BharatiyaStories

  Krishna and Kubja Two small boys hardly into their teens were sitting pensively in the chariot. Akrur, who had gone to get the boys was worried. He knew his King Kamsa and his cruelty. He wondered how these young boys were going to survive the brute who was Kamsa. Krishna smiled and told Akrur, “Can we stop by the pond for a while.?” Akrur was happy to stop. He went to the pond to wash his face. In the water he saw Lord Vishnu on the Seshanag. He realized the similarity between the faces of the boys who were in his chariot with the images under the water. He realized with a start that he was the charioteer for none other than Lord Narayana and the Adishesha themselves. Akrur came out of the water and fell at Krishna’s feet and asked for forgiveness for not realising he was. Krishna smiled and said “Akrur, hope now you are not worried about our fate in the hands on Kamsa?” Akrur now worried about the fate of this king in the hands of the boys. ...

    Grace and Duty – Krishna’s way – Story of Sandipani’s son (HariVamsa Purana) Once the last rites of his uncle Kamsa had been performed, Krishna and Rama, crowned the old and wise king Ugrasena as the King of Mathura. Once things got stabilised, their parents wanted them to attend a Gurukul even though they were older than the normal age in which children started their education. The elders decided that Balarama (called Rama, Krishna’s brother) and Krishna were sent to the Ashram of Guru Sandipani. Guru Sandipani had his ashram at Avanti (present day Ujjain) and was renowned for not only his knowledge of the Vedic scriptures but also for his intricate knowledge of DhanurVeda. (DhanurVeda is called a Upaveda and is linked to Yajurveda. Dhanur indicates bow as well as knowledge in Sanskrit. DhanurVeda deals with weaponry and the art of warfare and usage of weapons. In Vedic age, learning the DhanurVeda was considered...

  Grace and Duty – Krishna’s way (Re-written from HariVamsa Purana) Mathura was silent. Mathura was mourning. The king Kamsa was killed by Yadava Krishna. Yes, he was evil. Yes, he was doing unspeakable acts of adharma. But he was a king, a son and a husband. The wail and crying of Kamsa’s widows could be heard from the palace. The old king Ugrasena, Kamsa’s father, approached the group of Yadavas surrounding Krishna. As he went nearer, Ugrasena heard the Lord telling his clansmen. “I had decided Kamsa had to die for the innumerable acts of  injustice and cruelty. But when I hear the wail of these queens of his, I am overwhelmed with pity for them. Go and console these women.” King Ugrasena went to Krishna and said “Lord. My son was a sinner. He was never liked by the good and pious people of Mathura. O Krishna, accept this immortal army of Kamsa abounding in elephants, horses, chariots and infantry.” Ugrasena continued “O Madhava, let your men take Kamsa’s w...

Thulabhaaram – A lesson in humility Part 2 In the first part, we saw Narada giving the rare parijatha flowers to Lord Krishna in Dwaraka. Krishna in turn gave it to Rukmini. Narada then went to Sathyabhama and told her about the rare flower and the fact that Krishna gave it to Rukmini. This piqued Sathyabhama’s curiousity. She was also a little angry as she thought she had the most beautiful and well kept garden that pleased her Lord Krishna. To hear that Rukmini can have a rare divine flower that was not there in her garden was not acceptable to her. That evening Lord Krishna visited Devi Sathyabhama after his work. He expected Sathyabhama to be her usual smiling, warm self. Krishna was surprised to see her a bit grumpy and angry. He waited for her to tell him herself. When she did not tell him anything, he said, “Bhama, what is wrong? Where is the sweet smile and warm welcome that I get normally? “ After some reluctance and more questions from Krishna, Sathyabhama finally relen...

  Thulabhaaram – A lesson in humility Part 1 Lord Krishna had many consorts is well known. Of course there are many deeper explanations and philosophical meaning to the Lord taking these consorts. But after all he is Krishna. His leela makes us smile but also makes us think. This is one such incident that is well known but never tiring. Lord Krishna was attending to his regular work in Dwaraka. He was visited by Sage Narada. As we know, Narada is a master of mischief. Narada looked at Lord Krishna with absolute devotion and love. He paid his respects and sang a few hymns in praise of the Lord. Lord Krishna and his wife Maa Rukmini who was sitting with him that day, were very pleased. Lord Krishna looked at Narada realised he was in for some trouble due to his devotee’s pranks. Unperturbed, he smiled and said “Learned Narada, do tell me what you got for me from Devaloka?” Narada was happy that the Lord is asking him for something. He said “Lord, it is my bhagya (blessing) to p...

  The Maya Contest K rishna was playing in Brindavan with his fellow mates. This particular avatar of Krishna was so enticing that everyone wanted to be part of Krishna’s daily life and be near him. It was making the Gods envious Lord Brahma of the people who were getting to spend time with him every day. One day the creator Brahma himself was watching Krishna and his friends play. The cows and the calves were grazing nearby. Krishna and his play mates were climbing trees, plucking the fruits and jumping into the stream with complete abandon. Lord Brahma wanted to join the fun. He decided he wanted to play too, but a different game. A game of make believe. Brahma captured the minds of the cows and the calves. Slowly he distracted them into a state of trance that each of them started wandering away from the boys and going further and further. The boys who were busy in their play did not see their herd wandering off. After some time, one of the boys woke up as if from a tranc...

  Nalakuvara and Manigriva Kubera’s sons Nalakuvara and Manigriva were getting bored. It was a spring morning with the flowers blooming. Nalakuvara said to his brother “It’s a beautiful day to go and enjoy ourselves. Let us go to the river and swim.” Manigriva readily agreed. The brothers got some of their apsara friends and went to the River Mandakini. Soon all of them were in the river frolicking. They were so busy enjoying themselves in the water on a warm day that they forgot their surroundings. Sage Narada, the trilokasanchari (wanderer of the three worlds) was passing by that way. The Sage as was his practice was busy singing the praise of Lord Vishnu. His song was interrupted by Nalakuvara and Manigriva shouting and enjoying with their friends. The apsaras were first to see the Sage. They picked up their clothes and covered themselves and hid behind the bushes. They were scared that the sage would curse them. Nalakuvara and Manigriva, on the other hand, did not bother....

The Vishnu Purana and the Srimad Bhagavata have delineated nine forms of Bhakti to attain the lotus feet of Vishnu. Ø   Sravana (hearing of God's Lilas and stories), Ø   Kirtana (singing of His glories), Ø   Smarana (remembrance of His Name and presence), Ø   Padasevana (service of His feet), Ø   Archana (worship of God), Ø   Vandana (prostration to the Lord), Ø   Dasya (cultivating the Bhava of a servant with God), Sakhya (cultivation of the friend-Bhava) and Ø   Atmanivedana (complete surrender of the self). Let us see an interesting story in the Bhagavada Purana that helps us understand the power of Sravana. (Listening) Dhundukari and Gokarna – Part 2 (Story from Bhagavada Purana) In the last section, we saw how the bad ways of Dhundukari made him a violent and cruel thief. He made his parents unhappy and was a threat to all the people. His father, Atmadeva died of heartbreak and his mother committed suicide unable to pu...