EMERGENCE OF KARTIKEYA - BIRTH OF TARAKASURA

This is an auspicious month called Karteeka. Deepotsava is a common and sacred instance in all temples, mutts and religious institutions as it is considered highly meritorious. Even in individual houses, Deepas are invariably kept in front of the Tulsi Brindavan and the main threshold. Karteeka is a word, according to Scriptures, derived out of Star Krittika. As there are six deities representing this holy Star, who all fed breast milk to Skanda, he came to be known as Kartikeya, a person brought up by six Krittikas. Because these deities were six in number and each of them was yearning to breast feed Skanda, he wore six faces and thus became ShaDAnana, where shat means six and Anana means faces.

Background

The story of Kartikeya is mentioned in Skanda Purana, Bhagavata, Mahabharata and other holy Texts.

Diti, one of the wives of Sage Kashya, wanted to avenge the destruction of demons. Demons Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu were sons of Diti from Sage Kashyapa and Sihmike, was her daughter. Diti also had several other demons. Sihmike married a Danava called Viprachitti (Vishnu Purana). Later, during the Great Churning of the Milky Ocean (Samudra Mathana), all the children of Diti died. Dejected, distressed and depressed Diti then pleaded with her husband Sage Kashyapa: “Oh great Sage, your own sons, the deities, have become very strong. They have killed all my sons. Please provide me with a son, who will be very brave, powerful, courageous and long-living. He should be able to kill Indra.” Sage Kashyapa said “Be it so” (Tathastu). However, the sage added: “You should be very pure. Wish you good luck. Do a tapas (penance) to beget a son.”

Diti launched a severe penance at a place called Kushaplava Kshetra. Indra came to know about the intention of Diti and joined her in disguise, pretending to serve her. He was serving her with high dedication, conviction, compassion and commitment. Diti, unaware of the intrinsic intentions of Indra, once said “My child, there is no one to lend any sort of support to you. I am doing penance only to clear this situation. You will soon have a younger brother as my penance will soon be over.” Being fully aware of what Diti had in her mind, Indra continued to serve without giving her a clue about his intentions, albeit waiting for an opportunity to subvert the plans of Diti. (To be contd…)    

JADABHARATA - PART VIII

King Rahugana was dumbfounded with the eloquence and logical reply that Jadabharata was giving. Jadabharata was sharp, non-committal and straight forward. He never bothered about the status of Rahugana. Jadabharata said:

Jeevanmrutatwam niyamEna rAjannAdyantavad yad vikrutasya druShTam|

SwaswAmiBhAvO Dhruva yESha yatra tarhyachyutE(a)sAviti krutyayOgaha ||

VishEShabudDhErvivaram manAk cha pashyAmi yannavyavahAratO(a)nyat|

Ka Eeshwarastatra kimEshitavyamaThApi rAjan karavAma kim tE||

"Oh king, you are telling that I am like living dead. But, life and death are for a living person (Chetana) and not for me. So long as life remains in this body, it is existence and the moment some unbearable distress happens, it is as worse as death. However, this state is common to all living bodies or beings. Why are you attributing it to my body alone? You are also pointing out that I have disobeyed the orders of a King. But, who is the King who can order? You are not eligible to do that. It is only the Lord of Lords Sri Hari who can order. Deities can order under his instructions. Therefore, kings like you cannot order.

It is only coincidental and commercial necessity to identify a person from among the common people as a king. I do not see anything else anywhere because, who has become a natural king on earth? Who are subjects? You may say that although unnaturally, you have become a king because of your Karma or deeds of past life. I concede that point. That is why, I am obeying your orders to the best of my capacity. But, when I become the king due to my Karma, you will have to obey my orders too." (TO BE CONTD...)

STORY OF JADABHARATA - PART VI - TRYST WITH THEOSOPHY

During his previous life as emperor of Bharat, Jadabharata was the custodian, protector and ultimate shelter for all devotees of Lord Vishnu. When he was reborn, the world, including King Rahuguna, who was himself a very pious, spirituous and virtuous devotee of Lord Vishnu, mistakes him to be insane. This is stated in Garuda Purana and cited by Sri Madhwacharya in his Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya:

AshEShaBhagavatpriyANAm nikEtaha sa yEva BharatO mAnuShApEkShayA|

TatkAlasThitaBhaktEShu mAnuShEShvruShaBhAtmajaha|

VarO(a)pi DhikkrutO rAjnA suhrudA VaiShNavEShwapi||Iti GAruDE||

King Rahugana had cynically commented to Jadabharata: "You are not the only person carrying this palanquin," Jadabharata replies:

TwayOditam vyaktamavipralabDham Bhartuhu sa mE syAd yadi veera BhAraha|

Ganturyadi syAdaDhigamyamaDhwA peeveti chAsau na vidAm pravAdaha||

"Oh brother, did you not mean that I haven't carried the weight at all by your sarcastic statement that 'you have carried the palanquin for too long all alone'? What you said was what exactly happened because, if I was the one to have carried the weight and I was the only person to have walked the distance, then what you said would have been contradicted. In reality, it is Lord Hari who independently carries the weight and independently walks through all terrains. But, your contention that I am a buxom person isn't right. My physique might be buxom. I am not. In fact, it is mentioned in Garuda Purana too: "BharaNAdikrudDhaririti chintayan nrupamabraveet". Hari alone is capable of independently carrying any weight and walking any distance. (TO BE CONTID...)

STORY OF JADABHARATA - PART IV - TRYST WITH THEOSOPHY

During his previous life as emperor of Bharat, Jadabharata was the custodian, protector and ultimate shelter for all devotees of Lord Vishnu. When he was reborn, the world, including King Rahuguna, who was himself a very pious, spirituous and virtuous devotee of Lord Vishnu, mistakes him to be insane. This is stated in Garuda Purana and cited by Sri Madhwacharya in his Mahabharata Tatparya Nirnaya:

AshEShaBhagavatpriyANAm nikEtaha sa yEva BharatO mAnuShApEkShayA|

TatkAlasThitaBhaktEShu mAnuShEShvruShaBhAtmajaha|

VarO(a)pi DhikkrutO rAjnA suhrudA VaiShNavEShwapi||Iti GAruDE||

King Rahugana had cynically commented to Jadabharata: "You are not the only person carrying this palanquin," Jadabharata replies:

TwayOditam vyaktamavipralabDham Bhartuhu sa mE syAd yadi veera BhAraha|

Ganturyadi syAdaDhigamyamaDhwA peeveti chAsau na vidAm pravAdaha||

"Oh brother, did you not mean that I haven't carried the weight at all by your sarcastic statement that 'you have carried the palanquin for too long all alone'? What you said was what exactly happened because, if I was the one to have carried the weight and I was the only person to have walked the distance, then what you said would have been contradicted. In reality, it is Lord Hari who independently carries the weight and independently walks through all terrains. But, your contention that I am a buxom person isn't right. My physique might be buxom. I am not. In fact, it is mentioned in Garuda Purana too: "BharaNAdikrudDhaririti chintayan nrupamabraveet". Hari alone is capable of independently carrying any weight and walking any distance. (TO BE CONTID...)

STORY OF JADABHARATA - PART IV

King Rahugana, who was unable to sit or rest properly due to the erratic manner in which the palanquin was swinging up and down due to the way Jadabharata was carrying it. The other three could not control the palanquin. They were also chiding Jadabharata to maintain certain discipline in the walking as the king was being terribly disturbed. When King Rahugana shouted at the servants carrying the palanquin, the three servants said that the whole indiscipline was due to the rugged manner in which the fourth carrier Jadabharata was walking. Rahugana watched the whole scenario for a while and then chided Jadabharata: "Hey you, why are you swinging the palanquin in this manner. You have a giant body and you look to be very strong. Do you know who am I? Can you not understand from my royal robes that I am the king of this country. I can punish you immediately with lashes."

Jadabharata was undeterred. His mystic silence also shocked Rahugana. He sarcastically told Jadabharata: "It looks as though you have been carrying this palanquin for a very long time and hence you are exhausted." Jadabharata retorted: 

"You are cajoling me by sarcastically that I have not been carrying this weight of palanquin and your body for too long to get exhausted. But, for your information, I am neither carrying this palanquin nor moving or walking with the palanquin. I am a parasite. I am not independent at all. You sarcastically said that I am physically very weak. You meant to say that I am very robust and strong. I am nobody to assume or presume the size of my body. You said that you are ordering me as the king of this country. You are not the king and you cannot order because the only king who can order things is the Lord.You are the king because of some good deeds in your previous life. Because of that slight knowledge, I had tried to obey your orders to the best of my capacity. But, there is no use punishing me in whatever manner you may decide to because I have shun the passion and respect for this body." 

The king was surprised, shocked and horrified by the way Jadabharata replied. There was so much much truth, moral, philosophy, logic and sense in each and every word spelled by Jadabharata that it did not take too long for Rahugana to realise that Jadabharata was some great soul. Jadabharata was not the one inside as the one appearing to the outside the world. Rahugana jumps out of his palanquin, falls at the feet of Jadabharata, washes the feet of Jadabharata with his tears, apologises. (TO BE CONTD.....)

STORY OF JADABHARATA - PART III

While Jadabharat was roaming about in the forests and various places, he reached the forest area of the then Sindhu Desha. Rahugana was the ruler of Sindhu Desha in that period. King Rahugana was basically very spirituous, philosophical, pious and righteous. He honored culture and tradition. He had that appetite for knowing the secrets of Vedanta. Kapila Muni was known to possess such knowledge. Kapila Muni was in a remote place and King Rahugana decided to meet him and know from him the hidden meaning of Vedanta. He got into a palanquin and started the journey to meet Kapila Maharshi. The palanquin needed four persons to be carried. There were only three and they started searching for a strong person to carry the palanquin. They found this Jadabharata loitering, ordered him to carry the palanquin and Rahuhana sat in the palanquin. However, Jadabharata did not feel hurt, harassed or exploited. He silently took his position and carried the palanquin on the shoulder, as directed by the servants of Rahugana. The palanquin carriers had to maintain a particular speed and balance. Even if one of the four failed to maintain the speed and the balance, the carrying would become difficult. for the other three. Incidentally that is what happened. Jadabharata was rushing without caring for pits, uneven surface or anything. At times, he would become very slow. He would not bother about thorns on the road. As the palanquin was shaking, wavering and highly insecure to sit, Rahugana was enraged. He chided the carriers, who informed him that the whole imbalance and disturbance was being caused by Jadabharata. When Rahugana abused Jadabharata angrily, the latter retorted: "Oh man, you may not be aware that so many insects are moving about on the earth. I do not want to kill any of them because they have not done any harm to me. You too are not supposed to kill them." Rahugana was surprised by the answer as Jadabharata did not even mention the name of King. He had called Rahugana as "man". Rahugana said: "Do you know who am I? I am the king of this region. You cannot speak to me in this manner." Jadabharata said: "How dare you think you are the king? Do you know who is the real king? You are just a puppet of that King and you have no right to ill-treat your subjects." Rahugana was terribly shaken by the answer. Being a very cultured, pious and righteous person, Rahugana sensed that there was some hidden meaning in what Jadabharata had said. (CONTD.....)

STORY OF JADABHARATA - PART II

Because of his own folly of forgetting his prime duties of paying obeisance and performing oblations and showing unnatural obsession over a deer, Jadabharata was born as a deer in his next birth on Earth. Due to the hard, sincere and arduous penance he had done during his previous birth, Jadabharata reborn as deer could remember what transpired . He realised that he had committed a sin and the Jadabharata-deer died with deep repentance and regret. In the next life, he was born as the son of a Brahmin called Angirasa. But, he had no interest in worldly life and was roaming about like a lunatic. One day, King Vrushala was searching for offering a sacrifice to Goddess Kalika in the form of a human being. He ordered his servants to find a well-built, strong and healthy man and bring him. The servants brought a person, but he managed to escape. While searching for another prey, the king's servants saw Angirasa's son roaming about and brought him to the King. As there was no alternative to them, they took Angirasa's son to the Kali temple. At that moment, Goddess Kali manifested in person and killed King Vrushala and his servants. Angirasa's son again started roaming about in forests like a mad person. (Contd....) 

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