Mahabharata – 76

By

Sankar Mukherjee

&

Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya

King Uparichara

At the request of the king Janamejaya Vaisampayana once again told the story of the Mahabharata in greater detail as follows.

Once upon a time there was a king named Uparichara of the Paurava race.He was a very pious king.He read the Vedas & theUpanishads.He was also addicted to hunting.He rulled his beautiful Chedi kingdom following the advice of Indra, the king of gods.After a time, he gave up the use of arms.He left the royal palace & went to the woods for meditation & penance.Indra was scared that through the penance Uparichara himself might be the Indra or the ruler of the heaven.The existing Indra might be replaced by Uparichara.

Here a note on Indra will not be out of place.The king of gods is known as Indra.He who excels in penance & meditation can be Indra replacing the existing Indra.In other words Indra is not born.One must earn the office of the Indra through penance.Any Indra could be thus replaced by another person who outdoes Indra in penance.This serves as contrast to  the democratic system of ours.In our democracy the President or Prime Minister is elected by the people.He can sit in that chair for a stipulated period of time.In the heaven of the Mahabharata also the chair of the Indra is not eternal. But no one can be Indra  by buying votes. One who excels in penance & meditation can alone be the Indra.

No wonder that the pious king Upirachara who opted for a life of penance could replace the then existing Indra through the sheer power of meditation.So Indra was scared.He at once accompanied with other gods rushed to the king Uparichara.The celestials by soft speeches succeded in winning the king Uparichara away from his penance.

The gods said, “Oh King ! Why do you renounce the world?you had better take care so that there is the sustainable rule of virtue on earth.Protected by you virtue itself will in turn protect the world.Sojonuring along the path of virtue you will attain the Bramhaloka after your demise.”

Indra added “Sir! I am the king of heaven & you are the ruller of the earth. Let us work together.We are friends.Stay in that region of earth which is delightful with abundance & abandon.Where there is no dearth of sacred animals & where there is no dearth of wealth & harvest.It will be heaven upon earth brimming with every object of pleasure & enjoyment.The climate of the region will be ever pleasant,it will be teeming with gems & precious stones & huge mineral wealth.Stay back in the Chedi kingdom. The people of the towns & the cities of your kingdom are ceaselessly engaged in virtuous act. They are honest & contented.They never tell a lie even in games or a play.The fathers there do not provoke quarrels among the children.The chldren also look after the welfare of their parents.The cattle that are weak & feeble are never engaged in the field.They are not employed to pull the cart & carry merchendise. On the other hand, they are well fed.The people look after their health.”

The society of the Mahabharata was divided into four castes or varnas. People belonging to each caste had their unique rights & duties.And Indra observed that the four orders of the society of the Chedi kingdom were engaged in their respective prescribed acts & duties.

Indra further added “Oh Sir nothing is unknown to you.You are aware of whatever happens in the three worlds.I Shall give you a chariot made of crystals.It is capable of carrying you through the mid – air.I shall also give you a garland made up of lotus which never withers away.If you put on the garland no weapon can not wound you.This is the Vaijayanti garland with which Iam bedecked.No one else has this garland in the universe.”Indra also gave the king Uparichara a bamboo stick with which the king can protect the honest & the peaceful. 

This was how the sceptre or the rajadanda was introduced.Danda also implies the rod that people should recognize.It also implies punishment in Sanskrit language.