FOUR
Narada stayed on for some days in Indraprastha. Yudhishtira was full of anxiety after he heard what Pandu wanted him to do. Yudhishtira had always been singularly free of ambition. When Krishna raised Indraprastha in the wilderness, the Pandava had been more than delighted with his share of the kingdom. Mayaa's sabha had enthralled him: but only as a wonderful new toy excites a child.
Yudhishtira nursed no grievance against his cousins in Hastinapura or his uncle Dhritarashtra. He was pleased to be far from them and with the peace he enjoyed in Indraprastha. He had no desire to have revenge on the Kauravas: not for having tried to murder his brothers and himself, not for the exile in Ekachakra, not for Dhritarashtra having given him a wasteland for his share of the kingdom. Yudhishtira asked nothing more of life than what he had.
Now he heard his father was still in Yama's halls and he could only attain Indra's domain if the Pandavas performed a Rajasuya yagna. Yudhishtira's serenity was destroyed. Wild plans of conquest stirred in his gentle heart. He saw his father's face in his dreams and Pandu spoke sadly to his son, "You must perform a Rajasuya yagna. It is almost the end of the dwapara yuga and this is our last chance to reach Devaloka."
Yudhishtira's days were troubled and his nights sleepless. When he knew the dream would not fade and leave him in peace, he reluctantly called a council in the Mayaa sabha. Vyasa also appeared in Indraprastha at this time.
When the sabha sat, Yudhishtira said, "Narada tells me my father remains in Yama's kingdom with his grandsire Shantanu. Pandu sends word that only if we undertake a Rajasuya yagna will our ancestors gain Devaloka. I have given it deep thought, but I cannot arrive at a decision. The Rajasuya is no ordinary yagna. There is no sacrifice on earth as rare or as difficult; how many kings in all time have successfully performed a Rajasuya?
My fear is, are we worthy of the royal yagna? Are we pure enough, strong enough? I need your advice, my friends, I cannot make up my mind."
He turned first to Dhaumya, who said with no hesitation, "You tread the path of dharma, Yudhishtira. To my mind, there is no king on earth more suited to undertake a Rajasuya."
Yudhishtira turned to his grandfather Vyasa. The old rishi said quietly, "My son, it is in your destiny that you will perform the imperial yagna."
A knowing muni that lived in Indraprastha cried, "You will not fail, Yudhishtira. Your fathers will soon be in Devaloka!"
Another said, "A man who plunges thoughtlessly into any endeavor is usually doomed to fail. But he who ponders the nature of his venture, who introspects conscientiously, weighs his own strengths and weaknesses, his resources against his needs, will succeed in whatever he decides to do. And you, Yudhishtira, have thought hard before you even called us here."
Yet another sage smiled, "And you still haven't decided if you will perform the yagna!"
It seemed his brothers agreed with the rishis. When Yudhishtira looked at them, he saw they were flushed with excitement. And which kshatriya would not be? He shared their keenness; but it was not his nature to be carried away by his emotions. He was the king; he must consider every possible pitfall before he embarked on the great enterprise. He knew that if they began and could not complete the yagna, it would break their hearts.
The choice was his, perhaps even because he was so cautious; and he could not make up his mind.
Yudhishtira said doubtfully, "It is only an emperor who may perform the Rajasuya yagna. Yet, Munis, my heart is becoming set on it. But will I succeed? I must first become the sovereign of every kshatriya in Bharatavarsha, a king of kings."
Now Vyasa said, "You will never decide, one way or another, until you have sought the advice of someone who is not among us today. You had best send word to him and ask what he thinks."
A smile lit Yudhishtira's worried face. Narada volunteered, "I will take word to Krishna that you need him urgently." His eyes grew wistful. "It has been so long since I saw him, anyway."
When Narada arrived in Dwaraka, stepping out of the air with a song on his lips, another messenger, altogether more bedraggled and anxious than the good muni, had just finished delivering a petition from ninety-eight kings. They begged Krishna to come and set them free from the dungeons of Girivraja, where Jarasandha of Magadha had imprisoned them. Their crime against him was that they did not pay him tribute, remaining loyal to dark Krishna instead.
When Krishna had killed own uncle, Kamsa, he had made an implacable enemy of Jarasandha. Kamsa had been a favorite pupil of the king of Magadha and his son-in-law besides. Jarasandha brought several armies to the gates of Mathura and Krishna and his Yadavas decimated each one. Every time, to Jarasandha's chagrin, Krishna spared his life: so he could muster more fell legions for the Dark One to slaughter. The Avatara had been born to rid the earth of her burden of evil; and, ruled by his obsession to kill him, Jarasandha served Krishna's purpose.
Now, Krishna thought time was ripe for Jarasandha to die. For it was time the mantle of evil passed on to another spirit of darkness, a demon born into another generation: Duryodhana.
Krishna knew that most of his own battles on earth were over; it was time others fought in his name, especially, his cousins in Indraprastha. He knew one day they would fight a war on the brink of two ages, a war to end all others; and with that war, the kali yuga would begin.
However, immediately, Jarasandha meant to sacrifice the captive kings as soon as they numbered a hundred. He meant to cut their heads off and offer them to Siva. There was an outcry among the Yadavas when the incarcerated kings' messenger brought their message to Krishna's sabha.
"We must march against Jarasandha and free the ninety-eight!"
"We have spared the Magadhan's life too often!"
"Since we moved to Dwaraka, he brings no more armies against us. Why should he live another day?"
A hundred yojanas from Raivataka was the valley of Girivraja, in which Jarasandha had his capital. The day he heard the Yadavas had abandoned Mathura, that king stormed out of his court and, roaring so the hills around Girivraja trembled, hurled his mace at Dwaraka. Ninety-nine yojanas that glittering weapon flashed through the sky and fell just outside the gates of the sea-city; and Dwaraka shook. Since that day, Jarasandha left Krishna and the Yadavas alone; now, he had imprisoned Krishna's allies.
Balarama thundered, "You have spared his life too long, Krishna. The wretch must die!"
Krishna did not commit himself. Then Narada arrived, merry and tuneful, ecstatic to see the Blue God again. Krishna rose to receive Brahma's son.
When the Avatara had washed the sage's feet himself and made him sit in his own throne, he said, "The worlds are free from fear, now your worship ranges over them! How may we serve you, Mahamuni?"
Narada replied, "My Lord, it is not as if anything is hidden from you, ah, not in any of the worlds. Yet, since you want to humor an old man, I will tell you why I have come. Your cousin Yudhishtira is distraught, because I myself sowed a seed in his mind that has sprouted into a grand ambition."
Krishna gave a shout of laughter. "As you ever subtly do! Sometimes to lead evil ones to their doom and at others to show the kshatriyas of dharma the path to glory."
Narada flushed happily. "My work is only as you please, my Lord. It is you I serve."
"You are far too modest, Muni. Tell me, Narada, what ambition has sprung in my peaceful cousin's heart? Ambition is alien to his very nature. There must be some powerful reason why Yudhishtira has suddenly grown ambitious!"
"He is full of anxiety, Krishna: should he or shouldn't he, will he or won't he perform a Rajasuya yagna? He is anguished and seeks your advice."
Krishna whistled like a bird. "So, at last, my cousin begins to sense his own destiny. But tell me, Muni, what did you say to him to turn him against his own peace-loving nature?"
"I only did the work of a messenger. I merely conveyed what his father Pandu said to me: that neither he nor Shantanu, or Shantanu's sons could rise from Yama's mazes into Indra's realm, until Yudhishtira performed a Rajasuya yagna."
"How timely you brought this message to Yudhishtira!" cried Krishna. "I have always thought, sagest of sages, that it isn't the messages you bring, but the flawless timing of your arrivals that is so remarkable."
Krishna turned to the messenger from the captive kings of Girivraja. The Yadavas' attention had been deflected from their fervor to ride, at once, to crush Jarasandha.
Now Krishna said, "We have two messengers, my lords, calling us to different places, both with urgent need. On the face of it, their missions seem exclusive of each other, but I wonder if that is truly so. I wonder if Indraprastha is not the way we should be heading to answer the summons from Girivraja."
The messenger from the ninety-eight kings and the rest of the Yadavas looked perplexed. Only Narada smiled. Balarama said heatedly, "How can we save the kings from that mad man by going to Indraprastha?"
"It is true," smiled Krishna, "that Jarasandha is mad. Yet, as far as I know, he is also invincible. You have always accused me of forcing you to spare Jarasandha's life, many times, when you held it in the palm of your hand outside Mathura. The truth, Balarama, is that not even you could have killed him, because of a boon he has from his foster-mother, the rakshasi Jara. Jarasandha can only be killed by the one born to kill him."
Krishna looked around him at his Yadavas. He said softly, "My lords, you are so keen to take our legions to Girivraja. But I am afraid, if we do, we will find defeat at its gates."
They began to protest. Krishna said, "I promise you Jarasandha will die and he will die without our having to take an army to Magadha." He turned back to the messenger, "Friend, your kings will not perish; they will soon be free. Go and tell them not to be anxious. I never fail those who give me their trust." He turned to Narada, "My lord, I will go first to Indraprastha, for the way to Girivraja leads through there."
There were some murmurs in the sabha and Balarama still seemed confused. But Krishna had made up his mind and nobody would trifle with that. Time and again, his judgement had been uncannily vindicated; and the obvious way been shown to be the path to disaster. His methods were mysterious, like no one else's, but they were invariably effective.
Krishna set out again for Indraprastha.