Mahabharata - Chapter 33 - Yudhishtira's Desire - Told by Sriram Raghavan

When the forest Khandava was burnt down, Agni spared the lives of the Sarangka birds and Arjuna spared the life of an Asura called Maya. After Agni had done his deed, Maya bowed to Arjuna and said that he owed his life to him. He said “O Arjuna. My life belongs to you. Please give your command and I shall do as you say.” Arjuna did not want anything from Maya, but the asura was persistent. Since Maya was an excellent architect, Arjuna and Krishna requested Maya to build a palace for Yudhishtira. Maya agreed joyfully. After many months of planning, he built a palace that was like nothing else in the entire world. It was studded with rare gems and precious stones and was peerless in beauty.

Kings, Rishis and Gandharvas from all over the world came to see Yudhishtira’s new palace and wondered at its magnificence. The divine sage Narada also came to visit Yudhishtira.

Narada was the most supreme Sage. He was an expert on the Vedas and Upanishads and had a command over the 6 Angas. Narada first quizzed Yudhishtira on the Dharma of his rule. He asked Yudhishtira questions like “Are you using the wealth of your kingdom for good causes? Does your mind waver when you enjoy the pleasures of this world?” and so on. Yudhishtira patiently answered Narada’s questions and in turn posed many questions to the great Sage. Yudhishtira asked questions on the right ways to be a king, on the ways to rule a kingdom, on governing, on being virtuous, on taxes, on communication, and on and on. The conversation meandered through various topics and lasted a very long time.

Eventually Yudhishtira asked Narada, “O Great Sage. You have travelled the three worlds. Tell me. Have you come across a palace that is as beautiful as this one?”

To this Narada responded, “Dear Yudhishtira, I have not seen any palace on Earth that is as rich in splendor as yours. However, there are palaces in other worlds that are more beautiful – like the palaces of Indra, Varuna, Yama, Kubera and Brahma.”

Narada went on to explain the physical features of each of those palaces and the people who inhabited them. Once Narada had completed, Yudhishtira asked him, “O Sage. You have mentioned in detail about the various people present in Indra’s Palace. You mentioned the names of the Rishis, Gandharvas and Devas present there. However, you mentioned only one King called Harishchandra who is present in Indra’s kingdom. Are there no other kings in Indra’s palace? If not, why? How about my father Pandu? He was a very wise and truthful king who never wavered from the path of Dharma. Is he not in Indra’s kingdom? Where is he?”

Narada replied, “Yudhishtira. Harishchandra was no ordinary king. He attained Indra’s palace because he performed the great Yajna called Rajasuya.”

As a note, the Rajasuya is a great sacrifice that a King performs to become an Emperor. That is, this Yagna is performed after getting the concurrence or conquering of kings of all regions in all parts of the country. After performing this sacrifice, the King essentially gets endowed with the title of Emperor and is seen as the King of Kings. Naturally, there will be a resistance at least from some of the kings in the country if one person chooses to be called an emperor. Think of it as a person wishing to be the President of a Nation. There are bound to be supporters. There will be opposition.

Here is another question to ponder. If performing the Rajasuya gives a king such enormous power and title, why then was Harishchandra the only King in history who performed it? Why didn’t others do the Yajna? The answer is that many kings desired it. But the Rajasuya also has a negative side to it. Whoever performs it was said to face a great deal of destruction in their life. Rama desired it. But his brother Bharata dissuaded him against performing the Yagna. Harishchandra performed it, but faced enormous hardship to the level that he lost his kingdom, wife and child later in his life before eventually reaching the heavens.

The Rajasuya was a double edged sword. A great sacrifice that would give an incredible amount of power. The title of emperor. But the king who desired it would face strong opposition and a great deal of destruction.

Back to the Story.

Narada continued, “Yudhishtira, since Harishchandra performed the Rajasuya, he got a seat in Indra’s kingdom. Before I left the heavens to come to your palace, I met your father and he gave me a message to send to you. Your father, Pandu, desires to be a part of Indra’s palace. If you perform the Rajasuya, you along with your ancestors, like Pandu and Shantanu, will automatically attain Indra’s kingdom. This is your father’s desire.”

After some more conversation, Narada left Indraprasta. Yudhishtira started pondering Narada’s words. He wanted to satisfy his father’s desire. He wanted to perform the Rajasuya. He convened his ministers and his brothers and sought their opinion.

Yudhishtira said, “I only want to follow the path of truth and am not desirous of more power or position. But I want to satisfy my father’s desire. Do you think that I should perform the Rajasuya?”

Yudhishtira’s ministers and his brothers welcomed the idea. They said that Yudhishtira was the most renowned king of the land and that he should definitely perform this sacrifice. They spoke to him in detail of the merits of this Yajna.

But Yudhishtira was not convinced and wanted advice from a higher source. Thus, he sought Krishna’s advice. Krishna sat down with Yudhishtira and had a lengthy conversation about performing the Rajasuya.

Before we end this chapter, let us look at Yudhishtira’s desire a little closer. Yudhishtira was a king. He was loved by everyone. He had a very flourishing kingdom. He had a palace that was more beautiful than any other palace in the country. He had strong loving brothers. He had a beautiful wife and lovely children. Yudhishtira had everything and desired for nothing more. However, he faced a desire in the form of his father’s desire. Pandu wanted Yudhishtira to perform the Rajasuya and Yudhishtira wanted to satisfy his father. Even if satisfying someone else is the desire. Even if we don’t want it for ourselves. Desire is Desire. The key point is the “want” that enters our minds. Whether we are 10 years old or 80 years old. Whether we are poor or rich. Whether we are endowed with a great family or not. We will always want something. Desires will always surface. There is nothing right or wrong about having desires. However, acknowledging the fact that we will have desires throughout our life will help us look at it objectively and deliberate on the desire before acting on it.

What does Krishna advice Yudhishtira? Does Yudhishtira go on to perform the Rajasuya? We will see this, in the next chapter.