॥ ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय ॥
***
After spending precious moments with the Gopis whom he gave the ultimate spiritual insights, Sri Krishna met all the royals starting with Yudhishthira and enquired of their welfare in all aspects. Their reply was significant.
कुतोऽशिवं त्वच्चरणाम्बुजासवं महन्मनस्तो मुखनि:सृतं क्वचित् ।
पिबन्ति ये कर्णपुटैरलं प्रभो देहंभृतां देहकृदस्मृतिच्छिदम् ॥
T: "Oh Lord, how can misfortune come to those who have received even once the nectar of your lotus feet? Their ears are filled with spiritual inebriants flowing from your devotees' eloquent prayers. That then destroys their ignorance of the limitations of this physical world and reveals your Eternal Truth!"
आत्तयोगमायाकृतिं परमहंसगतिं नता: स्म ॥
T:" We thus bow down to you, the Eternal Being who have taken the human form through your Yoga Maya, who are the final destination of Paramahamsas (the best among ascetics)".
***
The camera now pans into Draupadi's palace. She is entertaining all the queens of Sri Krishna. She now asks each one of them to narrate how they met and married Sri Krishna! Imagine this chat. How joyous the mood, and how effusive each of Sri Krishna's queens would be!
Sage Shuka makes each queen, from Rukmini to Satyabhama and Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda and so on, express her immense joy recalling Sri Krishna's valiant conquests and his loving grace in marrying her, and how each considers herself the most blessed one to be his Dasi = servant, literally!
Kalindi says how she performed great Tapas to win the heart and hand of Sri Krishna.
Jambavati states how Jambavan fought Sri Krishna for twenty-seven days before he realised he was none other than Sri Rama! प्राज्ञाय देहकृदमुं निजनाथदैवं सीतापतिं and returned the Syamantaka Mani and gave her hand in marriage to Sri Krishna.
The narrative of Queen Lakshmana is wonderful. It shows another valorous conquest of Sri Krishna. Her father knew her heart. She had surrendered herself mentally to Sri Krishna after hearing all about him from Sage Narada. But her father wanted to create a situation where Sri Krishna's divine valour stood out among all Kshatriyas. So, she narrated, her father improved on the Matysa Yantra that Arjuna had struck down with his supreme prowess as an archer in Draupadi's Swayamwara! This time, one would be able to see only the shadow of the rotating Matsya Yantra overhead reflected in the bowl of oil placed below.
It was such a tough test that Bhima, Duryodhana, Karna and many others failed to crack it. Even Arjuna was just able to touch the Yantra with his arrow, the arrow simply kissed the target and so the Yantra could not be brought down. Then Sri Krishna, smiling, stepped up to it.
राजन्येषु निवृत्तेषु भग्नमानेषु मानिषु । भगवान् धनुरादाय सज्यं कृत्वाथ लीलया ॥
तस्मिन् सन्धाय विशिखं मत्स्यं वीक्ष्य सकृज्जले । छित्त्वेषुणापातयत्तं सूर्ये चाभिजिति स्थिते ॥
T: When all the self-important kings had failed, their pride broken, Bhagavan picked up the bow, easily strung it, fixed the arrow, and with just one glance at the reflection of the shadow of the Yantra, he struck the Yantra and brought it down! It was the sacred Abhijit Muhurta too. As the heavens sounded their kettledrums, the audience shouted in joy, "Jaya! Jaya!" Amidst heaven's showers of flowers, Princess Lakshmana walked in. She described it: "Just then I walked onto the ceremonial ground, the ankle bells on my feet gently tinkling. I was wearing new garments of the finest silk, tied with a belt, and I wore a brilliant necklace fashioned of gold and jewels. There was a shy smile on my face and a wreath of flowers in my hair." Lakshmana walked directly towards the Lord and ecstatically garlanded Sri Krishna.
As the jealous kings tried to fight Sri Krishna during his departure in his divine chariot with Lakshmana, Lakshmana describes those kings as ग्रामसिंहाः street-dogs that consider themselves lions but are easily dealt with by a real lion.
The horde of queens wed by Sri Krishna after he released them from Narakasura also narrate his magnificent grace.
All the queens say with one voice, "we are the most privileged and blissful women on earth chosen to serve Bhagavan Sri Krishna physically as his devoteed Dasis!"
***
