KRISHNA STORY 6

 

A MOTHER’S SINCERE WISH

by J.K. Sivan



Lord Kapila instructing His mother Devahuti

As  you all know, mother is the first god in one’s life. She selflessly cares for her baby before and after delivery,  and subjects herself to any amount of sacrifice for the safety and wellbeing of her child.  Mother is one person irreplaceable in one’s life.  So much of importance is given to her that she is the first named in the list of whom  one should worlship in life for ever. Matha (mother), Pitha (father) Guru (teacher) and dheivam (god)  is the order in which, our scriptures and ancient vedhas put  any mother in the list of whom all one should not fail to  worship. Mother is supreme and so whatever language we first learn is called mother tongue, the nation we belong to is called our mother land, etc.

In  today’s story  we are going to read and appreciate what a mother  once  really wished.  And this story which  relates to the wish of a mother  perhaps is not known to many.  Even if some one had known a part of this story perhaps he or she might have missed the link story which connects to the other integral part of it.

Let us go into the story and  in detail.

Lord Vishnu prior to His Avathar  as  Krishna,  once was also believed to  be born as the Rishi Kapila muni.  There are  some  scriptures and  puranas  referring to this. Sage Kapila was born to Sage Kardhama  and was taught by him all the Vedhas and Sastras.   In  course of time Kapila  learnt all the yogas and later authored and spread the Sankhya Yoga. His mother Devahuthi  was given upadesa by him on Sankya yoga besides the Athma bodha . She was proud of her son being admired  and accepted by all as a great Gnani and  Vedhacharya.

 

Whatever be the level of highest phllosophy of  life one learns, being a mother, Devahuthi   could not help wishing like any  other  normal woman. Her wish was just limited to her desire to be the mother of Kapila Muni in her next birth also!! She considered herself so fortunate to be his mother.

Soon after Kapila was born, his father, sage Kardhama Rishi retired to the forest for meditation as was the custom in those days.  Near the ashram one day,  he was in trance and meditation when  a few princes,  sorry, not a few, but  60,000 in number!! (they  were called Saharas)  came in search of the horse dispatched by the King, their father as Yagna Aswam.    Whenever a king performs Aswametha Yaga,  a ritual, to proclaim himself invincible and declare himself the powerful, a horse will be decorated and sent free of  any harness.  Whoever stops the horse and prevent its free movement will be declared an enemy at war and fought with. 

The horse was found by the Saharas tied to a  tree near  Kardhama Rishi who was in deep meditation.  They thought that the Rishi stole the horse and tied it there  defying the  King’s order.   

 

The Saharas became angry at this and shouted abusing the Rishi.  Their shouting and noise disturbed the meditation of Kardhama Rishi and he just opened his eyes and looked at the Saharas.  Lo!  All the 60000 people were  in flame and burnt to ashes. Where they physically were standing and shouting, only a heap of ash stood as a small hill!

The Rishi resumed his meditation.  Meantime, the King, having waited for long neither got back  his horse  nor received any news of at least any one of his 60000 sons who went in search of the horse.  He therefore  ordered his grandson Anshuman to look for them.

Anshuman searched everywhere  and at last reached Kapila Muni Ashram.  Kapila Muni was now having his ashram  where his father  Kardhama Rishi once  had his. Anshuman was bewildered to  looked at the ash hill and enquired about it and learnt that it was what he was looking for! He fell at the feet of Kapila Muni and  beseeched his mercy and sympathy.     He  learnt that the burnt  fore fathers can be revived to life only with Akash Ganga water sprinkled on them.  He  went back and penanced  for many years and succeeded in bringing to earth the Akash Ganga.  Since  Bageerathan brought her to our land, Ganga earned the name  Bageerathi.

Now  let us  go back to the story and the wish of  Kapila’s mother that  she should again be born his mother in her next birth also.

In his next birth, Kapila Muni was born as Krishna and Kapila’s mother was born as Yasodha. Krishna says in his Gita, while teaching Arjuna, that in Rishis’ he is Kapila.  (Ch. 10-20).  Also the 6^th Chapter of Gita is named SANKHYA YOGAM BRAMHA VIDHYA  in which Krishna beautifully narrates the Bakthi Yoga.   In  Srimadh Bhagavath Purana  you can read  how Krishna teaches Sankhya Yoga to Udhdhava Maharishi.

Children,   please recall that as  she wished, Kapila Muni’s mother was born as Yasodha and Krishna became her darling  son.  The great wonder in this combination is,  there is no teaching of Krishna to Yasodha as it had been  in his previous birth as Kapila.  All that he did was numerous  pranks and mischief which turned him uncontrollable, and she was   tired of him  driven to  the extent of even tying him with a rope to a grinder.

The author can be reached at: jksivan@gmail.com