|| Srimad Bhagavath
Mahapuran||
|| Om Namo Bhagavathe
Vasudevaya||
Chapter – 12 – The
piousness of Thousand and eight sacred names of Lord Vishnu/Vishnu Sahasranama
The glorious thousand and
eight names of Lord Vishnu was described by Bhishma Pithamaha while the
illustrious Sages and Rishis such as Vashishta, Chyavana, Veda Vyasa, Maharishi
Narada, Kapila was surrounded by him.
The five Pandavas performed all the final rites of Bhishma Pithamaha,
all were assembled in a place, Krishna asked “ Oh! Yudhishtira, are you
satisfied with the clarifications given on your queries about the Dharmic rites?” Yudhistira answered, “ Prabho, I have
thoroughly understood the importance of Dharmic rites, therefore I am going to
contemplate upon the thousand and eight names of Lord Vishnu.” Krishna said
“Have you noted them down while Bhishma Pithamaha was reciting the same? How are you
going to retrieve those which was already spoken and has immersed as ‘sounds’
in the atmosphere?”. Yudhistira revealed his helplessness. Nakula had undergone extreme Tapasya contemplating
upon Lord Shiva, while they were living in disguise and received a crystal
prayer bead as a boon from Lord Mahadeva. Krishna
instructed him to perform ablations and bring the crystal prayer bead,
naturally, it has the capacity to ignite brilliance while the bead crushes
each other, and the crystal beads produced all those sounds of glorious thousand and eight names of Lord Vishnu which was recited by Bhishma Pithamaha while on the bed of arrows.
Thus once again, Pandava restored the glorious thousand and eight names
of Lord Vishnu which was recited by Bhishma Pithamaha that could bring an abundance of piousness, also removes the distress, sorrow, grief, bad luck, all
kinds of illnesses, extreme fear, and anxieties, fear of death, poverty, etc…
Several years have passed,
one-day Yudhishtira instructed Arjuna to go to Dwaraka to enquire welfare of Lord Krishna and the Yadhu clan. After a
couple of years, Arjuna returned to Hasthinapur, he saw Pareekshith has
become a young man. In the meanwhile Yudhishtira could observe inauspicious
signs in the Hasthinapur, he started worrying about the people and their
welfare. The seasons are disturbed,
there is no enough rain, cows refused to give milk, people have become
deceitful and wicked, and no one is interested in performing any religious or
spiritual deeds. Yudhistira met Arjun
who was returned from Dwaraka, he was completely distraught, and his luster has
disappeared from the face and he was limping.
Yudhishthira worriedly enquired “ Arjuna, what happened to your luster? Have
you committed any sin? What’s the reason for your gloominess? Kindly share it with
me.” Arjuna with uncontrollable tears, voices were cracking with intense
grief replied “Oh! Dear brother, that Krishna with whose grace we have lived a
glorious life, who is the basis of our life and devotion, won over the battle of
Kurukshetra, caused the annihilation of his own clan, and put an end to his
amusements and returned to his celestial abode. I have seen the city of Dwaraka
submerged underwater, I have been followed by a few of his subjects to
Hastinapura. I have no
Gandeeva/powerful bow or strength in me to fight against the thieves who
attacked in the dense woods, I am brutally wounded.”
Devi Kunthi heard the tragic news of the departure of Lord Krishna, she
could not control her grief, returned to her chamber contemplated upon the
Supreme Lord and left her mortal coil.
It was the beginning of
Kali era, Yudhishtira announced that he is no more interested in kingly duties and decided to pursue Vanaprastha living in woods and continue spiritual and
religious rites, therefore he desired to proclaim Pareekshith as the King of
Hastinapura. The five Pandavas and
Draupadi moved to woods in pursuit of ‘Swargarohan’/ heading to the abode of
deities.
