Mahabharata – 211
by
Sankar Mukherjee
&
Dr Ramesh Chandra Mukhopadhyaya
Aadivamsaavatarana Parva
Kripacharya
Dhitrarastra had hundred and one children.His younger brother Pandu had five children.Lest these children became rowdy the elders of the Kuru family appointed Kripacharya as their preceptor. Janamejaya was listening to the story of the Kuru family. He was
curious to know about the birth story of Kripacharya.It is said that Kripa was born amidst a cluster of reeds. How come that it was possible? In response to it Vaisampanya observed that there was a great sage named Gautama. He had a son named Saradwan. Saradwan
exhibited great skill in archery. It is said that he was born with arrows .The son of Gautama exhibited great skill in the study of the technology of weapons. But he had no aptitude for the Vedas. Saradwan acquired all his weapons by those austerities by which Brahmanas in student life acquire the knowledge of Vedas. Saradwan by his skill for the arms and by his penance made Indra himself greatly afraid of him. Then the chief of the gods summoned a celestial lady named Janapadi. He sent her to Saradwan by telling her ---Do your best to disturb the austerities of Saradwan. Consequently the celestial dame showed up at the charming ashram of Saradwan. She saw Saradwan armed with bow and arrows.She tempted him. Seeing that Apsara, of peerless beauty on earth, clothed in a single piece of cloth, alone in the ashram
Saradwan's eyes expanded with delight. At the sight of the lady, his bow and arrows slipped from his hand and his body shook all over with emotion. But being a great ascetic and having great strength of the soul, the sage had the sufficient patience to overcome the temptation.
But due to sudden mental agitation, an unconscious emission of his vital fluid took place. Then leaving his bow and arrows and deer-skin behind, he went away, with the Apsara. His vital fluid, however, having fallen upon a clump of reeds, was divided into two parts, and there sprang two children that were twins. And it happened by god’s grace that an attending soldier of king Santanu who was ahunting in the woods saw the twins. And seeing the bow and arrows and deer-skin on the ground, he thought they might be the offspring of some Brahmana
skillful in the science of arms.
Thinking a while, he took up the children along with the bow and arrows, and brought the incident to the notice of the king. Seeing them the king was moved with pity. He said --------, Let these become my children. And they were brought to the kings palace. Then Santanu, the son of Pratipa having brought Saradwan's twins into his house, performed the usual rites of religion. And he began to bring them up and called them Kripa and Kripi, in consideration of the fact that he brought them up out of pity. Saradwan by his spiritual insight learnt that his son and daughter were in the palace of Santanu. He then went to the king and narrated everything about his lineage to Kripa. As Kripa was engaged in learning the science of arms.Saradwan taught Kripa the four branches of the science of arms, and various other branches of knowledge, exploring all their mysteries and details. In a short time Kripa became an eminent professor of the science of arms. And the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, and the Pandavas along with the Yadavas, and the Vrishnis, and many other princes from various lands,
began to receive lessons from him in that science.
Dhitrarastra had hundred and one children.His younger brother Pandu had five children.Lest these children became rowdy the elders of the Kuru family appointed Kripacharya as their preceptor. Janamejaya was listening to the story of the Kuru family. He was
curious to know about the birth story of Kripacharya.It is said that Kripa was born amidst a cluster of reeds. How come that it was possible? In response to it Vaisampanya observed that there was a great sage named Gautama. He had a son named Saradwan. Saradwan
exhibited great skill in archery. It is said that he was born with arrows .The son of Gautama exhibited great skill in the study of the technology of weapons. But he had no aptitude for the Vedas. Saradwan acquired all his weapons by those austerities by which Brahmanas in student life acquire the knowledge of Vedas. Saradwan by his skill for the arms and by his penance made Indra himself greatly afraid of him. Then the chief of the gods summoned a celestial lady named Janapadi. He sent her to Saradwan by telling her ---Do your best to disturb the austerities of Saradwan. Consequently the celestial dame showed up at the charming ashram of Saradwan. She saw Saradwan armed with bow and arrows.She tempted him. Seeing that Apsara, of peerless beauty on earth, clothed in a single piece of cloth, alone in the ashram
Saradwan's eyes expanded with delight. At the sight of the lady, his bow and arrows slipped from his hand and his body shook all over with emotion. But being a great ascetic and having great strength of the soul, the sage had the sufficient patience to overcome the temptation.
But due to sudden mental agitation, an unconscious emission of his vital fluid took place. Then leaving his bow and arrows and deer-skin behind, he went away, with the Apsara. His vital fluid, however, having fallen upon a clump of reeds, was divided into two parts, and there sprang two children that were twins. And it happened by god’s grace that an attending soldier of king Santanu who was ahunting in the woods saw the twins. And seeing the bow and arrows and deer-skin on the ground, he thought they might be the offspring of some Brahmana
skillful in the science of arms.
Thinking a while, he took up the children along with the bow and arrows, and brought the incident to the notice of the king. Seeing them the king was moved with pity. He said --------, Let these become my children. And they were brought to the kings palace. Then Santanu, the son of Pratipa having brought Saradwan's twins into his house, performed the usual rites of religion. And he began to bring them up and called them Kripa and Kripi, in consideration of the fact that he brought them up out of pity. Saradwan by his spiritual insight learnt that his son and daughter were in the palace of Santanu. He then went to the king and narrated everything about his lineage to Kripa. As Kripa was engaged in learning the science of arms.Saradwan taught Kripa the four branches of the science of arms, and various other branches of knowledge, exploring all their mysteries and details. In a short time Kripa became an eminent professor of the science of arms. And the hundred sons of Dhritarashtra, and the Pandavas along with the Yadavas, and the Vrishnis, and many other princes from various lands,
began to receive lessons from him in that science.
No comments:
Post a Comment