Chapter 5
Janamejaya said, “Bhishma and Drona, those two high-souled persons, kingDhritarashtra, and Virata and Drupada, and Sankha and Uttara.Dhrishtaketu and Jayatsena and king Satyajit, the sons of Duryodhana, andShakuni the son of Subala, Karnas sons of great prowess, king Jayadratha,Ghatotkaca and others whom thou hast not mentioned, the other heroickings of blazing formstell me for what period they remained in Heaven. Oforemost of regenerate persons, was theirs an eternal place in Heaven?What was the end attained to by those foremost of men when their actscame to an end? I desire to hear this, O foremost of regenerate persons,and therefore have I asked thee. Through thy blazing penances thou seestall things.
Sauti said: Thus questioned, that regenerate Rishi, receiving thepermission of the high-souled Vyasa, set himself to answer the questionof the king.
Vaishampayana said, “Every one, O king of men, is not capable ofreturning to his own nature at the end of his deeds. Whether this is soor not, is, indeed a good question asked by thee. Hear, O king, thiswhich is a mystery of the gods, O chief of Bharatas race. It wasexplained (to us) by Vyasa of mighty energy, celestial vision and greatprowess, that ancient ascetic, O Kauravya, who is the son of Parasara andwho always observes high vows, who is of immeasurable understanding, whois omniscient, and who, therefore knows the end attached to all acts.
“Bhishma of mighty energy and great effulgence attained to the status ofthe Vasus. Eight Vasus, O chief of Bharatas race, are now seen. Dronaentered into Brihaspati, that foremost one of Angirasas descendants.Hridikas son Kritavarma entered the Maruts. Pradyumna entered Sanatkumarawhence he had issued. Dhritarashtra obtained the regions, so difficult ofacquisition, that belong to the Lord of treasures. The famous Gandhariobtained the same regions with her husband Dhritarashtra. With his twowives, Pandu proceeded to the abode of the great Indra. Both Virata andDrupada, the king Dhrishtaketu, as also Nishatha, Akrura, Samva,Bhanukampa, and Viduratha, and Bhurishrava and Sala and king Bhuri, andKansa, and Ugrasena, and Vasudeva, and Uttara, that foremost of men, withhis brother Sankhaall these foremost of persons entered the deities.Somas son of great prowess, named Varchas of mighty energy, becameAbhimanyu, the son of Phalguna, that lion among men. Having fought,agreeably to Kshatriya practices, with bravery such as none else had everbeen able to show, that mighty-armed and righteous-souled being enteredSoma. Slain on the field of battle, O foremost of men, Karna enteredSurya. Shakuni obtained absorption into Dwapara, and Dhrishtadyumna intothe deity of fire. The sons of Dhritarashtra were all Rakshasas of fiercemight. Sanctified by death caused by weapons, those high-souled beings ofprosperity all succeeded in attaining to Heaven. Both Kshattri and kingYudhishthira entered into the god of Righteousness. The holy andillustrious Ananta (who had taken birth as Balarama) proceeded to theregion below the Earth. Through the command of the Grandsire, he, aidedby his Yoga power, supported the Earth. Vasudeva was a portion of thateternal god of gods called Narayana. Accordingly, he entered intoNarayana. 16,000 women had been married to Vasudeva as his wives. Whenthe time came, O Janamejaya, they, plunged into the Sarasvati. Castingoff their (human) bodies there, they re-ascended to Heaven. Transformedinto Apsaras, they approached the presence of Vasudeva. Those heroic andmighty car-warriors, Ghatotkaca and others, who were slain in the greatbattle, attained to the status, some of gods and some of Yakshas. Thosethat had fought on the side of Duryodhana are said to have beenRakshasas. Gradually, O king, they have all attained to excellent regionsof felicity. Those foremost of men have proceeded, some to the abode ofIndra, some to that of Kuvera of great intelligence, and some to that ofVaruna. I have now told thee, O thou of great splendour, everything aboutthe acts, O Bharata, of both the Kurus and the Pandavas.
Sauti said: Hearing this, ye foremost of regenerate ones, at theintervals of sacrificial rites, king Janamejaya became filled withwonder. The sacrificial priests then finished the rites that remained tobe gone through. Astika, having rescued the snakes (from fiery death),became filled with joy. King Janamejaya then gratified all the Brahmanaswith copious presents. Thus worshipped by the king, they returned totheir respective abodes. Having dismissed those learned Brahmanas, kingJanamejaya came back from Takshasila to the city named after the elephant.
I have now told everything that Vaishampayana narrated, at the command ofVyasa, unto the king at his snake sacrifice. Called a history, it issacred, sanctifying and excellent. It has been composed by the asceticKrishna, O Brahmana, of truthful speech. He is omniscient, conversantwith all ordinances, possessed of a knowledge of all duties, endued withpiety, capable of perceiving what is beyond the ken of the senses, pure,having a soul cleansed by penances, possessed of the six high attributes,and devoted to Sankhya Yoga. He has composed this, beholding everythingwith a celestial eye that has been cleansed (strengthened) by variedlore. He has done this, desiring to spread the fame, throughout theworld, of the high-souled Pandavas, as also of other Kshatriyas possessedof abundant wealth of energy.
That learned man who recites this history of sacred days in the midst ofa listening auditory becomes cleansed of every sin, conquers Heaven, andattains to the status of Brahma. Of that man who listens with raptattention to the recitation of the whole of this Veda composed by (theIsland-born) Krishna, a million sins, numbering such grave ones asBrahmanicide and the rest, are washed off. The Pitris of that man whorecites even a small portion of this history at a Sraddha, obtaininexhaustible food and drink. The sins that one commits during the day byones senses or the mind are all washed off before evening by reciting aportion of the Mahabharata. Whatever sins a Brahmana may commit at nightin the midst of women are all washed off before dawn by reciting aportion of the Mahabharata.
The high race of the Bharatas is its topic. Hence it is called Bharata.And because of its grave import, as also of the Bharatas being its topic,it is called Mahabharata. He who is versed in interpretations of thisgreat treatise, becomes cleansed of every sin. Such a man lives inrighteousness, wealth, and pleasure, and attains to Emancipation also, Ochief of Bharatas race.
That which occurs here occurs elsewhere. That which does not occur hereoccurs nowhere else. This history is known by the name of Jaya. It shouldbe heard by every one desirous of Emancipation. It should be read byBrahmanas, by kings, and by women quick with children. He that desiresHeaven attains to Heaven; and he that desires victory attains to victory.The woman quick with child gets either a son or a daughter highlyblessed. The puissant Island-born Krishna, who will not have to comeback, and who is Emancipation incarnate, made an abstract of the Bharata,moved by the desire of aiding the cause of righteousness. He made anothercompilation consisting of sixty lakhs of verses. Thirty lakhs of thesewere placed in the region of the deities. In the region of the Pitrisfifteen lakhs, it should be known, are current; while in that of theYakshas fourteen lakhs are in vogue. One lakh is current among humanbeings.
Narada recited the Mahabharata to the gods; Asita-Devala to the Pitris;Suka to the Rakshasas and the Yakshas; and Vaishampayana to human beings.This history is sacred, and of high import, and regarded as equal to theVedas. That man, O Saunaka, who hears this history, placing a Brahmanabefore him, acquires both fame and the fruition of all his wishes. Hewho, with fervid devotion, listens to a recitation of the Mahabharata,attains (hereafter) to high success in consequence of the merit thatbecomes his through understanding even a very small portion thereof. Allthe sins of that man who recites or listens to this history with devotionare washed off.
In former times, the great Rishi Vyasa, having composed this treatise,caused his son Suka to read it with him, along with these four Verses.Thousands of mothers and fathers, and hundreds of sons and wives arise inthe world and depart from it. Others will (arise and) similarly depart.There are thousands of occasions for joy and hundreds of occasions forfear. These affect only him that is ignorant but never him that is wise.With uplifted arms I am crying aloud but nobody hears me. FromRighteousness is Wealth as also Pleasure. Why should not Righteousness,therefore, be courted? For the sake neither of pleasure, nor of fear, norof cupidity should any one cast off Righteousness. Indeed, for the sakeof even life one should not cast off Righteousness. Righteousness iseternal. Pleasure and Pain are not eternal. Jiva is eternal. The cause,however, of Jivas being invested with a body is not so.
That man who, waking up at dawn, reads this Savittri of the Bharata,acquires all the rewards attached to a recitation of this history andultimately attains to the highest Brahma. As the sacred Ocean, as theHimavat mountain, are both regarded as mines of precious gems, even so isthis Bharata (regarded as a mine of precious gems). The man of learning,by reciting to others this Veda or Agama composed by (the Island-born)Krishna, earns wealth. There is no doubt in this that he who, with raptattention, recites this history called Bharata, attains to high success.What need has that man of a sprinkling of the waters of Pushkara whoattentively listens to this Bharata, while it is recited to him? Itrepresents the nectar that fell from the lips of the Island-born. It isimmeasurable, sacred, sanctifying, sin-cleansing, and auspicious.
