahmin. Soon the four were on the road again to continue with their long journey. "We must stop all this wandering about in search of wealth," though the fourth Brahmin. "We need to find jobs, and settle down."

Soon they came to a dense green forest, filled with birds and the sound of other animals. The forest was known to be home to tigers, lions and cobras.

"I don't want to go through the forest," said the first scholar. "The whole place is infested with snakes and birds."

"Well," said the fourth, "we have no choice. I am sure the animals will be too busy to notice us at this time of the day. Just the same, we should move very fast and very quietly."

They were halfway through the forest when they came upon a pile of bones beneath a large tree.

"Hey, look at that," cried the first scholar, considered to be the most intelligent of them all. "Let's use our knowledge and put these bones back together, to bring this animal back to life."

"Oh no, don't do that. You don't know what it is," said the fourth Brahmin.

"Why don't you keep quiet and let us do the thinking?" said the third scholar to the fourth. "You are the always afraid of something, because you are not learned as we are. You had better sit back quietly and let us do the right thing."

"All right," said the fourth Brahmin. "If you are so determined to bring life into these bones, let me first climb up a tree. I do not wish to stand by and watch a ferocious animal taking shape before my eyes." And, he quickly climbed up a nearby tree while the others stood and laughed at him.

"You are stupid and ignorant," jeered the first scholar after him.

But the fourth Brahmin ignored them. He sat on a branch and watched in silence as the first scholar collected the bones and arranged them into a skeleton. The second one added the skin, blood and flesh into the skeleton with his mystical powers. The third was about to put life into the body when the fourth called from the tree, "Watch out. It's the body of a lion. He will kill us all if you bring him to life."

But the others only laughed at him. "You just sit there and watch the magic of our skill and knowledge. It is a great thing to bring a dead creature to life," laughed the first scholar. "Only the learned can do so. You cannot understand the joy of mastering this skill."

The three then proudly carried on with their work. But as soon as the third scholar brought the lion to life, it sprang upon the three and killed them all. After making a great feast of his foolish creators, the created walked away for a deep slumber beneath the shade of a tree.

The fourth Brahmin watched it all, and when the lion went away, he cautiously climbed down the tree and ran home. He told everyone what had happened and added, "It is not knowledge but wisdom that is great. Alas, my learned friends did not understand this, in spite of being so well educated."

The Heron and the Crab

A heron once lived beside a big pond in a forest in South India. He enjoyed eating fish and other creatures from the pond for many years, until he became old and feeble. When he could no longer fish for himself, he had to think of a plan to get his daily food.

One fine day he stood in the middle of the pond, meditating on one leg, and let all the fish and frogs pass by unhurt. All the creatures of the pond were surprised at this.

A crab came to him and said, "Uncle, why are you so inactive these days? You have not caught even a single fish or frog."

"My child, times have changed," replied the heron sadly. "We are soon going to face very hard times. The creatures of the pond are going to die. I am told."

"How?" the crab asked in surprise.

"The pond has been sold off," explained the heron. "Soon it will be filled in and turned into a farm, which means that the creatures living here are going to die."

"Oh no," exclaimed the crab. "This is very serious. I must warn all the creatures immediately."

"That will be an act of mercy," said the heron. "God will bless you for your great deed of kindness." He watched with amusement while the crab rushed about, informing the other creatures of the pond's near end.

The fish were the first to be frightened. They rushed to the heron and said, "We've learnt about your concern for us. Please save us from this situation."

The heron looked at them thoughtfully and then said calmly, "I am just a bird but I think I know how to help you out of this plight. There is a big pond not far from here which, I am sure, is not sold, nor it is going to be sold, because of the poor quality of land around it. If you are willing and will cooperate, I can safely carry you there."

The fish surrounded the heron and pleaded, "Please take me first, I trust you, take me first, I am ready."

"I am not young or strong enough to carry all of you at a time," replied the heron. "I can only carry one at a time, holding you in my beak."

The fish were happy at that. They were very frightened and all that was important to them was to be transported to the other pond.

Over the next few days the heron carried them one at a time. But instead of taking the fish to the pond, he flew to a big rock and ate them with great relish.

The crab was observing all this wish suspicion. One day he came to the heron and said, "Uncle, please take me this time. I want to be saved too. You have been only taking the fish. This time, give me a chance."

"Of course, I will take you," replied the heron with pleasure, thinking that he would have the opportunity to try flesh of a different taste. He picked up the crab in his beak and began to fly.

From a distance the crab saw a pile of bones on the rock and instantly understood that they were the bones of all the fish who had left the pond in recent days. "Uncle heron, how far is the new pond from here?" he asked, summoning his courage.

The heron replied, "Which pond? This of your god and get ready to meet your death."

But the crab was smart. Very tightly, he grabbed the heron's neck in his claws, digging into his flesh. The heron had to open his beak and let the crab free. The crab was able to dig further into the heron's neck, who tried in vain to escape. Finally, the heron fell to the ground, choked to death.

The crab dragged the dead heron back to the pond and told the other creatures how the heron had betrayed their trust.

All the creatures of the pond thanked him for saving their lives and said that they had learned a lesson.

"Yes", said the crab. "A sweet tongue can be deceitful and one should beware of it."

The Lion, the Fox and the Ass

A lion once lived in the jungle near the city of Dehra Dun, in the north of India. He lived with his devoted servant, a fox. The lion would hunt for himself and, after he had eaten the best part of his prey, he would give the fox the leftovers. The two lived happily together in peace for many years until they both grew old and feeble. One day the lion was wounded in a fight with an elephant. He found it hard to move and hunt for his food.

"My dear fox, we are both going to starve to death this way," he said to the fox one evening. "I cannot go out to hunt any more. It is time for you to bring me an animal to kill here."

The next morning the fox set out in search of the prey. Soon he saw an ass grazing outside the city of Dehra Dun.

"Hello," said the fox to the ass. "You look very sad. What is the matter?"

"Oh, I am sick of my life as a beast of burden," replied the ass. "I carry the clothes of my master, a washerman, every day yet he is never grateful. Instead, he beats me with his stick and speaks to me rudely. I have no one to talk to because I am never free to find myself a friend. I am so tired of this life."

"That is very sad," said the fox. "It's not fair that your master should be so mean. You can not be a slave to this man for the rest of your life. Come with me, and find happiness in the jungle. Everyone is free and peaceful there. You will get plenty of food, good shelter and , if you desire, a bride."

The ass looked at the fox with interest, "A bride too?" he exclaimed, with a sparkle in his eyes.

"Yes, a bride too," said the fox. "I know a female ass that would make a good bride for you. She is also lonely and looking for a husband. She wants to marry and raise a family. This is no life for you," he added.

"I think you are right," the ass said thoughtfully. "I will come with you and teach my master a lesson. I have a right to a better life."

He went to the jungle with the fox and soon they came to the lion's den. Before he knew what was happening, the old lion jumped from the den onto the ass, but with his injury and old age missed his aim. This frightened the ass, and he ran away from the den as fast as he could.

"What an impatient creature," cried the fox in anger. "The prey escaped because of your foolishness. Could you not have waited for a while, and then pounced at him?"

"Well," replied the lion, "it was not fault. You did not bring him close enough to me. I was scared I would miss him, so I jumped at him in a hurry."

The fox shook his head in despair and said, "Okay, I'll bring him once again. This time, be ready to pounce on him properly and kill him, before he has time to escape."

The fox ran after the ass, who was heading back towards the city. "Hey, wait for me," he called out. "What happened? Why did you run?"

The ass stopped and looked back at the fox. "Who was that with those bright eyes?" he asked. "Why did he jump at me like that?"

Realizing the ass had not known the lion, the clever fox replied, "My dear ass, that was the bride. She has been doing a lot of fasting and prayers to find a good husband. All the fasting has made her very thin. Nothing except her bright eyes can be seen. She was so happy to see after many years spent longing for a husband that in her eagerness she jumped at you, and you ran away."

"Oh, I am so sorry," said the ass. "I shall return and see her again." He wanted so much to be married and have a companion for life.

They returned to the den. This time the lion was careful and said in a soft voice, "Come closer, my dear. I love you."

The ass blushed and went further into the dark den, thinking his bride waited in the shadows. The lion raised his claw and, instead of the ass receiving the garland he expected, he was given a blow which killed him instantly.

The fox was happy this time. His master had killed the prey, and they were going to enjoy a good meal after so many days of hunger. He had an idea and said to the lion, "Master, you are tired. You should go and refresh yourself with a good bath at the river before eating the meal."

"That's true," said the lion. "I feel hot and exhausted already. You keep a watch over the body until I return." With that, the lion left the den and went down to the river to swim.

The fox was hungry. He looked at the dead ass, and thought, "I have earned this game by my intelligence. The lion is going to take the major share of the meal for himself, as usual. It is not fair. Well, this time I will not let it happen. I am going to finish my meal before he gets back."

So the fox set upon the ears and the brain of the ass and ate it with relish. When the lion returned, he looked at the dead ass and inquired angrily, "What has happened to the ears and the brain? Who has eaten it? I asked you to keep a watch while I went for a bath."

"My dear Master," replied the fox, "the ass had neither ears nor a brain. If he had any, do you think he would have come here again the second time?"

"Of course he would not have, you are very correct," agreed the lion. "I shall feed myself first, and then you can take the leftovers. You worked very hard this time. You deserve to eat also."

The fox sat down in one corner and chuckled to himself while the lion at what was left of the ass. He had deceived the mighty lion with his intelligence and ingenuity.

The Singing Donkey

Donkeys are used as beasts of burden by washer men in India. Although in recent years many rich Indians families have installed washing machines in their homes, the washing of clothes by washer men has been an Indian tradition for centuries. They belong to a caste of their own as it is a family trade, handed down from father to son for generations. Most washer men own donkeys which help them carry the dirty clothes to the nearby river or lake for washing. Each morning, the clothes are washed and hung to dry at the bank of the river, while the donkeys are kept tied to nearby trees. Later in the evening, the dry clothes are bundled on the backs of the donkeys and carried to the washer man's house for ironing, and then delivery. The donkeys are set free in the evenings once the washed clothes have been returned. They are allowed to roam free during the night, until work begins again the next.

There was once a donkey who became the friends with a fox during his night-time wandering. Since the donkey was older in age, the fox addressed him as Chachaji, which means uncle or father's brother, out of respect. The donkey called the fox Bhatija, or nephew.

One night the donkey and fox found their way into a cucumber farm. They ate the fresh cucumbers to their hearts' content. For the next few weeks they were at the farm every night enjoying the cucumbers.

"Oh, these are so delicious, I cannot stop eating them, Chachaji," said the fox one night.

They are luscious, dear Bhatija, but look at the sky and the bright full moon," replied the donkey. "It is so romantic. The night is so pleasant with the cool breeze. I feel like singing."

"Chachaji, please don't do that," begged the fox. "We will be in great trouble if the guards hear your singing. It is best to be quiet and enjoy the cucumbers."

"My dear, I cannot help singing in these beautiful surroundings," sad the donkey, clearing his throat for a song.

"Chachaji, you know you do not have a melodious voice. Your singing will only make the guards angry," said the fox.

"What do you know about music and rhythm? You do not appreciate the beauty of music," replied the donkey with hurt in his voice.

Now Chachaji, please stop it. Your singing will please no one but yourself. It will only make the watchman rush out and give you the kind of reward which you will remember the rest of your life."

"You think I cannot sing?" said the donkey proudly. "I know I can sing very beautifully. Sit down and listen to me quietly, my dear Bhatija."

It was obvious that the donkey was not going to take the fox's advice and that soon they would be in trouble with the watchman.

The fox decided to save himself. "Chachaji," he said, "wait a little. Let me go out and keep watch over the guards. You can sing to your heart's content once I have gone."

The fox hurriedly left the farm before the donkey could begin his loud, harsh singing. The watchmen were already on the lookout for the animal who had been taking the cucumbers at nigh and, as soon as they heard the singing of the donkey, they rushed out towards him with their heavy sticks. They beat the donkey until he fell unconscious to the ground. They then tied a stone to his neck before leaving him to die.

Fortunately, the donkey recovered, and somehow dragged himself out of the farm to where the fox was waiting for him.

"So in spite of my warnings you did sing, Chachaji," said the fox, laughing. "And is this the reward the guards have given you? Well, accept my congratulations."

"Bhatija, do not taunt me," moaned the donkey in a gruff voice. "I am already depressed. I was a fool not to have listened to good advice given by a friend. I have suffered heavily as a result. Please leave me to lament over my foolishness."

In the morning when the washer man found the donkey, he swore at his own fate. "What good is a wounded donkey to me? I have to work and provide for my family, I cannot waste time on a foolish donkey who gets himself injured overnight." The washer man hurried off, carrying the bundle of dirty clothes on his head and leaving the donkey behind.

The Wise Rabbit

There once lived a lion in the thick jungle at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. He was ferocious and cruel. He hunted and killed more creatures than he required for his meals.

One day the animals of the jungle got together and decided that they would have to speak to the lion, otherwise, with the way he was killing, there would be no creatures left in the jungle. So they went to where the lion lived to convince him to change his ways.

"Your majesty," said the monkey, "We have noticed that you hunt many more animals that you can eat. There will soon be no animals left in your kingdom. You will be a king without any subjects. We suggest that you do not go hunting any more. Instead, allow us to send you an animal each day for your food. You will get your food, and no more lives shall be lost unnecessarily."

"All right," replied the lion in a gruff voice. "But I warn you that if one day I do not receive my food, I'll kill everyone of you."

All the animals bowed their heads in respect to the lion and agreed to his warning. From that day on, an animal was sent to the lion for his daily meal without fail. For a while everything went very well. Then one day it was the turn of an old and intelligent rabbit. He set out to the lion's den with four of his nephews. He was telling them about his youth, when he was able to run swiftly to defend himself from the ferocious animals of the jungle. The old rabbit did not want to die.

"I don't want to give myself to the cruel old lion," he said. "I am sure I can save myself, even now when I am old. I don't need to run at this age, but need to use my intelligence."

Suddenly he saw an old well and thought of an idea. "My dear nephews," said the rabbit, "you must wait for me near this old well. Stay quiet when the lion turns up. I will be with him. I am sure I can save myself - and the other animals too."

When the rabbit arrived at the lion's den, the lion was furious at him turning up so late.

"Why are you so late? It is past my meal time," the lion roared in anger.

The old rabbit bowed his head low to show respect to the lion. "Sorry your majesty," the rabbit said quietly, "but it is not my fault. It is not even the fault of the other animals. They had packed me off with four other rabbits because they said I was too tiny for your voracious appetite."

"Then where are the other rabbits?" should the hungry lion.

"On the way we met another lion who stopped us and said that he was the king of the jungle," said the rabbit shaking in fear. "We told him about you, and that you were very big and strong, and that is why no one but you could only be the king of the jungle."

"And then what happened?" asked the lion, feeling proud and mighty.

"He asked me to leave my nephews with him and to bring you to him," replied the rabbit. "He said that he would fight a duel with you, and the one who wins will be considered the king of the jungle."

This made the lion angrier. "How dare he! I am the only king of this jungle. Come, show me this arrogant lion. I shall crush him to death in no time and teach him a lesson for life."

The rabbit bowed his head again and said, "Quite right, sir. He should be punished. Let us hurry before he kills the other four rabbits, and takes your food away from you."

The rabbit took the lion to the old well and said, "The other lion lives in a castle inside the well. Be careful of him. The hidden enemy is more dangerous. Fight him and kill him on the spot, and then you can enjoy your meal in peace."

"Where is the lion?" roared the lion as he climbed the edge of the well and peered inside.

"There he is, sir," said the rabbit pointing to the lion's reflection in the water. "He is showing his temper. Look sir. How dare he try to show is temper. We know that you are the most powerful king of this jungle. How dare he try to equal you!"

The lion saw his reflection in the water and roared in anger. The thought that the other lion was doing the same, and in his anger he jumped inside the well, desperate to kill his enemy.

The lion fell with a great splash into the water. His head hit the rocks at the bottom of the well and he died. The rabbit was fully of joy because his trick had worked. His nephews came out of hiding and they celebrated the death of the lion. They ran to the other animals and informed them of the death of the hunter. Everyone was full of praise for the old rabbit.

"Intelligence is surely far superior to physical strength," the wise old monkey said to the rabbit that afternoon as they peacefully rested by the mango tree.

The Talkative Tortoise

Once a tortoise lived near a pond in a forest. One day he met a pair of geese who had come to drink water from the pond. "Hello", said the tortoise. "It is a beautiful day. Too good to sit inside the house. Where do you live?"

"Not far from here" replied Shanti, one of the geese. "We often come to drink water, but we have never seen you before."

"I usually stay indoors," replied the tortoise.

He and the geese became friends and started meeting every day. The tortoise would come out of the pond and the three would spend a long time wandering around the forest happily talking and gossiping.

Not long after, there was a famine and the trees in the forest died as the rivers and ponds dried up. Many birds and animals died because there was no water available. Those that lived in the forest started looking for somewhere else to live. Even the geese decided to leave for a better place.

Before leaving, they came to the tortoise and said, "We have decided to go away from this dry forest before we also die. We have come to say goodbye to you and wish you all the best."

"So you are leaving me to face my death?" cried the tortoise. "What kind of friends of you? I am so frightened living here alone and facing this deadly environment. Take me with you," he pleaded.

"How can we take you with us?" Shanti replied. "You cannot fly. We do not wish to leave you here to face death, but we don't know how to take you with us."

"I know I can't fly," the tortoise said with tears in his eyes. "But you can help me. I can tell you how, if you are willing to take me along."

"How?" the geese asked. "We will take you if we can."

"All right then," said the tortoise with a sign of relief. "Get a strong stick and hold it on either side with your beaks. I can hold onto the middle, with my mouth. Then you can fly carrying me along."

Shanti and her partner immediately accepted the proposal and set out to find a suitable pond for the tortoise's new home. Once they found one, they returned to the tortoise with a large stick.

"Now that is a good strong stick," said the tortoise. "Let us start our journey. This place is becoming a bit too dry."

"All right, let us start our journey," replied Shanti. "But first, remember that you must not speak at all. If you open your mouth, you will fall. So remember to stay quiet throughout the journey."

"I am not a fool," replied the tortoise. "I know what could happen."

"Well then, let us go," Shanti said. "I want to take you with us to our beautiful pond where we know you are going to be happy, and we can live the way did in the forest. We don't want to lose you."

They began their journey towards their new home. The tortoise was taken up with the sights he saw along the way, and very often he felt like saying something about them. But he remembered Shanti's advice.

Soon they were flying over a large city, where there were a lot of people. Suddenly they saw a crowd clapping hands and pointing to them, saying, "Look, look there! The geese are carrying away a foolish tortoise."

The tortoise became very angry. He could not bear it any more and opened his mouth to tell the crowd off. He fell right into the middle of the crowd and died.

"What a foolish tortoise," laughed one of the crowd. "Did he think he could fly by himself?" The others joined him in making fun of the tortoise's stupidity, while the geese cried for their loss. They were sad and their hearts were filled with pain. "Our poor friend," cried Shanti. "He did not understand that real happiness comes from keeping quiet."

Mahabharath

Introduction

The two great epic works of the Hindus are Ramayan and Mahabharat. In modern terms the Mahabharat may be said to be realistic and the Ramayan idealistic, in their respective handling of human characters.

Sita in Ramayan is all that a woman could or should be. And is impressive by her sweetness and devotion. Draupadi in Mahabharat, on the other hand maybe any of the high spirited modern women with her anger and brooding for revenge and for that reason more human.

There is greater realistic truth in the full blooded characters of Mahabharat, higher passion, nobler resolve, fierce jealousy and more biting scorn and greater grandeur in many of it's scenes. Yet it is greater spiritual beauty, greater softness and tenderness of emotions in Ramayan. The subject of Mahabharat is men and war, while the subject of Ramayan is women and home.

These epics are regarded as the Vedas of the masses. People in sorrow, in joy and in daily toil turn to these epics for solace and inspiration. In Indian context norms of Epic are set by Ramayan and Mahabharat.

Many more topics were treated in great length by number of line verses or chapters but none equals these two. Interestingly, these two epics have provided canvas or theme for many forms of art, like paintings, sculpture, poems, plays and stories. This epic is written by Krishnadvaipayan Vyas. It was claimed that whatever that can exist in human life is all dealt with by Vyas in Mahabharat and conversely. Whatever that does not exist in Mahabharat can not exist in the world.

It is a story of a dynasty of Kuru that is Kaurav. Later on lineage assigned to Pandu that is dynasty of Pandava.And finally war between the two related families,which involved many small kingdoms throughout the nation.The final version of the epic was formed in the fourth century A.D.There are many Parvas having lacks of Shlokas. The most authentic version of Mahabharat was prepared in 20th century by many researchers under the guidance of Mr. Vaidya in Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute.

The story of Mahabharat has many substories, many plots and subplots hence by spread it is very wide. The epic has also inspired many artists like that by Ramayan. Many plays such as Abhidnyan Shakuntala, by Kallidasa, plays by Bhasa such as Venisamhara, Urubhanga etc. are based on the themes or plots from Mahabharat.The story is believed to have taken place around 1500 years BC.

Interestingly it was mentioned as history while the Ramayan was mentioned as a part of Purana. It was originally written as 'Jay'. It was later on revised as 'Bharata' and it was further expanded as 'Mahabharat'. It consists of story of Dushyant a king and Shakuntala a daughter of heavenly dancer Menaka. Her son was named as Bharat. He later on ascended the throne of Dushyant.

The name of the nation designated by foreigners as India bears his name to the subcontinent as Bharat. Hence the name of the nation is Bharat alias India. If Ramayan is symbolised as ideality and for setting up the norms and standards of ideality, Mahabharat can be considered as depiction of reality.

Ramayan has taught what it should be, whereas Mahabharat has bravely depicted what it generally is. It is story of lust, and renunciation, pious as well as crooks. It speaks of fearless warriors and cowardly behavior of some of them. Of obedience as well as rebels.

Though it is mainly a story of dynasties a character coming as a shepherd brought up as foster son of a chief in a village Mathura is raised to the height of God in the Indian minds. He is the one who is responsible for the final war between the two kingdoms to assert for righteous claim and only he is credited with the out come of the war, the victory of Pandavs.

Mahabharat as a pool of information mirrors society at that time, customs rites and rituals, value system and ethics of the time. It also speaks of political variation in the form of local democratic government to rural form of governance to kings and kingdom. It also reflects racial as well as cultural struggles amongst the different people of India. It has forged the Indian identity as unity in variety of races, languages, religious beliefs etc.

Part 1 - Story of Shakuntala

Story of Shakuntala

Once, nobody knows when, sage Vishwamitra was engaged in great austerities and penance that would give him almost absolute power over kingdom of Earth and Heaven. He had successfully completed requisite sacrificial rituals and now was engaged in meditation and Yogic practices.

The king of Heaven, God Indra, was shaken to know this effort of Vishmamitra that could pose danger to his throne! Therefore, Indra decided to put obstacles in his austerities and thereby break his sadhana - spiritual discipline. Indra thought of using weapon of lust to this end.

Accordingly, the most beautiful and ever youthful Apsara, Menaka, was sent from heaven to distract and seduce Vishwamitra, who was gaining alarming levels of yogic power through his concentrated meditation. (Apsara in Hindu mythology, heavenly nymph of great beauty, is often represented as a dancer at the court of the Hindu god Indra in his heavenly kingdom.) She descended down to earth from heaven and tried to tempt Vishmamitra by various charming dances and songs. After some efforts Vishmamitra fell to the lure of her beauty and youthful attraction. They were married and the tapas of Vishmamitra was broken. A beautiful daughter was born to them whom they named Shakuntala.

Her assignment completed, Menaka left back to the kingdom of heaven, and Vishmamitra, his tapas broken, left for forest retreat after handing over the new born baby to the sage Kanva, head of a forest ashrama. Under his fatherly love and care Shakuntala grew up as a simple but most beautiful lady. Her voice was sweet and her manners sober and graceful.

Story of Dushyanta and Shakuntala

Once, the great king of the region, King Dushyanta, happened to come near the ashrama of Shakuntala by way of hunting. He caught sight of Shakuntala and lost his heart to her beauty and grace. The king proposed to Shakuntala and they were married secretly. Dushyanta stayed overnight and left for his capital city promising Shakuntala that he would soon send for her. He gave his precious ring to his wife cautioning her not to lose it.

As the destiny had it, in his busy schedule of affairs of the kingdom, the king Dushyanta forgot all about his love -- Shakuntala.

Here, in the ashrama, Shakuntala was worried as news of her husband did not reach her, nor did he send anyone to take her to his palace. The worry almost turned into panic because of the fact that she was pregnant, and soon her condition was sure to reveal this truth. And indeed, sage Kanva and ladies of the ashrama noticed the change in Shakuntala. On inquiry, the truth became known to all. Sage Kanva had brought up Shakuntala as her daughter and hence he decided to send her to her husband, king Dushyanta, where she should be accepted as his queen.

The day was fixed for Shakuntala to leave. She was dressed in most beautiful silk attire and left for the kingdom of her husband in a ferry boat. The cool and balmy breeze put her to sleep and the royal ring slipped out of her finger. Soon it was swallowed by a fish. Shakuntala was not even aware of this fact.

She reached the court of Dushyanta, and a message was sent to the king of the arrival of 'a woman who claimed to be his wife'. Dushyanta had lost his memory about Shakuntala and all about their stay together. He refused to accept Shakuntala as his wife. The pitiful Shakuntala tried to remind her husband about the night they had stayed together in the forest ashrama of Kanva, etc.; but of no avail. The king had forgotten that part of his life. As a last resort, the pleading Shakuntala told him about the ring and tried to show the same, but in stead there was tragic dismay on her face when she did not find the ring on her finger!

Dejected and disappointed, Shakuntala left for the forest all alone and decided to give birth to the child. Gradually her self confidence returned, her fear vanished, and in due course of time she gave birth to a most beautiful and well developed son. She named him Bharata.

Bharata grew without any human company other than her mother. All around in the jungle he encountered wild animals, plants and trees. He developed into a fearless, healthy, and active child. Lions and tigers were his friends, and he used to ride them as we ride horses! The mother taught him, as a prince should be taught, skills in archery, and use of other weapons; as also acquainted him with Scriptures: Veda, and Upanishad. Bharata soon grew up as handsome, intelligent and fearless youth - a prince in exile!
*
There in the kingdom of Dushyanta, one fisherman caught the fish that had swallowed the royal ring that had slipped from the finger of Shakuntala. When he cut open the fish, he found the ring. He rushed to the royal court, and narrated the story to the king. On seeing his ring, the king remembered everything about Shakuntala and his love for her. He was sorry to send her pregnant wife away with such rudeness. He sent his men all around the kingdom in search of Shakuntala.

And one day the good news reached him when his minister told him about Shakuntala and her handsome son safe in the heart of the forest. The king went to fetch his wife and son, begged their pardon and with due honour and festivity brought them to the palace.

Later, Bharata became the king of ancient India. His rule extended over vast area, almost all over India. Righteousness and justice prevailed everywhere. There was no want, no misery, nor any disease in his kingdom. Since then India is also known as Bharatavarsha - the Land of Bharata.

Part 2 - Story of Shibi Rana

Story of Shibi Rana

After Bharata, his descendants flourished as mighty Kurus. Their kingdom extended in north India, the capital city of which was Hastinapur. The successive great kings ruled from here; great not only in material prosperity but also in their strength of character. Their whole life and activity was centered around upholding the rule of Dharma -righteousness. To these noble rulers, life was meaningless if not lived according to the Dharma. For this, they even went as far as sacrificing their own lives.

The story of one such great king will illustrate this point better.

Story of Shibi Rana

The king Shibi was famous for his truthfulness, justice, and keeping his word. The king of righteousness, Dharmaraj, himself decided to test the strength of character of Shibi Rana.

Once when the king was alone on the terrace of his palace, he saw one dove coming towards him with great speed. An eagle was after him, and to escape from the clutches of the chasing eagle the dove made frantic effort to hide some where. Seeing the king on the terrace, the frightened dove took shelter in his lap. The dove said, "O king, save my life, I have come under your shelter."

The king had vowed to protect anyone who took his shelter. Thus the weak and deprived could not be exploited by the rich and strong. However, this was a new experience for Shibi Rana. Was he in any way obliged to protect a bird who seeks his refuge? Contemplating for a while, the king decided that even tress, animals, and birds require protection and help as do human beings.

Therefore, the king said, "Have no fear my son. That eagle would not be able to touch even your feather. Relax in peace, have no worries." So saying the king readied himself to face the rapidly approaching eagle. The eagle landed in front of the king and said, "O king, you have hidden my prey. Please release him so that I can appease my hunger."

The righteous king saw the point in eagle's demand. He faced a peculiar dilemma of protecting the dove, and at the same time not to deprive the eagle of his rightful prey! He decided to resolve the issue by offering the eagle equal amount of meat from his kitchen. But the eagle insisted on having his prey -the dove - as his food. After some discussion the eagle agreed to set the dove free on two conditions.

The eagle said, "O King, I shall let the dove go, if equal weight of flesh from your body is offered to me as food."

Shibi Rana was quite pleased with the adjustment. He thought that a pound (or two) of flesh from his body would not kill him and the life of the dove in his shelter would also be saved.

Thus he was happy that he was saved from a great sin of 'inability to protect the weak'.

The eagle then put his second condition, saying, "O king, if a single tear drops from your eye I shall be constrained to accept you flesh as my food."

The king agreed and called for the knives and the balance. In one pan of the balance the dove was kept and on the other side a large chunk of flesh from the right thigh of Shibi Rana. But strange as it might seem, the pan with the dove always weighed more even as additional flesh was added! Thus almost whole of the right half of the king's body was cut. Still the weight could not be equaled.

At this juncture a drop of tear appeared in the left eye of the king. The eagle objected to this saying, "O king, I cannot accept the food given in distress. The tear in your eye shows that you are unhappy. So give me my prey back and you shall regain your normal health."

With a faint smile on his lips, Shibi Rana said, "Behold, O eagle, the left eye is not crying out of grief; this is a tear of joy. Now my left half of the body will also be used to honour the word I have given to you. Otherwise, if only right had satisfied you, the left half of the body would have been denied this great opportunity of sacrifice! Therefore, my dear friend, the left eye cries out of joy!"

This ultimate sacrifice of Shibi Rana was unparalleled in the history. The eagle and the dove disappeared and in their places stood the King of righteousness -Dharmaraj and the king of heavens --the Indra. Gods from the heavens showered flowers, perfumes, and praise on the king. They granted many boons to this noble king.

The king Shibi had passed the ultimate test to uphold Dharma, a true duty of every king. It is said that this king ruled for many years and after his death went directly to heaven to enjoy the fruits of his righteous karma.

Part 3 - Story of king Shantanu

Story of king Shantanu

Under such ethos and culture, the kingdom of Kuru king Shantanu prospered around Hastinapur. Business and commerce, peace and prosperity, art and literature flourished all around. People both inside the palace and out side were happy. High standard of education, both secular and spiritual, was maintained through the system of Gurukula (students staying with their teacher in an ashrama during their studentship.) Hard work, honesty, and sincerity made these students better citizens. The teacher -Guru- was well versed in all aspects of arts and science related with politics, statesmanship, warfare and economics. Yoga and meditation were routinely included in the curricula.

Once king Shantanu went for hunting. He reached deep into the forest across a river. After many hours of horse ride and laborious chase the tired king instructed his attendants to carry his horse and other possessions, and himself decided to return to his palace in a ferry boat.

The boatman, fisherman by caste, recognized the king and felt honored to have such a distinguished guest on his boat. Such occasions did not come in his life very often. He decided to make most of it. Therefore, he requested the king to accept his hospitality in his humble hut.

The king agreed. Together they reached the boatman's house for refreshments. The boatman tried to make the king as comfortable as he could by offering the king soft cushioned seat, fruits and milk. He called his daughter to serve the honoured guest. And as the fate had it, the king fell in love with the fisherman's daughter (Satyavati) at first sight! Their eyes met and love was exchanged.

King Shantanu made hasty departure and returned to his palace. But the love bug had made his nights sleepless. The constant thought of beautiful daughter of fisherman made him restless and love-sick.

The king started making secret visits to the fisherman's house. Fisherman did not object, why should he! The love between the king and Satyavati blossomed into the dreams of conjugal bliss. The king wanted to marry her.

Shantanu already had one son, named Bhishma, the most powerful, intelligent, and glorious of all the Kurus. His personality was unique and impressive in many ways. His truthfulness, bravery, and righteousness were beyond reproach. If once he decided anything, he was sure to stick to his word at any cost.

The Great Bhishma

As already said, the king wanted to marry the daughter of fisherman - Satyavati. The father was accordingly informed. Here the fisherman became greedy! He thought, "As the tradition goes, Bhishma is elder and will succeed the throne of Hastinapur. My daughter's son will be younger and hence will be denied the chance to become the king. Moreover, when Bhishma marries, his son will succeed to the throne and not my daughter's son."

Hence, the greedy fisherman told her daughter to marry the king only on the condition that (1) Bhishma should never aspire for the throne of Hastinapur, and (2) secondly, he should never marry.

The two conditions were too harsh for king Shantanu to accept. This was clearly a great injustice towards his beloved son Bhishma. Therefore, the king did not accept the conditions immediately. He bought some time to give his final decision.

The days passed by. The king could not forget Satyavati, nor could he do injustice to Bhishma. This dilemma told on his health and performance of royal duties. He lost his appetite and took no interest in the affairs of his kingdom. These changes did not remain unknown to the intelligent eyes of Bhishma.

Bhishma decided to go to the root cause of the unhappiness of his father. He soon came to know all about his father's love for Satyavati and his desire to marry her. Bhishma decided to bring cheers in the life of his father. He went to Satyavati and, after introducing himself, requested her (would be step mother) to marry his father.

Satyavati repeated her two conditions to Bhishma now: that (1) Bhishma should never aspire for the throne of Hastinapur, and (2) secondly, he should never marry.

The firm-minded Bhishma vowed in front of her saying, "O mother, I, upon my word and in presence of this river Ganges, pledge never to marry and never to aspire for the throne of Hastinapur. In addition, till my last breath, I promise that I shall be loyal to the throne of Hastinapur whosoever occupies it." Thus indirectly Bhishma assured the fisher-woman that her son would be accepted as the future king of Hastinapur.

Happy days returned as the king Shantanu married Satyavati. The queen gave birth to two sons named Chitrangad and Vichitravirya.

The Kingdom Of Hastinapur

Days passed by. King Shantanu died natural death of old age. His elder son Chitrangad also died in young age. Hastinapur came under the rule of Vichitravirya and continued to flourish under his rule. Vichitravirya was married to three princesses, but as the fate had it, could not become father. Soon Vichitravirya also was killed in a battle without any issue. His queens were offered a child each from a great sage as a blessing and through his Yogic Power (without physical contact). The two queens followed the instructions and gave birth to Dhritarashtra and Pandu respectively; but the third queen sent her maid to the sage, and Vidura was born of the maid as the third son.

Dhritarashtra was blind from the birth, and therefore Pandu succeeded the throne of Hastinapur. Pandu, Dhritarashtra, and Bhishma grew up as friends and conducted the affairs of the state with great foresight. They all respected each other. Vidura was most righteous of all and was chosen as the Prime Minister of Hastinapur. Pandu married Kunti (aunt of Sri Krishna) and princess Madri; while Dhritarashtra was married to Gandhari, the princess of Gandhar. This noble lady also kept her eyes folded throughout her life as an mark of respect to her blind husband Dhritarashtra.

Part 4 - Story of Bhishma

Story of Bhishma

Bhishma was son of Shantanu and the river goddess Ganges. His mother Ganges had left Shantanu after giving birth to Bhishma. That is different story which would be included in appendix.

Having given his word of honour to his step mother, Satyavati, Bhishma remained celibate all through his life. Marriage was never thought of, nor any sensual desire ever arose in his mind. This great Yogi was adept in many Yogas and practice of meditation.

His truthfulness was such that whatever he spoke came true. He knew every martial art and war tricks. He was the most respected person in the kingdom of Hastinapur. Reverentially he was called Bhishma Pitamaha - Grandsire Bhishma.

He served his step mother, then her son Vichitravirya, later his sons Pandu and Dhritarashtra as a mark of loyalty to the throne of Hastinapur. He was well aware of the weaknesses and ethical decline in the character of his grandsons, and could foresee the cumulative tragedy that was sure to befall the kingdom of Hastinapur. Bhishma was well aware of jealousy of Duryodhana towards Pandavas which he at times openly disapproved. But even this righteous behavior of Bhishma was taken as tilt towards Pandavas and dislike for Kauravas. But, lest his reproach be seen as his disloyalty to Hastinapur, he kept quiet as a silent suffering head of the clan. As a silent and helpless witness Bhishma tolerated all this with melancholy. He never made any attempt to become king of Hastinapur, or to dislodge the weak and morally selfish successor to the throne. Vidura as his best friend understood the peculiar predicament and mental state of Bhishma.

Bhishma, Dronacharya, Vidura, Kripacharya, all righteous in their own way, were still at fault because, though helpless, they served and sided with the non-righteous Duryodhana and Dhritarashtra.

Part 5 - Story of Arjuna

Story of Arjuna

The Princes Grow

Childhood
The princes grew into wonderful children. After thread ceremony, they all went for studies to the ashrama of their Guru Acharya Drona (also called Dronacharya) - Teacher of the Royal family. Dronacharya was well versed in ancient scriptures -- Vedas and Upanishads, as well as in practices of Yogas and Meditation. Besides he was adept in various martial and other arts useful in war time, useful in defence and attack. In particular, Acharya Drona was the supreme authority on training his disciples in the art of archery.

Story of Arjuna 1

Out of all Pandavas and Kauravas, Arjuna had immense liking for the sport of bow and arrow. He practiced this art with great concentration and perseverance. Soon he became numero uno in this art. Acharya Drona was very much pleased with Arjuna and showed preferential love and favour towards him. This caused a natural adolescence jealousy in the heart of Duryodhana and his brother Dushasana. Duryodhana, in particular, did not like Arjuna and other Pandavas and silently ill feelings like hatred towards Pandavas took birth in his heart.

One day they openly criticized their Guru for favour shown towards Arjuna, telling him they also were not less skillful in archery. As a reply to their criticism, Acharya Drona arranged a test to decide the best archer amongst all.

Accordingly, a wooden bird was put on a branch of a distant tree. It was partly hidden by the foliage. A prominent artificial eye was painted on the wooden bird. The teacher called all his disciples and said, "Look my children, a bird is sitting on that far off tree. You have to hit the arrow exactly in its eye. Are you ready?"

Everyone nodded. First the eldest Yudhisthira was invited to try his skill. He stretched his bow-string and was about to release the arrow when Dronacharya asked him a question, "O eldest son of Kunti, may I know what is visible to you at this point of time?"

Yudhisthira replied innocently, "Why, O Gurudev, I am seeing you, the tree, people around me, and the bird!"

Similar questions were put to Duryodhana, Bhima, Nakul, Sahadeva and others, and Acharya Drona got the similar answers as those given by Yudhisthira. Acharya told them to step aside as it was obvious that with such poor concentration they were sure to miss the target!

Lastly, it was the turn of Arjuna. He readied himself, his bow and arrow in perfect graceful harmony! When the Guru asked him, "O Arjuna, will you tell me what is being observed by you?"

And Arjuna replied, "Sir, at this point of time only the eye of the bird is visible to me." When asked by the teacher whether he was able to see the bird, the tree, and people around, Arjuna replied in negative maintaining that he saw the eye of the bird only.

Dronacharya was pleased with Arjuna's immense concentration and correct approach towards the art of archery. He then explained to others how due to such peculiar yogic qualities and powers he preferred Arjuna as his best disciple.

Everyone saw the point, including Duryodhana; but the seed of jealousy was sown in his heart. In his attempt to equal Arjuna and other Pandavas, Duryodhana fell victim to anger and similar base emotions the effect of which would sure to show later in our story.

Part 6 - Story of Ekalavya

Story of Ekalavya

Near the ashrama of Drona, where Arjuna and his brothers used to take lessons in various arts, there lived a small bright boy, shudra by caste (lower caste). His name was Eklavya. He had great desire to learn the art of archery from Dronacharya. But his mother had told him that as a shudra, Acharya Drona would not accept Eklavya as his disciple. It was futile to dream of such a privilege.

But the boy was not be put off, his determination knew no bounds. Near his house, under a tree Eklavya installed a clay idol of Dronacharya that he worshiped as his Guru! Daily, morning and evening, this devotee put flower and natural perfumes in front of this image and took Self-Lessons in the art of bow and arrow. The talented young Eklavya soon acquired high knowledge in archery. He attributed his success to his Guru Dronacharya.

One day, as it happened, Acharya Drona and Arjuna were passing near the hut of Eklavya. It was pleasant and peaceful afternoon and people were taking rest. But the tranquility and silence was broken by constant barking of a dog. Eklavya did not like this, and therefore, he shut the mouth of the dog with an arrow! Dronacharya and Arjuna were surprised to see the dog with his mouth sealed with an arrow!

Naturally the curious Arjuna asked his Gurudev as to who could have done this delicate job. Even Dronacharya was amazed and knew the archer must be exceptionally skilled artist. They decided to trace this skillful fellow and reached the spot where Eklavya was practicing wonders with his bow and arrow in front of the clay image of Drona. It took no time for Dronacharya to understand the situation. He realized that Eklavya was superior to Arjuna in some respects. Dronacharya loved Arjuna very much and had declared him to be the best archer on the earth. Hence the Guru thought for awhile and came to a decision to remove Eklavya as a competitor to Arjuna.

Dronacharya went to Eklavya and said, "O young man, who has taught you such wonderful skills in archery! Who is your Guru?"

Seeing the Guru in front of him, the boy Eklavya was more that overjoyed and said, "Why, O Gurudev, this all is your grace! I worship you as my Guru. Look you are there in that image!"

Dronacharya was pleased with the dedication of Eklavya, and said, "I bless you my son. But as is customary, won't you give me my fees - Guru-Dakshina!"

[It is customary in India to give to the Guru whatever he demands as his fees - Guru-Dakshina for the knowledge the Guru has given to the disciple.]

Eklavya was overwhelmed to see Dronacharya had accepted him as his disciple! Out he said, "O Honourable Teacher, whatever you ask, this humble disciple of yours will try his utmost to offer you as Guru-Dakshina! I am blessed."

And now comes a very touching and pathetic incidence in Mahabharata.

Guru Drona said, "O Eklavya, I am pleased with your respect for Guru. I want the thumb of your right hand as my fees- Guru-Dakshina."

The trees and atmosphere around stood still for a minute! Even Arjuna was stunned on listening to the unusual and almost cruel demand of his Guru. To ask for the thumb of an archer was equivalent to almost kill him! How could Dronacharya demand such a heavy prize from one disciple to protect the honour of the other!

But Eklavya had no such remorse. Unruffled and with due humility, cheerfully and without protest, he cut his right thumb and placed at the feet of Dronacharya. Gods in the heaven silently praised the greatness of Eklavya's sacrifice.

Part 7 - Story of Karna

Story of Karna

From Adolescence To Adulthood

All the princes returned to Hastinapur after completing their studies at Drona's ashrama. They grew into healthy and powerful adults. All were trained in various branches of knowledge including statesmanship, diplomacy, economics, sociology, and so on. Moreover, everyone excelled in one particular skill of war-game. Yudhisthira was expert in swordsman-ship and throwing javelin, while Bhima and Duryodhana excelled in fighting with mace - heavy metal club. Excellence of Arjuna in archery is already mentioned.

Story of Karna 1

Before marriage, Kunti, wife of Pandu, was immersed in god worship, meditation and Yoga. She undertook arduous austere practices to please God. In fact, out of curiosity she was experimenting with the power of Yoga and concentration associated with intense devotion to God. Her prayers and spiritual practices were rewarded with the blessings of Sun God, who granted her a boon by which she, if and when desired, would get a son from luminous deity without physical contact!

To test her newly acquired power, still unmarried, Kunti decided to have a son from Sun God Himself. She prayed and wished as told to her. And wonder of wonders, a most beautiful and powerful son was born to her. He had inborn protective armour over his chest and in his ears - the kavacha and kundalas. This was "Karna", Kunti's eldest son and the most important and controversial character of our future story.

In India, as today, in those days also, teenage pregnancy and unwedded motherhood were great taboo. Kunti, the unwedded mother, became apprehensive to receive Karna as her son. 'What to do with such a lovely child', was a great problem for her. She could not kill the newborn, nor could she keep him. What would the people say? How would the society react to her shameful act, she would shudder to think.

A great blot on her character would be put, blot of premarital sex and promiscuity. Nobody would believe her story that she has received the child from the Sun God out of her power of Yoga.

Kunti, therefore, decided to desert the child Karna. She prepared a wooden basket, provided cushions inside, and put the little Karna in it. She left the basket afloat in the river currents to run off to the unknown destination, away from her life!

After a few days, a couple in a far off town sighted the basket. Both husband and wife were curious to see the basket floating in the river. The man swam down the river and fetched the basket to the bank. They were surprised to find a healthy new-born baby in it! This childless couple was immensely pleased to find a new born in their custody. As if merciful God had gracefully granted them their desired prayer! With tenderness Radha took Karna to her chest. The motherly love produced enough milk in her breast to satisfy the hunger of the starving baby.

Karna, the powerful and radiant as his father - Sun God, protected by the armour of kavacha and kundalas, grew into his childhood. Away from the real mother Kunti, he accepted Radha as her real mother.

Karna's foster parents were charioteers by caste: Adhiratha and Radha by name. (Radha brought up Karna as her son and hence Karna is also known as Radheya. As he was brought up by these low caste parents, Karna is also known as Sut-Putra. Later we shall see how this caste factor plays an important role in his adult life.)

After marriage with Pandu, Kunti wished for three very powerful sons: Yudhisthira, Bhima, and Arjuna. Moreover, Madri had two issues: Nakul and Sahadeva. But the king Pandu and Madri died when all the five children were very young. Kunti promised Madri to look after her Nakul and Sahadeva as her own children without any discrimination. Thus the five brothers came to be known as sons of Pandu -the Pandavas. Their love and affection for each other was (is) set as an example for others, till today also! Thus the five Pandavas grew under the loving care of Mother Kunti. No one knew about their elder brother, Karna - the first son of Kunti born before her marriage.

Dhritarashtra now became the king of Hastinapur. Dhritarashtra and Gandhari had one hundred sons and daughters. These were called as Kauravas. The eldest amongst them was Duryodhana. The second eldest was Dushasana Dushala was their only sister. As cousins they played and grew with Pandavas without any ill feeling or discrimination. Kunti and Gandhari lived like sisters, and each one thought she had 105 sons and daughters!

Story of Karna 2

The great Karna, away from Hastinapur, also grew up as a very powerful and generous adult. Our interest at present is to know about Karna's boyhood and education etc. For his studies, Karna went to the ashrama of Parashurama, the Guru of Brahmins. Parashurama had decided to take only Brahmin boys as his disciples. Therefore, Karna went there in disguise of a Brahmin boy and learnt old scriptures, Vedas, Upanishads, and became exceedingly expert in the art of bow and arrow, archery. It was said that nobody, not even Arjuna, could equal Karna in archery. The Guru was pleased with Karna's sincerity, hard-work, devotion and similar noble qualities.

One day sage Parashurama was resting with his head in the lap of Karna. Soon he fell asleep. Meanwhile a big insect started to bite the thigh of Karna. He felt agonizing pain and blood started to ooze from the wound. But he endured lest the sound sleep of his revered Guru should be disturbed. But the stream of hot blood reached the Guru due to which he was awakened from his sleep. He was amazed at the degree of tolerance and endurance of Karna who did not even stir or move his body at such a great pain. But a thought crossed Parashurama's mind: how could a Brahmin boy tolerate such great pain! Brahmins are not known to show such grit in enduring physical suffering, rather warrior caste is known for such a feat. Thence, Parashurama asked Karna his real name and identity.

Karna could not tell a lie now. He told his story to his Guru and begged his pardon to have come in the disguise of a Brahmin. Parashurama was angry that he was deceived to accept a low caste fellow as his disciple. Therefore, he cursed Karna saying: "O Karna, even though you are great in bravery, art of archery, and in service to me, still as you have deceived your Guru, I send a curse to you that at a crucial time on the battle-field the wheels of your chariot will get stuck in the earth. The consequences would be grave."

The disappointed Karna returned to his parents. His restless heart wanted some change and, therefore, he requested his parents to permit him to visit Hastinapur.

The Show of Skills

At that time a great festival of competitive sports was held in Hastinapur. Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Duryodhana and others exhibited their skills in various arts like archery, mace-fight, javelin and sword warfare, etc. the Royal bench was graced by such dignitaries as Bhishma, Dhritarashtra, Kunti, Gandhari and Dronacharya. Everyone was praising the great expertise of the princes.

In particular, the skills of Arjuna in archery like bringing rains after hitting the clouds and building a bridge of arrow, etc. surprised and immensely impressed the spectators. Karna was also present in the crowd. He could not resist his desire to compete with Arjuna in the skills of bow and arrow, where he was sure he was superior to Arjuna. Therefore, Karna got up in the crowd and challenged Arjuna to compete with him. The people were jubilant as they were sure to see their favourite Arjuna to win. But Guru Drona was doubtful. He suspected that this little known archer might pose problem for his beloved disciple Arjuna and therefore, Dronacharya decided to stall this show of skill between the two. He objected to Karna's demand to compete wit Arjuna saying:

"O young man, who are you? Please identify yourself and let us know your credentials. Of what state are you a king or a prince? Arjuna will be pleased to compete with you only if you are one from a royal family."

The sut-putra Karna (i.e. of low caste) understood the trick Dronacharya played on him, but could do nothing. Therefore Karna kept silent.

At this, the jealous Duryodhana saw a great opportunity to humiliate Arjuna. He immediately stood up and went to Karna. Covering him with the royal cloth from his own attire, Duryodhana declared, "Listen, dignitaries and people of Hastinapur, I accept Karna as my best friend and make him the king of Anga Province. At present that province is under my rule and I have full authority to nominate anyone as the king of that land. So be it Karna. Henceforth Karna is not a low caste ordinary citizen of Hastinapur, but should be respected as Angraja - King of Anga Province."

Thus Karna was put under the obligation of Duryodhana forever. He accepted the friendship of Duryodhana for which he gave his life, about which later.

Part 8 - Jealous Duryodhana

Jealous Duryodhana

Bhishma, Dronacharya, and Vidura called a meeting to designate the next king, in place of Dhritarashtra. Two options were discussed. First, Yudhisthira being the eldest of the Kuru princes was considered for nomination. Second view, supported by Dhritarashtra and his brother-in-law Shakuni (brother of his wife queen Gandhari and maternal uncle of Duryodhana) was to select Duryodhana as the future king. But the opinion of Bhishma, Dronacharya, Kripacharya (Guru of the Royal House), and Vidura of nominating Yudhisthira as the heir-apparent prevailed.

Jealous Duryodhana Plans to Kill Pandavas

This naturally caused huge disappointment in Duryodhana's camp. Uncle Shakuni was well known for his villainous nature and cunning. He was displeased with the fact that his nephew Duryodhana was denied the chance to become the king. For this purpose in particular, he had come to stay at Hastinapur. He was well aware of the value and power of a king. Therefore, he lost no opportunity to humiliate and even to attempt to kill the Pandavas.

Soon the desired opportunity came to the evil minded Duryodhana and Shakuni to put an end to Pandavas.

Palace of Lac (combustible material)

In nearby town of Varnavata, a grand exhibition used to be arranged every year. The organizers always sent an invitation to the King of Hastinapur to send some members of Royal Family to grace the occasion. This time, Duryodhana and Shakuni persuaded Dhritarashtra to send Pandavas to Varnavata. The king agreed, and accordingly Pandavas were informed. Yudhisthira and brothers were also happy to get the opportunity to mix with the people of their kingdom and get first hand information about their problems or wellbeing.

Therefore, accompanied by their mother, Kunti, Pandavas decided to attend the exhibition at Varnavata.

As was customary, the organizers decided to build a temporary palatial house for their stay. The job was entrusted to one expert contractor whom Shakuni knew very well. Bribing the fellow, Duryodhana and Shakuni deliberated a secret plan to put an end to the life of Pandavas. It was decided that the palace that would house the Pandavas should be constructed out of highly inflammable material like Lac, resins, hemp, oil, fat, etc. the contractor completed his job very meticulously and it was not possible to detect any foul play from cursory outward examination of the house.

Duryodhana and uncle Shakuni arranged to send their secret agent in guise of a servant who was instructed to put the house on fire when Pandavas would be fast asleep. Death due to burns would appear as an accident.

Thus plan was sure to succeed had the spies of Vidura, the Prime Minister and well wisher of Pandavas, had not told Vidura about the same. Vidura, on his part, alerted the Pandavas about the 'death trap' and a solution was offered in the form of digging an underground tunnel in advance to fool the Kauravas. The tunnel opened in far off forest.

The house was torched as planned and it burnt to ashes within no time. Pandavas had already left through the tunnel, but five workers and servants were charred to death. Everyone, including the Karna, took Pandavas to be dead.


The narrow escape put Kunti in a state of shock and apprehension. She could not put her sons at the mercy of Duryodhana and Shakuni. She was afraid they would again make attempt on their lives. Therefore, she pleaded with her sons to live incognito for time being.

Accordingly they stayed in the forest for a few days.

Part 9 - Marriage of Bhima

Marriage of Bhima

The narrow escape put Kunti in a state of shock and apprehension. She could not put her sons at the mercy of Duryodhana and Shakuni. She was afraid they would again make attempt on their lives. Therefore, she pleaded with her sons to live incognito for time being. Accordingly they stayed in the forest for a few days.

Bhima Marries Hidimbi

This forest was under the rule of demon Hidimba and his sister Hidimbi. When the demons smelled the flesh of humans Hidimba decided to kill them and eat them as his food. He sent his sister to assess the situation.

But as the fate had it, Hidimbi fell in love with huge and powerfully built Bhima! She transformed herself into a beautiful woman and approached Bhima with desire to marry him. She told the evil designs of her brother to kill them. Bhima was not afraid, and decided to fight it out with Hidimba.

He all alone, without disturbing his brothers and mother, challenged the demon chieftain. The ensuing fight was very terrible, to say the least. Both of them fought with great gusto, uprooting huge trees and using them as their weapons. The noise and din created by the two fighting giants awoke remaining Pandavas and Kunti. They rushed to the scene of fight and found Bhima engaged in very unusual battle. In the end Hidimba was killed and Bhima was victorious.

This pleased Kunti very much and was also proud of his son Bhima. But presence of an unknown but beautiful lady by the side of Bhima puzzled her. When she inquired abut the same, Hidimbi herself told everyone about her real identity and her desire to marry Bhima. Kunti realized that not only Hidimbi was in true love with her son , but also she was instrumental in saving their lives. Therefore, she asked Bhima to fulfill the desire of Hidimbi. Bhima agreed on one condition, that he would leave her after they had one son. Hidimbi agreed and they were married.

They were blessed with the most powerful and obedient son - Ghatotkacha. This son of Bhima stayed with her mother, and promised his father to appear before him as soon as he remembered him. Later in the war of Mahabharata, we shall see how Ghatotkacha played very important role in saving lives of his father and Pandavas at the cost of his own life.

Sri Krishna and Pandavas

Kunti and Pandavas decided to leave the forest and go to nearby city. Accordingly, in guise of a Brahmin family, they decided to stay in the city of Ekchakra begging for their food from door to door. It was decided that they would equally share whatever they get amongst themselves.

The days passed by, one day they came to know about the announcement of the marriage of the beautiful princess of Panchal - Draupadi. Arjuna knew about the bravery and beauty of Draupadi and in fact was desirous of marrying her.

Sri Krishna, King of Dwaraka, had meanwhile become friend and saviour of Pandavas.

Sri Krishna
Numerous legends describe Krishna's miracles and heroic exploits. He slew and defeated scores of evil demons and monsters. He appears prominently in the epic poem Mahabharata, in which he sides with the Pandavas and acts as the charioteer of the hero Arjuna. It is to Arjuna, troubled on the eve of the decisive battle (more about which later), that Krishna delivers the celebrated discourse on duty and life known as the Bhagavad-Gita.

Part 10 - Marriage With Draupadi

Marriage With Draupadi

Marriage of Draupadi

In particular, Arjuna was the best friend and disciple of Sri Krishna. Arjuna respected Sri Krishna as his chosen ideal and guide. On the other hand, princess Draupadi had accepted Sri Krishna as her brother and guide. Therefore, Sri Krishna was interested in the marriage of Draupadi.with Arjuna.

Draupadi was very brave and beautiful. She was equally intelligent. She put a condition for her marriage. She would wed the prince who would pierce the eye of the rotating wooden fish by looking at its reflection.

Accordingly, a pole was erected in the courtyard at the tip of which a rotating device was fixed. On the top this device was mounted a wooden fish and at the bottom was kept a tub of water where reflection of the fish could be seen. The competing prince had to look at this reflection and hit the eye of the fish above with an arrow. Only one chance would be given to each desirous prince.

Many princes from all over India had come to try their luck in getting her as bride. Duryodhana, Karna, Arjuna and other Pandavas were a few amongst these. But as was obvious, the difficult test could allow only the best archer to succeed. Arjuna, in the disguise of a Brahmin, was one such fellow! Draupadi was waiting for Arjuna to succeed. Sri Krishna present as an observer also felt likewise.

Soon the competition began. One after another, great archers tried their skills, but in vain. Then arose Karna, the expert. Saluting the king and others present in the court, he approached to undertake the difficult but possible test that would give him Draupadi as his bride. Sri Krishna, always alert to rescue his devotees from the difficult situations, pointed Draupadi to object as it was likely that this great archer could win.

Karna Insulted

Draupadi got up and raised the objection saying, "O noble one, please let me know your credentials. Of what state you are the prince or the king? who are your parents? As far I know you a lowly sut-putra, and such I have no desire to marry you. You do not qualify to take this test."

The insult made Karna red with anger, but he could do nothing. What Draupadi said was true and everyone in the hall agreed. Duryodhana got up and protested saying, "O proud princess, you have insulted my friend who is the king of Anga province. I command you to apologize." But Draupadi was not be intimidated. She replied, "O prince of Hastinapur, I agree with what you say, but that still does not alter the status of your friend Karna. Out of charity and your mercy he had become the king, and not of his own. I cannot marry him."

The duo of Duryodhana and Karna left the court of king Drupad, father of Draupadi, and vowed to avenge the insult at some later time.

Arjuna Triumphs

Next it was the turn of Arjuna to try his skills to win over the hand of his prospective bride. He saluted Sri Krishna and in one go pierced the eye of the fish. Draupadi was pleased and put the garland in the neck of Arjuna. Thus they were married.

Half of the court shouted 'victory to the Brahmin, but the other half objected to the participation of a Brahmin in the marriage meant for warrior caste only.

Draupadi becomes Wife to all five brothers

Taking advantage of the confusion and chaos, Sri Krishna made quick arrangements to send the newly married couple off to the city of Ekchakra! Reaching their small hut, Pandavas announced their arrival and told the mother Kunti to guess what they have brought that day. Innocently, Kunti, thinking that her children must be talking about the food they had received, said, "O my dear sons, I know you bring wonderful things; as usual divide the gift amongst yourself and enjoy."

This terrible command applied to Draupadi now. As the custom went they had to obey every word of their mother as final order. Kunti also became worried about the difficult predicament. Can a wife ever divided amongst five brothers!

Sri Krishna came to know all about and he advised the Pandavas to accept Draupadi as common wife of all the five brothers. Thus Draupadi, also known as Panchali, became wife of five brothers.

Sage Narada advised the Pandavas to honour the privacy of Draupadi when she was alone with any other brother. Whosoever entered the room of Draupadi when she was with other brother would be forced to self exile as the punishment. All the brothers agreed. Thus the problem of one wife and five husbands was solved!

Arjuna marries Subhadra, sister of Sri Krishna

As it happened, once there was an attack on some local Brahmins and robbers were forcibly taking away their cows. They asked Arjuna's help. Therefore, to bring his bow and arrow he had to enter and pass through the room of Draupadi when she was alone with Yudhisthira. Arjuna saved the lives of Brahmins and the sacred cows but had to leave for exile all alone.

Arjuna visited many places of pilgrimage and princely states from North to South and East to West. At last he reached the kingdom of Dwaraka which was ruled by his friend and mentor Sri Krishna. The two friends had very nice time, but there was a problem. Elder brother of Sri Krishna, Balarama (who was the Teacher of Duryodhana in his war skills), had decided to give the hand of their sister Subhadra to Duryodhana in the marriage. Sri Krishna did not approve of this marriage and wanted Subhadra to wed Arjuna. Therefore, he asked Arjuna to secretly run away with his sister and marry her. Subhadra had also decided to marry Arjuna and therefore, with the consent of Sri Krishna she eloped with Arjuna and they were married. Balarama later relented.

The couple is then blessed with a son - Abhimanyu -- who becomes very handsome, energetic and expert in war games. He was endowed with a special gift to penetrate any format of enemy line. He later plays very important role in the war of Kurukshetra -- the war of Mahabharata.

Part 11 - The Indraprastha Kingdom

The Indraprastha Kingdom

Formation of Indraprastha Kingdom for Pandavas

Sri Krishna, Bhishma, Dronacharya and others persuaded Dhritarashtra to recall Pandavas back and give them their rightful half of the kingdom with due honour. Dhritarashtra acceded to their wishes, though somewhat reluctantly. Duryodhana and Uncle Shakuni opposed the idea and Karna maintained that war would be better recourse to settle the issue. dispute should be settled by war. But better sense prevailed, and according to the dictate of king Dhritarashtra part of the kingdom was given to Yudhisthira and his brothers.

Khandavavana, a sparsely populated area with meager facilities for trade and agriculture came to Pandava's lot. However, they did not grumble an developed Indraprastha as their capital city. All five brothers worked hard to bring prosperity to Indraprastha. People joined their labour and soon Indraprastha became as glorious as Hastinapur.

Saints and sages, gods and angels all preferred Indraprastha to Hastinapur for touring and pilgrimage. Even plant and animal life prospered due to righteous behavior of Pandavas. Gods in the heaven showered continuous blessings on them.

Yudhisthira performed a great sacrificial ceremony - Rajasuya Yagna - wherein many kings participated and pledged unflinching support to Yudhisthira and many accepted his sovereignty as well. Thus over a period of many years, gradually but surely Pandavas were recognized and accepted as powerful, noble, and better rulers than Kauravas. Sri Krishna visited them off and on, and Arjuna became his friend and best disciple.

Infuriated Duryodhana Plans To End Pandava's Glory

All this infuriated Duryodhana and uncle Shakuni. They were not happy with the glorious progress and prosperity of their cousins and Indraprastha. Jealousy and hatred, as is well known, create conditions for revenge and meanness. Somehow or the other they wanted to see an end to the well being of Pandavas.

Duryodhana and Shakuni started to analyze the strength and weaknesses of their counterparts. Duryodhana knew that it was futile to attack them or engage the Pandavas in war as that was sure to cause downfall of Hastinapur. It was also sensed that Sri Krishna, Bhishma, and Dronacharya would oppose any such move.

At last, uncle Shakuni, the great schemer, found the weak point he was looking for. He knew that Yudhisthira as a king would unlikely to refuse to play game of dice if royal invitation was sent to him.

Here Shakuni was adept in this game of dice. He had specially prepared dice that followed his command! He could very easily fix the game where victory of Kauravas was assured. Thus after proper persuasion, Dhritarashtra sent invitation to Yudhisthira to participate in the game of dice. At Indraprastha, mother Kunti protested and warned them not to engage in gambling game as it might lead to disaster. But determined Yudhisthira decided to accept the invitation.

Accordingly, the five brothers and their wife Draupadi reached Hastinapur. A warm welcome awaited them. Pandavas saluted Bhishma, Dronacharya, and Vidura and sought their blessings. These elders and well-wishers of Pandavas also cautioned Yudhisthira to be careful of the ill designs of Shakuni and Duryodhana.