What happened after the Mahabharat War?

Mahabharata is arguably one of the greatest epics ever written. The epic primarily relates to two cousin families the Pandavs and Kauravs. However, through its story and narrative, it touches on several aspects of human lives. In fact, it is said that there is nothing in Bharata that is not in Mahabharat. Almost all Indians know the story of Mahabharata. However, for most of us, knowledge is limited to the war between Kauravs and Pandav (Kurukshetra). There are very few amongst us who know what happened after the war.

In this blog, I will try to tell you the story of what happened after the Mahabharat war. Most of us know that the Mahabharata war ended with the victory of Pandavas over Kauravas.

After the Mahabharata war, the victorious Pandavas went to Kuru elders Dhritarashtra, Gandhi, Kunti, and Vidura to seek their blessings. Gandhari is filled with rage with the thought that Krishna could have easily averted the war with his power and her sons would have been alive by now. Thinking this, filled with rage Gandhari curses Krishna. In her curse, Gandhari tells "You and your Yadav clan will suffer the same fate as Kuru clan. Yadavs will kill each other and you will be compelled to watch helplessly. Later you will be hunted down like an animal by a hunter."

Hearing Gandhari utter this curse, the Pandavas are shocked and everyone urges Gandhari to pull back her curse. But word once was spoken can't be taken back. Realizing what she has done in a fit of rage Gandhari sobs uncontrollably and begs for forgiveness from Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna with a tranquil smile on his face assures Gandhari by saying "you have done nothing wrong. You have only predicted something that was destined to happen."

After this incident, Yuddhisthira is crowned the king and the Pandavas rule Hastinapur for 36 long years. On the 36th year of Pandavas rule, the unthinkable happens at Dwarka. To mourn the death of the slain warriors at Kurukshetra the Yadav decide to assemble at Prabhas.

At prabhas the yadavs start discussing the incidents of Kurukshetra war. Not long after a dispute erupts as to whether it was the Pandavas or the Kauravas who fought the war while upholding the rules. Soon, the dispute turns violent and the Yadavas start attacking each other with reeds of grass that had grown on the sea shore.

Krishna and Balaram watch helplessly as all the Yadavas kill each other. Seeing the Yadavas slain Balaram withdraws into meditation and while in medidate trance leaves his mortal body and takes the form of anant nag. With Balaram too gone; Krishna sits under a Banyan tree and ruminates over all the events that happened since his birth.

A hunter mistakes the feet of lord krishna as the ears of a deer and shoots an arrow. The arrow pierces the heel of lord krishna and he dies with the same smile on his face.

Krishna's death marks the end of Dwapara yuga and the beginning of Kali yuga. Hearing the devastation at Prabhas, Arjuna rushes to save the remaining Yadavas. While he is returning back some barbarians attack them. Arjuna, who was so skilled at archery is not able to defend the Yadavas. This signals that the main power of Arjuna's arrows was lord Krishna.

After the events at Dwarka, Yuddhisthira decides that it is time for them to retire. So he hands over the reign to Parikshit by crowning him the king and along with his brothers and wife, Draupadi decide to climb mount Mandara to reach heaven. On the way to heaven Draupadi and all the other Pandavas fall off. Only Yuddhisthira is able to reach the gates of heaven.

What happens after Yuddhisthira reaches heaven and why did other Pandavas fall while going to heaven is stuff for another blog.

Till them om tat sat!...

What is the message that the characters of Mahabharata war (Pandavas) give through blowing their conch shell?

Tatahsvetairhayairyukte,mahatisyandanesthitau;
madhavahpandavascaiva,divyau sankhau pradadhmatuh

                                         ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 14

After the Kaurav, Krishna and Arjun, riding in their magnificent, sacred chariot drawn by flawlessly white horses (“white” symbolizes purity), also blow their “celestial” conches. “Celestial” means beyond the material world. Yogeshwar Krishna’s transcendental message is a promise to render unto souls the most auspicious, unworldly existence that is beyond the worlds of both mortals and gods, and verily the whole universe (Brahmlok), which is all afflicted with the fear of birth and death. If the words in this verse are carefully looked at they indicate something…It says the chariot is celestial (not made of gold or silver) conch is celestial, everything is pure and celestial so the poet wants to state that their message is also celestial.

Beyond these worlds there is only the one unique and indescribable God. Krishna’s message is of establishing a direct contact with this Supreme Being. But how will he affect this state?

Pancajanyamhrsikeso,devadattamdhananjayah;
paundramdadhmaumaha-sankham,bhima-karma vrkodarah

                                              ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 15

So Hrishikesh (lord of the senses), who knows all the mysteries of the human heart, blows the conch PANCHJANYA. This is a declaration of his intent to restrain the five organs of perception which correspond to word, touch, form, taste, and smell, and to transmute their inclinations into devotion.

ARJUNA or Dhananjay (the victor of wealth) is the affectionate devotion that attains to the state of divine exaltation. This devotion is a feeling of tenderness for the desired object, which includes within itself all the experiences of devotees, even pangs of separation and occasional disenchantment and tears. There should be nothing for a devotee except the longed-for God. If the devotion to him is perfect, it embraces the virtues (DEVDATTA) that provide access to the Supreme Spirit.

BHEEM of awesome deeds blows his great conch PAUNDR, which denotes sentiment. The heart is the spring as well as the habitat of feeling. This is why Bheem is called Vrikodar, the large-hearted. Sentiment is fathomless and mighty, and this sentiment is Bheem’s great conch that is now blown. The affection that he represents is embodied in sentiment. That is why Bheem blows the conch named Paundr.

Anantavijayamraja,kunti-putroyudhisthirah
nakulahsahadevasca,sughosa-manipuspakau

                                     ….. B.G.CHAP 1 VERSE 16

King Yudhisthir blows the conch Anantvijay (endless conquest). Kunti is the very image of dutifulness; and Yudhisthir, the embodiment of dharm (natural piety). If one’s adherence to dharm is steady, Anantvijay will bring about the absorption of the Self in the boundless God.

Nakul, who is a symbol of restraint, blows the conch named Sughosh. As restraint grows firmer, evil is subdued and the dominance of righteousness is proclaimed. Sahdev, the adherer to truth, blows on the conch which bears the name of Manipushpak. Sages have described each breath as a precious ruby. “What a pity that we squander the jewels of our breath on idle gossip!” One kind of satsang is the moral discourse we hear from noble men, but the real spiritual discourse is internal. According to Krishn, the Self alone is true and eternal. True satsang comes about when the mind reins itself in from all externals and dwells with the Self. This adherence to truth is cultivated by incessant reflection, meditation, and samadhi. The more joy one feels in dwelling with the one reality, the more restraint one gains over each breath, the mind, and the instruments by which objects of sense affect the Self. The day they are totally restrained is the day when we are absorbed in the ultimate essence. Providing, like a good instrument, harmonious accompaniment to the song of the Self is true satsang. The physical ruby is hard, but the jewel of breath is even more tender than a flower. Flowers fall and wither soon after they bloom, and we can never say that we shall live until the next breath. But if there is true adherence to the Self, it leads us to realize the highest goal through providing control over each breath. There is nothing to proclaim beyond this, although each device is helpful in traversing a certain stretch of the path of spiritual perfection….OM TATSAT