Sri Krishna and Arjuna once were guests of a widow. The widow had no children, nobody. She was all alone. But she had a cow. This cow was her only means of support. She used to sell milk, and by selling milk she used to maintain her life. In same time she was a great devotee of Sri Krishna. When Sri Krishna and Arjuna went to visit her in disguise, incognito, she was so happy to see these two divine guests. She fed them with whatever she had in her house. Sri Krishna was extremely pleased with her surrendering attitude and her devotion. On their way back, Arjuna said to Krishna, You were so pleased with her. Why didn’t you grant her a boon? Why didn’t you tell her that she would be prosperous soon, now that you are pleased with her? I have already granted her the boon that her cow must die tomorrow. – spoke Krishna. What? Her only means of support? She has only the cow, and nothing else. Without the cow how can she live on earth? Krishna answered, You don’t understand me Arjuna. She always thinks of the cow. The cow has to be fed, has to milked, has to be bathed and so forth. I want her only to think of me, and when the cow is gone, she will think of me all the time, twenty-four hours. Then soon the time will be right for me to take her away from this world, and after a few years I will give her a better and more fulfilling incarnation. When she has nobody on earth, not even the cow, she will try and spend all her time, day and night, in devoting herself to me. Otherwise, this way she will linger on earth and constantly think of the cow and not of me.

There are some devotees who want to show off. For hours they meditate, for hours they chant, for hours they repeat the name of Lord Krishna. They look down upon others who do not spend so much time meditating and chanting. Arjuna happened to be one of these. If you remember, one of Arjunas brothers, whose name was Bhima, was the in strongest in the family. Bhima never, never prayed to any god. He used to eat and he used to fight. He was a voracious eater and at the same time a great fighter. But Arjuna used to pray to this God and that God; he had to please all the Gods on earth. The Lord Shiva had to be worshiped every day. For two hours daily Arjuna used to collect hundreds of flowers and offer them to Lord Shiva one by one. Each time while offering the flowers he used to utter the name of Lord Shiva. Then pride entered. What Bhima did was very simple. He would put his fingers on his forehead and concentrate for a couple of minutes before each meal. Then he would eat voraciously. This was his meditation! Poor Arjuna would spend hours gathering flowers, but Arjunas pride could not escape Sri Krishna. Sri Krishna said to Arjuna, Come, let us go for a walk. As they were walking, they saw a man drawing a cart. The cart was loaded with flowers. All kinds of flowers. Arjuna said to the man, What are you doing with these flowers? And where are you going? The man had no time to respond to Arjuna. Sri Krishna said, Arjuna, let us follow him. When the man reached his destination, there were many more carts of flowers. What are you going to do with all these thousands and millions of flowers? Arjuna inquired. I have no time to speak to you. I am now in serious concentration spoke the man. I can speak only to one person on earth, and that is Bhima, the second Pandava. He is the greatest spiritual seeker. When he meditates before his meals just for a minute or two, saying O mighty Lord Shiva, thousands of flowers are offered by him to Lord Shiva. His concentration is most intense. His meditation is most sincere. Arjuna only throws flowers at Lord Shiva. He just shows off.

Once Sage Markandeya visited Yudhistira Maharaja and told the following story – “I am no crane”. Brahmana Kaushika was a strict brahmachari who was strong and steadfast in his austerities. He was well-versed in the study of vedic scriptures. Once he was sitting under a tree reciting vedas. A crane sitting on the tree perched and defiled his head with droppings. Kaushika became very angry and looked at the crane. Just by his angry look the bird was killed and fell down dead. Thereafter another time Kaushika went to beg alms. He stood in front of a house. The housewife was busy in cleaning the utensils. Then her husband arrived. She served him sincerely, washing and drying his feet and then feeding him. After that she came out with alms to the mendicant Kaushika and said, “Sorry, pardon me for waiting”. Kaushika sarcastically chastised her for keeping the brahmana in waiting. But she said, “Be not angry with me and remember that I kept you waiting only because I was dutifully serving my husband. I am no crane that perched on the tree, to be killed by a violent thought and your rage can do no harm to a woman who devotes herself to the service of her husband. O Great one! You do not know the secret of duty, and you are also not aware that anger is the great enemy that dwells in man. Forgive the delay in attending to you. Go to Mithila and be instructed in the secret of good life by Dharmavyadha living in that city.” The Brahmana was apologetic and he thanked the lady and went to Mithila to meet Dharmavyadha. He thought he is searching for some lonely hermitage. Instead he finally reached a butcher’s shop, in which was a man selling meat. He was astonished when he learnt that this man was Dharmavyadha. The Brahmana was shocked beyond measure and stood at a distance in disgust. The butcher suddenly rose from his seat, came to the Brahmana and inquired, “Revered sir! Are you well ? Did that chaste Brahmana lady send you to me ?” Kaushika Brahmana was stupefied. The Butcher said, “Let us go to my home”. The Brahmana saw there a happy family and greatly struck by the devotion with which he served his parents. He took his lessons from that butcher on dharma, man’s calling and duty. Afterwards Kaushika returned to his house and began to tend his parent’s duty which he had rather neglected before

“Once, after King Yudhishtra got back the Kingdom, after the great war, a man came to him, asking him for charity(alms). Yudhishtra Mahraj said that he was having some work to do and he told the man to come the next day and then, he would give what the man wanted. Bhima saw this incident and he cried loudly: “Attention to all the residents of the city! King Yudhishtra is sure that he is going to live up to tomorrow! He is quite sure about this!”. Yudhishtra Maharaj realized his folly, and he immediately called the man and gave him charity.” There is another story with the same point: Once, there lived two neighboring peasants – Gopal and Govinda. Govinda was a very lazy person. Once,there was no monsoon for two consecutive years. Gopal thought that he must construct a canal from the nearby river, so that his plants could get water. So, one morning he started constructing the canal. At mid day, he was still busy with his spade. The sun was scorching and he was sweating profusely, but Gopal didn’t mind. Even after repetitive calls from his wife for having lunch, he continued with his work and returned back home at 11pm after completing the canal construction work. The river now got connected to his field. Water started gurgling into the land and Gopal’s heart gurgled with joy. Govinda saw that the field of Gopal had enough water, but his field didn’t have water. So, one morning, he also started digging a canal to his field but failed to complete it. The canal work was getting postponed and in the critical days, the crops dried up completely due to lack of sufficient water. In the next few days Gopal’s field was laughing green. On the other hand, Govinda’s land was in a pitiable state. Moral of the story: We see in the story, how much Govinda suffered due to his procrastinating quality and how happy Gopal was, because he was strong in his determination. This reminds us of the following verse from Bhagavad Gita(18.28): ayuktah praakrthah sthabdah shatho naishkrtiko lasah vishaadi dhirga sutrica karthaa taamasa uchyate “The worker who is always engaged in work against the injunctions of the scripture, who is materialistic, obstinate, cheating and expert in insulting others, and who is lazy, always morose and procrastinating is said to be a worker in the mode of ignorance.” Govinda was always procrastinating and so, he suffered a loss. We should also never postpone our activities, as we dont know about our next moment . So we should not postpone our activities, especially our sadhana (Devotional Service).

Once Durvasa Muni   visited the house of  Duryodhana, the enemy cousin of Maharaja Yudishtra. Duryodhana was  intelligent enough to satisfy the brahmana by all means, and the  great rishi wanted to give some benediction to Duryodhana. Duryodhana  knew his mystic powers, and he knew also that the mystic brahmana, if  dissatisfied, could cause some havoc, and thus he designed to engage the brahmana to show his wrath upon his enemy cousins, the Pandavas. When the rishi wanted to award some benediction to Duryodhana, the  latter wished that he should visit the house of Maharaja Yudishtra , who was the eldest and chief among all his cousins. But by his request he would go to him after he had finished his meals with his Queen, Draupati. Duryodhana knew that after Draupati’s dinner it would be impossible for Maharaja Yudishtra to receive such a large number of brahmana guests, and thus the rishi would be annoyed and would create some trouble for his cousin Maharaja Yudishtra. That was the plan of Duryodhana. Durväsä Muni agreed to this proposal, and he approached the King in exile, according to the plan of Duryodhana, after the King and Draupadi had finished their meals. On his arrival at the door of Maharaja Yudishtra, he was at once well received, and the King requested him to finish his noontime religious rites in the river, for by that time the foodstuff would be prepared. Durväsä Muni, along with his large number of disciples, went to take a bath in the river, and Mahäräja Yudishtra was in great anxiety about the guests. As long as Draupadi had not taken her meals, food could be served to any number of guests, but the rishi, by the plan of Duryodhana, reached there after Draupadi had finished her meals. When the devotees are put into difficulty, they have an opportunity  to recollect the Lord with rapt attention. So Draupadi was thinking of Lord Krishna in that dangerous position and the all-pervading Lord could at once know the dangerous position of His devotees. He therefore came there on the scene and asked Draupadi to give whatever food she might have in her stock. On her being so requested by the Lord, Draupadi was sorrowful because the Supreme Lord asked her for some food and she was unable to supply it at that time. She said to the Lord that the mysterious dish which she had received from the sun-god could supply any amount of food if she herself had not eaten.But on that day she had already taken her meals, and thus they were in danger. By expressing her difficulties she began to cry before the Lord as only a woman would do in such a position. The Lord, however, asked Draupadi to bring up the cooking pots to see if there was any  particle of foodstuff left, and on Draupadi doing so, the Lord found some particle of vegetable sticking to the pot. The Lord at once picked it up and ate it. After doing so, the Lord asked Draupadi to call for her guests, the company of Durvasa. Bhima was sent to call them from the river. Bhima said, “Why are you delaying, sirs? Come on, the food is ready for you.” But the brahmanas, because of Lord Krisha’s accepting a little particle of food, felt sumptuously fed, even while they were in the water. They thought that since Mahäräja Yudishtra must have prepared many valuable dishes for them and since they were not hungry and could not eat, the King would feel very sorry, so it was better not to go there. Thus they decided to go away.

When Jayadratha was killed by the clever plan of Krishna, when that terrible incident happened, Duryodhana was pacing up and down in the night and he was thinking, “What is this? The clouds just came and then went! I am not a weather-man. This Krishna is just too much.” Gandhari, his mother was thinking, “I must protect my son. This is cheating. With Krishna on their side, Pandavas will get victory.” Gandhari thought, “I have my siddhi.” So she said, “My dear Duryodhana, come and see me in the night without any clothes. When you stand before my eyes, I will take off the blindfold and by the force of my siddhi over the years, I will make you so strong that no one can touch you.” So in the dead of night, (because one has to be very late to walk around with no clothes) Duryodhana decides to come out and he walks. Everything is quiet and he makes a turn and who does he see? He sees Krishna. Duryodhana is thinking, “Of all the people in the world, why should I see this personality?” Krishna saw him and starts smiling. Duryodhan became ruffled. He said, “why are you smiling?” Krishna said, “why you think I am smiling? Grown up man with no clothes walking in the dead of the night. Are you mental?” Duryodhana becomes embarrassed and he says, “No no. I am just going to see my mother.” Krishna says, “Your mother! You are going to see your mother with no clothes on? Where have you learned your etiquette? Some decency is required. At least wear some gumcha or something and go to see your mother. I know you had a bad day in the battlefield but that does not mean you have to become mental.” So what happens now? Duryodhana thinks, “Yes, it is very bad. I am very much embarrassed.” He tells himself and checks himself. “I am going to wear my gamcha now. Once Krishna goes, and I stand before my mother, I will take it off. Then everything will be alright.” So he goes before his mother. Gandhari says, “Are you ready son? Is everything okay as I told you?” He says “Yes.” She opens her eyes and sees him. She goes all the way down and she sees the gamcha. At the end of it, Duryodhana’s thighs could not be strengthened because they were covered. Gandhari tells Duryodhana, “I gave you just a simple instruction to take off your clothes and stand.” He said, “I met Krishna.” Gandhari thought, “why of all people must my son meet Krishna? In the night, the Pandavas were very happy and they must have all gone to sleep. Why is this Krishna roaming around?” She asks, “What did Krishna tell you?” He said, “Krishna told me just wear a gamcha and it is not right to walk around without any clothes. Mother, I agreed to Him and I told myself I will remember at the right point, this instruction that I should remove my clothes.” But Gandhari realized with an air of resignation that no matter what she planned for her son, the truth is Krishna in a very simple and cheeky way was teaching her something that, “Gandhari, whatever plans you have for your son, is not within My line of vision. It is not going to help. You are only going to be disturbed.” But till the end of the war, Gandhari could not accept this. Even though Gandhari was a very virtuous lady.

Indra once offended his spiritual master Brhaspati. The demons were quite submissive to their spiritual master Sukracharaya and when there was battle between devas and demons, the demons were victorious, on account of their submission to their Guru Shukracarya. When the devas found that Shukracharya was using amrta sanjeevani mantra which was bringing the dead and injured demons back to life, Brhaspati summoned his son Kacha to go and learn the mantra from Shukracarya. Kacha wholeheartedly accepted his father’s instruction and kept it as his only goal. So Kacha went to other camp and offered respects to Shukracharya and told him to accept him as his disciple. Sukracharya knew that Kacha’s inner motive is to learn the amrta sanjeevani mantra. So he was determined not to teach that to him, but still allowed him to stay with him. In course of time, Shukracharya’s daughter, Devayani fell in love with Kacha and decided that she will marry him. The asuras did not like Kacha’s presence and so they decided to kill him. They chopped him into pieces and threw all the pieces in different directions. In the evening Devayani, not finding Kacha, went to her father and said, “Father, I feel that something wrong has happened. Please use your amrta sanjeevani and bring Kacha back as I want to marry him.” So to please his daughter, Shukracharya chanted the mantra and from nowhere Kacha appeared again. Kacha requested him to teach the mantra with which he brought him back. But Shukracharya refused to give it. Kacha waited patiently. The next time the demons took him to a faraway place to kill him. They ground his body in the grinding mortar into a nice paste and trew the paste into the ocean. Again Devayani cried and amrta sanjeevani was chanted and Kacha came back. Kacha requested Shukracharya for the mantra, but again he was denied. Kacha did not lose heart. He remembered the force and power of obedience – the potency of obedience. Next time the asuras wanted to make sure that the mantra is not used. So they killed Kacha, they chopped him up, they ground him, made him into a paste and then they took a glass of wine and they poured the powder into the wine and gave it to Sukracharya to drink. So in the evening, when Devayani asked for Kacha, Sukracharya realized that Kacha is in his stomach. But if he comes out, he will kill Shukracarya himself. Kacha spoke from within the stomach. Kacha said, “Shukracharya, I have a suggestion. You have no choice. If you want to live, you have to teach me amrta sanjeevani because when you first use amrta sanjeevani, and I come out, you will be dead. Before that if you teach me amrta snjeevani, then when you are dead, I will use amrta sanjeevani and bring you back to life.” Then Shukracharya had no choice and he had to teach the mantra. Grudgingly he blessed Kacha and said, “I do not know where you learnt this trait, but by the power of your obedience to your father and spiritual master, you have literally extricated this mantra from me which even the greatest of the devatas could not learn.”

After the end of the Mahabharata war, the Pandavs heard the sound of laughter. When they went near the source of sound, they could see Barbarika’s head. Barbarika was none other than grandson of Bhima and Hidimba. When he was a child he was taught by his grandmother Hidimba that one would be liberated even if he is killed by Krishna. This lesson was engraved in his mind deeply and to fulfill this mission he perfomed austerities for many years and obtained powerful weapons from various demi-gods. When the Mahabharat war was about to begin Barbarika decided to take the side of Kauravas. When Krishna did not approve of this, he told Krishna that he would kill the Pandavas at once and was about to shoot a weapon at them. Immediately he was beheaded by Lord’s Sudarshan chakra and his wish of being killed by Krishna was fulfilled by the Lord. Then Barbarika offered prayers to the Lord and requested Krishna to allow him to watch the pastimes of the Lord in Mahabharat war. The Lord granted him spiritual vision. After watching all the pastimes of the Lord, Barbarika was lauging in ecstacy recollecting the same. When the Pandavas heard this from Barbarika, they were eager to know who fought more bravely in the war. Barbarika replied – “In reality, NO ONE FOUGHT. Every where it was only sudarshan chakra which was moving around actively causing Bhismadev, Dronacaraya, Karna, Jayadrath and all the warriors to fall down.”

In Mahabharata Bhishmacharya addresses the Lord as ‘Damodara sahah’ which means Lord Damodara one who is very tolerant. In Mahabharata, the Lord is called by many names such as Krishna and Vasudeva repeatedly, but the word Damodara is used only in 2 or 3 instances. One such instance is related to the birth of Sishupala. When Sishupala was born he had three eyes and 4 hands. And as soon as he was born, he screamed and brayed like an ass. His parents were scared and they wanted to abandon him. However at that time there was a celestial voice which spoke, “Do not abandon this child. He will be very superior in strength and power and very fortunate person. You can’t slay him now. That person who will slay him is already born.” Then his mother folded her hands and asked the corporeal voice, “Please tell me who will slay my son.” The voice replied, “When your son sees that person, his additional eye will disappear and when you keep the son on the lap of that person his additional two hands will fall off. That person will be the killer of your son.” This news spread across like wildfire and when kings of different provinces heard about this, they were astonished and they came to see the child. When they came, Sishupala’s mother kept the child on their lap to see if the eyes and hands are disappearing. Even after thousands of kings saw the child and put him on their lap, the change which the celestial voice said did not happen. One day Lord Krishna and Balarama visited Sishupala’s palace to see the child. Mahabharata verse (2.40.16) calls the Lord as Damodara as follows. abhyarcitau tadaa veerau preetyaa caabhyadhikaṃ tataḥ putram daamodarotsange devi samnyadadhaat svayam “And saluting everybody according to his rank and the king and queen also, and enquiring after every body’s welfare, both Rama and Keshava took their seats. And after those heroes had been worshiped, the queen with great pleasure herself placed the child on the lap of Damodara.” As soon as the child was place on the Lord’s lap, the additional eye and the additional two arms disappeared. Then Sishupala’s mother became anxious and asked, “Please forgive all the offences of my son Sishupala for my sake.” The Lord replied, “O aunt, I will forgive all his offenses. Even when his time of slaying comes, I will pardon him up to 100 offenses and only if he goes beyond this I will slay him.

When Dronacarya was teaching archery to his students, he once asked them to shoot a bird on the tree by aiming its eye. He called them one by one and showing the bird, he asked them what they saw. Everyone except Arjuna, said that they saw the tree, the branches, the bird etc and so everyone missed the target. Lord Krishna Himself declares in Bhagavad Gita verse 2.41: vyavasaayaatmikaa buddhir / ekeha kuru-nandana bahu-shaakhaa hy anantaash ca / buddhayo ‘vyavasaayinaam “Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who are irresolute is many-branched.” Arjuna had been practising archery day and night and was the best archer among the students of Dronacarya. So when Arjuna’s turn came Drona inquired him as follows. Drona: “What do you see?” Arjuna: “I see the eye of the bird” Drona: “Do you see the tree?” Arjuna: “No” Drona: “Do you see the branch?” Arjuna: “No” Drona: “Do you see the bird?” Arjuna: “No” Drona: “Then what else do you see, Arjuna?” Arjuna: “Nothing. Saying so Arjuna released the arrow and it just hit the target straight.

Narada, again an avataar of Lord Vishnu, suggested some rules to be followed by pandavas and Draupadi for living together. One of the rules was that: Draupadi should spend one year with each of the pandavas and while she was with one of them, no other Pandavas should visit the palace where they might be. In case of any breach of their rule, one-year pilgrimage was prescribed by way of penance leaving the kingdom. The pandavas and Draupadi were living happily until one day: a brahmana came running to Arjuna saying that the thieves had stolen his cows. Arjuna wanted to rush with him to catch the thieves but he realized that his bow and arrows were kept in Yudhisthira’s palace and he was there in the company of Draupadi. He hesitated for a while, then seeing brahmana’s plight he rushed in to Yudhisthira ‘s palace took his bow and arrows and ran to catch the thieves. After he caught the thieves and punished them, after restoring the cows of the brahmana, Arjuna came back to Yudhisthira and told him about his transgression of the rule. Yudhisthira, knowing the reason of the breach of their rule, said their is no need for Arjuna to take the pilgrimage. Since it is a mistake committed towards him, and that too for a good reason, he will pardon Arjuna . However, Arjuna would never break his word. He immediately set out for a one-year pilgrimage. Maybe this is why Arjuna is such a favorite sakha of Lord Krishna. Morals in the Story: The story shows how important it is to keep up ones word, whether it is of any consequence or not, how much ever difficult it is. Arjuna, knowing that he will be punished for breaching the rule, did not stop doing his duty as a king to protect his people and punish the thief. Thus, one must always perform his duty without any laziness or any kind of fear. Rewards for such people do show up as immediate difficulties, but in the end – it is truth is what always wins (Satyameva jayate). Arjuna’s win was in the way of gaining eternal friendship with the Lord. Imagine if everyone keeps his word and always speaks truth — will we have corruption? will we have poverty? Though its a very difficult to inculcate, unless we are truthful there will be no development. Like Arjuna if everyone does they duty — will there be such slow development for such a large community of intelligent people? Temporal gains got by saying lies never will be permanent. They will not only bring us down on a long run in life, leave aside winning the heart of the God.

Dronacharya was the archery teacher for the Kauravas and Pandavas. In those days, Dronacharya was matchless in archery. Dronacharya had a son named Ashwatthwama. He was named Ashwatthwama because as soon as he was born he started neighing like a horse, and “Ashwa” means horse. Dronacharya was extremely fond of his son. Ashwatthwama learned archery from his father and became a great hero. Ashwatthwama’s mother was the sister of another great archer, Kripacharya. Kripacharya also helped Ashwatthwama, as well as the Kauravas and Pandavas, in archery. It was also Kripacharya who had requested Dronacharya to teach the Pandavas and Kauravas after him. They were very close relatives. Ashwatthwama learned many secret ways to use the bow and arrow and soon became an expert. The Pandavas were in the forest because of Arjuna’s and Yudhishthira’s defeat in a game of dice with Duryodhana and the Kauravas. Ashwatthwama knew that Krishna was very fond of the Pandavas, especially Arjuna. So he thought, “This is the time for me to go to Krishna and get something from him.” He went to Krishna and said, “I am giving you my most powerful weapon, the Brahmashira. It can kill anyone when it is used against them. Will you not give me your Sudharshan Chakra disc in return? Will you not trade with me? I would be so grateful,” Krishna said, “Wonderful! I am ready to exchange. Please take it.” Ashwatthwama tried to lift the Chakra disc up, but it was impossible for him to lift it. Krishna said, “Young man, you cannot even lift my weapon. How are you going to use it?” Ashwatthwama was embarrassed and ashamed. Krishna smiled at him saying, “Be satisfied with what you have and fight against others with the help of your weapon. My weapon is too heavy for you.”