Tidbits-5
Who Suffered in Playing Dice Game
There are some incidents where when people played dice game suffered a lot of loss -
(1) Paandav with Kaurav
Paandav and Kaurav played the dice game and Paandav had to lose because
of Duryodhan and Shakuni's cheating tricks. They had to go to forest for
12 years, and spend an additional one year as Agyaatvaas (incognito).
(2) Nal with Pushkar
Both, Nal and his brother Pushkar, played dice game and Nal lost his
everything so he had to leave his kingdom. He wandered in the forest for
quite some time. Later he learned dice game tricks from Raajaa Rituparn
and again played the game with Pushkar and won his everything but he
returned it all to him.
(3) Rukmee with Balaraam
When Rukmee, Rukminee's brother, played dice game with Balaraam, Rukmee
got defeated and was killed
by Balaraam because of cheating.
Who Had Thousand Arms?
Only two people had 1,000 arms in our Indian mythology :-
(1) Sahastraarjun
His name was Arjun but because of getting 1,000 arms he became known as
Sahastraarjun, or Sahasbaahu. Being the son of Kritveerya, he was called
Kaartveerya Arjun also. He pleased Dattaatreya and got these arms.
Parashuraam destroyed his pride.
[Bhaagvat Puraan, 9/9]
(2) Baanaasur
Another name is of Baanaasur. He got his arms from Shiv Jee. Krishn cut
his all arms, except two, at the time of His grandson Aniruddh's
marriage to Baanaasur's daughter Ushaa.
(3) Raavan
Raavan didn't have 1,000 arms, but he also had an unusual number of arms
and heads - 20 arms and 10 heads. Sahastraarjun and Baanaasur got their
arms through Var (boon), but he was born with them. The specialty of his
arms and heads was that whenever they were cut another new ones used to
replace them
Who and Who Gave Shaap to Devtaa?
Is it not surprising to know that who is greater than Vishnu who could give Shaap to
Vishnu? Yes, there are some, then who? And there are some others gave Shaap to other
Devtaa (1) Naarad Jee to Vishnu
Naarad Jee gave Shaap to Vishnu when He gave him monkey's face, so that
His Maayaa princess cannot marry him. As soon as Naarad Jee came to know
about this, he gave Shaap to Vishnu - "You also be born on Prithvi,
suffer with wife's separation, and get help from monkeys only." With
this Shaap Vishnu incarnated as Raam on Prithvi, suffered with wife's separation
(Raavan abducted her), and got help from Vaanar to get Seetaa back.
[From Tulasee's Maanas, Baal Kaand]
(2) Bhrigu to Vishnu
Once Asur came in the shelter of Bhrigu with the desire to live as in
Dev-Asur war they used to be killed. Bhrigu had known Sanjeevanee Vidyaa
so he could make them live again. Bhrigu's wife was about to Shaap to
Vishnu that Vishnu cut her throat and killed her. At This Bhrigu gave
Him Shaap that "You incarnate on Prithvi ten times." Since
then Vishnu has been taking Avataar on Prithvi. His last Avataar was of
Buddh, and the last, the 10th Avataar will be Kalki Avataar in the end
of Kali Yug.
(3) Daksh to Naarad Jee
This Shaap was not to Vishnu, but to Naarad Jee. Daksh Jee gave this Shaap to
him when he ordered his children to produce children to increase the population
of the world. Naarad Jee met them and preached them Bhaagvat Dharm. Hearing that
they went to forest. Daksh again produced children and again asked them to produce
children but Naarad Jee again preached the same to them. This time Daksh could not
tolerate and gave Shaap to him - "You have behaved wickedly with us, you also
wander in all Lok and you will not get one place to stay." Since Naarad Jee has
been wandering in all Lok and cannot stay at one place.
[Bhaagvat Puraan, 6/2]
(4) Maandavya Muni to Dharm Raaj
Once some thieves stole some money from a rich man's house. The night
guards caught hold Maandavya Rishi. Since he was in Samaadhi, he did not
speak anything. The King ordered for usual punishment for him and he was
put on a lance fixed on a road. The lance went across his body. He did
not feel pain as he was still in Samaadhi. The same night a woman was passing
by the same way taking her husband. By chance husband's body touched him and
Muni woke up. Later the King freed him asking his forgiveness. Rishi went to
Dharm Raaj and asked him why did he have to tolerate this pain when he had
not any thing bad? He said - "When you were a child you inserted a straw
in the anus of an insect. Although you didn't have the knowledge of Dharm at
that time, still because of that fault you had to be on that lance for one day
and one night. Rishi got very angry at this saying - "Maybe I was very
young at that time and I did not know Dharm. Since you have caused me such pain
without any proper reason, I curse you that you would be born on Prithvi as a
Shoodra and live there for 100 years."
[Padm Puraan,
1/29]
Who and Who Were Guarded by Bhagavaan?
There are several kings who pleased Devtaa and those Devtaa guarded them and their
cities.
(1) Raajaa Bali - After donating two steps land
to Vishnu, when Bali did not have anything to give for the third foot, he bent his
head and offered it to measure the third step on it. At this Vishnu sent him to
Rasaatal and asked him to ask for any Var. Bali asked Him to guard his city as his
gatekeeper. Thus Vishnu's Divine disc always guarded his city.
(2) Raajaa Baanaasur
He was a great devotee of Shiv. One time he did austere Tapasyaa of Shiv,
so Shiv appeared and asked him to ask for any Var. He said - "Prabhu,
You live here guarding my city." Since then Shankar started guarding
his city. When Baanaasur's daughter Ushaa wanted to marry Krishn's grandson
Aniruddh, and he was not ready for it, Krishn invaded his city. Since Shankar
Jee was guarding his city, both fought each other.
(I have known only this fight between two great gods, is there any one more
known to anyone else?)
(3) Raajaa Ambareesh
Ambareesh was in the lineage of Vaivaswaat Manu -> Nabhag -> Naabhaag -> Ambareesh.
In spite of having seven Dweep Prithvi, innumerable wealth etc etc he was a great devotee
of Krishn. Pleased with his Bhakti Krishn had appointed His Chakra (Divine disc) to guard him.
[Bhaagvat Puraan, 9/2]
(4) Raaja Veermani
There is a story in Padm Puraan,
Paataal Khand. When Raam released His horse at the time of His Ashwamedh Yagya, in Devpur,
Veermani's son Rukmaangad caught it with pride. Veermani's kingdom was also guarded by Shiv.
As Veermani came to know about catching the horse, he talked to Shiv as what he should do.
Shiv said - "I don't care for anybody else but if Bhagavaan Himself will come, I will
bow my head to Him. So go and fight, I will protect you."
Who Produced Krityaa?
Several Muni had produced Krityaa to kill their enemies. Krityaa is a man
or a woman produced through a Yagya or from a flock of hair to kill a
specific person. His or her specialty is that if he or she cannot kill
the person for whom he or she has been produced, then then he or she destroys
his or her own producer.
(1) Twashtaa
He produced a Krityaa to kill Indra, because he killed his son Vishwaroop; but
somehow Indra killed him.
[Bhaagvat Puraan,
6/5]
(2) Durvaasaa
He produced Krityaa from a flock of his hair to kill Ambareesh, because
he did not wait for him to come back from the River, and did Paaran of
his Vrat, but Vishnu's Chakra was guarding Ambareesh, so he killed that
Krityaa and then ran to kill Durvasaa himself. Durvaasaa ran in
all the Lok but got shelter only in Ambareesh.
[Bhaagvat Puraan,
9/2]
(3) Kaashee King's Son Sudakshin
Kaashee's King thought himself to be another Krishn, so he challenged Krishn and asked
Him to give up His signs. Krishn went to fight with him and killed him. When his son
Sudakshin heard this, he produced a Krityaa to kill Krishn. Krishn sent His Chakra,
they both fought and Chakra killed that Krityaa and destroyed Kaashee too.
[Bhaavat Puraan,
10/u12]
(4) Purohit of Hiranyakashyap
Hiranyakashyap asked his Purohit to produce a Krityaa to kill Prahlaad.
She did hit chest of Prahlaad, but it got broke into hundreds of pieces.
Then she attacked Purohit themselves and killed them.
[Bhaagvat Puraan, 7/3]
(5) Shiv Jee
Shiv Jee also produced Krityaa, Veerbhadra and Kaalee, at the time when he heard
about the immolation of his first wife Satee at her father Daksh's Yagya. Naarad
Jee brought this news to him. Hearing this, Shhiv Jee plucked a few strands of
his hair from his Jataa (matted locks) and threw them on the peak of mountain
where he was sitting. Veerbhadra and Kaalee appeared from those hair and
destroyed Daksh's Yagya.
[Skand Puraan, p 13]
Who Took Revenge of Their Father's or Forefathers' Killings?
(1) King Janamejaya
The first name comes to our mind, is of Janamejaya, the son of Pareekshit. He took revenge
of his father's killing by performing Sarp Yagya, in which he intended to burn all Sarp
(snakes) including Takshak who bit his father Pareekshit and killed him. Besides Takshak
bribed that Braahman who wanted to come to Pareekshit to make him alive again after Takshak
had bitten him, and sent him away. If that Braahman had come, perhaps his father would not
have died like this. He did perform the Yagya, and Takshak was about to come that Rishi
Aasteek saved him and the remaining Naag and Sarp.
[MBH,
0-Prolog/10]
(2) Maharshi Paraashar
The second name is of Maharshi Paraashar. Paraashar was the grandson of Maharshi Vashishth,
and son of his eldest son Shakti. A Raakshas Kinkar entered King Kalmaashpaad's body and ate
him. Paraashar was born after his father died. When he heard this that a Raakshas ate his
father, he wanted to destroy the whole world and started a sacrifice in which many Raakshas
started falling. Vashishth Jee then tried to calm him down by telling Maharshi Aurv's story
(see below). Although he calmed down still he killed many Raakshas.
(3) Maharshi Aurv
The third name is of Maharshi Aurv. He was born tearing his mother's thigh. When he was in
his mother's thigh, Kshatriya attacked Brarahman and killed them for money. Their widows,
many of them were pregnant at that time, ran away here and there for protection, but there
was none to protect them. Aurv's mother was also running. In the meantime the child came out
of the thigh and because of his fiery look the Kshatriya who were following his mother went
blind. They resolved to go to the same woman and ask for her forgiveness and their eyesight.
They did that, but the woman said - "I did not take your eyesight. This child has taken
it, so ask the forgiveness from him." They did that and they got their eyesight back.
After getting their eyesight back they went away, but Aurv
got very angry. He vowed to destroy the whole world. So he performed severe penance. Learning
his intentions all celestials, Pitar etc came to him and tried to calm him down, but he said -
"I got angry when I was in my mother's thigh, when she was running away from Kshatriya,
even other women who were also pregnant were running away, and nobody was there to protect them.
I heard their cries and got angry. I cannot obey your command. But since you always think about
the good of the world, tell me what should I do?" They said - "You throw your anger
in the waters." So he threw his anger in the sea where it grew as a horse mouth conversant
with Ved. Still Aurv killed many Raakshas.
(4) Parashuraam
Another name which we are forgetting here is of Parashuraam. The King Arjun (Sahastrabaahu) of
Haihaya Vansh killed his father Jamadagni. As he knew this he vowed to make the whole Prithvi
empty from Kshatriya. He did this 21 times. It is said that when he finished his killings, five
huge tanks were filled with their blood.
[Bhaagvat Puraan, 9/9]
(5) Shringee Rishi
Yet another name is of Shameek Rishi's son, Shringee Rishi, in whose father's neck Pareekshit
put the dead snake; and when he came to know abut this he cursed Pareekshit - "You will
die by the bite of Takshak Naag on the 7th day from today." When the Rishi came to know
about this, he became very angry at him and said - "You should not have cursed the King,
because he is like father to the country." But by then he could not bring his curse reverse;
and Pareekshit had to die. Although this revenge was not of killing his father, but for insult.
[Bhaagvat Puraan, 1/6]
(6) Pradyot
In Chandra Vansh, in Yudhishthir's genealogy, there was a king named Kshemak.
Kshemak abandoned his kingdom and went to Kalaap Graam. He was killed by
Mlechchh. By the grace of Naarad Jee he had a son named Pradyot. Prodyot did
Mlechchh Yagya in which many Mlechchh were killed.
[Bhavishya
Puraan, 3/3]
Who Created Another Indra?
(1) Vishwaamitra
Vishwaamitra created another Heaven, when Indra pushed the King Trishanku down to earth.
Indra did not want the King to come to Swarg with his mortal body, while Vishwamitra Jee
wanted to send him to Swarg with his mortal body.
(2) Baalkhilyaadi Rishi
They also tried to create another Indra when Indra laughed at them and
insulted them. Once they were carrying a branch of Palaash leaves and
fell in a pool of water made by the hoof of a cow. Then Kashyap Jee went
there and explained to Baalkhilyaadi Rishi that all Braahman had chosen
Indra as their Indra that is why they should not falsify his existence.
They said - "This sacrifice is not only for another Indra but is
also for a son for you, so do whatever you like." After this Kashyap
and Vinataa had two sons - Arun and Garud.
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