1. Pandavas Gambling Places

Slides – https://spiritualatma.files.wordpress.com/2017/04/m22-khandavprastha.pdf

Hi, this video is about Pandavas coming out of their hiding mode and their return to Hastinapur.
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to quickly recap in the last video we covered the story of Draupadi’s svayamvara, we saw how many kings failed to string the bow and hit the target, how karna was disqualified by Draupadi and finally Druapadi’s marriage with all 5 Pandavas. We saw two meanings behind Druapadi’s gets married to 5 Pandavas. 1 was because of Druapadi’s deep peneance in past life to Lord Shiva and the boon she got was to marry 5 husbands and 2 was comparison of Drupadi with the Kundalini shakti and her role to power all the 5 chakra’s in human body. There is one more mystical meaning of Draupadi’s marriage with 5 Pandavas, Draupadi represents the intellect, which is married to the soul together with the four purusharthas or pusposes of life. As we do more meditation and discipline ourself, we begin to develop the support of the intellect within us. Assisted by that intellect, we can pursue ethical values(dharma), material values (artha), vital values (kama) and strive for the spiritual value of life – moksha. As we will see in the future videos that just as Drupadi eventually becomes one of the main causes of the great Mahabharata war, so too, our intellect becomes the cause of the great battle known as Sadhana – which a program of spiritual discipline, in which one plans to destroy all the negative impressions of the mind with the help of the Divine self – like Shree Krishna in Mahabharata.

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Moving on with the Mahabharata story, now the Pandavas have built a very powerful aliance with Kingdom of Panchal by marrying with Draupadi and have full support of Shri Krishna and the entire Yadavas, they were now ready to reveal to everyeone that they were alive. Dhritarashtra and Duryodhana were shocked to hear this news instead of Pandavas being alive. Bheesma, Drona and Vidura called upon Dhritarasthra and counselled him to counteract the wrong doings by his son. They gist of their advise was “Fortunately Pandavas and their mother Kunti have not perished in the fire of the wax mansion, if they had been burnt to death the blame would have fallen on you and not on the wicked Purochana. Cordinally call back the Pandavas and treat them as your own. The Pandavas are more entitled to inherit the ancient Kuru kingdom than the Kauravas are. In the worst case divide the Kingdom into two halfs and persuade the cousins to live in peace, harmony and happiness. Dritarashtra was influenced by this idea of dividing the kingdom and they jointly send an envoy headed by Vidur to Panchal to invite the Pandavas back.

Yudhishtir was fond of gambling (of course not illegal way of winning them). He was invited by his brother Duryodhana for something like a family get-to gather. Dharmaraja always wants to take a chance to build up relations with kauravas hence, without hesitation he accepted the invitation. The sorry tale shows that Pandavas were indeed a much less effective unit when Krishna was not present. The great thing about the Mahabharata is that nobody is wholly good or nobody is wholly bad. Yuddhishtira, the very epitome of righteousness had a weakness for gambling which he never repeated, but which was devastating in its effect.

People of hastinapur were glad that their beloved Princes were alive and were coming back. After entering the Kingsom, the Pandavas prostrated before Bheeshma and Dhrtarasthtra and were received cordially. The coronation ceremony of Yudhisthira was celebrated on an auspicious day. Dhritarasthra then advised his nephew to go to Khandavprastha the ruined capital of their ancestors and renovate it as his new capital. The price agreed to it, in order to avoid future clash between the Pandavas and Kaurvaas. The partition was at a disadvantage to the Pandavas but Krishna approved of it. To build anything the wild foreset and its wild creatures had to be cleared. The lord of fire (agnidev) was invoked to burn down the forest and clear it of all its inhabitant. Agnidev needed help againts lord Indra who would pour rain to protect Takshak snake who lived in this forest. Agnidev gives Arjuna the gandiva by invoking Varundev (lord of ocean) and also gives them a charriot with divine hourses which carried an emblem of a monkey on it. Arjuna was able to ward off the rain my making an umbrella with arrows. Mayasur who was also inwelling in that forest asks be pardoned and in return he offers to build a magnificent hall in the new capital. Everything was destroyed by fire except Takasha and his son, Mayasur and 4 birds.

At this point a new Parva or chapter starts, its the 2nd chapter of Mahabharata story, its called Sabha Parva.

Once Khandavaprastha forest was cleared by the fire, Krishna invited Indra to build a city in Khandavprastha. Indra sends Visvakarma to build this city. In no time Visvakarma made a magnificent city and it was named Indrapastha. After that Mayasur makes a magical Sabha (or a hall) in the Palace of Indraprastha.

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The Palace was now ready for Pandavas to occupy. All the five Pandavas loved Draupadi equally. This was a recipe for a disaster for it was a question of time befoe they experieneced jealousy and possessiveness. Sage Narada visits them on their day 1 in the Palace and shares with them the story of Tilotamma, an Apsara who was sent by the Devas to create discord and eventually destroy the two Asura brothers, Sunda and Upasunda. No sooner did the two brothers see her that both desired her hand in marriage. “I wll marry the one who is the stronger of you two”, said Tilotamma smilingly. The brothers decided to fight for her. And since both were equally matched, they ended up killing each other in the fight. If you dont want to end up killing each other as Sunda and Upasunda did, you must agree to allow Draupadi to be exclusive to one brother for a year at a time. Once the year is over, you must let her go to your other brothers and return to her only four years later. The brother who enters Draupadi’s chamber out of turn will go into exile for a year. The Pandavas agreed. One day, the cows of the Pandavas were being herded away by the thieves. The cowheads sought the help of Arjuna who rushed to the palace to collect his bow. He looked everywhere and could not find it so he goes in search of it in Draupadi’s chamber, when he entered, Draupadi was with Yudhisthira. Since Arjuna had entered out of turn, Arjuna had to go into exile in the forest for a year as a punishment. He decided to go on a pilgrimage.

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While in exile Arjuna visited various holy places all over Bharata and took a dip in River Ganga, Sarasvati, Godavari, Kaveri and in the end goes to Dwarka where he meets Subhadra. Subhadra was in love with Arjuna from all the stores that she had heard about Arjuna from shri Krishna and thus when she meets Arjuna, she runs away with Arjuna. They get married and have a son named Abhimanyu. Shri Krishna very well knew that his sister loved Arjuna dearly and thus does not stop them while they were running away. Shri Krishna has a strong liking towards Abhimanyu. He also trains Abhimanyu with use of various weapons.

At Indraprashta, Narada advises Yudhisthira to perform Rajasuya yagna and by doing that yagna, Yudhishisthira would declare himself to be the undisputed emperor. Yudhisthira asks Shri Krisha for his advise on perfoming Rajasuya yagna. shri krishna approves of the idea but things that King Jarasandh would not approve of Yudhisthira to be the undisputed emperor and thus they need to first take care of Jarasandh. Bhima disguises as a Bhramin and goes to the kingdom of Magadh. Jarasand used to fight regularly in a friendly fight in this kingdom with who ever would challenge him, it was his way to stay fit. Bheema challenges Jarasandh for a fight and Bhima was able to kill Jarasandh in that fight.

the Rajasuya yagna now takes place at Indraprastha, various kings from all the neighbouring kingdom were invited. Duryodhan and Shakuni also visit along with Shisupal and others to witness the Rajasuya yagna. Duryodhan was in an awe to see how prosperous Indraprasth had become, he was also super jealous about the magical assembly that Mayasur had built. During the rajasuya yagna, Shri Krishna was made the chief guest by Yudhishtira. Shisupal made lots of insulting comments on Shri Krishna, after 100 insults, Shri Krishna kills Shisupal. Duryodhan in the meanwhile was walking into the assembly hall where he mistakes a pond water for a hard surface and falls into the pond of water, this was because of illusion created by Mayasur. Seeing Duryodhan fall into the pond, Draupadi could not control her laugher at the mishap. Duryodhan felt insulsted and got furuious and cultivated a deep desire for a revenge againts Draupadi’s insult. He leaves the Rajasuya yagna immediately and goes back to Hastinapur along with Shakuni. On their way back to Hastinapur Duryodhana expressed to Sakuni and Karna his unbearable jealously of the PAndavas prosperity. But shakuni exhoret him to reconcile himeself with their self-earned empire and enormous wealth. Duryodhana made it clear that he would rather die than tolerate the opulence of his much heated cousins. Shakuni said Conquest is out of question. Gambling is the only way. Yudhisthira has a liking for game of dice while he is thoroughly inexperience in the art. I am an expert dice player. Let us cheat him in gambling and win away his empire and everything.

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One may wonder, Why were Pandavas given Khandavprastha(undeveloped part of the kingdom) where as Kavravas get to keep (developed part of the kingdom)? The fact that the Kauravas retained the prosperious portion of their homeland and the Pandavas received the barren half is not a pathetic situation at all. It is symbolic of the mystic fact that the Panavas were well-suited to evolve through the itnernalized realm of the mind which is hard, while the Kauravas were only suited to operate through the realm of the sense and the externalized mind which is easy. Like the Pandavas, when a spiritual aspiratnt beings to explore the realm of mind through concentration and meditation, he may feel as if he is treading upon a barren land. He realizes that a lot of work has to be done in order to make that internal realm into an Indraprastha. However, with the right self-effort and the grace of Krishna, that realm of mind becomes a radiant for all that is best in human personality.

Also one other insight is from thinking about –
What is the significance of burning down Khandavprastha forest ?
The fire god symbolizes the fire of aspiration in every individual. That fire becomes dull if you are involved in ssakam karma or actions performed with desire for fruits of actions. Doing more and more sakarm karma leads to build up of ashubh vasanas or impressions of anger, greed, hate, jealousy etc. Our unconscious becomes like a terrible forest like the Kamyaka forest. We can strengthen our aspiration for self realization by practicing sadhana (spiritual disciplines) and purify our hearth to allow the divine force of vairagya (dispassion) to enter our unconscious and with the help of Krishna and Arjuna we can clean up the whole jungle within us. Burning down the Kamayaka forest symbolizes the spirtual overhauling of the unconsious mind similar to Hanuman setting Lanka on fire in Ramayana. Indra showering rain is comparable to the cloud of desires that surge in us. Arjuna is the spirit, the soul and Krishna is the divine self. When our soul becomes friends with the Divine self, our real fires of true aspirations can thrive.
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In the next video we will continue with seeing what happens after Duryodhan approves of this evil trick of playing a dice game to win over everything that the PAndavas had.

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Pandavas Gambling Places

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