Chapter 166

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Upon the completion of this discourse, Nakula whowas an accomplished swordsman thus questioned the Kuru grandsire lying onhis bed of arrows.’

“Nakula said, ‘The bow, O grandsire, is regarded as the foremost ofweapons in this world. My mind, however, inclines towards the sword,since when the bow, O king, is cut off or broken, when steeds are dead orweakened, a good warrior, well trained in the sword, can protect himselfby means of his sword.[479] A hero armed with the sword can, singlehanded, withstand many bowmen, and many antagonists armed with maces anddarts. I have this doubt, and I feel curious to know the truth. Which, Oking, is really the foremost of weapons in all battles? How was the swordfirst created and for what purpose? Who also was the first preceptor inthe weapon? Tell me all this, O grandsire.’

“Vaisampayana continued, ‘Hearing these words of the intelligent son ofMadri, the virtuous Bhishma, the complete master of the science of thebow, stretched upon his bed of arrows, made this answer fraught with manyrefined words of delightful import, melodious with vowels properlyplaced, and displaying considerable skill, unto the high-souled Nakula,that disciple of Drona, endued with skilful training.’

“Bhishma said, ‘Hear the truth, O son of Madri, about what thou hastasked me. I am excited by this question of thine, like a hill ofred-chalk.[480] In ancient times the universe was one vast expanse ofwater, motionless and skyless, and without this earth occupying any spacein it. Enveloped in darkness, and intangible, its aspect was exceedinglyawful. Utter silence reigning all over, it was immeasurable in extent. Inhis own proper time the Grandsire (of the universe) took his birth. Hethen created the wind and fire, and the sun also of great energy. He alsocreated the sky, the heavens, the nether regions, earth, the directions,the firmament with the moon and the stars, the constellations, theplanets, the year, the seasons, the months, the two fortnights (lightedand dark) and the smaller divisions of time. The divine Grandsire then,assuming a visible form, begot (by power of his will) some sons possessedof great energy. They are the sages Marichi, Atri, Pulastya, Pulaha,Kratu, Vasishtha, Angiras, and the mighty and puissant lord Rudra, andPrachetas. The last begat Daksha, who in his turn, begat sixty daughters.All those daughters were taken by regenerate sages for the object ofbegetting children upon them. From them sprang all the creatures of theuniverse, including the gods, Pitris, Gandharvas, Apsaras, diverse kindsof Rakshasas, birds and animals and fishes, monkeys, great snakes, anddiverse species of fowl that range the air or sport on the water, andvegetables, and all beings that are oviparous or viviparous or born offilth. In this way the whole universe consisting of mobile and immobilecreatures sprang into existence. The universal Grandsire, having thusevoked into existence all mobile and immobile creatures, then promulgatedthe eternal religion laid down in the Vedas. That religion was acceptedby the gods, with their preceptors, priests, the Adityas, the Vasus, theRudras, the Sadhyas, the Maruts, the Aswins, Bhrigu, Atri, Angiras, theSiddhas, Kasyapa rich in penances, Vasishtha, Gautama, Agastya, Narada,Parvata, the Valikhilya Rishis, those other Rishis known under the namesof Prabhasas, the Sikatas, the Ghritapas, the Somavayavyas, theVaiswanaras, Marichipas, the Akrishtas, the Hansas, those born of Fire,the Vanaprasthas, and the Prasnis. All of them lived in obedience toBrahman. The foremost of the Danavas, however, setting at night thecommands of the Grandsire, and yielding to wrath and covetousness, beganto cause the destruction of righteousness. They were Hiranyakasipu, andHiranyaksha, and Virochana, and Samvara, and Viprachitti, and Prahlada,and Namuchi, and Vali. These and many other Daityas and Danavas,transcending all restraints of duty and religion, sported and tookdelight in all kinds of wicked acts. Regarding themselves equal in pointof birth with the gods, they began to challenge them and the sages ofpure behaviour. They never did any good to the other creatures of theuniverse or showed compassion for any of them. Disregarding the threewell-known means, they began to persecute and afflict all creatures bywielding only the rod of chastisement. Indeed, those foremost of Asuras,filled with pride, forsook every friendly intercourse with othercreatures. Then the divine Brahman, accompanied by the regenerate sages,proceeded to a delightful summit of Himavat, extending for a hundredYojanas in area, adorned with diverse kinds of jewels and gems, and uponwhose surface the stars seemed to rest like so many lotuses on a lake. Onthat prince of mountains, O sire, overgrown with forests of floweringtrees, that foremost of the gods, viz., Brahman, stayed for some time foraccomplishing the business of the world. After the lapse of a thousandyears, the puissant lord made arrangements for a grand sacrificeaccording to the ordinances laid down in the scriptures. The sacrificialaltar became adorned with Rishis skilled in sacrifice and competent toperform all acts appertaining thereto, with faggots of sacrificial fuel,and with blazing fires. And it looked exceedingly beautiful inconsequence of the sacrificial plates and vessels all made of gold. Allthe foremost ones among the gods took their seats on it. The platform wasfurther adorned with Sadasyas all of whom were high regenerate Rishis. Ihave heard from the Rishis that soon something very awful occurred inthat sacrifice. It is heard that a creature sprang (from the sacrificialfire) scattering the flames around him, and whose splendour equalled thatof the Moon himself when he rises in the firmament spangled with stars.His complexion was dark like that of the petals of the blue lotus. Histeeth were keen. His stomach was lean. His stature was tall. He seemed tobe irresistible and possessed of exceeding energy. Upon the appearance ofthat being, the earth trembled. The Ocean became agitated with highbillows and awful eddies. Meteors foreboding great disasters shot throughthe sky. The branches of trees began to fall down. All the points of thecompass became unquiet. Inauspicious winds began to blow. All creaturesbegan to quake with fear every moment. Beholding that awful agitation ofthe universe and that Being sprung from the sacrificial fire, theGrandsire said these words unto the great Rishis, the gods, and theGandharvas. This Being was thought of by me. Possessed of great energy,his name is Asi (sword or scimitar). For the protection of the world andthe destruction of the enemies of the gods, I have created him. Thatbeing then, abandoning the form he had first assumed, took the shape of asword of great splendour, highly polished, sharp-edged, risen like theall-destructive Being at the end of the Yuga. Then Brahman made over thatsharp weapon to the blue-throated Rudra who has for the device on hisbanner the foremost of bulls, for enabling him to put down irreligion andsin. At this, the divine Rudra of immeasurable soul, praised by the greatRishis, took up that sword and assumed a different shape. Putting forthfour arms, he became so tall that though standing on the earth he touchedthe very sun with his head. With eyes turned upwards and with every limbextended wide, he began to vomit flames of fire from his mouth. Assumingdiverse complexions such as blue and white and red, wearing a blackdeer-skin studded with stars of gold, he bore on his forehead a third eyethat resembled the sun in splendour. His two other eyes, one of which wasblack and the other tawny, shone very brightly. The divine Mahadeva, thebearer of the Sula, the tearer of Bhaga’s eyes, taking up the sword whosesplendour resembled that of the all-destructive Yuga fire, and wielding alarge shield with three high bosses which looked like a mass of darkclouds adorned with flashes of lightning, began to perform diverse kindsof evolutions. Possessed of great prowess, he began to whirl the sword inthe sky, desirous of an encounter. Loud were the roars he uttered, andawful the sound of his laughter. Indeed, O Bharata, the form then assumedby Rudra was exceedingly terrible. Hearing that Rudra had assumed thatform for achieving fierce deeds, the Danavas, filled with joy, began tocome towards him with great speed, showering huge rocks upon him as theycome, and blazing brands of wood, and diverse kinds of terrible weaponsmade of iron and each endued with the sharpness of a razor. The Danavahost, however, beholding that foremost of all beings, the indestructibleRudra, swelling with might, became stupefied and began to tremble.Although Rudra was alone and single-handed, yet so quickly did he move onthe field of battle with the sword in his arm that the Asuras thoughtthere were a thousand similar Rudras battling with them. Tearing andpiercing and afflicting and cutting and lopping off and grinding down,the great god moved with celerity among the thick masses of his foes likeforest conflagration amid heaps of dry grass spread around. The mightyAsuras, broken by the god with the whirls of his sword, with arms andthighs and chests cut off and pierced, and with heads severed from theirtrunks, began to fall down on the earth. Others among the Danavas,afflicted with strokes of the sword, broke and fled in all directions,cheering one another as they fled. Some penetrated into the bowels of theearth; others got under the cover of mountains, Some went upwards; othersentered the depths of the sea. During the progress of that dreadful andfierce battle, the earth became miry with flesh and blood and horriblesights presented themselves on every side. Strewn with the fallen bodiesof Danavas covered with blood, the earth looked as if overspread withmountain summits overgrown with Kinsukas. Drenched with gore, the earthlooked exceedingly beautiful, like a fair-complexioned lady intoxicatedwith alcohol and attired in crimson robes. Having slain the Danavas andre-established Righteousness on earth, the auspicious Rudra cast off hisawful form and assumed his own beneficent shape. Then all the Rishis andall the celestials adored that god of gods with loud acclamations wishinghim victory. The divine Rudra, after this, gave the sword, that protectorof religion, dyed with the blood of Danavas, unto Vishnu with dueadorations. Vishnu gave it unto Marichi. The divine Marichi gave it untoall the great Rishis. The latter gave it to Vasava. Vasava gave it to theRegents of the world. The Regents, O son, gave that large sword to Manuthe son of Surya. At the time, of giving it unto Manu, they said, ‘Thouart the lord of all men. Protect all creatures with this sword containingreligion within its womb. Duly meting out chastisement unto those thathave transgressed the barriers of virtue for the sake of the body or themind, they should be protected conformably to the ordinances but neveraccording to caprice. Some should be punished with wordy rebukes, andwith fines and forfeitures. Loss of limb or death should never beinflicted for slight reasons. These punishments, consisting of wordyrebukes as their first, are regarded as so many forms of the sword. Theseare the shapes that the sword assumes in consequence of thetransgressions of persons under the protection (of the king).[481] Intime Manu installed his own son Kshupa in the sovereignty of allcreatures, and gave him the sword for their protection. From Kshupa itwas taken by Ikshvaku, and from Ikshvaku by Pururavas. From Pururavas itwas taken by Ayus, and from Ayus by Nahusha. From Nahusha it was taken byYayati, and from Yayati by Puru. From Puru it was taken by Amurtarya,From Amurtarya it descended to the royal Bhumisaya. From Bhumisaya it wastaken by Dushmanta’s son Bharata. From Bharata, O monarch, it was takenby the righteous Ailavila. From Ailavila it was taken by king Dhundumara.From Dhundumara it was taken by Kamvoja, and from Kamvoja it was taken byMuchukunda, From Muchukunda it was taken by Marutta, and from Marutta byRaivata. From Raivata it was taken by Yuvanaswa, and from Yuvanaswa byRaghu. From Raghu it was taken by the valiant Harinaswa. From Harinaswathe sword was taken by Sunaka and from Sunaka by the righteous-souledUsinara. From the last it was taken by the Bhojas and the Yadavas. Fromthe Yadus it was taken by Sivi. From Sivi it descended to Pratardana.From Pratardana it was received by Ashtaka, and from Ashtaka byPrishadaswa. From Prishadaswa it was received by Bharadwaja, and from thelast by Drona. After Drona it was taken by Kripa. From Kripa that best ofswords has been obtained by thee with thy brothers. The constellationunder which the sword was born is Krittika. Agni is its deity, and Rohiniis its Gotra.[482] Rudra is its high preceptor. The sword has eight nameswhich are not generally known. Listen to me as I mention them to you. Ifone mentions these, O son of Pandu, one may always win victory. Thosenames then are Asi, Vaisasana, Khadga, sharp-edged, difficult ofacquisition, Sirgarbha, victory, and protector of righteousness. Of allweapons, O son of Madravati, the sword is the foremost. The Puranas trulydeclare that it was first wielded by Mahadeva. As regards the bow, again,O chastiser of foes, it was Prithu who first created it. It was with theaid of this weapon that that son of Vena, while he governed the earthvirtuously for many years, milked her of crops and grain in profusion. Itbehoveth thee, O son of Madri, to regard what the Rishis have said, asconclusive proof. All persons skilled in battle should worship the sword.I have now told thee truly the first portion of thy query, in detail,about the origin and creation of the sword, O bull of Bharata’s race! Bylistening to this excellent story of the origin of the sword, a mansucceeds in winning fame in this world and eternal felicity in the next.'”