Glory of the fifth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita

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GLORY OF THE FIFTH CHAPTER OF THE BHAGAVAD GITA

 

THE BINDING OF KARMA

 

The king said – " Pingala, I am enchanted by your beautiful rendering

of the mridanga., I simply love it. You are a great musician "

 

Pingala replied – " Great king, it is an honour when a person like

you appreciates me "

 

The king continued – " Pingala, it is amazing though being a

Brahmin, how you are able to leave your duties a Brahmin is supposed

to do and enjoy the worldly pleasures and music. In my land, I don't

respect those who wear the tuft and the sacred thread, I enjoy all

that is beautiful – music, wine, women ! You have a special place in

my heart and my palace, you are a friend in sync with my ideas and

you are free to enjoy whatever you like in my palace – even if it be

my harem ! "

 

The king smiled and Pingala knew what the king meant !

 

In the palace of the king where wine and beautiful women were in

abundance Pingala used every opportunity to seduce the women in the

palace. Many women were entangled in the web of lust he cast and

even the queen who was disenchanted with the king fell in the web of

Pingala. Their secret affairs went on for a while till the king came

to know of it. The king was furious and ordered the queen to kill

Pingala in his sleep. The queen was helpless and had to obey the

kings orders and killed her secret paramour.

 

Pingala was reborn as an eagle. In course of time the queen also

died of disease and was born as a parrot. Both the eagle and the

parrot happened to live in the trees of a graveyard.

 

One day the eagle was not able to find any food. He saw the parrot

flying towards a tree. He saw this as a golden opportunity to

satisfy it's hunger and caught the parrot in its beak. More than the

hunger , the vasanas of his previous birth created lot of anger and

made the eagle more cruel. After killing the parrot and while trying

to eat it, the eagle was shot by a hunter. Soon the eagle fell dead

along with the parrot in a human skull which was filled with rain

water.

 

Lord Yama Dharma heard patiently the list of sins committed by the

parrot and the eagle being read out by Chitragupta. After narrating

the tortures which they have to undergo in hell for their karma in

their previous births, Chitragupta finally added that they died in

the skull of a holy saint. Hence ……

 

" Hence, they may be sent to Vishnuloka " – Lord Yama Dharma replied.

 

When the messengers of Yama Dharma were about to take two of them to

Vishnuloka, they prostrated before Yama Dharma and asked – " We have

done only sins and crimes in our previous births, what do we merit

to attain Vishnuloka "

 

" Both of you died in the skull of a person "

 

They asked – " If we die in a skull, do we attain Vishnuloka ? "

 

Yama Dharma replied – " Certainly not, hear me please ! The skull

belonged to a great soul who lived in the banks of the Ganges. He

would not even take a drop of water without reading the fifth

chapter of the Bhagavad Gita every day. He became a Brahma Jnani and

he surrendered everything at the lotus feet of the lord. Even after

a long time he left his body, his skull remained in the graveyard.

Both of you fell dead in the rainwater collected in his skull. You

have been absolved of all your sins and you are worthy of attaining

Vishnuloka because of it. "

 

" Why is that his skull still remains there even after several years

of his death ? "

 

Yama Dharma explained – " Great souls are born for the purpose of

liberating others. Out of their oceanic compassion they purify the

karma of others when they are alive and even after their death. His

skull was once the abode of rememberance of the fifth chapter of the

Bhagavad Gita . It's power remains even after his death. "

 

He continued – " It is time for your departure to Vishnuloka. Even

after reaching Vishnuloka continue reading the fifth chapter of the

Bhagavad Gita. This will prevent you from coming back and taking

rebirth after exhausting all your good Karma. So never stop reading

the fifth chapter "

 

After paying respects to Yama Dharma both of them departed to the

abode of Lord Vishnu.

 

Hare Krishna,