Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata Read online

  Arjuna, who did not recognize Hanuman, felt the monkey was mocking him. So he built a bridge of arrows over the river. Hanuman placed his paw on it and the bridge broke instantly. Hanuman laughed and mocked Arjuna, ‘Are you sure you built a bridge between paradise and earth for Indra’s elephants?’

  Arjuna felt so humiliated that he contemplated killing himself. A sage who was passing by said, ‘Build a bridge of arrows once again. Only this time chant “Ram-Krishna-Hari” each time you shoot an arrow, and see the difference.’

  Arjuna did as told. This time, the bridge held firm when the monkey stepped on it. Hanuman then revealed his true form and danced on the bridge—it stood firm! Hanuman then increased his size, growing as tall as a mountain, but the bridge did not break despite the gigantic pressure.

  The sage said, ‘It is the name of Ram that ensured the bridge of stones to Lanka did not crack under the weight of the monkeys. Likewise, it is the name of Krishna that ensures this bridge of arrows withstands Hanuman’s weight. Strength alone is not enough in this world; divine grace is needed. Krishna is Ram and both are Hari or Vishnu. Never forget that. Without Krishna you are nothing. You are Nara and he is Narayana.’

  Arjuna bowed to the sage and then fell at Hanuman’s feet, apologizing for his arrogance. He then asked Hanuman, ‘What does it mean—I am Nara and Krishna is Narayana?’

  Hanuman replied, ‘This secret will be revealed to you shortly.’

  A few days later, a Brahman appealed to Arjuna to save his children. ‘They disappear as soon as they are born. Now my wife is pregnant again and due for delivery. I fear I shall lose this child too.’

  Arjuna assured the priest that with his mighty bow, the Gandiva, he would save his children even if it meant fighting Yama, the god of death. Krishna joined him in this adventure. ‘If I don’t succeed,’ said Arjuna, ‘I will burn myself alive.’

  When the Brahman’s wife went into labour, Arjuna sealed the Brahman’s hut with a barricade of arrows and then stood guard at the door. ‘Now let me see who enters and takes the child away.’

  A few minutes later, the child was born. Arjuna and Krishna heard the child cry. Then the crying stopped. ‘The baby has disappeared,’ screamed the Brahman. ‘Oh Arjuna, you failed!’

  How could this happen? No one entered the hut? Neither god nor demon nor man? A distraught Arjuna decided to end his life then and there. But Krishna stopped him. ‘Before you take such a drastic step,’ he said, ‘there is something you must see.’

  Arjuna mounted a chariot and Krishna took hold of the reins. Together they set out towards the horizon. It was a long journey. Arjuna realized that the chariot no longer touched the earth. It flew in the sky and they had left the mountains and rivers far behind. Soon the chariot was crossing the sea. Everything was a blur. The sky whizzed past as the speed increased. Krishna looked straight ahead. The sky became so dark that even the stars could not be seen. Krishna released his Sudarshan Chakra and it whirred in front of the chariot illuminating its path. Arjuna realized they had crossed the ocean of salt water. They were over another ocean of fresh water full of serpents, gigantic fish and strange magical creatures. Then they passed an ocean of fire writhing with fiery reptiles, then an ocean of treacle and finally the sea of milk.

  There at the centre of the sea of milk, Arjuna saw a magnificent sight. He saw a majestic being reclining on the coils of a vast serpent with a thousand hoods. This being had a gentle smile and four arms in which he held a conch-shell, a discus, a mace and a lotus. It was Vishnu. The serpent was Adi-Ananta-Sesha, the serpent of time. At Vishnu’s feet sat Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and fortune. On his tongue sat Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom. This was God. The God who sustains the rhythm of the cosmos. The God who can fold time and space and do the impossible—even make babies disappear without a trace after they leave their mother’s womb.

  Overwhelmed by the divine sight, Arjuna prostrated himself. When he arose, he found Vishnu holding many babies in his arms. ‘These are the Brahman’s children. I brought them here so that you follow them and learn the true purpose of your existence.’

  Arjuna did not understand. Krishna smiled and explained, ‘Once you were Nara and I was Narayana. Together we fought many demons and won many battles. Now we are Arjuna and Krishna. We have been created to restore dharma on earth.’

  Vishnu told Arjuna, ‘Krishna is wisdom. You are action. One without another is useless. All your battles you will win only when you are together.’

  These stories come from the Bhagavata and other Puranas that identify Krishna as God.

  The notion of an all-powerful God enters quite late in the history of Hinduism. Early Vedic scriptures are best described as agnostic. There are numerous references to natural spirits and cosmic forces that can be invoked through rituals but there is no clear mention of God. At best, the Upanishads associate God with the soul (atma). With the rise of atheistic monastic orders such as Buddhism, ideas such as samsara (cycle of rebirths), karma (influence of past actions) and moksha (liberation) gain popularity. As a counter to them, the idea of God, first propagated by the Bhagavata cult, becomes increasingly acceptable to the mainstream. The people find great solace in the idea of a personal God whose grace, obtained through devotion, can overpower the shackles of karma and samsara. The Mahabharata is among the earliest Hindu texts to endorse the idea of a very personal anthropomorphic God who is very responsive to the human condition. It is the presence of Krishna who is Vishnu on earth that transforms the Mahabharata into a sacred scripture.

  In popular belief, men have vestigial nipples as a mark of the feminine within them. Arjuna had only one nipple, not two, because he was more man than others. Krishna had no nipples because he was a purna-purusha, a full man.

  Nara and Narayana were two inseparable sages. They lived in the Himalayas under the Badari or berry tree. Their name repeatedly recurs in the epic as the former incarnations of Arjuna and Krishna. Visualized as warrior-ascetics, they are believed to be the earliest worshippers of Vishnu, who later came to be identified with Vishnu. Metaphysically speaking, Nara means human while Narayana is God. The relationship of Arjuna and Krishna is that of man and God, inseparable.

  By associating Arjuna and Krishna to Nara and Narayana, Vyasa makes them creatures of destiny. Their birth is not random; they are born for a reason.

  Book Nine

  Coronation

  ‘Janamejaya, kings were killed before and during the coronation of your forefather.’

  43

  Death of Jarasandha

  Shortly after Arjuna’s return from his pilgrimage, Yudhishtira expressed his desire to be king. ‘I want to perform the Rajasuya yagna,’ he said.

  But for that he needed other kings of the land to participate in the ceremony, a symbolic acknowledgement of his sovereignty.

  Krishna said, ‘You have to first prove you are worthy to wear the crown. And the best way to demonstrate your power, so that your claim to kingship is uncontested, is to overpower Jarasandha.’

  ‘The king of Magadha, destroyer of Mathura!’ exclaimed Yudhishtira, suddenly unsure, for Jarasandha was greatly feared in Bharata-varsha. It was said that he had imprisoned a hundred kings and planned to conduct a human sacrifice. ‘My army is no match for his.’

  Krishna smiled and said, ‘Mighty brawn is no match for a nimble brain. Let us go to his city disguised as priests. In keeping with the laws of hospitality, he will offer us anything we desire. We shall ask him for a duel. A hand-to-hand combat to the death.’

  The Pandavas were impressed with Krishna’s plan. They knew that Krishna and Jarasandha were old enemies. This plan would benefit both, the Yadavas and the Pandavas. The Yadavas would be rid of the man who destroyed Mathura and the Pandavas would be able to declare themselves kings and repay their debt to Krishna who had done so much for them.

  Predictably, Jarasandha welcomed the three Brahmans who had come down from Hastina-puri and in keeping with the code of hospitality, offered to