Question of the sages 7

 Samika Rishi's son was a young and inexperienced boy. Entering the

ashrama he saw the offense against his father and he was filled with rage. To

show his great powers to his young companions, the boy cast a curse

against Parikshit, condemning him to die within seven days for the bite of a

winged serpent. Shaken from his meditation, Samika Rishi realized what

had happened. He was very sorry for the turn of events, and scolded his

son for behaving childishly in sentencing the protector of the kingdom to

death because of a mere prank.

From his side, Parikshit soon realized he had acted like a fool and

uncivilized person in offending the Rishi, who had simply been unaware of

his arrival. When he heard about the curse, he calmly accepted his destiny,

and retired to the bank of the Ganges to prepare for imminent death. The

news spread and all the great Rishis assembled around Parikshit to assist

him in such a delicate moment. There arrived Narada, Vyasa, Atri, Vasistha,

Visvamitra, Parasara, Angira, Parasurama, Bharadhvaja, Gautama, Maitreya,

Devala, Cyavana and many others. The king immediately took advantage of

the opportunity, and after offering them his homage, asked their advice on

what he should do. At that time also Sukadeva, the son of Vyasa, arrived in

that place, and the glorious assembly of saints and sages offered him the

seat of honor.

Question of the sages 6

 He performed three Asvamedha yajnas on the bank of the Ganges, and to

make sure that everything was well in the kingdom, he often patrolled

around on his chariot pulled by black horses and decorated with the Lion

flag. One day he saw a totally unqualified man, disguised as a king, who was

beating a cow and a bull. The bull was already standing on one leg only, and

the cow was crying - and Parikshit realized that they were the

personifications of Dharma and Earth. The legs of Dharma are the four

principles of religion - austerity, cleanliness, compassion and truthfulness.

Truthfulness is the last divine quality that can still resist somehow in the age

of Kali, and without which, religion has no more meaning.

The Earth was crying because of the sufferings of innocent people, for all

the abandoned women and children, for the brahminical class who had

become awfully neglectful, for the ruthless rulers, for the increasing

consumption of non-vegetarian foods, for famines and droughts, and for

the general degradation of society. But above all, she was crying for the

disappearance of Lord Krishna, who had descended to alleviate the burden

of the earth, consisting of the uncontrolled growth of armies and weaponry.

Parikshit was angered by the sight of the personification of Kali yuga, who

was tormenting the cow and the bull so cruelly, and challenged the criminal

to a fight, as this was the duty of a good king. Terrified, the Kali purusha

immediately abandoned all pretence of arrogance and surrendered, begging

the emperor for mercy. Because the evil doer had surrendered, Parikshit

permitted him to remain in the kingdom, but only in those places where

people chose to engage in slaughtering and eating animals, consuming

liquors, spread prostitution and gambling, and where gold was hoarded. In

this way, if the leaders of society - the rulers and the members of the

government, the brahmanas and religious persons - remain away from these

sources of contamination, society can stay healthy.

However, the effects of the bad times started to show. One day, during his

traveling, Maharaja Parikshit was alone, fatigued, tormented by hunger and

thirst, in the middle of a forest. Looking for a water reservoir, he entered

the hermitage of Samika Rishi, where he saw the Rishi sitting in silence with

eyes closed, deeply immersed in meditation. The king asked for some water,

but the Rishi did not answer or move at all. Annoyed, Parikshit retaliated

against the apparent lack of respect of the Rishi with a prank in very bad 

taste, hanging a dead serpent around his neck - in a mock imitation of the

great ascetic Shiva, the Lord of yoga.

Question of the sages 5

 During his brief visit to the court, Vidura had preferred not to give the

Pandavas the bad news of Krishna's death and the destruction of his city,

Dvaraka, because the tragedy would be soon discovered anyway. Arjuna

went to Dvaraka to see Krishna, but was absent for seven months.

Yudhisthira started to become worried, also because he had observed some

bad omens - irregularities in the cycle of seasons, sudden cyclones,

increased pollution due to dust and smoke, and a general degradation of the

environment in inhabited areas and even in the water reservoirs.

Degradation was also visible in the way of life among the people, with

spreading depression and a growing tendency to quarrel and cheat. Even

the animals seemed to suffer: the cows did not give milk any more, dogs

and jackals howled all the time, and the crows were everywhere.

Finally Arjuna returned, full of grief and tears, and to Yudhisthira's inquiry

he revealed the tragic end of the Yadu dynasty and his own despair for the

disappearance of Krishna, who had been the source of all blessings and

protection for the Pandavas. Recalling the many occasions when he had

shared Krishna's activities and the teachings he had received from the Lord,

Arjuna found consolation and new inspiration to become detached from all

material thoughts. Yudhisthira and the other brothers too were deeply

touched by the news.

After enthroning his grandson Parikshit and putting Vajra (son of

Aniruddha and grandson of Krishna) in Mathura as king of Surasena,

Yudhisthira performed the Prajapatya yajna to become free from the

responsibilities of the kingdom. Abandoning all luxuries, Yudhisthira

dressed in rags, loosened his hair and started to consume only liquid foods,

giving up all interest for whatever happened around him. Then he started

walking towards the Himalaya to become an ascetic, followed by his

brothers. In the meantime Vidura, too, had left his body while he was on a

pilgrimage at Prabhasa. Draupadi and Subhadra - the wives of the Pandavas

- also retired to engage in meditation on the Lord and soon they also left

this world.

Young Parikshit Maharaja proved himself to be worthy of his grandparents'

trust and ruled following the advice of the best ministers, choosing

Kripacharya as court priest. He married the daughter of king Uttara and had

four sons, the eldest of whom was named Janamejaya.

Question of the sages 4

 Suta then narrated the events in the Pandavas' family after the war. "When

Asvatthama launched the brahmastra against little Parikshit, who was still in

his mother's womb, the child saw Krishna coming to save him, and from

that time onwards, he felt a deep desire to find the Lord. Therefore he was

called Parikshit ("he who examines") because every time he met a person he

watched him intently in the hope of recognizing the Lord who saved him.

Parikshit was the heir to the throne, and his birth was celebrated with great

festivities. The learned brahmanas calculated his horoscope and praised his

wonderful natural qualities.

Yudhisthira had now become the emperor of a vast kingdom, and

performed another three great yajnas for the benefit of the subjects, also

inviting Krishna and other relatives from the Yadu dynasty. In that period,

uncle Vidura - brother to Pandu and Dhritarastra - returned from his long

pilgrimage and was welcomed by great affection and joy by all his relatives.

Vidura had left Hastinapura before the war, disgusted by the evil

stubbornness of Duryodhana and by his plans to destroy the Pandavas.

Now the circumstances had changed, and Vidura saw the possibility to

convince Dhritarastra, Duryodhana's father, to raise his consciousness

above the material attachments, greed and pride that had ruined his entire

family, and to properly prepare for his imminent death.

Vidura's words were in perfect timing: the old regent, who had been born

blind, was increasingly fragile in health. He had also lost all his children and

was in a very embarrassing situation, honored and royally maintained by

those he had persecuted and tried to kill for many years. So Dhritarastra

took a decision, and without saying anything to anyone he left the palace

together with his faithful wife Gandhari, to retire to the Himalaya and

engage in austerities to control his senses. When Yudhisthira found that his

uncle Dhritarastra had gone, he felt a great pain and guilt, thinking that the

old regent had lost all his sons because of him. At that time Narada Muni

arrived to pacify him, and after reminding him that everything happens

according to God's plan, he informed him that Dhritarastra and Gandhari

had left with Vidura to go to Saptasrota, where the sacred Ganges divides

into seven streams, to engage in the austerities of yoga and become free

from bodily attachments.

question of the sages 3

 Asvatthama was stripped of the wealth and dignity he had inherited from

his family, and was exiled forever from the kingdom. While Krishna was

preparing to leave, however, the wretched Asvatthama returned to attack

the Pandavas, this time aiming a brahmastra against Parikshit, the last

descendent of the Pandavas, who was still in his mother's womb. Krishna

intervened timely to protect the child, saving him from death, to the great

joy of the Pandavas and their mother Kunti, who offered beautiful prayers

of gratitude to the Lord.

After the funeral rites for the deceased heroes, King Yudhisthira was

overcome by despair, thinking about all those who had perished in the

battle. He felt responsible for the war and its terrible results, and he wanted

to visit the battlefield. There lay the old warrior Bhishma, reclining on a bed

of arrows, already close to death, and offered his respect, in the presence of

many rishis and great personalities.

In spite of his many wounds and uncomfortable position, Bhishma was

anxious to comfort Yudhisthira and patiently answered all his questions on

Dharma, social organization and the duties of the various categories of

persons, and especially on the duties of the King and the protection of the

kingdom, for which Yudhisthira and the Pandavas had become responsible.

Finally, when the auspicious moment arrived, Bhishma offered his respects

and prayers to Lord Krishna, who was present in front of him, and

surrendered to death.

Then Lord Krishna accompanied the Pandavas to their capital Hastinapura

and stayed with them for a few months before returning to Dvaraka. At the

time of his departure he was affectionately met by his sister Subhadra, who

had married Arjuna, and by the other ladies of the family - Draupadi, Kunti,

Uttara, Satyavati and Gandhari. All the Pandavas were present, and also

Dhritarastra, Kripacharya, Dhaumya and Yuyutsu, the son of Dhritarastra

who had allied with the Pandavas in the war. After traveling through

various provinces, Krishna happily arrived at Dvaraka and was triumphantly

welcomed by his parents and by all the inhabitants of the city."

After listening carefully to the narration of these events, Saunaka Rishi

presented more questions to Suta, asking him to tell more about the

emperor Parikshit, who was a great devotee, and about the circumstances of

his death.

question of the sages 2

Suta obliged with good grace. "After compiling the various divisions of Vedic knowledge in a form suitable to the age that had started, Vyasa had been wondering whether his work was really complete. Suddenly his guru Narada appeared to answer his doubts. Narada explained to Vyasa that in his writings he had neglected the most important thing: the detailed description of the glories of the Supreme Lord, Bhagavan Vishnu, of his forms and his activities. These transcendental stories have the power to transform the lives of those who hear them, as Narada himself had directly experienced. In his previous lifetime, Narada had been born from a maidservant of humble origins, and as a child he had helped his mother to serve a group of sadhus during a period of various months covering the rainy season and autumn. Those great sages were pleased with the boy and allowed him to listen to their discourses, that were specifically centered on the activities of the various divine manifestations. The company of the devotees had purified the child's consciousness to the point that he had lost all material attachments and he only wanted to engage in the search for the Lord. So when he left his body he obtained the blessing of taking a new birth as the direct son of Brahma, the creator. After Narada's visit, Vyasa focused on working on the Bhagavata and later he transmitted it to his son Sukadeva, another great spiritual personality who had already attained the level of complete liberation from all material attachments." The narration of the Bhagavata begins right after the battle of Kurukshetra, when the few survivors were resting in their tents. The five sons of Pandu (Yudhisthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva) were camping at the margins of the battlefield, together with their family. Drona's son, Asvatthama, was determined to avenge his master, the evil Duryodhana who had been defeated in battle, and in the middle of the night he sneaked into the tent of the five sons of Draupadi, the queen of the Pandavas. Then he beheaded them in their sleep. Caught red-handed, Asvatthama fled but was pursued by Arjuna, and when he realized he had no way to escape, he launched the terrible nuclear weapon called brahmastra. Arjuna destroyed the missile and captured Asvattham, taking him back to the camp in front of Krishna, Draupadi and the other Pandavas, for them to decide about his punishment.

question of the sages 1

"Since the beginning of creation, the Supreme Lord manifests in various forms to bless the living beings. The first incarnation, called Purusha avatara or Maha Vishnu, generates all the universes and penetrates within each one of them. The avataras of Vishnu are innumerable. For example, there are the four Kumaras who, at the beginning of creation, engaged in great austerities, Varaha the boar avatara who lifted the Earth up from the lower region of the universe, Narada Muni, who compiled the teachings on bhakti, Nara and Narayana who retired to meditate on the Himalaya, Kapila who revealed the Sankhya philosophy, Dattatreya who instructed many great personalities about transcendental knowledge, Yajna the son of Ruci and Akuti, Rishabha who demonstrated the way of renunciation, king Prithu who made the Earth prosper, Matsya the fish avatara who saved Manu from the inundation of the world, Kurma the tortoise avatara who held the Mandara hill, Dhanvantari who revealed the science of medicine, Mohini who mesmerized the asuras with her female beauty, Nrisimha who destroyed the rakshasa Hiranyakasipu, Vamana the dwarf who asked Bali as much land as he could cover with three steps, Parasurama who killed the corrupt rulers, Rama who built a bridge over the ocean and defeated the demonic Ravana, and Rama and Krishna who alleviated the burden of the world. During the present age, Buddha and Kalki will appear, with the mission of fighting against increaing degradation. All these divine personalities are in fact manifestations of one God only, and remain transcendental unlike the conditioned souls who take birth in this world under the control of material nature. These topics were elaborated by the writer avatara Vyasa, who compiled the Vedic scriptures. In turn Vyasa's son Sukadeva narrated the Srimad Bhagavata Purana to king Parikshit, who had gone to the bank of the Ganges waiting for his own death." Saunaka wanted to know in which circumstances and on which inspiration Vyasa had composed the Bhagavata, how the great emperor Parikshit had abandoned the throne while he was still young, and how he had met Sukadeva.