Post by jksivan on Aug 17, 2013 9:41:22 GMT 5.5
Dear Children
58. " Jarasandhan "
Mahabharath is an epic containing many interesting stories, which are incomparable in imagination. The incidents connected with the life of Pandavas and Krishna are the most interesting parts of the stories. For centuries, our grand fathers and grand mothers, generation after generation had been telling these stories and still we find them untiring or boring. I am glad I have an opportunity to tell you at least one hundred stories in this book. I have selected these stories specially because they tell us about the life and times of Lord Krishna.
There was a king named Brahadutt. He and his two queens were sad because they were childless. One day Brahadutt was visited by a sage at his palace. The sage gave him a divine fruit and blessed Brahadutt that if he gave it to his queen shw would immediately conceive. The happy king took the fruit to his two queens. He cut the fruit into two halves and gave each a half. This is where the king committed a blunder. The queens who consumed the halved fruits promptly delivered half-babies.
Every baby had only half of his body, limbs head etc.,! Brahadutt and the queens were disappointed and did not know what to do. It was evil to keep such a ceature they were advised by counsellors and decided to discard the disfigured babies in the deep jungle as they did not want to kill them. A demoness lived in the jungle. It so happened that on the day the two halves of the babies were thrown into the jungle, she found the two halves of the babies.
Unintentionally, she put the two halves into her basket on her way home. When she reached her place and opened the basket, a normal baby was found in it. The two halves attracted each other and joined together when inside the basket. She was impressed by the baby and brought him up as her son. Her name was Jara and since she found him, she named the baby Jarasandhan, who later became a very powerful demon king. He was Kamsan’s father in law. Kamsan married Jarasandhan’s two daughters Asthi and Prapthi. When Krishna killed Kamsan, Jarasandhan naturally was angry and became Krishna's enemy. He was also a friend of Sisupalan who was already angry with Krishna for kidnapping Rukmani. Dear children, you were already told in a previous story, that Rukmi, the crown prince and brother of Rukmini, planned to marry her to his friend Sisupalan but Krishna foiled the plan by kidnapping her and married Rukmini.
Jarasandhan attacked Mathura where Krishna initially lived, after killing Kamsan, not once or twice but 17 times. Krishna therefore decided to move to Dwarka, where he built a strong fort, not possible for anyone to enter because of moats, and ocean surrounding it.
Jarasandhan was a devotee of Lord Siva. He was planning to sacrifice the lives of 100 kings in a big Yagam (sacrificial fire) and seek the blessing of Lord Siva to gain more strength. He had already captured 95 kings and imprisoned them in his palace and was hoping to get 5 more at Yudhishtira’s Rajasuya yaga, where many kings would be assembling. The clever Krishna found out Jarasandha’s intention and organised a scheme. He made Arjuna, Bheema and Yudhishtira to don themselves as Vedha chanting Brahmins and meet Jarasandha at his palace. Jarasandha was an immense lover of the wrestling game. During the conversation they informed the king that they knew the game of wrestling and invited him to play the game with them. Jarasandha was a good wrestler and when the trio offered to wrestle with him and select one of them Jarasadhan selected the strong looking brahmin, who was none but Bheema.
The wrestling match began and continued for many days with no conclusive result. Bheema could not kill Jarasandhan and his efforts failed because when he tore him into pieces Jarasandhan again joined together and attacked with refreshed strength. Bheema was tiring out, and looked at Krishna who was also in the disguise of a Brahmin as an onlooker. Krishnan drew his attention and gave him a hint. He took a small stick, broke it in two pieces and joined it together upside down. Bheema understood the secret message. He managed to tear Jarasandhan again into two pieces and instead of throwing the torn pieces apart, he joined the two pieces upside down. Jarasandha was capable of being able to live even if split into two halves even if thrown apart. Now he could do nothing as he was joined with wrong ends by Bheema. Jarasandhan was thus killed. Krishna was able to release the captive 95 kings and saved their lives.
Dear children, Krishna’s love for us is abundant and he kills the evil in us, to protect us all.
58. " Jarasandhan "
Mahabharath is an epic containing many interesting stories, which are incomparable in imagination. The incidents connected with the life of Pandavas and Krishna are the most interesting parts of the stories. For centuries, our grand fathers and grand mothers, generation after generation had been telling these stories and still we find them untiring or boring. I am glad I have an opportunity to tell you at least one hundred stories in this book. I have selected these stories specially because they tell us about the life and times of Lord Krishna.
There was a king named Brahadutt. He and his two queens were sad because they were childless. One day Brahadutt was visited by a sage at his palace. The sage gave him a divine fruit and blessed Brahadutt that if he gave it to his queen shw would immediately conceive. The happy king took the fruit to his two queens. He cut the fruit into two halves and gave each a half. This is where the king committed a blunder. The queens who consumed the halved fruits promptly delivered half-babies.
Every baby had only half of his body, limbs head etc.,! Brahadutt and the queens were disappointed and did not know what to do. It was evil to keep such a ceature they were advised by counsellors and decided to discard the disfigured babies in the deep jungle as they did not want to kill them. A demoness lived in the jungle. It so happened that on the day the two halves of the babies were thrown into the jungle, she found the two halves of the babies.
Unintentionally, she put the two halves into her basket on her way home. When she reached her place and opened the basket, a normal baby was found in it. The two halves attracted each other and joined together when inside the basket. She was impressed by the baby and brought him up as her son. Her name was Jara and since she found him, she named the baby Jarasandhan, who later became a very powerful demon king. He was Kamsan’s father in law. Kamsan married Jarasandhan’s two daughters Asthi and Prapthi. When Krishna killed Kamsan, Jarasandhan naturally was angry and became Krishna's enemy. He was also a friend of Sisupalan who was already angry with Krishna for kidnapping Rukmani. Dear children, you were already told in a previous story, that Rukmi, the crown prince and brother of Rukmini, planned to marry her to his friend Sisupalan but Krishna foiled the plan by kidnapping her and married Rukmini.
Jarasandhan attacked Mathura where Krishna initially lived, after killing Kamsan, not once or twice but 17 times. Krishna therefore decided to move to Dwarka, where he built a strong fort, not possible for anyone to enter because of moats, and ocean surrounding it.
Jarasandhan was a devotee of Lord Siva. He was planning to sacrifice the lives of 100 kings in a big Yagam (sacrificial fire) and seek the blessing of Lord Siva to gain more strength. He had already captured 95 kings and imprisoned them in his palace and was hoping to get 5 more at Yudhishtira’s Rajasuya yaga, where many kings would be assembling. The clever Krishna found out Jarasandha’s intention and organised a scheme. He made Arjuna, Bheema and Yudhishtira to don themselves as Vedha chanting Brahmins and meet Jarasandha at his palace. Jarasandha was an immense lover of the wrestling game. During the conversation they informed the king that they knew the game of wrestling and invited him to play the game with them. Jarasandha was a good wrestler and when the trio offered to wrestle with him and select one of them Jarasadhan selected the strong looking brahmin, who was none but Bheema.
The wrestling match began and continued for many days with no conclusive result. Bheema could not kill Jarasandhan and his efforts failed because when he tore him into pieces Jarasandhan again joined together and attacked with refreshed strength. Bheema was tiring out, and looked at Krishna who was also in the disguise of a Brahmin as an onlooker. Krishnan drew his attention and gave him a hint. He took a small stick, broke it in two pieces and joined it together upside down. Bheema understood the secret message. He managed to tear Jarasandhan again into two pieces and instead of throwing the torn pieces apart, he joined the two pieces upside down. Jarasandha was capable of being able to live even if split into two halves even if thrown apart. Now he could do nothing as he was joined with wrong ends by Bheema. Jarasandhan was thus killed. Krishna was able to release the captive 95 kings and saved their lives.
Dear children, Krishna’s love for us is abundant and he kills the evil in us, to protect us all.