Reasons for rise and fall
When Dharmaraja Yudhishthira learned that Lord Krishna had gone to Goloka, he told Arjuna, “Now we must also leave.” They shed their royal robes, donned bark garments, and began circumambulating India. Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Draupadi, staring down, reached Haridwar when a deity with four horns, seven arms, and three legs blocked their path. When asked why, he replied, “Those who leave after paying off their debts don’t find their way. Brother! What debt do you have?” he said, “Give me my Gandiva.” Ultimately, the five Pandavas, along with Draupadi, reached the Himalayas for their ascension to heaven. There, they saw snow everywhere, when suddenly, they heard a loud crash. Bhima asked, “Who fell?” He saw that Draupadi had fallen. Yudhishthira said, “Let the one who is falling fall. Don’t look back. Don’t wait for anyone else. If no one wants to join you on this path of righteousness, that’s okay.” When asked why Draupadi fell, he explained that Draupadi was married to all five Pandavas at the same time, and she had the power to become a girl. She could become a girl for the Pandava husbands whenever she wanted. She had performed great penance in her previous life. Lord Shiva was pleased. She said, “Give me your husband” five times, and Shiva granted her the boon of five husbands. Draupadi fainted and fell. Then Shiva said, “Okay, I give you the power to become a girl whenever you wish.”
Once, when Yudhishthira was with him, Bhima saw him massaging Draupadi’s feet. Bhima said, “Oh! This Dharmaraja is impotent, he was massaging a woman’s feet.” He told Lord Krishna, who said, “Oh! You also do the same.” Bhima said, “No, Maharaj.” Then, at night, Krishna took him to a dense forest, made him sit on a peepal tree, and said, “Bhima! Keep watching everything from here, don’t be afraid.” There, in the cremation ground, a huge assembly was held at night. All the gods came. Everyone sat on their thrones. Only one throne was empty. Bhima saw Draupadi entering the assembly, so everyone stood up and started praying for Draupadi. The Mahabharata war was going on, she told that no one would survive in this war. Bhima became nervous and said, my heart is sinking. Coming down, he said – I did not think so. Shri Krishna said, “Don’t worry, I will tell you how to survive the war.” He said, “Ask her for a boon that all five of us brothers survive the war—and that’s what happened.” Lord Krishna also asked for a similar boon for himself. The point is that Draupadi was no ordinary woman; she was Mahakali—the Kalika Shakti, who roamed the entire Mahabharata war with a skull in her hand. But why did she fall midway on her way to heaven? It was said that she was not equally in love with all five of her husbands, but was more in love with Arjuna, and this sin led to her downfall.
Now came the sound of a second fall, this time it was Sahadeva. Why did he fall? He was very proud of his intelligence. He didn’t consider anyone smarter than himself—that’s why he fell.
Yudhishthira kept an equal eye on everyone and knew their shortcomings. After this, Nakula fell with a thud. Why did he fall? He was very proud of his looks. He used to say that God had given him such beauty that no one could defeat him. This pride caused him to fall.
After this, Arjuna fell down—asked, “Why did he fall?” He explained that he used to say that he could single-handedly conquer the entire world in a day. But it took him eighteen days to win the Mahabharata war. That truthful Arjuna, instead of fulfilling his promise, resorted to falsehood and arrogance, and Gandiva was also insulted. When Bhima fell, it was revealed that he ate a lot and never observed fasts. Gods eat once, humans twice, demons three times, and even dogs eat four or more times. Bhima was a glutton, a food-lover, and proud of his strength and power. Therefore, he too could not ascend to heaven, falling midway.
Now, in the end, only Dharmaraja and the dog remained. Everyone left. Similarly, in the end, everyone will leave, only Dharma will go with them. There was snow all around. On the highest peak of the Himalayas, Emperor Dharmaraja Yudhishthira was standing with his dog when a plane from heaven arrived to take him. He said, “Come, Your Majesty! Come to heaven!” Dharmaraja said, “First put this dog on the plane.” The god replied, “It cannot go; you must remain on the plane.” Dharmaraja flatly refused to go to heaven without the dog, which had accompanied him on the path to the end, even when his brother and wife had abandoned him. Even a dog should not be abandoned if it accompanies one in the pursuit of righteousness. Upon Dharmaraja’s refusal and his offering of half of his virtuous deeds, the dog instantly became Yamaraja, and Dharmaraja ascended to heaven.
