KumaravyasaBharata : Aranya Parva - Part 3


12) One fine day, Chitrasena, the master teacher for all Amaras, is brought over by Indira and is asked to teach sangeetha and natya to Arjuna learning that Arjuna has keen interest in that art. Arjuna picks up the teaching very quick. When the Amaravathi is filled with Samooha Natya gaana programmes, Arjuna observes *Urvashi* with keen eyes and Indira asks Chitrasena to have a word with urvashi for her hand to Arjuna. Urvashi obliges with full happiness but Chitrasena requests her that even if she fails in pleasing Arjuna, she should not be upset. There is a detailed beauty description verse for Urvashi :) 
When Urvashi enters at the door of Arjuna's residence, her fragrance and glory wakes up Arjuna from his sleep. He admires her sheer beauty and welcomes her with folded hands and calls her his mother and asks her orders saying he will do it as her son and she need not hesitate to ask. Urvashi, taken aback by his addressing, turmoils in her mind with fear of her thoughts and battles with her own feelings. 
Urvashi wonders if Arjuna is dumb, or Impotent or transgender or lazy or over disciplined or villian or a person with hidden agenda. She musters up courage and tells Arjuna why she has come at his door step as per Indira's orders and her own consent. She also goes on to say, when a girl comes over with her full consent, blown with love, its *Vita Dharma*, and true responsibility of a true lover to fulfill her wishes. Arjuna, with folded hands, explains her he is tied to his Dharma. He also explains her, she is the mother goddess of his own family (Puru Vamsha): She being the wife of Pururava, Aayu her own son, and then Nahusha, Yayathi and Puru and down the clan is his generation. 

13) Urvashi failing in her feelings and even in her argument with Arjuna, boils with Anger, her beauty takes extreme appearence in anger, unable to take her defeat, curses him saying he is going to live a year on earth as *Impotent* as he is no worth to be a man when he cannot fulfill her feelings. Arjuna, unable to understand his destiny, and what he had to get at swarga loka. He wonders how he has to live as Impotent on earth, is he capable of living in such a state for a year, should he give up his life it is comes to that, what vidhi is this and for what wrong doing of his is he subjected to this curse. Indira tries to console his son, saying he need not worry for the curse, it is a blessing in disguise, and he can use it during his Agnaata vaasa on the 13th year, and it is his punya to have this to help in his future. This curse, is a glory to him in whole vamsha and world saying, his character is spotless. In total, Arjuna spends about 5 earth years with Indira in his sabha happily.

14) Back in Kaamyavana, Other Pandavas miss Arjuna dearly. Bruhadashwa rishi narrates *Nala* story as it occured in history to Yudhistira to console him of his worry on his current state. Nishada kingdom's ruler is *Veerasena*, his son is *Nala*, Nala's wife is *Damayanthi* (vidharbha kingdom ruler *bheemaraja* daughter). Theirs is a love marriage. Kali turns their enemy because all ashta dikpalaka vows to make them wed each other, even though they themselves fall for damayanthi. Kali's mother is Krodha and father is Himse :) 
Kali had to wait for 12 years to trap Nala, and in one gambling to Pushkara, Nala bets his wife Damayanthi to lose her. Both of them go to forest leaving behind all kingdom. Any person helping Nala is ordered by Pushkara to be killed. That night, when Damayanthi sleeps in tiredness, Nala abandons her thinking she will return back to kingdom if he leaves her else she will only suffer with him. While going, he even tears a part of her saree to cover himself when he loses his clothes while catching a bird to eat. Nala gets bitten by a posisonous snake which transforms him into ugly human. The snake says its for his benefit and asks him to name himself 'bahuka', and reach kingdom on Rutuparna, and serves king as sarathi. Damayanthi goes to Subahu kingdom and the queen promises to help find her husband. Damayanthi is brought back to her fathers kingdom. 
She gets a message that her husband's nature and characterstics is found in bahuka in Rutuparna kingdom through a brahmin. Damayanthi sends a message of re-marriage for her. Rituparna wishes to marry Damayanthi. He asks bahuka to take him to Vidharbha. They set to reach vidharba kingdom. After reaching, they find that there is no truth to her re-marriage swayamvara. Rituparna feels ashamed and apoligizes saying he just came for causal visit. Damayanthi tests Bahuka to make sure he is her husband indeed. When confirmed, she calls him to her palace. Nala gets back his real appearance. 

It would have been 3 years since they seperated. On the way to kingdom, Nala learnt *Aksha vidya* to precisely call upon numbers from Rituparna. Nala calls back Pushkara, wins at the gambling because of his Aksha vidya and pardons pushakara and lives happpily with damayanthi. Bruhadashwa teaches Aksha vidya to Yudhistira asking him not to fear even if Kauravas call them for gambling again. Pandavas travel pilgrimage by hearing stories at each ashram about its greatness, visiting Agastya ashram, Dadheechi ashram, Vashista, Chavana and Bharadwaja rishi and Kapila Ashram. Bruhadashwa explain Bhageeratha ganga story during Kapila visit. They all then move to Rishyashrunga ashram, Parashurama Ashram, Gaya Ashram, Somaka Ashram (anyone who stays 6 days here would get sadgathi and they all stay over 6 days). They move over to Yayathi (yayathi puru story) , Markandeya and shibichakravarthy (shibistory) , Samganga ashram (astavakara story) and Gandhamadhana giri.

15) At Gandhamadhana giri, it so happens that, there is heavy thunder, lightening, darkness, wind etc which separates Druapadi from rest of pandavas. The Pandavas fear and search her out madly. Finally, they find her lying unconsious, and Yudhistira tries to wake her up by resting her head on his lap. He feels very bitter at himself imagining how she would have struggled herself alone, in this heavy rain and thick forest. It is now Draupadi's turn to console Yudhistira. She says, its not just them, there are old sages, their wives, their kids etc with them whom he should worry more about at this hour. Yudhistira feels a sense of pride at her thoughts
Yudhistira, then recalls Bheema's son *Ghatotkacha* in his mind and in a matter of seconds *Ghatotkacha* appears infront of him for his orders. At his request, Ghatotkacha carries all pandavas himself on his shoulders and orders all his people in forest to carry other rishis and their family and they move out of forest in akaashamarga. They all reach *Nara Narayana* ashram and everyone rests in peace with nature, birds, rivers etc for about 8 days over there.Then a *Saugandhika* Pushpa floats in a river from North east direction and the wind carries its fragrance around to disturb the 5 senses of every rishi :) Draupadi falls for its fragrance and desires to have it. she contemplates in chosing right pandava to request this and misses Arjuna dearly. She then decides on asking Bheema.

16) Bheema prays Krishna in mind and goes out in the direction of fragrance to search for flower. All wild animals hide away hearing bheemas footsteps because of his force. It happens to wake up deep sleep *Hanuman* who resides around, and he happens to tap his tail in waking up. This force scares Bheema, and bheema seeks towards this force.

*Missing recording on all below but this is covered in Aranya parva*
1) Bheema viewing Hanuman's "Samudratarana" roopa.
2) Bheema meets Kubera
3) Arjuna battles with Asuras per Indira's wish
4) Narada and Markhandeya meets Pandavas
5) Nahusha paapa vimochana from his snake avatar - Nahusha snake holding Bhima and Yudhistira answering dharma related questions to release the curse upon the snake
6) Draupadi kidnapped by Jayadratha and later rescued by Pandavas setting Jayadratha in revenge mode.

*Note: These are personal notes based off on recordings heard from Kumaravyasa bharatha (Karnata Bharatha Kathaamanjari) vyakhyana from Muttor Krishnamoorthy and Hosahalli Keshavamoorthy.

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