Krishnavatara VII: The Book of Yudhishthira Page 4
After a little pause, he continued: ‘I said, the military campaign which precedes the Rajasuya is not in the nature of a murderous war. It is only a step to attain moral hegemony.’
‘That is all the more reason why you cannot celebrate Rajasuya without being sure of the support of the Rajanyas in different kingdoms,’ said Krishna.
‘That assurance can only come if you have made a successful campaign’, said the Master. ‘The position is very delicate. In most cases the kings will accept your hegemony by joining the Rajasuya; if there is resistance, you will have to face them in battle. If you are defeated in such a military campaign, your influence will disappear, your power will disintegrate and the Rajasuya will recoil on you.’
‘But, how can we be sure of victory, Master?’, asked Yudhishthira. ‘War is a game of uncertainty’, he added, hoping Krishna would provide him with some loop-hole to escape the Message.
‘You must create the conditions on which your enemies will acquiesce to your hegemony under moral pressure without a conflict,’ said Krishna.
‘Without a conflict!’ exclaimed Yudhishthira hopefully. ‘How can that be?’
‘Yes, without a conflict,’ replied Krishna.
‘What are those conditions?’ asked Bhima. ‘We will create them, if necessary.’
‘First, you must be ready to go to war, well equipped with arms, horses and chariots and having loyal adherents,’ said Krishna. ‘That condition is fulfilled.’
Then Krishna turned to Draupadi and asked: ‘What about your noble father?’
‘Lord, Drupad, I am sure, will help us, so that the Rajasuya may be celebrated,’ replied Draupadi. She had a status of her own in the family; she was always present even when delicate matters were discussed, and her opinion always counted.
‘What about your people? Will they give you their full support?’ asked Krishna.
‘Yes, they are loyal,’ replied Bhima.
‘Can you depend upon their loyalty even if you receive a setback in one or two campaigns?’ asked Krishna.
‘I think we can,’ replied Bhima. ‘But I can’t imagine how we could suffer a setback.’
Krishna laughed. ‘You always look at the bright side of a thing.’
‘If I don’t, you will all drown me in your tears,’ replied Bhima. He burst into mischievous, boyish laughter.
‘What about your other allies?’
‘Our allies are firm in their allegiance to us,’ said Bhima. ‘Some may waver, but we can easily overcome them if they are foolish enough to resist us.’
‘That means war,’ said Yudhishthira.
‘What about Sishupal of Chedi? He is your enemy. So are Dantavaktra of Karush, Bhagadatta of Pragjyotish, Rukmi of Vidarbha, and Paundraka Vasudeva. They are the allies of Jarasandha,’ said Krishna.
‘We can easily defeat Sishupal and Dantavaktra,’ said Arjuna.
‘That is not so easy, Brother,’ said Krishna. ‘If you are engaged in a war against Sishupal and Dantavaktra, Jarasandha is sure to throw in his weight on their side. Also don’t forget that your cousin, Duryodhana, bears no love to you. He might lend support to Jarasandha, even if the elders like Bhishma, Drona and Kripacharya disapprove of the step. Then there is Karna Radheya; he is waiting for a chance to fight you, Arjuna, and please his friend, Duryodhana.’
‘What do you suggest?’ asked Bhima. He was disappointed at Krishna pulling one reason upon another against holding the Rajasuya.
Krishna was lost in thought for a while. Then he said: ‘If you want me to be associated with the Rajasuya…….’
‘There is no ‘if’ in the matter. If you are not going to be associated with it, we are not going to celebrate the Rajasuya,’ said Bhima. ‘And I know you well enough. Once we start a war, you are sure to jump in to save us.’
‘Then we must destroy Jarasandha. He is our bitterest foe, who would not stop at doing anything to destroy the Yadavas. You know that he destroyed Mathura to be rid of me, but could not find me. He came to kidnap Draupadi at the swayamvara, but he had to withdraw because of me.’
‘How can we destroy Jarasandha?’ asked Yudhishthira. ‘He is far away. Even Susharma, the King of Kashi, Jalandharaa’s brother, is mortally afraid of him.’
‘You are right, Brother,’ said Krishna. ‘When the sun comes into the constellation of Makar (Capricorn), Jarasandha will begin his preparations to hold a sacrificial session in which the heads of a hundred kings will be offered.’
‘This is awful, if true,’ interjected the Master who felt as if a blow had fallen on him. ‘Are you sure that Jarasandha had decided upon this inhuman sacrifice?’
‘The message was brought to me by Acharya Indrapramad, the disciple of Acharya Shvetaketu, who has an ashram near Kashi. It was from Prince Meghasandhi,’ replied Krishna.
‘Yes, I know Acharya Indrapramad well,’ said the Master. ‘Where is he?’
‘He is on his way back to Girivraja to request Sahadeva and Meghasandhi to prevent the sacrifice from being offered till I reach there,’ said Krishna.
‘This is unbelievable,’ said the Master, shaking his hand. ‘It is un-Aryan, sinful, heinous. It is destructive of all that dharma stands for. It must be prevented.’
‘Master, has there been any Arya King within your knowledge who has offered human sacrifice?’ asked Krishna.
‘Many, many years ago, an attempt was made by King Harishchandra to offer Shunahshepa to the sacred fire, but the God Varuna released him. Since then, no Arya King has offered a man for sacrifice.’ The Master’s voice shook with indignation. He put his palms around his ears. ‘Sacrificing a hundred Rajanyas is unthinkable. We must find a way to prevent it.’
‘How can we take our army to Magadha and destroy Jarasandha?’ asked Yudhishthira.
Bhima snapped his fingers. ‘Like this. Our maharathis will be ready to finish off Jarasandha. Drupad is our relation and friend. So is the King of Kashi.’
‘I doubt whether they will actively join you in the beginning’, said Krishna. ‘They will come to your help only when they find out that you are likely to succeed.’
‘To invade Magadha is no easy matter,’ said Yudhishthira. He was clinging to a last hope.
‘What shall we do?’ asked Bhima of Krishna.
‘The only way open to us’, replied Krishna, ‘is the way that I suggest: to create a situation in which we can celebrate Rajasuya without risking a defeat. That is possible only when we are rid of Jarasandha.’
‘All wars carry the risk of defeat,’ commented Yudhishthira.
‘We must eliminate all chances of defeat before we embark upon the Rajasuya,’ said Krishna.
Everybody was silent.
The Master then spoke: ‘I will send a message to the kings and Rajanyas who look to me for guidance to be ready for a war against Magadha. But it is doubtful whether all of them will take the risk.’
The shadow of a deep anguish was on the Master’s face. He added: ‘It will be an unfortunate war—Arya kings pitted against Arya kings. On the other hand, if this human sacrifice is not stopped, the fabric of dharma will collapse. We shall be no longer Aryas but Rakshasas.’
Everybody was buried in thought.
‘What does the noble Vaasudeva suggest,’ asked the Master.
Krishna then spoke slowly, but with firmness. ‘The message that I received was very clear. Prince Meghasandhi wants me to meet to help him to stop this demoniac ceremonial.’
After a pause, he continued: ‘Before Nakula arrived at Dwaraka to fetch me here, I had already sent a reply to Meghasandhi and his father, Sahadeva, the Crown Prince, that I was coming to the rescue of the Rajanyas.’
‘Krishna’,
said Yudhishthira, ‘it is not easy to lead an army to Magadha.’
Krishna smiled. ‘That only means that we have to find a way to destroy Jarasandha without such a conflict.’
‘But how is that possible?’ asked Yudhishthira.
‘It is open to you to keep yourself out of this venture. But no choice is left to me,’ said Krishna.
‘Meghasandhi appealed to me because he had confidence that I would not hesitate once dharma was in danger. He himself is afraid that his grandfather, in a desperate mood, will not hesitate to offer him and his father to the sacred fire.’
‘What a madman!’ said Bhima.
‘Eldest, the choice is yours. I am going to Magadha straight from here. If you send Bhima and Arjuna with me, they will be helpful to me and your purpose of preparing the ground for Rajasuya will also be served,’ said Krishna.
Mother Kunti was horror-struck. ‘What if something happens to you, Krishna, or to Bhima or Arjuna?’ she asked.
Krishna smiled. ‘At times a true kshatriya must carry his head in the palm of his hand. Perhaps the three of us can achieve what three thousand atirathis cannot. We need your blessing and the blessings of the Master. I have my own accounts to square with Jarasandha. He has pursued me all my life. On several occasions I could have killed him, but I helped him to escape; I did not want to kill him in a personal quarrel. But this time, I will have no hesitation, for he is trying to uproot the very basis of Arya dharma, the sanctity of human life,’ he said.
‘But your life is too precious, Krishna, to be wasted in this way,’ said Mother Kunti.
‘Otherwise,’ replied Krishna, ‘if Jarasandha offers humans to the sacred fire, the whole structure of Arya life will be ruined.’ He paused for a while and continued: ‘With great difficulty, Meghasandhi has been keeping the number of kings at less than a hundred by letting one or two Rajanyas escape every time.’
Krishna then turned to the Master and said: ‘If we do not return, then, Master, you are free to ask the Arya chiefs to invade Magadha. But I feel sure that we will not fail.’
The Master perceived Krishna’s smile, his firm tone, his mien of irresistible dignity.
And as Krishna bowed his head, the Master blessed him by placing his hand on it. ‘Noble Vaasudeva, if you succeeded in stopping this holocaust, verily I say that you are the Sasvat- dharma—gupta whom I have been seeking all the time.’
When Krishna and Bhima were leaving, Draupadi came out with them and told Krishna: ‘Lord, bring back both the Brothers safely. Assure me, Krishna, that you will not return without them’.
Bhima burst into loud laughter. ‘You have no confidence in your husband. Why don’t you ask me not to return without Krishna?’
5. THE THREE VISITORS
Magadha, over which Jarasandha held sway, was a fertile land watered by several rivers, amongst them the Ganga, which served as a broad river-way, making traffic by boat easy. The fertility of its soil and its hot water springs attracted people from all the neighbouring areas and even from far-off places.
Its capital was a large sprawling settlement around the rocky hill, Girivraja, which served as a citadel.
King Brihadratha, the father of Jarasandha, was an easy-going monarch. Under his rule, Magadha was a happy land, living in peace with its neighbours—Mithila and Kashi.
Jarasandha when he succeeded his father, moved his residence from the royal mansion in the centre of the settlement to the citadel.
From the time he came to the throne, Jarasandha had two ambitions in life—one to conquer death and the other to be the master of the world.
He tried to fulfill his first ambition, to secure immortality, by becoming an irresistible athlete.
In one of his earlier campaigns, he came across the mulls, a community devoted to mull vidya, which they believed to be a religious site to secure immortality.
Jarasandha brought them to Girivraja and organized them into a body of experts, giving them every facility to live comfortably.
He raised Bahu Vidya or Mull Vidya—body combat—to the status of an esoteric cult. The mulls were invested with priestly authority, with himself as the pontiff, the Lord Rudra being the presiding deity.
The sacred mulls, who were heavy of build, were a world in themselves. They were subservient to the will of Jarasandha, and were his comrades in developing mull vidya, terrorizing the residents of the settlements and harassing the common people.
The sacred mulls also served as a secret service, an instrument to enforce Jarasandha’s commands. Any act of disobedience or disloyalty to him immediately attracted their attention. This usually ended in a whipping, sometimes in a hammer blow from the Emperor’s gigantic fist, cracking the victim’s skull.
The mulls, with their families lived at the foot of the hill, but three days a week each one had to serve the Emperor in the citadel. While they lived at the settlement, their duty was to spy on the Kshatriya warriors and to extort money from the traders. Jarasandha would not hear any complaint against them.
Jarasandha’s family lived in the royal mansion in the centre of the settlement. However, his son Sahadeva, and his three grandsons, Somahji, Marjari and Meghansandhi, had to wait upon the Emperor everyday in the forenoon.
Whenever he was in the mood, he invited one of his queens to come and stay with him in the citadel. If a queen was chosen to come and live with him in the citadel, she felt like committing suicide.
The queen of the day would be brought up to the citadel in a litter carried by the mulls with a fanfare. When Jarasandha was tired of her, he would send her back in a litter quietly.
To realize his other ambition of becoming the master of the world, Jarasandha, marched his army up and down, defeating kings or taking them captive, looting their treasuries, insisting on unquestioned allegiance.
He kept the captured Rajanyas (kings and chiefs) locked up in the citadel to be offered to the Lord Rudra.
Jarasandha had also forged a net-work of alliances with powerful kings like Sishupal of Chedi, Dantavaktra of Karush and Shalva of Saubha.
Jarasandha had consolidated his power over an important, vital sector of Aryavarta by giving his daughters in marriage to the Yadava king of Mathura, Kamsa. Kamsa had an ambition of his own and offered unquestioned loyalty to his master, hoping that some day he would inherit a part of his empire.
When Kamsa was killed by Krishna, it was an affront which Jarasandha could never forgive. He decided to take revenge on the Yadavas and their chiefs, Krishna and Balarama.
Jarasandha descended upon Mathura to punish Krishna and Balarama, but he found that they had fled and he could do nothing about them.
Krishna and Balarama returned to Mathura after a while. Once again Jarasandha led his army to Mathura, but when he arrived there, he found that the Yadavas, under Krishna’s leadership, had already left for Saurashtra with all their chariots, horses, cows, stock of foodgrains, and movable possessions. He had to rest satisfied with reducing Mathura to ashes.
While Mathura was burning, the Lord Rudra appeared before him, pleased with his devotion. Jarasandha asked the Lord when he would become the Chakravarti of the world. The reply was ‘when he could offer the heads of a hundred Rajanyas to the sacred fire.’
This was the occasion when he returned from Mathura, bringing a community of mulls to Girivraja, as a powerful weapon to crush all opposition or disobedience.
During the best part of the day, he worshipped the Lord Rudra and then wrestled with the sacred mulls appointed for wrestling bouts as the ritual for the day.
The citadel of Girivraja had an open-air shrine to the Lord Shankar as Rudra. Jarasandha, dressed in a lion’s skin, would sit in the courtyard of the shrine, surrounded by the sacred mulls on duty there.
Jarasandha was a giant of a man. In spite of his age, he was the very embodiment of massive strength. His beard flowed like a river. He had powerful arms, his muscles were unshrunk, his breast very hairy, his eyes shaded by thick, white eye-brows.
For the moment, his eyes were pinned on the face of his youngest grandson, Meghasandhi, a handsome and well-built young man, who stood in front of him, expecting his grandfather to explode with wrath.
Being in charge of Girivraja, Meghasandhi was the only member of his family permitted to bear arms in the presence of Jarasandha.
‘Fool,’ shouted Jarasandha in a full-throated voice. ‘Why did you allow the strangers to come into the town? What sort of men are they?’
‘Lord, there are three of them. One is a giant, evidently an expert wrestler with a broad chest; his arms are as powerful as the trunk of an elephant.’
‘And the other two?’ asked Jarasandha.
‘The other two are of medium-size. The taller of the two is wiry and strong. The third has a charming face with sparkling eyes and an attractive smile.’
‘Why have they come here?’
‘They said that they were Srotriyas and had come to Girivraja to pay their respect to the Lord,’ replied Meghasandhi.
Meghasandhi knew that if his grandfather grew very angry, he might kill any one present to vent his temper. But, worse still, he might decide to offer his father, Sahadeva, himself and his brothers, whom he suspected of disloyalty, to complete the quota of a hundred heads of Rajanyas. However before Jarasandha could do this, Krishna Vaasudeva was to arrive.
‘Did they attract any attention from the people?’ asked Jarasandha with a frown.
‘Yes, they did,’ replied Meghasandhi.
‘How do you know?’
‘As they appeared strange, I remained with them all the time. They had applied sandal-wood paste all over their bodies and wore garlands of flowers. At the gates of the town, they broke the three drums which were being played to show the hour. When they passed along the streets, men and women came out of theirhouses to look at them in wonder. An Atirathi even invited them to dinner.’
‘Were you at the dinner?’
‘I joined them lest they might set up a conspiracy.’
‘After taking their meal, they approached Girivraja; at the gates, they were stopped from proceeding further by the mull guards.’