Lord Vishnu and his mischievous ways of teaching…..It’s my favourite topic. I’m back with one more story. This story relates to Dwaper Yuga, when the Lord had incarnated as Krishna. Draupadi, the wife of Pandavas had a very beautiful relationship with him. Very affectionately, He used to call her “Sakhi” (female friend). For Pandavas, he was elder brother, mentor, Guru all rolled in one. But, for Draupadi, he was “Sakha” or friend, with whom she could share anything and ask for anything. So, when Dushshasan was disrobing Draupadi, the wife of valorous Pandavas, the sister of the great warrior Dhrishtdyumn, and the daughter of the great king Drupad, she couldn’t think of anybody for her rescue but her Sakha. Poor Draupadi, face wet with tears, trying desperately to save her honour cried,” O Krishna, King of Dwarika! Please come and save me!” For a moment, nothing happened as if Krishna was not responding to her prayer. Then, suddenly, a miracle occurred…..

After several days, when Krishna came to meet Pandavas, Draupadi confronted Him for his delay on that fateful day. Her Sakha flashed His sweetest disarming smile and said, “Sakhi, I was always beside you. But, when you called on me for help, you addressed me as the King of Dwarika. Therefore, first I went to Dwarika and then I came back to you. What could have I done, it was you who confined me to the boundaries of Dwarika. Only if you had summoned the omnipresent Krishna, I would have been there for you immediately.”

The mistake that Draupadi committed, we keep on repeating again and again. We keep on trying to confine the Lord to man made boundaries. There is One God for Palestine, another for Israel. There is one God residing in Vatican and another God residing in Mecca. The Hindu God and the Muslim God are staring at each other suspiciously. We have imposed our pettiness on that omnipresent, omnipotent, all pervading entity that is beyond the limitations of time and space. If only we could understand the depth of the message that the Lord gave to Draupadi, we can make our world a better place.