Dear Parents,
Opening Prayers: Om Sahanā vavatu, followed by the chants Om Sree Ganeśaya Namaha, Sree Saraswatyai Namaha, Sree Sat Gurubhyo Namaha.
Story: The Pandavas lived in relative obscurity at Kamyaka forest, completely oblivious to all happenings in Hastinapur. It was at that time that Krishna, Dhrishtadhyumna, Drishtaketu(King of Chedis), and a small group of loyalists visited them at Kamyaka. Dhrishtadhyumna was enraged at the plight of his sister, while Krishna couldn't stand to watch his family live in such simple conditions. After all, Yudhisthira was the most powerful king, especially after the Rajasuya yagna.
He was seething in anger at the Kauravas, and told Yudhisthira that he had his army ready to fight Hastinapur, and return the Pandavas to their former glory. Yudhisthira was so touched by the love, but asked Krishna to not act in haste. Yudhisthira was ashamed of what he had perpetrated - gambling away not just his life, but also the lives of his brothers and their wife. He was to blame, but his brothers and Draupadi also had to endure the punishment, for no fault of theirs. He assured Krishna that justice will prevail at the end of 13 years, but it was their Dharma to see this through. And he would not waver from that ideal.
Hearing Yudhisthira speak of Dharma and refusing Krishna's help, Draupadi sobbed hard. She spoke of the injustice meted out to her, the fire-born Princess of Panchala, the sister of the great Dhrishtadhyumna, the wife of the Pandavas, and the Queen of Indraprastha. None of those titles mattered when she was wagered in an unfair game of dice. She was not aware of the wager while she was dragged to the court by her hair, by a spiteful Dusshasana. She pointed to her husbands, asking Krishna why they stood silent while the Kauravas took turns taunting her? How could Yudhisthira be the emperor of the world when he stands slouched, while his wife is termed a slave? How could any of Bheema's killing of asuras and rakshasas be of any significance when he could not protect his wife from being disrobed? How could Arjuna skilled archery be celebrated when he could not prevent the barbs emanating from the Kauravas? How could Nakula and Sahadeva be respected when their conquests did not involve the protection of their wife? How about the elders of the court, Bheeshma and Dhritarashtra? Why did they stay silent and watch the happenings without a word? Her rant was definitely justified, but the moment was not right. Knowing this, Krishna held his sister dearly and wiped her tears. He consoled her that justice would prevail. That Arjuna's arrows would find justice by fatally spilling Karna's blood,that Dusshasana would be torn apart by Bheema and his blood will be smeared over her mane, that Bheema would break Duryodhana's thigh to end the Kaurava first born's life.The slightly appeased Draupadi found comfort in Krishna's words, but her impatience took on a new form.
Krishna then turned to Yudhisthira, telling him he was defeating Saubha and Salva who were friends of Shishupala, who were harassing the citizens of Dwaraka as revenge. If he had known earlier, he would've rushed to prevent the game of dice. Krishna goes on to reveal that in many cases one day is equivalent to one year. Since the Pandavas had already spent 13 days in vanavās, they could technically return to Hastinapur and demand their rightful throne. If not Krishna was happy to use his army to route out the Kauravas. Yudhisthira was amused by Krishna's reasons, but had to firmly put it across that nothing would stop them from finishing out their exile and lawfully having their kingdom returned. After tearfully bading goodbye, the visitors found their way back to their respective kingdoms.
The Pandavas looked to move to another quiet and serene environment, given they had 12 more years to bide time. Arjuna, on one of his yatras had come across the peaceful Dwaitavana, and suggested going there, and they all agreed. Dwaitavana was beautiful yet peaceful, and Yudhisthira found much peace with the Rishis and its noble inhabitants. Without further delay, the Pandavas built themselves an ashram and settled into a regular routine. Markandeya, the great sage, visited them. He was renowned for having fought death because of Lord Śiva, who also gave him the boon of remaining young forever. The great sage was pleased to see Yudhisthira, who was happy to see at least one person who did not pity their situation. When asked about his reaction, Markandeya said seeing Yudhisthira with his brothers and wife reminded him of Lord Rama, who was also exiled for many years with his wife and brother. He compared Yudhisthira to Sree Rama, who also followed the orders of his elders, who did not swerve from Dharma, delivered justice in the end and finally ruled the world, leaving an indelible impression on the minds of all forever. His kind words humbled Yudhisthira, as well as thrilled him.
This peace and happiness did not last long. Soon, Bheema and Draupadi started feeling restless, needing to vent out their anger and misplaced sense of justice. They wanted revenge, but watching Yudhisthira made them even angrier. How could someone who had had so many injustices meted out to him be so calm and composed? They felt that Yudhisthira was abandoning his anger towards the Kauravas, and going towards meditation and higher learning. He was forgetting his Kshatriya roots. Meanwhile, Bheema and Draupadi kept reliving the nightmare at Hastinapur and keeping their anger simmering at all times. One evening, Draupadi could take no more. She told a Yudhisthira that she could not take the sight of the Pandavas so mellow and lost - Bheema the mightiest sitting under a tree, eating roots and fruits and looking so thin, or Arjuna throwing pebbles on a lake. These great warriors did not deserve this, looking like Brahmins and rishis, instead of the mighty Kshatriyas that they were. Her intent was to rouse his anger, instead Yudhisthira tried placating her, apologizing for putting her in such an unfortunate situation and also getting her to understand that they needed to be patient. The duration of their exile was a good test of their endurance, to ensure they did not swerve from the path of Dharma, or lose sight of their goal - regaining their kingdom and their freedoms. Bheema was still upset, not allowing Yudhisthira's talk to appease his restless mind. His vow of revenge kept simmering, not wanting it to be doused by Yudhisthira's words. Yet, the eldest son of Pandu prevailed. He made a clear statement, that nothing and nobody can make me swerve from my path of Dharma.
A few years passed, when Sage Vyasa visited them. He spoke of how their opponents were building a mighty army, gathering more kings on their side, and that Bheeshma, Drona and Ashwatthama had decided to fight for the Kauravas. He told them that they need to start looking in to building their arsenal and army as well. Then Vyasa reminded Arjuna of the boon he received from Lord Indra, whom he fought against, in the burning of the Khandava forest. He told Arjuna to use that on now to receive all the weapons he could gather, including the Paśupata astra from Lord Śiva. He requested that they go back to Kamyaka, having had a restful stay at Dwaitavana.
At the end of the 6th year of exile, Arjuna took leave from his brothers, wife and Dhaumya and headed North. He crossed Himavan and went on to Mount Indrakila. There, as he sat to meditate alongside an ascetic, who insisted that he remove his armor and weapons before he sat to meditate. Arjuna refused even after much persuasion from the ascetic, who then revealed himself to be Lord Indra. Arjuna then requested for the promised weapons and Indra was pleased to do so, also asking Arjuna to do penance on Lord Śiva. With renewed vigor, Arjuna sat down to meditate on Śankara. While in deep penance, he sensed a boar charging at him. He took up his bow and aimed an arrow at the boar, upset that his penance was disturbed. At that exact time, he heard a hunter stop him from shooting the boar. Arjuna did not pay heed, and went ahead and shot the boar. The hunter also shot an arrow at the boar. Now arose the question, whose arrow had the lawful right to kill the boar. Arjuna insisted that the hunter had flouted the rules of hunting , while the hunter calmly expressed that he had aimed at the boar first. Arjuna kept arguing furiously, while the hunter was amused with Arjuna's elevating anger. Finally, Arjuna decided to fight the hunter. He cloaked him in arrows and the hunter merely shrugged them off. He used all the astras he had, and even the Gandhiva. Nothing even remotely touched the hunter. Exhausted of all his weapons, he fought the hunter with his bare arms. This also did not favor him. Tired and wounded, he fell to the ground, gathered some dust and created a śivalinga, and adorned it with flowers that he found at arm's reach. This immediately became a beautiful garland, which adorned the broad shoulders of the hunter, instead of the linga. Arjuna knew immediately that the hunter was the Lord himself and the lady who stood beside him to be Goddess Parvati. In absolute shame of having fought the Lord, he prostrated before the couple asking for their forgiveness. Lord Śiva, pleased with his prowess, told Arjuna that this was a test to show Arjuna's mastery over weapons. The Paśupata astra was a terrible weapon that could bring about the end of the world. The Lord wanted an able and skillful master of weapons to wield it, and he was happy to note that Arjuna fit the bill. He blessed Arjuna with all the powers and wisdom befitting a Kshatriya. Having received the ultimate blessing from Lord Śiva, all the gods in heaven blessed Arjuna with their divine astras to help him in the war.
Meanwhile, Indra was waiting for his son, Arjuna to come back from Indrakila with the Paśupata astra. He needed Arjuna to help him with some work in Indraloka. Arjuna, still reeling from all those blessings, rushed to help his father. Arjuna and Matali (Indra's charioteer) found their way to Indraloka. While in heaven, Arjuna was treated to many a luxury. He watched the apsaras Menaka, Rambha and Urvaśi dance so gracefully, he was treated to a grand assortment of foods and sweets, he slept on the softest bed, among many other comforts. Watching his son relax and enjoy spending his time with his new friend, a dancing Gandharva named Chitrasena.
Urvaśi had developed a great liking for Arjuna, and asked him to accept her as a mate. She told him that she had noticed his eyes following her while she danced. Arjuna was tongue tied, and gently let her down. He said that his earlier admiration was because one of his ancestors was smitten by her, but that he regarded her more as a mother figure and did not think of her in an inappropriate way. The angered Urvaśi then told him that the manliness that he held in such great esteem will be lost and he would spend the rest of his days as a eunuch. Worried, Arjuna ran to Indra, wondering how he would cope with such a curse. Indra pacified him, and reduced the curse to one year - the 13th year of exile when he needed to be incognito.
Slokas: Rehearsed all verses of Ganeśa stavah. Please have the children practice everyday.
Pranāms,
Akshay and Nivedita
