Mahabharata English

Janamejaya said, “Why did the adorable Arshtishena undergo the austerestof penances? How also did Sindhudwipa acquire the status of a Brahmana?

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having reached that Sami tree, and havingascertained Virata’s son to be exceedingly delicate and inexperienced inbattle, Partha addressed him, saying, ‘Enjoined by me, O Uttara, quicklytake down (from this tree) some bows that are there.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Thus rebuked by Shalya of immeasurable energy, the son ofRadha, feeling the propriety of his rebuker’s name in consequence of hiswordy darts, and becoming filled with rage, answered him thus:

“Saunaka said, ‘O son of Suta, I desire to know the reason why theillustrious Rishi whom thou hast named Jaratkaru came to be so called onearth. It behoveth thee to tell us the etymology of the name Jaratkaru.’

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then Devaki’s son Janardana of universal knowledgeaddressed king Yudhishthira who stood there with his brothers, saying,’In this world, O sire, Brahmanas are always the objects of worship withme.

“Brahmana said, ‘From the unmanifest first sprang Mahat (the Great Soul)endued with great intelligence, the source of all the qualities. That issaid to be the first creation.

“Dhritarashtra said, A mere child in years, brought up in great luxury,proud of the strength of his arms, accomplished in battle, endued withgreat heroism, the perpetuator of his race, and prepared to lay down hislife–when Abhimanyu penetrated into the Katirava army, borne on histhree-years old steeds of spirited mettle, was there any of greatwarriors, in Yudhishthira’s army, that followed the son of Arjuna?’

“Mahadeva said, ‘Thou wert in thy former life Nara, the friend ofNarayana. In Vadari wert thou engaged in fierce ascetic austerities forseveral thousands of years.

“Arjuna said, ‘What is the state, O Krishna, of those who abandoning theordinance of the scriptures, perform sacrifices endued with faith? It isone of Goodness, or Passion, or Darkness?’

“Sisupala said,–“That mighty king Jarasandha who desired not to fightwith Krishna, saying ‘He is a slave,’ was worthy of my greatest esteem.

‘Bhishma said, One day the chief of the celestials assuming a form ofcelestial beauty, came to the retreat of the Rishi, thinking that theopportunity he had been expecting had at last come.

Vaishampayana said, “The delighter of the Yadus then proceeded to theasylum (of Vaka) which resounded with the chanting of the Vedas.

“Uttara said, ‘It hath been heard by us that a corpse is tied in thistree. How can I, therefore, being a prince by birth, touch it with myhands?

“Sauti said, ‘Being thus addressed, and hearing that his sire was bearinga dead snake, the powerful Sringin burned with wrath. And looking atKrisa, and speaking softly, he asked him, ‘Pray, why doth my father beartoday a dead snake?’ And Krisa replied, ‘Even as king Parikshit wasroving, for purpose of hunting, O dear one, he placed the dead snake onthe shoulder of thy sire.’

“Sanjaya said, ‘Hearing, O sire, these words of Radha’s son who delightedin battle, Shalya once more addressed Karna, citing an example, “I amborn in the race of men who performed great sacrifices, who neverretreated from battle, who were kings whose coronal locks underwent thesacred bath.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘The royal son of Kunti, freed from grief and thefever of his heart, took his seat, with face eastwards, on excellent seatmade of gold.

“Brahmana said, ‘That Mahat who was first produced is called Egoism. Whenit sprang up as I, it came to be called as the second creation. ThatEgoism is said to be the source of all creatures, for these have sprungfrom its modifications.

“Sanjaya said, ‘Thou askest me, O monarch, about the prowess of the rulerof the Sindhus. Listen to me as I describe in detail how he fought withthe Pandavas.

Vaisampayana said, “The wielder of the Pinaka, having the bull for hissign, thus disappeared in the very sight of the gazing son of Pandu, likethe sun setting in the sight of the world. Arjuna, that slayer of hostileheroes, wondered much at this, saying, ‘O, I have seen the great god ofgods.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘If there is anything still left unsaid by thee, OVidura, say it then, as I am ready to listen to thee. The discourse is,indeed, charming.’

“Arjuna said, ‘Of renunciation, O thou of mighty arms, I desire to knowthe true nature, and also of abandonment, O lord of the sensesdistinctly, O slayer of Kesi.'[293]

“Bhishma said,–This Sisupala was born in the line of the king of Chediwith three eyes and four hands. As soon as he was born, he screamed andbrayed like an ass. On that account, his father and mother along withtheir relatives, were struck with fear.

“Bhishma said, ‘Having accomplished his preceptor’s behest, Vipulapractised the most severe penances.

Janamejaya said, “Why is the current of (the tirtha known by the name of)Vasishthapavaha so rapid? For what reason did the foremost of rivers bearaway Vasishtha?

“Uttara said, ‘To what warrior of fame doth this excellent bow belong, onwhich are a hundred golden bosses and which hath such radiant ends?

“Sauti said, ‘And Sringin then replied to his father, saying, ‘Whetherthis be an act of rashness, O father, or an improper act that I havedone, whether thou likest it or dislikest it, the words spoken by meshall never be in vain. O father, I tell thee (a curse) can never beotherwise. I have never spoken a lie even in jest.’

“Sanjaya said, ‘The high-souled son of Adhiratha, having listenedunconvinced to these words of the ruler of the Madras, addressed Shalya,saying, “That which Vasudeva and Arjuna are is well-known to me.

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having heard those words, suitable to time andplace, of his subjects, king Yudhishthira answered them in the followingwords, ‘Great must be the sons of Pandu, in sooth, whose merits, true orfalse, are thus recited by such foremost of Brahmanas assembled together.

‘Brahmana said, From Egoism were verily born the five great elements.They are earth, air, ether, water, and light numbering the fifth.

“Sanjaya said, ‘When the ruler of the Sindhus checked the Pandavas,desirous of success, the battle that took place then between thy troopsand the enemy became awful.

Vaisampayana said, “After the Lokapalas had gone away, Arjuna–thatslayer of all foes–began to think, O monarch, of the car of Indra!

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Then the illustrious and wise king Dhritarashtra,having applauded the words spoken by Vidura, questioned Sanat-sujata insecret, desirous of obtaining the highest of all knowledge.

Sanjaya said,–“Beholding Dhananjaya then to take up once again (his)arrows and Gandiva, the mighty car-warriors (of the Pandava party)uttered a tremendous shout.

“Bhishma said,–The will under which the ruler of Chedi summoneth thee tofight though thou art of strength that knoweth no deterioration, isscarcely his own intention. Assuredly, this is the purpose of Krishnahimself, the lord of the universe.

“Bhishma said, ‘Beholding his disciple returned from his mission,Devasarman of great energy addressed him in words which I shall recite tothee O king!’

Vaishampayana said, “Cursed by the intelligent Vishvamitra in anger,Sarasvati, in that auspicious and best of tirthas, flowed, bearing bloodin her current.

“Vrihannala said, ‘That about which thou hath first enquired is Arjuna’sbow, of world-wide fame, called Gandiva, capable of devastating hostilehosts.

“Sauti said, ‘And Takshaka, after this, answered, ‘If, indeed, thou artable to cure any creature bitten by me, then, O Kasyapa, revive thou thistree bit by me. O best of Brahmanas, I burn this banian in thy sight. Trythy best and show me that skill in mantras of which thou hast spoken.’

“Sanjaya said, ‘That chastiser of foes, viz., the son of Radha, thussilencing the ruler of the Madras, once more addressed him, O monarch,saying these words, “In answer to that which,

“Vaisampayana said, ‘After this king Yudhishthira of magnanimous soulcaused the Sraddha rites to be performed of every one of his kinsmenslain in battle.

“Brahmana said, ‘Among men, the royal Kshatriya is (endued with) themiddle quality. Among vehicles, the elephant (is so); and among denizensof the forest the lion; among all (sacrificial) animals, the sheep;

“Sanjaya said, ‘Engaged in taking the lives of brave warriors, Arjuna’sson then resembled the Destroyer himself, when the latter takes the livesof all creatures on the arrival of the Universal Dissolution.

Vaisampayana said, “And the city of Indra which Arjuna saw was delightfuland was the resort of Siddhas and Charanas. And it was adorned with theflowers of every season, and with sacred trees of all kinds.

“Dhritarashtra said, ‘What is the object of asceticism (mauna)? Of thetwo kinds of mauna (viz., the restraining of speech and meditation),which is approved by thee?

Dhritarashtra said, ‘When the divisions of both my side and the foe werethus arrayed, who struck first, the Kurus or the Pandavas?’

“Vaisampayana said,–Hearing these words of Bhishma, the ruler of Chediendued with exceeding prowess, desirous of combating with Vasudevaaddressed him and said,–O Janarddana, I challenge thee. Come, fight withme until I slay thee today with all the Pandavas.

“Yudhishthira said, “Tell me of that, O grandsire, which is the root ofall duties, which is the root of kinsmen, of home, of the Pitris and ofguests. I think this should be regarded as the foremost of all duties,(viz., the marriage of one’s daughter). Tell me, however, O king, uponwhat sort of a person should one bestow one’s daughter?’

Janamejaya said, “Thou hast described the merits of the Sarasvati, O bestof Brahmanas! It behoveth thee, O regenerate one, to describe to me theinvestiture of Kumara (by the gods).

“Uttara said, ‘Indeed, these weapons adorned with gold, belonging to thelight-handed and high-souled Partha, look exceedingly beautiful.

“Sauti said, ‘Then the councillors beholding the king in the coils ofTakshaka, became pale with fear and wept in exceeding grief. And hearingthe roar of Takshaka, the ministers all fled. And as they were flyingaway in great grief, they saw Takshaka, the king of snakes, thatwonderful serpent, coursing through the blue sky like a streak of the hueof the lotus, and looking very much like the vermilion-coloured line on awoman’s crown dividing the dark masses of her hair in the middle.

“‘Shalya said, “These, O Karna, are ravings that thou utterest regardingthe foe. As regards myself without a 1,000 Karnas I am able to vanquishthe foe in battle.'”

“Vaisampayana said, ‘Having got back the kingdom, king Yudhishthira ofgreat wisdom and purity, after the ceremony of installation had beenover, joining his hands together, addressed the lotus-eyed Krishna ofDasarha’s race, saying,

“Brahmana said, ‘I shall now tell you truly about all that which has abeginning, middle, and end, and which is endued with name andcharacteristics, together with the means of apprehension.

“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.

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?’

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.

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.

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.