धार्मिक ग्रंथ

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘That which thou tellest me, O Suta, about thebattle, fierce and terrible, between the one and the many, and thevictory of that illustrious one, that story of the prowess of Subhadra’sson is highly wonderful and almost incredible.

¹ And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man’s money in his sack’s mouth.

Vaisampayana said, “The gods and the Gandharvas then, understanding thewishes of India, procured an excellent Arghya and reverenced the son ofPritha in a hurry.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Excellent, O Sanat-sujata, as this thy discourseis, treating of the attainment of Brahman and the origin of the universe.I pray thee, O celebrated Rishi, to go on telling me words such as these,that are unconnected with objects of worldly desire and are, therefore,rare among men.’

Sanjaya said, “On the forenoon of that awful day, O king, the terriblebattle that mangled the bodies of (so many) kings commenced.

Vaisampayana said,–“when that foremost of sacrifices, the Rajasuya sodifficult of accomplishment, was completed, Vyasa surrounded by hisdisciples presented himself before Yudhishthira.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘If a person, after having given dowry for a maiden,goes away, how should the maiden’s father or other kinsmen who arecompetent to bestow her, act? Do tell me this, O grandsire!’

Vaishampayana said, “Collecting all articles as laid down in thescriptures for the ceremony of investiture, Brihaspati duly pouredlibations on the blazing fire.

“Uttara said, ‘O hero, mounting on this large car with myself as driver,which division of the (hostile) army wouldst thou penetrate? Commanded bythee, I would drive thee thither?’

“Meanwhile the great ascetic Jaratkaru wandered over the whole earthmaking the place where evening fell his home for the night. And giftedwith ascetic power, he roamed, practising various vows difficult to bepractised by the immature, and bathing also in various sacred waters.

“‘Karna continued, “Thou shouldst know all this, O Shalya. I shallhowever, again speak unto thee. Listen with close attention to what Isay. Once on a time a brahmana came to our house as a guest.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘The king dismissed all his subjects, who, commandedby the monarch, returned to their respective homes.

“Brahmana said, ‘The wheel of life moves on. It has the understanding forits strength; the mind for the pole (on which it rests); the group ofsenses for its bonds, the (five) great elements for its nave, and homefor its circumference.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘While the youthful and invincible son of Subhadra,never retreating from battle, was, after penetrating into our array,engaged in achieving feats worthy of his lineage, borne by his three-yearold steeds of great might and of the best breed, and apparently trottingin the welkin, what heroes of my army encompassed him?’

¹ Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood before him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren.

Vaisampayana said, “One day, knowing that Arjuna’s glances were cast uponUrvasi, Vasava, calling Chitrasena to himself, addressed him in privatesaying,

“Sanat-sujata said, ‘Sorrow, anger, covetousness, lust, ignorance,laziness, malice, self-importance, continuous desire of gain, affection,jealousy and evil speech,–these twelve, O monarch, are grave faults thatare destructive of men’s lives.

Vaisampayana said,–“That bull among men, Duryodhana, continued to dwellin that, assembly house (of the Pandavas).

“Bhishma said, They that are conversant with ancient history recite thefollowing verse of Daksha, the son of Prachetas: That maiden, in respectof whom nothing is taken by her kinsmen in the form of dowry cannot besaid to be sold.

Vaishampayana said, “Listen now to the large bands of the mothers, thoseslayers of foes, O hero, that became the companions of Kumara, as Imention their names.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Making Uttara his charioteer, and circumambulatingthe Sami tree, the son of Pandu set out taking all his weapons with him.

“Sauti said. ‘Jaratkaru, hearing all this, became excessively dejected.And from sorrow he spoke unto those Pitris in words obstructed by tears.’And Jaratkaru said, ‘Ye are even my fathers and grand-fathers gonebefore. Therefore, tell me what I must do for your welfare. I am thatsinful son of yours, Jaratkaru! Punish me for my sinful deeds, a wretchthat I am.’

“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding then that unrivalled array of the Parthas madeby Dhrishtadyumna which was capable of resisting all hostile armies,Karna proceeded, uttering leonine shouts and causing his car to produce aloud rattle.

“Janamejaya said, ‘It behoveth thee, O learned Brahmana, to tell me whatwas next done by Yudhishthira the mighty-armed son of Dharma after he hadregained his kingdom. It behoveth thee to tell me also, O Rishi, what theheroic Hrishikesa, the supreme master of the three worlds did after this.’

“Brahmana said, ‘Duly studying thus to the best of his power, in the waydescribed above, and likewise living as a

“Sanjaya said, ‘Phalguni’s son once more pierced Karna in the car with abarbed arrow, and for angering him still further, he pierced him withfifty other shafts.

¹ And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

Vaisampayana said, ‘Having thus sent away the Gandharva successful in hismission, Urvasi of luminous smiles, moved by the desire of possessingPhalguna, took a bath.

“Sanat-sujata said, ‘The primary Seed (of the universe), calledMahayasas, is destitute of accidents, is pure Knowledge, and blazeth witheffulgence. It leadeth the senses, and it is in consequence of that Seedthat Surya shineth.

Sanjaya said,–“O king, I will now describe to thee the combats ofhundreds and thousands of foot-soldiers. O Bharata, in utterforgetfulness of all consideration due to others.

“Sakuni said.–‘O Duryodhana, thou shouldst not be jealous ofYudhishthira. The sons of Pandu are enjoying what they deserve inconsequence of their own good fortune.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Thou art fully conversant with the ordinances of allthe scriptures. Thou art the foremost of those that are acquainted withthe duties of kings. Thou art celebrated over the whole world as a greatdispeller of doubts.

Janamejaya said, “This history, O regenerate one, that I have heard fromthee is exceedingly wonderful, this narration, in detail, of theinstallation, according to due rites, of Skanda.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘King Duryodhana then, on the field of battle saidunto Bhishma, and unto Drona–that tiger among warriors, and untoKripa–that mighty car-warrior, these words,

“Sauti said, ‘Then Vasuki spake unto the Rishi Jaratkaru these words, ‘Obest of Brahmanas, this maiden is of the same name with thee. She is mysister and hath ascetic merit. I will maintain thy wife; accept her. Othou of ascetic wealth, I shall protect her with all my ability. And, Oforemost of the great Munis, she hath been reared by me for thee.’ Andthe Rishi replied, ‘This is agreed between us that I shall not maintainher; and she shall not do aught that I do not like. If she do, I leaveher!’

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘When the two armies, duly arrayed, thus mingledwith each other for battle, O Sanjaya, how did Partha assail thesamsaptakas, and how Karna assail the Pandavas?

“Yudhishthira said, ‘How wonderful is this, O thou of immeasurableprowess, that thou art rapt in meditation! O great refuge of theuniverse, is it all right with the three worlds?

“Brahmana said. ‘The ancients who were utterers of certain truth, saythat Renunciation is penance.

“Sanjaya said, ‘That joy of Vishnu’s sister (viz., Abhimanyu), thatAtiratha, decked with the weapons of Vishnu himself, looked exceedinglybeautiful on the field of battle and looked like a second Janardana.

¹ Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.

Vaisampayana said, “One day, the great Rishi Lomasa in course of hiswanderings, went to the abode of Indra, desirous of beholding the lord ofthe celestials.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Thus conversing with Sanat-sujata and the learnedVidura, the king passed that night. And after the night had passed away,all the princes and chiefs, entered the court-hall with joyous hearts anddesirous of seeing that Suta (who had returned).

Sanjaya said,–“After the great part of the forenoon of that awful dayhad worn out, in that terrific engagement, O king, that was (so)destructive of foremost of men[333], Durmukha and Kritavarman, and Kripa,and Salya, and Vivinsati, urged by thy son, approached

Vaisampayana said–“O king, impressed with the great Rajasuya sacrificeof king Yudhishthira, Sakuni, the son of Suvala, having learnt before theintentions of Duryodhana, while accompanying him in the way from theassembly house, and desirous of saying what was agreeable to him,approached Dhritarashtra endued with great wisdom,

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Through inducements offered by wealth, or throughmere lust, or through ignorance of the true order of birth (of both malesand females), or through folly, intermixture happens of the several orderWhat, O grandsire, are the duties of persons that are born in the mixedclasses and what are the acts laid down for them? Do thou discourse to meon this!’

Vaishampayana said, “Rama (as already said) then proceeded to the tirthacalled Vadarapachana where dwelt many ascetics and Siddhas.

“Karna said, ‘I behold all these blessed ones, looking as if alarmed andpanic-struck and unresolved and unwilling to fight.

“Sauti said, ‘O thou of ascetic wealth, soon after her lord had left her,Jaratkaru went to her brother. And she told him everything that hadhappened. And the prince of snakes, hearing the calamitous news, spakeunto his miserable sister, himself more miserable still.’

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Tell me, O Sanjaya, how Karna, having caused agreat slaughter penetrated into the midst of the Pandava troops, andstruck and afflicted king Yudhishthira.

“Janamejaya said, ‘How did the grandsire of the Bharatas, who lay on abed of arrows, cast off his body and what kind of Yoga did he adopt?’

“Brahmana said, ‘Some regard Brahman as a tree. Some regard Brahman as agreat forest. Some regard Brahman as unmanifest.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Having thus slain one of their foremost warriors, andhaving been afflicted with their arrows, we came back to our encampmentin the evening, covered with blood.

¹ And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Janamejaya said, “These feats of Pritha’s son endued with immeasurableenergy, were certainly marvellous. O Brahmana, what did Dhritarashtra ofgreat wisdom say, when he heard of them?”

“Dhritarashtra said, “I ask thee, O Sanjaya, in the presence of my boyand of these kings, what words were said by the illustrious Dhananjaya ofmight that knoweth no diminution,–that leader of warriors,–thatdestroyer of the lives of the wicked?’

Dhritarashtra said,–“When that great bowman Sweta proceeded towardsSalya’s car, what did the Kauravas and the Pandavas do, O Sanjaya? Andwhat also did Bhishma the son of Santanu do? Tell me who ask thee, allthis.”

Janamejaya said,–“O thou foremost of all conversant with the Vedas, howdid that game at dice take place, fraught with such evil to the cousinsand through which my grand-sires, the son of Pandu, were plunged intosuch sorrow?

“Kripa said, ‘O Radheya, thy crooked heart always inclineth to war. Thouknowest not the true nature of things; nor dost thou take into accounttheir after-consequences.

“Bhishma said, ‘A person that is born of an irregular union presentsdiverse features of disposition.

Vaishampayana said, “The mighty chief of the Yadus, having proceeded toIndra’s tirtha, bathed there according to due rites and gave away wealthand gems unto the Brahmanas.

“Saunaka said, ‘Tell me again, in detail,–all that king Janamejaya hadasked his ministers about his father’s ascension to heaven.’

Vaisampayana said, “Then Hrishikesa and king Yudhishthira, and all thosepersons headed by Kripa, and the four Pandavas, riding on those carslooking like fortified cities and decked with standards and banners,speedily proceeded to Kurukshetra with the aid of their fleet steeds.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Piercing through the Pandava host, Karna, surrounded bythousands of cars and elephants and steeds and foot-soldiers, rushedtowards king Yudhishthira the just.

“The Rishis said,–‘Which among the duties is deemed to be the mostworthy of being performed? The diverse modes of duty, we see, arecontradictory.

“Sanjaya said, ‘After the slaughter of that hero, that leader ofcar-divisions, viz., the son of Subhadra, the Pandava warriors, leavingtheir cars and putting off their armour, and throwing aside their

¹ And Jacob called unto his sons, and said: gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the latter days.

“Sanjaya said, ‘That which hath been uttered by thee, O king, withrespect to Duryodhana is all true. Nothing that thou hast said, O lord ofthe earth, is untrue.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘In the midst, O Bharata, of all those assembledkings, Bhishma, the son of Santanu, then said these words untoDuryodhana, ‘Once on a time, Vrihaspati and Sakra went to Brahma.

Dhritarashtra said, “When the generalissimo Sweta, O son, was slain inbattle by the enemy, what did those mighty bowmen, the Panchalas with thePandavas, do?

“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding that tiger among men, viz., Karna, mounted onhis car, Duryodhana, O king, filled with joy, said these words, ‘Thishost, protected by thee, hath now, I think, got a proper leader. Letthat, however, be settled now which is proper and within our power.’

¹ And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying,

¹ And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness.

Vaishampayana said, “Hearing these words, O monarch, Ambika’s sonDhritarashtra, with heart agitated by grief, addressed his driverSanjaya, saying, ‘Though the evil policy, O sire, of my son of littleforesight, Vikartana’s son hath been slain!

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having received the king’s permission, kingDhritarashtra of great energy then proceeded to his own palace, followedby Gandhari. With weakened strength and slow motion, that king of greatintelligence walked with difficulty, like the leader, worn out with age,of an elephantine herd.

“Krishna said, ‘These worlds are worthy of the chief of the Somaka tribe,and are calculated to promote the interests of Pandu’s son ofimmeasurable strength.

Vaishampayana said: “Meanwhile Daruka, going to the Kurus and seeingthose mighty car-warriors, the son of Pritha, informed them of how theVrishnis had slain one another with iron bolts.

“Dhritarashtra said,–‘The names of rivers and mountains, O Sanjaya, asalso of provinces, and all other things resting on the earth, and theirdimensions, O thou that are acquainted with the measures of things of theearth in its entirety and the forests, O Sanjaya, recount to me indetail.’

“Vaisampayana said,–“While the illustrious Pandavas were seated in thatSabha along with the principal Gandharvas, there came, O Bharata, untothat assembly the celestial Rishi Narada, conversant with the Vedas and Upanishadas, worshipped by the celestials acquainted with histories and Puranas, well-versed in all that occurred in ancient kalpas (cycles), conversant with Nyaya (logic) and the truth of moral science, possessinga complete knowledge of the six Angas (viz., pronunciation, grammar,prosody, explanation of basic terms, description of religious rites, andastronomy).

Kripa said, “A person who is bereft of intelligence and who hath not hispassions under control, cannot, even if he waits dutifully upon hissuperiors, understand all the considerations of morality.

Janamejaya said, “Bhishma and Drona, those two high-souled persons, kingDhritarashtra, and Virata and Drupada, and Sankha and Uttara.

¹ This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Desirous of living in the forest, those bulls of theBharata race, the Pandavas, with their followers, setting out from thebanks of the Ganges went to the field of Kurukshetra.

“Dhritarashtra said, Tell me in detail everything about the ways of thatintelligence by which this wilderness of duties may be safely covered.

Vaisampayana said, “Girding their waists with swords, and equipped withfinger-protectors made of iguana skins and with various weapons, thoseheroes proceeded in the direction of the river Yamuna.

“Saunaka said, ‘Child, thy father formerly read the whole of the Puranas,O son of Lomaharshana, and the Bharata with Krishna-Dwaipayana. Hast thoualso made them thy study? In those ancient records are chronicledinteresting stories and the history of the first generations of the wisemen, all of which we heard being rehearsed by thy sire. In the firstplace, I am desirous of hearing the history of the race of Bhrigu.Recount thou that history, we shall attentively listen to thee.”

“Narada said, ‘Hearing of the fame of Karna’s might, the ruler of theMagadhas, king Jarasandha, challenged him to a single combat.

¹ And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and observe to do them.

¹ And if any one sin, in that he heareth the voice of adjuration, he being a witness, whether he hath seen or known, if he do not utter [it], then he shall bear his iniquity.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Thus addressed by the celebrated grandson of Gotama, theking (Duryodhana), breathing long and hot breaths, remained silent, Omonarch. Having reflected for a little while, the high-souled son of

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O thou that knowest the truths of religion, I wishto hear of the merits of compassion, and of the characteristics of devoutmen. Do thou, O sire, describe them to me.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O best of speakers, how that king became sopowerful? And how, O twice-born one, did he obtain so much gold? Andwhere now, O reverend sire, is all his wealth? And, O ascetic, how can wesecure the same?’

“Aswatthaman said, ‘The kine, O Karna, have not yet been won, nor havethey yet crossed the boundary (of their owner’s dominions), nor have theyyet reached Hastinapura.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘What is the nature of the compassion or pity that isfelt at the sight of another’s woe?

Vaishampayana said, “In that tirtha lived in days of yore a Rishi ofvirtuous soul, named Asita-Devala, observant of the duties ofDomesticity.

‘Sauti continued, ‘The ministers said, ‘That king of kings then, spentwith hunger and exertion, and having placed the snake upon the shouldersof that Muni, came back to his capital.

“Vasudeva said, ‘Listen, O son of Kunti, to the story of Rama’s energyand powers and birth as heard by me from great Rishis discoursing uponthe subject.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Beholding the Pandava heroes rushing impetuously towardsthy host, Duryodhana, O monarch, endeavoured to check the warriors of hisarmy on all sides, O bull of Bharata race.

“Brahmana said, ‘Well then, I shall declare to you what you ask. Learnwhat was told by a preceptor to a disciple that came unto him.

“Sanjaya said, ‘While Kunti’s son, Yudhishthira, was indulging in suchlamentations, the great Rishi Krishna Dwaipayana came to him.

¹ And Joseph fell upon his father’s face, and wept upon him, and kissed him.