BG18

Today slokas 38 and 39 were taken up:

yady apy ete na pasyanti
lobhopahata-cetasah
kula-ksaya-kritam dosam
mitra-drohe ca patakam

katham na jneyam asmabhih
papad asman nivartitum
kula-ksaya-kritam dosam
prapasyadbhir janardana

Today's lecture was from the Sri SoundaraRaja Perumal temple at Nagappattinam [Thiru Nagai] one of the 40 Chola kingdom [or area] Divya Desam in the 108 Divya Desam.This is a coastal town [ in olden days it was a commercial harbour]. Sri Thirumangai Alwar has sung ten hymns on this Perumal. The idol is so captivating that the Alwar in each hymn suffixed it with the words 'Achcho!Azhagiyava!' [ compare Ayyo by Sri Thiruppanalwar in Amalanadipiran] [tgs: I was fortunate to have lived in this place adjacent to the temple for two years during 1946-48, when I was studying 3rd and 4th class. This is the first Divya desam perumal I remember and really the Perumal was so beautiful that I can never forget and always I remember the thirumanjanam and uthsavams I was fortunate to heve seen.]The pushkarini is called Sara pushkarini and the vimanam is Bhadra vimanam. Thayar is Sri Soundaravalli Thayar.
Arjuna further continues: "Oh! Janardhana! These people out of greed do not see the faults of destruction of a family [ dynasty] and enmity among friends. But why should we, who can see the crime of destroying a dynasty, should do these acts of sin"
Here Arjuna lists two great papas or sins i)Destroying a family or dynasty and ii)enmity among friends. We will first see the first dosha or fault.The word kula should not be confused with caste but should be taken as dynasty or family. Arjuna and also Duryodana and all belong to the great Kuru dynasty and in this fight whenever any of their family members are killed , the ancestors who are common to both Pandavas and Kauravas, will feel sorry and that is a great sin. Indirectly, he is indicating to Sri Krishna that He ,Who had seen the destruction of a dynasty , should all the more understand importance of preserving the dynasty.
Yayati, was great king and he had many children .The eldest was Yadhu and the last was Puru. Yayati very much enjoyed the youthful activities for many, many years. But as old age approached he wanted to still keep himself young and so he requested his eldest son Yadhu to donate his youth to his father so that he could enjoy the youth for some more time. But Yadhu refused and so also all the other sons. But when he approached the youngest son Puru, who, willingly offered his youth to his father. Pleased with that Yayati declared Puru as his successor.This made Yadhu to lose the kingdom which he should have got it by his entitlement as the eldest son and so the Yadhu dynasty lost its glory. Sri Krishna, to bring back this dynasty to the fore front was born in that family.