SRI #VADIRAJA VIRACHITA “#TEERTHA #PRABANDHA” ಶ್ರೀ ವಾದಿರಾಜ ವಿರಚಿತ “#ತೀರ್ಥ #ಪ್ರಬಂಧ”

SRI  #VADIRAJA VIRACHITA “#TEERTHA #PRABANDHA”

ಶ್ರೀ ವಾದಿರಾಜ ವಿರಚಿತ “#ತೀರ್ಥ #ಪ್ರಬಂಧ”

KURUKSHETRA/ಕುರುಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ

ಶ್ರೀಭೀಮಸೇನಕರಕಂಜಗದಾಪ್ರಹಾರೈಃ ಚೂರ್ಣೀಕೃತಾಶ್ವಗಜಪತ್ತಿಮೃದುಗ್ರಪಿಂಡಮ್|

ಉತ್ಖಾತಪಾರ್ಥಶರಸಸ್ಯಪದಂ ಕುರೂಣಾಂ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರಂ ದಿಶಾಸು ವಿತತಾನ ಸುಕೀರ್ತಿಧಾನ್ಯಮ್||38||

SreeBhEmasEnakarakanjagadAprahAraihi chUrNeekrutAshwagajapattimrudugrapnDam|

UtKhAtapArThasharasasyapadam kurUNAm kShEtram dishAsu vitatAna sukeertiDhAnyam||38||

श्रीभीमसॆनकरकन्जगदाप्रहारैः चूर्णीकृताश्वगजपत्तिम्रुदुग्रपिन्डं।

उत्खातपार्थशरसस्यपदं कुरूणां क्षॆत्रं दिशासु विततान सुकीर्तिधान्यं॥३८॥

SUMMARY: The popularity of Kurukshetra spread far and wide due to the presence of huge balls of clay that was formed with the carcasses of horses and elephants and corpses of soldiers and warriors who were precipitated and transformed to dust by the beatings that ever radiant Bheemasena undertook with his mace; in addition, there is the presence of numerous plants that were planted by Arjuna in the form of arrows.

Farmers begin the cultivation by breaking the mud balls with their yoke and then the seeds are sown. After a specific period of time, the seeds sprout and plants emerge, this, in due course, will yield grains, seeds, and flowers and so on. Similarly, Bheemasena completed the preliminary cultivation of the land of Kurukshetra with his mace and the seeds were sown with the arrows by Arjuna. Simultaneously, Arjuna and Bheemasena removed the weeds of unruly, uncultured people so that the land became fit for righteous to inhabit. Sri Vadirajaru has explained this factor to substantiate the reason for which Kurukshetra has emerged as a popular pilgrimage.

The great significance of Kurukshetra has been described widely in almost all Puranas, including Shatapathabrahmana, Yajurveda and Bruhajjabalopanishat, according to scholars. The glory of Kurukshetra has been broadly explained in Teerthayatra Khanda, Vanaparva of Mahabharata and Adikhanda in Padmapurana.

In Mahabharata Vanaparva, Teerthayatrakhanda, it is mentioned:

KurukShEtram gamiShyAmi kurukShEtrE vasAmyaham|

Ya yEvam satatam brUyAt sO(s)pi pApaihi pramuchyatE||

कुरुक्षॆत्रं गमिष्यामि कुरुक्षॆत्रॆ वसाम्यहं।

य ऎवं सततं ब्रूयात् सॊsपि पापैः प्रमुच्यतॆ॥

(Anyone who always keeps mentioning “I will go to Kurukshetra and live there” will be relieved from all sins.)

The History of Kurukshetra is likened as the History of Bharata or India by the scholars and historians. It was on the banks of Saraswati River on which Kurukshetra is located that several Rishis chanted hymns, Brahma and other gods performed sacrifices and Maharishis such as Vasishtha and Vishwamitra attained highest spiritual knowledge. Kurukshetra was the battlefield where the most treacherous war between Pandavas and Kauravas was fought. It was at the beginning of this war at Kurukshetra where Sri Krishna preached the most popular Gita. Lord Sri Vedavyasa, an incarnation of Lord Narayana, wrote Mahabharata here.

There is a story in Vamana Purana that provides the reason for which this holy place got the name Kurukshetra.

King Kuru chose this place on the banks of Saraswati River to establish it as a centre for spiritual emancipation, philosophical studies and a centre for learning the Eight Cultures or Ashtanga Vidya comprising penance, truth, pardoning, kindness, sanitization, philanthropy, Yoga and Brahmacharya. He came here in a golden chariot to establish the city of his dream. He used the gold of that chariot to make a plough for cultivation. He requested Lord Eshwara and Yamadharma to donate bullocks and bulls, which he used for cultivating the land. At that time, Lord Indra descended and asked Kuru as to what he was doing. Kuru repolied “I am tilling the land to cultivate the Eight Cultures as I have the seeds for the same.” Indra laughed at Kuru and returned to the heaven. The king tilled about 7 miles every day till completing about 48 miles. Then, Lord Vishnu came and asked Kuru: “What are you doing?” When Kuru game the same answer he had given to Indra, Lord Vishnu said: “You give the seed you have and I will sow the seeds for you.” Kuru responded by stretching his right shoulder in front of Lord Vishnu, who cut the right shoulder of Kuru into one thousand pieces and sowed the seeds. The king stretched his left shoulder, two legs and finally gave his head to Lord Vishnu for cultivation. Lord Vishnu was very much impressed with the king’s magnanimity and asked Kuru to seek a boon. Kuru said: “May this land develop into a place known for culture and spirituality (Dharma Kshetra) and named after my name. Any act acted here may become Akshay or unlimited”. Lord Vishnu granted the boon to Kuru.

In Kurukshetra, there are seven sacred forests called Kamyakavana, Aditivana, Vyasavana, Phalakeevana, Suryavana, Madhuvana and Sheetavana. In addition, seven rivers namely Saraswati, Vaitarani, Apaga, Madhusrava, Kaushikee, Drushadwati and Hiranvati flow here, as mentioned in Vamana Purana. A holy pond called Brahmasaras is there in Kurukshetra.

A chant generally chanted while having bath is as follows:

KurukShEtram GayAm GangAm PraBhAsam PuShkariNee cha|

YEtAni manasA DhyAtwA avagAhyam tatO jalE||

कुरुक्षॆत्रं गयां गन्गां प्रभासं पुष्कराणि च।

ऎतानि मनसा ध्यात्वा अवगाह्यं ततॊ जलॆ॥

Therefore, Kurukshetra is one among the seven holiest pilgrim centres in the country.          

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