The Mahabharata Mahagatha is an inspiration and more motivators are, small episodes of this great saga. Whatever reasons behind celebrating our fast-festivals and celebrations, their roots are found somewhere from Mahabharata. In this story, there is also a mention of the great Guru-Shishya tradition of India. This story is found in the beginning of Mahabharata. Once upon a time. Many sages gathered for the yagna in the ashram of sage Shaunak in Naimisharanya pilgrimage. One day, in the spare time, all the sage Puranas were discussing that during this time the sage Ugrashrava came to the ashram. Ugrashrava sages were famous for telling strange stories. At the behest of the sages, Rishi Ugrashrava started narrating the story of Mahabharata to all of them and also told that he is coming to hear this story in the snake yagna of King Janmejaya. Rishi Vaishampayan told this story to him after seeing the mourning of King Janmejaya.
This story was composed by Maharishi Ved Vyas himself and Lord Ganesha became its author on his request. Knowing how the Mahabharata was written, now the sages now asked the sage Ugrashrava to the next question- O sage Ugrashrava, why did you go to the kingdom of King Janamejaya? What was happening there and why did Vaishampayan Rishi tell him this divine story of Mahabharata? You tell us this secret completely. The sage Ugrashrava said- all of you sages have asked a very good question. King Janmejaya is the son of King Parikshit. King Parikshit died of snakebite. King Janmejaya was very sad and mourned with this premature death. In this mourning, he decided to do something that was not good for humanity. I will tell you this story in detail later, but listen so much now that to reduce this mourning of King Janmejaya, Rishi Vaishampayan told him the story of Mahabharata in front of Maharishi Ved Vyas. During this story, he also described Guru Mahima. Now I tell you the story of Guru Mahima included in the Adiparva of Mahabharata.
Staying silently for some time, the sage Ugrashrava started speaking. ‘Tasmai Sri Guruwai Namah.’ The Indian Ved tradition has given the Guru the title of Parbrahma. This is because the Guru is a creator who after seeing a qualified disciple creates it. This task is exactly the same as Brahma Dev with four faces, keeping equal sight in every way, creates the world.
Due to this similarity of work, the title of Guru has been kept as Brahm. In front of this title, Tridev himself has been bowing down. In ancient times, students from far and wide used to come to study Ved-Vedang in the Gurukul of sage Dhaumya. Aruni and Upamanyu were among them. Both great gurus. However, it could not be proved that there is so much reverence in his Gurubhakti. One day Maharishi Dhaumya ordered his disciple Upamanyu to graze the cow and it joined his every day’s works.
After some time, the Guru called him and said, “Hey Upamanyu, you are very upset.” How do you manage food grazing food? Upamanyu said- Gurudev. Gurukripa gets begging. Rishi Dhaumya said- Oh no, you should not eat any begging without giving me. Upamanyu obeyed him. A few weeks later, the Guru asked again, how do you manage the food? Upamanyu said that the first begging gives you the demand and eats begging for the second time. The Guru said-this is injustice. You are luring part of other Brahmins. You should not do this. Upamanyu also accepted this.
A few days later, the Guru again asked about the food arrangement, then Upamanyu talked about drinking cow’s milk, but the Guru refused to tell that milk as part of the calf. Upamanyu agreed. Some days passed like this.
On the other hand, there was a disciple of Guru Dhaumya and Aruni. One evening Aruni was thinking that Gurudev gave all the orders to Upamanyu, did not give me the opportunity to serve. The rainy season was about to pass at this time and there was a sign of winning the winter season. In the evening, clouds clouded and it started raining shortly after. In this way, the Guru ordered the rams of Aruni farm. Here Aruni went to the fields and was tying cows in Upamanyu Gaushala. He had become weak now. Today, Guru Dhaumya saw him and then asked him how son Upamanyu managed food? Upamanyu said- After drinking the milk of cows, I drink the fan that is put in the mouth of the calves.
Guru Dhaumya scolded and said- How can you drink part of the calf? This is not for you. Saying this, the Guru went away. Now Upamanyu would have been hungry for the day. One day he walked towards the forest and he thought of eradicating hunger by eating some plants of leaves on the road, but did not get hungry. Here the rain started intensifying. The Guru’s disciple Aruni used to put the soil on the ridge, the water would take him away. The night deepened in this work, but the rain continued continuously.
Here, distraught by hunger, Upamanyu was wandering for food in rain. There were plants of Aak (Madar) on the route. By experiencing wide leaves, he tried to eat them, but could not see in the dark that they are madar plants. As soon as he broke the leaf with a jerk, his milk sprinkled and went into the eyes and Upamanyu became blind. Here Aruni was tired of constantly tying the ridge. He wondered why he would not lie on the ridge himself. And thus Aruni lay on the ridge of the field. The cold wind kept getting wet due to rain. On the other hand, due to not being able to see Upamu, he fell into a well. There was a huge crisis for both the disciples throughout the night. But he did not bother with his Guru’s command.
The next day, after not finding both the disciples in the ashram, the Dhaumya sage saw his position with a divine point of view and got moved. With the help of other disciples, he raised both the Kumaras from his crisis.
First he went towards the fields. There he gave voice to Aruni. Hearing the voice of the Guru, Aruni tried to get up but in this affair, the rings were broken again. Then the Guru said, you have stood up by breaking the ridge (lying), so from today your name will be Uddalak. You will get all the knowledge of the Vedas and you will also be able to know the secret for which the sages have to do harsh penance. Your body remained healthy for a hundred years. After receiving this boon from Acharya, Aruni became healthy and started to spread knowledge.
Now Gurudev discovered another disciple Upamanyu. He found him fall in a well in a forest. The Guru brought him out and then said that you call Ashwani Kumar to fix your situation and become healthy. Upamanyu then called Ashwani Kumar from the Vedas. Ashwani Kumar appeared in his hand with a poo made of divine grains. He was immersed in Amrit Sudha. He said- Gurubhakta Upamanyu, take this pua, you will make you healthy.
Then Upamanyu said- I cannot eat anything without offering my guru. Ashwani Kumar said- this is only for you and not for anyone. Once earlier, when your Guru praised us, we had given him this pua, but he immediately eaten that pua as offerings. You had not offered bhog to your guru, so you eat it without hesitation.
Upamanyu listened to Ashwani Kumar and said- maybe you may be fine, but still I cannot eat it. Due to Upamanyu being firm on his resolve, Ashwani Kumar corrected him in the same way and made his teeth of gold (ie, very strong. Gold tooth could be a metaphor, it means that Upamanyu will always be healthy and young) Then he called Guru Dhaumya and praised Upamanyu. Upamanyu offered a pua to the Guru and ate that offerings and with the blessings of the Guru, he was welfare according to the boon of Ashwani Kumar. He too became a knowledgeer of Ved-Vedang and went for his promotion.
All the sages of Naimisharanya were very happy to hear this story from the sage Ugrashrava. He once again bowed to their gurus by touching the feet of their gurus and believed that devotion to Guru, is greater devotion to God in the world. Because the Guru is the guide who can make any disciple worthy that he can find God. Even God cannot meet without guidance of Guru. Then no matter how harsh penance or no matter how many yajna.
After listening to the Yajna, a sage questioned Ugrashrava ji, O sage, you were telling us about the yagya of King Janmejaya. What happened? Now tell that story in detail.
Hearing the question of the sage, Ugrashrava ji started saying- listen to the sage. Once the great Parikshit’s son Raja Janmejaya was performing a great yajna with his three brothers in Kurukshetra. His three brothers were Shrutsen, Ugrasen and Bhimsen. During that yajna, a dog came there to Yajnvedi. Janmejaya’s brothers killed the dog and drove away. The dog was the son of Sarma, a bitch of the gods. On being misbehaved with the yagna, he went to his mother crying and complained to Janmejaya’s brothers.
He said that, mother has beaten me by the brothers of Janmejaya. Sarma (bitch) said- Why did they do this? You must have licked the sacrifice of the yagya or committed a crime? That Kukur (dog) said- No mother, I neither looked at Havishya nor licked it or smelled. Hearing this, Sarma (bitch) took her son to the yagna site in Kurukshetra and repeatedly started asking her brothers including Janmejaya that my son did not commit any crime, yet what is the reason to beat him?
Janmejaya’s brothers did not respond to him and kept ignoring him. Then Sarma, the bitch of the gods, cried in anger and said that my son will be beaten without crime, suddenly there will be a fear or disaster on you. By crying and cursing such a bitch Sarma left from there.
At the end of the yagna, Janmejaya came to Hastinapur, but the curse of the bitch was harassing him. He started finding a way to settle it. One day, while playing hunting, he reached out of his kingdom and wandered the way and reached the ashram of a sage Shrutashruva. There the sage’s son Somshrava was worshiping Mahadev. King Janmejaya was impressed after seeing the sage of Somashrava Rishi. He told the whole thing to the sage Shrutashruva and prayed that, O sage, give me the blessings of your son to become my priest.
Then the sage said- O Rajan! This son of mine can calm all the evils coming on you, not only the ability to erase the curse of Mahadev. But it also has a secret fast. If a Brahmin asks for something from it, then it will definitely give it to him, if you accept it, then go and take it.
Janmejaya accepted the command of the sage and brought the sage son Somashrava to his kingdom with great respect. He told his brothers- I have made him my priest. You obey them without any doubt and obey the command. The brothers accepted his command. After this, King Janmejaya brothers handed over many charge and responsibilities to Taxila Vijay. There he conquered Taxila in the war.
Here, Somashrava performed the yagna, but who can avoid Honi. At the time when Janmejaya went to conquer the Taxila, he returned, it was found that his father had stung by the snake. Who can avoid Honi? The curse that bitch Sarma had cursed the evil, was revealed in this form. Rishi Rishi said- Janmejaya went into mourning due to this. For whose diagnosis, sage Vaishampayan was narrating the story of Mahabharata to him.
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