Ancient Indians – Satya Samhita

This movie clip below is from the Telugu classic movie Mayabazaar.  A wonderful lesson in Vedanta packaged in all the fun we can anticipate when the mischievous Rakshasa Ghatotkacha and the even more mischievous Sri Krishna meet.

Ghatotkacha was the son of the Pandava Bhima and the Rakshasi Hidimbaa. (You can see the Hidimbeswari temple atop Chitradurga fort).

Very powerful both physically and magically, Ghatotkacha was the epitome of confidence and fearlessness. He found out that his cousin Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, had his heart broken by his uncle Balarama, (the older brother of Sri Krishna,) who had gone back on a promise. The promise? To give his daughter Sasirekha in marriage to Abhimanyu. But now Balarama and his wife Revati had decided to give the girl to Lakshmana Kumara, the son of Duryodhana. (This will remind you of Balarama not wanting to give his sister Subhadra, in marriage to Arjuna).

This is the where the movie clip begins..

Ghatotkacha decided that he would go to Dwaraka, rescue the locked up princess and give her to his cousin brother in marriage. But like his uncle Hanuman (both Hanuman and Bhima are Vayu Putras), he landed on the island, without a clue as to how the lady he was supposed to find looked like.

But he was luckier than Hanuman, in that he ran into an old grandfather chanting Vedanta in the dead of the night and could ask him for help.

This grandfather was chanting

“Live Long, Live Long! Be happy, be happy!”

“That which is ‘here’ is not ‘there’. That which is ‘there’ is not ‘here’” (The reference is to iha and para lokas)

“There also it is I, here also it is I” (The Purusha is in this world as well as the other world.)

Ghatotkacha was unmindful of the words and tried to put this grandfather to sleep magically just as he had put everyone else he has seen in Dwaraka to sleep with his magic. By now all of us know who the Thatha (grandfather, respected sire) is but Ghatotkacha did not figure it out and he was puzzled when his magic failed.

This grandfather started chanting,

“A small fish, by a big fish, a small maya (magic, illusion) by a big illusion”

“A small fish, by a big fish, a small maya (magic, illusion) by a big illusion”

(Rakshasa maya is nothing compared to Sri Krishna’s Maya. Bhagavatham followers will remember the story where the little Sri Krishna, overpowered Brahma maya, and Annamacharya fans will remember the song brahma kadigina padamu.)

“This is swaha and that is swaha”

“This is swaha and that is swaha”

(Swaha is the word used when offerings are made to God, and here Sri Krishna was just taking all of Ghatotkacha’s efforts as swaha!)

“You came without knowing and you shall leave without finding out (knowing)”

“You came without knowing and you shall leave without finding out (knowing)”

“This is Veda, This alone is Veda”

“This is Veda, This alone is Veda”

At this point Ghatotkacha lost his patience. He said, “Your Veda is all very well, but tell me who you are first”.

The Thatha said, “Oh you is it! Don’t you know who I am?”

Ghatotkacha said, “It is because I don’t know, that I am asking you”.

Thatha said,” Someone who does not know, will not know even when he is told”.

(The reason here is that to understand the Vedas,  you must know all the vedangas, and all this takes so much dedication and effort. Eg. Without explaining all of astronomy you cannot explain the first thing in a Purana or a Veda. People who want quick answers without any effort, they will not understand the first thing that is said. Only someone who has made the effort to know all, can know.

This is also true in Vedanta about the nature of God. It cannot be grasped by someone who already does not know something. So if you don’t know or recognise Sri Krishna when you see Him, just telling you is not going to help at all).

Ghatotkacha said, “Stop your illogic. How does it matter to me who you are? Just tell me where I can find the young Sasirekha”

Thatha said, “Hay! You want My help, then tell Me your name, seek refuge in Me and ask for My help, like an intelligent fellow! When you need my help how can you try to threaten me?’

Ghatotkacha became very angry and said, “If you annoy me, I will drown both you and your Dwaraka!!”

Now Thatha said,”Oh! I didn’t know you were so great. You don’t have to do all that. I am old and cannot walk – just carry me along and I will show where Sasirekha is”.

Now Ghatotkacha tries with all his might to lift the Thatha and fails miserably. He wants to know whether the Thatha has eaten elephants or swallowed mountains! (This will remind you of the story of Hanuman’s tail and Bhima.)

The thatha repeats his chants and Ghatotkacha realises who He is and salutes Him. At once Sri Krishna reveals Himself. He blesses him and gives him the direction that he is looking for!

Enjoy!!

Sri Krishnarpanam.

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