lunes, 12 de julio de 2010

17 - Mahaprasthanika Parva - Mahaprasthanika Parva The Pandavas Return to the Spiritual World

Contenido - Contents







Mahaprasthanika Parva



The Pandavas Return to the Spiritual World



While Arjuna had been away in Dvaraka, a few months had passed and still he did not return. Maharaja Yudhisthira then began to observe some inauspicious omens, which were very fearful. He saw that the direction of eternal time had changed, and this was disturbing. There were disruptions in the seasonal regularities. The people in general had become very greedy, angry and deceitful. And he saw that they were adopting foul means of livelihood. All ordinary transactions and dealings became polluted with cheating, even between friends. And in familial affairs, there was always misunderstanding between fathers, mothers and sons, between well-wishers, and between brothers. Even between husband and wife there was always strain and quarrel. In the course of time it came to pass that people in general became accustomed to greed, anger, pride, etc.

Maharaja Yudhisthira, observing all these omens, spoke to his younger brother, Bhima "I sent Arjuna to Dvaraka to meet his friends and to learn from Lord Krishna about His recent pastimes and activities. Since he departed, seven months have passed, yet he has not returned. I do not know factually how things are going there. Is He going to quit His earthly pastimes, as Devarshi Narada indicated? Has that time already arrived? From Lord Krishna only, all our kingly opulence, good wives, lives, progeny, control over our subjects, victory over our enemies, and future accommodations in the higher planets have become possible. All this is due to His causeless mercy upon us. Just see, O man with a tiger's strength, how many miseries due to celestial influences, earthly reactions and bodily pains--all very dangerous in themselves--are foreboding danger in the near future by deluding our intelligence. The left side of my body, my thighs arms and eyes are all quivering again and again. I am having heart palpitations due to fear. All this indicates undesirable happenings. Just see, O Bhima, how the she-jackal cries at the rising sun and vomits fire, and how the dog barks at me fearlessly. O Bhimasena, tiger amongst men, now useful animals like cows are passing me on my left side, and lower animals like the asses are circumambulating me. My horses appear to weep upon seeing me. Just see! This pigeon is like a messenger of death. The shrieks of the owls and their rival crows make my heart tremble. It appears that they want to make a void of the whole universe. Just see how the smoke encircles the sky. It appears that the earth and mountains are throbbing. Just hear the cloudless thunder and see the bolts from the blue. The wind blows violently, blasting dust everywhere and creating darkness. Clouds are raining everywhere with bloody disasters. The rays of the sun are declining, and the stars appear to be fighting amongst themselves. Confused living entities appear to be ablaze and weeping. Rivers, tributaries, ponds, reservoirs and the mind are all perturbed. Butter no longer ignites fire. What is this extraordinary time? What is going to happen?

The calves do not suck the teats of the cows, nor do the cows give milk. They
are standing, crying, tears in their eyes, and the bulls take no pleasure in
the pasturing grounds. The Deities seem to be crying in the temple, lamenting
and perspiring. They seem about to leave. All the cities, villages, towns,
gardens, mines and hermitages are now devoid of beauty and bereft of happiness.
I do not know what sort of calamities are now awaiting us. I think that all
these earthly disturbances indicate some greater loss to the good fortune of
the world. The world was fortunate to have been marked with the footprints of
the lotus feet of the Lord. These signs indicate that this will no longer be."

While Maharaja Yudhisthira was speaking to Bhima, Arjuna came back from the
city of the Yadus. When he bowed at his feet, the King saw that his dejection
was unprecedented. His head was down, and tears glided from his lotus eyes.
Seeing Arjuna pale due to heartfelt anxieties, the King, remembering the
indications of the sage Narada, questioned him in the following words, "My dear
brother, please tell me whether our friends and relatives of the Madhu, Bhoja,
Dasarha, Arha, Satvata, Andhaka, and Yadu families are passing their days in
happiness. Is my respectable grandfather Surasena in a happy mood? And are my
maternal uncle Vasudeva and his younger brothers all doing well? His seven
wives headed by Devaki, are all sisters. Are they and their sons and
daughters-in-law all happy? Are Ugrasena, whose son was the mischievous Kamsa,
and his younger brother still living? Are Hridika and his son Kritavarman
happy? Are Akrura, Jayanta, Gada, Sharana and Satrujit all happy? How is
Balarama, the Personality of Godhead and the protector of devotees? How is
Pradyumna, the great general of the Vrishni family? Is He happy? And is
Aniruddha, the plenary expansion of the Personality of Godhead, faring well?
Are all the chieftain sons of Lord Krishna, such as Susena, Carudeshna, Samba
the son of Jambavati, and Rishabha, along with their sons, all doing well?
Also, Shrutadeva, Uddhava and others, Nanda, Sunanda and other leaders of
liberated souls who are constant companions of the Lord are protected by Lord
Balarama and Krishna. Are they all doing well in their respective functions? Do
they, who are all eternally bound in friendship with us, remember our welfare?
Is Lord Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, who gives pleasure to the
cows, the senses and the brahmanas, who is very affectionate towards His
devotees, enjoying the pious assembly at Dvaraka Puri surrounded by friends?
The original Personality of Godhead, the enjoyer, and Balarama, the primeval
Lord Ananta, are staying in the ocean of the Yadu dynasty for the welfare,
protection and general progress of the entire universe. And the members of the
Yadu dynasty, being protected by the arms of the Lord, are enjoying life like
the residents of the spiritual sky. Simply by administering comforts at the
lotus feet of the Lord, which is the most important of all services, the queens
at Dvaraka, headed by Satyabhama, induced the Lord to conquer the demigods.
Thus the queens enjoy things which are prerogatives of the wives of the
controller of thunderbolts. The great heroes of the Yadu dynasty, being
protected by the strong arms of Lord Sri Krishna, always remain fearless in
every respect. And therefore their feet traverse the Sudharma assembly house,
which the best demigods deserved but which was taken away from them.

"My dear brother," Yudhisthira continued, "please tell me whether your health
is all right. You appear to have lost your bodily luster. Is this due to others
disrespecting and neglecting you because of your long stay at Dvaraka? Has
someone addressed you with unfriendly words or threatened you? Could you not
give charity to one who asked, or could you not keep your promise to someone?
You are always the protector of the deserving living beings, such as brahmanas,
children, cows, women and the diseased. Could you not give them protection when
they approached you for shelter? Have you contacted a woman of impeachable
character, or have you not properly treated a deserving woman? Or have you been
defeated on the way by someone who is inferior or equal to you? Have you not
taken care of old men and boys who deserve to dine with you? Have you left them
and taken your meals alone? Have you committed some unpardonable mistake which
is considered to be abominable? Or is it that you are feeling empty for all
time because you might have lost your most intimate friend, Lord Krishna? O my
brother Arjuna, I can think of no other reason for your becoming so dejected."

Arjuna, the celebrated friend of Lord Krishna, was grief stricken because of
his strong feeling of separation from Krishna. Due to grief, Arjuna's mouth and
lotus-like heart had dried up. Therefore his body lost all luster. Now,
remembering the Supreme Lord, he could hardly utter a word in reply. With great
difficulty he checked the tears of grief that smeared his eyes. He was very
distressed because Lord Krishna was out of his sight, and he increasingly felt
affection for Him.

Remembering Lord Krishna and His well wishes, benefactions, intimate familial
relations and His chariot driving, Arjuna, overwhelmed and breathing very
heavily, began to speak, "O King! The Supreme Personality of Godhead Hari, who
treated me exactly like an intimate friend has left me alone. Thus my
astounding power, which astonished even the demigods, is no longer with me. I
have just lost Him whose separation for a moment would render all the universes
unfavorable and void, like bodies without life. Only by His merciful strength
was I able to vanquish all the lusty princes assembled at the palace of King
Drupada for the selecting Draupadi in marriage. With my bow and arrow I could
pierce the fish target and thereby gain the hand of Draupadi. Because He was
near to me, it was possible for me to conquer with great dexterity the powerful
King of heaven, Indradeva, along with his demigod associates and thus enable
the fire-god to devour the Khandava forest. And only by His grace was the demon
named Maya saved from the blazing Khandava Forest, and thus we could build our
assembly house of wonderful architectural workmanship, where all the princes
assembled during the performance of Rajasuya sacrifice and paid you tributes.

"Your respectable younger brother, who possesses the strength of ten thousand
elephants, killed, by His grace, Jarasandha, whose feet were worshiped by many
kings. These Kings had been brought for sacrifice in Jarasandha's Mahabhairava
sacrifice, but they were thus released. Later they paid tribute to Your
Majesty. It was He only who loosened the hair of all the wives of the
miscreants who dared open the cluster of your Queen's hair, which had been
nicely dressed and sanctified for the great Rajasuya sacrificial ceremony. At
that time she fell down at the feet of Lord Krishna with tears in her eyes.
During our exile, Durvasa muni, who eats with his ten thousand disciples,
intrigued with our enemies to put us in dangerous trouble. At that time He,
Lord Krishna, simply by accepting the remnants of food, saved us. By His
accepting food thus, the assembly of munis, while bathing in the river, felt
sumptuously fed. And all the three worlds were also satisfied.

Arjuna continued, "It was by His influence only that in a fight I was able to
astonish the great Lord Shiva and his wife, the daughter of mount Himalaya.
Thus Lord Shiva became pleased with me and awarded me his own weapon. Other
demigods also delivered their respective weapons to me, and in addition I was
able to reach the heavenly planets in the present body and was allowed a
half-elevated seat. When I stayed as a guest in the heavenly planets, all the
heavenly demigods, including King Indradeva, took shelter of my arms, which
were marked with the Gandiva bow, to kill the demon named Nivatakavacha. O
King, descendant of Ajamidha, at the present moment I am bereft of the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, by whose influence I was so powerful.

"The military strength of the Kauravas was like an ocean in which there
dwelled many invincible existences, and thus it was insurmountable. But because
of His friendship, I, seated on the chariot, was able to cross over it. And
only by His grace was I able to regain the cows and also collect by force many
helmets of the kings which were bedecked with jewels that were sources of all
brilliance. It was He only who withdrew the duration of life from everyone and
who, in the battlefield, withdrew the speculative power and strength of
enthusiasm from the great military phalanx made by the Kauravas, headed by
Bhishma, Karna, Drona, Salya, etc. Their arrangement were more than adequate,
but He Lord Sri Krishna, while going forward, did all this. Great generals like
Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Bhurishravas, Susharma, Salya, Jayadratha, and Bahlika
all directed their invincible weapons against me. But by Lord Sri Krishna's
grace they could not even touch a hair on my head. Similarly, Prahlada
Maharaja, the supreme devotee of Lord Nrisimhadeva, was unaffected by the
weapons the demons used against him. It was by His mercy only that my enemies
neglected to kill me when I descended from my chariot to get water for my
thirsty horses. And it was due to my lack of esteem for my Lord that I dared
engage Him as my chariot driver, for He is worshiped and offered service by the
best men to attain salvation.

"O King! His joking and frank talks were pleasing and beautifully decorated
with smiles. His addresses unto me as 'O son of Pritha, O friend, O son of the
Kuru Dynasty,' and all such heartiness are now remembered by me, and thus I am
overwhelmed. Generally both of us used to live together and sleep, sit and
loiter together. And at the time of advertising oneself for acts of chivalry,
sometimes, if there were any irregularity, I use to reproach Him by saying, 'My
friend, You are very truthful.' Even in those hours when His value was
minimized, He, being the Supreme Soul, used to tolerate all those utterings of
mine, excusing me exactly as a true friend excuses his true friend, or a father
excuses his son.

"O Emperor," Arjuna continued, "now I am separated from my friend and dearmost
well-wisher, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and therefore my heart appears
to be void of everything. In His absence I have been defeated by a number of
infidel cowherds men while I was guarding Lord Krishna's wives. I have the very
same Gandiva bow, the same arrows, the same chariot drawn by the same horses,
and I use them as the same Arjuna to whom all the kings offered their due
respects. But Lord Krishna's absence, all of them, at a moment's notice, have
become null and void. It is exactly like offering clarified butter on ashes,
accumulating money with a magic wand or sowing seeds on barren land. O King,
since you have asked me about our friends and relatives in the city of Dvaraka,
I will inform you that all of them were cursed by the brahmanas, and as a
result they all became intoxicated on rice wine and fought among themselves
with sticks, not even recognizing one another. Now all but four or five of them
are dead and gone. Factually this is all due to the supreme will of the Lord,
the Personality of Godhead. Sometimes people kill one another, and at other
times they protect one another. O King, as in the ocean the bigger and stronger
aquatics swallow up the smaller and weaker ones, so also the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, to lighten the burden of the earth, has engaged the
stronger Yadu to kill the weaker, and the bigger Yadu to kill the smaller. Now
I am attracted to those instructions imparted to me by the Personality of
Godhead because they are impregnated with instructions for relieving the
burning heart in all circumstances of time and space."

Thus being deeply absorbed in thinking of the instructions of the Lord, which
were imparted in the great intimacy of friendship, and in thinking of His lotus
feet, Arjuna's mind became pacified and free from all material contamination.
Arjuna's constant remembrance of the lotus feet of Lord Sri Krishna rapidly
increased his devotion, and as a result all the trash in his thoughts subsided.
Because of the Lord's pastimes and activities and because of His absence, it
appeared that Arjuna forgot the instructions left by the Personality of
Godhead. But factually this was not the case, and again he became the lord of
his senses. Because of his possessing spiritual assets, the doubts of duality
were completely cut off. Thus he was freed from the three modes of material
nature and placed in transcendence. There was no longer any chance of his
becoming entangled in birth and death, for he was freed from material form.

When the Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna, left this earth planet in His
selfsame form, from that very day Kali, who had already partially appeared,
became fully manifest to create inauspicious conditions for those who are
endowed with a poor fund of knowledge. Maharaja Yudhisthira was intelligent
enough to understand the influence of the age of Kali, characterized by
increasing avarice, falsehood, cheating and violence throughout the capital,
state, home and among individuals. So he wisely prepared himself to leave home,
and he dressed himself accordingly. In the capital of Hastinapura, he enthroned
his grandson, Parikshit, who was trained and equally qualified, as the emperor
and master of all land bordered by the seas. Then he posted Vajra, the son of
Aniruddha, at Mathura as the King of Surasena. Afterwards Maharaja Yudhisthira
performed a Prajapatya sacrifice and placed in himself the fire for quitting
household life.

Maharaja Yudhisthira at once relinquished all his garments, belt and ornaments
of the royal order and became completely disinterested and unattached to
everything. Maharaja Yudhisthira dressed himself in torn clothing, gave up
eating all solid foods, voluntarily became dumb and let his hair hang loose.
All this combined to make him look like an urchin or madman with no occupation.
He did not depend on his brothers for anything. And, just like a deaf man, he
heard nothing. He then started for the north, treading the path accepted by his
forefathers and great men, to devote himself completely to the thought of the
Supreme Personality of Godhead. And he lived in that way wherever he went.

The younger brothers of Maharaja Yudhisthira observed that the age of Kali had
already arrived throughout the world and that the citizens of the kingdom were
already affected by irreligious practice. Therefore they decided to follow in
the footsteps of their elder brother. They all had performed all the principles
of religion and as a result rightly decided that the lotus feet of the Lord Sri
Krishna are the supreme goal of all. Therefore they meditated upon His lotus
feet without interruption. Draupadi also saw that her husbands, without caring
for her, were leaving home. She knew well about Lord Vasudeva, Krishna, the
Personality of Godhead. Thus she followed her husbands wherever they went.

The citizens tried to persuade the Pandavas to return, but they were intent on
following the path taken by the Supreme Lord. It so happened that a dog joined
the party making the number at seven. Yudhisthira walked in front followed by
Bhima. Then came Arjuna, the twins, Draupadi and the dog walked next to
Yudhisthira. The Pandavas traveled through various provinces until they came to
the ocean. Arjuna had brought with him his bow and two inexhaustible quivers of
arrows. As they were walking, suddenly the deity of fire, Agni, appeared before
them. He blocked their path and would not allow them to proceed further. He
then addressed the Pandavas, "O mighty armed heroes, I am the fire god Agni. It
was I who caused the destruction of the Khandava forest with the help of the
Lord Krishna and Arjuna. At that time I gave to Arjuna the Gandiva bow and two
inexhaustible quivers. Now, O Yudhisthira, Arjuna has no more need of these
weapons. The Gandiva was given to Partha by Varuna. Please give that foremost
bow back to the deity of the water."

Arjuna's brothers then urged him to give back the bow to the demigod Varuna.
Hearing the appeals of his brothers, Arjuna cast the bow and the two quivers
into the ocean. The demigod of fire then disappeared. The Pandavas continued on
their journey and headed toward the Himalayan mountains. They crossed those
mountains and also the great desert. They then came upon mount Meru. As they
were proceeding up the mountain, Draupadi fell to the earth. Bhima then
inquired from Yudhisthira, "O brother, this princess never performed any sinful
act. Tell us the reason why Draupadi has fallen on the Earth."

"O best of men," Yudhisthira replied, "though we were all equal to her, she
had greater partiality for Dhananjaya. Today, she obtains the fruit of that
affection."

Having said this, that foremost one of the Bharata race proceeded on. His mind
was in rapt meditation on the lotus feet of the Supreme Personality of Godhead.
As they were proceeding, Sahadeva fell to the ground. Bhima then inquired from
Yudhisthira, "He, who with great humility used to serve us all, has now fallen
to the ground. What is the cause of this?"

"He never thought anyone his equal in wisdom," Yudhisthira replied, "It is for
this fault that he has fallen."

Having said this much, the Pandavas continued on their journey leaving
Sahadeva there. Upon seeing Draupadi fallen as well as Sahadeva, Nakula
suddenly fell to the ground. Bhima then inquired, "O Bharata, for what reason
has our younger brother fallen?"

"O Vrikodara," Yudhisthira replied, "Nakula was righteous and the foremost of
all persons endowed with intelligence. However, he thought no one was his equal
in beauty. Indeed, he thought himself superior to all in this respect. It is
for this reason that he has fallen."

After saying this much, Yudhisthira continued on his journey. As they were
walking suddenly Arjuna fell to the ground. When that invincible hero had
fallen, Bhima inquired of Yudhisthira, "I do not recollect any untruth uttered
by this great person. Indeed, not even in jest did he ever speak a lie. Why,
then, has he fallen to the Earth?"

"Arjuna said that he would consume all foes in a single day," Yudhisthira
replied. "Proud of his heroism, he did not, however, accomplish what he had
promised. For this reason he has fallen down. This Phalguna has disregarded all
wielders of bows. One desirous of prosperity should never indulge in such
sentiments."

Having said this much, the King proceeded on. Suddenly Bhima fell to the
ground. He called to Yudhisthira, "O King, I have now fallen to the earth. What
sin have I committed that this is happening to me?"

"You ate too much and you have always boasted of your strength," Yudhisthira
replied. "You never considered the desires of others while eating. It is for
this reason that you have fallen." Saying this much the King proceeded on
without looking back. His only companion was the dog.

As the King was walking suddenly Indra, the King of heaven, appeared in the
sky. He descended to the earth and asked Yudhisthira to ascend the chariot.
Remembering how his brothers had fallen, Yudhisthira said, "My brothers have
all fallen to the earth. They must go with me to visit your planet. Without
them, I do not wish to go to heaven. The delicate princess Draupadi deserving
of every comfort should also come with us."

"You shall see your brothers in heaven." Indra replied, "They have already
reached there in their self same bodies. Please ascend this chariot, and I will
take you to Amaravati."

"This dog, O lord of heaven, is exceedingly devoted to me," Yudhisthira said.
"He should come with me. My heart is full of compassion for him. I do not
desire to enjoy the prosperity of heaven if I have to leave those who are
devoted behind."

"There is no place in heaven for dogs." Indra replied, "Besides, if this dog
does accompany you, you will lose all your pious credits. O Yudhisthira, do
abandon this dog and ascend this chariot."

"It has been said that one incurs sin when he abandons one who is devoted to
him." Yudhisthira said. "It is equal to the sin of slaying a brahmana.
Therefore, I shall not abandon this dog to enjoy the heavenly region. My vow is
that I will never refuse a person that is terrified, nor one that is devoted to
me, nor one that seeks my protection. I shall never give up one who approaches
me in this way."

Upon hearing these words, the dog transformed into Yamaraja, the deity of
justice and spoke to Yudhisthira the sweet words, "O King, your birth is
divine, and you possess the good qualities of Pandu. You have compassion for
all creatures, and you are a good example for others. Formerly, O son, I
examined you by the lake in Dvaitavana when your brothers had fallen to the
ground. On that occasion you asked that Nakula be revived instead of Bhima and
Arjuna. On this occasion you have chosen the devoted dog instead of the chariot
of the demigods. There is no equal to you in heaven, O King."

After speaking these praises, Yamaraja caused his son to ascend the celestial
chariot of Indra. Accompanied by Yamaraja, Indra, the Maruts and the twin
Asvins, King Yudhisthira ascended to the heavenly region. Upon reaching the
heavenly planets, Yudhisthira could not see his brothers. He told the King of
Heaven that he did not want to stay there without his brothers and the
beautiful Draupadi. Yudhisthira was then taken to the hellish planets. He was
taken down a road that was enveloped in darkness and walked by men of sinful
deeds. It was polluted with the stench of flesh and blood, and it abounded with
gadflies, stinging bees and gnats. Rotting corpses lay here and there. Covered
with bones and hair, it was terrible to behold. It was infested by crows and
other birds and vultures, all having beaks of iron. Human corpses were
scattered all over it. Some of the corpses were smeared with fat and blood, and
some had their limbs severed. Yudhisthira beheld a river of boiling water, and
trees had leaves as sharp as razor blades. The son of Kunti beheld all the
tortures given to sinful men. He then understood that he had been taken to the
hellish regions. Yudhisthira then asked the celestial messengers, "How long
shall we follow this path, and why have I been taken to the regions where the
sinful are punished?" After asking this question, all the illusions of hell
disappeared and Yudhisthira saw the demigods headed by Indra standing before
him. Indra then answered the inquiry of Yudhisthira, "During the great battle
of Kurukshetra, you were ordered to tell a lie by Lord Krishna. When asked to
inform Drona that his son was dead, you hesitated being attached to mundane
morality. Because you hesitated to act on that order, you have seen the hellish
regions. You have therefore seen Hell by an act of deception. You may now
attain the divine regions where the most pious persons live."

Yudhisthira was then taken to the abode of Indra, and there he saw his
brothers in their full splendor. He then saw that his own body was dressed in
divine clothes and ornaments. As he looked up he saw Draupadi effulgent as the
goddess of fortune. Indra then spoke to Yudhisthira, "O son of Dharma, this is
Shree herself. It was for your sake that she took birth as the daughter of King
Drupada, and it was for your pleasure she was asked to take birth by great Lord
Shiva." Yudhisthira and his brothers then beheld many of the great warriors who
had died on the field of Kurukshetra. He saw many of them in the forms of
demigods. After greeting them and inquiring of their welfare, the Pandavas
spent some time in the heavenly region.

The sons of Pandu and the goddess of fortune Draupadi were all eternal
associates of the Lord. They, therefore, desired the association of the Lord of
Goloka, Lord Sri Krishna. Thus by pure consciousness due to constant devotional
remembrance, they attained the spiritual sky, which is ruled over by the
Supreme Narayana, Lord Krishna. This is attained only by those who meditate
upon the one Supreme Lord without deviation. This abode of the Lord Sri
Krishna, known as Goloka Vrindavana, cannot be attained by persons who are
absorbed in the material conception of life. But the Pandavas, being completely
washed of all material contamination, attained that abode in their very same
bodies. Thus they were transferred to the eternal spiritual sky and the eternal
association of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Krishna.

The subject of the departure of the sons of Pandu for the ultimate goal of
life, back to Godhead, is fully auspicious and is perfectly pure. Therefore
anyone who hears this narration with devotional faith certainly gains the
devotional service of the Lord, the highest perfection of life.



Thus Ends the Mahaprasthanika Parva, The Pandavas Return to the Spiritual
World.



Thus Ends the Summary Study of the Mahabharata



This summary study of the great epic Mahabharata has been completed in New Vrindavana community on the full moon day in the month of Jyaistha (May-June). This is the 499th year of our Lord Sri Krishna Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. This corresponds to June 3, 1985 of the Christian calendar.



CONCLUDING WORDS



The birth, activities and disappearance of the Supreme Personality of Godhead are not like the activities of ordinary mortals in this world. As stated in the fourth chapter of Bhagavad-gita, "One who knows the transcendental nature of My appearance and activities does not, upon leaving the body, take his birth again in this material world, but attains My eternal abode, O Arjuna." One should not foolishly think the Mahabharata to be a fantasy made up by the imaginative minds of the great sages of old. The Mahabharata is pure fact. Vyasadeva, the literary incarnation of the Supreme Lord, wrote down the activities of the Lord and His devotees by virtue of His divine vision. Therefore, the Mahabharata and other Vedic literatures such as the Ramayana, Shrimad Bhagavatam, Upanishads and others are divinely inspired literatures and are meant to purify the mind and instill constant thought of the Supreme Lord. This is the final conclusion of this book. There are many editions of the Mahabharata which differ in small details, but the Siddhanta or conclusion is the most important ingredient. Whether Shishupala was killed with a Sudarshana discus or an arrow is not important. The important thing to understand is that Shishupala attained liberation from the cycle of birth and death. This summary study of the Mahabharata has taken the conclusions of the Shrimad Bhagavatam wherein many of the same pastimes are told. Originally the Mahabharata was written by Vyasadeva to attract the minds of the shudras, women and fallen twice born brahmanas. In it there are many descriptions of the heavenly planets and of fruitive activities. This summary study of the Mahabharata consists of the essence of spiritual life and concentrates on that theme. The essence is that Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead, and that we are all His servants. This Siddhanta has been stated in the eighteenth chapter of the Bhagavad-gita which
is included in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. There Lord Krishna tells Arjuna, "Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are my very dear friend. Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear." Vyasadeva hoped that by reading the historical narrations of the Mahabharata common persons would be attracted to the philosophy of Bhagavad-gita. We have tried to present Mahabharata so that this conclusion is present on every page. I hope that the readers of this edition will enjoy the pastimes of the Supreme Personality of Godhead and His pure devotees the Pandavas, and remember the Supreme Lord Krishna by chanting the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra, Hare Krishna,


Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/
Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.


Mahabharata H.J. Resnik

Mahabharata H.J. Resnik

09 - Salya Parva - The Death of Salya
14 - Ashvamedha Parva
16 - Mausala Parva
17 - Mahaprasthanika Parva - Mahaprasthanika Parva...

El Mahabharata
The Mahabharata - neurom.ch
The Mahabharata - bombay.oriental.cam.ac.uk


Mahakali Caves (696):
Mahalanabis, Dilip (2000):
Mahanthappa, Rudresh (1860):
Maharashtrian Brahmin communities (448):

Mahendravarman (2131):
Mahâdhara (1041):
Mahishmati (212):


Links Vaishnavas:

Links

His Holiness Jayadvaita Swami Maharaja's website
www.jswami.info

Library108.com Multi Media library of HH Jayadvaita Swami and HH Kadamba Kanana Swami
www.library108.com

Sri Mayapur - Spiritual Capital of the World
www.mayapur.com

Sri Vrindavan-dham (all about Vrindavan)
www.vrindavan-dham.com

ISKCON Vrindavan
www.iskconvrindavan.com

Bhaktivedanta Swami Goshala - ISKCON Vrindavan
www.goshala.com

Dandavats.com - ISKCON News
www.dandavats.com

Vaisnava Vani
openair.fm/vaisnavavani

ISKCON SYDNEY
His Holiness Kadamba Kanana Swami
4 lectures and Sri Nrsimha Pranama
www.iskcon.com.au/Audio.html

Lectures at Bhaktivedanta Manor in RealAudio
Kadamba Kanana Swami - Chaitanya Charitamrita class
chantandbehappy.com/Manor

ISKCON.com (ISKCON Communications Europe)
www.iskcon.com

Krishna.com (Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, current main ISKCON resource site)
www.krishna.com

The Bhaktivedanta Archives
www.prabhupada.com

The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International
www.bbt.info

Bhaktivedanta College
www.bhaktivedantacollege.com

www.eurogbc.com

North European BBT
www.krishna.se

Devamrita Swami
www.devaswami.com

Distributing Prabhupada's Books
www.sankirtandiary.com

ISKCON Padayatra Website
www.padayatra.com

Photos

Uddhava dasa
picasaweb.google.com/uddhava.kks

Yadurani d.d.
picasaweb.google.com/Yaduranidd.KKS

KKSvami Blog
picasaweb.google.com/kksvami

Alexandra
picasaweb.google.com/JaiNitai108
www.flickr.com/photos/--iskcon--leipzig--/sets/72157612912609078/

SUMMER FESTIVAL 2002 (Sydney)
day 6 | day 7

KKSwami.com



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