Sampoorna Mahabharata • సంపూర్ణ శ్రీమహాభారతము • Episode 24

The story of Shesha
Maharishi Śounaka wanted to hear the names of Kadru’s sons.
Suta said, ‘Among Kadru’s many sons, the first and most important is Shesha, followed by Vasuki, Airavata, Takshaka Karkotaka, Dhananjaya, Kaliya and others. Their progeny is countless and runs into trillions’.
Let us pray to the serpent-gods to forgive us if we have harmed them in any way. We seek their blessings.
Maharshi Śounaka now wanted to know of the efforts put in by the serpents to save themselves from their mother’s curse
Suta said, ‘Shesha, the first and best among serpents, abhorred the unrighteous methods adopted by his mother and brothers. He was unhappy when they tortured Vinata and Garuda. He decided to go away from them and engage in penance.
He took a vow to sustain only on air. Going to Gandhamadana and Badari, he undertook austerities with severe disciplines. His body shrivelled due to his disciplines. Pleased with him, Brahma manifested and asked, ‘Shesha, what do you seek? Stop this penance, for living beings are being troubled with its intensity. O sinless one! Reveal your desire’.
Shisha said, ‘Pitamaha! My brothers are dim-witted fools. I cannot live amidst them. please help me. At all times like enemies they abuse each other. They are envious of Vinata devi’s sons. Garuda is our younger brother but they despise him because he has obtained unsurpassed prowess with our father’s blessings. They are burning with jealousy and hatred. I am getting sandwiched between them all. Therefore through penance, I am planning to give up my body’.
Lord Brahma said, ‘Your good-heartedness and your austerities have brought me great joy. I am aware of the unrighteous ways of your brothers. Due to the curse given by your mother Kadru, they are all petrified.
I have already devised a plan for this. Do not fret for your brothers. You seek what you want. I will give you, for, I am deeply touched with your dharmic nature. May your intellect always remain steadfast in dharma’.
Shesha said, ‘I too seek this. Please bless that my intellect always remains fixed on dharma, on sense control and on penance’.
Brahma said, ‘Shesha, I am extremely pleased with your inner and outer sense-control and penance’.
Restraining inner and external sense-organs forms an integral part of penance. There are many who sit silently with closed eyes in the name of meditation. They think that bathing in cold water, waking up at 4 AM, fasting continuously are all penance. The reward for all these austerities is ‘admission into a hospital’. They die due to shock seeing the hospital bill. Is this called penance?
If so, what is penance? Restraining the inner senses and outer senses is called penance. External senses are eye, ear, nose, skin and tongue. They are visible. Restrain them. Practice to not desire everything seen. Give up relishing negative news. Restrain loose, wicked talk. In seeing, hearing, eating and touching- restraint should be practiced.
Mind and others are inner senses. They too need to be restrained. Dasharatha is he who has restrained all the 10 (dasha) sense organs. He drove the chariot called body after restraining all the senses. Due to this absolute sense-restraint that he mastered, the Lord was born to him as Srirama. If not, why would the Lord choose him?
To fulfil his desire, the Lord emerged from fire. If we are able to perfectly restrain these 10 senses, we do not need any other specific penance.
‘Shesha, I am pleased with your sense-restraint. Now, work for the wellbeing of living entities. With all its mountains, oceans, valleys, rivers earth constantly wobbles. Hold her such that she remains steady. Carry the earth’.
Due to Shesha’s energy, earth stopped wobbling and remained steady in waters. If it wobbles, then one part of earth would suddenly sink at one time, another time another part of earth would be in waters.
Shesha said, ‘You are the Lord who fulfils all desires, the protector of earth and the lord for all living entities. I shall abide by your command. Place the earth on my head’.
Brahma said, ‘O great serpent, go beneath earth. Earth itself will show you the way to travel down. Reach patala. From there you place earth on your head. I will be delighted if you perform this task’.
There was a wrestler. He boasted, ‘I can easily carry that mountain’. He put up banners stating, ‘Saturday morning at 8 AM I will be carrying the mountain’. Saturday morning saw a huge crowd that had assembled to witness this astounding feat. They waited.