Read Online The Krishna Key by Ashwin Sanghi - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ashwin Sanghi
Ads: Link
known to millions of Hindu devotees as Mount Kailash!’
Some days later, when the Pandava brothers were elsewhere in the forest, Draupadi was surprised to find Jayadhrata, the husband of the Kauravas’ only sister Dusshala, outside her cave. She could not understand the purpose of his visit but she offered him water, fruits and a place to sit. Little did she know that Jayadhrata had come to abduct her. It was his view that a woman could have a maximum of four husbands and that by having five, Draupadi was a prostitute by social norms. He grabbed hold of her and placed her in his chariot but Draupadi’s screams were heard by the sages who immediately informed Arjuna and Bhima. Both brothers caught up with the chariot and Arjuna used his arrows to break the chariot’s wheels. Bhima pounced on Jayadhrata and would have murdered him had Yudhistira not reminded him that killing Jayadhrata would leave their only female cousin widowed.
‘I don’t understand one thing, though,’ said Chhedi.
‘What’s that?’ asked Saini, once again attempting to read the note that Chhedi had passed him. Only a few words were clear. Be… in… next… listening. The missing words were badly blotted.
‘Mount Kailash is viewed as the abode of Shiv. How does Krishna enter the picture?’ asked Chhedi.
‘Shivaya Vishnu roopaya, Shiva roopaya Vishnuve; Shivasya hridayam Vishnu, Vishnoscha hridayam Shivaha!’ said Saini turning his attention away from the smudged note. ‘The shloka means that Shiv is merely a form of Vish and that Vish is merely a form of Shiv. Shiv resides in the heart of Vish and Vish resides in that of Shiv. According to the Vedic sages, Mount Kailash was the centre of the world. It had four clear faces—thus resulting in its pyramid shape. As per mythology, the four faces were made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli. In Vedic times, it would have been considered the pillar of the world! Twenty-two thousand feet high, Mount Kailash lies at the heart of the world’s mandala and is nestled within six mountain ranges that symbolise a lotus. The four rivers originating from Kailash supposedly flow down to the four quarters of the world and divide the world into four regions. The sacred character of this mountain goes way beyond Vishnu, Shiv, or Hinduism.’
‘How?’ asked Chhedi.
‘The book of Genesis, in the Bible, describes the Garden of Eden, where Creation started. It says: Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden;,’ replied Sir Khan three on the Kaliyuga and from there it divided and became four rivers. Kailash was the original Eden, my friend!’ exclaimed Saini. ‘Even today our own Mount Kailash is considered a sacred place in four religions—Bön, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Many of the world’s greatest stories have their origin right here in India. Have you heard of the lost city of Atlantis?’
‘It was the fabled city that was submerged by tidal waves,’ said Priya, butting in excitedly. ‘Plato first mentioned Atlantis in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias —written around 360 BCE, I think.’
‘And do you remember the location of Atlantis as mentioned by Plato?’ asked Saini.
‘I think that Atlantis was described as lying beyond the pillars of Heracles,’ answered Priya.
‘Ah! And because the philosopher Plato was Greek, people simply assumed that he was talking about Heracles—a son of their supreme god Zeus. The same Heracles who was later adopted by the Romans as their own Hercules. Right?’ asked Saini.
‘True,’ replied Priya.
‘But we seem to have forgotten the fact that Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, made the first written reference to Krishna and that in his account, he called Krishna by the very same name—Heracles. He went on to say that the Sourasenoi—the descendants of Shurasena, Krishna’s grandfather—who lived in Methora—or Mathura—held Heracles in high esteem. Isn’t it also curious that
Some days later, when the Pandava brothers were elsewhere in the forest, Draupadi was surprised to find Jayadhrata, the husband of the Kauravas’ only sister Dusshala, outside her cave. She could not understand the purpose of his visit but she offered him water, fruits and a place to sit. Little did she know that Jayadhrata had come to abduct her. It was his view that a woman could have a maximum of four husbands and that by having five, Draupadi was a prostitute by social norms. He grabbed hold of her and placed her in his chariot but Draupadi’s screams were heard by the sages who immediately informed Arjuna and Bhima. Both brothers caught up with the chariot and Arjuna used his arrows to break the chariot’s wheels. Bhima pounced on Jayadhrata and would have murdered him had Yudhistira not reminded him that killing Jayadhrata would leave their only female cousin widowed.
‘I don’t understand one thing, though,’ said Chhedi.
‘What’s that?’ asked Saini, once again attempting to read the note that Chhedi had passed him. Only a few words were clear. Be… in… next… listening. The missing words were badly blotted.
‘Mount Kailash is viewed as the abode of Shiv. How does Krishna enter the picture?’ asked Chhedi.
‘Shivaya Vishnu roopaya, Shiva roopaya Vishnuve; Shivasya hridayam Vishnu, Vishnoscha hridayam Shivaha!’ said Saini turning his attention away from the smudged note. ‘The shloka means that Shiv is merely a form of Vish and that Vish is merely a form of Shiv. Shiv resides in the heart of Vish and Vish resides in that of Shiv. According to the Vedic sages, Mount Kailash was the centre of the world. It had four clear faces—thus resulting in its pyramid shape. As per mythology, the four faces were made of crystal, ruby, gold, and lapis lazuli. In Vedic times, it would have been considered the pillar of the world! Twenty-two thousand feet high, Mount Kailash lies at the heart of the world’s mandala and is nestled within six mountain ranges that symbolise a lotus. The four rivers originating from Kailash supposedly flow down to the four quarters of the world and divide the world into four regions. The sacred character of this mountain goes way beyond Vishnu, Shiv, or Hinduism.’
‘How?’ asked Chhedi.
‘The book of Genesis, in the Bible, describes the Garden of Eden, where Creation started. It says: Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden;,’ replied Sir Khan three on the Kaliyuga and from there it divided and became four rivers. Kailash was the original Eden, my friend!’ exclaimed Saini. ‘Even today our own Mount Kailash is considered a sacred place in four religions—Bön, Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. Many of the world’s greatest stories have their origin right here in India. Have you heard of the lost city of Atlantis?’
‘It was the fabled city that was submerged by tidal waves,’ said Priya, butting in excitedly. ‘Plato first mentioned Atlantis in his dialogues Timaeus and Critias —written around 360 BCE, I think.’
‘And do you remember the location of Atlantis as mentioned by Plato?’ asked Saini.
‘I think that Atlantis was described as lying beyond the pillars of Heracles,’ answered Priya.
‘Ah! And because the philosopher Plato was Greek, people simply assumed that he was talking about Heracles—a son of their supreme god Zeus. The same Heracles who was later adopted by the Romans as their own Hercules. Right?’ asked Saini.
‘True,’ replied Priya.
‘But we seem to have forgotten the fact that Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador in the court of Chandragupta Maurya, made the first written reference to Krishna and that in his account, he called Krishna by the very same name—Heracles. He went on to say that the Sourasenoi—the descendants of Shurasena, Krishna’s grandfather—who lived in Methora—or Mathura—held Heracles in high esteem. Isn’t it also curious that
Similar Books
