Why was King Parikshit not saved by God Krishna from serpent bite?
[Smt. Chhanda Chandra asked:- Paadanamaskaaram Swami, King Parikshit was protected by God Krishna when he was born. Why did God Krishna not protect him from the bite of the serpent even though he sincerely heard the Bhaagavatam from Sage Shuka?]
Swami replied:- Parikshit was made alive by God Krishna due to His very good impression on the Pandavas. The reason was also to protect the continuity of the dynasty of the Pandavas. When the Pandavas left the earth, the Kali age had started already as soon as Krishna left this world. Due to the influence of the Kali age, Parikshit placed a dead snake around the neck of a sage and the son of the sage cursed Parikshit to die in 7 days due to the bite of a serpent. Whether you do a sin by yourself or by the influence of somebody like Kali, you have to undergo the punishment of the sin and this is the divine constitution. Not only this, Parikshit questioned Sage Shuka that how Krishna, the protector of justice touched married wives? (Paradārābhimarṣaṇam…). Never did Pandavaas question God Krishna regarding any of His activities like this.
- If you see any house, there are only three bonds existing in it:-
Daareshanaa:- Bond between husband and wife.
Putreshanaa:- Bond between parents and children.
Dhaneshanaa:- Bond with money that is earned for the sake of children by parents even though the earned lot is sufficient for the future ten generations. Therefore, these three bonds (i.e., bond with spouse, bond with children and bond with money) are the strongest worldly bonds, called ‘Eshanaa Trayam’. If these three bonds are defeated with reference to the bond with God, salvation from all the worldly bonds is attained.
- Based on the above-mentioned universal concept, the scriptures have mentioned that salvation means the defeat of the above three worldly bonds, when God competes with them. Hence, the scriptures need not be blamed.
- Bond with money and bond with child are always joined together since any parent earns money even doing sins for the sake of his/her children only. Hence, Krishna tested the sages born as Gopikas by stealing the butter (wealth) preserved for their children. Almost all Gopikas failed in this test since many of them complained to the mother of Krishna about this stealing of butter. The Gopikas were sages having lot of superpower and hence, they know very well that Krishna is God. Naarada Bhakti Sutram confirms this point (Māhātmya jñāna…). Moreover, Krishna did several miracles from childhood exposing His divinity. Therefore, the Gopikas failed in this test even after knowing Krishna as God and this proves that the bond with children is stronger than the bond with God. Anaahata chakram in the heart indicates bond with children and Anaahatam means the wheel (bond) that is not crossed by anybody so far. Even sage Vyaasa ran after His son, who was leaving home as we see in the beginning of the Bhagavatam itself. God Krishna did this test from His 5th year to 15th year (10 years). He has given a long duration to see whether anybody passes this test in this long period.
- Krishna tested the third bond (with spouse) from His 16th to 18th year (2 years only) by doing Raasakeli dance and surprisingly, every Gopika passed in this test even though many Gopikas failed in the above-mentioned joint test of money and children.
- How could Parikshit ask Sage Shuka blaming the character of God Krishna referring to the test of the third bond (Raasakeli) in which all the Gopikas passed? He did not blame the test of stealing of butter (test of money and children) in which almost all the Gopikas failed! Parikshit is also a soul like the Gopikas and he did not touch the weakness of the soul. He touched only the weakest aspect (third test) in which every soul is passing. He rubbed the weakness of the soul as the weakness of God and blamed God.
- God Krishna also warned the Gopikas to go back to their homes because the contact with Him is injustice for which they have to go to hell. Gopikas argued and threatened God Krishna that they would jump into the Yamuna River if Krishna rejected them. When this is the fact, how could Parikshit dare to blame Krishna by saying that Krishna touched the married Gopikas?
- If you have any objection for testing the third bond (Daareshanaa), you should not have agreed to the scripture mentioning Daareshanaa as one of the three strongest worldly bonds. Instead of the bond with spouse (Daareshanaa), you should have selected the third bond as the fascination to life (Praaneshanaa). You have agreed to the scripture in mentioning Daareshanaa in the triad and you are blaming for testing that bond! This is the highest foolishness of the brain of human souls.
- The sages in the previous birth became females by their superpower and requested God Ramaa to embrace them. This means that the sages were pestering God for the test of the third bond (bond with spouse). How could you blame God Krishna, the examiner, for performing this test? If God Krishna has loose character, He can create a female with unimaginable beauty and can enjoy with her. After this test, Krishna left Brundaavanam and never returned back because the test was over. If Krishna was fond of the Gopikas, He would have returned back to Brundaavanam to continue His activity with the Gopikas. Even though He married 16,108 females, He performed the marriage with the acceptance of ethics. The ethical scripture says that a king can marry any number of females (Rājāno bahu vallabhāḥ). You cannot blame Krishna for these marriages.
- Krishna is God, who is the embodiment of love and is not a hard statue of stone. When Krishna told that Gopikas would go to hell and embrace a red hot copper statue of Krishna for dancing with Him, Gopikas replied that since it was the statue of Krishna, they would embrace it with happiness! This is the tsunami of love of the Gopikas to God and God is not a statue of inert stone (found in temples) to reject such climax love whatever may be the type of bond especially because God Himself is the unimaginable ocean of love. Such type of bond was chosen by the Gopikas and not by God Krishna. How can God Krishna be silent to this climax of love whatever may be the type of bond chosen by His devotee?
- If anybody blames God Krishna, you blast all their doubts with the bomb based on fusion principle (not the weaker bomb based on fission principle). Fusion means union of God Krishna with the Gopikas and fission means separation or division of the Gopikas from God Krishna. You understand this point very well since you are working as a Scientist in BARC, Mumbai.
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