धार्मिक ग्रंथ

“‘The Brahmanas said, ‘Let offerings be made unto the high-souledMahadeva of three eyes. Having duly dedicated those offerings, O king, weshall then strive to gain our object.’

“Sanjaya said, ‘Having vanquished the son of Drona and achieved a mightyand heroic feat that is exceedingly difficult of accomplishment,Dhananjaya, irresistible by foes,

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘Consider, O Duryodhana, O dear son, what I tellthee. Like an ignorant traveller thou thinkest, the wrong path to be theright one, since thou art desirous of robbing the energy of the five sonsof Pandu, who are even as the five elements of the universe in theirsubtle form upholding all mobile and immobile things.

Dhritarashtra said, ‘Hearing of those feats of the sons of Pandu whichare incapable of being achieved by the gods themselves, my heart, OSanjaya, is filled with fear and wonder.

Duryodhana said,–‘Come, Kshatta, bring hither Draupadi the dear andloved wife of the Pandavas. Let her sweep the chambers, force herthereto, and let the unfortunate one stay where our serving-women are.’

“Vrihadaswa said, ‘Having heard the words of the leader of that caravan,Damayanti of faultless limbs proceeded with that caravan itself anxiousto behold her lord.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having vanquished the Kurus in battle, that one witheyes like those of a bull brought back that profuse cattle wealth ofVirata.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘It is known that the spiritual sons of Brahman werethe six great Rishis (already mentioned). There was another of the nameof Sthanu. And the sons of Sthanu, gifted with great energy, were, it isknown, eleven.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Thou hast spoken to me about the four modes of humanlife. I desire to know more of-them. Do thou discourse on them in detail.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘I desire to hear, O grandsire, what the merits areof that person who makes the gift of a pair of sandals unto a Brahmanawhose feet are burning or being scorched by hot sand, while he iswalking.’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Meanwhile, Vasudeva of great energy accompanied bythe Vrishnis, came to the city called after the elephant.

“Bhishma said, ‘Then that illustrious Deity, the Lord of the worlds,replied unto Brahma in a soft deep voice, saying,–‘Through Yoga, O sire,all that is wished by thee is known to me.

“Narada said, ‘Dushmanta’s son, Bharata, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a preyto death. While only a child (living) in the forest, he achieved featsincapable of being achieved by others.

“‘Yudhishthira said, “Welcome, O thou that hast Devaki for thy mother,and welcome to thee, O Dhananjaya! The sight of both of you, O Acyuta andArjuna, is exceedingly agreeable!

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having addressed Suyodhana thus, the highly blessedand wise Dhritarashtra again asked Sanjaya, saying, ‘Tell me, O Sanjaya,what thou hast not yet said, viz., what Arjuna told thee after theconclusion of Vasudeva’s speech, for great is my curiosity to hear it.’

Vaisampayana said,–“Intoxicated with pride, the son of Dhritarashtraspake,–‘Fie on Kshatta! and casting his eyes upon the Pratikamin inattendance, commanded him, in the midst of all those reverend seniors,saying,–‘Go Pratikamin, and bring thou Draupadi hither. Thou hast nofear from the sons of Pandu. It is Vidura alone that raveth in fear.Besides, he never wisheth our prosperity!'”

“Vrihadaswa said, ‘O monarch, having deserted Damayanti, king Nala saw amighty conflagration that was raging in that dense forest.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having speedily recovered his wealth Virata owning alarge army entered his city with a cheerful heart, accompanied by thefour Pandavas.

“Janamejaya said, ‘O worshipful one, I wish to hear from thee in detailabout the birth, among men, of the gods, the Danavas, the Gandharvas, theRakshasas, the lions, the tigers, and the other animals, the snakes, thebirds, and in fact, of all creatures. I wish also to hear about the actsand achievements of those, in due order, after they became incarnate inhuman forms.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Thou hast said what the duties are of the four modesof the life and the four orders. Tell me now, O grandsire, what are theprincipal duties of a kingdom.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘I have heard, O sire, of the merits of the differentkinds of gift upon which thou hast discoursed to me.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘After Kunti had sat up, Subhadra, beholding herbrother, began to weep aloud, and afflicted with excessive grief,said,–‘O thou of eyes like lotus petals, behold the grandson of Arjunaof great intelligence.

“Narada said, ‘Vena’s son, king Prithu, O Srinjaya, we hear, fell a preyto death, In the Rajasuya sacrifice he performed, the great Rishisinstalled him as Emperor (of the world).

“Sanjaya said, ‘Hearing these words of the righteous king who had beenfilled with anger, that high-souled atiratha, Jishnu of infinite energy,replied unto the invincible Yudhishthira of great might, saying, “Whilebattling with the samsaptakas today,

“Vaisampayana said, ‘When Duryodhana, the son of Dhritarashtra, showedlittle regard for the words spoken by Sanjaya, and when the rest remainedsilent, the assembled kings rose up and retired.

“Duryodhana said, ‘In all the worlds Vasudeva is spoken of as the SupremeBeing. I desire, O Grandsire, to know his origin and glory.”

Draupadi said,–‘Wait a little, thou worst of men, thou wicked-mindedDussasana. I have an act to perform–a high duty that hath not beenperformed by me yet. Dragged forcibly by this wretch’s strong arms, I wasdeprived of my senses. I salute these reverend seniors in this assemblyof the Kurus. That I could not do this before cannot be my fault.'”

“Vrihadaswa said, ‘After the snake had vanquished, Nala, the ruler of theNishadhas, proceeded, and on the tenth day entered the city of Rituparna.And he approached the king, saying, ‘My name is Vahuka.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then Bhuminjaya, the eldest son of the king,entered, and having worshipped the feet of his father approached Kanka.And he beheld Kanka covered with blood, and seated on the ground at oneend of the court, and waited upon by the Sairindhri.

“Janamejaya said, ‘O Brahmana, I have, indeed, heard from thee thisaccount of the incarnation, according to their portions, of the gods, theDanavas, the Rakshasas, and also of the Gandharvas and the Apsaras. Ihowever, again desire to hear of the dynasty of the Kurus from the verybeginning. Therefore, O Brahmana, speak of this in the presence of allthese regenerate Rishis.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Why, O bull of Bharata’s race, have the Brahmanassaid that the king, that ruler of men, is a god?’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Do thou discourse to me once again, O grandsire,upon the merits attaching to gifts of sesame and of lamps for lightingdarkness, as also of food and robes.’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Thus addressed, O king, (by his sister and others),the slayer of Kesin, exceedingly afflicted by grief, answered,–‘So beit!’–These words were uttered with sufficient loudness and theygladdened all the inmates of the inner apartments of the palace.

“Narada said, ‘Even the great ascetic Rama, the hero worshipped by allheroes, that son of Jamadagni, of great fame, will die, without beingcontented (with the period of his life).

“Sanjaya said, ‘Hearing that Karna of mighty energy was still alive,Pritha’s son Yudhishthira of immeasurable energy, exceedingly angry withPhalguna and burning with the shafts of

“Sanjaya said, ‘Those adorable bowmen, Arjuna and Vasudeva, who areperfectly equal unto each other in respect of their godlike nature, havetaken their births of their own will.

“Bhishma said, ‘Hear from me, O king, this hymn that was uttered byBrahman himself.

Vaisampayana said,–“The kings present in that assembly, from tear ofDuryodhana, uttered not a word, good or ill, although they beheldDraupadi crying piteously in affliction like a female osprey, andrepeatedly appealing to them.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘After Nala, despoiled of his kingdom, had, with hiswife, become a bondsman, Bhima with the desire of seeing Nala sent outBrahmanas to search for him.

“Sudeva said, ‘There is a virtuous and illustrious ruler of theVidarbhas, Bhima by name. This blessed lady is his daughter, and widelyknown by the name of Damayanti.

“Uttara said, ‘The kine have not been recovered by me, nor have the foebeen vanquished by me. All that hath been accomplished by the son of adeity.

“Janamejaya said, ‘I desire to hear from thee about the birth and life ofthe high-souled Bharata and of the origin of Sakuntala. And, O holy one,I also desire to hear all about Dushmanta–that lion among men–and howthe hero obtained Sakuntala. It behoveth thee, O knower of truth and thefirst of all intelligent men, to tell me everything.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘What other special duties remain for the king todischarge? How should he protect his kingdom and how subdue his foes? Howshould he employ his spies? How should he inspire confidence in the fourorders of his subjects, his own servants, wives, and sons, O Bharata?’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Do thou, O foremost one of Kuru’s race, discourseunto me once again of the excellent ordinance regarding gifts, withespecial reference, O thou of great wisdom, to the gift of earth.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘The helpless Uttara, desirous of getting back herchild, having indulged in these piteous lamentations, fell down inaffliction on the earth like a demented creature.

“Vyasa said, ‘Hearing this sacred history of sixteen kings, capable ofenhancing the period of life (of the listener), king Srinjaya remainedsilent without saying anything.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Thus addressed by Yudhishthira, Kunti’s son owning whitesteeds, filled with rage, drew his sword for slaying that bull ofBharata’s race.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘How hast thou, O Sanjaya, been able to know Madhavaas the Supreme Lord of the universe? And how is it that I am unable toknow Him as such? Tell me this, O Sanjaya.’

Sanjaya said, “After the night had passed away and the sun had risen, thetwo armies, O king, approached each other for battle. Beholding eachother, each rushed in united ranks towards the other excited with rageand desirous of vanquishing the other.

“Karna said,–‘Of all the persons in the assembly, three, viz., Bhishma,Vidura, and the preceptor of the Kurus (Drona) appear to be independent;for they always speak of their master as wicked, always censure him, andnever wish for his prosperity.

“Drona said, ‘I know the Vedas with their six branches. I know also thescience of human affairs. I am acquainted also with the Saiva weapon, anddiverse other species of weapons.

¹ And it came to pass on the day that Moses had made an end of setting up the tabernacle, and had anointed it and sanctified it, and all the furniture thereof, and the altar and all the vessels thereof, and had anointed them and sanctified them;

¹ And Jehovah said unto Moses, See, I have made thee as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘When all the foremost of my warriors, O Sanjayahave perished, I do not think that the remnant of my army will notperish!

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘O best of kings, thou shouldst also reflectproperly on war and peace. Each is of two kinds.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having despatched the priest to the city calledafter the elephant they sent messengers to the kings of variouscountries.

“Dhritarashtra said,–‘Tell me, O Sanjaya, thou of great intelligence, ofthe regions to the north and the east side of Meru, as also of themountains of Malyavat, in detail.[50]

Vaishampayana said: “That scorcher of foes, Vibhatsu, thus addressed byhis maternal uncle, replied, with great cheerlessness of heart, untoVasudeva who was equally cheerless, saying, O uncle, I am unable to lookat this Earth when she is reft of that hero of Vrishnis race and those myother kinsmen.

“Narada said,–the celestial assembly room of Sakra is full of lustre. Hehath obtained it as the fruit of his own acts. Possessed of the splendourof the sun, it was built, O scion of the Kuru race, by Sakra himself.

Sanjaya said, “The son of Drona, O monarch, having reflected thus,descended from the terrace of his car and stood, bending his head untothat supreme god.

¹ And Jehovah said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Hearing that Vidura had returned, and that the kinghad consoled him, the evil-minded son of Dhritarashtra began to burn ingrief.

Vaisampayana said, “Then tying up in his cloth dice made of gold and setwith lapis lazuli, and holding them below his arm-pit, kingYudhishthira,–that illustrious lord of men–that high-souled perpetuatorof the

“Dhritarashtra said, Excellent is this parable that thou hast recited!Indeed, thou art acquainted with truth! Having listened to thy nectarlikespeech, I desire to hear thee more.

“Sauti said, ‘the god of fire enraged at the curse of Bhrigu, thusaddressed the Rishi, ‘What meaneth this rashness, O Brahmana, that thouhast displayed towards me? What transgression can be imputed to me whowas labouring to do justice and speak the truth impartially?

Vaisampayana said, “The righteous-souled Yudhishthira, with an agitatedheart and burning with sorrow, began to grieve for that mightycar-warrior Karna.

¹ When Jehovah thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it, and shall cast out many nations before thee, the Hittite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Canaanite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, seven nations greater and mightier than thou;

¹ And this is the law of the trespass-offering: it is most holy.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Hearing these words of the (Kuru) king, the valiantmonarch (Shalya), O king, said these words unto Duryodhana in reply, “Omighty-armed Duryodhana, listen to me, O foremost of eloquent men.

“Samvarta said, ‘How hast thou come to know me, and who has referred theeto me, do thou tell this to me truly, if thou wishest me to do what isgood to thee. And if thou speak truly, thou shalt attain all the objectsof thy desire, and shouldst thou tell a lie, thy head shall be riven in ahundred pieces.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O the best of Bharata’s race and the foremost ofgreat men, I wish to know what the fruits are of good deed. Do thouenlighten me on this point.'”

“Vrihadaswa said, ‘After a long time had passed away, a Brahmana namedParnada returned to the city (of the Vidarbhas), and said unto thedaughter of Bhima, ‘O Damayanti, seeking Nala, the king of Nishadhas, Icame to the city of Ayodhya, and appeared before the son of Bhangasura.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then, on the third day, attired in white robes aftera bath, and decked in ornaments of all kinds, those great car-warriors,the five Pandava brothers, having accomplished their row, and with

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then the king with his followers, having killedthousands of animals, entered another forest with a view to hunting. Andattended by a single follower and fatigued with hunger and thirst, hecame upon a large desert on the frontiers of the forest.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘By adopting that conduct, O thou that art conversantwith every kind of behaviour, can a king succeed in easily acquiring,both here and hereafter, objects productive of happiness in the end?’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘When the Brahma-weapon was withdrawn by Krishna, atthat time, the laying-in room was illumined by thy father with hisenergy.

“Bhishma said, ‘In this connection, O perpetuator of Kuru’s race, isrecited by the righteous the narrative of the great calamity thatovertook king Nriga in consequence of his spoliation of what had belongedto a Brahmans.

“Sanjaya said, ‘When that terrible day, so fraught with the slaughter ofcreatures, departed, and when the sun set, the beautiful twilight of theevening spread itself.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Thus addressed by Janardana, Pritha’s son Arjuna,applauding those counsels of his friend, then vehemently addressed kingYudhishthira the just, in language that was harsh and the like of whichhe had never used before.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘I request thee, O Sanjaya, to tell me again of thelotus-eyed Krishna; for, by being acquainted with the import of hisnames, I may, O son, obtain that most exalted of male beings.’

Sanjaya said, “Then Bhishma the son of Santanu fought fiercely,[394]desirous of protecting the sons from the fear of Bhimasena.

“Karna said,–‘We have never heard of such an act (as this one ofDraupadi), performed by any of the women noted in this world for theirbeauty.

“Vrihadaswa continued, ‘Having heard the words of Sudeva king Rituparna,soothing Vahuka with gentle words, said, ‘O Vahuka, thou art well-skilledin training and guiding horses.

“Virata said, ‘If this one, indeed, be the Kuru king Yudhisthira the sonof Kunti, which amongst these is his brother Arjuna, and which, themighty Bhima.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘The monarch then, as he proceeded, left even hisreduced retinue at the entrance of the hermitage. And entering quitealone he saw not the Rishi (Kanwa) of rigid vows.

Yudhishthira said, ‘Tell me, O grand sire, in what way should the kingprotect his subjects so as to be able to avoid grief and so as not tooffend against righteousness?’

Vaisampayana, said, ‘Hearing that the Pandavas were near, that crusher offoes, viz., Vasudeva, accompanied by his ministers, went out for seeingthem.

”Yudhishthira said, V sinless one, do thou discourse to me more indetail upon the merits that are attainable by making gifts of kine. Othou of mighty arms, I am never satiated with thy words!’

“Yudhishthira said,–O mighty-armed one, after thou hadst gone towardsthe army of the Samsaptakas, the preceptor Drona made fierce endeavoursfor seizing me.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Having heard these joyful words of king Yudhishthira,Govinda of virtuous soul, that delighter of the Yadus, then addressedPartha.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘O Sanjaya, I envy those gifted with sight, who willbehold before them that Vasudeva whose body endued with great beautyshineth with effulgence, illuminating the cardinal and subsidiary pointsof the compass;

Sanjaya said, “Beholding his brothers and the other kings engaged inbattle with Bhishma, Dhananjaya, with weapons upraised, rushed againstthe son of Ganga.

“Yudhishthira said,–‘O king, thou art our master. Command us as to whatwe shall do. O Bharata, we desire to remain always in obedience to thee.

“Vrihadaswa said, ‘Like a bird coursing through the sky, Nala sooncrossed rivers and mountains, and woods and lakes. And while the car wascoursing thus, that conqueror of hostile cities, the royal son ofBhangasura, saw his upper garment drop down on the ground.

“Virata said, ‘Why, O best among the Pandavas, dost thou not wish toaccept as wife this my daughter that I bestow upon thee?’

Kanwa continued, ‘And Sakra, thus addressed by her, then commanded himwho could approach every place (viz., the god of the wind) to be presentwith Menaka at the time she would be before the Rishi.

“Bhishma said, ‘That person, O king, who would protect the good andpunish the wicked, should be appointed as his priest by the king. In thisconnection is cited the old story about the discourse between Pururavas,the son of Aila and Matariswan.’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Thus addressed by Krishna, Yudhishthira, the son ofDharma, endued with great intelligence, saluted Vyasa and said thesewords: ‘Do thou cause me to be initiated when the proper hour, as thoutruly knowest, comes for that rite. This my sacrifice is entirelydependent on thee.’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘Thou hast, O grandsire, discoursed to me the topicof gifts of kine in speaking of the Rishi Nachiketa Thou hast alsoimpliedly discoursed, O puissant one, on the efficacy and pre-eminence ofthat act.

“Sanjaya said, ‘When the spies (of Duryodhana), having heard that louduproar made by the Pandavas desirous of victory, informed (their mastersof the cause),