Bhagavatha Vahini, Chapter 3 - Ceremony of Name giving

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Bhagavatha Vahini

The story of God and his DevoteesWritten by Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai BabaDownload this Vahini

 

Chapter 3

Ceremony of Name giving

"Alas! Is he to suffer at last this tragic fate? Is this to be the reward for

all the good in store for Him? Can the consequence of years of good living

suddenly turn into this calamitous end? It is laid down that those who die

drowning, those who are killed by fall from trees, and those who die of

snake-bite have a bad after-life. These are considered "inauspicious deaths";

those whose deaths are such, become ghosts and have to suffer so, it is said.

Why should this child end up like that? 0, the horror of it. 0, the injustice

of the whole thing!" lamented Yudhishtira, biting his lips to suppress his

sorrow.

The Brahmins hastened to console him. "Maharaja!", they interceded. "There is no

reason to give way to grief. Such a great man will never meet with such a

tragedy. No. In the horoscope of this child, studying the positions of the

planets, we can clearly notice two happy conjunctions, which indicate Vajrayoga

and Bhakthiyoga, both powerful and propitious. Therefore, as soon as he learns

of the curse, he will give up his kingdom as well as his wife and children and

retire to the bank of the holy Bhagirathi river and surrender himself to the

Lord. The great sage Suka, son of Vyasa, will arrive there and initiate him

into Atmajnana (Self-knowledge) through the recital of the glories of Lord

Krishna and the singing of His Praise. Thus, he will spend his last days on the

sacred bank of Ganga and breathe his last with the adoration of the Lord. How

can such a man meet with any tragedy or calamity? He will not be born again,

for, through Bhakthiyoga, he will attain

oneness with the Lord of All, Purushothama. Hearing these words, Yudhishtira

gave up grief and became happy. He said, "If so, this is no curse; it is a

unique boon!"

The Name - Parikshith

At this, every one rose. The Brahmins were honoured as befitted their learning

and austerity. They were given gems and silken clothes and the king arranged to

send them home. Yudhishtira and his brothers moved into their palaces, but, they

spent many hours talking about the happenings of the day and of the fears,

luckily removed. They were filled with joy at the turn the predictions had

taken.

The baby grew in the lying-in-room, as the moon in the bright half of the month.

Since it was born as heir to the great empire, after a succession of dire

dangers, every one loved it and guarded it like the apple of the eye, as the

very breath of their lives. Droupadi who was broken by the loss of her own

children, (the Upapandavas), Subhadra who had suffered inconsolable loss in the

death of Abhimanyu, and the Pandava Brothers who dreaded that the terrific

sorrow of Aswasthama directed against the posthumous child of Abhimanyu, still

in the womb of Uttara, might do the worst and destroy for ever the Pandava line

- all were relieved, nay, were overjoyed when they saw the child. They were

supremely happy; they spent the days doting over the little lovely baby, whom

they brought from the zenana for the purpose, whenever they felt the urge to

see it and hold it in their arms.

The child too was very bright; it seemed to watch the lineaments of every one

who fondled it or came before it. It stared into their faces long and

longingly. All were surprised at this strange behaviour. Every person who came

to it was subjected to this searching examination by the child who seemed

determined to trace some one or some thing, in the world into which it was

born.

Some said, sadly, it is seeking its father, Abhimanyu. Others said, "No, no; the

child is searching for Lord Krishna". Some others opined that it appeared to be

trying to discover some Divine Brilliance. The fact remained that the child was

examining all, for some trait or sign which it knew already, to recognise some

Form it had in mind. "Pariksha" was the word used by every one for the 'quest'

in which the child was engaged and so, even before the formal Naming Ceremony,

every one both in the palace and outside it, began referring to the child as

the Parik- shith, 'he who is engaged in Pariksha!'

That name, Parikshith, stayed! From the Raja to the ryot, from the Scholar to

the boor, from the Monarch to the man-in-the-street, every one addressed the

child as Parikshith or referred to him so. The fame of the child grew from day

to day. It was on every one's lips. One auspicious day, Yudhishtira had the

court priest brought before him and he commissioned him to fix a good day for

the ceremony of naming the child-prince.

The priest called together his group of scholars and astrologers and after

consulting the conjunctions of heavenly bodies, they discovered a day which all

of them agreed was a good one for the event. They also settled at what hour the

actual naming has to take place. Invitations to attend the ceremony were sent

to the Rulers of the land and to Scholars and Pundits as well as prominent

citizens. The king sent his emissaries to invite Sages, and personages, full of

spiritual wealth. Arjuna went to Lord Krishna and reverentially prayed that He

should shower His Grace on the child on the occasion; he succeeded in bringing

Krishna along when he returned.

When Lord Krishna arrived, the Sages, Brahmins, Rajas, subordinate rulers and

citizens got ready to receive Him with respectful homage; the Pandava brothers,

attired magnificently, waited at the main gate of the Palace to offer Him

welcome. When the chariot of the Lord was sighted drums sounded, trumpets

pealed mighty welcome, and joyful Jais rose from every throat. Yudhishtira

approached the chariot and embraced the Lord as soon as He alighted; he held

Him by the hand and led Him into the palace, where a High Throne was specially

placed for Him. After the Lord was seated, all else occupied their seats

according to their rank and status.

Sahadeva went to the inner apartments and the child was brought on a gold plate,

resplendent as the sun, made more charming by magnificent jewels. The priests

recited manthras, invoking the Gods to bless the child and confer on him health

and happiness.

Sahadeva laid the child down in the centre of the Court Hall. Maids and

chamberlains came in long lines towards the place where the prince was, holding

in their hand gold plates full of perfumes and flowers, silks and brocades.

Behind specially fitted curtains, the queens Rukmini, Droupadi, Subhadra and

Uttara were rejoicing at the happy scene, watching the gambols of the child.

Sahadeva took the child and placed it on a bed of flowers in the mantap that

was erected for the naming ceremony. But, the child rose on all fours and

started crawling bravely on, in spite of the remonstrances of the maids.

Apparently, it wanted to proceed somewhere!

The efforts of Sahadeva to stop its journey proved futile. Yudhishtira, who was

observing its movements with interest said with a smile, "Sahadeva! Do not

stand in the way. Leave him alone. Let us see what he does." And, Sahadeva left

his hold. He allowed the child to move wherever he liked. Only, he took care to

keep his eye always on him lest he fall or hurt himself. He followed him at

every step, vigilantly.

The child, who got freedom of movement, soon made a bee line towards the place

where Lord Krishna was seated, as if He was a long acquaintance whom he was

seeking to meet. The child grasped the Feet of Krishna and pleaded, by his

looks, that he may be taken onto the lap and fondled! The Lord saw his

yearning; He laughed aloud; then, He graciously bent low to lift the child onto

His lap.

Sitting on His lap, the prince was staring at the Lord's face without even a

wink; he did not turn his head this way or that or pull at anything with his

hands or make any sound. He just sat and stared. Everyone was amazed at this

behaviour, so unlike that of a child. Even Krishna shared in the feeling that

pervaded the Hall.

Turning to Yudhishtira, Krishna said, "I did not believe when I was told that

this child stared at everyone who came before him and examined their

lineaments. I thought it was a new explanation given by these priests, to the

usual prank and play of children. Now, this is really a wonder. The fellow has

started examining even Me! Well, I shall test his behaviour, a little, Myself."

Then, the Lord tried to distract the attention of the child from Himself by

placing before him a variety of toys, and Himself hiding from view. He expected

that the child will soon forget Him. But, his attention was not drawn towards

any other object. He had fixed his eye inexorably on the Lord Himself, and it

was seeking Him and no other. He was trying to move towards the place where he

imagined Krishna was. When His attempts to transfer the attention of the child

from Himself failed, Krishna declared, "This is no ordinary child. He has won

through My tests. So, the name Parikshith is the most appropriate one for him.

He lives up to it, already!"

At this, the Pundits recited verses indicating their blessings on the child. The

Brahmins recited relevant passages from the Vedas. The music of trumpets rent

the air. Women sang auspicious songs. The family preceptor dipped a Nine-gemmed

jewel in a golden cup of honey and wrote the Name, on the tongue of the child;

on the rice grains spread on a gold plate, the name was written and the rice

was then showered on the head of the child, in token of prosperity and

happiness. The naming ceremony was thus celebrated in grand style. Men and

women who attended were given presents as befitted their rank and they

departed. Every one was talking appreciatively of the wonderful way in which

the child sought out the lap of the Lord. Many praised the steady faith that

the child had already attained.

Yudhishtira who was puzzled at the unique behaviour of the child approached

Vyasa, the great sage, to know from him the reason for the strange search and

learn about the consequences of this attitude. Vyasa said, "Yudhishtira! When

this child was in the womb, the deadly arrow that Aswathama aimed at it in

order to destroy it was about to hit its target, Lord Krishna entered the

foetal home and made it safe and saved it from destruction. This child

therefore has been eager to know who had saved him from within the womb where

he lay. He started examining every one to find out whether he had the same

effluence that he saw, while a foetus in the womb. Today, he saw that Divine

Form with all its splendour and so, he moved straight towards Him and prayed to

be taken up and seated on the lap. This is the explanation for the strange

behaviour about which you are curious to know ."

Hearing these words of Vyasa, Yudhishtira shed tears of joy and thankfulness.

Overjoyed at the limitless Grace of the Lord, he paid Him reverential homage.

Bhajan sung by Baba: Subrahmanyam Subrahmanyam Shanmukhanatha Subrahmanyam

 

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