{| Doubts and Discussions about Mahabharata - 2 |} - Page 60

Vrish the Bhagvaram has another interpretation of Brhmastra and the Parikshit birth story. Have you read that one???

Nandini, what does it say? Btw, the weapon was Brahmashira, not Brahmastra, as TheWatcher pointed out. Brahmashira, if you remember, was also the weapon that Indrajit tried to get in his final yagna - the one that was interrupted to kill him. It was far more powerful than the Brahmastra.

Question - when the Pandavas went after Ashwatthama, how come Kripa & Kritavarma were not there by his side to fight for him? After all, from their POV, the war hadn't ended, since the Pandavas & Satyaki/Krishna were still alive.

Vrish thanks for the info of Branhashira

Originally posted by: .Vrish.

Question - when the Pandavas went after Ashwatthama, how come Kripa & Kritavarma were not there by his side to fight for him? After all, from their POV, the war hadn't ended, since the Pandavas & Satyaki/Krishna were still alive.

Originally posted by: .Vrish.

Question - when the Pandavas went after Ashwatthama, how come Kripa & Kritavarma were not there by his side to fight for him? After all, from their POV, the war hadn't ended, since the Pandavas & Satyaki/Krishna were still alive.

Originally posted by: ashne

Everyone in the Kaurava and Pandava side, got punished one way or the other. Did Kripacharya ever get punished for his role in the massacre/war? I haven't read anything regarding this.

Originally posted by: ashne

Everyone in the Kaurava and Pandava side, got punished one way or the other. Did Kripacharya ever get punished for his role in the massacre/war? I haven't read anything regarding this.

Originally posted by: Nandiniraizaada

Vrish thanks for the info of Branhashira

Vrish I read Bhagvatam four years back so I am a bit foggy about the details but in one of the verses Parikshit asks the sages that when he was in his mothers womb he saw a light come towards him and he also saw a form blocking the path of that light. He saw this scene for six month. That form was there in front of him protecting him throughout. He asks the sages who was that person he saw. And then sut ji tells him that was Lord Krishna who was protecting you from the great Astra sent by Ashwi. Then Parikshit asks them to narrate the full story

I guess Ramanand sagar has taken his interpretation from here though showed sudarshan doing the blocking and all this happening outside the womb instead of instead

I shudder to think how much pain Uttara might have been in

If we merge both MB and Bhagvatam it becomes a little logical. When Parikshit was in the womb Krishna protected it hence the baby grew to to normal size till it could be evicted. Once the baby was being born maybe the Branhashira struck and it died only to revived by Krishna again

There is a contradiction b/w the Srimad Bhagavatham and MB here.

In MB Parikshit dies soon after his birth and Krishna revives him.

In the SB- as you pointed out, Krishna entered into Uttara's womb and protected the foetus. Uttara - when the Brahmashira astra hits her, feels unbearably hot and a burning sensation engulfs her. She seeks the protection of the Lord who enters her womb to protect the child. Parikshit sees a small bluish figure about the size of a thumb, wearing yellow garments, but emitting a brilliant light Parikshit is born hale and healthy.

That is why Pariskshit is called "Vishnuarat" - one who was protected by Vishnu

If possible read that description of the Lord - as he enters Uttara's womb. It's beautiful.

Originally posted by: .Vrish.

Thanks Ananya for that info!!!

I have another question. I once discussed it in the Mytho D&D thread, but wanted to see if there's different info here from others.

When Ashwi directed the Brahmashira @ the Pandava women, which affected Uttara as well, the epic describes that Parikshit was born stillborn & Krishna revived him.

But how could the Brahmashira have killed Parikshit in Uttara's womb & Uttara not died that very moment or expelled the corpse? And if the Brahmashira was gonna wait until Parikshit came out, why couldn't Krishna have removed it from her environs?

I like the way Ramanand Sagar depicted it - he showed the sudarshan chakra protecting Uttara, and thereby saving Parikshit altogether. Even though that's not supported by Vaisampayana, it is more logical than what Vaisampayana describes. B'cos there were 3 options:

1. Brahmashira entered Uttara & killed Parikshit right away
2. Brahmashira parked outside Uttara's womb, waited for Parikshit to be born & then struck him
3. Brahmashira was intercepted by Krishna b4 it could get anywhere near either Uttara or Parikshit

As I describe, #1 above would have been the death of Uttara. #2 just defies credulity. #3 is the most feasible of the 3 options, even for a deity.

When Brahmashira hits Uttara, it does not kill Parikshit right away.

What happened next is skipped by the MB but described in the SB. Lord Krishna enters Uttara's womb (NOT the Sudarshana Chakra 😡) and provides a protective cover to the child. Parikshit is described as seeing the Lord.

Then, as per MB, when Parikshit is born (- Parikshit is not stillborn ) he looks around for the luminous figure that had engulfed him during the past months. Not being able to find the luminous figure and feeling devoid of the protective force that had sustained him in his mother's womb, the infant Parikshit feels the the Earth is not a good place to live and gives up his life (effectively, since the protective force was no longer there, the brahmashira took its toll)

That's when Drauapdi Subhadra and other women raise their wail and Krishna rushes in.
As Krishna begins the resurrection process, the child instinctively feels the same protective force once more, near him. Feeling re assured, he opens his eyes and sees the same form that he had seen in the womb. Parikshit comes back to life.

This resurrection process is not described in the SB.