Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Saving Three Worlds

"And when the night had passed, Yudhishthira the just, arose and together with his brothers, performed the necessary duties. He then spake unto Arjuna, that delight of his mother, saying, 'O Kaunteya, do thou show (me) those weapons with which thou vanquished the Danavas.'

Thereat, O king, the exceedingly powerful Dhananjaya, the son of Pandu, duly practising extreme purity, showed those weapons, O Bharata, which had been given unto him by the celestials. Dhananjaya seated on the earth, as his chariot, which had the mountain for its pole, the base of the axle and the cluster of beautiful-looking bamboo trees for its socket-pole, looked resplendent with that celestial armour of great lustre, took his bow Gandiva and the conch-shell given to him by the gods, commenced to exhibit those celestial weapons in order. And as those celestial weapons had been set, the Earth being oppressed with the feet (of Arjuna), began to tremble with (its) trees; and the rivers and the mighty main became vexed; and the rocks were riven; and the air was hushed. And the sun did not shine; and fire did not flame; and by no means did the Vedas of the twice-born once shine. And, O Janamejaya, the creatures peopling the interior of the earth, on being afflicted, rose and surrounded the Pandava, trembling with joined hands and contorted countenances. And being burnt by those weapons, they besought Dhananjaya (for their lives). Then the Brahmarshis, and the Siddhas, and the Maharshis and the mobile beings--all these appeared (on the scene). And the foremost Devarshis, and the celestials and the Yakshas and the Rakshasas and the Gandharvas and the feathered tribes and the (other) sky-ranging beings--all these appeared (on the scene). And the Great-sire and all the Lokapalas and the divine Mahadeva, came thither, together with their followers. Then, O great king, bearing unearthly variegated blossoms Vayu (the Wind-god) fell to strewing them around the Pandava. And sent by the celestials, the Gandharvas chanted various ballads; and, O monarch, hosts of the Apsaras danced (there).

At such a moment, O king, sent by the celestials, Narada arrived (there) and addressed Partha in these sweet words, 'O Arjuna, Arjuna, do thou not discharge the celestial weapons. These should never be discharged when there is no object (fit). And when there is an object (present), they should also by no means be hurled, unless one is sore pressed; for, O son of the Kurus, to discharge the weapons (without occasion), is fraught with great evil. And, O Dhananjaya, being duly kept as thou hast been instructed to these powerful weapons will doubtless conduce to thy strength and happiness. But if they are not properly kept, they, O Pandava, will become the instrument for the destruction of the three worlds. So thou shouldst not act in this way again. O Ajatasatru, thou too wilt behold even these weapons, when Partha will use them for grinding (thy) enemies in battle.'"

Vaisampayana continued, "Having prevented Partha the immortals with others that had come there, went to each his place, O foremost of men. And, O Kaurava, after they had all gone, the Pandavas began to dwell pleasantly in the same forest, together with Krishna."

http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/m03/m03174.htm 

Also
http://paninformation.blogspot.com/search/label/ArjunaExile

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Narada receives his musical instrument ( Vina )

While staying once with Krsna at Dvaraka, Narada and the former went out on a tour in an aerial chariot. On the way they saw a stream and Krsna stopped the chariot there as Narada wanted to quench his thirst at the stream. Narada drank water from the stream disobeying Krsna's injunction that he should bathe before drinking water, and lo! the next moment Narada was turned into a woman and when `she' looked around neither Krsna nor the chariot was to be seen. She wandered about in the forest and at last reached an asrama.

When the Rsi of the asrama awoke from his samadhi he saw standing before him a beautiful woman who requested him to accept her as his disciple. He readily granted her request. The preceptor married the disciple and in due course of time she became the mother of sixty children. One day all the sixty children and their father expired together. The grief-stricken widow felt too weak to perform the obsequies of the dead. An extraordinary hunger also held her in its grips. She raised her hand to pluck a fruit from the mango tree that stood nearby but could not reach the mango above. She placed together the corpses one on the other, mounted upon the heap of dead bodies and plucked the mango-fruit Immediatelv a brahmin arrived on the spot and exhorted the widow on the impropriety of taking food without bathing after the death of husband and children.

Then the widow entered the stream and dived in its waters holding above water the hand in which was held the mango, and to ! it was Narada who came out from the water. Only the hand, which had been held above water and did not therefore get wet, remained like that of a woman with bangles thereon. The brahmin, who stood thereon the banks of the stream transformed himself into Krsna. As ordered by Krsna Narada again dived with the whole of his body in the water when the hand also turned into that of a man. The mango held in the hand turned into an excellent Vina. And Krsna told Narada: "The Rsi who lived with you as your husband and who is no more is Kalapurusa; and the sixty children are years Prabhava, Vibhava etc.

Narada was an adept in the Science of Music, a virtual Nada Brahma and an authority of Swara, Grama and Murchchana.
  1. Sapta Swaras: Sadja, Rishabha, Gandhara, Madhyama, Panchama, Dhaivata and Nisada. 
  2. Gramas are the gradual increase and decrease of Swaras; 
  3. Mruchchanas: intonations and regulation of sounds by controlling the air and harmony through keys, changing keys for sound modulation and creating melodies 

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