Yogakshema of Arjun Mishra

Ananyashchintayanto maam ye janaah paryupaasate
teshaam nityaabhiyuktaanaam yogakshemam vahaamyaham. Gita 9.22

For those constant yogis who worship with thoughts centered only on Me, I Myself carry their yoga (necessities for sustenance) and (protect) their kshema (the necessities)।


Devotees who are always connected to God in their thoughts, have to be really special. We can understand that. But wait a minute here.. what is God saying? Is He promising to haul groceries on His own back and deliver them to His devotees? And also, be their personal chowkidar?

Those are the promises. When Goswami Tulasidas Maharaj wrote the Ramcharitmanas, a few envious kathakars (Scripture narrators) who felt threatened by the popularity of his book, hired a thief to steal it from his hut. When the thief got there, he found Sri Ram and Lakshman walking around the hut with bows and arrows, guarding the hut! He was astonished and shocked! And, he fell unconscious right there. Tulasidasji came out to see what was going on. After reviving him, he asked what he was doing there. The thief confessed, “I was hired by the kathakars to steal your book.” Tulsidasji wrote over twenty books. So, he asked “what book?” “Well they told me the name.. something like, Ram-chira-tama-nash. Haven’t you written a book called that?”
“What did you say? Ram chira tama nash?” Tulasidasji exclaimed, “Ram, the remover of all darkness? Bhaiji, you did not come here to steal the book. No-no-no, you didn’t. Ramji has sent you to teach me this message. Indeed, Ramji is the remover of all darkness.” Tulasidasji was teary-eyed already. Now he fell on his feet. “You are my teacher, Bhaiji.”

Couldn’t resist narrating that story. Anyway, God was doing the kshema duty for Tulasidasji and the Ramcharitmanas. If you haven’t read that book, ask any north Indian, he/she will tell you how precious that book is. Indeed, what Divine nectar flows through that book! Jai ho Tulasidasji! Jai Sri Ram!

God hauled groceries for Arjun Mishra. That is the story I came to tell you today. His story is found in the Bhaktamaal grantha.

Pundit Arjun Mishra lived with his wife in Puri, Orissa. I do not know his exact time, but after talking with some informed people, got the impression that they lived between 150-200 years ago. Puri is also known as the Purushottam kshetra ( Land of Lord Purushottama Jagannatha ). The famous Jagannatha temple is here. The ancient history of this holy place is described in the Skanda Puran (Vishnu Khanda-Purushottam Mahatmyam).

Now, back to the story… Arjun Mishra and his wife did not have much material wealth. In fact, they were poorer than most poor. Like other Brahmins in those days, he never showed any interest in making money. His life was for studying the Gita and the Bhagavata. He was a great devotee and saw the world as Krishna-maya. That means, he saw Sri Krishna everywhere and in everybody, pervading the universe. The world is seen that way by the exalted devotees.

As you can imagine, such devotees are entirely unselfish. Arjun Mishra wanted to find a way to share his most valued wealth: his learning and his Spiritual experiences. What should he do?

“Well, the jagadgurus wrote commentaries on the Gita” thought Arjun Mishra, “I might just do that as well….I would certainly love to discuss those verses where I can mention my own Spiritual experiences.”

He was thinking about this verse
yena bhutaani asheshhena drakshyasi aatmani atho mayi. 4.35
By which (Spiritual knowledge) you will (initially) see all beings in your Atman and then (see all) in Me.

And this verse,
Vidya vinaya sampanne braahmane gavi hastini
shuni cha eva shvapaake cha panditaah samadarshanah. 5.18
The pundits see a wise and humble Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater to be equal (in Spirit).

And these verses,
Samam sarveshu bhuteshu tishthantam parameshvaram. 13.27
The Parameshwar is equally present in all beings.

Yadaa bhuta prithagbhaavam ekastham anupashyati
Tata eva cha vistaaram brahma sampadyate tadaa. 13.30
When (someone) sees the beings of all different characteristics to be one (in Spirit) and sees them to be expanded from That, then (that person) attains the Brahman.

Such Spititual vision of the world has been called sama-darshan (equal vision) in the Gita. Sri Krishna said that these exalted devotees obtain paraa-bhakti (unwavering devotion) (18. 54). Arjun Mishra was ready for it. Still, he had some lingering doubts.

“But… do I really know enough to write about the whole Gita?” he wondered. “Well, let’s look at it this way…Arjuna heard the Gita from Sri Krishna Himself and saw His vishwarupa; yet sage Suta did not consider him a boddhaa (knower) of the Gita, just someone who knows “kinchit phalam” (a bit of the benefits).

krishno janati vai samyak, kincit kunti-sutah phalam. Gita Mahatmya 3 (Vaishnava tantra saara).

Sri Krishna certainly knows (the Gita), the son of Kunti (Arjuna) knows a bit of its benefits.

And again, acharya Madhva initially thought that he could say about his commentary of the Gita that his goal was to, “bakshyaami shaktitah” (describe as far as I can), but later, he changed it to “bakshyaami leshatah” (describe, only be a tiny part of the teachings).”

Indeed, nobody can be wise enough to discuss every message in the words of God. Those thoughts humbled Arjun Mishra very much. But then, he wanted to write the commentary. So he reasoned, “if I get stuck, I will ask Sri Krishna to help me out with the meaning and wait. I am not going to rationalize, but just wait for Sri Krishna. May be Sri Krishna will have mercy on me, and teach me personally! Nothing can be more wonderful.”







Lord Jagannatha with Lord Balarama and Lady Subhadra







Jagannatha temple, Puri







Ratha-yatra festival, Puri.








Ok, he is not Arjun Mishra. But I thought he could pose for him :-)


He was doing fine with writing the commentary until he came to verse 9.22 (that’s the verse in the beginning of this story). A doubt came to his mind. Vahaamyaham? Can it really be true? God lugging provisions on His own back? How can that be? He believed in God’s words in the Gita, but just couldn’t accept that God can also be the porter for His devotees.

He had promised to himself that he will not rationalize, but that’s exactly what he started doing. He reasoned, “May be God means that He will arrange the delivery by someone else.”

Thinking so, he drew a line through the word vahaamyaham in his commentary with red ink. Isn’t it interesting how we want God to conform to our model of Him? But the devotee in Arjun Mishra took over soon. He remembered his vow about not rationalizing. He suddenly became very disappointed with himself. He stopped writing and got up, with a sad heart that he just broke his vow. What could he do? After a while, he got back some of his composure and said a prayer to Sri Krishna in all humility, “Please teach me, O Madhava! I am ignorant and foolish and I do not know what you mean by vahaamyaham. Please teach me, and guide me so the commentary can be completed. You give so much help to Your devotees. I know I am only a poor undeserving devotee, but please have mercy on me and help me.”

It was already mid-morning. His wife came to see him and said, “We have no food today. You have been writing since morning. Please go to beg for alms, otherwise we will have to go hungry.”

Arjun Mishra went out for the alms. In those days, people considered it an honor to give food grains and vegetables to Brahmins like him. Their begging is called maadhukari. Arjun Mishra was distraught from the morning, so he thought that he would go to take a dip in the holy Rohini kunda first. He set out from home, the kunda was a little distance away.

As he was walking towards the kunda, he remembered the story of the old crow in the Skanda puran. When the crow realized that death was near, it flew to the Rohini Kunda and took a bath in the water and then looked devotedly at Lord Jagannatha on the temple alter. Soon afterwards, it died and became free from life. Arjun Mishra thought that taking a dip in such a holy water will help him as well.

While he was gone, two young boys arrived at the Mishra home with big sacks on their backs, huffing and puffing from the load. They looked miserable and were crying loudly. Arjun Mishra’s wife was sitting on the verandah, looking out for her husband. When she saw the boys, she came down the steps running, very concerned. She was an extremely kind lady.

“What happened to you, my children? Why are you crying? I cannot understand who would hurt such young boys. Who is making you carry such heavy sacks? Where are you going?”

Saying so, she helped them unload the sacks. Then she had the shock of her life. She discovered deep lateral scars of fresh injury on their backs. Blood was oozing out from their scars. “Oh! What kind of heartless person can beat small children in this manner?” she exclaimed.

She picked the two boys up in her arms and brought them inside the house। She sat them down on wooden seats they had in the verandah, and ran inside. There was no food in the house, so she brought two cups of cold water for them. After drinking the water, the boys looked slightly more comfortable. They said to her, “Ma! Punditji beat us, and made us carry the grocery sacks. Those groceries are for you.”

“My husband has beaten you? But I have never known him to be angry। For what reason? When did he beat you? What did he beat you with?” she almost collapsed in shock.

“We do not know why, Ma। But he beat us with a sharp stick of iron” they said। “Just a little while ago।”

She could not wait for all the answers. She had to take care of their wounds first. She ran inside again, and came back with a big pot of water and some bandage cloth. They had a ghritakumari (aloe vera) plant in the yard; she ran to it and broke a fat leaf. Then she mashed the leaf with her masala-grinding stone and collected the expressed resin. She was now ready to dress their wounds. She cleaned their wounds, put a little of the ghritakumari extract and made a cloth bandage. The ghritakumari resin soothed their wounds and the boys were feeling a lot better.

“Our friends are waiting for us for play. We want to go, Ma” they said. Then they bowed before her and left.

Arjun Mishra’s wife was happy that she could help them feel better. She also knew how little boys are.. always short on patience. So, she hugged them and did not press for more answers and let them go. Then her thoughts turned again to her husband. She just did not understand how her gentle husband could have hurt those boys. Anyway, she did not have time to think too much. She needed to start cooking. So she picked up the groceries and started cooking. Her husband should come back any time now.

Arjun Mishra had taken the vow of three-house maadhukari. He would only go to three houses and accept one handful of rice and some vegetables from each house. It had rained heavily the night before and it rained all morning. The three houses he went to, were all flooded. He called out, but nobody was home. People had left for higher ground. So he came back home empty-handed. When he got home, he found his wife was cooking something. He thought that somebody must have brought some food for them.

He announced, “My love, the rains have flooded a lot of houses. Nobody was there to give me alms today. But I see you are cooking, who brought us food?”

His wife was crying, “How could you beat those two little boys?”

“What do you mean? I beat two boys? I didn’t beat any boys.” He exclaimed.

“You didn’t beat them?” She said in disbelief.

“Why should I beat anybody? You saw what I was doing since morning. I was writing about the Gita. Then I went to the Rohini kunda and took a bath. Then I went for maadhukari. From there, I came straight back home. I did not see any boys.” He said in defense.

“You did beat them. They told me how you beat them with a sharp stick of iron. They had scars across their backs, and were bleeding. I treated them with ghritakumari myself. ” She said.

“I did not beat anybody. I didn’t. Why should I lie to you?” he insisted.

“Making them carry those heavy sacks was bad enough. What did they do that you beat them with a sharp iron stick?” She grumbled, clearly not believing her husband.

“I do not know what you are talking about.” Arjun Mishra retorted. He went inside to the room where he was writing in the morning. He was about to sit down, but his wife followed him there.

“Come now and eat. I have much work to do. I have to clean after you.” She said.

“All right, I am coming. But I am very unhappy that you do not believe me.” He said.
Arjun Mishra followed her and sat down to eat. “I do not understand how the day is going. First, I get stuck with a verse. Then I do not get any maadhukari. Then you say that I beat up two young boys.” He mumbled. “Who brought us the food?”

“Those two boys, who else? You had sent them with the food, they told me.” She said.

“I sent two boys with food? I did not do any such thing. Are you sure they brought the food for us?” He asked.

“They said your name. And said that you made them carry the sacks of food and bring to me.” She said, “Eat now. I have work to do.”

“Whose children are they? Do you know them?” he asked.

“No. I do not. They are not from our village.” She said.

“Not from our village? What did they look like?” he asked.

“They were cute little boys. The younger one was dark and the older one was fair.” She said.

Arjun Mishra did not need any more clues. He immediately realized who the two boys were: they were Sri Krishna and Balarama. In the morning, he had doubted that Sri Krishna will personally carry provisions for his devotees. To show him that He does, He carried a sack of groceries on His back. He even made Sri Balarama carry a second sack for them for another meal. And, he struck out the word vahaamyaham with red ink. That mark Sri Krishna carried as injury.

Arjun Mishra could eat no more. He was chocking with emotion. He had picked up a morsel, but he put that on his head and sat there in silence. Tears streamed out from his eyes.

His wife was perplexed. “What happened?”

“My love, this is no mere food, this is prasad. Those boys were Sri Krishna and Balarama. You are so fortunate that you saw them. Eat some of the prasad yourself and let’s go out to fetch everybody in the village. This we should share with everyone.” He said excitedly.Then he explained to her what had happened since morning.

She ate some prasad excitedly. After that, they had a big celebration with the neighbors sharing the prasad. There were lots of Harinam singing and ecstatic dancing. After everyone had gone home, Arjun Mishra went to his writing room. He wrote: vahaamyaham, vahaamyaham, vahaamyaham. He was convinced of God’s promise to His devotees.

Arjun Mishra wrote an excellent commentary of the Gita with real Spiritual insights. His commentary is famous for the triple mention of vahaamyaham. The message of this story is that we should never seek an imaginary relationship with God and trust God to personally help us, teach us and at the end, liberate us. If we do not have that confidence, we are not worthy of being called devotees.

Sati Savitri

The Pandavas were spending their banishment in two forests in the western edge of Haryana bordering north-eastern Rajasthan. The south forest was called the Dwaita and the north forest, Kamyaka. That year, when spring came, they moved to the Kamyaka forest. It was a bright day, but it started ominously for them. The wicked king Jayadratha was traveling through the forest, and he spotted their wife Draupadi all alone, and kidnapped her. True, the Pandavas were able to quickly rescue her and punish Jayadratha, but the whole episode made them very concerned, frustrated and angry. Bhim, Arjun, Nakul and Sahadev had enough of living in exile. They were ready to fight it out with Duryodhan. Yudhisthir, being the eldest Pandava, reasoned with them. They had to wait. Duryodhan will never come to fight alone, he will bring the mighty Kurus to fight for him. If they are to defeat them all, they would need powerful friends on their side. Therefore, they couldn’t go to battle just yet. Yudhishthir decided that they would instead spend time with the sages in the forest, and try to soothe their frayed nerves in their fellowship.

Kamyaka forest was a beautiful place, right on the bank of the river Saraswati. It also had a pretty lake famous for its lotus flowers. The lakeside was also a favorite of the sages. Yudhishthir wanted to talk with the old sage Markandeya. Sage Markandeya is an immortal, and a veritable fountain of knowledge. When they arrived where the sages were, Yudhisthir greeted everybody, and then went to visit with sage Markandeya. He said, “O sage! We are so lucky to have such a chaste and devoted wife, but in this exile, she is always in danger, and we worry for her constantly.”

Markandeya replied, “O king! Do not worry about Draupadi so much. Remember? Last time when you came here, I told you about a righteous housewife, who could brave every challenge of the world, simply because she served her husband piously. Draupadi has that kind of strength. Besides, you are in not so bad a situation. Think! When Ravana kidnapped Sita, Sri Rama suffered far more than you did. You have so much more support, Sri Rama had only the monkeys and bears for help. So, do not grieve.”

Yudhishthira could not argue, but he wanted more conversation. “Even so, O sage! Her safety remains my big worry. She is the chastest and most devoted wife in the whole world, but such is our wretched situation that we are not able to provide her a safe home!”

Markandeya said, “Yudhisthir, you underestimate her strength. Chaste wives like her can defy even death. Listen to the life story of Savitri.”

Sage Markandeya knew a thing or two about defying death himself. He was born to live only sixteen years. When the Lord of death (Yama) came, he threw his arms around a Shivalinga and did not let go. Yama threw a rope around Markandeya and bound him and the linga tight in the noose. Unfortunately for Yama, Lord Shiva manifested Himself from the linga and threatened him with his trident for bothering His devotee. Yama was defeated, and Shiva made Markandeya an immortal. For this reason, Lord Shiva is called Mrityunjaya (the one who defeated death). This happened in a place called Thirukkadavur in the southern Indian province of Tamil Nadu . If you go there, you will see a beautiful Shiva temple.

Markandeya being saved by Lord shiva

Thirukkadavur Shiva temple

Savitri by Jayalaxmi Satyendra

Savitri and Satyavan by Ardhenduprasad Banerji

Yama and Savitri by Nandalal Bose
Pictures taken from the internet without permission

Savitri is most famous as a sati. Many in the west think that ‘sati’ or ‘sutee’ is widow burning. It is such a wrong idea! Sati is a woman for whom loving her husband and leading a virtuous life is a matter of high honor. She would die rather than cheat her husband or anyone else. For this reason, when a widowed woman who chooses to end her life in her husband’s funeral pyre because she does not want to survive her husband, we call her a sati to honor her love and devotion. We also call sati the women who sacrifice their lives rather than be captured by the enemy. Sati simply means a virtuous and devoted wife. Savitri was one of the greatest satis ever, but she did not sacrifice her life. We honor her so much that we call every pious and devoted wife to be like ‘Sati Savitri’.

Let us now listen to sage Markandeya narrate the story of Savitri.

Many years ago, Ashwapati was the king of Madra desh ( Punjab ). He had several queens, but no children. He really wanted to have children. He was advancing in age. He decided that he will pray to Devi Savitri for children. He kept frequent fasts, and every day conducted havan in which he poured 100,000 scoops of ghee. If you are curious about this worship, read the Mahaa-nirvaana tantra. After eighteen years of steadfast worship, Devi Savitri manifested Herself from the havan fire. She said to him, “O king! Lord Brahma and I are pleased with you. You will soon have a resplendent daughter.”

In time, queen Malavi gave birth to a daughter. They named her Savitri, in honor of the Devi. Savitri grew up to be beautiful young princess with bright shining eyes and rare intelligence. She studied a lot of Scriptures and developed a pious determination for life. She had a quiet nature, and the few words she spoke, were all very profound. People saw her as a Divine person, born only to be a great devotee. That reputation spread widely, and when the time came for her to marry, no man came seeking her hand in marriage.

Ashwapati and Malavi were worried for their daughter. In the old days, we had the tradition of swayamvara. According to it, a girl could choose her husband. Ashwapati thought that he would encourage Savitri to be a swayamvaraa. One day, he said to her, "O my darling Savitri! We have only weak men around here, fearful of your radiant character. We do not find a suitable man for you to marry. So, go on a pilgrimage and find a man worthy of you. When you come back, I will arrange your marriage."

Savitri was an obedient daughter, so she agreed immediately. Ashwapati asked some of his ministers and soldiers to accompany and protect her. Savitri decided that she would take this opportunity to visit some holy places in India .

After visiting the temples in Madra desh, Savitri went to the neighboring Shalwa kingdom. The people of the Shalwa kingdom were suffering. Their noble king Dyumatsen had lost his eyesight and was deposed by a tyrannical invader. Dyumatsen had to flee with his wife Shaivya and their newborn son to the forest. Only a few ministers of his royal court knew where they had gone. They built a small hermitage for the king and his family in the forest, and waited for better times to bring them back. The people of Shalwa longed for their kind king very much.

When Savitri came to visit the holy places in Shalwa kingdom, their prince had grown to be a handsome and kind young man. Everyone loved him. As a child, he was fascinated by horses, and liked drawing their pictures, so he became known as Chitrashwa. He was also an extremely truthful person, which earned him another name, Satyavan.

After visiting many temples, Savitri came to the place in the forest where Satyavan lived with his parents. When Savitri was visiting a nearby temple, Satyavan came in with his parents. Savitri and Satyavan saw each other, and instantly fell in love.

Savitri ended her pilgrimage and returned home. When she got home, she found her father talking with sage Narada. They were discussing her marriage. Savitri bowed to both and stood quietly. Ashwapati asked, “O my darling Savitri! You arrived just when sage Narada and I were talking about you. Have you found a man you wish to marry?”

"Yes, father.” Savitri replied, “I met Satyavan, son of the noble Shalwa king Dyumatsen, now living in exile in the forest. I have made my mind to marry Satyavan.”

Sage Narada looked genuinely worried. "The Shalwa prince Satyavan? Princess, there is no man worthier than him, but he has a major fault.”

Ashwapati asked, “What fault does he have, O sage? Is he not a good person?”

Narada replied, “Satyavan is a most wonderful person. He is glorious like the sun, intelligent like sage Brihaspati, can fight like Indra and forgive like the earth. But alas, he only has one year left to live.”

King Ashwapati turned to his daughter and said, "O my darling Savitri! Listen to sage Narada. May be you should think about marrying someone else."

Savitri said politely, “I cannot do that, father. I have made my mind to marry Satyavan, I cannot marry anyone else.” She continued to say, “Before doing a karma, a person first makes a choice about whether or not to act, then speaks about it, and finally, does the karma. I cannot be untrue to myself as I have already completed the first two steps.”

Sage Narada was delighted to hear the wise words of Savitri. He said to Ashwapati, “O king! Your daughter is steadfast in her dharma, so let her marry Satyavan. Some good shall definitely come from it.” Ashwapati agreed.

Savitri overcome the opposition of her elders by being firm in her own determination of dharma. This was the first of three occassions she proved her strength.

As soon as the preparations for the bridal journey were complete, king Ashwapati, his queens, Savitri and important members of the royal court and the priests set out for the hermitage of Dyumatsen.

When they reached there, Dyumatsen was meditating under a Sal (Sallow-wood) tree. As was the custom, Dyumatsen welcomed Ashwapati with a gift of a cow. Then Ashwapati said, “O saintly king! We have come here to seek your approval for marrying our daughter Savitri with your son Satyavan.”

Dyumatsen said, “It would be my greatest pleasure. But can your daughter put up with the hardship of forest life?”

Ashwapati said, “O king! Both Savitri and I are familiar with hardship. We have discussed these issues before we came here. Please accept this proposal.”

Dyumatsen had no more objections, he agreed.

Savitri and Satyavan were married. They were a nice and happy couple. Everybody loved Savitri and Satyavan. Savitri never forgot the words of sage Narada. When only three days remained before the year was over, Savitri decided to keep fast and spend the whole time in worship. Her in-laws tried to persuade her out of the fast, but Savitri did not break her vow. They could not force her, as Savitri was always so nice to them.

On their anniversary day, Satyavan needed to go to the forest to gather firewood. Savitri had become weak from the fast, but she asked to go with him. Satyavan was not keen on taking her along. But Savitri insisted. Finally, Satyavan asked her to obtain his father’s permission. Savitri went up to Dyumatsen and said, “O noble Arya! My husband has not eaten well for days, and he has to go today to gather firewood. Please permit me to go with him so I can watch over him. I have never gone out for the whole year of our marriage, but now the forest flowers are in blossom, I wish to see it as well.”

Dyumatsen was happy that she wanted to go out and have some fun as a couple. He gladly gave his permission. They trusted her a lot, because they knew that everything Savitri did was entirely honorable. They blessed her, “May you never become a widow.” Again, by appealing to the good heart of her elders, Savitri prevailed. This was her second time.

Like two frolicking birds, Savitri and Satyavan walked in the forest of the Shivalik hills. The trees were green and fragrant with blossoms. Pretty birds were flying from flower to flower. They were just happy to be there, having a lot of fun. Around mid-day, they were a little tired. So they decided to sit down under the shade of a big Sal tree for a bit. Afterwards, Satyavan got up and started gathering the firewood. They knew that they had to get back home before sundown. Otherwise, his parents would worry for them. Savitri watched Satyavan do the work with admiration.

A little while later, Satyavan came back to her, complaining about a headache. Savitri knew that his end is coming. She controlled herself and asked him to lie down, putting his head on her lap. Satyavan talked about more sufferings, “I don’t know what has come over me. My body is burning!” Savitri was stroking his hair. She suggested to him that he should try to get a quick nap. Satyavan closed his eyes. Soon he was having difficulty breathing.

Then, Savitri saw Yama, the Lord of death appear before them. She bowed to Yama with folded hands. Yama had come to take the Jiva of Satyavan away. He untangled the tiny thumb-sized Jiva from his body. Satyavan’s body stopped breathing immediately.

As Yama started to go away, Savitri followed. Yama said, “O virtuous lady! Your righteous husband has finished his time on earth. I have to take him to his afterlife. But you cannot go there. So please go back.”

Savitri answerd, “O Lord of death! I have led a steadfastly righteous life, and always honored my elders. I can now go everywhere. Please hear me in friendship. When I married my husband, I took the pledge that I will follow him everywhere. It is my dharma to follow him, even in death. ”
Yama said, “O virtuous lady! I admire your steadfastness to dharma. Your pledge ended with his death. You must go back home and prepare for the funeral of your late husband. I will grant you a boon, anything you want except the life of your husband."

Savitri said, "Please restore the sight of my father-in-law."

"It will be so. Now please go back home."

But Savitri continued to follow. Thorns pricked her feet, brushes tore into her clothing, but she paid no attention to those troubles. Yama said, “O Savitri! I can see how harsh this trip is for you, yet continue to follow after me. For what purpose are you following me now? "

"Lord Yama," answered Savitri, "I feel no weariness in the company of my husband. The wise say that a moment spent with the virtuous is a great gain. My husband is virtuous; therefore, I wish to spend my life in his company."

"Savitri, I greatly admire how sweetly you say such profound words of wisdom” Yama said, “But Satyavan’s life on earth is over. And, I have to take him to a place where you cannot go yet. If you wish, I will give you another boon, anything but his life."

Savitri said, "Please grant my father in-law his kingdom back.”

"It will be so. Now please go back home." Yama said.

Savitri said, “O kind Deva! You have dominion over every man and woman, which is why we call you Yama. You are scrupulously fair, never show hostility to anyone, and are a merciful Divine being. Good people show mercy even to their enemies. Please have mercy on me.”

Yama praised her wise words again, “Your words are like water to the thirsty. What other boon you’d wish to have other than your husband’s life?”

Savitri knew how her father Ashwapati wanted more children. She said, “Please grant my father more children."

Yama said, “Savitri, your father will have more children. Are you content now? You should go back. You have already traveled quite far from home.”

Savitri said, “O Lord of death! I am in the company of my husband. Therefore, I am home. You administer dharma on everyone. For this reason, people call your Dharmaraj. People trust a dharmic person more than they trust even themselves.”

Yama said, “O noble lady! Your thoughts are indeed wonderful. I am very pleased with you. If you desire, you may ask for another boon, save your husband’s life.”

Savitri said, “Please grant that I bear many children by Satyavan."

Yama said, “After hearing your sweet words, my respect for you has increased. You will bear many children of Satyavan.”

Savitri said, “I cannot live without my husband. Like you, good people always look for ways to do good to others. You have given me the boon of bearing my husband’s children. Therefore, please grant me the life of my husband so I can fulfill your boon.”

Yama was happy to release the Jiva of Satyavan. He said, “O noble lady! You will grow old with your husband and be the queen of the Shalwa kingdom. No go back in peace.”

This was the third time Savitri demonstrated her strength. She defied even death. She knew that Yama valued dharma above everything. So she appealed to his high dharmic ideals and won back her husband. Savitri’s life is a lesson on how a virtuous person can overcome all difficulties by politely demading for the dispensation of high dharma.

Savitri came back under that Sal tree where Satyavan’s body was. She sat down and placed his head in her lap. The sun was about to set. Satyavan woke up.

"Oh! The day is all but gone. I have slept too long, my love. Why didn’t you wake me?"

"O lord of my life," said Savitri, "yes, it is fast getting dark. Your parents are probably worrying about us, if you have regained strength, let us return home. If you are still feeling weak, we can spend the night here. "

Satyavan got up and looked around a bit. Then he said, “It is dark already. My parents would be worried. I remember once I came home late, and how worried they were for me. I do not want them to worry like that ever again. It will be difficult to find the way, but I have come this way many times before. We have moonlight tonight, I should be able to find the way back. We better get back home right away.” A minute later, Satyavan asked, “Tell me, my love! Did a fierce-looking person come while I was sleeping?”

Savitri said, “Yes, Lord Yama came. But let’s get back home first. I will tell you all about it after we reach home.”

That afternoon, King Dyumatsen regained his eyesight. As they were getting late, their paretnts started to worry. Other sages of the forest told them not to worry. But when evening came, Dyumatsen set out in the nearby woods looking for them. Just as Satyavan thought, both parents were extremely worried and frightened for them. Finally, Savitri and Satyavan reached home. Everyone was relieved, also curious to know why they got so late. After Savitri told them everything, the sages blessed them and went back to their own hermitages.

Next morning, a whole bunch of people came riding horses to Dyumatsen’s hermitage. Among them was the old prime minister of Dyumatsen. The cruel invader king was killed by his greedy ministers. After that, there was chaos and fighting in the captial. All the bad people have killed each other. The people had enough. They have sent the old prime minister to bring back their blind but noble king. Dyumatsen said, “But I can see again.” Everyone was happy to hear that. Soon they left for the capital city. Dyumatsen became king again. Satyavan was appointed the crown prince. After Dyumatsen passed away, Satyavan became king. He ruled Shalwa desh for a long time. Savitri was always by his side. They had many children.

Sage Markandeya said to Yudhisthir, “O king! In this way, sati Savitri saved her family and the people of Shalwa. Your wife Draupadi has the same strengths. So do not worry for her. If it becomes necessary, she will save you from troubles.” Yudhisthir was anxious no more.

We have a long tradition of honoring sati Savitri. On the day of amavasya (new moon) of Jaishthya (May-June), wives wear new clothes, put on new jewelry and apply vermillion on their hair. Then they fast until noon and pray to Devi Savitri for long life of their husbands. In the afternoon, they bow to their husbands and the elders and eat a wet bhoga of pulses, rice, mango, jackfruit, grapefruit, bananas and sweets.

Murti Puja and Idolatry

According to Christian sources, idolatry is the worship of a Deity in a visible form. It can be a worship of either a symbolical representation of the one God or, of a ‘false’ divinity (www.biblegateway.com/resources/dictionaries). The Bible and the Quran provide the capital punishment to idolaters: stoning to death (Bible: Deuteronomy 17.2-5) and killing unless the idolater converts (Quran: Repentance 9.5). Although colonial Christians sometimes killed locals for such reasons, they are a bit more relaxed than Jews and Muslims about idolatry. Christians worship Jesus, who did take a visible form. Many revere certain icons, such as the shroud of Turin (believed to be the relic of Jesus’ resurrection). Catholic and Orthodox Christians use images in worship, which they call icons. The use of icons and relics is an old practice, early Christians used pieces of cloth touched by the apostle Paul for healing sick people (Bible, Acts 19.11-12).

We Hindus are sometimes not sure what to think of our Deity image worship (Murti puja). Most non-Hindus see us bow before Murtis, and simply conclude that we are idolaters. But we know in our hearts that it is not correct. Not just us, a few Christian scholars also thought it is probably better to not to make simplistic judgments about our Murti worship, they found it easier to claim it as something inherently deficient that Jesus came to fulfill (J. Farquhar: The crown of Hinduism). A few western Hindus became uncomfortable about the way this whole issue has been presented, and wrote easy reading books on the subject (Diana Eck: Darsan: seeing the Divine image in India). I do not know of any English work on this subject by an Indian Hindu that is worth reading.

What are we supposed to think? Let us explore that question.

Our spiritual goal is to see God or merge in God in this lifetime. Murti puja is a way to accomplish this goal. All Deities are the same one God. The Shvetashvetara Upanishad (4.1-2) says that the formless One Brahman used various powers to take multiple Deity forms, including Agni, Aditya, Vaayu, Chandra, Hiranyagarbha Brahmaa and Viraat Prajapati. They are only various aspects of Brahman. A famous verse of the Rigveda (1.164.46) also declares this message: “ekam sad vipraa bahudhaa vadanti, vayuryamogni maatarishvaan aahuh” (The one Sat Brahman is described in many Deity names, like Vaayu, Yama, Agni and Maatarishvaan). The Deities are paraspara-sambhuta (originated from each other). To take an example, in the Devisukta of the RigVeda, VagDevi Sarasvati is Divine Mother, origin of all, but in the Brahma-vaivarta Purana, She originated from Sri Krishna; in the Narada and Kurma Purana, She is the daughter of Lord Shiva; and in the Varaha Purana, She appeared from the combined vision of Lords Brahmaa, Vishnu and Shiva.

The Deities have multiple forms, as described in various mantras. It is said that they are the Divine Spirit of a mantra, “mantraatmikaa devataa” (Mimamsaa Darshan by sage Jaimini). Mantras also frequently describe the Deiform. Sage Shaunak wrote in Vrihad-devataa that to understand a mantra, we must know the Deity (1.2-4). However, Acharya Shankara said that a Deity can take any form (Brahma-Sutra 3.1.27).

How do Deity images help? The Brahma sutra (4.1.5) says, “Brahma-drishtih utkarshaat” [To exalt the image, it should be seen with the ‘everything and everybody is Brahman’-vision (but Brahman should not be seen as the image)]. Sages say that it is impossible for us to conceive of the vastness of God, and whatever we could imagine about God, would be deficient and flawed. Therefore, sages approved of images, expecting that it will help the common person to connect to God. We do not worship the image, but ask God to accept our worship through the image. It would be idolatry if this traps us to the Murtis. God in the Kapila incarnation said that Murti worship would be meaningless if the worshipper does not think of the transcendent God (Srimad Bhagavatam 3.29). We should not be too concerned, because by the grace of God, Murti worship does not trap us. To help us in this regard, sages have structured the worship for us. The story of saint Parashuram from a little-known village called Dhamrai in Bengal (1892 CE) should help explain the purpose of Murti worship. His story is found in the Sadguru-sanga by Sri Kuladananda Brahmachari. Parashuram was once a happy family man. When he became old, all his children died within a short time, and then his wife also died. After that, Parashuram decided to live the rest of his days in the Lord Krishna’s temple (Madhava temple) of his village. When other saints came to the area, he would go visit them. Once, saint Bijoykrishna Goswami was traveling through the region. Parashuram came to visit him. He asked Goswami prabhu for the blessing to see Madhava. To teach his own disciples, Goswami prabhu said to him, “You carry the image of Madhava in your sack, then why do you ask for this blessing?” Parashuram replied, “Oh no, not this Madhava, I want your blessing to see the Madhava who is inside this Madhava, the One who peeks out from time to time.”

Murti puja, is obviously not the only type of recommended worship. Lord Shiva teaches us how to conduct a purely Spiritual worship of Brahman with the seven-letter mantra “OM Sacchidekam Brahma” in the Mahanirvana Tantra (Ullaasa 1). It can only be a worship of the spiritually advanced, because it requires the Brahma-drishti.

The Redemption of Ajamila

The redemption of Ajamila

Sage Shuka was describing to king Parikshit how to expire the bondage to karma that we all acquire from life. It can be done by practicing nivritti and pravritti dharmas. Nivritti dharma is yoga, and its aim is to purify one’s sins. Pravritti dharma has the same goal, but it is done through vedic rituals. Parikshit listened hard, but he wanted better. The concepts of pravritti and nivritti dharmas are far too complex for ordinary people to understand properly. They reminded him of the famous verse in the Katha Upanishad:

Kshurasya dhaara nishitaa duratyayaa durgam pathastat kavayo vadanti. (1.3.14).
The path is arduous, narrow and sharp like the razor’s edge – so say the sages.

Parikshit knew that some of the main challenges of dharmic life are related to our difficulties of not falling into bad habits. After all, we all are under the influence of the raja-guna, which inspires emotions like krodha (anger) and kaama (desire) in us. It is possible to control those emotions by abhyaasa (spiritual practice) and vairaagya (dispassion), but not very easily. Some can stay the course easier than others, because they have wisdom in their intellect (vyavasaayaatmikaa buddhi), and thus, they are able to restrain themselves from blindly going after sense gratifications. These dharmas can purify the heart from the stain of karma, but for that one needs to know how to conduct those dharmas as spiritual yajnas (yajnakshayita kalmashaah, Gita 4.30). Unfortunately, only the yajnavit (those who know the inner meaning of yajna) can derive this benefit.

Parikshit thought, “What an intractable situation we are in! Dharma is hard, failure is easy and Naraka (hell) is certain for those who fail! Besides, those dharmas…, well let me ask him about it.” He asked, “O Sage Shuka, how long the sin-purifying effects of pravritti and nivritti dharmas last? Are they not like bathing of elephants?”

Elephants take elaborate baths. When they come out of the water, they get muddy again either by rolling in the mud or sprinkling themselves with dust. The pravritti and nivritti dharmas cleanse the sins from past actions. But removing the imprint of the sin from the heart is another matter. Without that, we will go right back to doing the bad deeds. Is there a simple, straightforward and foolproof dharma that everyone can follow? Parikshit wanted to know.

Sage Shuka was extremely pleased with this question. After all, he knew quite well how people struggle with those challenges, and he had described the pravritti and nivritti dharmas mainly to get Parikshit thinking. Shuka decided to teach about the simple dharma of chanting God’s name by telling him the life story of Ajamila. It was originally narrated long time ago by sage Agastya from his seat on the Mount Malaya (known today as the Agasthyamalai mountain in the southern tip of India).

Ajamila was a man from the far antiquity. He fell to urges of sense gratification, and then was saved by chanting the name of God. His story is found in the Shrimad Bhagavatam (6.1-6.3).

Ajamila was born to devout Brahmin parents from Kanyakubja (known today Kannauj, a city in central Uttar Pradesh). At one time, Kannauj was a center of Vedic learning, today, it is more known for its attar industry. Some attars are worn as fragrance, like rose attar (rose petal distillate mixed in sandalwood oil), others are used to flavor foods (rose water, kewra water etc). Coming back to our story, Ajamila did not possess Brahmin-like sense of honor and strength of character, but he had studied some parts of the Vedas. His parents recognized his character flaws, and so, they married him to a beautiful, virtuous girl. They hoped that such a wife would be able to keep him straight, particularly after they pass away. For a while, it worked according to plan.

Then one day, Ajamila’s father sent him to the forest to collect fruits, flowers and samidh (fallen dry sticks of yajna-dumur plants, a type of fig tree) for worship. Samidh is used as firewood in yajnas.


Ajamila picked these things for the better part of the day. Then, he headed for home. He was almost to the edge of the forest, and there, he saw something. Two people were making out in the open. A loutish guy was tickling a young forest woman, who was intoxicated from drinking maireya madhu (according to the Amarakosha, sweet juice of sugarcane, probably not too fresh; according to the Charaka-samhita, it is made from rice). The two did not particularly care to keep their clothing in place. They were singing crude songs to each other and laughing out of their bellies. Even though they saw Ajamila approaching, they did not bother to control themselves. Instead, seeing Ajamila come, the guy decided to wrap his arms around her. It was gross exhibitionism.

Such public display of passion is not acceptable behavior in traditional India. However, some forest people have always lived for the passions of life, like the Gond tribe in central India and the Dang tribe in Gujarat. They live exuberantly, and intoxicate themselves by drinking Mohua flower distillate (honey tree flower, Madhuca longifolia). At one time, we had many Mohua forests all over India. The British decided that we should get rid of them and instead, plant teakwood. They had no use for Mohua, they had their own real alcohol. They just wanted to use the land to make money.

Let’s get back to the story. When Ajamila got there, the young woman glanced at him enchantingly. He was instantly hooked. He tried to control himself for one moment, but gave in to lust. He dropped his load of samidh and joined them. In one moment, he forgot all about his home, his beautiful and pious wife and his parents. Lust is one of our six prime ripus (enemies). It is a mighty enemy. Sages have warned us to not become servants of the genital and the belly (shishnodara-paraayana).

Unfortunately, Ajamila was a person of weak character. When the other guy left, he decided that he would stay back. He decided that he’d rather spend his life drinking and making wild love with the forest woman than go back to the sedate and structured life at home. He was a closet sex addict, and she was his ticket to explore his desires. So, he stayed with her, and later, married her. He needed money to support his new life and to buy gifts for her and her relatives, but he wasn’t going to spend time in finding honest work. He became a thief. You’d think that his upbringing and his Vedic education would have stopped him. But no, that was not Ajamila. He never ever thought about atoning or going back home.

Ajamila grew old, but continued having children with his forest wife. He was in his late seventies when they had their tenth and final child. It was a boy. They named him Narayana. Narayana, as we know, is one the names of God. Now, why should a couple, not too interested in Spiritual life name their child after God? The Bhaktamala grantha describes this part of the story.

When Ajamila’s wife was carrying this child, a saint visited their house. He took pity on their situation and said to Ajamila’s wife, “I am very pleased with your hospitality. Now you must do me a great favor. Your tenth child will be a boy, name him Narayana.” She agreed with a smile. They did not realize that the saint had planted a seed of holiness in their home.

Narayana grew up to be a very affectionate and kind-hearted boy. His parents loved him very much. He was their child of their old age, and was around them all the time, unlike his older siblings. Ajamila was not strong enough any more to go out and play with Narayana, but he enjoyed watching Narayana frolic in the yard. He also came to depend upon Narayana for getting his little chores done.

When Ajamila was 88 years of age, his health started failing him. He lay in bed most of the time. He was resting one morning, when he saw three fierce-looking Yamadutas (agents of Lord Yama) approaching him. They had twisted faces and hairy bodies. They carried the feared noose to tie his jiva in the subtle body and take to afterlife. Ajamila was scared, he wanted to be helped. Narayana was playing with his toys a little far away, Ajamila called out for him, “Narayana! Narayana! Come here!”

Suddenly, four agents of Lord Vishnu appeared there. They were pleasant-looking, had eyes as beautiful as lotus petals, wore yellow silk and a crown on their heads, wore ear-rings and flower garlands. They had four arms and carried a bow, a quiver, a sword, a mace, a conch, a chakra-disc and a lotus flower. They came because they had heard Ajamila cry out for Narayana, which is a name of Lord Vishnu. They asked the Yamadutas to release the jiva of Ajamila.

It is said that three agents of Lord Yama came, because Ajamila had sinned with his body, mind and speech; and four agents of Lord Vishnu came because there are four letters in the word Narayana.

The Yamadutas were extremely surprised. They asked the Vishnudutas why they should not take a sinner like Ajamila. The Vishnudutas answered with a question, “Why do you consider Ajamila a sinner? Do you really understand the finer points of dharma? Do you know how to decide which man is and which man is not to be taken to hell?” The Yamadutas were not scholars, so they said, “Well, we have heard that dharma comes from the Vedas, originating from the breath of Lord Narayana. He is the One who remains without change, while creating the universe. A man’s karma is witnessed by the fire, the sun, the sky, the wind, the moon, the day and the night, the directions, the waters, and above all, by Lord Yama. We know who is a sinner and who is not from the evidence given by these witnesses. People enjoy or suffer in afterlife according to their karmas. Since karmas done over many lifetimes dictate a person’s birth, just by looking at the activities in the current birth, it is possible to judge whether a person has been a sinner all along. Our Lord Yama can see everything people do. Ajamila had a sinful life, so we came to take him to our Lord. We know that Yama will send Ajamila’s jiva to suffer in hell, and that suffering will pay for his sins.”

The Vishnudutas replied, “What a calamity! Don’t you know that by chanting the name of Lord Hari (Narayana), Ajamila has already paid for all his sins? Now, if you take him to suffer in hell, will it not be a miscarriage of justice? In his last moment, Ajamila had said “Narayana come here.” Even though he only meant to call his son, the power of the name of the Lord has paid for his sins.”

The word Hari means ‘One who takes away all our blemishes and bad situations’.

They said further, “Chanting the name of the Lord is better payment of sins than all the rituals for atonement prescribed by the lawgiver sages. Furthermore, by chanting, a person also gets to know the redeeming qualities of the Lord. Conducting atoning rituals is rarely enough, for the tainted mind (sanskaara) can still make a person do bad deeds again. Chanting atones and cleanses a person, because it engages the mind in the service of the lotus feet of the Lord.”

In the Gita, Sri Krishna confirmed that He purifies a person that thoroughly. He declared that by even if the worst offender comes to worship Him whole-heartedly, he quickly becomes a pure person, and we should consider him so (a dharmatma, a sadhu 9.30-31).

The Vishnudutas continued, “The power of the name of the Lord is such that even if one says it indirectly (a sanket, like Ajamila did), or in jest, or to add it to a lyric for rhyming, or even dismissively, it will instantly pay for all sins. Even when a person subconsciously says the name of the Lord while falling down from above, or tripping on the street, beaten by someone, or bitten by a snake, or as an exclamation from worldly suffering, he does not have to suffer. The Lord’s name is like fire, if it catches a wood, it will burn it to ashes. Chanting the name of the Lord works like a powerful medicine, acting in people who unknowingly take them.”

Indeed, the name of the Lord is all-powerful, and very unique. It can be understood in this way. Consider that our mouths do not feel sweet if we say “sugar, sugar” or our bellies become full by saying “food, food” because, those are mere words, just powerless sounds. Those words are not fundamentally one with the objects they describe. Not so the name of the Lord. The Lord’s names are empowerd words. It is often said that “naam” (the name of the Lord) and “naami” (the Lord) are one. Like other Spiritual truths, this cannot be known by rational thought, it needs to be realized through revelation. And it can be done, and it has been done by many. We know the story of sage Valmiki. He was a robber and his name was Ratnaakar. He was so sinful, that he was asked to chant “mara, mara” (which when said quickly, becomes Rama). By doing that chanting, Ratnakar became the pure sage Valmiki. No wonder in the Gita, Sri Krishna said that of all yajnas, chanting is the most special (10. 25).

God has two kinds of names: guna-names (those which describe His qualities) and karma-names (those which describe His work). God has three qualities: satya (truth), jnana (knowledge) and ananta (infinite). His works are many: visarga-karma (creation-maintenance-dissolution of matter, creation of consciousness and evolution, Gita 8.3, 9.8 etc.), hita-karma (doing good to us, Gita 10.1) such as changing the hearts of bad people (Gita 9.30, 31), liberating devotees (Gita 12.6, 7), as well as His endless lila (sportive activities).

The Yamadutas had no answer. They returned to Lord Yama to complain about the Vishnudutas. When Lord Yama heard the story, He got up and bowed for Lord Hari and was instantly filled with devotion and said to them, “All my authorities come from Lord Hari. He is the Supreme Lord. Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are his emanations. I have dominion over only the sinners, but I am not independent, I merely serve the Lord. Only twelve personalities, myself included, know dharma well. You do not know dharma in all its subtleties; therefore, you did not understand the actions of the Vishnudutas. They were absolutely correct in releasing Ajamila. Let it be a lesson that you should never bring a devotee to suffer in hell.” Saying so, Lord Yama prayed for forgiveness to Lord Hari on behalf of himself and his agents.

Meanwhile, Ajamila had revived. Having heard the conversation between Yamadutas and Vishnudutas about him, he started thinking. For the first time after leaving his home, he felt sorry for himself. He repented for his bad deeds. And decided that he will not be involved in sinful activities again. He took vanaprastha (left home) as indicated in Hindu law. He came to Haridwar (today spelt Hardwar) in north India (modern Uttarakhand). There, he devoted himself entirely to worship and finally, died in the river Ganga. The Vishnudutas came again and took him away.

There could be some questions from this narration. Ajamila must have called for his son Narayana many times before, was he not already purified from that? Commentators do agree. They say that indeed Ajamila atoned by calling for his son earlier. In fact, it had created a new mindset (sanskaar) in him. Only that he did not recognize it himself. Why else when the Yamadutas came, he would think of calling his 10-year old kid? He could not have really expected him to help him at that point. Strange are the secrets of the Spiritual world and how we exist in it. Another question is, did the Yamadutas come for Ajamila earlier than they should have? This question has not been addressed by the major commentators. Clearly, it was not his time to die. It is possible that the Yamadutas might have reasoned that the sins of Ajamila should shorten his lifetime. I leave that for you to decide.

A test blog

This is just a test. I intend to write about the issues that we Hindus in India and outside are facing and how we can educate ourselves.