Srimad Bhagavatam, Volume 3

Srimad Bhagawatam, First Canto, Volume Three
Her husband also did not ask her to follow him because King Dhritarastra was
at that time fully determined like a great warrior who faces all kinds of
dangers in the battlefield. He had no more any attraction for so called wife or
relatives and he decided to start alone but as a chaste lady Gandhari decided to
follow her husband till the last moment. Maharaj Dhritarastra accepted the
order of vanaprastha life and at this stage the wife is allowed to remain as
Voluntary servitor: but in the Sanyas stage no wife can stay with her former
husband. A Sannyasi is considered to be civil-dead man and therefore the wife
becomes a civil-widow without any connection with her former husband.
Maharaj Dhritarastra did not deny his faithful wife and she followed her
husband at her own risk.
The Sannyasins accept a rod as the sign of renounced order of life. There
are two types of Sannysins. Those who follow the Mayavad Philosophy
headed by Sripad Shankaracharya accept only one rod (Ekadanda) but those
who follow the Vaishnavite Phillosophy accept three combined rods
(Tridanda). The Mayavadi Sanyasins are known as Ekadandi Swami whereas
the Vaishanava Sannyasins are known as Triandi Swami or more distinctly
Tridandi Goswamins in order to keep distinction from the Malavad
philosoply. The Ekadandi Swamis are mostly fond of Himalayas but the
Vaisnava Sainyasins are fond of Vrindaban and Puri. The Vaishnava
Sannyasins are Narottamas whereas the Mayavadi Snanysins are Dheeras.
Maharaj Dhritarastra was advised to follow the Dheeras because at that stage
it was difficult for him to become a Narottama.
Ajata satru krita maitra hutagni
Vipran natwa tilagobhumirukmaih.
Griham pravisto guruvandanaya
Na cha apasyat pitarou soubalin cha.
Ajata--never born, Satru--enemy, Krita--having performed, Maitraworshipping
the demigods, Hutagni--and offering fuel in the fire, Vipran--the
brahmins, Natwa--offering obeisances, Tilagobhumirukmaih--along with
grains, cows, land and gold, Griham--with in the palace, Pravisto--having
entered into, Guruvandanaya--for offering respect to the elderly member, Nadid
not, Cha--also, Apasyat--, Pitarou--his uncle, Soubalin--Gandhari, Chaalso.
Maharaj Yudhtshira whose enemy was neverborn, performed his daily
morning duties by prayers, offering sarificice in tho fire and the Sungod
and offered obeisances to the Brahmins along with grains, cows, land,
gold and then enetered the palace to pay respects to the elderly members
in the palace. He however could not find out his unele and aunt the
daughter of King Subala.
Maharaj Ydhisthir was the most pious king because he practised personally
daily the pious duty for the householders. The householders are required to
rise early in the morning and after cleanliness, should offer respects to the
deities at home by prayers, by offering fuel in the sacred fire, by giving in
charity the Brahmins land, cow, grains and gold etc and at last offering to the
elderly members due respects and obeisances. Unless one is prepared to
practise things which are prescribed in the Shastras no body can be goodman
simply by book knowledge. Modern householders are practised to different
modes of life namely to rise late and then take bed-tea without any sort of
cleanliness and without any purificatory practices as mentioned above. The
householdchldren are taken to practice the samething in which the parents are
already practised and therefore the whole generation is gliding towards hell
and no good things can be expected from them unless they associate with
Sadhus. Like Dhritarastra the materialistic person, one may take lessons from
a Sadhu like Vidura and thus be cleansed of the effects of modern life.
Maharaj Yudhisthir, however, could not find in the palace the two uncles
namely Dhritarastra and Vidura along with Gandhari the daughter of king
Subala. He was anxious to see them and, therefore, asked Sanjaya the private
secretary of Dhritarastra as follows:—
Tatra sanjayam asinam paprachhat udvignamanasah
Gabalgane kva nas tato briddho hinascha netrayoh.
Tatra--there, Sanjayam--unto Sanjaya, Asinam--seated, Paprachhat--enquired
from, Udvignamanasah--full with anxious mind, Gabalgane--the son of
Gabalgan Sanjaya, Kva--where is, Nas--our, Tata--uncle, Briddho--old in age,
Hinascha--as also bereft of, Netrayoh--by the eyes.
Maharaj Yudhisthira full with anxious mind asked Sanjaya who was
sitting on the spot and said "Oh Sanjaya where is our uncle who is
advanced in age and blind by the eyes?"
Amba cha hataputra arta pitribyah kva gatah suhrit
Api mayi akritajne hatabandhuh sa bharyaya
Asamsamanah shamalam gangayam dukshito' apatat
Amba--mother aunt, Cha--and, Hataputra--who had lost all her sons, Artasorry
in plight, Pitribyah--uncle Vidura, Kva--where, Gatah--gone, Suhritwell
wisher, Api--whether, Mayi--unto me, Akritajne--ungrateful,
Hatabandhuh--one who has lost all his sons, Sa--along with , Bharyaya--his
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wife, Asamsamanah--in doubtful mind, Shamalam--offences, Gangayam--in
the Ganges water, Dukshito--in distressed mind, apatat--fell down.
Where is my well wisher uncle Vidura and mother Gandhari who is too
much afflicted on account of her all sons' demise? My uncle Dhritarastra
was also too much mortified on account of death of all his sons and grand
sons. Undoubtedly I am very much ungrateful: did he therefore, took my
offences very seriously and thus along with his wife has drowned
themselves in the water of the Ganges?
The Pnadavas specially Maharaj Yudhisthira and Arjuna presupposed the
after effects of the battle of Kurukshetra and therefore Arjuna declined to
execute the fighting. The fight was executed by the will of the Lord but the
effects of a family berievement as they thought of it before had come to be
true. Maharaj Yudhisthir was always conscious of the great plight of his uncle
Dhritarastra and aunt Gandhari and therefore he took all possible care of them
in their oldage and berieved condition. When therefore he could not find out
his uncie and aunt in the palace naturally his doubts became more prominent
and conjectured if theyhad not gone down the water of the Ganges. He
thought himself ungrateful because when the Pandavas were fatherless,
Maharaj Dhritarastra gave them all royal facilities to live and in return he had
killed all his sons in the battle of Kurukshetra. As a pious man Maharaj
Yudhisthir took into account all his unavoidable misdeeds and he never
thought of the misdeeds of his uncle and company. Dhritarastra had suffered
the effects of his own misdeeds by the will of the Lord but Maharaj
Yudhisthir was only thinking of his own unavoidable misdeeds. That is the
nature of a good man and devotee of the Lord. A devotee never finds fault
with others but tries to find out his own and thus rectify them as far as
possible.
Pitari uparate pandou sarvan nah suhridah sisun
Arakshatam byasanatah pitribyou kva gatou itah.
Pitari--upon my father, Uparate--falling down, Pandou--Maharaj Pandu,
Sarvan--all, Nah--us, Suhridah--wll wisher, Sisun--small children,
Arakshatam--protected, Byasanatah--from all kinds of dangers, Pitribyouuncles,
Kva--where, Gatou--have, Itah--from this place.
When my father Pandu fell down and we were all small children only at
that time our these two uncles gavs us protection from all kinds of
calamities. They were always our good well wishers, alas where they have
gone out from this place?
Suta uvacha:
Kripaya snehabaiklabyat suto virahakarshitah
Atmeswaram achakshano na pratyahat atipidiah.
Suta uvacha--Suta Goswami said, Kripaya--our of full compassion,
Snehabaiklabyat--Derangement of the mental situation on account of
profound affection, Suto--Sanjaya, Virahakarshitah--distressed of separation,
Atmeswaram--his master, Achakshano--having not seen, Na--did not,
Pratyahat--replied, Atipidiah--being too much aggrieved.
Suta Goswami said. 'Sanjaya having not seen his own Master
Dhritarastra out of full compassion for and derangment of his mental
situation and being too much aggrieved, could not properly reply
Maharaj Yudhisthira.'
Sanjaya was Personal assistant of Maharaj Yudisthira since a very long time
and as such he had the opportunity to study the chequered history of life of
Dhritarastra. And when he saw at last that Dhritarastra had left home without
his knowledge even his sorrows had no bound. He was fully compassionate
with Dhritarastra because in the game of the battle of Kuruksetra King
Dhritarastra had lost everything men and money and at last the King and the
queen had to go away from home in utter frustration. He studied the situation
in his own way because he did not know that inner vision of Dhritarastra was
awakened by Vidura and, therefore, he had left home in enthusiatic
cheerfulness for a better life after departure from the dark well of home.
Unless one is convinced of a better life after renuciation of the present life no
body can stick to the renounced order of life simply by artificial dress or
staying out of home.
Vimrijya ashrvni panibhyam vistabhya atmanam atmana
Ajatsatrum pratyuche prabhoh padou anusmaran.
Vimrijya--smearing on, Ashrvni--tears of the eyes, Panibhyam--by his hands,
Vistabhya--situated, Atmana--by intelligence, Atmanam--the mind,
Ajatsatrum--unto Maharaj Yudhisthir, Ppratyuche--began to reply, Prabho--of
his master, Padou--feet, Anusmaran--thinking after.
Then he slowly pacified his mind by intelligence, smeared over tears of
the eyes by his hands and after thinking of the feet of his Master
Dhritarastra began to reply to Maharaj Yudhisthira.
Sanjaya uvacha:
Na aham veda byavasitam pitror bah kulanandana
Gandharya va mahabaho mushito asmi mahatmabhih.