EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK "KRISHNAVATARA" by Shri K M Munshi (Published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Bombay in 1962 - Volume 1 - Chapter 11 - pages 48 to 50)
The scene is ....... Kamsa, while trying to kill the girl child (substituted by Vasudeva in place of Sri Krishna) found the child slip out of his hand and the child flew out of the window. A shriek followed, poignant and terrifying as he heard a supernatural voice saying "your destroyer is elsewhere, already born". Upset over this, Kamsa returned to his palace and spent a sleepless night.
Quote:
The next day, he called a council of the men who were loyal to him, among whom was Pralamba, his Chief adviser. Pradyota and his wife Pootana were also there and there was Bahuka, the old Magadhan warrior, whom Jarasandha had sent to Mathura to look after the interests of his daughters.
Kamsa told them of what had happened, of the strange shriek, of the flying child, and even of the words that he had heard: "your destroyer is elsewhere, already born".
Pralamba, Kamsa's Principal adviser, respectfully asked: "Lord, have I your permission to speak the truth?"
Kamsa nodded assent.
"Mighty Prince, I fear the words you heard were a warning given to you by the Gods", said Pralamba. "The people fear you and dare not speak out. But they all await the deliverer".
"Lord, I also heard a voice. I cannot say where it came from, but it did say the words: "Your destroyer is elsewhere, already born", said Pootana.
Kamsa thought for a little while. Then he knit his brows and said, "I cannot leave anything to chance. Kill all the children born during the last ten days. Why, even those born within the past one month. What do you say to that, venerable Bahuka?" And Kamsa then turned to the old Magadhan warrior.
Then Bahuka, once the minister of Jarasandha, said slowly, "Mighty Prince, you you may killas many children as you are able, but you will not prevent the people waiting for the deliverer, and so long as they wait for deliverance, you will be in danger".
"How can we prevent the people waiting for the deliverer?" asked Kamsa.
"Lord, people are cowards. They will accept you as the master if you treat them with great hardness.But you will not break their spirit so long as they hope that a deliverer will come", replied Bahuka.
"How can I avoid their thinking of a deliverer?"
"My master," said Bahuka, "their hopes are kept alive by sages and ascetics and by the Brahmans, who talk of Dharma".
"You are right. Whatever I do, they call adharma. Bahuka, you are wise. You have been trained under our glorious father-in-law, Jarasandha. You must have had sufficient experience. Let us know what we can do".
"Lord, the first duty of a powerful ruler is to extinguish the hope of deliverance in his people. This hope, as I said, is kept alive, first by ascetics".
"How shall I deal with them?"
"Mighty prince, you cannot deal with them easily. They do not cover, nor fear, nor hate. They want nothing for themselves. That is why they are so powerful. But that is not all. There are the Brahmans, the men of self-discipline, who have faith in the sacred word - the Vedas - and who invoke the Gods and teach dharma as something above the might of Kings. They will not accept your dictates cheerfully. They judge everyone by the canons of what they call dharma".
"I have been trying to win them over by lavish grants," said Kamsa.
"You cannot bribe the sages; nothing will corrupt them. And if you give grants to Brahmans, I know, they will fatten on them. But in their hearts, the thirst for knowledge will remain and they will only take the advice of those who refuse to live in riches."
"I can kill them surely".
"Mighty Prince, if you kill them, the people will turn in wrath against you. If you drive them away from Mathura, they will raise enemies for you wherever they go."
Kamsa listened to Bahuka's words in silence and the old minister continued:
"Mighty Prince, there is only way to destroy the sages and the Brahmans. Open your purse-strings to the people; teach them to eat, drink and enjoy themselves; break up their families; teach women that chastity is not worth having at the cost of pleasure; bring up children to look upon their parents as old and useless. Once the people begin to believe in unrestrained pleasures as the goal of life, they will look upon the ascetics as deranged and Brahmans as selfish; they will laugh at those who talk of duty, tapas, love and compassion. When wince flows, self-restraint will disappear; men will be like well-fed cattle at the mercy o their cor-herds. Whatever you do, they will bear as patiently as uncomplaining beasts, and obey your lash as if it were a favour from you."
"That is is along path to follow that you have shown us, Bahuka. We shall try to follow it. In the meantime, Pootana, find out how many children were born during the last few days and see that none ofthem survives" said Kamsa.
My comments: See the above - this is what our political system has been systematically doing for decades, rediculing the sages and Brahmins, who speak of Dharma. Even today, the above is relevant. (This was written in early 1960 by the author!)
The scene is ....... Kamsa, while trying to kill the girl child (substituted by Vasudeva in place of Sri Krishna) found the child slip out of his hand and the child flew out of the window. A shriek followed, poignant and terrifying as he heard a supernatural voice saying "your destroyer is elsewhere, already born". Upset over this, Kamsa returned to his palace and spent a sleepless night.
Quote:
The next day, he called a council of the men who were loyal to him, among whom was Pralamba, his Chief adviser. Pradyota and his wife Pootana were also there and there was Bahuka, the old Magadhan warrior, whom Jarasandha had sent to Mathura to look after the interests of his daughters.
Kamsa told them of what had happened, of the strange shriek, of the flying child, and even of the words that he had heard: "your destroyer is elsewhere, already born".
Pralamba, Kamsa's Principal adviser, respectfully asked: "Lord, have I your permission to speak the truth?"
Kamsa nodded assent.
"Mighty Prince, I fear the words you heard were a warning given to you by the Gods", said Pralamba. "The people fear you and dare not speak out. But they all await the deliverer".
"Lord, I also heard a voice. I cannot say where it came from, but it did say the words: "Your destroyer is elsewhere, already born", said Pootana.
Kamsa thought for a little while. Then he knit his brows and said, "I cannot leave anything to chance. Kill all the children born during the last ten days. Why, even those born within the past one month. What do you say to that, venerable Bahuka?" And Kamsa then turned to the old Magadhan warrior.
Then Bahuka, once the minister of Jarasandha, said slowly, "Mighty Prince, you you may killas many children as you are able, but you will not prevent the people waiting for the deliverer, and so long as they wait for deliverance, you will be in danger".
"How can we prevent the people waiting for the deliverer?" asked Kamsa.
"Lord, people are cowards. They will accept you as the master if you treat them with great hardness.But you will not break their spirit so long as they hope that a deliverer will come", replied Bahuka.
"How can I avoid their thinking of a deliverer?"
"My master," said Bahuka, "their hopes are kept alive by sages and ascetics and by the Brahmans, who talk of Dharma".
"You are right. Whatever I do, they call adharma. Bahuka, you are wise. You have been trained under our glorious father-in-law, Jarasandha. You must have had sufficient experience. Let us know what we can do".
"Lord, the first duty of a powerful ruler is to extinguish the hope of deliverance in his people. This hope, as I said, is kept alive, first by ascetics".
"How shall I deal with them?"
"Mighty prince, you cannot deal with them easily. They do not cover, nor fear, nor hate. They want nothing for themselves. That is why they are so powerful. But that is not all. There are the Brahmans, the men of self-discipline, who have faith in the sacred word - the Vedas - and who invoke the Gods and teach dharma as something above the might of Kings. They will not accept your dictates cheerfully. They judge everyone by the canons of what they call dharma".
"I have been trying to win them over by lavish grants," said Kamsa.
"You cannot bribe the sages; nothing will corrupt them. And if you give grants to Brahmans, I know, they will fatten on them. But in their hearts, the thirst for knowledge will remain and they will only take the advice of those who refuse to live in riches."
"I can kill them surely".
"Mighty Prince, if you kill them, the people will turn in wrath against you. If you drive them away from Mathura, they will raise enemies for you wherever they go."
Kamsa listened to Bahuka's words in silence and the old minister continued:
"Mighty Prince, there is only way to destroy the sages and the Brahmans. Open your purse-strings to the people; teach them to eat, drink and enjoy themselves; break up their families; teach women that chastity is not worth having at the cost of pleasure; bring up children to look upon their parents as old and useless. Once the people begin to believe in unrestrained pleasures as the goal of life, they will look upon the ascetics as deranged and Brahmans as selfish; they will laugh at those who talk of duty, tapas, love and compassion. When wince flows, self-restraint will disappear; men will be like well-fed cattle at the mercy o their cor-herds. Whatever you do, they will bear as patiently as uncomplaining beasts, and obey your lash as if it were a favour from you."
"That is is along path to follow that you have shown us, Bahuka. We shall try to follow it. In the meantime, Pootana, find out how many children were born during the last few days and see that none ofthem survives" said Kamsa.
My comments: See the above - this is what our political system has been systematically doing for decades, rediculing the sages and Brahmins, who speak of Dharma. Even today, the above is relevant. (This was written in early 1960 by the author!)
