Mahabharat Gatha: Heaven, where there is all kinds of splendor, joy and happiness, Yudhishthira’s enthusiasm suddenly collapsed. What happened that Yudhishthira, who is called Dharmaraja, refused to live in heaven?
This story is derived from the festival of Mahabharata, which reflects the justice of religion and unrighteousness and the examination of Yudhishthira.
Yudhishthira’s anger seeing Duryodhana in heaven
When Yudhishthira reached the Sashir heaven, he thought that he would get the company of his brothers and Draupadi there. But when he saw Duryodhana enjoying happiness in heaven, he was shocked. This was the same Duryodhana who adopted the path of unrighteousness, insulted Draupadi and caused the killing of thousands of innocents. Seeing this, Yudhishthira’s anger erupted.
Angry Yudhishthira told Indra, “Whoever did iniquity, insulted Draupadi, did not respect his elders and gurus, how can he find a place in heaven? If it is justice, I cannot live in such heaven. I would like to go to hell, because there will be those who lost their lives to protect religion.”
Duryodhana’s calm behavior
Despite Yudhishthira’s anger, Duryodhana was calm. He did not resist and ignored Yudhishthira’s words. This behavior of Duryodhana was more surprised by Yudhishthira.
Clarification of Indra and Yamraj
Indra and Yamraj explained to Yudhishthira that Duryodhana had found heroism in war according to Kshatriya religion. He performed the duties of his rule and valor, due to which he got the fruits of his virtuous deeds in heaven. Hearing this, Yudhishthira’s mind calmed down.
Darshan of Pandava and Draupadi in hell
Yudhishthira was taken to hell after not finding his brothers and Draupadi in heaven. There he saw his loved ones suffering. Seeing this scene, his anger erupted again. He seemed to be an injustice that the religious and honest people are suffering in hell.
He later came to know that all this was Maya, which was composed for his examination. Pandavas and Draupadi were actually in heaven. This revelation calmed Yudhishthira’s mind.
Description of heaven and hell
According to the Mahabharata, heaven is the place of happiness where Kamadhenu, Kalpavriksha, Apsaras and Divya Bhog. On the other hand, hell is to punish sinners for punishing their actions. Texts like Garuda Purana and Vishnu Purana describe 21 types of hells, which give different punishments for different sins.
Religion message
This story of Mahabharata highlights that the justice of religion and unrighteousness is beyond the then incidents. This story teaches us how to divide the fruits of karma and religion through the testing of Yudhishthira’s loyalty and patience.
This episode of Mahabharata reflects the complexities of religion and iniquity. Yudhishthira’s experiences make us think that heaven and hell are only the results of deeds, not our beliefs. Dharmaraja Yudhishthira exam is one of the biggest learns of his life, which is still relevant today.