Chapter 63

“Vaisampayana said, ‘There was a king of the name of Uparichara. Thatmonarch was devoted to virtue. He was very much addicted also to hunting.That king of the Paurava race, called also Vasu, conquered the excellentand delightful kingdom of Chedi under instructions from Indra. Some timeafter, the king gave up the use of arms and, dwelling in a secludedretreat, practised the most severe austerities.

The gods with Indra attheir head once approached the monarch during this period, believing thathe sought the headship of the gods, by those severe austerities of his.The celestials, becoming objects of his sight, by soft speeches succeededin winning him away from his ascetic austerities.’

“The gods said, ‘O lord of the earth, thou shouldst take care so thatvirtue may not sustain a diminution on earth! Protected by thee, virtueitself will in return protect the universe.’ And Indra said, ‘O king,protect virtue on earth attentively and rigidly. Being virtuous, thoushalt, for all time, behold (in after life) many sacred regions. Andthough I am of Heaven, and thou art of earth, yet art thou my friend anddear to me. And, O king of men, dwell thou in that region on earth whichis delightful, and aboundeth in animals, is sacred, full of wealth andcorn, is well-protected like heaven, which is of agreeable climate,graced with every object of enjoyment, and blessed with fertility. And, Omonarch of Chedi, this thy dominion is full of riches, of gems andprecious stones, and containeth, besides, much mineral wealth. The citiesand towns of this region are all devoted to virtue; the people are honestand contented; they never lie even in jest. Sons never divide theirwealth with their fathers and are ever mindful of the welfare of theirparents. Lean cattle are never yoked to the plough or the cart or engagedin carrying merchandise; on the other hand, they are well-fed andfattened. In Chedi the four orders are always engaged in their respectivevocations. Let nothing be unknown to thee that happens in the threeworlds. I shall give thee a crystal car such as the celestials alone arecapable of carrying the car through mid air. Thou alone, of all mortalson earth, riding on that best of cars, shall course through mid-air likea celestial endued with a physical frame. I shall also give thee atriumphal garland of unfading lotuses, with which on, in battle, thoushall not be wounded by weapons. And, O king, this blessed andincomparable garland, widely known on earth as Indra’s garland, shall bethy distinctive badge.

“The slayer of Vritra (Indra) also gave the king, for his gratification,a bamboo pole for protecting the honest and the peaceful. After theexpiry of a year, the king planted it in the ground for the purpose ofworshipping the giver thereof, viz., Sakra. From that time forth, Omonarch, all kings, following Vasu’s example, began to plant a pole forthe celebration of Indra’s worship. After erecting the pole they deckedit with golden cloth and scents and garlands and various ornaments. Andthe god Vasava is worshipped in due form with such garlands andornaments. And the god, for the gratification of the illustrious Vasu,assuming the form of a swan, came himself to accept the worship thusoffered. And the god, beholding the auspicious worship thus made by Vasu,that first of monarchs, was delighted, and said unto him, ‘Those men, andkings also, who will worship me and joyously observe this festival ofmine like the king of Chedi, shall have glory and victory for theircountries and kingdom. Their cities also shall expand and be ever injoy.’

“King Vasu was thus blessed by the gratified Maghavat, the high-souledchief of the gods. Indeed, those men who cause this festivity of Sakra tobe observed with gifts of land, of gems and precious stones, become therespected of the world. And king Vasu, the lord of Chedis bestowing boonsand performing great sacrifices and observing the festivity of Sakra, wasmuch respected by Indra. And from Chedi he ruled the whole worldvirtuously. And for the gratification of Indra, Vasu, the lord of theChedis, observed the festivity of Indra.

“And Vasu had five sons of great energy and immeasurable prowess. And theemperor installed his sons as governors of various provinces.

“And his son Vrihadratha was installed in Magadha and was known by thename of Maharatha. Another son of his was Pratyagraha; and another,Kusamva, who was also called Manivahana. And the two others were Mavella,and Yadu of great prowess and invincible in battle.

“These, O monarch, were the sons of that royal sage of mighty energy. Andthe five sons of Vasu planted kingdoms and towns after their own namesand founded separate dynasties that lasted for long ages.

“And when king Vasu took his seat in that crystal car, with the gift ofIndra, and coursed through the sky, he was approached by Gandharvas andApsaras (the celestial singers and dancers). And as he coursed throughthe upper regions, he was called Uparichara. And by his capital flowed ariver called Suktimati. And that river was once attacked by a life-enduedmountain called Kolahala maddened by lust. And Vasu, beholding the foulattempt, struck the mountain with his foot. And by the indentation causedby Vasu’s stamp, the river came out (of the embraces of Kolahala). Butthe mountain begat on the river two children that were twins. And theriver, grateful to Vasu for his having set her free from Kolahala’sembraces, gave them both to Vasu. And the son was made the generalissimoto his forces by Vasu, that best of royal sages and giver of wealth andpunisher of enemies. And the daughter called Girika, was wedded by Vasu.

‘And Girika, the wife of Vasu, after her menstrual course, purifyingherself by a bath, represented her state unto her lord. But that very daythe Pitris of Vasu came unto that best of monarchs and foremost of wisemen, and asked him to slay deer (for their Sraddha). And the king,thinking that the command of the Pitris should not be disobeyed, wenta-hunting thinking of Girika alone who was gifted with great beauty andlike unto another Sri herself. And the season being the spring, the woodswithin which the king was roaming, had become delightful like unto thegardens of the king of the Gandharvas himself. There were Asokas andChampakas and Chutas and Atimuktas in abundance: and there were Punnagasand Karnikaras and Vakulas and Divya Patalas and Patalas and Narikelasand Chandanas and Arjunas and similar other beautiful and sacred treesresplendent with fragrant flowers and sweet fruits. And the whole forestwas maddened by the sweet notes of the kokila and echoed with the hum ofmaddened bees. And the king became possessed with desire, and he saw nothis wife before him. Maddened by desire he was roaming hither andthither, when he saw a beautiful Asoka decked with dense foliage, itsbranches covered with flowers. And the king sat at his ease in the shadeof that tree. And excited by the fragrance of the season and the charmingodours of the flowers around, and excited also by the delicious breeze,the king could not keep his mind away from the thought of the beautifulGirika. And beholding that a swift hawk was resting very near to him, theking, acquainted with the subtle truths of Dharma and Artha, went untohim and said, ‘Amiable one, carry thou this seed (semen) for my wifeGirika and give it unto her. Her season hath arrived.’

“The hawk, swift of speed, took it from the king and rapidly coursedthrough the air. While thus passing, the hawk was seen by another of hisspecies. Thinking that the first one was carrying meat, the second oneflew at him. The two fought with each other in the sky with their beaks.While they were fighting, the seed fell into the waters of the Yamuna.And in those waters dwelt an Apsara of the higher rank, known by the nameof Adrika, transformed by a Brahmana’s curse into a fish. As soon asVasu’s seed fell into the water from the claws of the hawk, Adrikarapidly approached and swallowed it at once. That fish was, some timeafter, caught by the fishermen. And it was the tenth month of the fish’shaving swallowed the seed. From the stomach of that fish came out a maleand a female child of human form. The fishermen wondered much, andwending unto king Uparichara (for they were his subjects) told him all.They said, ‘O king, these two beings of human shape have been found inthe body of a fish!’ The male child amongst the two was taken byUparichara. That child afterwards became the virtuous and truthfulmonarch Matsya.

“After the birth of the twins, the Apsara herself became freed from hercurse. For she had been told before by the illustrious one (who hadcursed her) that she would, while living in her piscatorial form, givebirth to two children of human shape and then would be freed from thecurse. Then, according to these words, having given birth to the twochildren, and been killed by the fishermen, she left her fish-form andassumed her own celestial shape. The Apsara then rose up on the pathtrodden by the Siddhas, the Rishis and the Charanas.

“The fish-smelling daughter of the Apsara in her piscatorial form wasthen given by the king unto the fishermen, saying, ‘Let this one be thydaughter.’ That girl was known by the name of Satyavati. And gifted withgreat beauty and possessed of every virtue, she of agreeable smiles,owing to contact with fishermen, was for some time of the fishy smell.Wishing to serve her (foster) father she plied a boat on the waters ofthe Yamuna.

“While engaged in this vocation, Satyavati was seen one day by the greatRishi Parasara, in course of his wanderings. As she was gifted with greatbeauty, an object of desire even with an anchorite, and of gracefulsmiles, the wise sage, as soon as he beheld her, desired to have her. Andthat bull amongst Munis addressed the daughter of Vasu of celestialbeauty and tapering thighs, saying, ‘Accept my embraces, O blessed one!’Satyavati replied, ‘O holy one, behold the Rishis standing on either bankof the river. Seen by them, how can I grant thy wish?’

“Thus addressed by her, the ascetic thereupon created a fog (whichexisted not before and) which enveloped the whole region in darkness. Andthe maiden, beholding the fog that was created by the great Rishiwondered much. And the helpless one became suffused with the blushes ofbashfulness. And she said, ‘O holy one, note that I am a maiden under thecontrol of my father. O sinless one, by accepting your embraces myvirginity will be sullied. O best of Brahmanas, my virginity beingsullied, how shall I, O Rishi, be able to return home? Indeed, I shallnot then be able to bear life. Reflecting upon all this, O illustriousone, do that which should be done.’ That best of Rishis, gratified withall she said, replied, “Thou shall remain a virgin even if thou grantestmy wish. And, O timid one, O beauteous lady, solicit the boon that thoudesirest. O thou of fair smiles, my grace hath never before provedfruitless.’ Thus addressed, the maiden asked for the boon that her bodymight emit a sweet scent (instead of the fish-odour that it had). And theillustrious Rishi thereupon granted that wish of her heart.

“Having obtained her boon, she became highly pleased, and her seasonimmediately came. And she accepted the embraces of that Rishi ofwonderful deeds. And she thenceforth became known among men by the nameof Gandhavati (the sweet-scented one). And men could perceive her scentfrom the distance of a yojana. And for this she was known by another namewhich was Yojanagandha (one who scatters her scent for a yojana allaround). And the illustrious Parasara, after this, went to his own asylum.

“And Satyavati gratified with having obtained the excellent boon inconsequence of which she became sweet-scented and her virginity remainedunsullied conceived through Parasara’s embraces. And she brought forththe very day, on an island in the Yamuna, the child begot upon her byParasara and gifted with great energy. And the child, with the permissionof his mother, set his mind on asceticism. And he went away saying, ‘Assoon as thou rememberest me when occasion comes, I shall appear untothee.’

“And it was thus that Vyasa was born of Satyavati through Parasara. Andbecause he was born in an island, he was called Dwaipayana (Dwaipa orislandborn). And the learned Dwaipayana, beholding that virtue isdestined to become lame by one leg each yuga (she having four legs inall) and that the period of life and the strength of men followed theyugas, and moved by the desire of obtaining the favour of Brahman and theBrahmanas, arranged the Vedas. And for this he came to be called Vyasa(the arranger or compiler). The boon-giving great one then taughtSumanta, Jaimini, Paila, his son Suka, and Vaisampayana, the Vedas havingthe Mahabharata for their fifth. And the compilation of the Bharata waspublished by him through them separately.

“Then Bhishma, of great energy and fame and of immeasurable splendour,and sprung from the component parts of the Vasus, was born in the womb ofGanga through king Santanu. And there was a Rishi of the name ofAnimandavya of great fame. And he was conversant with the interpretationsof the Vedas, was illustrious, gifted with great energy, and of greatreputation. And, accused of theft, though innocent, the old Rishi wasimpaled. He thereupon summoned Dharma and told him these words, ‘In mychildhood I had pierced a little fly on a blade of grass, O Dharma! Irecollect that one sin: but I cannot call to mind any other. I have,however, since practised penances a thousandfold. Hath not that one sinbeen conquered by this my asceticism? And because the killing of aBrahmana is more heinous than that of any other living thing, therefore,hast thou, O Dharma, been sinful. Thou shalt, therefore, be born on earthin the Sudra order.’ And for that curse Dharma was born a Sudra in theform of the learned Vidura of pure body who was perfectly sinless. Andthe Suta was born of Kunti in her maidenhood through Surya. And he cameout of his mother’s womb with a natural coat of mail and face brightenedby ear-rings. And Vishnu himself, of world-wide fame, and worshipped ofall the worlds, was born of Devaki through Vasudeva, for the benefit ofthe three worlds. He is without birth and death, of radiant splendour,the Creator of the universe and the Lord of all! Indeed, he who is theinvisible cause of all, who knoweth no deterioration, who is theall-pervading soul, the centre round which everything moveth, thesubstance in which the three attributes of Sattwa, Rajas and Tamasco-inhere, the universal soul, the immutable, the material out of whichhath been created this universe, the Creator himself, the controllinglord, the invisible dweller in every object, progenitor of this universeof five elements, who is united with the six high attributes, is thePranava or Om of the Vedas, is infinite, incapable of being moved by anyforce save his own will, illustrious, the embodiment of the mode of lifecalled Sannyasa, who floated on the waters before the creation, who isthe source whence hath sprung this mighty frame, who is the greatcombiner, the uncreate, the invisible essence of all, the greatimmutable, bereft of those attributes that are knowable by the senses,who is the universe itself, without beginning, birth, and decay,–ispossessed of infinite wealth, that Grandsire of all creatures, becameincarnate in the race of the Andhaka-Vrishnis for the increase of virtue.

“And Satyaki and Kritavarma, conversant with (the use of) weaponspossessed of mighty energy, well-versed in all branches of knowledge, andobedient to Narayana in everything and competent in the use of weapons,had their births from Satyaka and Hridika. And the seed of the greatRishi Bharadwaja of severe penances, kept in a pot, began to develop. Andfrom that seed came Drona (the pot-born). And from the seed of Gautama,fallen upon a clump of reeds, were born two that were twins, the motherof Aswatthaman (called Kripi), and Kripa of great strength. Then was bornDhrishtadyumna, of the splendour of Agni himself, from the sacrificialfire. And the mighty hero was born with bow in hand for the destructionof Drona. And from the sacrificial altar was born Krishna (Draupadi)resplendent and handsome, of bright features and excellent beauty. Thenwas born the disciple of Prahlada, viz., Nagnajit, and also Suvala. Andfrom Suvala was born a son, Sakuni, who from the curse of the gods becamethe slayer of creatures and the foe of virtue. And unto him was also borna daughter (Gandhari), the mother of Duryodhana. And both werewell-versed in the arts of acquiring worldly profits. And from Krishnawas born, in the soil of Vichitravirya, Dhritarashtra, the lord of men,and Pandu of great strength. And from Dwaipayana also born, in the Sudracaste, the wise and intelligent Vidura, conversant with both religion andprofit, and free from all sins. And unto Pandu by his two wives were bornfive sons like the celestials. The eldest of them was Yudhishthira. AndYudhishthira was born (of the seed) of Dharma (Yama, the god of justice);and Bhima of the wolf’s stomach was born of Marut (the god of wind), andDhananjaya, blessed with good fortune and the first of all wielders ofweapons, was born of Indra; and Nakula and Sahadeva, of handsome featuresand ever engaged in the service of their superiors, were born of the twinAswins. And unto the wise Dhritarashtra were born a hundred sons, viz.,Duryodhana and others, and another, named Yuyutsu, who was born of avaisya woman. And amongst those hundred and one, eleven, viz., Duhsasana,Duhsaha, Durmarshana, Vikarna, Chitrasena, Vivinsati, Jaya, Satyavrata,Purumitra, and Yuyutsu by a Vaisya wife, were all Maharathas (greatcar-warriors). And Abhimanyu was born of Subhadra, the sister of Vasudevathrough Arjuna, and was, therefore, the grandson of the illustriousPandu. And unto the five Pandavas were born five sons by (their commonwife) Panchali. And these princes were all very handsome and conversantwith all branches of knowledge. From Yudhishthira was born Pritivindhya;from Vrikodara, Sutasoma; from Arjuna, Srutakirti; from Nakula, Satanika;and from Sahadeva, Srutasena of great prowess; and Bhima, in the forestbegot on Hidimva a son named Ghatotkacha. And from Drupada was born adaughter Sikhandin who was afterwards transformed into a male child.Sikhandini was so transformed into a male by Yaksha named Sthuna from thedesire of doing her good.

“In that great battle of the Kurus came hundreds of thousands of monarchsfor fighting against one another. The names of the innumerable host I amunable to recount even in ten thousand years. I have named, however, theprincipal ones who have been mentioned in this history.'”