75-Completion of Raajsooya Yagya and Insult of Duryodhan

Pareekshit asked - "Bhagavan, All people came in Dharm Raaj's Raajsooya Yagya and went back happily, but Duryodhan got very sad, this I have heard only from you. Kindly tell me its reason." Shuk Dev Jee said - "Hey Pareekshit, Your grandfather was a great Mahaatmaa. Because of his love to all relations, they accepted to work in his Yagya. Bheemsen was looking after kitchen and food. Duryodhan was in charge of the treasury. Sahadev was taking care of guests, and Nakul was taking care of all kinds of materials for Yagya. Arjun was taking care of elders and Bhagavaan Krishn Himself was washing feet of every incoming person. Draupadee was taking care of people's food that everybody had taken food properly, and Karn was giving alms open-handedly. In the same way Saatyaki, Vikarn, Vidur, Bhoorishravaa etc, Bahleek's sons and Santardan etc were also appointed for various jobs in this Raajsooya Yagya.

When all people were honored and Shishupaal got absorbed in Krishn, Yudhishthir went to take the End of Yagya bath (Yagyaant Snaan) in Gangaa River as the concluding bath of the Yagya ceremony. At that time many kinds of instruments started playing, singers sang, and many kings were following him on their beautifully decorated chariots; learned Braahman were pronouncing Ved Mantra in high pitch. Devtaa, Rishi, Pitar etc were showering flowers. People were rubbing oil, butter, scented water, turmeric mixed water etc to each other. Many Dev women came to see that scene riding on their Vimaan. Krishn was also throwing various types of colors on women and so were those women, ie  throwing colors on Krishn and His friends.

Yudhishthir was riding on a beautiful chariot with gold chains and beautiful horses. After Yudhishthir took bath in Gangaa River, other people also took bath in Gangaa. Then Yudhishthir wore silken clothes and donated clothes and jewelry to Braahman. Yudhishthir always saw Bhagavaan in everybody, so he worshipped everybody all the time. All people were wearing fine cloths and jewelry and were looking like Devtaa. After that everybody took leave and went to his place admiring his Yagya. Later Yudhishthir held back his cousins (Duryodhan etc), Krishn, and friends for some more time, because he did not want to let them go like this so soon. Krishn sent Saamb etc to Dwaarakaa but He Himself stayed back in Indraprasth.

Seeing all this wealth and glory of Paandav, Duryodhan got jealous. The palaces which Maya Daanav built for Paandav, were the best. And through them Draupadee used to serve her husbands. At that time Krishn's thousands of wives, who were very beautiful, were living in that palace, but Duryodhan wanted only Draupadee. In fact this was the main reason of his jealousy.

One day Yudhishthir was sitting in his royal court (built by Maya Daanav) like Indra, that proud Duryodhan came there with his brothers. He had crown on his head, necklaces in his neck and sword in his hand, and he was scolding gatekeepers in anger. In Maya Daanav's court he mistook dry place with water, so he lifted his clothes; and at another place fell in water by mistaking it as a dry land. Bheemsen and other queens and kings started laughing at him. Yudhishthir tried to stop them, but they got hidden permission to behave like this from Krishn also. At this Duryodhan got ashamed and went out of the court and then to Hastinaapur. Yudhishthir didn't like this episode and other good people also didn't like it, but Krishn was silent on this issue. He had to offload Prithvi from demons and in fact because of His Maayaa only Duryodhan got confused. So this is what happened in Yudhishthir's Raajsooya Yagya."

76-Shaalv-Yaadav Battle

Shuk Dev Jee said - "Now you listen to Bhagavaan's another Leelaa, in which you will know that how the owner of a Saubh named Vimaan, Shaalv was killed by Krishn. Shaalv was the friend of Shishupaal and at the time of Rukminee's Swayamvar came there with Shishupaal. At that time Yadu Vanshee won him too along with Jaraasandh. On that day Shaalv vowed that he would wipe off Yadu Vanshee from the surface of Prithvi. And then this fool started worshipping Pashupati Nath (Shiv Jee). He used to gulp only a handful ash a day only in those days. Shankar Jee is very liberal in giving Var, but since he knew his intentions, so he delayed him for some time. He got pleased after one year. He asked Shaalv to ask for any Var. Shaalv asked for a Vimaan which could not be broken by Devtaa, Raakshas, human beings, Gandharv, and Naag; can go anywhere and should prove unfortunate for Yadu Vanshee. Shankar Jee said "So be it." So with the permission of Shankar Jee Maya Daanav built an iron Vimaan named Saubh and gave it to Shaalv. It was almost a city. It was so dark that it was difficult to catch or see it. It was wish-driven. So as Shaalv got this Vimaan, he attacked Dwaarakaa Puree.

He surrounded Dwaarakaa with his very large army and started destroying its flowers, trees, gardens, gates, palaces etc. That Vimaan started showering weapons, large rocks, trees, snakes, hails etc. As Tripuraasur troubled Prithvi once in olden times, in the same way Shaalv's Vimaan started doing it. Bhagavaan Pradyumn saw it and consoled Dwaarakaa people. He came out with Saatyaki, Chaarudeshn, Saamb, Akroor, Kritvarmaa, Bhaanuvind, Gad, Shuk, Saaran etc people and this was like old time Dev-Asur Sangraam (war). Pradyumn Jee destroyed Shaalv's all Maayaa. His arrows had gold wings and iron blades. With this kind of 25 arrows, he wounded Shaalv's army chief. He aimed 100 arrows at Shaalv, one arrow each to his soldiers, 10 each to his Saarathee and three each to rides along with those 25 arrows. Everybody admired him for his archery skills.

That Vimaan was also very Maayaavee (with Maayaa). Sometimes it was seen, sometimes not, sometimes seen as one sometimes as many. Yadu Vanshee couldn't know where it was. Sometimes it came on earth, sometimes it flew in the sky. Although it was so Maayaavee, but as long as Yadu Vanshee could see that Vimaan, they showered their burning arrows like Soorya and Agni and which were intolerable like snake bites. So with those arrows Shaalv got unconscious and his Vimaan and army got hurt. Shaalv's minister's name was Dyumaan at whom Pradyumn aimed his 25 arrows. He was very mighty. He hit Pradyumn with his strong Gadaa and pronounced, "I killed him, I killed him".

Pradyumn got hurt with his hit. Daaruk's son was driving his chariot, so he moved him from the battleground. After two Ghadee, when Pradyumn Jee came into senses, He said - "You did not do good that you moved me from the battle ground. Nobody had ever run away from the battleground, you are coward. Now how I will show my face to my great-uncle Balaraam Jee and father Krishn. My sisters-in-law (brothers' wives) will ask me "how others defeated you in the fight", what I will say to them?" Saarathee spoke - "What I have done it was Saarathee-like action. This is the Dharm in war that in bad times the Saarathee should protect the chariot rider and the chariot rider should protect his Saarathee. That is what I have followed. You became unconscious that is why I moved you from there."

77-Shaalv Vadh

Shuk Dev Jee said - "Pradyumn washed his face and hands and told Saarathee to take him to the battle ground. At that time, Dyumaan was destroying Yaadav army like anything. Pradyumn asked him to stop this and aimed eight arrows at him smiling - four arrows to his four horses and one each at his Saarathee, arrow, flag and neck. This great war continued up to 27 days. At that time Krishn was in Indraprasth on the invitation of Yudhishthir. Yagya was finished, Shishupaal was killed, then Krishn noticed terrible bad omens occurring, so He asked the permission from the elders of Kuru Vansh, Rishi, Muni, Kuntee and Paandav and started towards Dwaarakaa. He thought "I came here with my elder brother Balaraam Jee to lighten the weight of Prithvi and now Shishupaal's people are attacking Dwaarakaa". So when He arrived in Dwaarakaa, He found Dwaarakaa people were facing a great difficult time. He appointed Balaraam Jee for the protection for the city and told Daaruk to take His chariot to Shaalv and said to Daaruk - "Shaalv is a great Maayaavee, but you don't be afraid of his Maayaa."

So they went to Shaalv. His chariot had its flag marked by Garud, so everybody in the battle ground recognized it as Krishn's chariot. As Shaalv saw Him, he used a powerful weapon towards His Saarathee Daaruk. Krishn broke it into hundreds of pieces and aimed 16 arrows at him and hundreds of them at his Vimaan. Shaalv also aimed at His arm, so His Shaarng bow fell down from His hand Then Shaalv said to Him - "You kidnapped my brother and friend Shishupaal's wife [Rukminee] and you killed him [Shishupaal] in court. You think yourself invincible, but if you stay here and don't run away, then I will kill you today." Krishn said - "Brave people do not talk, they only display their bravery" and hit his collar bone with his Gadaa. Shaalv started vomiting blood.

When Gadaa had come back to Krishn, Shaalv disappeared. After two Ghadee (approximately 50 minutes), a man greeted Him and said - "Your mother has sent me to tell you that Shaalv has taken away your father tying like an animal." Krishn pretended to be human and said - "Nobody can win my brother Balaraam. He is very careful, and Shaalv is not as mighty as him, then how did Shaalv win him and took my father. It is true, fate is very powerful." At the same time Shaalv came there with a Maayaa human being-like Vasudev Jee and said to Krishn - "O Fool, See, he is your father, who has produced you, for whom you are living. See, just now I will kill him, if you are brave then come and save him." And he cut Vasudev's neck with his sword and sat on his Vimaan in the sky with that head. Seeing this Krishn got very sad for two Ghadee, but then He knew that this was all Shaalv's Maayaa. So when He came to His senses, He found no messenger, no father's body, as if He dreamed only, and Shaalv was sitting in his Vimaan in the sky. So they again started fighting and in the end Krishn used His Chakra to cut his neck. As he died all Devtaa showered flowers on Krishn. At the same time, Dantvakra came there to take revenge of Shishupaal's killing."

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