धार्मिक ग्रंथ

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Vyasa continued, ‘In days of yore, the celestialshad once commenced a grand sacrifice in the forest of Naimisha. At thatsacrifice, O king, Yama, the son of Vivaswat, became the slayer of thedevoted animals.

Vaisampayana said, “King Yudhishthira, hearing from the illustriousMarkandeya the story of the royal sage Indradyumna’s regaining of Heaven,again asked the Muni, saying, ‘O great Muni, tell me in what conditionshould a man practise charity in order to gain admission into the regionsof Indra?

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Thou hadst referred to the dispute between Time,Mrityu, Yama, Ikshvaku, and a Brahmana. It behoveth thee to narrate thestory in full.’

“Dhritarashtra said, Upon the slaughter of the Atiratha, viz., Drona, byPrishata’s son, what did my sons and the Pandavas next do?’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Like Duryodhana, king Yudhishthira also, the son ofKunti and Dharma, ordered out, O Bharata, his heroic warriors headed byDhrishtadyumna.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Then Adhiratha’s son of the Suta caste, knowing thatBhishma had been slain, became desirous of rescuing, like a brother, thyson’s army from the distress into which it had fallen, and which thenresembled a boat sunk in the fathomless ocean. [Indeed],

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,

Vaishampayana said, “Upon the fall of Karna, O monarch, the son ofGavalgana, with a cheerless heart, set out that night for Nagapura, onsteeds that rivalled the wind in speed.

¹ And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Thus worshipped by the Pandavas, the royal soil ofAmvika passed his time happily as before, waited upon and honoured by theRishis.

Vaishampayana said: “While the Vrishnis and the Andhakas were thusendeavouring (to avoid the impending calamity), the embodied form of Time(death) every day wandered about their houses.

“Baladeva said, ‘You have all listened to the speech of him who is theelder brother of Gada, characterised as it is by a sense of virtue andprudence, and salutary alike to Yudhishthira and king Duryodhana.

Vaishampayana said: “Those princes of restrained souls and devoted toYoga, proceeding to the north, beheld Himavat, that very large mountain.Crossing the Himavat, they beheld a vast desert of sand.

Vaisampayana said,–“Seeing then the two armies (standing) on the eastand the west for the fierce battle that was impending, the holy RishiVyasa, the son of

Kripa said, “We have heard all that thou hast said, O puissant one!Listen, however, to a few words of mine, O mighty armed one!

“Yudhishthira said, Ye deities, I do not see here Radhas son ofimmeasurable prowess, as also my high-souled brothers, and Yudhamanyu andUttamaujas, those great car-warriors that poured their bodies (aslibations) on the fire of battle, those kings and princes that met withdeath for my sake in battle.

¹ And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

“Vaisampayana said,–“Janardana deserving the worship of all, havinglived happily at Khandavaprastha for some time, and having been treatedall the while with respectful love and affection by the sons of Pritha,became desirous one day of leaving Khandavaprastha to behold his father.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘When that night passed away and day broke in, thoseBrahmamas who supported themselves by mendicancy, stood before thePandavas of exalted deeds, who were about to enter the forest.

Vaishampayana said, “Listen, O Janamejaya, to the nectar-like words thatVidura said unto the son of Vicitravirya and by which he gladdened thatbull among men!

Bhima said, “I intend to present myself before the lord of Virata as acook bearing the name of Vallabha.

“The Rishis said, ‘O son of Suta, we wish to hear a full andcircumstantial account of the place mentioned by you as Samanta-panchaya.’

¹ Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way to the Red Sea, as Jehovah spake unto me; and we compassed mount Seir many days.

Vaishampayana said, “After the ladies had been dismissed, Dhritarashtra,the son of Ambika, plunged into grief greater than that which hadafflicted him before, began, O monarch, to indulge in lamentations,exhaling breaths that resembled smoke, and repeatedly waving his arms,and reflecting a little, O monarch, he said these words.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘That foremost of speakers, the sage Narada, thusquestioned, narrated everything about the manner in which he who wasbelieved to be a Suta’s son had been cursed (in former days).’

¹ And when any one offereth an oblation of a meal-offering unto Jehovah, his oblation shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O grandsire, O wisest of men, O thou that artlearned in all the scriptures, I have listened to this great story, Oforemost of intelligent men.

“Vaisampayana said, “Thus addressed by the intelligent king DhritarashtraYudhishthira, possessed of understanding, became calm.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Those foremost of ascetics, viz. Narada and Parvataand Devala of austere penances, came there to see king Dhritarashtra.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then Drupada’s priest, having approached the Kauravachief, was honoured by Dhritarashtra as also by Bhishma and Vidura.

¹ And the children of Israel, even the whole congregation, came into the wilderness of Zin in the first month: and the people abode in Kadesh; and Miriam died there, and was buried there.

Dhritarashtra said,–“When the Sun rose, O Sanjaya, of my army led byBhishma and the Pandava army led by Bhima, which first cheerfullyapproached the other, desirous of fight?

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Thou didst mention to me before the name of Pandya,that hero of world-wide celebrity, but his feats, O Sanjaya, in battlehave never been narrated by thee. Tell me today in detail of the prowessof that great hero, his skill, spirit, and energy, the measure of hismight, and his pride.’

¹ And God spake all these words, saying,

“Krishna said,–both Hansa and Dimvaka have fallen; Kansa also with allhis followers has been slain. The time hath, therefore come for thedestruction of Jarasandha. He is incapable of being vanquished in battleeven by all the celestials and the Asuras (fighting together).

“Draupadi said, ‘Alas, on account of that desperate gambler, I am nowunder Sudeshna’s command, living in the palace in the guise of aSairindhri.

“Sauti said, ‘Thus have I recited to you the whole story of how Amritawas churned out of the Ocean, and the occasion on which the horseUchchaihsravas of great beauty and incomparable prowess was obtained.

¹ And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the land of the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur. And he sojourned in Gerar.

“Vasudeva said, ‘When Salwa had left the city of the Anarttas, I returnedto it, O king, on the completion of thy great Rajasuya sacrifice!

Vaisampayana said, “After Yudhishthira had stopped, the great asceticDevasthana, possessed of eloquence, said these words, fraught withreason, unto the king.”

“Gandhari said, He whose might and courage were regarded, O Keshava, as aone and half times superior to those of his sire and thee,

“Vasudeva said, ‘In this connection is cited the ancient narrative, O sonof Pritha, of the discourse that took place between a married couple.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Having passed the night, that mighty car-warrior viz.,Bharadwaja’s son, addressed Suyodhana, O monarch, saying, ‘I amthine![33] I have made arrangements for Partha’s encounter with theSamsaptaka.’

¹ When thou goest forth to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, [and] a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for Jehovah thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

“Sanjaya said, ‘After the (Kuru) army had been rallied, Shalva, the rulerof the Mlecchas, filled with rage, rushed against the large force of thePandavas, riding on a gigantic elephant, with secretions issuing from theusual limbs, looking like a hill, swelling with pride, resembling

“Bhishma said, ‘Thus commanded, the lady said,–Be it so. She thenbrought oil (for rubbing the Rishi’s body therewith) and a piece of clothfor his wear during the ablutions.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Drupada, on hearing this, observed, O great Rishi,it was only when I had not heard this from thee that I had sought to actin the way I told thee of. Now, however, that I know all, I cannot beindifferent to what hath been ordained by the gods.

Vaisampayana said, “Having, O great king, heard from the illustriousMarkandeya the history of the attainment of heaven by the royal

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Tell me, O grandsire, what reply was given by eitherthe Brahmana or the monarch to Virupa after the conclusion of thelatter’s speech.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Having battled fiercely for five days, O king, theBrahmana (Drona) endued with great strength, fell and repaired to theregion of Brahma.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘King Drupada, after his alliance with the Pandavas,had all his fears dispelled. Indeed, the monarch no longer stood in feareven of the gods. The ladies of the illustrious Drupada’s householdapproached Kunti and introduced themselves unto her, mentioning theirrespective names, and worshipped her feet with heads touching the ground.

Markandeya said, “O king, after the death of Ikshvaku, a highly virtuousking of the name of Sasada, ascending the throne of Ayodhya ruled thisearth. And from Sasada was descended Kakutstha of great energy.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘What are the fruits of the yoga represented byKnowledge, of all the Vedas, and of the (various) observances and vows?How also may the creature-soul be known? Tell us, this, O grandsire!’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘The news was carried unto all the monarchs (who hadcome to the Self-choice of Draupadi) by their trusted spies that thehandsome Draupadi had been united in marriage with the sons of Pandu.

“Markandeya said, ‘Thus addressed by Utanka, that unvanquished royalsage, with joined hands, O thou foremost of the Kuru race, replied untoUtanka, saying, ‘This visit of thine, O Brahmana, will not be in vain.

“Manu said, ‘From that eternal and undeteriorating One first sprangSpace; from space came Wind; from wind came Light; from light came Water;from water sprang the Universe; and from the universe, all things thatoccur in it.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Dhritarashtra replied saying, I desire to do exactlywhat you would recommend. But I do not wish to inform Vidura of it evenby a change of muscle. It was, therefore, O son, that I was applaudingthe Pandavas in Vidura’s presence, so that he might not know even by asign what is in my mind. Now that Vidura hath gone away, this is thetime, O Suyodhana (Duryodhana), for telling me what thou hast hit upon,and what, O Radheya (Karna), thou too hast hit upon.’

“Markandeya said, ‘The illustrious Dhundhu, O king, was the son of Madhuand Kaitabha, and possessed of great energy and prowess, he underwentascetic

“Manu said, ‘The mind united with the senses, recollects after a longtime the impressions of the objects received in the past.

“Manu said, ‘As in a dream this manifest (body) lies (inactive) and theenlivening spirit in its subtile form, detaching itself from the former,walks forth after the same manner, in the state called deep slumber (ordeath), the subtile form with all the senses becomes inactive and the

Vaisampayana said, “O thou foremost of the Bharata race, king Yudhisthirathen asked the illustrious Markandeya a difficult question aboutmorality, saying, ‘I desire to hear, O holy one, about the high andexcellent virtue of women.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Thus addressed by Duryodhana, Karna said, ‘It dothnot seem to me, O Duryodhana, that thy reasoning is well-founded. Operpetuator of the Kuru race, no method will succeed against thePandavas.

“Manu said, ‘Upon the appearance of the physical and mental sorrow, onedoes not become able to practise yoga.

“Markandeya said, ‘There was, O Bharata, a virtuous ascetic of the nameof Kausika and endued with wealth of asceticism and devoted to the studyof the Vedas, he was a very superior Brahmana and that best of Brahmanasstudied all the

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Asked by Dhritarashtra to give his opinion, Bhishmareplied, ‘O Dhritarashtra, a quarrel with the Pandavas is what I cannever approve of. As thou art to me, so was Pandu without doubt. And thesons of Gandhari are to me, as those of Kunti.

“Manu said, ‘When the fivefold attributes are united with the five sensesand the mind, then is Brahma seen by the individual like a thread passingthrough a gem.

“Markandeya said, ‘Continually reflecting upon that wonderful discourseof the woman, Kausika began to reproach himself and looked very much likea guilty person and meditating on the subtle ways of morality and virtue,he said to himself,

“Vaisampayana said, ‘After Bhishma had concluded, Drona spoke, saying, ‘Oking Dhritarashtra, it hath been heard by us that friends summoned forconsultation should always speak what is right, true, and conductive tofame.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O grandsire, O thou of great wisdom, I desire tohear in detail, O chief of the Bharatas, of that lotus-eyed andindestructible one, who is the

“Markandeya continued, ‘The pious fowler, O Yudhishthira, then said tothat Brahmana, ‘Undoubtedly my deeds are very cruel, but, O Brahmana,Destiny is all-powerful and it is difficult to evade the consequence ofour past actions.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘After Drona had ceased, Vidura spoke, saying, ‘Omonarch, thy friends without doubt, are saying unto thee what is for thygood. But as thou art unwilling to listen to what they say, their wordsscarcely find a place in thy ears.

“Yudhishthira asked, ‘Who were the first Prajapatis, O bull of Bharata’srace? What highly-blessed Rishis are there in existence and on whichpoints of the compass do each of them dwell?’

Markandeya continued, “O Yudhishthira, the virtuous fowler, eminent inpity, then skilfully addressed himself again to that foremost ofBrahmanas, saying,

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Hearing these various speeches, Dhritarashtra said,The learned Bhishma, the son of Santanu, and the illustrious Rishi Drona,and thyself also (O Vidura), have said the truth and what also is mostbeneficial to me. Indeed, as those mighty car-warriors, the heroic sonsof Kunti.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O grandsire, O thou of great wisdom and invincibleprowess in battle, I wish to hear in detail of Krishna who is immutableand omnipotent. O bull among men, tell me truly everything about hisgreat energy and the great feats achieved by him in days of old. Why didthat puissant one assume the form of an animal, and for achieving whatparticular act? Tell me all this, O mighty warrior!’

“Markandeya continued, ‘Hear, O king Yudhishthira what the virtuousfowler, thus interrogated by that Brahmana, said to him in reply. Thefowler said, ‘Men’s minds are at first bent on the acquisition ofknowledge.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Hearing these words of Vidura, Drupada said, ‘It iseven so as thou, O Vidura of great wisdom, hast said. Venerable one, Itoo have been exceedingly happy in consequence of this alliance. It ishighly proper that these illustrious princes should return to theirancestral kingdom. But it is not proper for me to say this myself.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Tell me why had that lady no fear of Ashtavakra’scurse although Ashtavakra was endued with great energy? How also didAshtavakra succeed in coming back from that place?'”

” Vaisampayana said, ‘Upon the retirement of the chief of the Kurus intothe forest, the Pandavas, O king, afflicted besides by grief on accountof their mother, became very cheerless.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having heard his words, Bhishma, senior in wisdom,and endued with great effulgence, paid honours to him, and then spokewords suitable to the occasion.

Sanjaya said,–“Beholding the vast Dhartarashtra army ready for battle,king Yudhisthira, the son of Kunti, gave way to grief.

¹ And the Canaanite, the king of Arad, who dwelt in the South, heard tell that Israel came by the way of Atharim; and he fought against Israel, and took some of them captive.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘When Pandya had been slain and when that foremostof heroes, viz., Karna was employed in routing and destroying the foe,what, O Sanjaya, did Arjuna do in battle?

¹ Now these are the ordinances which thou shalt set before them.

“Vasudeva said,–‘behold, O Partha, the great capital of Magadha,standing in all its beauty.

“Bhima said, ‘Fie on the might of my arms and fie on the Gandiva ofFalguni, inasmuch as thy hands, red before, now become covered withcorns.

“Sauti said. ‘Then when the night had passed away and the sun had risenin the morning, O thou whose wealth is asceticism, the two sisters Kadruand Vinata, having laid a wager about slavery, went with haste andimpatience to view the steed Uchchaishravas from a near point.

¹ And Jehovah visited Sarah as he had said, and Jehovah did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

“Vasudeva said, ‘O thou tiger among men, my great enemy king Salwa, thusencountered by me in battle, again ascended the sky.

“Devasthana said, ‘In this connection is cited an old history, viz., thediscourse that Vrihaspati, asked by Indra, delivered unto him.

“Gandhari said, Then the mighty Karna, that great bowman, lieth on theground! In battle he was like a blazing fire!

“The Brahmana said, ‘In this connection is cited the following ancientstory. Do thou understand, of what kind the institution is of the tenHotris (sacrificing priests).

“Sanjaya continued, ‘Then Drona, beholding Yudhishthira near himfearlessly received him with a thick shower of arrows.

¹ If one be found slain in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath smitten him;

¹ And Jehovah said unto Moses, Speak unto the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say unto them, There shall none defile himself for the dead among his people;

“Sanjaya said, ‘After the heroic Salwa, that ornament of assemblies, hadbeen slain, thy army speedily broke like a mighty tree broken by theforce of the tempest.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Tell me, O sire, of that high yoga by which, OBharata, I may obtain Emancipation, O foremost of speakers, I desire toknow everything about that yoga truly.’

“Markandeya continued, ‘O Bharata, the Brahmana, thus interrogated by thevirtuous fowler, resumed again this discourse so pleasing to the mind.

“Janamejaya said, ‘O thou possessed of ascetic wealth, what did thosehigh-souled ones, my grandsires, the illustrious Pandavas, do, afterobtaining the kingdom of Indraprastha? How did their wife Draupadi obeythem all? How is it also that no dissensions arose amongst thoseillustrious rulers of men, all attached to one wife, viz., Krishna?