What qualities made Krishna deserving of the highest honor at the Rajasuya Yagna, according to Bhishma's response?

 Bhishma listed the many qualities of Lord Krishna- both human and divine.

Bhishma describes the qualities of Hari

Bhishma said: "Krsna is the oldest in the worlds. He who does not accept the homage shown to him, deserves neither kind words, nor conciliation. A ksatriya who is supreme among warriors and having defeated a ksatriya in battle, sets him free from captivity, becomes his preceptor. In this assembly of kings, I do not see a lord of the earth who has not been defeated in battle through Satvata's energy.

Many bulls among kshatriyas have been defeated by Krsna in battle. The entire universe and everything are established in Varsneya. Therefore, though there are elders here, we show homage to Krsna and no one else. You should not speak as you did. Your thoughts should not be of that kind.

He is the source of all happiness on earth, all the honest of the earth honour him. We offered him the homage because we knew of his fame, valour and victories. There is no one here, however young, who has not been examined. Passing over many who possess qualities and age, we chose Hari as the most deserving of honour.

He is the oldest among brahmanas in knowledge and among kshatriyas, he is the greatest in strength. Both these are firm grounds for Govinda to be worshipped. He is learned in the Vedas and Vedangas and has infinite strength. Is there anyone else in the world of men who is as distinguished as Kesava?

In Acyuta can always be found generosity, dexterity, learning, valour, modesty, deeds, supreme intelligence, humility, beauty, steadfastness, satisfaction and prosperity. Therefore, he has every quality. He is the teacher, father and preceptor. He is fit to be honoured and worthy of worship. Hrishikesha is the officiating priest, the preceptor, the bridegroom, the snātaka, the king and the friend. Therefore, Acyuta has been shown the homage.

The worlds owe their origin to Krsna and in him are they dissolved. It is in Krsna that all the beings of this universe are established. He is passive nature, he is the active doer and he is eternal. He is supreme among all beings and it is for this reason that Acyuta is the eldest. Intelligence, mind, greatness, wind, energy, water, sky, earth and the four kinds of beings—are all established in Krsna.

The sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the directions and the intermediate directions—are all established in Krsna. Since he does not know that Krsna is always everywhere, this Shishupala is only a child and utters these words.

• 35, Argabhiharana parva, Mahabharata.

Who was Kubja, and how did Krishna liberate her from her sins?

Kubja was a servant girl of Kans with the name Anekavakra/Trivakra. Her face was very beautiful but her body was deformed with a noticeable hunchback. In Brahmavaivarta purana she was an old , deformed lady walking with a stick.

When Shri Krishna and Balarama entered Mathura, they met Kubja and Krishna sweetly asked about her and she told them her name and told that she used to apply fragrant pastes on Kans’ body and he liked her pastes only. She offered fragrant paste to Krishna and Balarama. Krishna touched her with his two fingers on her child and made her straight and she became very beautiful and her body became straight. She was overwhelmed and invited them to her home to host them but Krishna declined the offer politely and after sweetly talking to her and telling her that they would eventually come, she left and Krishna and Balarama laughed.

In Brahmavaivarta purana, Kubja was Surpanakha reborn as she in previous life did Tapasya to get Shri Ram as her husband. Brahma denied Surpanakha her wish but he told her in next life she would become his wife and then as Kubja, she became one of the wives of Shri Krishna but this story is not in Bhagvat Purana.

Why did Mirabai choose Krishna as her divine lover even when she was married to King Bhoj?

 Actually, if you see, Meerabai didn’t choose Krishna as Her lover after She married King Bhojraj. In Her life history, it is stated that during Her childhood, She saw a marriage procession from Her palace going on. She, out of curiosity, asked Her mother, “Who will be my bridegroom?” Her mother said, ‘Lord Krishna Himself will be your bridegroom.” From then on, She considered Krishna as Her husband and not just lover.

She Herself, in Her keertanas, answers this question as to why She chose Krishna over King Bhojraj. She says:

Raane var raa kai paraniju janam janam mar jaaye
Var Paranijo Saanvaro mhaaro amar chudo hoi jaaye…

which means “Why should I marry Raanaa (Raanaa Bhojraj)? He is a human being; hence he will die one day or the other. After that She would be a widow. But then, if She marries Lord Krishna (Saanvaro), then She would be Nityasumangali (ever-married to Krishna) or Nityasuhaagini since Krishna is eternal and blemishless.”

She specially worshipped Giridhar Gopal, which is the roopa of Krishna when He lifted the Govardhana Parvata. Traditional biographies of Mirabai narrate that She was an incarnation of Madhavi named Gopika stree. She was married to Krishna’s friend Sridama. Her mother while the time of vidaai, had said, “There is a cowherd boy in Vrindavan by the name Krishna. Stay away from Him because He is very, very attractive. If you even see Him once, you will be attracted to Him and will forget your own husband. Therefore, even if He asks you to show your face, don’t show Him your face.” And thus, obeying her mother, Madhavi came to Vrindavan after marrying Sridama.

Krishna saw Sridama and asked Madhavi to show her face once. But She didn’t show Her face to Krishna. But then, when the Govardhana Uddharana (lifting of Govardhana Parvata) took place, all the Vrindavana-vaasis had come there under the Govardhana Parvata. Krishna had lifted it on His little finger. Maadhavi Gopi too had come there, but then She couldn’t see Krishna. Krishna was blurred to Her. Since She had refused to show Her face to Krishna, now Krishna was blurred to Her. She yearned to see Krishna. Krishna then said, “You will be born in Kaliyuga as Meera. There you would worship this form of mine by the name Giridhar Gopal, and then you would get my darshan.”

As per Krishna’s words, that Madhavi Gopika stree was born as Mirabai in the Rajput family in Rajasthan. Though She wasn’t willing to marry, She was married to the Raanaa Bhojaraja of the Sisodia dynasty in Mewar. But Raanaa Bhojaraja was very supportive and used to support Her with Her Krishna Bhakti. He never came in between Her and Her Krishna Bhakti and enjoyed Her keertanas. Throughout Her life, She considered Herself as Krishna’s wife only.

But the other family members, especially Raanaa Vikramaaditya Singh (brother of Raanaa Bhojaraja), after the death of Raanaa Bhojaraja in the battle against the Mughals, tortured Meerabai a lot and even tried to poison Her. But nothing affected Her. She finally went to Vrindavan and stayed there. After that, She came to Dwaraka. And at the end, at Dwaraka, She merged inside the idol of Krishna. She Herself didn’t become Krishna, but She attained Krishna and went to His eternal Vaikuntha Dhaama.

Another story is in Her life history. It so happened that, before Her marriage to Raanaa Bhojaraja, in Her dream itself, Krishna appeared and married Her, as per Her wish. After that, She was physically married to Raanaa Bhojaraja, but was actually married to Krishna only.

[SriGirdhar Gopal (SriKrishna Paramatma) with Srimati Radharaniji (on left side of Krishna) and Meerabai (on right side of Krishna), worshipped by SriMeerabai, currently in Vrindavan]

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriGiridhar Gopala Abhinna ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

In Shaktism, how are Krishna and Devi Lalita Tripurasundari related or viewed as a unified reality?

 Kin shaktism,lalita devi that is srimad maha tripura sundari is ths ultimatum she herself is shiv shaktiroopini and krishmna is her form it is noyt unified secondly ,

In tantraj tantra ,lalita tripura sundari assumed 6 gopalas to enchant the world,

1. Siddha gopala
2. Kamraja gopala
3. Manmatha gopala
4. Kandarpa gopala
5. Makarketana gopala
6. Manobhava gopala

These gopala are essence of lalita ambika ,which she holds in the fower of five flower arrow.

Lalita tripura sundari and krishna are siblings in lalitaopakhyanam,it was adhi kesava who did kanyadananav for lalitambika's marrige with shiva in the form of madhana kameshwara.

In madhurai,it is said lord ram is the form of agoddess meenakshi and lord shiv sundereshwar is shiv,

The gopala sundari is aform of bhuvaneshwari who took in the form of krishna to enchant gopika and radha ,tthe devi bhagwatam thus describe in the canto 9.

So they twins,,siblings and shares same essence and tattva.

jai Amba parameshwari 🙏🙏🙏

Which Mahabharata character knew Krishna's true identity first?

 

Bhishma knew Krishna’s identity much earlier than anyone else.

In Sabha parva he elaborately explained why Krishna should be the one to take first worship.

Hrishikesha is the officiating priest, the preceptor, the bridegroom, ^ the snataka, the king and the friend. Therefore, Achyuta has been shown the homage. The worlds owe their origin to Krishna and in him are they dissolved. It is in Krishna that all the beings of this universe are established. He is passive nature, he is the active doer and he is eternal. He is supreme among all beings and it is for this reason that Achyuta is the eldest. Intelligence, mind, greatness, wind, energy, water, sky, earth and the four kinds of beings^ — are all established in Krishna. The sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the directions and the intermediate directions — are all established in Krishna.

Ch 35 Sabha parva Bori critical Edition

Bhishma also knew the Nara Narayana origin of Krishna and Arjuna through Narada.

the same way, Narayana killed many others in that battle. Behold! These two immensely valorous ones have arrived as the maharatha warriors Vasudeva and Arjuna. It is said that they are the ancient gods Nara and Narayana. They are invincible in the world of men, and even against Indra, the gods and the asuras. It is said that Narayana is Krishna and Phalguna 5 " is Nara. Narayana and Nara are one being, but have been divided into two. They have earned eternal and indestructible worlds because of their deeds. When the time for war has arrived, they are repeatedly born there and here. This is the task that they have to perform. That is what Narada, knowledgeable about the Vedas, told the assembled circle of the Vrishnis.

Ch 48 Udyoga parva Bori critical Edition

Bhishma took permission from Krishna to leave the body.

“O illustrious one! O god of the gods! O one who is worshipped by the gods and the asuras! O Trivikrama! O wielder of the conch shell, chakra and the club! I bow down before you. O Krishna! O Vaikuntha! O Purushottama! Grant me permission. Protect the Pandaveyas. They are devoted to you.

Ch 153 Anusasana parva Bori critical Edition

After him I think Kunti and Yudhishtir got to know Krishna’s reality.

Kunti said to Krishna

O Krishna! I know about the influence of your truth and your noble birth, and the intelligence and valour that you display in establishing your friends. In our lineage, you are dharma, you are truth and you are the greatness of austerities. You are the saviour. You are the great brahman. Everything is established in you. Everything will be as you say. Truth is established in you.” Govinda took his leave of her and circumambulated her. The mighty-armed one left for Duryodhana’s residence.’

Ch 88 Udyoga parva Bori critical Edition

Kunti prayed to Krishna to revive stillborn Parikshit. She knew he is all powerful supreme god.

Yudhishtira knew Krishna’s identity but so did other Pandavas including Draupadi.

Arjuna’s praise of Krishna in Vana parva proves the point. Same with Draupadi who acknowledged his omnipresence through her prayer.

So Bhishma leads the list in this regard.

Why didn't Krishna save other sons of Pandavas but only Parikshit, the son of Prince Abhimanyu?

 Well, there are multiple reasons for the same. Let me list them all. However, before we do that it is important for us to understand who is Parikshit.

Parikshit is the posthumous son of Abhimanyu, the legendary Pandava Prince who died fighting in the war. Parikshit was one of the greatest kings of India who helped rebuild the country after the Kurukshetra war. It is said that until he was alive, Kalyuga did not even think about entering Hastinapur.

Yet there are multiple questions that arise related to this man. Firstly, why was he made the king despite the fact that Yudhistra had a son from his first wife Devika named Yaudheya who survived the war? If Shree Krishna could revive Parikshit then why couldn't he revive the Upapandavas? Why was Parikshit preferred over Vrishketu son of Karna? Let's answer these questions one by one.

Why didn't Shree Krishna save the five sons of Draupadi?

King Harishchandra lived in the Satya Yuga. He was an honest, noble, and just king. His subjects enjoyed prosperity and peace. He had a queen named Shaivya (also called Taramati) and a son named Rohitashva. Once, while on a hunting expedition, he heard the cries of a woman asking for help. Armed with a bow and arrow, he went in the direction of the sound. The sound was an illusion created by Vighnaraja, the lord of the obstacles. Vighnaraja was trying to disturb the Tapasya (meditation) of the sage Vishvamitra. When he saw Harishchandra, he entered the king's body and started abusing Vishwamitra. This disturbed Vishwamitra's Tapasya and destroyed all the knowledge that the sage had acquired during this Tapasya.

When Harishchandra came to his senses, he realized that the sage was extremely angry with him, and apologized. He promised to fulfill any of the sage's desires to get rid of his guilt. Vishwamitra demanded Dakshina (donation) for the Rajasuya Yagya The king asked him what he wanted in payment. In response, Vishwamitra said "Give me all that you have except yourself, your wife and your child." Harishchandra agreed to the demand. He let go of all his possessions – even his clothes. As he readied to leave his palace with his family, Vishwamitra demanded another donation. Harishchandra said that he did not have any possession left, but promised to make another donation within a month.

Harishchandra started living in penury with his wife and his family. His loyal subjects followed him. When Vishwamitra saw the king with his subjects, he started cursing Harishchandra for taking along his subjects (who were a part of the kingdom donated to the sage). The king then decided to leave the kingdom with his family. To make them go away sooner, Vishwamitra started beating the queen with a stick. When the five guardians of the directions saw this, they condemned Vishwamitra. The sage cursed them to take birth as human beings. These guardian deities were born as the sons of the Pandavas and Draupadi.

Everyone knows the story of how Harishchandra regained his kingdom, but that is not our focus today. As noted above, since the Upapandavas were cursed celestial beings, they could not stay on Earth for a long time. Hence they were not saved by Shree Krishna.

Why was Parikshit preferred over Yudhistra’s children?

An interesting thing aspect of the Kuru tribe often missing from the popular narrative is their regard for capability above primogeniture. There are various instances in the epic where Abhimanyu is considered the heir to Yudhistra during his lifetime ( the most notable instance being Satyaki’s proposal to install Abhimanyu on the throne and lead an army of Yadavas to destroy the Kaurvas right after the dyut sabha). There is no doubt that Abhimanyu was the most towering prince of his generation.

He is described as having the qualities of all 5 Pandavas ( equal to Yudhistra in firmness, Bhima in fearlessness, Arjuna in skill and prowess, Nakula and Sahadeva in humility), and thus he had a claim to the throne by virtue of capability. Besides, there are multiple instances in the epic where we see Abhimanyu displaying a commanding personality. All these factors put together sealed Abhimayu’s status as heir apparent to the throne

So Parikshit already had the advantage of being the son of the previous heir to the throne. Yes he would have been liable to lose this status if he wasn’t the most capable person to hold the throne, but this was not the case. Parikshit was a worthy heir too Yudhistra in pretty much all regards.

The secret behind Abhimanyu’s boon

We all know about the story of this great warrior but not everyone knows that he was an incarnation of Varchasa the son of Chandra. During the Mahabharat period, most Devtas were asked to either incarnate themselves or have their sons incarnate. It wasn't practically possible for the moon to leave its abode and hence, his son had to incarnate. However, Chandra Dev was really attached to his son and was reluctant to let him go. After much persuasion from the other Devas, he allowed Varchasa to incarnate under the following conditions:

• He would only live for 16 years.
• His bravery on his last day on Earth would give him eternal glory.
• After Varchasa , his son would succeed to the throne of Hastinapura.

So Parikshit was literally destined to be king! It was a precondition of the entire Mahabharata

To add on top of all of this he was related to Shree Krishna and was accepted by most of the subjects. Hence Shree Krishna saved Parikshit and not the Upapandavas. Parikshit would be the most accepted and also most capable among all the descendants of the Pandavas. Parikshit along with his son Janmejaya together rebuilt the country after the Kurukshetra war.

Jai Shree Krishna

Har Har Mahadev.

Who is Yashoda? Did she know that Krishna was God?

 Yaśodā is the eternal mother of the God unborn. When confronted with the extraordinary greatness of her son, Mother Yaśodā reasons as follows:

asmad-abhīṣṭa-daivatenāvayor vrata-niyama-santata-pūjanādibhiḥ santuṣṭena parjanyābhidhāna-madīya-śvaśura-kṛta-niravadya-bahu-tapaḥ-santoṣitena śrī-nārāyaṇena kṛpayā datto lokottaraḥ putro’yaṁ yat karmi-prabhṛtibhis trayyādi-pratipādyatvena stūyate

By the mercy of our most worshipable Lord (īṣṭa-deva), Śrī Nārāyaṇa, who was pleased by the constant vows, observances, and worship performed by Nanda and me, and also by the faultless and abundant austerities performed by my father-in-law, Parjanya, we have been blessed with this extraordinary son. The ritualists (karma-kāṇḍīs) and others praise my son as the very goal taught by the Vedas and other scriptures.

yatra khalu nārāyaṇa-samo guṇaiḥ iti sarvatra gargeṇa gīyatayā nārāyaṇa-sāmya-prathayā anya-duṣkara-pūtanādi-vadhānām etat-kartṛkatva-prathayā cāyam eva nārāyaṇa iti teṣāṁ viśvāsa eva hetuḥ |

Because Garga Muni proclaimed that He possesses qualities equal to those of Bhagavan Nārāyaṇa, and because He has become renowned for accomplishing otherwise impossible feats such as the slaying of Pūtanā and other demons, people believe, 'He is Nārāyaṇa Himself.' But that is merely their belief.

vastutas tu ayaṁ mat-putra eva | māṁ mātaraṁ kṣaṇam apy adṛṣṭvā vikalībhavati | ahaṁ cainaṁ sva-nimeṣa-vyavahitaṁ jñātvā vihvalībhavāmi | ity avayor janya-jananyor anubhava evātra pramāṇam iti manasi sā samādhatte |

In truth, He is simply my son. If He does not see me, His mother, even for a moment, He becomes anxious; and if I do not see Him even for the time of a blink, I too become overwhelmed with distress. In this regard, our own direct experience as mother and son is the only valid pramāṇa.

—Sārārtha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam [10.8.45]

In this way, Mother Yaśodā's mind remains firmly fixed in this conviction.

Why did Shri Krishna become the king of Dwarka even if Dau Balram was older than him?

 A Vaishnava-based answer ahead…

Actually, if you see SriKrishna never became the king of Dwaraka. Plus, Lord Balarama, too, didn’t become the king of Dwaraka. It was Ugrasena, the father of Kamsa, who became the king. No descendant of Yadu became the sovereign ruler of the ancestral kingdom because of Yayati's curse. Even in Mathura and Dwaraka, Krishna restored Ugrasena instead of assuming the throne. The Srimad Bhagavatam and the Mahabharata both describe the following incident:

CURSE OF KING YAYATI TO YADU

1. STORY OF DEVAYAANI AND YAYATI:

In the story of Chandravamsha, there came a king named Yayati. Once, he had gone to the forest, and then he found a girl fallen into a dry well. She was none other than Devayaani, the daughter of Shukracharya. It so happened that Devayaani had come with Sharmistha, the daughter of demon king Vrushaparva, for a bath. At that time, what happened is, wind blew their clothes into a pile. After bathing, accidentally, Devayaani wore Sharmishtha’s clothes. This enraged Sharmishtha, and she said, “How dare you wear my clothes? You and your father both are servants to my father; in that case, how can you wear my clothes?” and hence removed her clothes and threw Devayaani in the dry well.

But as Yayati took her out, she fell in love with him and proposed to him to marry her. But initially, Yayati disagreed and went away. Plus, Devayaani had a curse from Kacha, the son of Bruhaspatyacharya (guru of the devatas), that no brahmin would marry her. Therefore, she proposed to Yayati to marry her. Devayaani was very much angry at the behavior of Sharmistha and swore revenge against Sharmistha. Shukracharya approached Devayaani, and she narrated the whole incident. Shukracharya went to King Vrushaparva and warned him that they would leave his kingdom forever. Frightened by this, King Vrushaparva asked forgiveness from both Shukracharya and Devayaani, and in return Devayaani asked Sharmishtha to be her maid with her 100 maids. As per her demand, Sharmishtha became her maid along with her 100 maids. Shukracharya requested King Yayati to marry Devayaani, and Yayati agreed to it and married her. They lived a nice life.

2. THE SECRET MARRIAGE:

But King Yayati was attracted to Sharmishtha, who was now the maid of Devayaani. So, once in secret, Yayati approached Sharmishtha with a marriage proposal. Sharmishtha initially disagreed but then agreed, and they got married in a forest. Devayaani didn’t know any of this. Devayaani had two sons, namely Yadu and Turvasu. Whereas here, Sharmishtha too had 3 sons, namely Druhyu, Anu, and Puru. Now, once Yayati and Devayaani were roaming in the forest, the kids of Sharmishtha came and called Yayati ‘father’.

3. CURSE OF SHUKRACHARYA:

This made Devayaani doubt Yayati as to why these kids were calling him father. As she got to know the truth that Yayati married Sharmishtha in secret, she went to Shukracharya and complained to him about Yayati. Enraged by this, Shukracharya cursed Yayati to obtain old age.

Shukracharya said, “If someone agrees to take your old age, then you can transfer the old age to them and can even receive the old age back if you want.” At this, Yayati approached five of his sons - Yadu, Turvasu, Druhyu, Anu, and Puru, asking whether they would accept his old age. Yadu denied taking the old age; therefore, Yayati cursed Yadu that his descendants would never rule the kingdom. The same happened with Turvasu, Druhyu, and Anu.

Finally, the youngest son, Puru, agreed to accept old age, and hence, Yayati blessed him and said that his descendants would rule the kingdom in the future. Thus, his old age was transferred to Puru, and Yayati took his young age and enjoyed his life with Sharmishtha and Devayaani and then re-transfered the young age to Puru and took away the old age back and went to forest for meditating of Lord Srihari with his wives and finally reached Srihari’s Supreme abode.

WHY DIDN’T KRISHNA OR BALARAMA BECOME THE KING?

So, in this story, Yadu, the son of Yayati, was cursed by Yayati; that's why none of his descendants could rule the kingdom. Krishna too appeared in Yaduvamsha; that’s why He too respected Yayati’s curse and didn’t rule Dwaraka, but made Ugrasena rule Dwaraka in a dharmic way. After killing Kamsa, Krishna didn’t become king but became a kingmaker. Wherever He went, He made kings. He went to Mathura, killed Kamsa, and made Ugrasena the king. He went to Magadha, made Bheemasena kill Jarasandha, and made his son Sahadeva the king. He went to Pragjyotishpura and killed Narakasura and made Bhagadatta the king. After making the Pandavas win the Mahabharata, Krishna made Yudhishthira the king. Like this, He killed the unrighteous king and made the righteous people the king.

Thus, Krishna’s main role was not being the king; Krishna didn’t have any desire to become the king. His main aim was to re-establish the Dharma, which is evident from the Bhagavad Gita itself when He says, “Dharmasamsthaapanaarthaya sambhavaami yuge yuge”. In His Ramavatara, He killed Ravana and became the king of Ayodhya and ruled it for about 11,000 years. But in Krishnavatara, the same Rama Himself became the kingmaker, rather than the king. Though Krishna is unaffected by any curse, because He is the Supreme Lord Vishnu Himself, He respected the curse of Yayati. Yet He is known as Dwarakadheesha. As the Ishavasya Upanishad says, ‘Ishavasyamidam sarvam, ’ everything belongs to Krishna. Krishna is Jagannatha Himself: the Lord of the entire universe. If the whole universe belongs to Him, then how can Dwaraka be excluded? Therefore, Krishna is the true king of Dwaraka, though Ugrasena occupied the royal throne and ruled under SriKrishna's guidance.

Therefore, He is the true Dwarakadheesha. Jay Jay Dwarakadheesha SriBhaishmi-Bhama-Vallabha SriKrishna Paramatma!!!🙏🙏😊✨

Hope this helps!
Jay SriRam!
ShriKrishnarpanamastu!

What is the hidden meaning behind Krishna wearing a peacock feather on his crown?

 

" Sikhandi " is a magnificent name found in the *Vishnu Sahasranama*. Adi Shankara interpreted this name to mean "one who wears a peacock feather."

Since Krishna is a complete incarnation of Vishnu, sages perceived Krishna as “ Sikhandi “ as well.

" yatra yOgESvarah KrishnO ….." — Krishna is “ yOgESvara “, the Lord of Yoga.

The *Krishna Upanishad* reveals that the sound of the divine flute is heard when the time for liberation arrives.

Similarly, Patanjali said in his yOgasAstra:

" brahma-randhrO gatO nAdO mayUrO nAda uchyatE “ — this is a verse from Patanjali's Yoga Shastra. When practitioners, while engaged in yoga, guide the vital breath (*prana*) from the *Muladhara* (root chakra) up through the *Sushumna* nadi—surpassing the *Ajna Chakra* and reaching the *Sahasrara*—they hear a wondrous sound. Patanjali describes this sound as resembling the call of a peacock (*mayura*).

This indicated that for those practicing yoga, hearing the call of a peacock signifies the completion of their spiritual practice.

Krishna is the one who can transform a spiritual aspirant into a *Yogi*. Because there is a connection between the practice of yoga and the call of the peacock, our sages envisioned Krishna wearing a peacock feather.

Subhamastu

Why did Lord Krishna not save Draupadi's five sons when he had the power?

 Because their time was up. Krishna wouldn't save someone just because they are related to the Pandavas.

Krishna is impartial. He won't save someone just because they were Draupadi's children

I am equally disposed to all living beings; I am neither inimical nor partial to anyone. But the devotees who worship Me with love reside in Me and I reside in them.

• Gita 9.29.

The lifespan of the Upapandavas was up as stated by Lord Shiva

I have protected the Panchalas and have shown him honour. However, they have been overtaken by destiny and can no longer remain alive now."

• 7, Sauptika parva, Mahabharata.

Krishna himself was the all powerful kala that destroyed both the armies in Kurukshetra

All those who have fallen on the field of battle have really been slain by Time. Verily, all of us have been slain by Time. Time is, indeed, all-powerful. You are fully conversant with the puissance of Time. Afflicted by Time, it does not behove you to grieve. Know that Krishna Himself, otherwise called Hari, is that Time with blood-red eyes and with club in hand. For these reasons, O son of Kunti, it does not behove you to grieve for your (slain) kinsfolk.

• Section CXLVIII, Anusasanika parva, Mahabharata.

Markandeya Purana narrates how Draupadi's sons were cursed Visvedevas and were thus destined to die young without marriage and sons

Having heard this their remark, the sage of the Kaushika race, exceedingly enraged, cursed them—“Ye shall all assume human form!” And propitiated by them, the great Muni added, “Although in human form, ye shall have no offspring. There shall be neither marriage of wives for you, nor hostility: freed from love and anger ye shall become gods again.” Thereupon those gods descended to the mansion of the Kurus with their own portions; they were born of the womb of Draupadi as the five grandchildren of Pandu. Hence the five heroic Pandaveyas did not take to themselves wives, through the curse of that great Muni.

• Canto VII, Markandeya Purana.

The destruction of Panchalas and Upapandavas were part of the Bhubharaharana or reducing the burden of earth. First Krishna destroyed the Kaurava army, then he destroyed the Pandava army and finally he destroyed the Yadavas.