Yudhishthir aur Kutta

Kurukshetra ke mahaan yuddh ke baad Yudhishthir ne Hastinapur par kai varshon tak shaasan kiya, lekin unka hriday mare hue sabhi logon ki smriti se bhaari tha. Jab ant mein unhe laga ki dharti par unka samay samaapt ho raha hai, to unhone apne pautr Parikshit ko raja banaaya aur apne bhaiyon tatha Draupadi ke saath antim yaatra, mahaaprasthaan par nikal pade. Vah uttar mein Himalaya ki or chale, swarg ki or hi chadhne ka iraada rakhte hue, kadam-dar-kadam sansaar ka tyaag karte hue. Jaise-jaise vah parvaton mein oonche chadhte gaye, yaatri ek-ek karke girte gaye. Pehle Draupadi girin, phir Sahadev, phir Nakul, phir Arjun, aur phir paraakrami Bheem. Har baar Yudhishthir ne dukh se peechhe dekha lekin ruke nahin, kyonki vah samajhte the ki pratyek kisi dosh ya aasakti ke kaaran gira tha, aur yaatra mritakon ke liye ruk nahin sakti thi. Vah akele chalte rahe, jyeshth aur antim, keval ek saathi ab bhi unke saath tha. Hava unke chaaron or garajti rahi, lekin vishaal agyaat ki or dridhata se chadhte hue unka sankalp kabhi nahin dagmagaaya. Yaatra ke bilkul aarambh se ek aavaara kutta unke saath jud gaya tha, har kathinaayi mein Yudhishthir ki ediyon par chalta raha. Kutta unke saath maidaanon aur nadiyon ko paar karke aur parvatiya maargon par chadhkar chala tha, Yudhishthir ka saath kabhi nahin chhoda, bina shikaayat unki bhookh aur thand baanti. Jab sabhi mahaan naayak gir gaye, tab bhi vinamra kutta chalta raha. Ant mein Yudhishthir un oonchaaiyon par pahunche jahaan nashvar sansaar samaapt hota hai. Devtaon ne divya rath bheja, aur swayam Indra dharmaatma raja ko sashareer swarg le jaane aaye, vah durlabh sammaan jo kuchh hi nashvaron ko milta hai. Yudhishthir rath ki or badhe, lekin phir unhone neeche dekha aur kutte ko ab bhi nishtha se apne paas khada paaya. Vah Indra ki or mude aur kaha ki kutta unke saath aana chaahiye, kyonki vah poori yaatra mein unka vafaadaar saathi raha tha. Indra ne komalta se hanskar kaha ki swarg mein kutton ke liye koi sthaan nahin hai, jinhe apavitra maana jaata hai, aur unhe pashu ko peechhe chhodna hoga. Lekin Yudhishthir ne mana kar diya. Unhone kaha ki vah use tyaag nahin sakte jisne un par bharosa kiya tha aur unki sharan li thi. Unhone ghoshna ki ki vah vafaadaar aashrit ko dhokha dene ke paap se swarg ka tyaag karna pasand karenge. Indra ne unse tark kiya, bataaya ki kutte mein swarg yogya aatma nahin hai aur raja moorkhta kar rahe hain. Lekin Yudhishthir dridh rahe. Unhone kaha ki unka dharm unki sharan chaahne walon ki raksha karna hai, chaahe vah raja hon ya kutte, aur asahaay ko tyaagkar paaya gaya swarg koi swarg nahin hoga. Tabhi ek chamatkaar hua. Kutta veeleen ho gaya, aur uske sthaan par swayam Dharm khade the, dhaarmikta ke devta, Yudhishthir ke divya pita. Poori yaatra unki antim pareeksha thi. Dharm ne apne putr ko gale lagaaya aur kaha ki unhone sabse badi pareeksha utteern ki hai. Kutte ko na tyaagkar Yudhishthir ne siddh kiya tha ki unki karuna mahaan aur shaktishaali tak seemit nahin hai balki tuchchhatam praani tak phaili hai. Indra ne shraddha se unhe naman kiya, aur Yudhishthir mahima ke saath swarg aarohit hue, apne paarthiv shareer mein swarg mein pravesh karne wale ekmaatra nashvar. Phir bhi swarg mein bhi unki pareekshaayen poori tarah samaapt nahin hui thin, kyonki pehle unhe narak ka darshan dekhna pada jahaan unke priyajan kasht bhogte lag rahe the, aur unki karuna ek baar phir chamki jab unhone akele swarg bhogne ke bajay unke saath rehna chuna. Ant mein sab maaya prakat hui, aur Yudhishthir ne dharmaatmaon mein apna uchit sthaan liya. Yudhishthir aur kutte ki katha Mahabharat ka antim aur sabse maarmik paath hai. Yuddh, raajneeti aur darshan ke athaarah parvon ke baad mahaakaavya is saral satya ke saath samaapt hota hai, ki sachcha dharm karmkaandon ya vijayon se nahin balki asahaay ke prati daya se maapa jaata hai. Jis raja ne aavaara kutte ke bina swarg mein pravesh karne se mana kar diya, unhone dikhaaya ki karuna sarvochch niyam hai, devtaon ke niyamon se bhi oopar. Aaj bhi yah katha bachchon aur rishiyon ko sunaayi jaati hai, sunne walon ko yaad dilaati hai ki koi praani nishtha ke yogya hone ke liye bahut chhota nahin hai, aur koi puraskaar kroorta ki keemat ke yogya nahin hai.