3. King Dharma & The Dog

Nothing is foreign - parts relate to whole; One all-extending, all-pervading soul Connects each being, greatest with the least- Made beast in aid of man, and man of beast; All served, all serving - nothing stands alone.                                   --Alexander Pope King Dharma was the famous Pandava king who ruled at Hastinapura. This king and his four brothers, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva are known as the Pancha Pandavas or the five Pandavas.     We read the story of these kings and the great battles they fought in the well-known epic called the Mahabharata. It is in this story that we learn of Krishna and Balarama and of the great help they gave to the Pandavas.     It came to pass that Krishna and Balarama, the true friends of the virtuous Pandavas died and went to Heaven. When the Pandavas heard of it they were stricken with great grief. So Dharma and his brothers renounced the world and set out for Mount Meru in the North. As they journeyed. they were followed by a dog which belonged to King Dharma.     On the long and tedious way, the brothers of Dharma died one after another. But the faithful dog survived them and was now the only companion of the distressed king. King Dharma, as is well-known, was one who was exceedingly virtuous, truthful under all conditions, just to all, affectionate and kind to all living beings. He was now on his way to the celestial world, the place to which men of good and pure deeds go after death. The lord of this world is Indra. He learnt that King Dharma was on his way to him. So he brought his celestial car and said to King Dharma, 'Most virtuous king, you are fit to come to my sacred regions and enjoy the pleasures thereof, because you have always led a life of purity, charity and love to all the creatures of  God. Today you enter the pure world of Heaven as a reward for your virtues.'     King Dharma was about to enter the car of Indra with his dog when Indra objected to the animal coming into the car. He said, 'O King, in the world of the Devas, dogs are not allowed. Know you not that it is a mean and low animal? Hew can you keep company with such a low creature as a dog ? Therefore leave the dog behind and enter the sacred car alone.'     King Dharma longed to enter the celestial world, but he could not bring himself to give up his faithful dog. So he said, 'Great Indra, to enter Heaven is my highest desire. But I cannot leave my faithful companion and desert him even for the sake of this most coveted of joys. You are pleased to call him a mean and low animal. But I think differently. Though he is only a dumb animal, can you find a being more grateful to his master than he? Does not a dog love his master and his wife and children and protect his life and property more faithfully than any human being? Has any dog been known to be false or ungrateful to his master? Do you know that it has pleased the Almighty to endow the dog with two divine attributes-unchanging constancy and unforgetting love? How faithful and loving has this dog been to me at all times! To desert him, even for the highest pleasures of Heaven, would be the grossest ingratitude on my part. Therefore, Great Indra, take me to Heaven with this dog; or leave me where I am.'     When Dharma spoke these honest and brave words, the dog disappeared and in his stead the God of Justice stood before King Dharma and spoke thus:     'True and noble king, l am no dog. I am the God of Justice. I have been watching you all these days. You have always been as loving and kind to animals as to human beings. You have now your reward. Go and enjoy the virtuous holy pleasures of Heaven.'     King Dharma entered the car of Indra and reached Heaven, the place of bliss to which all virtuous people go at the end of their lives. ****  ****

Additional Information of Interest

Click here to find out more about King Dharma, whose name was also Yudhisthira. 

Click here to find out more about the Mahabharata, the great epic, which is also the longest epic, or poem in the world.

Click here to find out more about the ancient city of Hastinapura.