Chapter 78

“Sanjaya said, ‘Kunti’s son, Dhananjaya, of inconceivable prowessthinking of how to accomplish his vow, recollected the mantras (given tohim by Vyasa). And soon he was lulled in the arms of sleep. Unto thatape-bannered hero, burning with grief and immersed in thought Kesava,having Garuda on his banner, appeared in a dream. Dhananjaya of righteoussoul, inconsequence of his love and veneration for Kesava, never omittedunder any circumstances to stand up and advance a few steps for receivingKrishna. Rising up, therefore, now (in his dream), he gave unto Govinda aseat. He himself, however, at that time, did not set his heart upontaking his seat. Then Krishna, of mighty energy, knowing the resolutionof Partha, said, while seated, unto the son of Kunti, these words whilethe latter was standing: ‘Do not set thy heart, O Partha, on grief. Timeis unconquerable. Time forceth all creatures into the inevitable course.O foremost of men what for is this grief of thine? Grief should not beindulged in, O foremost of learned persons! Grief is an impediment toaction. Accomplish that act which should be accomplished. The grief thatmaketh a person forgo all efforts is, indeed, O Dhananjaya, an enemy ofthat person. A person, by indulging in grief, gladdens his foes andsaddens his friends, while the person is himself weakened. Therefore, itbehoveth thee not to grieve.’ Thus addressed by Vasudeva, theunvanquished Vibhatsu of great learning then said these words of graveimport: ‘Grave is the vow that I have made about the slaughter ofJayadratha. Even tomorrow I shall slay that wicked wretch, that slayer ofmy son. Even this hath been my vow, O Kesava! For frustrating my vow,Jayadratha, protected by all the mighty car-warriors, will be kept intheir rear by the Dhartarashtras. Their force, number, consists, OMadhava, of remnant, after slaughter, of eleven Akshauhinis of troops,difficult of being vanquished. Surrounded in battle as he will be by allof them and by all the great car-warriors, how shall he obtain a sight, OKrishna, of the wicked rule of the Sindhus? My vow will not beaccomplished, O Kesava! How can a person like me live, having failed toaccomplish his vow? O hero, the non-accomplishment is evident of this (myvow which to me is a) source of great grief. (At this season of theyear), I tell thee that the sun setteth quickly.’ The bird-banneredKrishna hearing this cause of Partha’s grief, touched water and sat withface turned to the east. And then that hero, of eyes like lotus leaves,and possessed of great energy, said these words for the benefit ofPandu’s son who had resolved upon the slaughter of the ruler of theSindhus, ‘O Partha, there is an indestructible, supreme weapon of thename of Pasupata. With it the god Maheswara slew in battle all theDaityas! If thou rememberest it now, thou shalt then be able to slayJayadratha tomorrow. If it is unknown to thee (now), adore within thyheart the god having the bull for his mark. Thinking of that god in thymind, remember him, O Dhananjaya! Thou art his devotee. Through his gracethou shalt obtain that rich possession.’ Hearing these words of Krishna,Dhananjaya, having touched water, sat on the earth with concentrated mindand thought of the god Bhava. After he had thus sat with rapt mind atthat hour called Brahma of auspicious indications, Arjuna saw himselfjourneying through the sky with Kesava. And Partha, possessed of thespeed of the mind, seemed to reach, with Kesava, the sacred foot ofHimavat and the Manimat mountain abounding in many brilliant gems andfrequented by Siddhas and Charanas. And the lord Kesava seemed to havecaught hold of his left arm. And he seemed to see many wonderful sightsas he reached (those place). And Arjuna of righteous soul then seemed toarrive at the White mountain on the north. And then he beheld, in thepleasure-gardens of Kuvera the beautiful lake decked with lotuses. And healso saw that foremost of rivers, viz., the Ganga full of water. And thenhe arrived at the regions about the Mandara mountains. Those regions werecovered with trees that always bore blossoms and fruits. And theyabounded with stones lying scattered about, that were all transparentcrystal. And they were inhabited by lions and tigers and abounded withanimals of diverse kinds. And they were adorned with many beautifulretreats of ascetics, echoing with the sweet notes of delightfulwarblers. And they resounded also with the songs of Kinnaras. Graced withmany golden and silver peaks, they were illumined with diverse herbs andplants. And many Mandara trees with their pretty loads of flowers,adorned them. And then Arjuna reached the mountains called Kala thatlooked like a mound of antimony. And then he reached the summit calledBrahmatunga, and then many rivers, and then many inhabited provinces. Andhe arrived at Satasinga, and the woods known by the name of Sharyati. Andthen he beheld the sacred spot known as the Horse-head, and then theregion of Atharvana. And then he beheld that prince of mountains calledVrishadansa, and the great Mandara, abounding in Apsaras, and graced withthe presence of the Kinnaras. And roaming on that mountain, Partha, withKrishna, beheld a spot of earth adorned with excellent fountains, deckedwith golden mineral, and possessed of the splendour of the lunar rays,and having many cities and towns. And he also beheld many seas ofwonderful forms and diverse mines of wealth. And thus going through thesky and firmament and the earth, he reached the spot called Vishnupada.And wandering, with Krishna in his company, he came down with greatvelocity, like a shaft shot (from a bow). And soon Partha beheld ablazing mountain whose splendour equalled that of the planets, theconstellations, or fire. And arrived at that mountain, he beheld on itstop, the high-souled god having the bull for his mark, and ever engagedin ascetic penances, like a thousand suns collected together, and blazingwith his own effulgence. Trident in hand, matted locks on the head, ofsnow-white colour, he was robed in bark and skin. Endued with greatenergy, his body seemed to be flaming with a thousand eyes. And he wasseated with Parvati and many creatures of brilliant forms (around him).And his attendants were engaged in singing and playing upon musicalinstruments, in laughing and dancing, in moving and stretching theirhands, and In uttering loud shouts. And the place was perfumed withfragrant odours, and Rishis that worshipped Brahma adored with excellenthymns of unfading glory, that God who was the protector of all creatures,and wielded the (great) bow (called Pinaka). Beholding him, Vasudeva ofrighteous soul, with Partha, touched the earth with his head, utteringthe eternal words of the Veda. And Krishna adored, with speech, mind,understanding, and acts, that God who is the first source of theuniverse, himself uncreate, the supreme lord of unfading glory: who isthe highest cause of the mind, who is space and the wind, who is thecause of all the luminous bodies (in the firmament), who is the creatorof the rain, and the supreme, primordial substance of the earth, who isthe object of adoration, with the gods, the Danavas, the Yakshas, andhuman beings; who is the supreme Brahma that is seen by Yogins and therefuge of those acquainted with Shastras, who is the creator of allmobile and immobile creatures, and their destroyer also; who is the Wraththat burns everything at the end of the Yuga; who is the supreme soul;who is the Sakra and Surya, and the origin of all attributes. And Krishnasought the protection of that Bhava, whom men of knowledge, desirous ofattaining to that which is called the subtle and the spiritual, behold;that uncreate one is the soul of all causes. And Arjuna repeatedly adoredthat Deity, knowing that he was the origin of all creatures and the causeof the past, the future, and the present. Beholding those two, viz., Naraand Narayana arrived, Bhava of cheerful soul, smilingly said unto them,’Welcome are ye, ye foremost of men! Rise up and let the fatigue of yourjourney be over. What, O heroes, is the desire in your heart? Let it beuttered quickly. What is the business that has brought you hither? I willaccomplish it and do what would benefit you. I will grant everything yemay desire., Hearing those words of the god, they both rose. And thenwith joined hands, the faultless Vasudeva and Arjuna, both of greatwisdom, began to gratify that high-souled deity with an excellent hymn.And Krishna and Arjuna said, ‘We bow to Bhava, to Sarva, to Rudra, to theboon-giving deity. We bow to the lord of all creatures endued with life,to the god who is always fierce, to him who is called Kapardin! We bow toMahadeva, to Bhima, to the Three-eyed, to him who is peace andcontentment. We bow to Isana, to him who is the destroyer of (Daksha’s)sacrifice. Let salutations be to the slayer of Andhaka, to the father ofKumara, to him who is of blue throat, to him who is the creator.’ Letsalutation be to the wielder of Pinaka, to one worthy of the offer oflibations of clarified butter, to him who is truth, to him who isall-pervading. To him who is unvanquished! To him who is always of bluelocks, to him who is armed with the trident, to him who is of celestialvision! To him who is Hotri, to him who protects all, to, him who is ofthree eyes, to him who is disease, to him whose vital seed fell on fire!To him who is inconceivable, to him who is the lord of Amvika, to him whois adored by all the gods! To him who hath the bull for his mark, to himwho is bold, to him who is of matted lock, to him who is a Brahmacharin!To him who standeth as an ascetic in the water, to him who is devoted toBrahma, to him who hath never been conquered! To him who is the soul ofthe universe, to him who is the creator of the universe, to him wholiveth pervading the whole universe! We bow to thee that art, the objectof the reverence of all, to thee that art the original cause of allcreatures! To thee that art called Brahmachakra, to thee that art calledSarva, Sankara, and Siva! We bow to thee that art the lord of all greatbeings! We bow to thee that hast a thousand heads, to thee that hast athousand arms, to thee that art called Death! To thee that hast athousand eyes, a thousand legs? To thee whose acts are innumerable! Webow to thee whose complexion is that of gold, to thee that art cased ingolden mail, to thee that art ever compassionate to thy devotees! O lord,let our wish be accomplished.’

“Sanjaya continued, ‘Having adored Mahadeva in these terms, Vasudeva withArjuna then began to gratify him for obtaining (the great) weapon (calledPasupata).'”