॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Monday, 5 September 2022 - Chapter 12 of the first skandha - The story of King Parikshit.
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Sage Shaunaka now requests the Suta to narrate the story of Parikshit, गर्भ ईशेन जीवतः पुनः, the unborn child brought back to life by Lord Sri Krishna. How did he grow up, how did he conduct himself, and how did his end come about?
The Suta is glad to tell Parikshit’s wonderful story.
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"First of all, we should know that King Yudhishthira ruled very well, and established great prosperity and happiness in all his land.”
संपदः क्रतवो लोका महिषी भ्रातरो मही।
जम्बूद्वीपाधिपत्यं च यशश्च त्रिदिवं गतम्॥
किं ते कामाः सरस्पार्हा मुकुन्दमनसो द्विजाः।
T: “King Yudhishthira established great economic prosperity, conducted various yajnas impeccably, and kept all his people, as well as his queen and his brothers, happy. Thus were all people happiest in his kingdom that covered the whole of Jambudweepa, and his fame spread in the tree worlds.”
“But, oh sages! Yudhishthira was himself totally not attracted to any of these pleasures and glories that would tempt even the gods because his mind was totally immersed in Lord Sri Krishna, Mukunda.”
“Now let me tell you about Parikshit.”
मातुर्गर्भगतो वीरः ददर्श पुरुषं
अङ्गुष्टमात्रं अमलं स्फुरत्पुरटमालिनम् ।
अपीव्यदर्शनं श्यामं तडिद्वाससमच्युतम् ॥
श्रीमद्दीर्घचतुर्बाहुं तप्तकाञ्चनकुण्डलम्।
गदापाणिं परिभ्रमन्तमुल्काभां भ्रामयन्तं गदां मुहुः ॥
अस्त्रतेजः स्वगदया नीराहिमिव गोपतिः पर्यैक्षत क इत्यसौ।
T:”Oh sages, the hero of a child in his mother’s womb saw a great being, small like one’s thumb inside, pristine, radiant, wearing a gold crown, most beautiful but incomprehensible, of a dark complexion, wearing a golden garment that shone like lightning against a dark cloud. This was Lord Achyuta. The long-armed glorious Lord wearing sparkling gold ear-ornaments held a fiery mace in His hand twirling which He drove out that Brahmastra. It was Sri Krishna himself, but the baby inside thought hard and wondered who this one might be!”
पर्यैक्षत - T: examined and wondered.
मिषतो दशमासस्य तत्रैवान्तर्दधे हरिः।
ततः सर्वगुणोदर्के जज्ञे वंशधरः पाण्डोर्भूयः पाण्डोरिवौजसा।
जातकं कारयामास वाचयित्वा च मङ्गलम्।
हिरण्यं गां महीं प्रादात् विप्रेभ्यः
तमूचुः ब्राह्मणाः तुष्टाः
रातोऽवोऽनुग्रहार्थाय विष्णुना प्रभविष्णुना ॥
तस्मान्नाम्ना विष्णुरात इति लोके बृहच्छ्रवाः।
भविष्यति न सन्देहो महाभागवतो महान् ॥
T: “That child watching the Lord in the womb unblinkingly was thus protected for the full pregnancy of ten months by Hari. Then the boy was born in a most auspicious way, the future hope of Pandavas, glorious like Pandu had been himself. Yudhishthira called all sages and priests and requested them to bless the child, make his horoscope and foretell the child’s prospects. He gave gifts most generously to them, and the gratified sages foretold that this scion of the dynasty had been saved by Lord Maha Vishnu Himself and would become renowned worldwide as Vishnuraata (One saved by Maha Vishnu). He would be without doubt a magnificent king, and also a most advanced devotee of Bhagavan.”
King Yudhishthira asked pointedly, “Would this child uphold the tradition of our forefathers, known as great Rajarshis (sages who ruled well!)?”
The sages replied:
पार्थ प्रजाविता साक्षादिक्ष्वाकुरिव मानवः।
ब्रह्मण्यः सत्यसन्धश्च रामो दाशरथिर्यथा॥
दाता यशो वितनिता
धन्विनामग्रणीरेष तुल्यश्चार्जुनयोर्द्वयोः।
पितामहः समः साम्ये प्रसादे गिरिशोपमः।
आश्रयः सर्वभूतानां यथा देवो रामाश्रयः॥
T: “Oh, King Yudhishthira, son of Kunti, know that this child will be a great ruler of his people like the Ikshwaku kings. He will revere Brahmanas, and will adhere to the path of Truth like Sri Rama himself! He will be generous, and scrupulous in discharging his duties, without conceit, like the best of such kings of the past. He will be a great archer comparable to his own grandfather Arjuna as well as the Arjuna of Ramayana fame who subdued Ravana once.”
“In short, he will be wise like Lord Brahma, magnanimous like Lord Shiva, and the infallible protector of those who come for protection like Lord Vishnu Himself.”
“The sages showered more comparisons with the great kings in every aspect that gladdened Yudhishthira no end".
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Suta also concludes that the great king ended his life on being bitten by the famed serpent Takshaka as a result of a curse placed on him by the son of a Rishi. Maintaining his equanimity, the king met his end while immersing himself in devotion to Lord Hari.
The King had seen with wonder (=Parikshit) Lord Vishnu Himself when the king had been still in the womb! Therefore he would be known in future as Raja Parikshit.
The boy Parikshit was thus blessed by all and grew into an admirable prince.
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The Suta also narrates that King Yudhishthira conducted three Ashwamedha Yajnas very well. But for that he needed a lot of wealth which he could not get from his own modest taxes. Therefore, on Sri Krishna’s advice, the Pandava brothers went to the northern region and gathered what they needed in a land where a lot of gold lay after it had been left behind by Brahmins long ago when another king Maruttaraja had performed a great sacrifice.
Sri Krishna attended the Aswamedha yajnas performed grandly and stayed in Hastinapura as desired by the Pandavas for a few months.
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॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
