03. ARANYAKA PARVA (313)

Om! Having bowed down to Narayana, and Nara the foremost of male beings,and the goddess Saraswati also, must the word Jaya be uttered.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘O Muni of profound wisdom, it is even as thousayest! I know it well as do all these kings! Indeed, what thouconsiderest to be beneficial for the Kurus was pointed out to me, O Muni,by Vidura and Bhishma and Drona. And, if I deserve thy favour, and ifthou hast kindness for the Kurus, do thou exhort my wicked sonDuryodhana!’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O best of regenerate ones, I desire again to hear ofthe achievements in detail of Agastya–that illustrious Rishi endued withgreat intelligence.'”

“Lomasa said, ‘Armed with the Vajra then, and supported by celestialsendued with great might, Indra then approached Vritra, who was thenoccupying the entire earth and the heaven.

“Lomasa said, ‘The Kalakeyas then having recourse to that receptacle ofwaters, which is the abode of Varuna, began their operations for thedestruction of the universe.

“The celestials said, ‘Through thy favour it is that all born beings ofthe four kinds increase. And they being created, propitiate the dwellersof heaven by offerings made to the gods and the names of departedforefathers.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O great saint! I am desirous of hearing in detailwhy it was that Vindhya, made senseless with wrath, suddenly began toincrease his bulk.'”

“Lomasa said, ‘That blessed saint, the son of Varuna, having reached thesea spake unto the assembled gods, and the saints gathered together,saying ‘I surely am going to drink up the ocean–that abode of the god ofwaters.

“Lomasa said, ‘Then gathered together, Brahma, the grandfather of men(thus) addressed, ‘Go ye, O gods! whither your pleasure may lead you, oryour desire conduct you.

“Lomasa said, ‘O most righteous of kings! When he heard these words(proceeding) from the sky, he had faith therein, and did all that he wasdirected to do, O chief of the men of Bharata’s race!

“Lomasa said, ‘That same king, of a powerful bow, standing at the head ofthe surrounding, (i.e., the occupant of an imperial throne) of a powerfulcar, (i.e., possessing every great fighting power) became the delight ofthe eyes and the soul of all the world.

“Lomasa said, ‘The blessed God having heard what Bhagiratha had said, andwith a view to doing what was agreeable to the residents of heaven,replied to the king, saying, ‘So let it be.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘O Kshatta, I am desirous to hear of the destructionof Kirmira! Do thou tell me how the encounter took place between theRakshasa and Bhimasena!’

Vaisampayana said, “O chief of the Bharata race! then the son of Kuntiwent at a slow pace to the two rivers Nanda and Aparananda, which had thevirtue of destroying the dread of sin.

“Lomasa said, ‘O descendant of Bharata! she in order to compass theobject of the king, prepared a floating hermitage, both because the kinghad ordered so, and also because it exactly accorded with her plan.

‘Rishyasringa said, ‘Here came to-day a religious student with a mass ofhair on his head. And he was neither short nor tall. And he was of aspirited look and a golden complexion, and endued with eye large aslotuses; and he was shining and graceful as a god.

“Vibhandaka said, ‘Those are, O son! Rakshasas. They walk about in thatwonderfully beautiful form.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then, O Janamejaya, the son of Pandu started fromthe river Kausiki and repaired in succession to all the sacred shrines.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘The protector of the earth spent there a singlenight, and with his brothers, paid the highest honours to the religiousmen.

“Akritavrana said, ‘Jamadagni devoted himself to the study of the Vedaand the practice of sacred penances, and became famous for his greatausterities.

“Rama said, ‘The blame is mine, O father, that like a stag in the wood,thou hast been shot dead with arrows, by those mean and stupidwretches–the sons of Kartavirya.

Vaisampayana said, “The magnanimous monarch pursued his journey, and atdifferent spots on the shore of the sea visited the various bathingplaces, all sacred and pleasant and frequented by men of the sacerdotalcaste.

Janamejaya said, “O thou of ascetic wealth! when the sons of Pandu andthe Vrishnis reached the holy spot Prabhasa, what did they do and whatconversation was held there by them, for all of them were of mightysouls, proficient in all the branches of science and both the Vrishnisand the sons of Pandu held one another in friendly estimation.”

Vaisampayana said, ‘Hearing that the Pandavas had been banished, theBhojas, the Vrishnis, and the Andhakas went to those heroes residing inaffliction in the great forest.

Satyaki said, “O Rama! this is not the time of lamentation; let us dothat which is proper and suited to the present occasion, althoughYudhishthira doth not speak a single word.

Lomasa said, “O king! when the Nriga performed a sacrifice here, hegratified Indra, the demolisher of hostile cities, by offering the Somajuice. And Indra was refreshed and was very much pleased.

“Lomasa said, ‘A son was born to the great saint Bhrigu, Chyavana byname. And he, of an exceedingly resplendent form, began to practiseausterities by the side of yonder lake.

“Lomasa said, ‘Once on a time, O king, those celestials, namely the twinAswins, happened to behold Sukanya, when she had (just) bathed, and whenher person was bare.

“Lomasa said, ‘Now the news came to Saryati that Chyavana had been turnedinto a youth. And well pleased he came, accompanied by his troops, to thehermitage of the son of Bhrigu.

“Lomasa said, ‘When the god who had performed a hundred sacrifices(Indra) beheld the demon Mada of a frightful mien, coming towards himwith open mouth, his intention being to devour him, and looking like thegod of death himself, while his own arms remained paralysed, he throughfear repeatedly licked the corners of his mouth.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O great Brahmana, how was that tiger among kings,Mandhata, Yuvanaswa’s son, born,–even he who was the best of monarchs,and celebrated over the three worlds?

Yudhishthira said, ‘O best of speakers! what was the extent of power andstrength possessed by king Somaka? I am desirous of hearing an exactaccount of his deeds and of his power.”

“Somaka said, ‘O Brahmana! whatever is to be performed–do precisely asit may be necessary. As I am desirous of having a number of sons, I shalldo all that may be prescribed by thee.”

“Lomasa said, ‘Here, O king! The lord of born beings himself performed asacrifice in former times,–the ceremony called Ishtikrita, whichoccupied one thousand years.

“Vasudeva said, O lord of earth, if I had been present at Dwaraka, then,O king, this evil would not have befallen thee!

“Lomasa said, ‘O son of Bharata’s race! If mortals breathe their last atthis spot, they go to heaven. O king! Thousands upon thousands of mencome to this place to die.

“The hawk said, ‘All the kings of the earth represent thee as a piousruler. Wherefore, O prince, has thou then stopped to perpetrate a deednot sanctioned by the ordinance? I have been sore afflicted with hunger.

“Lomasa said, ‘See here, O lord of men, the sacred hermitage ofSwetaketu, son of Uddalaka, whose fame as an expert in the sacred mantrasis so widely spread on earth.

“Ashtavakra said, ‘When no Brahmana is met with on the way, the waybelongeth to the blind, the deaf, the women, carriers of burden, and theking respectively.

“Ashtavakra said, ‘O king, O leader of fierce legions, in this assemblyof monarchs of unrivalled power who have met together, I am unable tofind out Vandin, chief of the controversialists.

“Lomasa said, ‘Here, O king, is visible the river Samanga, whose formername was Madhuvila, and yonder is the spot named Kardamila, the bathingplace of Bharata.

“Lomasa said, ‘One day in the month of Chaitra, while fearlesslywandering at large, Yavakri approached the hermitage of Raivya.

“Lomasa said, ‘O son of Kunti, Bharadwaja returned to his hermitage afterperforming the ritual duties of the day, and having collected thesacrificial fuel.

“Lomasa said, ‘At that very time, the mighty king, Vrihadyumna, of highfortune, who was the Yajamana of Raivya, commenced a sacrifice. And thetwo sons of Raivya, Arvavasu and Paravasu, were engaged by thatintelligent monarch, to assist him in the performance of the ceremony.

“Lomasa said, ‘O descendant of Bharata, O king, now hast thou left behindthe mountains Usiravija, Mainaka and Sweta, as well as the Kala hills, Oson of Kunti, O bull among the descendants of Bharata, here flow beforethee the seven Gangas.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O Krishna, why wert thou absent (from the Anarttacountry)? And, O descendant of the Vrishni race, while thou wert away,where didst thou dwell? And what didst thou do while out of thy kingdom?’

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O Vrikodara, there are mighty and powerful invisiblespirits at this place. We shall, however, pass it, through the merit ofour asceticism and Agnihotra sacrifices.

“Lomasa said, O sons of Pandu, ye have seen many a mountain, and riverand town and forest and beautiful tirtha; and have touched with yourhands the sacred waters.

Vaisampayana said, “O king, then those foremost of bowmen, ofimmeasurable prowess, holding bows stringed at full stretch and equippedwith quivers and arrows and wearing finger-caps made of the guana-skin,and with their swords on, proceeded with Panchali towards theGandhamadana, taking with them the best of Brahmanas.

Vaisampayana said, “When the high-souled sons of Pandu had proceeded onlytwo miles, Draupadi unaccustomed to travel on foot, sank down. Weary andafflicted as she was, the poor daughter of Panchala became faint, onaccount of the hailstorm and also of her extreme delicacy.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O Bhima, let this mighty and heroic Rakshasa chief,thy legitimate son, devoted to us, and truthful, and conversant withvirtue carry (his) mother (Draupadi) without delay. And, O possessor ofdreadful prowess, depending on the strength of thy arms, I shall reachthe Gandhamadana, unhurt, together with Panchala’s daughter.'”

Vaisampayana said, “There observing cleanliness, those tigers among mendwelt for six nights, in expectation of beholding Dhananjaya. And it cameto pass that all of a sudden there blew a wind from the north-east andbrought a celestial lotus of a thousand petals and effulgent as the sun.

Vaisampayana said, “O represser of foes, hearing these words of theintelligent monkey-chief, the heroic Bhima answered, ‘Who art thou? Andwhy also hast thou assumed the shape of a monkey?

Hanuman said, ‘And after his wife was carried away, that descendant ofRaghu, while searching with his brother for his queen, met, on the summitof that mountain, with Sugriva, chief of the monkeys.

Vaisampayana continued, “Thus addressed, the powerful Bhimasena of mightyarms, affectionately, and with a cheerful heart, bowed unto his brother,Hanuman, the monkey-chief, and said in mild words, ‘None is morefortunate than I am; now have I seen my elder brother.

“Bhimasena said, ‘Without beholding thy former shape, I will never goaway. If I have found favour with thee, do thou then show me thine ownshape.

“Yudhishthira said, ‘O illustrious Vasudeva of mighty arms, tell thou indetail of the death of the lord of Saubha. My curiosity hath not beenappeased by the narration.’

Vaisampayana said, “Then contracting that huge body of his, which he hadassumed at will, the monkey with his arms again embraced Bhimasena. And OBharata, on Bhima being embraced by his brother, his fatigue went off,and all (the powers of body) as also his strength were restored.

Vaisampayana said, “When that foremost of monkeys had gone away, Bhima,the best of strong men, began to range the huge Gandhamadana along thatpath.

Vaisampayana said, “Having reached that spot, Bhimasena saw in thevicinity of the Kailasa cliff, that beautiful lotus lake surrounded bylovely woods, and guarded by the Rakshasas.

“Bhima said, ‘I am the son of Pandu, and next by birth to Yudhishthirathe just, and my name is Bhimasena. O Rakshasas, I have come with mybrothers to the jujube named Visala.

Vaisampayana said, “Then, O best of the Bharatas, Bhima began to collectthose rare unearthly, variegated and fresh flowers in abundance.

Vaisampayana said, “Once upon a time Yudhishthira, while living at thatplace, addressed Krishna, his brother, and the Brahmanas, saying,

Vaisampayana continued, “Thus dwelling with the Brahmanas in that best ofmountains, in expectation of Arjuna’s return,

Vaisampayana continued, “On that Rakshasa having been slain, that lord,the royal son of Kunti, returned to the hermitage of Narayana and beganto dwell there.

Vaisampayana continued, “Having approached that one, whose sins had beenconsumed by asceticism, Yudhishthira announced his name, and gladlygreeted him, bending his head.

Janamejaya said, “How long did my great grandsires, the highsouled sonsof Pandu of matchless prowess, dwell in the Gandhamadana mountain? Andwhat did those exceedingly powerful ones, gifted with manliness, do?

“Vasudeva continued, ‘O king of kings, Salwa, the lord of Saubha, cametowards our city with an immense force consisting of infantry, cavalryand elephants!

Vaisampayana said, “Hearing various sounds resounding in the caves of themountain and not seeing Bhimasena, Kunti’s son, Ajatasatru and the twinsons of Madri and Dhaumya and Krishna and all the Brahmanas and thefriends (of the Pandavas), were filled with anxiety.

“The lord of treasures said, ‘O Yudhishthira, patience, ability,(appropriate) time and place and prowess–these five lead to success inhuman affairs. O Bharata, in the Krita Yuga, men were patient and able intheir respective occupations and they knew how to display prowess.

Vaisampayana continued, “Then, O represser of foes, at sunrise, havingfinished his daily devotions, Dhaumya came unto the Pandavas, withArshtishena.

Vaisampayana continued, “Dwelling in that best of mountains thosehigh-souled ones observing excellent vows, felt themselves attracted (tothat place), and diverted themselves, eager to behold Arjuna.

Vaisampayana continued, “And it came to pass that once a day as thosemighty charioteers were thinking of Arjuna, seeing Mahendra’s car, yokedwith horses of the effulgence of lightning, arrive all on a sudden,

Vaisampayana said, “Then when the night had been spent, Dhananjaya,together with his brothers, paid homage unto Yudhishthira the just.

Vaisampayana continued, “When Sakra had gone to his proper place,Vibhatsu together with his brothers and Krishna, paid homage unto the sonof Dharma.

“Arjuna said, ‘O Bharata, by the grace of that god of gods the SupremeSoul, Tryamvaka, I passed the night at that place. And having passed thenight, when I had finished the morning rituals, I saw that foremost ofthe Brahmanas whom I had seen before.

“Arjuna continued, ‘Then at places eulogised by the Maharshis, I(proceeded, and at length) beheld the ocean–that inexhaustible lord ofwaters. And like unto flowing cliffs were seen on it heaving billows, nowmeeting together and now rolling away.

“Arjuna continued, ‘Then, O Bharata, vehemently rushed at me in battle ina body the Nivata-Kavachas, equipped with arms.

“Vasudeva continued, ‘O bull of the Bharata race, having spoken thus untothe Yadavas, the son of Rukmini (Pradyumna) ascended his golden car.

“Arjuna said, ‘Then with rocks of the proportions of trees, therecommenced a mighty shower of crags; and this exercised me exceedingly.

“Arjuna continued, ‘Remaining invisible the Daityas began to fight withthe help of illusion. And I too fought with them, resorting to the energyof visible weapons.

“Arjuna continued, ‘Then while returning, I happened to descry a mightyunearthly city, moving at will, and having the effulgence of fire or thesun.

“Arjuna continued, ‘Then firmly confident, the sovereign of thecelestials considering as his own, pertinently said these words unto mewounded by cleaving shafts, ‘All the celestial weapons,

Vaisampayana continued, “And when the night had passed, Yudhishthira thejust, arose and together with his brothers, performed the necessaryduties.

Janamejaya said, “When that prime among heroes, having been accomplishedin arms, had returned from the abode of the slayer of Vritra, what didPritha’s sons do in company with the warlike Dhananjaya?”

Vaisampayana said, “When they had left their happy home in the beautifulmountain abounding in cascades, and having birds,

Janamejaya said, “How was it, O sage! that Bhima, of mighty prowess andpossessing the strength of ten thousand elephants, was stricken withpanic at (the sight of) that snake?

Vaisampayana continued, “And the powerful Bhimasena, having thus comeunder the power of the snake, thought of its mighty and wonderfulprowess; and said unto it, ‘Be thou pleased to tell me, O snake, who thouart.

Vaisampayana continued, “Yudhishthira, finding his beloved brother coiledby the body of the serpent, said these words: ‘O son of Kunti, how hastthou come by this misfortune!

“Vasudeva continued, ‘O king, afflicted with the arrows of Salwa, whenPradyumna became senseless the Vrishnis who had come to the fight wereall disheartened and filled with grief!

“Yudhishthira said, ‘In this world, you are so learned in the Vedas andVedangas; tell me (then), what one should do to attain salvation?’

Vaisampayana said, “While they were dwelling at that place, there set inthe season of the rains, the season that puts an end to the hot weatherand is delightful to all animated beings.

Vaisampayana said, “O son of Kuru, they, Yudhishthira and others, havingreached the forest of Kamyaka, were, hospitably received by hosts ofsaints and they lived together with Krishna.

Vaisampayana continued,–“The sons of Pandu said to the high-souledMarkandeya, ‘We long to hear of the greatness of the Brahmanas Do thoutell us of it!’

“Markandeya continued, ‘Do ye again hear from me the glory of theBrahmanas! It is said that a royal sage of the name of Vainya was onceengaged in performing the horse-sacrifice and that Atri desired to go tohim for alms.

“Markandeya continued, ‘O thou conqueror of hostile cities, in thisconnection Saraswati too, when interrogated by that intelligent MuniTarkshya, had said (this). Do thou listen to her words!

Then Yudhishthira, the son of Pandu, said to the Brahmana, Markandeya,’Do thou now narrate the history of Vaivaswata Manu?

“Then the virtuous king Yudhishthira in all humility again enquired ofthe illustrious Markandeya, saying, ‘O great Muni, thou hast seen manythousands of ages pass away.

“Markandeya continued, ‘The Deity then said, ‘O Brahmana, the gods evendo not know me truly! As however, I have been gratified with thee, I willtell thee how I created the universe!

“Vaisampayana said Yudhishthira, the son of Kunti, once more asked thegreat Muni Markandeya about the future course of the government of theEarth.