॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
Sunday, 11 September 2022 - The eighteenth chapter of the first Skandha- Parikshit is cursed to die by Takshaka’s bite in seven days.
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The Suta makes it clear to the sages that Kali had absolutely no foothold when Sri Krishna trod on this earth. And later, King Parikshit ensured that Kali’s impact would not be rampant under his Dharmic rule, despite the fact that Parikshit had shown mercy on Kali and had given him dwelling places.
नानुद्वेष्टि कलिं साम्राट्सारङ्ग इव सारभुक्। कुशलान्यासु सिद्ध्यन्ति नेतराणि कृतानि यत् ॥
T: The king, Parikshit, did not detest or envy the might of Kali under his own rule because he considered that good thoughts and deeds take effect at once whereas evil takes time to fructify.
किं नु बालेषु शूरेण कलिना धीरभीरुणा। अप्रमत्तः प्रमत्तेषु यो वृको नृषु वर्तते॥
T: Kali was like a wolf, whose attack is warded off easily even by boys provided they are fearless and brave. Thus good people need not fear Kali’s affecting their own minds or life choices. But Kali surely preyed on the unwary, negligent and indisciplined people whom he could enter easily.
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The sages under Shaunaka requested the Suta to continue his gripping narrative, as the story of Bhagavan gave them endless joy and purified them. The Suta expressed his own sense of feeling blessed to be in their exalted company despite his low birth (the suta caste is a mixed one). And he revelled in the story of King Parikshit, who had been saved in the womb by Bhagavan, who grew up to be a highly noble king, and who faced his own impending death with devotion rather than dismay and fear.
But the Suta confesses that even the most exalted sages, let alone a humble suta like himself, could never grasp the infinite and eternal glories of Bhagavan. The Suta says,
अथापि यत्पादनखावसृष्टं जगद्विरिञ्चोपहृतार्हणाम्भः।
सेशं पुनात्यन्यतमो मुकुन्दात् को नाम लोके भगवत्पदार्थः॥
T: The sacred Ganga was released to earth by Lord Brahma when he washed with her the feet of Lord Maha Vishnu. Thus came down the sacred Ganga to sanctify the whole earth including Lord Shiva himself! Therefore who else can be called Bhagavan except for Lord Mukunda Sri Krishna Maha Vishnu?
नभः पतन्त्यात्म समं पतत्रिणस्तथा समं विष्णुगतिं विपश्चितः।
T: Indeed, all those revelling in the infinite glories of the Lord are like the great birds flying high, far and fast in the sky, but who can yet never fathom or span the whole sky. Like that infinite sky is Bhagavan, beyond everyone’s full grasp!
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One day, King Parikshit went on a hunting expedition in the jungle. After many exhausting hours in the hot sun, he was parched and desperate for some water. As he looked around, he saw a sage’s hermitage. Feeling sure that he would get some water at least there, he entered the hermitage. There he saw a sage seated in deep meditation.
प्रतिरुद्धेन्द्रियप्राणमनोबुद्धिमुपारतम्। स्थानत्रयात्परं प्राप्तं ब्रह्मभूतमविक्रियम्॥
विप्रकीर्णजटाच्छन्नं रौरवेणाजिनेन च। विशुष्यत्तालुरुदकं तथाभूतमयाचत॥
T: There sat a sage in exalted Samadhi, beyond waking, dream and sleep states, immersed in Brahman, after withdrawing his life breath, mind and intellect. He was covered in his own extensive matted locks and sat on a seat of the skin of a rare deer. To this sage, who was at that moment in a disconnected super-state, the extremely thirsty and tired Parikshit managed to speak with his parched tongue and asked for a drink of water.
Unfortunately, the sage was not connected with the physical sensory world. So he did not respond at all.
Then, perhaps as a result of the effect of Kali, or his own Karma, Parikshit did something very uncharacteristic of himself.
अभूतपूर्वः सहसाक्षुतृड्भ्यामर्दितात्मनः। भ्राह्मणं प्रत्यबूद्ब्रह्मन्मत्सरो मन्युरेव च॥
स तु ब्रह्मऋषेरंसे गतासुमुरगं रुषा। विनर्गच्छंधनुष्कोट्या निधाय पुरमागमत्॥
T: King Parikshit, extremely thirsty and hungry, felt unprecedented rage at being ignored and insulted by the sage. Seeing a dead snake nearby, he lifted it with the tip of his bow, placed it as a garland around the sage’s neck (to taunt him in his meditation), and left for his own capital.
This rishi was named Shameeka. He had a young son, Shringi, himself a powerful sage. Shringi was playing with his friends some distance away. He became aware by virtue of his own spiritual power of what had transpired and what Parikshit had done to his father. He could not stomach the insult Parikshit had imposed on his revered father. He thought to himself,
“What has become of this earth after the passing of Sri Krishna? After all, kings are like gatekeepers and watchdogs compared to sages like my father. How dare Parikshit insult my sagely father like this? What does he think!? Just this instant, using my spiritual power, I curse Parikshit that he shall be bitten on the seventh day from now by the powerful serpent lord Takshaka.”
When the son returned, both he and the sage who was now fully awake to this world became aware of Parikshit’s act and also Shringi’s curse. The sage Shameeka was extremely sad.
“Oh, son, what have you done!? King Parikshit is a noble ruler. Your rage drove you to utter this curse which will not go in vain. The earth will therefore lose a great ruler. Know that kings are but embodiments of divinity. They are the protectors and upholders of righteousness. When they are gone, the world will fall prey to thieves and marauders. Women, children and helpless animals will be their victims. There will be anarchy.”
“The Lord has established a perfect system of society based on the four divisions and four stages of life. Without such a system, people will behave like dogs and monkeys.”
पापं कृतं तद्भगवान्सर्वात्मा क्षन्तुमर्हति
T: “May Bhagavan who dwells in all forgive my son’s act of cursing the good king.”
“Indeed, noble souls do not react to slights, insults, hurts, or even attempts to kill them, because they see the same Lord in all and have devotion to all existence.”
