GITA 1.16
We are at the Vaikunta vasal (Paramapada vasal) in Srirangam temple. On the Vaikunta Ekadasi day ( a day in December- January), through this gate only the procession of Sri Namperumal is taken. For ten days from that day, Tiruvaimozhi is recited and the festival is celebrated with fervour. This is called the Great Festival (Periya Tirunaal). Every atman always desires to reach Vaikuntam. All devotees consider it as a great privilege to pass through and touch this gate. On one side is the Chandra Pushkarini (temple tank) and opposite is the sannidhi of Sri Ranganachiyar (Thayar). On another side is the sannidhi of Mudalazhvars (Poigai, Bhootham and Pei Alwars). Thus all these surround this place. Near this place is the sannidhi of Sri Danvantari, Who is considered as an Avatar of Sriman Narayana and who cures all, from diseases. Standing between (Sri Dhanvantari sannidhi and Vaikunta vasal) we have to realize that when we live in this World, we should live healthy. After this life in this World, we should enter Vaikuntam. Now we will see the slokas of Gita.
Yesterday we saw sloka 16. Now slokas 17 and 18:
kasyas ca paramesv-asah
sikhandi ca maha-rathah
dhrstadyumno viratas ca
satyakis caparajitah
That great archer the King of Kasi, the great fighter Sikhandi, Dhrstadyumna, Virata and the unconquerable Satyaki,
drupado draupadeyas ca
sarvasah prthivi-pate
saubhadras ca maha-bahuh
sankhan dadhmuh prthak prthak
Drupada, the sons of Draupadi, and the others, O King, such as the son of Subhadra, greatly armed, all blew their respective conchshells.
By these two slokas, we notice who else blew conchs. All these persons are on the Pandavas side. Already we saw the persons on the Kauravas side, starting from Bheeshma, blew their conchs and made noise. Sri Krishna started blowing His conch Panchjanya and then all followed one by one. Kasyas ca paramesv-asah = the great archer, King of Kasi, sikandi ca maha-ratah = maharatha Sikhandi.
As alraedy mentioned he who can fight with 11,000 persons, is called maharatha. Sri Krishna is going to use Sikhandi to kill Bheeshma on the 10th day of the war. Bheeshma has got a boon that he could remain alive as long as he desired. We may be feeling that if we also could get similar boon, how wonderful would it be! But actually, it is very dangerous and painful. In fact the unforeseeable nature of death makes us live happily. If we could know our death timing, we could never feel happy. Bheeshma wanted to die after ascertaining that Hastinapur was in the hands of a good and stable ruler. So, Sri Krishna had planned to defeat Bheeshma by Sikhandi. Bheeshma was the son of Ganga and had a step brother Vichitraveerya. Bheeshma was on the look out for a bride for Vichitraveerya. King of Kasi had Three daughters - Ambai, Ambika and Ambalika. Bheeshma abducted these girls in a swayamvaram and none dared to fight Bheeshma. Though Ambika and Ambalika were married to Vichitraveerya, Ambai wanted to marry her lover King of Salva. Bheeshma also felt it was not correct to get married her to a person different from his lover. So, Bheeshma let her go. But King of Salwa refused to marry her, as she was already abducted by Bheeshma. In spite of many attempts, both Bheeshma and King of Salwa abandoned Ambai. Then she asked Bheeshma to marry her. He told of his pledge to remain unmarried and so he also could not help her. Getting dejected, Ambai wanted to take revenge on Bheeshma and so did severe penance in the Himalayas. Sri Subramanya appeared before her and gave her a garland and said whoever wore that garland would be able to kill Bheeshma. She pleaded with many kings to wear the garland and vanquish Bheeshma, but none were ready for that. Finally, she came to Drupada, King of Panchala. But he also refused and getting dejected, she left the garland hanging in the palace gate and went away. She then penanced and prayed for Sri Paramasiva. He appeared before her and said that in the present birth of Ambai, she would not be able to kill Bheeshma; but in her next birth as a transsexual could fulfill her revenge. That is how she was born as Sikhandi. She was growing up in the palace of Drupada and one day she wore the garland she had left on the gates of the palace, in her last birth as Ambai. Since in her current birth also she was a girl, it was difficult for her to fight Bheeshma. Once, she went for a festival, where she met a gandarva lad, Tumburu. With his help, she changed her sex to a male. Now Sikhandi was a man! Sikhandi was brought in to fight Bheeshma in the Mahabharata war, bur Bheeshma refused to fight Sikhandi, as he was a woman earlier. When Bheeshma dropped his bow and declined to fight Sikhandi, Sri Krishna used that opportunity to fell Bheeshma. Can Sri Krishna play such foul game to destroy Bheeshma? The Lord has said that He was partial to His devotees. Therefore, there is no use in trying to find fault with Sri Krishna. So, it will be prudent on our part to be His devotee and live happily with whatever He blesses us! There is no use in trying to judge the deeds of the Lord.
Parajitah = unconquerable, drstadyumna - Drashtadyumna, viratas ca satyaki = Virata and Satyaki. Drashtadyumna was the son of Drupada who begot him in a special yagna to kill Drona! Now Drashtadyumna was the Chief Commander of Pandavas army. Drashtadyumna and Draupati were siblings.
Drupado = (King) Drupada, draupadeyas ca = and sons of Draupati, sarvasa = all others, maha bahu = great armed, saubhadras ca = son of Subhadra (Abhimanyu), sankham = conchs, dadhmuh = blew, prthak prthak = separately, pritvi-pate = O! King ( addressing Dradarashtra by Sanjaya). We should keep in mind that all these slokas are the narratives of the happenings in Kurukshetra battlefield, by Sanjaya to Dridarashtra. Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna and Subhadra, married Uttara, daughter of Virata and their child was Parikshit, who was told by the sage Sukha, the story of Sriman Narayana, which is the famous Srimad Bhagavatam puranam.
We will see in the next lecture what was the effect of the sound from Panchajanya.
(continued)
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