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KB 1970-1-48 / Ill-motivated Dhrtarastra
48 / Ill-motivated Dhrtarastra
Thus being ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri
Krsna, Akrura visited Hastinapura. Hastinapura is said to be
the site of what is now New Delhi. The part of New Delhi, which
is still known as Indraprastha, is accepted by people in
general as the old capital of the Pandavas. The very name
Hastinapura suggests that there were many hastis, or elephants.
Because the Pandavas kept many elephants in the capital, it was
called Hastinapura. Keeping elephants is a very expensive job;
to keep many elephants, therefore, the kingdom must be very
rich, and Hastinapura was full of elephants, horses, chariots
and other opulences. When Akrura reached Hastinapura, he
saw that the capital was full of all kinds
of opulences. The kings of Hastinapura were
taken to be the ruling kings of the whole world. Their fame was
widely spread throughout the entire kingdom, and their
administration was conducted under the good counsel of learned
brahmanas.
After seeing the very opulent capital city, Akrura met King
Dhrtarastra. He also saw grandfather Bhisma sitting with him.
After meeting them, he went to see Vidura and then Vidura
's sister, Kunti. One after another, he saw the son of
Somadatta, and the King of Bahlika, Dronacarya, Krpacarya,
Karna and Suyodhana. (Suyodhana is another name of Duryodhana.)
He saw the
five Pandava brothers and other friends and relatives living in
the city. Akrura was known as the son of
Gandi, so whomever he met was very pleased to receive
him.
He was offered a good seat at his receptions, and he
inquired all about the his relatives' welfare and other
activities.
Since he was deputed by Lord Krsna to visit Hastinapura, it is
understood that he was very intelligent in studying a
diplomatic situation. Dhrtarastra was unlawfully occupying the
throne after the death of the King Pandu, despite the presence
of Pandu's sons. Akrura wanted to study the whole situation by
remaining there. He could understand very well that ill-
motivated Dhrtarastra was much inclined in favor of his own
sons. In fact, Dhrtarastra had already usurped the kingdom and
was now instigating and planning to dispose of the five Pandava
brothers. Akrura knew also that all the sons of Dhrtarastra,
headed by Duryodhana, were very crooked politicians.
Dhrtarastra did not act in accordance with the good
instruction given by Bhisma and Vidura, but he was being
conducted by the ill instruction of such persons as Karna,
Sakuni and others. Akrura decided to stay in Hastinapura for a
few months to study the whole political situation.
Gradually Akrura learned from Kunti and Vidura that Dhrtarastra
was very intolerant and envious of the five
Pandava brothers because of their extraordinary learning in
military science and their greatly developed bodily strength.
They acted as true chivalrous heroes, exhibited all
the good qualities of ksatriyas, and were very responsible
princes, always thinking of the welfare of the citizens. Akrura
also learned that the envious Dhrtarastra, in consultation with
his ill-advised son, had tried to kill the Pandavas by
poisoning them.
Akrura happened to be one of the cousins of Kunti; therefore,
after meeting him, she began to inquire about her paternal
relatives. Thinking of her birthplace, she began to cry.
She asked Akrura whether her father, mother, brothers, sisters
and other friends at home were still remembering her. She
especially inquired about Krsna and Balarama, her glorious
nephews. She asked, "Does Krsna, who is the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, who is very affectionate to His devotees, remember
my sons? Does Balarama remember us?" Inside herself, Kunti felt
like a she-deer in the midst of tigers, and actually her
position was like that. After the death of her husband, King
Pandu, she was supposed to take care of the five Pandava
children, but Dhrtarastra was always planning to
kill them. She was certainly living as a poor innocent animal
in the midst of several tigers. Being a devotee of Lord Krsna,
she was always thinking of Him and expected that one day Krsna
would come and save them from their dangerous position. She
inquired from Akrura whether Krsna proposed to come to advise
the fatherless Pandavas how to get free of the intriguing
policy of Dhrtarastra and his sons. By talking with Akrura
about all these affairs, she felt herself helpless and
began to exclaim: "My dear Krsna, my dear Krsna, You are
the supreme mystic, the Supersoul of the universe. You are the
real well-wisher of the whole universe. My dear Govinda, at
this time You are far away from me, yet I pray to surrender
unto Your lotus feet. At the present moment I am very much
griefstricken with my five fatherless sons. I can
fully understand that but for Your lotus feet there is no
shelter or protection. Your lotus feet can deliver all
aggrieved souls because You are the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. One can be safe from the clutches of repeated birth
and death by Your mercy only. My dear Krsna, You are the
supreme pure one, the Supersoul and the master of all yogis.
What can I say? I can simply offer my respectful obeisances
unto You. Accept me as Your fully surrendered devotee."
Although Krsna was not present before her, Kunti offered her
prayers to Him as if she were in His presence face to face.
This is possible for anyone following in the footsteps of Kunti.
Krsna does not have to be physically present everywhere. He is
actually present everywhere by spiritual potency, and one
simply has to surrender unto Him sincerely. When Kunti was
offering her prayers very feelingly to Krsna, she could not
check herself and began to cry loudly before Akrura. Vidura was
also present, and both Akrura and Vidura became very
sympathetic to the mother of the Pandavas. They began to solace
her by glorifying her sons, Yudhisthira, Arjuna and Bhima. They
pacified her, saying that her sons were extraordinarily
powerful; she should not be perturbed about them, since they
were born of great demigods, Yamaraja, Indra and Vayu.
Akrura decided to return and report on the extreme
circumstances in which he found Kunti and her five sons. He
first wanted to give good advice to Dhrtarastra, who was so
favorably inclined toward his own son and unfavorably inclined
toward the Pandavas. When Kunti and Dhrtarastra were sitting
among friends and relatives, Akrura began to address him,
calling him "Varcitravirya." Varcitravirya means
the son of Vicitravirya. Vicitravirya was the name of
the father of Dhrtarastra, but Dhrtarastra was not
actually the begotten son of Vicitravirya. He was the
begotten son of Vyasadeva. Formerly it was the system that if a
man were unable to beget a child, his brother could beget a
child in the womb of his wife. That
system is now forbidden in this age of Kali. Akrura called
Dhrtarastra "Varcitravirya" sarcastically because
he was not actually begotten by his father. He was the son of
Vyasadeva. When a child was begotten in the wife by the husband'
s brother, the child was claimed by the husband, but of course
the child was not begotten by the husband. This sarcastic
remark pointed out that Dhrtarastra was falsely claiming the
throne on hereditary grounds. Actually the son of Pandu was
the rightful king, and in the presence of Pandu's sons,
the Pandavas, Dhrtarastra should not have occupied the throne.
Akrura then said, "My dear son of Vicitravirya, you have
unlawfully usurped the throne of the Pandavas. Anyway, somehow
or other you are now on the throne. Therefore I beg to advise
you to please rule the kingdom on moral and ethical principles.
If you do so and try to teach your subjects in that way, then
your name and fame will be perpetual." Akrura hinted that
although Dhrtarastra was ill-treating his nephews, the Pandavas,
they happened to be his subjects. "Even if you treat them not
as the owners of the throne, but as your subjects, you should
impartially think of their welfare as though they were your own
sons. But if you do not follow this principle and act in just
the opposite way, then you will be unpopular among your
subjects, and in the next life you will have to live in a
hellish condition. I therefore hope you will treat your sons
and the sons of Pandu equally." Akrura hinted that if
Dhrtarastra did not treat the Pandavas and his sons as equals,
then surely there would be a fight between the two camps of
cousins. Since the Pandavas cause was just, they would come
out victorious, and the sons of Dhrtarastra would be killed.
This was a prophecy told by Akrura to Dhrtarastra.
Akrura further advised Dhrtarastra, "In this material world, no
one can remain as an eternal companion to another. By
chance only we assemble together in the family, in the society,
in the community or in the nation, but at the end, because
every one of us has to give up the body, we must be separated.
One should not, therefore, be unnecessarily affectionate toward
family members." Dhrtarastra's affection was also unlawful and
did not show much intelligence. In plain words, Akrura hinted
to Dhrtarastra that his staunch family affection was due to his
gross ignorance of fact.
Although we appear to be combined together in family, society
or nation, each one of us has an individual destiny. Everyone
takes birth according to individual past work; therefore
everyone has to individually enjoy or suffer the result of his
own karma. There is no possibility of improving one's destiny
by cooperate living. Sometimes it happens that one's father
accumulates wealth by illegal ways, and the son takes away the
money, although it is hard-earned by the
father. It is just like a small fish in the ocean who eats the
material body of the large, old fish. One ultimately cannot
accumulate wealth illegally for the gratification of his family,
society, community or nation. That
many great empires which developed in the
past are no longer existing because their wealth was squandered
away by later descendants is an illustration of this principle.
One who does not know this subtle law of fruitive activities
and thus gives up the principles of moral and ethical
principles only carries with him the reactions of his
sinful activities. His ill-gotten wealth and possessions are
taken by someone else, and he goes to the darkest region of
hellish life. One should not, therefore, accumulate more wealth
than is allotted to him by destiny; otherwise he will be
factually blind to his own interest. Instead of fulfilling his
self-interest, he will act in just the opposite way for his
own downfall.
Akrura continued: "My dear Dhrtarastra, I beg to advise you not
to be blind about the fact of this material existence.
Material conditional life, either in distress or in happiness,
is to be accepted as a dream. One should try to bring his mind
and senses under control and live very peacefully for spiritual
advancement in Krsna consciousness." In the Caitanya-caritamrta
it is said that except for persons who are in Krsna
consciousness, everyone is always in a disturbed condition of
mind and is full of anxiety. Even those who are trying for
liberation, or merging into the Brahman effulgence, or the
yogis who are trying to achieve perfection in mystic power,
cannot have peace of mind. Pure devotees of Krsna have no
demands to make of Krsna. They are simply satisfied with
service to Him. Actual peace and mental tranquillity can be
attained only in perfect Krsna consciousness.
After hearing moral instructions from Akrura, Dhrtarastra
replied, "My dear Akrura, you are very charitable in giving me
good instructions, but unfortunately I cannot accept it. A
person who is destined to die does not utilize the effect of
nectar, although it may be administered to him. I can
understand that your instructions are very valuable.
Unfortunately, they do not stay in my flickering mind, just as
the glittering lightning in the sky does not stay fixed in a
cloud. I can understand only that no one can stop the onward
progress of the supreme will. I understand that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krsna, has appeared in the family of
the Yadus in order to decrease the overburdened load of this
earth."
Dhrtarastra gave hints to Akrura that he had complete faith
in Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At the same time,
he was very much partial to his family members. In the very
near future, Krsna would vanquish all the members of his family,
and in a helpless condition, Dhrtarastra would take shelter of
Krsna's feet. In order to show His special favor to a
devotee, Krsna usually takes away all the objects of his
material affection. He thus forces the devotee to be
materially helpless, with no alternative than to accept the
lotus feet of Krsna. This actually happened to Dhrtarastra
after the end of the Battle of Kuruksetra.
Dhrtarastra could realize two opposing factors acting before
him. He could understand that Krsna was there to remove all the
unnecessary burdens of the world. His sons were an unnecessary
burden, and so he expected that they would be killed. At the
same time, he could not rid himself of his unlawful affection
for his sons. Understanding these two contradictory factors, he
began to offer his respectful obeisances to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. "The contradictory ways of material
existence are very difficult to understand; they can only be
taken as the inconceivable execution of the plan of the
Supreme, who by His inconceivable energy creates this material
world and enters into it and sets into action the three modes
of nature. When everything is created, He enters into each and
every living entity and into the smallest atom. No one can
understand the incalculable plans of the Supreme Lord."
After hearing this statement, Akrura could clearly understand
that Dhrtarastra was not going to change his policy of
discriminating against the Pandavas in favor of his sons. He at
once took leave of his friends in Hastinapura and returned to
his home in the kingdom of the Yadus. After returning home, he
vividly informed Lord Krsna and Balarama of the actual
situation in Hastinapura and the intentions of Dhrtarastra.
Akrura was sent to Hastinapura by Krsna to study. By
the grace of the Lord, he was successful and informed Krsna
about the actual situation.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-eighth Chapter
of Krsna, "Ill-motivated Dhrtarastra."
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KB 49: Ill-motivated Dhrtarastra
CHAPTER FORTY–NINE
Ill-motivated Dhrtarastra
Thus ordered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Sri
Krsna, Akrura visited Hastinapura, said to be
the site of what is now New Delhi. The part of New Delhi
still known as Indraprastha is accepted by people in
general as the old capital of the Pandavas. The very name
Hastinapura suggests that there were many hastis, or elephants;
because the Pandavas kept many elephants in the capital, it was
called Hastinapura. Keeping elephants is very expensive;
to keep many elephants, therefore, the kingdom must be very
rich, and Hastinapura, as
Akrura saw when he
reached it, was full of elephants, horses,
chariots and other opulences. The kings of Hastinapura were
taken to be the ruling kings of the whole world. Their fame was
widely spread throughout the entire kingdom, and their
administration was conducted under the good counsel of learned
brahmanas.
After seeing the very opulent capital city, Akrura met King
Dhrtarastra. He also saw grandfather Bhisma sitting with him.
After meeting them, he went to see Vidura and then Kunti,
Akrura's cousin. One after another, he saw King
Bahlika and his son Somadatta, Dronacarya, Krpacarya,
Karna and Suyodhana. (Suyodhana is another name of Duryodhana.)
Then he saw the son of Dronacarya, Asvatthama, as well as the
five Pandava brothers and other friends and relatives living in
the city. All those who met Akrura, known also as the son of
Gandini, were very much pleased to receive
him and inquire about the welfare of their respective relatives.
He was offered a good seat at his receptions, and he in turn
inquired all about the welfare and
activities of his relatives.
Since he was deputed by Lord Krsna to visit Hastinapura, it is
understood that he was very intelligent in studying a
diplomatic situation. Dhrtarastra was unlawfully occupying the
throne after the death of King Pandu, despite the presence
of Pandu's sons. Akrura
could understand very well that ill-
motivated Dhrtarastra was much inclined in favor of his own
sons. In fact, Dhrtarastra had already usurped the kingdom and
was now intriguing to dispose of the five Pandava
brothers. Akrura knew that all the sons of Dhrtarastra,
headed by Duryodhana, were very crooked politicians.
Dhrtarastra did not act in accordance with the good
instructions given by Bhisma and Vidura; instead, he was being
conducted by the ill instructions of such persons as Karna
and Sakuni. Akrura decided to stay in Hastinapura for a
few months to study the whole political situation.
Gradually Akrura learned from Kunti and Vidura that the
sons of Dhrtarastra were intolerant and envious of the five
Pandava brothers because of their extraordinary learning in
military science and their greatly developed bodily strength.
The Pandavas acted as truly chivalrous heroes, exhibited all
the good qualities of ksatriyas and were very responsible
princes, always thinking of the welfare of the citizens. Akrura
also learned that the envious sons
of Dhrtarastra had tried to kill the Pandavas by
poisoning them.
Akrura happened to be one of the cousins of Kunti; therefore,
after meeting him, she began to inquire about her paternal
relatives. Thinking of her birthplace and beginning to cry,
she asked Akrura whether her father, mother, brothers, sisters
and other friends at home still remembered her. She
especially inquired about Krsna and Balarama, her glorious
nephews. She asked, "Does Krsna, the Supreme Personality
of Godhead, who is very affectionate to His devotees, remember
my sons? Does Balarama remember us?" Inside herself, Kunti felt
like a she-deer in the midst of tigers, and actually her
position was like that. After the death of her husband, King
Pandu, she was supposed to take care of the five Pandava
children, but the sons of Dhrtarastra were always planning to
kill them. She was certainly living like a poor innocent animal
in the midst of several tigers. Being a devotee of Lord Krsna,
she always thought of Him and expected that one day Krsna
would come and save them from their dangerous position. She
inquired from Akrura whether Krsna proposed to come to advise
the fatherless Pandavas how to get free of the intrigues
of Dhrtarastra and his sons. Talking with Akrura
about all these affairs, she felt herself helpless and
exclaimed, "My dear Krsna, my dear Krsna! You are
the supreme mystic, the Supersoul of the universe. You are the
real well-wisher of the whole universe. My dear Govinda, at
this time You are far away from me, yet I pray to surrender
unto Your lotus feet. I am now
grief-stricken with my five fatherless sons. I can
fully understand that but for Your lotus feet there is no
shelter or protection. Your lotus feet can deliver all
aggrieved souls because You are the Supreme Personality of
Godhead. One can be safe from the clutches of repeated birth
and death by Your mercy only. My dear Krsna, You are the
supreme pure one, the Supersoul and the master of all yogis.
What can I say? I can simply offer my respectful obeisances
unto You. Accept me as Your fully surrendered devotee."
Although Krsna was not present before her, Kunti offered her
prayers to Him as if she were in His presence face to face.
This is possible for anyone following in the footsteps of Kunti.
Krsna does not have to be physically present everywhere. He is
actually present everywhere by spiritual potency, and one
simply has to surrender unto Him sincerely.
When Kunti was offering her prayers very feelingly to Krsna,
she could not check herself and began to cry loudly before
Akrura. Vidura was also present, and both Akrura and Vidura
became very sympathetic to the mother of the Pandavas and began
to solace her by glorifying her five sons, namely Yudhisthira,
Arjuna, Bhima, Nakula and Sahadeva. They pacified her, saying
that her sons were extraordinarily powerful; she should not be
perturbed about them, since they were born of great demigods
like Yamaraja, Indra and Vayu.
Akrura decided to return home and report on the strained
circumstances in which he found Kunti and her five sons. He
first wanted to give good advice to Dhrtarastra, who was so
favorably inclined toward his own sons and unfavorably inclined
toward the Pandavas. When King Dhrtarastra was sitting
among friends and relatives, Akrura began to address him,
calling him Vaicitravirya. Vaicitravirya means "
the son of Vicitravirya." Vicitravirya was the name of
Dhrtarastra's father, but Dhrtarastra was
actually the begotten son not of Vicitravirya but
of Vyasadeva. Formerly it was the system that if a
man was unable to beget a child, his brother could beget a
child in the womb of his wife (devarena sutotpattih). That
system is now forbidden in this Age of Kali. Akrura called
Dhrtarastra Vaicitravirya sarcastically because
he was not actually begotten by his father. He was the son of
Vyasadeva. When a child was begotten in the wife by the husband'
s brother, the child was claimed by the husband, but of course
the child was not begotten by the husband. This sarcastic
remark pointed out that Dhrtarastra was falsely claiming the
throne on hereditary grounds. Actually Pandu had
been the rightful king, and in the presence of Pandu's sons,
the Pandavas, Dhrtarastra should not have occupied the throne.
Akrura said, "My dear son of Vicitravirya, you have
unlawfully usurped the throne of the Pandavas. Anyway, somehow
or other you are now on the throne. Therefore I beg to advise
you to please rule the kingdom on moral and ethical principles.
If you do so and try to please your subjects in that way,
your name and fame will be perpetual." Akrura hinted that
although Dhrtarastra was ill-treating his nephews, the Pandavas,
they happened to be his subjects. "Even if you treat them not
as the owners of the throne but as your subjects, you should
impartially think of their welfare as though they were your own
sons. But if you do not follow this principle and act in just
the opposite way, you will be unpopular among your
subjects, and in the next life you will have to live in a
hellish condition. I therefore hope you will treat your sons
and the sons of Pandu equally." Akrura hinted that if
Dhrtarastra did not treat the Pandavas and his sons as equals,
surely there would be a fight between the two camps of
cousins. Since the Pandavas' cause was just, they would come
out victorious, and the sons of Dhrtarastra would be killed.
This was a prophecy told by Akrura to Dhrtarastra.
Akrura further advised Dhrtarastra: "In this material world, no
one can remain an eternal companion to another. Only by
chance do we assemble together in a family, society,
community or nation, but at the end, because
every one of us has to give up the body, we must be separated.
One should not, therefore, be unnecessarily affectionate toward
family members." Dhrtarastra's affection was also unlawful and
did not show much intelligence. In plain words, Akrura hinted
to Dhrtarastra that his staunch family affection was due to his
gross ignorance of fact or his blindness to moral principles.
Although we appear combined together in a family, society
or nation, each of us has an individual destiny. Everyone
takes birth according to individual past work; therefore
everyone must individually enjoy or suffer the result of his
own karma. There is no possibility of improving one's destiny
by cooperative living. Sometimes it happens that one's father
accumulates wealth by illegal ways, and the son takes away the
money, although it was earned with great difficulty by the
father, just as a small fish in the ocean eats the
material body of a large, old fish. One ultimately cannot
accumulate wealth illegally for the gratification of his family,
society, community or nation. An illustration of this
principle is that many great empires which developed in the
past are no longer existing because their wealth was squandered
away by later descendants.
One who does not know this subtle law of fruitive activities
and who thus gives up the moral and ethical
principles carries with him only the reactions of his
sinful activities. His ill-gotten wealth and possessions are
taken by someone else, and he goes to the darkest region of
hellish life. One should not, therefore, accumulate more wealth
than allotted to him by destiny; otherwise he will be
factually blind to his own interest. Instead of fulfilling his
self-interest, he will act in just the opposite way, for his
own downfall.
Akrura continued: "My dear Dhrtarastra, I beg to advise you not
to be blind to the facts of material existence.
Material, conditioned life, either in distress or in happiness,
is to be accepted as a dream. One should try to bring his mind
and senses under control and live peacefully for spiritual
advancement in Krsna consciousness." In the Caitanya-caritamrta
it is said that except for persons in Krsna
consciousness, everyone is always disturbed in
mind and full of anxiety. Even those trying for
liberation, or merging into the Brahman effulgence, and the
yogis who try to achieve perfection in mystic power
cannot have peace of mind. Pure devotees of Krsna have no
demands to make of Krsna. They are simply satisfied with
service to Him. Actual peace and mental tranquillity can be
attained only in perfect Krsna consciousness.
After hearing these moral instructions from Akrura, Dhrtarastra
replied, "My dear Akrura, you are very charitable in giving me
good instructions, but unfortunately I cannot accept them. A
person destined to die does not utilize the effects of
nectar, although it may be administered to him. I can
understand that your instructions are valuable.
Unfortunately, they do not stay in my flickering mind, just as
the glittering lightning in the sky does not stay fixed in a
cloud. I can understand only that no one can stop the onward
progress of the supreme will. I understand that the Supreme
Personality of Godhead, Krsna, has appeared in the family of
the Yadus to decrease the burdensome load on this
earth."
Dhrtarastra hinted to Akrura that he had complete faith
in Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. At the same time,
he was very partial to his family members. In the very
near future, Krsna would vanquish all the members of his family,
and in a helpless condition Dhrtarastra would take shelter of
Krsna's lotus feet. To show His special favor to a
devotee, Krsna usually takes away all the objects of his
material affection, thus forcing the devotee to be
materially helpless, with no alternative but to accept the
lotus feet of Krsna. This actually happened to Dhrtarastra
after the end of the Battle of Kuruksetra.
Dhrtarastra could realize two opposing factors acting before
him. He could understand that Krsna was there to remove all the
unnecessary burdens of the world. His sons were an unnecessary
burden, and so he expected that they would be killed. At the
same time, he could not rid himself of his unlawful affection
for his sons. Understanding these two contradictory factors, he
offered his respectful obeisances to the Supreme
Personality of Godhead. "The contradictory ways of material
existence are very difficult to understand; they can be
taken only as the inconceivable execution of the plan of the
Supreme, who by His inconceivable energy creates this material
world and enters into it and sets into motion the three modes
of nature. When everything is created, He enters into each and
every living entity and into the smallest atom. No one can
understand the incalculable plans of the Supreme Lord."
After hearing this statement, Akrura could clearly understand
that Dhrtarastra was not going to change his policy of
discriminating against the Pandavas in favor of his sons. He at
once took leave of his friends in Hastinapura and returned to
his home in the kingdom of the Yadus. After returning home, he
vividly informed Lord Krsna and Balarama of the actual
situation in Hastinapura and the intentions of Dhrtarastra.
Akrura was sent to Hastinapura by Krsna to study these, and by
the grace of the Lord he was successful
.
Thus ends the Bhaktivedanta purport of the Forty-ninth Chapter
of Krsna, "Ill-motivated Dhrtarastra."
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