In this part:

• The Birth of Parīkṣit Maharaja
• Vidhura returns and Dhṛtarāṣṭra leaves home
• How Dhrtarastra achieved liberation at the end
• The disappearance of Krsna

The Birth of Parīkṣit Maharaja

Chapter 12 reveals more details about the birth of Maharaja Pariksit. Certainly, he was born in the most uncommon circumstances, having to face the danger of an atomic explosion while still in the womb, and having the personal darshan of the Lord, who personally appeared just to save him.

As revealed later, on SB 3.3.17, the body of Maharaja Pariksit had been burned by the Brahmastra, but it was restored by the mercy of the Lord. This is confirmed in the first verse:

“The womb of Uttarā, mother of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, was spoiled by the dreadful and invincible brahmāstra weapon released by Aśvatthāmā. But Mahārāja Parīkṣit was saved by the Supreme Lord.”

Śaunaka Rishi wants to know more about this extraordinary birth, and thus asks:

“How was the great emperor Parīkṣit, who was a highly intelligent and great devotee, born in that womb? How did his death take place, and what did he achieve after his death?
We all respectfully want to hear about him [Mahārāja Parīkṣit] to whom Śukadeva Gosvāmī imparted transcendental knowledge. Please speak on this matter.” (SB 1.12.2-3)

Here, two questions are asked:

• How was Pariksit born, if the Brahmastra burned both his body and the womb of the mother?
• How did he die, and what was his destination after death?

Suta Goswami starts his answer by glorifying the qualities of Maharaja Yudhisthira and thus emphasizing the exalted lineage of Pariksit Maharaja. He then proceeds to describe the encounter of the child with the Lord:

“O son of Bhṛgu [Śaunaka], when the child Parīkṣit, the great fighter, was in the womb of his mother, Uttarā, and was suffering from the burning heat of the brahmāstra [thrown by Aśvatthāmā], he could observe the Supreme Lord coming to him.
He [the Lord] was only thumb high, but He was all transcendental. He had a very beautiful, blackish, infallible body, and He wore a dress of lightning yellow and a helmet of blazing gold. Thus He was seen by the child.” (SB 1.12.7-8)

The Lord is described as being just one thumb high because this was the size appropriate for the situation. The body of the Lord includes everything that exists, and thus the Lord is unlimitedly big. As Maha-Vishnu, entire universes pass through the pores of His body. However, at the same time, the Lord can become the smallest of the smallest and enter even inside the atom. He can also assume any size in between, according to the activity He wishes to perform.

As Paramatma, inside the heart, he assumes a form that is just one thumby high, because that’s the size of the internal chamber of the heart. That’s his mercy, so yogis and pure devotees can meditate on this form inside their hearts. However, even in this minute form, the Lord conserves His full power, and the proof of that is he could easily deflect the Brahmastra. It’s described that He could deflect the radiation of the nuclear weapon just like the sun evaporates a drop of dew.

After deflecting the Brahmastra, the Lord disappeared at once, and thus Pariksit got just a glimpse of His transcendental form. This view, however, exerted such a powerful influence over the child that His whole life he was looking for the Lord, examining all classes of people, trying to find again this beautiful personality who had saved Him in the womb. The name Pariksit means “examiner” due to this transcendental characteristic of his.

In due course of time, Pariksit Maharaja had the opportunity to hear the Srimad Bhagavatam from Sukadeva Goswami, and thus gain full transcendental realization. Reading the Bhagavatam, we get the impression that Pariksit Maharaja was bitten by the snake immediately after Sukadeva Goswami finished speaking, but Srila Sanatana Goswami reveals to us that there was some time between the end of the description and the snake bite. During this time, Uttara, his mother, inquired from Him about the essence of the Srimad Bhagavatam, and by using His transcendental vision, Pariksit Maharaja could see and describe two pastimes that explain the glories of the Lord, the transcendental abode and our eternal relationship with Him. These two pastimes are described in the Brhad Bhagavatamrta, a book that was compiled and commented on by Srila Sanatana Goswami. The first pastime describes the travelings of Narada Muni, trying to find the highest devotees of the Lord, and the second the journey of Gopa Kumara on his path back home, back to Godhead.

After Pariksit was protected by the Lord, the pregnancy of Uttara continued its course, and in due time, when the planets and constellations were all in auspicious positions, the child finally took birth. While pure devotees are transcendental to Karma, the Lord arranges for them to be born in auspicious circumstances, and under certain dispositions of the stars that assist them in their missions. The chart of Srila Prabhupada indicated that He would become a preacher, travel to the West when he was 70 years old, and establish 108 temples, as correctly predicted by an astrologer at the time of his birth. The stars were not the cause of his success, but Krsna organized it in such a way that they would support him in his mission.

Nowadays, often children are conceived out of “accidents”, and born into families who don’t want them. However, this was not the case for Pariksit Maharaja. Although he was the grandson of Arjuna, all the five Pandavas became extraordinarily affectionate towards them, especially Maharaja Yudisthira, who accepted him as his own son and the heir to the throne:

“King Yudhiṣṭhira, who was very satisfied with the birth of Mahārāja Parīkṣit, had the purificatory process of birth performed. Learned brāhmaṇas, headed by Dhaumya and Kṛpa, recited auspicious hymns.
Upon the birth of a son, the King, who knew how, where and when charity should be given, gave gold, land, villages, elephants, horses and good food grains to the brāhmaṇas.
The learned brāhmaṇas, who were very satisfied with the charities of the King, addressed him as the chief amongst the Pūrus and informed him that his son was certainly in the line of descent from the Pūrus.” (SB 1.12.13-15)

At the time of the birth of Pariksit, the Brahmanas predicted his personal qualities. Pariksit was destined to be a pure devotee and exhibit all good qualities. Because his body was restored by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the child would be also known as Viṣṇu-rāta, the one who is protected by the Lord.

When King Yudhisthira inquired if he would be as pious and great a king as his ancestors, the brahmanas gave a further description of the qualities of the child:

Parikisit would be capable of maintaining his subjects just like King Ikṣvāku, the son of Vaivasvata Manu (the current manu). Ikṣvāku is mentioned in the Bhagavad-Gita, he became the preceptor of the previous disciplic succession of the Gita, receiving him from his father, Manu, who in turn had received him from the Sun-God, Vivasvan, whom Krsna had personally instructed many millions of years ago.

He would follow Brahminical principles and keep his word exactly like Lord Rama. Rama was so moral that he was able to sacrifice his own personal happiness to uphold virtue, first by accepting being banished to the forest, and later by abandoning the association of his wife Sita.

He would be capable of giving charity and protecting others just like King Śibi, who was capable of cutting flesh from his own body to a pigeon who took shelter in him. This is a story narrated by Srila Prabhupada:

“The King of heaven once took the shape of a pigeon-hunter bird (eagle), and Agni, the fire-god, took the shape of a pigeon. The pigeon, while being chased by the eagle, took shelter on the lap of Mahārāja Śibi, and the hunter eagle wanted the pigeon back from the King. The King wanted to give it some other meat to eat and requested the bird not to kill the pigeon. The hunter bird refused to accept the King’s offer, but it was settled later on that the eagle would accept flesh from the body of the King of the pigeon’s equivalent weight. The King began to cut flesh from his body to weigh in the balance equivalent to the weight of the pigeon, but the mystic pigeon always remained heavier. The King then put himself on the balance to equate with the pigeon, and the demigods were pleased with him. The King of heaven and the fire-god disclosed their identity, and the King was blessed by them.”

Pariksit would expand the glories of his family just like the powerful Maharaja Bharata, the son of Mahārāja Duṣyanta. There are three Bharatas described in the Srimad Bhagavatam, the first Bharata is the brother of Lord Rama and the second is the Bharata son of Maharaja Rsabadeva, in honor of whom the Earth became famous as Bhārata-varṣa. This is the Maharaja Bharata who took three lives to go back to Godhead by becoming attached to a deer, and thus having to take two extra birts, first as a deer, and later as a Brahmana. The third Bharata (mentioned here) is the son of Mahārāja Duṣyanta, who took birth later and was extremely powerful, being a direct ancestor of the Pandavas. According to Srila Prabhupada, Duṣyanta-Bharata was no less than the great Maharaja Bharata, son of Rsabadeva.

In battle, Pariksit would be no less powerful than Arjuna, irresistible as fire and as unsurpassable as the ocean. He would be strong as a lion, and capable of giving shelter to surrendered souls just like the Himalayas give shelter to all types of saintly persons.

It was also described that Pariksit would be as tolerant as his parents, which is also significant since the Pandavas are the ultimate example of tolerance in the name of upholding religious principles. It was specially mentioned that he would be no less than Maharaja Yudisthira or Lord Brahma himself in equanimity of mind.

The Brahmanas also described that:

“He will be munificent like the lord of the Kailāsa Hill, Śiva. And he will be the resort of everyone, like the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Nārāyaṇa, who is even the shelter of the goddess of fortune.
This child will be almost as good as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa by following in His footsteps. In magnanimity he will become as great as King Rantideva. And in religion he will be like Mahārāja Yayāti.
This child will be like Bali Mahārāja in patience, a staunch devotee of Lord Kṛṣṇa like Prahlāda Mahārāja, a performer of many aśvamedha [horse] sacrifices and a follower of the old and experienced men.
This child will be the father of kings who will be like sages. For world peace and for the sake of religion, he will be the chastiser of the upstarts and the quarrelsome.
After hearing about his death, which will be caused by the bite of a snakebird sent by a son of a brāhmaṇa, he will get himself freed from all material attachment and surrender unto the Personality of Godhead, taking shelter of Him.
After inquiring about proper self-knowledge from the son of Vyāsadeva, who will be a great philosopher, he will renounce all material attachment and achieve a life of fearlessness.” (SB 1.12.23-27)

As Pariksit grew, Yudhisthira Maharaja became again fearful of the reactions to the killing of so many soldiers during the battle of Kuruksetra and thus decided to execute three grand aśvamedha sacrifices, events that are described in the Mahabharata. At this time, the treasure was empty, and the kingdom was being run simply on the taxes collected, without any surplus.

Guided by Krsna, the Pandavas were able to find a great quantity of gold left by Mahārāja Marutta, who in ancient times executed a sacrifice utilizing plates and utensils made out of solid gold. During this sacrifice, he had given so much gold in charity to the Brahmanas that they could not carry it, and thus left most of it at the arena. All this unclaimed gold, was rediscovered by the Pandavas and used to perform the aśvamedha sacrifices.

An aśvamedha sacrifice can only be executed when one becomes the undisputed emperor of the whole planet because before executing it the king has to answer the challenges of all other rival kings who don’t agree with his claim. In the Mahabharata, it’s described how the other four Pandavas went in four directions to subdue all other kings until everyone agreed with the claim of Yudhisthira Maharaja.

The battle of Kuruksetra happened during the 89th year of Krsna’s Eartly pastimes. The departure of Krsna to Dvaraka happened a few months later, during the 90th year. This is also probably when Pariksit was born since he was conceived shortly before the battle.

Krsna’s disappearance, described in chapter 14 happened in the 125th year, a total of 36 years after the battle of Kuruksetra. At this time, Pariksit Maharaja was about 35 years old.

It’s described in the Srimad Bhagavatam that the Pandavas renounced their kingdom and went to the Himalayas after receiving the news of the departure of Krsna and the Yadu dynasty, which happened a few months after the departure of Krsna.

After Pariksit became the king, he performed many wonderful activities, such as traveling through Jambudwipa (the cosmic mass of land at the center of Bhu-Mandala, of which our planet is part) and receiving tribute from all the kings of the different tracts of land, meeting and chastizing Kali and so on. By the time he was cursed by the Brahmana boy to die in seven days, went to the banks of the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna and met Sukadeva Goswami, he had an adult son, Janamejaya, so this must have happened several years after the Pandavas left.

It’s described that Sukadeva Goswami, as well as Vyasadeva, were present when Bhismadeva was leaving his body, therefore Sukadeva Goswami is older than Pariksit. On SB 1.19.26 it’s described that “taṁ dvyaṣṭa-varṣaṁ”, Sukadeva Goswami was only sixteen years old when he met Pariksit Maharaja, but this appears to refer to his appearance, not to the chronological age. Because he was so pure, he had the appearance of a sixteen-year-old boy when he spoke the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Suta Goswami was five years old when Balarama killed Romahashana, which also happened around the time of the battle of Kuruksetra. Suta Goswami was thus five or six years older than Maharaja Pariksit. He was present when Sukadeva Goswami narrated the Bhagavatam to Pariksit and later narrated it to the sages in the forest of Naimisharanya.

Vidhura returns and Dhṛtarāṣṭra leaves home

Vidhura is the brother of Pandhu and Drtatrastra. However, because he was the son of a maidservant, he didn’t have a claim to the throne, although he was raised in the palace and educated in the military science just like his brothers.

Different from Drtarastra, Vidhura was a pure devotee. He was an incarnation of Yamaraja, who, under the pretext of being cursed to take birth as a sudra, had come to take part in Krsna’s pastimes. While he was present on Earth, Aryamā officiated at his post, punishing the sinful souls. It’s important to understand that just like in the case of other demigods, “Yamaraja” is actually the name of a post, and not directly the name of a person, just like “Indra” or “Surya”. Different souls can take up the post and perform the functions, just like different persons may occupy the post of president at different times.

Vidhura protested the mistreatment of the Pandavas, advising Drtarastra to abandon his envy of them, and instead get rid of Duryodhana, who was offense personified. Drtarastra however was too attached to his son and thus didn’t react to his words.

Duryodhana then used the opportunity to expel Vidhura from the palace which he gladly accepted, understanding that there was nothing he could do for his brother at the time and that it would be thus better to go out on pilgrimage, using his time to visit holy places and meet saintly persons.

After traveling for many years, he eventually met Uddhava, to whom he inquired about Krsna’s pastimes. Uddhava was perfectly qualified to explain it, but because he had a mission to deliver the message from Krsna to the sages in Badarikasrama and because Maitreya (who was senior in age) was close by, he sent Vidhura to inquire from him instead. This conversation between Vidhura and Maitreya is described later, in the 3rd and 4th cantos of Srimad Bhagavatam.

In this chapter, we have the story of Vidhura returning to the palace to preach to his brother Dhrtarastra and thus save him from a degrading position. Chronologically speaking, this happens after the discussions between Vidhura and Maitreya on the 3rd and 4th cantos. However, it is included here in the first canto because it is connected with the pastimes of the Pandavas.

The narrations of the Srimad Bhagavatam are organized by topic and not in chronological order, since the concern of Sukadeva Goswami and Suta Goswami are instructing us in the spiritual science, and not on writing a history book. In any case, during the lessons, we will also try to understand the chronological order so that you can get both sides.

“Śrī Sūta Gosvāmī said: While traveling on a pilgrimage, Vidura received knowledge of the destination of the self from the great sage Maitreya and then returned to Hastināpura. He became as well versed in the subject as he desired. After asking various questions and becoming established in the transcendental loving service of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Vidura retired from putting questions to Maitreya Muni.
When they saw Vidura return to the palace, all the inhabitants — Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira, his younger brothers, Dhṛtarāṣṭra, Sātyaki, Sañjaya, Kṛpācārya, Kuntī, Gāndhārī, Draupadī, Subhadrā, Uttarā, Kṛpī, many other wives of the Kauravas, and other ladies with children — all hurried to him in great delight. It so appeared that they had regained their consciousness after a long period.” (1.13.1-4)

These first three verses describe briefly the pilgrimage of Vidhura and his return to the palace. This happened shortly after the disappearance of Krsna before the Pandavas had received the news. Vidhura already knew Krsna had left the planet and thus was anxious to save his brother Drtarastra, helping him to return back home, back to Godhead before it was too late. To avoid a commotion, he decided to not say anything about the disappearance of Krsna to the Pandavas, understanding that they would receive the news sooner or later. Instead, he focused on his main mission of helping his brother.

It’s described that when Vidhura arrived at the palace, everyone surrounded him, crying out of affection. Vidhura was a very senior and respected person, and to see him after so many years was for them just like returning to life.

Yudhisthira Maharaja organized a proper reception and then allowed him to rest. After this, he seated Vidhura in an elevated seat and started speaking to him:

“My uncle, do you remember how you always protected us, along with our mother, from all sorts of calamities? Your partiality, like the wings of a bird, saved us from poisoning and arson. While traveling on the surface of the earth, how did you maintain your livelihood? At which holy places and pilgrimage sites did you render service?
My lord, devotees like your good self are verily holy places personified. Because you carry the Personality of Godhead within your heart, you turn all places into places of pilgrimage. My uncle, you must have visited Dvārakā. In that holy place are our friends and well-wishers, the descendants of Yadu, who are always rapt in the service of the Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa. You might have seen them or heard about them. Are they all living happily in their abodes?” (SB 1.13.8-11)

Vidhura described everything, except the news of the disappearance of Krsna and the Yadu dynasty, since he could not bear seeing the Pandavas distressed. Vidhura stayed there for several days with the purpose of enlightening his blind brother.

On SB 1.13.17, it’s mentioned that “Insurmountable eternal time imperceptibly overcomes those who are too much attached to family affairs and are always engrossed in their thought.” That was exactly the position of Drtatrastra.

Although he was the oldest of the three brothers, Drtarastra was unfit to sit on the throne since the beginning, because he was blind. For a long time, he nourished the idea of making his son Duryodhana the king, and thus he became implicated in all the intrigues made against the Pandavas. Now, after losing all his sons in the battle of Kuruksetra, he was being maintained by the Pandavas, whom he considered enemies and tried to kill so many times in the past. At this point, he was also very old and suffering from different health problems. Death was certainly close.

Still, somehow, he was living comfortably in the palace out of the charity of the Pandavas. Being the oldest uncle of Maharaja Yudhisthira, he imagined himself as the emperor and remained attached to material life, just like an ordinary man. Vidhura took compassion on seeing the situation of his brother and desired to help him. All his other activities in the palace were secondary. His mission was to rescue his brother.

Being surrounded by the Pandavas and so many other people, there was no opportunity for Vidhura to speak alone to Drtarastra. Still, as soon as he had the opportunity, he addressed Drtarastra, speaking strongly, although in the presence of others:

“My dear King, please get out of here immediately. Do not delay. Just see how fear has overtaken you.
This frightful situation cannot be remedied by any person in this material world. My lord, it is the Supreme Personality of Godhead as eternal time [kāla] that has approached us all.
Whoever is under the influence of supreme kāla [eternal time] must surrender his most dear life, and what to speak of other things, such as wealth, honor, children, land and home.
Your father, brother, well-wishers and sons are all dead and passed away. You yourself have expended the major portion of your life, your body is now overtaken by invalidity, and you are living in the home of another. You have been blind from your very birth, and recently you have become hard of hearing. Your memory is shortened, and your intelligence is disturbed. Your teeth are loose, your liver is defective, and you are coughing up mucus.” (SB 1.13.18-22)

Vidhura calls Drtarastra “king” in a sarcastic way. He is not and was never a king, but he sees himself as so, which is another illusion. At this stage, soft words would not help Drtarastra, therefore Vidhura decided to expose the naked truth, in the hope that Drtarastra would come to his senses. It becomes heavier:

“Alas, how powerful are the hopes of a living being to continue his life. Verily, you are living just like a household dog and are eating remnants of food given by Bhīma.” (1.13.23)

Bhima was specially mentioned by Vidhura because he was responsible for killing all the 100 sons of Drtarastra during the battle of Kuruksetra. Even for a common person, it would be almost impossible to live from the charity of a person who killed all his sons, but for a Ksatriya it was inconceivable. Still, due to his material attachment, Drtarastra was shamelessly living in such a condition. Although the Pandavas had respect for his uncle and were treating him properly, according to etiquette, the whole situation should have been extremely humiliating for him. Still, because of his attachment to royal life, he was somehow accepting it. In this way, this whole incident shows us how pathetic and miserable a materialist becomes as death approaches.

Instead of becoming attached to this world and making plans to live here indefinitely, we should prepare for what comes next. Death is a test that everyone has to face in due time, and the result of this test will determine where we are going to go next. The more attached we become to materialistic life, the less prepared we will be for this ultimate test, and as a result, materialists often find themselves in very unpleasant situations after death. A devotee on the other hand prepares all his life, and thus can easily pass the test and return home, back to Godhead.

That’s one of the reasons in the Varnasrama system people are recommended to renounce family life around the age of 50 and dedicate the final part of their lives to traveling to holy places and focusing on their spiritual practice, instead of remaining attached householders, like Drtarastra. However, as Srila Prabhupada mentions in the Bhagavad-Gita, if one is successful in establishing a Krsna Conscious atmosphere at home, he doesn’t necessarily have to leave, since his family life will not be contradictory to his spiritual advancement.

“There is no need to live a degraded life and subsist on the charity of those whom you tried to kill by arson and poisoning. You also insulted their married wife and usurped their kingdom and wealth. Despite your unwillingness to die and your desire to live even at the cost of honor and prestige, your miserly body will certainly dwindle and deteriorate like an old garment.
He is called undisturbed who goes to an unknown, remote place and, freed from all obligations, quits his material body when it has become useless.
He is certainly a first-class man who awakens and understands, either by himself or from others, the falsity and misery of this material world and thus leaves home and depends fully on the Personality of Godhead residing within his heart.
Please, therefore, leave for the North immediately, without letting your relatives know, for soon that time will approach which will diminish the good qualities of men.” (SB 1.13.24-28)

In his purport, Srila Prabhupada mentions four classes of persons. The first is a krpana, or a miserly man attached to materialistic life, caring only for temporary material positions and possessions. That was the position of Drtarastra, from which Vidhura wanted to save him.

The next level is the Dhira, a determined transcendentalist who remains undisturbed even when there is cause for disturbance. Because of this determination, a Dhira is capable of abandoning material relationships to advance in spiritual life. Higher than the Dhira is a Sannyasy who became disgusted with material life and was thus capable of completely renouncing it, and higher still is the Narotamma, the first-class man, the pure devotee who awakens his Krsna Consciousness by hearing and chanting and thus leaves home depending completely on the Lord.

It was impossible for Drtarastra to become a pure devotee at this stage, because of all the offenses he committed against the Pandavas. It was also not possible for him to become fixed in the principles of Sannyasa. Vidhura thus tried to at least make him a Dhira, convincing him to abandon his wretched material position with determination. He also hints at the fact that Kali-Yuga is starting, and the situation of the world will not become any better from that point onwards.

The strategy of Vidhura worked. Drtarastra became convinced and immediately left the palace without telling anyone. Only Vidhura and Gandhari went with him. Even Sanjaya who had beem his secretary for most of his life was not alerted of the departure of his master.

Where did Drtarastra go? He went to the Himalayas, the shelter of all types of renounced sages who renounced the world. Even today there are still some yogis and sages living in the lower parts of the Himalayas, where the temperatures allow, but at those times it was much more common. It’s described that these sages would accept the difficulties with enthusiasm, just like Ksatriyas would become even more determined to fight after being struck by an enemy.

The next day, Maharaja Yudhisthira went in the morning to visit his uncle, as he was doing daily. Not finding him nor Gadhari in their room, asked Sanjaya who was sitting there.

Due to his kind and pious nature, Yudhisthira initially thought that they may have left because of some offense or negligence on his part, and thus he asked Sanjaya. He profoundly lamented the disappearance of his uncle and aunt, who were practically his last relatives still alive, apart from his brothers. Sanjaya however couldn’t also give any definitive answer. Drtatrasta had left without any clue.

At this point, Narada Muni appeared at the scene, just like he appears at the right place and the right time in so many other instances, giving spirtual instructions exactly where they are needed.

Seeing the great Narada Muni, Yudhisthira Maharaja and the others offered him respect and inquired about the whereabouts of their uncles. What happened with Drtrarastra and his wife? Why did they leave, and where did they go?

Narada starts his answer by giving some spiritual instructions to King Yudhisthira:

“O pious King, do not lament for anyone, for everyone is under the control of the Supreme Lord. Therefore all living beings and their leaders carry on worship to be well protected. It is He only who brings them together and disperses them.
As a cow, bound through the nose by a long rope, is conditioned, so also human beings are bound by different Vedic injunctions and are conditioned to obey the orders of the Supreme.
As a player sets up and disperses his playthings according to his own sweet will, so the supreme will of the Lord brings men together and separates them.
O King, in all circumstances, whether you consider the soul to be an eternal principle, or the material body to be perishable, or everything to exist in the impersonal Absolute Truth, or everything to be an inexplicable combination of matter and spirit, feelings of separation are due only to illusory affection and nothing more.” (SB 1.13.41-44)

Narada Muni makes the point that everything is directly or indirectly under the control of the Lord, and thus, understanding that everything is temporary in this material world, we should not lament for anyone or anything. There are truthful words that have the power of awakening a feeling of renunciation in the heart.

Narada next made the point that much of Yudhisthira’s lamentation was coming from the idea of seeing his uncle as someone who depended on him to live. Narada pointed out that this is due to ignorance of the true nature of the soul. In this material world, everyone is under the influence of time, karma, and the three modes of nature. Being strongly bound, how can we expect to be able to help others? This is just due to illusion. Instead of seeing ourselves as the shelter of others, we should take shelter of Krsna and surrender to His supreme will.

Just as Vidhura, Narada Muni does not reveal that Krsna has already left the planet. Instead, he just hints that “the Lord has already performed His duties to help the demigods, and He is awaiting the rest. You Pāṇḍavas may wait as long as the Lord is here on earth.” In other words, he hinted that the Lord had already completed his mission on this world and the Pandavas should get ready to leave, following His disappearance.

What about Drtarastra?

“O King, your uncle Dhṛtarāṣṭra, his brother Vidura and his wife Gāndhārī have gone to the southern side of the Himālaya Mountains, where there are shelters of the great sages.
The place is called Saptasrota [“divided by seven”] because there the waters of the sacred Ganges were divided into seven branches. This was done for the satisfaction of the seven great ṛṣis.
On the banks at Saptasrota, Dhṛtarāṣṭra is now engaged in beginning aṣṭāṅga-yoga by bathing three times daily, in the morning, noon and evening, by performing the Agni-hotra sacrifice with fire and by drinking only water. This helps one control the mind and the senses and frees one completely from thoughts of familial affection.” (SB 1.13.51-53)

Vidhura understood Drtarastra would not be able to follow the process of pure devotional service due to all his offenses, and thus he made a compromise by instructing Drtarastra to practice the process of astanga-yoga, mechanically fixing his mind, and thus being able to attain impersonal liberation. After everything that happened, it was the most it could be expected from him.

When Narada Muni described the situation to Yudhisthira Maharaja, the process was still ongoing. Drtarastra was practicing, but would still have to conclude the process before leaving his body. Narada Muni however could already foresee what was going to happen and thus revealed the conclusion to Yudhisthira to discourage him from going after his uncle:

“O King, he will quit his body, most probably on the fifth day from today. And his body will turn to ashes.
While outside observing her husband, who will burn in the fire of mystic power along with his thatched cottage, his chaste wife will enter the fire with rapt attention. Vidura, being affected with delight and grief, will then leave that place of sacred pilgrimage.” (SB 1.13.57-59)

No intervention was necessary. Drtarastra would leave his body by evoking the fire element from within. The fire would also burn the cottage they were living in, and seeing his husband leaving, Gandhari (who was no less an ascetic than any of the other personalities from the Mahabharata) would voluntarily enter the fire and attain the same destination as her husband. In this way, there would be no bodies left to be disposed, of and no property to be taken. Vidhura would also leave the place as soon as everything was concluded and continue his pilgrimage, therefore there was also nothing to be done for him.

“Having spoken thus, the great sage Nārada, along with his vīṇā, ascended into outer space. Yudhiṣṭhira kept his instruction in his heart and so was able to get rid of all lamentations.”

The disappearance of Krsna

A few months before the visit of Vidhura and the liberation of Drtarastra, Arjuna had gone to visit Krsna in Dvaraka, to see Krsna and learn about the next activities of the Lord. However, as several months passed without Arjuna returning, Maharaja Yudhisthira became increasingly concerned. He started observing many inauspicious signs, as described in chapter 14.

He noticed irregularities in the climate and observed that people became greedy, angry, and deceitful, adopting dishonest means of livelihood. There was cheating even in dealings between friends, and quarreling even between husbands and wives.

There were symptoms of the age of Kali that started becoming manifest. There was no question of such symptoms appearing while Krsna was still on the planet, therefore he started fearing that the Lord may have already left.

“The calves do not suck the teats of the cows, nor do the cows give milk. They are standing, crying, tears in their eyes, and the bulls take no pleasure in the pasturing grounds.
The Deities seem to be crying in the temple, lamenting and perspiring. They seem about to leave. All the cities, villages, towns, gardens, mines and hermitages are now devoid of beauty and bereft of all happiness. I do not know what sort of calamities are now awaiting us.
I think that all these earthly disturbances indicate some greater loss to the good fortune of the world. The world was fortunate to have been marked with the footprints of the lotus feet of the Lord. These signs indicate that this will no longer be.” (SB 1.14.19-21)

As Yudhisthira described to Bhima the terrible omens he was observing, Arjuna finally returned from Dvaraka. However, this was not the same Arjuna whom he knew. His dejection was unprecedented, his head was down, and tears glided from his eyes.

Seeing Arjuna in such a condition, Yudhisthira immediately remembered the words of Narada Muni, hinting at the imminent disappearance of the Lord. However, the simple idea that Krsna could have left was intolerable to him. Instead of confronting it, he started by asking about the well-being being various friends and relatives and continued by offering numerous possibilities for the despondency of Arjuna.

Was he disrespected while in Dvaraka?
Did he fail to give charity to someone who asked?
Had he neglected deserving living beings, such as brāhmaṇas, children, cows, women, or the diseased?
Did he fail to give protection to a deserving woman, or had become involved with some women of dubious character?
Had he lost a battle to someone inferior, or equal to him?
Did he commit some unpardonable mistake that is considered to be abominable?

After seeing that the reason was none of these, Yudhisthira was forced to confront the bitter truth. Not only Krsna had left the planet, but the whole Yadhu dynasty had disappeared without a trace.

“Or is it that you are feeling empty for all time because you might have lost your most intimate friend, Lord Kṛṣṇa? O my brother Arjuna, I can think of no other reason for your becoming so dejected.” (SB 1.14.44)

The disappearance of Krsna is a mysterious subject. We all understand that Krsna is God and that He is immortal, but at the same time there is a description of God “dying” and leaving this world after being hit in the foot by the arrow of the hunter Jara.

Mayavadis argue that Krsna is just like us. He is a part of the Brahman who accepts a material body, executes some activities, and later dies, relinquishing this material body and merging again into Brahman. That’s why their philosophy is called “Mayavada”, they mistakingly believe that when Krsna comes to this world He accepts a material body, a body made of Maya.

We as Vaishnavas, however, understand that Krsna has an eternal spiritual body. Different from us, Krsna’s body and Krsna’s soul are non-different. When Krsna comes in His different incarnations, He just changes His form, He doesn’t change His body. So, understanding that Krsna has a spiritual body, how can he “die”, after being hit by the arrow of a hunter?

The first reason is that when Krsna comes, He shows His pastimes in chronological order, so we can understand them. In this way, everything has a beginning (when Krsna is “born” in the prison house), and therefore everything needs to have an end, and that’s Krsna being hit by the arrow of the hunter and leaving after instructing Uddhava and Maitreya. It’s described that it is just like a magician, who can appear to “die” after being cut in half, drowned, or burned, although everything is just a trick and in the next moment he is alive and well. Krsna plays a pastime where He appears to “die” just to have an excuse to move to the next universe and continue His pastimes.

There is yet another reason, that is to give the atheists an excuse to reject the divinity of Krsna if they so desire. Krsna doesn’t want to force anyone to go back to the spiritual world. He gives us the Vedas and He even comes personally to show His pastimes, But He waits until we ourselves develop a desire to go back. Because of this, He always leaves some excuse for the atheist to not believe in Him. Devotees understand that his “dying” after being hit by the arrow of the hunter is just a play, but materialists who are just looking for an excuse to accuse Krsna of being an ordinary man get an excuse to do so.

Bhismadeva was the most powerful Ksatriya of his time. He fought on equal terms with Parasurama, who previously had annihilated the whole Ksatriya class 21 times. When Arjuna was fighting with him, Krsna was driving Arjuna’s chariot. Having feelings for Arjuna, Bhismadeva didn’t really want to injure him, and therefore he was aiming his arrows at Krsna, whom he understood would not be harmed by them. Krsna accepted these arrows of Bhismadeva as an offering and was not disturbed at all. For Krsna, these arrows were just like an offering of flowers in the temple. So, how can we accept the same Krsna who was hit in the chest by hundreds of arrows from the most powerful Ksatriya of the time without feeling any discomfort, could have died after being hit in the foot by the arrow of an ordinary hunter? Everything is just a play to justify Krsna’s disappearance from this world and to bewilder the atheists.

As Prabhupada mentions on his purport to SB 1.14.8: “Lord Kṛṣṇa as He is appears once every twenty-four hours of Brahmā’s time (or after a lapse of 8,640,000,000 solar years) in each and every universe, and all His transcendental pastimes are displayed in each and every universe in a routine spool. But in that routine spool the functions of Lord Kṛṣṇa, Lord Vāsudeva, etc., are complex problems for the layman. There is no difference between the Lord’s Self and the Lord’s transcendental body. The expansions execute differential activities. When the Lord, however, appears in His person as Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa, His other plenary portions also join in Him by His inconceivable potency called yogamāyā”

Different from pastimes of other incarnations, like Lord Nrshinhadeva or Varaha, when Krsna comes personally He plays the role of a human being, and thus performs human-like activities, like stealing butter or taking part in a battle, therefore His activities are very hard to understand. We can see that even great demigods like Indra or Brahma become bewildered. Brahma does not have any problem accepting the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, but when Krsna appeared personally he wanted to test to see if He was really the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

The whole Srimad Bhagavatam is dedicated to teaching us how to understand these pastimes in the proper light, and the pastimes that are described in the first canto are just a prelude to what is yet to come.