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100.UTANGA
WHEN the battle was over, Krishna bade
farewell to the Pandavas and went to
Dwaraka. While on his way, he met his
old brahmana friend Utanga. Krishna
stopped and descending from his chariot
saluted the brahmana.
Utanga returned the greeting and
proceeded to make the usual inquiries
about the health and welfare of relatives.
"Madhava, do your cousins the Pandavas
and the Kauravas love one another as
brothers should? Are they well and
flourishing?" he asked.
The innocent recluse had not heard about
the great battle that had been fought.
Krishna was astounded at the question of
his brahmana friend. For a while, he stood
silent not knowing what to say in reply.
Then he softly disclosed what had
happened.
"Sir, a terrible battle had been fought by
the Pandavas and the Kauravas, I tried
hard and applied every means to prevent
the fight and make peace between them.
But they would not listen. Almost all of
them have perished on the field of battle.
Who can stop the hand of fate?" Then he
related all that had happened.
When Utanga heard the narrative, he was
exceedingly wroth. With eyes red with
indignation he spoke to Madhava:
"Vasudeva, were you there standing by
and did you let all this happen? You have
indeed failed in your duty. You have
surely practised deceit and led them to
destruction. Prepare now to receive my
curse!" Vasudeva smiled and said: "Peace,
peace! Calm yourself. Do not use up the
fruit of your great penances in this anger.
Listen to what I say and then, if you like,
you may pronounce your curse."
Krishna pacified the indignant brahmana
and appeared to him in his all-embracing
form, the Viswarupa.
"I am born in various bodies from time to
time to save the world and establish the
good. In whatever body I am born, I must
act in conformity with the nature of that
body. When I am born as a Deva, I act as
a Deva does. If I appear as a Yaksha or as
a Rakshasa, I do everything like a Yaksha
or a Rakshasa. If I am born as a human
being, or as a beast, I do what is natural to
that birth and complete my task. I begged
very hard of the ignorant Kauravas. They
were arrogant and intoxicated by power
and paid no heed to my advice. I tried to
intimidate them. Therein also I failed. I
was in wrath and showed them even my
Viswarupa. Even that failed to have an
effect. They persisted in wrongdoing.
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