It was the second half of the 18th day of the great war. Only Duryodhana, Ashwathama, Krupacharya and Krutavarma remained on the Kaurava side. Duryodhana had fled the battlefield and had hidden in the Dwaipayana sarovara. Duryodhana had undertaken "Jalastambhana" inside the pond and was performing japa of a few mantras which were given to... Continue Reading →
Arjuna Pratijna: A Lesson in Maha-Papas
Towards the end of the 13th day of the great war the Pandavas suffered a serious setback. Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, the nephew of Sri Krishna, a great maharathi, was brutally killed in battle. Six of the big names from the Kaurava side - Drona, Krupa, Karna, Ashwathama, Bruhadbala and Krutavarma -... Continue Reading →
Bhimasena and the Destruction of the Kalingas
On the second day of the Mahabharata war, a most extraordinary battle takes place that brings forth the great skill and force of Bhimasena and sets the tone for the direction of the war for the next 17 days (the Kauravas had a notional win on the first day). As the great warriors engage in... Continue Reading →
Jwara and Sri Krishna’s Remedy
The Vishnu Parva of the Harivamsha Purana and the 10th Skanda of Srimadbhagavata narrate a very interesting incident from the pastimes of Sri Krishna. Usha, who was the daughter of Banasura, once had a dream of uniting with Aniruddha, the grandson of Sri Krishna (son of Pradyumna). Aniruddha was an extremely handsome man, and Usha... Continue Reading →
Karma and Phala: The Dvaita Interpretation
The 47th shlōka of the second chapter of the Srimadbhagavadgīta is the famous shlōka where Sri Krishna instructs Arjuna on how to perform (and at the same time, how not to) perform karma. कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन | मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोsस्त्वकर्मणि || "You have the right only on the performance of karma, not on... Continue Reading →
Mahabharata: Draupadi Swayamvara
The episode in the Mahabharata in which the swayamvara of Draupadi takes place is one of the most debated and discussed portions of the great epic. Many versions of this incident exist, each of which narrates the happenings in the court of Drupada in a different way. The chief amongst the disputes is regarding the... Continue Reading →
Krishna’s Message on Dharma vs Power
In the ‘bhagavadyAna’ upa-parva of the ‘udyOga’ parva of mahAbharata, there is a very interesting incident which gives us a great lesson on the duty of a person when dharma is in danger. The pAndavas decide that peace must yet be given one last opportunity. Krishna decides he must play the role of the peace... Continue Reading →
Krishna — One Who is Always ‘satyavAk’
Those well versed in shAstras will tell you that paramAtma always says satya — truth. He never goes back on his words — he never lies — he never fails to keep his promise. The entire second adhyaya of the brahmasutras, as Sri Madhwacharya has elucidated — highlight this single quality of the paramatma — that he is ‘निर्दोष’ — without any defect. Therefore, if he did... Continue Reading →
Udupi Paryaya: A Unique Tradition
On the 18th of January 2018, Sri Sri Vidyadheesha Tirtha Swamiji of the Sri Palimaru Matha will be taking over the responsibility of worshipping the Lord Krishna murthy at Udupi. This occasion is known as the “paryaya” mahotsava and is a unique tradition in the entire world — and one that has survived for nearly 500 years!... Continue Reading →
Pranasutra 