Hari OM,
We began the class with our daily prayers. We then covered the remaining chapters of the Mahabharata.
- After the War and midnight massacre, Ashwattama tries to rid the world of all Pandavas, but Lord Krishna comes to the rescue and saves the unborn Parikshit. Yudhisthira and the rest head back to Hastinapura where they are greeted by an angry Dhritarashtra and Gandhari.
- Dhritarashtra is about to welcome Bhima but Lord Krishna, in anticipation of his rage, replaces him with a Bhima statue which is then crushed by Dhritarashtra as he embraces it.
- Gandhari is equally furious but is pacified by Vyaasa. She agrees to greet the Pandavas amicably but instead unleashes her rage on Lord Krishna as the one responsible for the War and death of her sons. Gandhari then curses Lord Krishna that the House of Vrishnis will destroy itself and collapse in 36 years' time. Lord Krishna happily accepts this curse as he was previously wondering what will be the cause of his peoples' demise.
- The Pandavas conduct the funeral rites for all the deceased on the banks of river Ganga, and Kunti reveals the secret of Karna's birth and identity. Yudhisthira is heartbroken at this news and is inconsolable. They all spend a month in temporary houses on the riverbank and Yudhisthira is pacified by Narada and other saints during this time. He prepares himself mentally for his upcoming kingship, and on the advice of Lord Krishna decides to seek out Bhisma's parting advice on the bed of arrows.
- They all pay a visit to Bhishma after the official coronation. Bhishma is first apprehensive to give such advice in the presence of Lord Krishna, but Lord Krishna blesses him and says he specifically requested Bhishma to reveal these truths so that Bhishma's name may be remembered for eternity. Bhishma gives advice on the Dharma and conduct of a king and reveals to Yudhisthira the Vishnu Sahasranama.
- Afterwards, Lord Krishna seeks Yudhisthira's permission to bid the Pandavas farewell and shares an emotional embrace with Arjuna. Lord Krishna reminds Arjuna that if Arjuna ever needs him, he just needs to think of Lord Krishna and he would instantly appear.
- After several years of rule, Dhrithirastra, Gandhari, and Kunti depart Hastinapura for the forest where they eventually die in a forest fire. Many years later, the brawl at Prabhasa leads to the unfortunate deaths of Satyaki, Kritavarma, and other members of the Vrishni clan, just as Gandhari predicted.
- Lord Krishna tells Daruka to fetch Arjuna and by the time Arjuna is able to save some of the women and children, the sea engulfs Dwaraka. Balarama departs the world shortly before as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu's serpent, Ananta Sesha. Lord Krishna finally lies down and is ready to depart the world, when a hunter mistakes him for an animal and shoots Lord Krishna in the feet.
- Hearing this news, Yudhisthira realizes it is time for the Pandavas to depart this world as well. Parikshit is appointed as the next ruler, and the Pandavas with Draupadi journey to the Himalayas. One by one they fall and die and in the end, only Yudhisthira remains with the company of a dog. Lord Indra appears to take Yudhisthira to Heaven, but Yudhisthira refuses to leave the dog alone and neglected, as it would be against his Dharma. However, the dog is none other than Lord Dharma and is happy that Yudhisthira passed this final test. Yudhisthira is then taken to Heaven where he sees his brothers, Draupadi, Karna, and even Duryodhana.
We then had a brief philosophical discussion on why Duryodhana might have attained Heaven.
Finally, there was a slide presentation on India, the Sacred Land. We reviewed the various Hindu scriptures (Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Itihasas) and the saints who had contributed to this spiritual heritage. We focused on Sri Adi Sankaracharya's contributions. We also discussed the relevance these scriptures have had on more recent Indian history, namely the independence movement and the key historical figures in this period.
Lastly, we concluded with the Shanti mantra and our mission pledge.
Pranaams!
Vijay and Krishna
