LORD KRISHNA'S RASLEELA SHOULD NOT BE EMULATED

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

    Most Gopis (radha and her sakhis) in their previous lives were great female Rishis (Sage). They were extremely proficient in the study of Vedas. When, Sri Krishna was earlier born as Lord Ram in Ayodhya, all the Rishis wanted to have sensual pleasure with him. Lord Ram had then given a vardaan (blessing) that when he is born as Krishna he will fulfill their wishes. Therefore, to have sensual pleasure with Sri Krishna was an old time wish of the Gopis. And for making Sri Krishna their husband they even went up to Devi Katyayani. There are many such examples like this that establish the fact of Sri Krishna’s supremacy. He was certainly not tied down to the systems and procedures of the physical and mortal world. To bless his devotees in various life situations he used to undertake various jobs and roles. But he could do this only because he was the supreme force. Ordinary and common people should only follow the great teachings of Lord Krishna as spoken and written in Bhagwad Gita. They should never imagine or dare to imitate Krishna by doing the raasleela (Dance of divine love).

    If Sri Krishna could perform raasleela, he could also lift the Goverdhan mount with his little finger. Or he could even kill the ferocious female demon Pootna which was not possible by any ordinary human being. And he had that supreme might to carry out such tasks. Such instances only decorate his personality. In the same manner even raasleela was an uncommon task, that couldn’t have been performed by an ordinary person. Mythology says even Arjun kept doing his duty as advised by Sri Krishna to keep him happy. Doing his duty alone was in his prowess even when Arjun was a great warrior. Krishna desired he should fight his enemies for the sake of mankind which he did to please him. First Arjun was not ready to fight. But later when Krishna exhorted him he changed his mind and decided to fight. Ordinary people only need to follow righteousness and Dharma in the form of karma. They should not abandon their karma at any cost. And by trying to emulate raasleela they are only inviting their own disaster. In the same manner Lord Shiva after Samudra Manthan (churning of the sea) drank the poison that came out of it. This was in the interest of humanity and since then his throat went blue. But if an ordinary person drinks poison to copy Shiva he will surely die.

    So it goes without saying. Whatever Sri Krishna did with the Gopis in the raasleela was on account of the age old Vardaan that carried no personal benefit for him.

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THE TWO MAJOR HISTORICAL EPICS IN HINDUISM- WRITTEN BY VALMIKI, TULSIDAS AND VED VYAS

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

    Had it not been for the ultimate epic writers and sages such as Valmiki and Tulsidas who wrote Ramayan, and Ved Vyas who wrote Mahabharat Hinduism would have remained incomplete and perhaps in the confines of God alone. And it is only because of these great all time writers that the history of Hinduism has spread so comprehensively across the world since inception.

    Ramayan and Mahabharat are the two historical sagas referred as Itihas (history) in Hinduism that serve as eternal inspiration for humanity and is considered as the putative and exemplary realization of the four … purusharthas (efforts): Dharma (righteous and dutiful) Artha (wealth) Kama (desire and fulfillment) and Moksha (liberation).

    Ramayan in real sense is the ‘abode of Lord Ram’ and is smaller of the two great works. The tireless epic mirrors the highest ideals of Hindu tradition, culture and civilization. The story relates to Treta Yug (one of the four ages of the world) and centers on Ram, the prince of Ayodhya an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and his wife Sita, the incarnation of Mother Lakshmi. Ramayan sings the glory of Lord Ram and advises humanity on how to lead a fulfilling life and attain the four purusharthas. The epic is profound and timeless in its popularity and teaches, with the use of symbolism, how an individual can evolve to greatness and perfection.

    Sage Valmiki’s Ramayana has been translated into most Indian languages, as well as several foreign languages, including Russian. It consists of 24,000 stanzas in seven cantos, and depicts Rama as the ideal king, son, brother, friend, and husband. In Bharat, Lakshman, and Shatrughan, we see exemplified ideal brothers. In Sita, we have the purest flower of Indian womanhood, who is devoted to her Lord in thought, word, and deed.

    Ramayana is an ideal textbook of morals and values that inspires nobler dimensions of character and conduct. Other noteworthy and famous versions of Ramayana include Sage Veda Vyasa’s Adhyatma Ramayana, Goswami Tulsidasa’s Shri Ramcharitamanas (Tulsi Ramayana), and Kambar’s Kamba Ramayana.

    Mahabharata is an epic that is more than eight times the size of Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey combined, and in philosophical content is unparalleled to any other literary work in the world. This grand book of knowledge contains more than 100,000 stanzas in 18 chapters and is the work of the renowned Sage Veda Vyasa.

The underlying theme of Mahabharata is yato dharma tato jayah, “where there is dharma, there is victory,” indicating the ultimate triumph of good over evil and the establishment of righteousness.

The story unfolds toward the end of Dvapara Yuga, and describes the genealogy and events leading up to, and after, the familial war between royal cousins.

    The story is used as a vehicle to convey eternal philosophical truths of the highest order. It is said, “That which is in Mahabharata can be seen elsewhere, but that which is not therein cannot be seen anywhere else.” This gives an idea of the comprehensiveness of subjects in the epic, which is full of lofty instructions on all aspects of human life and endeavour—an inspiring saga of India’s past glory, portraying all that is great and noble in humanity.

    The guiding spirit throughout the epic is the divine figure of Lord Krishna, who brings the pure and the righteous to Himself, and who destroys evil and evildoers. Shrimad Bhagwad Gita or the “Lord’s Song,” is part of Mahabharata.

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Follow the teachings only, don’t attempt to imitate God- Gita

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

A tip from Gita

Follow the teachings only, don’t attempt to imitate God- Gita

“Man should attempt to follow the spiritual teachings of God; either by following the God directly or through his avatars on whom he has vested such powers. His updesh (sermons) alone are good enough for the welfare of human beings, which any intelligent person can explain to us in a proper manner.

It is indeed in the interest of human beings to draw their lessons only from the sermons of God and never try and attempt to either imitate or emulate his actions for that could be hazardous. A devotee of Lord God Shiva shouldn’t attempt to consume poison just as he drank all the poison that came out from the Samudra Manthan (Churning of the sea)

We should consider God as the supreme power and his avatars the forces that reign and control the direction and speed of the sun and the moon.   Any person without such powers in his own interest should not try and imitate or emulate the all powerful God almighty.

Lord God Shiva consumed all the poison that came out of Samudra manthan, because he had the capacity and ability to do so, but if an ordinary person tries to consume even a drop of poison he will die. Lord Shiva has many ardent devotees and followers who consume ganja (Cannabis) and other intoxicating stuff, thinking they are permitted to follow suit just because Lord God Shiva consumes it. Such devotees and followers are only killing themselves because their body and soul does not have the capacity to sustain this poison over a long period of time like Lord Shiva.

In the same manner there are many devotees of Lord Krishna who intend to practice and imitate his Rass-Lila or love dance but forget that he also had the capacity to lift theGoverdhan Parvat which an ordinary person can’t.

Therefore the best option would be not to imitate the all powerful God and his Avatars and only follow their updesh. Without eligibility and capacity one should not try and copy what he does as it will only hurt. And there are many God’s and Avatars who too don’t have the powers of God Almighty yet they are God’s.

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SHORT STORY: FORGIVENESS--TO REIGN OVER JEALOUSY

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

King Vishvamitra along with his army had left for Aakhet. And on the way while he was crossing the dense forest he came somewhat close to Maharishi Vashist’s ashram, and thought of paying him a visit. Maharishi Vashist was too pleased to receive him and offered him heartfelt courtesies and hospitality. But there was something that was now bothering Vishvamitra. He could not understand how an ever-meditating Maharishi Vashist from the confines of his small ashram and cottage feed a sumptuous meal to his entire army.

    And when he came to know that this was possible because of his holy cow Nandini, he asked for the cow from Maharishi Vashist. But Maharishi Vashist refused to part with his holy cow at any cost. This annoyed Vishvamitra who then by using force tried to take away the cow from Vashist. But Nandini at the instance of Vashist mooed loudly to produce some tough warriors who then drove out Vishvamitra and his army from the surroundings of the ashram.

    Vishvamitra then attacked Maharishi Vashist with his Divyastra (supernatural weapons) but in front of Vashist’s Brahmdand (weapons conferred by Lord Brahma) his Divyastra failed. This made Vishvamitra, who was Kshatriya by caste realise that the might of Kshatriya can do no harm to a Brahmin. Vishvamitra therefore decided to seek Brahminism through intense tapsiya (meditation)

     And after many years of intense and harsh tapasiya he was able to grab the attention of Lord Brahma, who was now happy with his efforts and therefore gave him darshan (auspicious sight) but only to say—‘in case Maharishi Vashist recognises you as a Brahm-rishi you will become a Brahmin.’

    It was both difficult and insulting for Vishvamitra to pray to Vashist as he considered him as his rival. And Vashist always addressed him as Rajrishi whenever he met him, and this further irritated Vishvamitra. And by now he had become a great enemy of Vashist. Vishwamitra then motivated a rakshas (demon) to kill all the hundred sons of Vashist, and was always on the lookout for an opportunity to disgrace and insult Vashist.

    Since Vishvamitra was failing in all his attempts to demean Maharishi Vashist, he decided to wield the craftsmanship of Lord Brahma himself. And this was something crazy as he decided to create a new shristi (Universe) and become its Brahma. And with his tapobal (meditating power) he started creating a new world. New cereals, new flora and fauna, new animals---and he kept on creating and creating, as if testing Lord Brahma’s patience. And in the end Lord Brahma came and stopped him. And assured that whatever he had already created will remain and co-exist exist with the existing.

    And this further frustrated Vishvamitra. For he realised nothing was succeeding for him and so he decided to eliminate Maharishi Vashist. And therefore: after arming himself with weapons, in the night he quietly sneaked into Vashist’s ashram. Actually he wanted to kill Vashist on the sly and without his knowing. It was a moonlit night. And outside his cottage Maharishi Vashist was sitting on his vedi (seat) along with his wife. Where, Vishvamitra was waiting for an opportune moment in the hiding, close by and behind a tree, to attack him.

    And enamoured by the ambience Vashista’s wife Arundhati said—‘ what a beautiful moonlit night.’

    Vashist replied—‘today’s moonlight is as bright and pure as the recent tapasya of Vishvamitra which is spreading in all directions.’

    Vishvamitra upon hearing this went numb. He cursed himself for what he was planning to do—‘person whom you’ve come to kill and of whom you are so jealous; see the stature of that person. He is a Mahapurush, because, he is even praising Vishvamitra, the killer of his hundred sons, when in isolation with his wife.’

    Vishvamitra dismantled all his shastras that he had worn on him. And after that he ran towards Maharishi Vashist and lay prostrate in front of him asking for forgiveness. The chronic jealousy in him was over in minutes. Simple forgiveness had conquered Vishvamitra. By dropping his weapons and forsaking his jealousy Vishvamitra had become a Brahmanav. Maharishi Vashist got off his vedi and with both his hands lifted Vishvamitra and while pulling him up he was saying—‘please get up Brahmrishi.’

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SHORT STORY: THE POWER IN ELDERS BLESSINGS-MAHABHARAT

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By Kamlesh Tripathi

    In the battlefield of Kurukshetra, both forces of Kaurava and Pandava were standing opposite each other and the battle of Mahabharat was about to commence. The forces had set their formation and bowstrings in the battlefield in a state of readiness.

    And it was only a matter of moments before the shunk (conch-shell) would have been blown to announce the battle. When suddenly Dharmaraj Yudhistir disrobed his armour, and kept it in his chariot and along with that he also placed his weapons respectfully. And, thereafter he started walking towards the Kaurava’s army and more specifically towards Bhishma Pitamah.

    Seeing, their eldest brother trying to cross over, and that too without his weapon and armour, Arjun, Bhimsen, Nakul and Sahdev too got off their chariot. They came close to Yudhistir and started walking behind him. And not able to resist, Lord Sri Kirishna too started walking along with the Pandavas. Bhimsen and Arjun were rather worried and decided to ask—‘Maharaj Yudhistir! What is this that you’re doing just before the battle?’

    Yudhistir didn’t reply anything to anyone. Meanwhile Lord Krishna signalled all, to remain quiet and said—‘Dharmaraj Yudhistir always behaves righteously and even now he is doing the same.

    And seeing them crossing over, there was chaos in the Kaurava’s camp. People there started saying, ‘Yudhistir has chicken out seeing our forces and wants to come under the aegis of Bhishma Pitamah.’ Some people even doubted that this could be a ploy to win over Yudhistir by Bhishma Pitamah. The soldiers were thus praising the Kuaravas as with this strategy the battle would have been over even before starting.

    Yudhistir straightaway approached Bhishma Pitamah and offered his Pranam (Hindu way of offering respects with folded hands) and pleaded—‘Pitamah we are forced to wage a battle against you. And therefore please give us permission to do so along with your blessings.’

    Bhishma replied—‘Bharat Shrestra! Had you not come here in this manner, to take my permission for the battle I would have definitely cursed you to a defeat. But now I’m happy with you; and may you attain victory. You can now ask for a vardan (blessing). Parth! Remember man is a slave to his vows, but vow is not anyone’s slave. Kaurava’s have put me under their thumb only because I have taken a vow to save and secure the throne of Hastinapur.

    On this Yudhisir asked—‘Pitamah you are invincible, so how can we win the battle and how can we defeat you?’

    Pitamah requested them to come some other time and ask this question. From there Yudhistir went to their Guru Dronacharya and did pranam and asked for his permission to fight the battle. Acharya Dronacharya said similar things and gave his blessings; but when Yudhistir asked Dronacharya the way to defeat him, then Acharya made it absolutely clear—‘as long as I have my shastra (weapons) in my hands no one can defeat me. But I have a weakness that during the battle if someone reliable as you all gives me the news of a mishap I will keep my bow and arrow aside, and get into meditation. You all can kill me then.’

    Yudhistir then said pranam to Acharya Dronacharya and then moved towards Kripacharya, and after pranam he asked for Kripacharya’s permission to start the battle. Kripacharya also like Bhishma Pitamah, said similar things and blessed the Pandavas; but Yudhistir could not ask his Kulguru (Chief priest of the dynasty) Kripacharya how he could be killed in the battle. And before he could even ask this tough question he fainted. Kripacharya understood what Yudhistir wanted to ask. He said—‘Rajan (King)! I cannot be killed by you all, nor can I be killed by anyone else. But I can give you my word that every morning I will pray to God for your victory and in the battle I will not come in the way of your victory.

     After this Yudhistir went to his maternal uncle Shalya and did pranam. Shalya also repeated what Bhishma Pitamah had said and gave the Pandavas his blessings. But along with that he also gave a word that all along the battle he will keep attacking Karan with his sarcasm.

   And after pranam to all his Gurujans, and after obtaining their permission Yudhistir along with his brothers crossed over to his side. And this humbleness of Yudhistir created a soft corner in the hearts of Bhisham, Dronacharya and others without which winning the battle of Mahabharat would have been extremely difficult for the Pandavas.

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