Chapter 16
Reverence for Krishna
Whenever Mahārāja
Parīkchit toured any region, the rulers
and kings of that area welcomed him
enthusiastically with appropriate honors,
military and civil. They declared that they were
ever ready to render him loyal service, whatever
the nature of service that he required them to
do. Parīkchit replied that he had no need of
their services and that he expected from them
only the promotion of the happiness and
prosperity of the people entrusted to their
care. He advised them to devote special
attention to the protection of brahmins and
women, guarding them against harm. He exhorted
them to foster the worship of God throughout
their dominions. Those were the only requests he
made to those who were his tributary kings.
In some important
regions of his empire, the people entertained
him with folk-songs, depicting the fame and
prowess of his ancestors; they sang of the
excellences and exploits of the Pāndava
brothers. The songs extolled the mercy and grace
which Lord Krishna showered on the
Pāndavas and the devotion and faith with
which the Pāndavas revered Lord Krishna
at all times. They also enacted folk-plays,
taking on the roles of Pāndavas and Kauravas,
with Krishna in their midst, unravelling
the story that He had planned with these
instruments.
When Parīkchit
heard these songs and saw these plays, tears
rolled down his cheeks, in spite of his efforts
to control his emotions. The ministrels and
story-tellers, the actors and stage-men - all
discovered that their Emperor was fascinated by
plays and songs having these themes only - so,
they gave up other fields in their search for
material and concentrated their attention on the
dynastic history of Parīkchit and the
overpowering grace with which Krishna
saved it at every turn. The Emperor listened
reverentially and sat through with great
devotion; his gratefulness was shown in other
ways too. He was supremely happy; he confirmed
from his ministers and elders that the tales
were completely true; at this, his faith and
devotion multiplied and he sought these chances
more often and enjoyed them even more. He
treated the performers and musicians with
intense affection and honored them with lavish
prizes.
When news spread
that Parīkchit delighted in hearing
songs about his forefathers and Krishna,
those, who had personal experience of these,
gathered around him, wherever he went. They were
themselves eager to see a ruler, who was so full
of devotion. One day, while returning from
Mathurā, an old brahmin was among those
who stood on the side of the road, to catch the
imperial eye. The Mahārāja did not fail to
notice him. He approached him and enquired
lovingly about his welfare. The brahmin said,
"Mahārāja, years ago, when your grandfather Dharmaraja
(Yudhishthhira) performed the horse-sacrifice,
in the divine presence of Krishna, I
officiated as a ritvik, as the chief priest,
to conduct the rites. On that occasion Krishna
approached me and enquired lovingly about my
welfare, with as much affection as you are now
showing me. Your words bring those words to my
memory". The rest of the brahmin's words were
smothered by his sobs and tears. At this, Parīkchit
exclaimed, "O, how fortunate you are! To be
spoken to by the Lord in the Yajńasala!"
He took off the cloth he had on his shoulders
and placing it folded on the floor, he pleaded
with the old man to sit upon it comfortably and
tell him more about his experiences at the Yajńasala
and other places with the Lord.
Saying feebly, "My
heart is torn to pieces because it cannot endure
the grief at the error I committed that day,"
the old man wept. The Mahārāja enquired,
"Master, what is the error? If it can be
revealed to me, I would like to know". He held
both the hands of the old man, clasping them
together and prayed to him to disclose it to
him.
The brahmin
replied: "That day, all of us, who were
initiated into the holy order of priests for the
yajńa, put on the sacred
clothes gifted to us and entered the sanctified
enclosure. Then, Lord Krishna sitting on a
golden plankseat, in front of a golden plate,
poured water from a golden vessel on - no, I
cannot tell further - I do not get words". The
old man wept and sobbed and could not proceed
with this narrative.
This sudden
stoppage of the story just when it had reached a
critical point only heightened the curiosity of
the Emperor. He prayed, "what happened, Master,
tell me please". The brahmin took courage to
comply. "O King, what shall I say? We ritviks
were asked to place our feet on that golden
plate and the Lord washed the feet of each one
of us; He dried the feet later, with the cloth
on His shoulder; He sprinkled the water from our
feet on His Head. Since I was the chief among
them, He was consulting me about all the details
of the rite. Lastly, on the day of the
Valedictory Offering in the sacrificial fire, He
granted us a vision of Himself, with Sankha
(conchshell), Cakra (disk or Sudars'ana)
and Gadā (club, mace) [and lotus flower]
in His divine hands, and that vision liberated
us all from bondage for ever. Now, that Merciful
Lord is away from us, I feel that seeing you is
like tasting a few drops of refreshing water by
a poor fellow, dying of thirst in the raging sun
of the desert.
The brahmin
concluded his account and holding the hands of Parīkchit,
he placed on the king's head a few grains of
sanctified rice, which he had with him tied in a
knot at the corner of his dhoti.
Parīkchit acknowledged the blessing and
exclaimed "Master, I am indeed fortunate. Though
I could not see Lord Krishna in person, I have
today the good luck of meeting the feet that He
revered", and, so saying, he fell at the old
brahmin's feet. He called the ministers to his
side and instructed them to place the brahmin in
a palanquin and take him to his home. He
also gave him large quantities of valuable gifts
and treasure (see also S'rīmad
Bhāgavatam Chapter 2: The Lord in the
heart).
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