The Role of Lord Sri Krishna in the Mahabharatam -2

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19/05/2018

The Role of Lord Sri Krishna in the Mahabharatam -2

(Spoken by Swami Krishnananda on Sri Krishna Janmasthami in 1972)

There is a tradition called the Bhagavata Saptaha, and we know what Vyasa has written about Sri Krishna in the Tenth Skanda of the Srimad Bhagavata. I shall try to append these glorious descriptions of the Tenth Skanda with the other aspect of the life of Sri Krishna which Vyasa tells us in the Mahabharata – without which, a very important aspect of his life will be completely out of our mind’s picture.

We may say that the intention of Vyasa in writing the life of Sri Krishna in the Mahabharata is to demonstrate the character of a most-unselfish life of perfection. It is action to the core, and action not bringing any good to oneself. That is the essence of unselfish perfect action. This is very magnificently given to us in this sonorous, soul-lifting and powerful style of the Mahabharata.

The style of the Mahabharata is different from that of the Bhagavata. Only if you read it will you know what the difference is. The style of an epic is different from the style of a Purana. It is a lifted, elevated and stirring style that is called the epic style of writing. We are possessed by a power, rather than by a feeling, when we read an epic like the Mahabharata or the Ramayana, or any other epic of the world. A sense of unimaginable power creeps into our veins when we read an epic. That is the difference between an epic presentation and a mere narration.

As I said, the early life of Sri Krishna commences from the prayer of the gods for the descent of divine force to the earth, passing through various lilas until the demolition of Kamsa, the tyrant. Then starts his more active life in the field of society wherein he has to set right various defects, errors, anomalies and disharmonies in the society of those days. Then he turned his attention to a new type of activity to rid the world of the embodiment of evil. That is how we see him making his presence in the court of Draupada at the Swayamvar of Draupadi. For the first time, his mention is made in the Mahabharata, in the Adi Parva, where he silently was seated in a corner in the court of Draupada where hundreds of thousands of kings and princes had assembled to woo Draupadi’s hand. He had no part to play there; he was a witness. And we know what happened there. Many kings attempted; Arjuna succeeded.

But these Pandava brothers who were there in the court of Draupada were disguised as Brahmins. They were out of their kingdom due to their problems with Duryodhana and the Kaurava brothers, and they had moved away from the capital in the guise of Brahmins, not as Kshatriyas. Brahmins were not supposed to sit in the court of Draupada, for that purpose at least; but when all the princes failed in their attempt, one young Brahmin boy got up and hit the mark and won the hand of Draupadi to the consternation, fury, greed and anger of all seated there. “How could it be possible, a Brahmin boy defeating all the princes and kings? They could not understand how this could be. “Is it magic, or are our eyes not all right? We don’t see things properly.”

To be continued ..

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