The Fifth Veda
Dullapalli Buchiramayya shastry spoke about the Mahabharata so well and with so much scholarship, as he has been specializing in its exposition for years. The Mahabharata is considered by many as not so conducive to Bhakti as the Bhagawata for instance, or as the Ramayana; but, if once you know the taste, no one will give it up or consider it as of lower value. It is called the Fifth Veda, not without reason. The Vedas reveal things that are beyond the reach of the intellect. The truths declared by the Vedas are made practicable and simple, interesting and instructive, by means of stories and homilies in the Mahabharata.
The Purva Mimamsa (analysis of Vedic statements concerning rituals) deals with the Pravritti marga (path of worldly desire) and the Uttara Mimamsa with the Nivritti marga (path of renunciation). Purva Mimamsa deals with the karanam (reason) and the Uttara Mimamsa, with the karyam (duty), which is jnanam. In the Mahabharata, both paths are fully explained. So, it is called the Fifth Veda. It is the Vedasaram (essence of Veda) itself. In Telugu there is a proverb, “If it is a question of listening, listen to Mahabharatam; if it is a question of eating, eat garilu.” That is because the Mahabharatam gives in sweet simple style all the inspiration that a man needs for this world and for the next.
Where There Is Dharma, Victory Is Assured
The Veda sadhana has four pillars on which it stands, Satya, Dharma, Shanti and Prema. They have to be practiced, experienced and their combined result, namely, Ananda has to be enjoyed. Krishna told the Pandavas that He did not know anything about the fateful dice game, which started the succession of calamities. “I was in Dwaraka at the time,” He said. Dwaraka means the citadel with the nine gates or dwaras, the Body itself. Krishna is the witness of everything; anything done without His approval or without being dedicated to Him will be a failure.
The five Pandava brothers are the five Pranas (vital energies), symbolized in story, and with the help of the Lord, they won the battle against the forces of evil. Where there is Dharma, victory is assured. The Mahabharata teaches that truth. The Pandavas had many temptations placed before them to slide back into A-dharma; but, they held on to the difficult path of Dharma and won. The status of manhood has been won after aeons of arduous struggle and to waste it in vain pursuits forgetting the Divyatvam (Divinity) which has to be manifested is indeed pitiable.
God Weighs Only The Feelings Behind Prayer
Draupadi praying in distress from the Assembly Hall of the Kauravas is an instance in point. The Mahabharata proves a number of times that the Lord answers prayers that come out of faith and agony in yearning. There was a cowherd called Maladasa who was determined to see the Lord, as He was described in the sacred texts which he had heard expounded in the village temple by a Pandit. So he prayed and prayed to the “black Lord riding on the white bird” all the time, while his cows were grazing in the fields. Eleven days passed; but, there was no sign of the “black Lord riding the white bird.”
He had forgotten to take food and drink during all those days and so, had become weak, too weak to walk or talk. At last, the Lord melted at his entreaties and presented Himself before him as an old Brahmin; but the Brahmin was neither riding a white bird, nor was he black, beautifully black, as the Pandit had described. So, he asked the Brahmin to come the next day at seven in the morning, so that he may bring the Pandit and verify whether He was the Lord Himself. The Pandit laughed at the whole affair and refused to take part in it; but Maladasa was so importunate that he agreed.
The entire village turned out on the river bank the next day, long before seven o’clock. The Brahmin was there, exactly as he had promised and Maladasa showed Him to all. But, they could not see Him! They began to laugh at the cowherd’s antics and threatened him with a severe beating for bringing them along as butts for his joke. Maladasa could see the Brahmin and gave him a whacking blow on the cheek saying, “Why don’t you show yourself to all?”
That blow changed the entire scene. Krishna appeared in resplendent robes, smiling face, captivating form and on the white bird. As the astounded villagers were recovering from the amazement, the Vimana (heavenly chariot), floated down from the sky and Krishna asked Maladasa to sit inside it. Then, with the Lord by his side Maladasa rose up and soon was out of sight.
Mahabharata Is An Inspiration For All Time
The Lord always weighs only the feeling behind the prayer to satisfy and please; the Saguna Form but something unapproachable by the senses (Indriya-ateeta), has to be offered. In this way, karma itself becomes Upasana, by the addition of dedication to the saturation point. Rati (attachment) is the seed; Bhava (feeling) is the sapling, Prema (love) is the tree; Sat-chit-ananda (Being, Awareness, Bliss) is the fruit. The Vedas have Karma, Upasana and jnana (action, devotion and knowledge) sections. The Mahabharata teaches all three and so, for the Vedavriksha (Veda tree), the Bharata can be said to be the fruit.
You have heard that the Lord comes down when Dharmaglani (the decline of Dharma) happens; well, Vedaglani (the decline of the Vedas) is equivalent to the decline of Dharma, for Veda is the very root of Dharma. There are five treasures which the good always try to guard, and which you should endeavor to foster—the Cow, the Brahmin, the Vedas, the shastras, and Chastity. If these are lost, then, life is lost; everything that adds value to life is lost.
You Are Your Own Foe And Friend
Where there is Dharma, there Krishna is; so think for yourself, each one of you! How far have you deserved the Grace of the Lord? You draw Him near; you keep Him far. You entangle yourself, bind yourself, and get caught in the trap. No one is your foe except yourself. No one else is your friend; you are your only friend. The Guru shows you the road; you have to trudge alone, without fear or hesitation.
The Mahabharata clearly explains the bunds which Sanatana Dharma has constructed to direct the wild floods of the senses and the emotions, into the sea, without harming the banks. Brahmacharya (student celibate), Grihastha (householder), Vanaprastha (recluse in the forest), Sanyasa (ascetic)—these stages of life with the restrictions and regulations prescribed for each are such bunds to guard the individual and society from the upsurge of the beast in man. Even today, the Mahabharata can be of great help; it is an inspiration for all time, for all humanity. The battle between Dharmakshetra (the camp of virtue-bound noble Pandavas) and Kurukshetra (the camp of the egoistic wicked Kauravas) is ever on and however strong the Kurukshetra might appear to be, even if it has the Yadavas on its side, so long as the Lord is the charioteer, victory is certain for the champions of Dharma. Even now, when the Chinese are pressing on the frontier, the best armor for the country is Dharma, which will win the Grace of God. What is not possible for the people who have won that?
Prasanthi Nilayam, 23-4-1963